"Let's give an example - one you may or may not have heard before - about breaking sakkāya-diṭṭhi. In our country, don't people make pots from clay? Many kinds of pots. Can you make a pot from clay alone? Don't you need to mix it with water? You need to knead it until it's sticky.
When it's ready for molding, don't you shape it into various pots? Can you move it right away? Don't you need to let it dry in the air? So isn't air element involved? After 4-5 days when it hardens, don't you need to put it in the sun? So isn't fire element involved?
After 2-3 days when it's quite hard, don't you need to take it outside the village to fire it? Only when it's fully hardened can you take it where you want. Isn't this worth examining? Fire element is involved, right? Earth element, water element, fire element, air element.
If you look with your ordinary eyes, you see various pots. When you see pots, don't you want them for your use? But when you look through the wisdom-spectacles given by the Buddha, do you see pots or the four great elements? What really exists - pots or the four elements?
When you see the four elements, do you still see pots? Why not? (Because they don't exist, Lord). The four elements are ultimate reality (paramattha).
That's why it's taught that conventional reality covers ultimate reality. The pot is conventional reality. When you think it's a pot and touch it with the hand of wisdom, do you find a pot or hardness?
Hardness is pathavī (earth element). If we called everything hard a pot, wouldn't we have to call all hard objects pots? Is that possible? Isn't it taught as the characteristic of hardness, the element of hardness, ultimate hardness?
Whatever you call or designate on that characteristic of hardness, does the hardness change? Isn't this taught as ultimate reality? Hardness is ultimate reality, the pot is conventional reality. Conventional reality doesn't really exist - it's just on the lips, understand? It's just in your mind's conception, mental consciousness. Isn't this worth considering?"
This analogy beautifully illustrates the difference between ultimate reality (paramattha) and conventional reality (paññatti) in Buddhist teaching.
"Breaking Attachments"
"Isn't it taught that seeing impermanence is the Path? Does craving still come? If craving doesn't come, does clinging still arise? We practice Dhamma to end clinging, understand? Think about it. Isn't this worth investigating? When breaking attachments, when we know the truth, doesn't falsehood disappear?
Humans, devas, and brahmas exist only as concepts. What exists whether designated or not are the five aggregates. Isn't it worth examining how they exist? They exist as impermanent (anicca), as suffering (dukkha), as non-self (anatta). Isn't this worth studying? These are the essential points.
Therefore, analyzing the aggregates breaks identity-view (sakkāya-diṭṭhi). Right now, what appears are humans, devas, and brahmas, but what we actually find are the four great elements. What appears are various pots, but what we find are the four great elements. Isn't this worth investigating? When we see the four great elements, do we still see pots? Why don't we see them? (Because they don't exist, Lord). Ah, because they don't exist. If something doesn't exist, how can we cling to it?"
Humans, devas, and brahmas exist only as concepts. What exists whether designated or not are the five aggregates. Isn't it worth examining how they exist? They exist as impermanent (anicca), as suffering (dukkha), as non-self (anatta). Isn't this worth studying? These are the essential points.
Therefore, analyzing the aggregates breaks identity-view (sakkāya-diṭṭhi). Right now, what appears are humans, devas, and brahmas, but what we actually find are the four great elements. What appears are various pots, but what we find are the four great elements. Isn't this worth investigating? When we see the four great elements, do we still see pots? Why don't we see them? (Because they don't exist, Lord). Ah, because they don't exist. If something doesn't exist, how can we cling to it?"
"Conceptual Knowledge":
"Thinking-knowing, imagining-knowing is mind-consciousness (mano-viññāṇa). When we look with our eyes, we see various pots. This mind-consciousness is like a magic show, or in another way, like a dream. Aren't there people who dream of finding pots of gold and silver? Aren't there those who dream of winning the lottery? Aren't there those who dream of successful business ventures?
Before waking up, don't we fantasize? We do fantasize. But when we wake up, does anything match our fantasies? Is this because these things exist or because they don't exist? That's why it's taught to be like a magic show, like a dream. When we understand this, is there anything left to cling to? There's nothing left to cling to, understand? We can only abandon what we understand. Can we abandon what we don't understand? Strive to understand."
"Thinking-knowing, imagining-knowing is mind-consciousness (mano-viññāṇa). When we look with our eyes, we see various pots. This mind-consciousness is like a magic show, or in another way, like a dream. Aren't there people who dream of finding pots of gold and silver? Aren't there those who dream of winning the lottery? Aren't there those who dream of successful business ventures?
Before waking up, don't we fantasize? We do fantasize. But when we wake up, does anything match our fantasies? Is this because these things exist or because they don't exist? That's why it's taught to be like a magic show, like a dream. When we understand this, is there anything left to cling to? There's nothing left to cling to, understand? We can only abandon what we understand. Can we abandon what we don't understand? Strive to understand."
"The Four Noble Truths":
"We need to understand the Four Noble Truths. When we say 'understanding leads to abandonment,' it refers to:
- The Truth of Suffering (Dukkha Sacca)
- The Truth of the Origin of Suffering (Samudaya Sacca)
- The Truth of the Cessation of Suffering (Nirodha Sacca)
- The Truth of the Path (Magga Sacca)
When examining from the perspective of causes, the order is:
1. Samudaya Sacca (Origin)
2. Dukkha Sacca (Suffering)
3. Magga Sacca (Path)
4. Nirodha Sacca (Cessation)
When examining from the perspective of results, the order is:
1. Dukkha Sacca (Suffering)
2. Samudaya Sacca (Origin)
3. Nirodha Sacca (Cessation)
4. Magga Sacca (Path)
Isn't this worth studying?"
"We need to understand the Four Noble Truths. When we say 'understanding leads to abandonment,' it refers to:
- The Truth of Suffering (Dukkha Sacca)
- The Truth of the Origin of Suffering (Samudaya Sacca)
- The Truth of the Cessation of Suffering (Nirodha Sacca)
- The Truth of the Path (Magga Sacca)
When examining from the perspective of causes, the order is:
1. Samudaya Sacca (Origin)
2. Dukkha Sacca (Suffering)
3. Magga Sacca (Path)
4. Nirodha Sacca (Cessation)
When examining from the perspective of results, the order is:
1. Dukkha Sacca (Suffering)
2. Samudaya Sacca (Origin)
3. Nirodha Sacca (Cessation)
4. Magga Sacca (Path)
Isn't this worth studying?"
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