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Practitioner asks about why during Buddha's time, some people achieved enlightenment seemingly easily - just by hearing a bell or seeing the Buddha. While nowadays, even with good teachers and proper Dhamma, and despite having faith and practicing diligently, it seems much harder.
The teacher explains:
"It's because the conditions aren't fully aligned yet. It's like taking an exam - the questions are the same, but it depends on how well-prepared the student is. When the mind is properly oriented, results will come.
The key is to observe with bare attention:
- When seeing forms, observe without likes and dislikes
- Just see things as they are, without adding mental proliferations
- When mindfulness and wisdom are present, insight arises immediately
- With proper mindfulness, you see beyond concepts of persons to just nama-rupa (mind-matter)
- When impermanence is seen clearly, craving and clinging cease
- This leads to ending of the asavas (mental defilements)
The practitioner then shares their experience:
"When seeing occurs, there should be equanimity. But because our wisdom is slow and phenomena arise quickly, likes and dislikes tend to arise. Only after mindfully observing for 1-2 minutes do we realize 'this is just rupa (form)'. The insight comes but with delay."
The key teaching point is that practice requires patient cultivation of mindfulness to see things as they truly are, without conceptual overlays. While immediate enlightenment was possible for those with highly developed paramis during Buddha's time, for most practitioners today, gradual training is needed to develop the necessary conditions for insight to arise.
"This is where mindfulness is needed. With mindfulness present, defilements cannot enter. This is why the Noble Eightfold Path includes Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration - these three factors can be condensed to mindfulness alone, or expanded to three distinct qualities.
That's why those with good concentration (samadhi), as the Mogok Sayadaw taught, should listen to the Dhamma with the mind and turn attention to the five aggregates (khandhas). Liberation happens when properly observing the khandhas.
If one continues practicing with proper concentration:
- Impermanence (anicca) of the khandhas becomes apparent
- When one truly sees impermanence, is it pleasant or suffering?
- Seeing impermanence naturally leads to understanding suffering (dukkha)
- Can we command this suffering to stop? Is there a self that can control it?
- With one insight into impermanence, both dukkha and anatta (non-self) are included
- That's why seeing impermanence is crucial
- As taught: 'All conditioned things are impermanent'
What's needed is faith in what you've heard. With genuine faith, you'll succeed. But what you're describing is still at an ordinary level, not yet deeply effective. When it becomes truly effective, it comes paired with mindfulness."
The key point is that proper mindfulness (sati) is essential for insight to arise. When mindfulness is well-developed, it naturally leads to seeing the three characteristics of existence - impermanence, suffering, and non-self.
That's why those with good concentration (samadhi), as the Mogok Sayadaw taught, should listen to the Dhamma with the mind and turn attention to the five aggregates (khandhas). Liberation happens when properly observing the khandhas.
If one continues practicing with proper concentration:
- Impermanence (anicca) of the khandhas becomes apparent
- When one truly sees impermanence, is it pleasant or suffering?
- Seeing impermanence naturally leads to understanding suffering (dukkha)
- Can we command this suffering to stop? Is there a self that can control it?
- With one insight into impermanence, both dukkha and anatta (non-self) are included
- That's why seeing impermanence is crucial
- As taught: 'All conditioned things are impermanent'
What's needed is faith in what you've heard. With genuine faith, you'll succeed. But what you're describing is still at an ordinary level, not yet deeply effective. When it becomes truly effective, it comes paired with mindfulness."
The key point is that proper mindfulness (sati) is essential for insight to arise. When mindfulness is well-developed, it naturally leads to seeing the three characteristics of existence - impermanence, suffering, and non-self.
