"The Matter of Wisdom (Ñāṇa)... One needs to know the aggregates (khandha), the Noble Truths (sacca), and Dependent Origination (Paṭiccasamuppāda).
One must understand the five aggregates: form (rūpa), feeling (vedanā), perception (saññā), mental formations (saṅkhāra), and consciousness (viññāṇa).
Isn't it worth investigating where these five aggregates come from?
When there's eye-sensitivity, doesn't it contact visible objects? Doesn't seeing-consciousness arise? Without eye-sensitivity, can seeing-consciousness arise when visible objects contact? Even with eye-sensitivity, can seeing occur in darkness? No, it cannot.
Seeing-consciousness only arises when four conditions are met: eye-sensitivity, visible object, light, and attention (manasikāra).
Is that seeing-consciousness 'I who sees' or just seeing-consciousness? Before these two physical elements contact, can you point to where this seeing-consciousness exists? It only arises upon contact.
So, is it an inherently existing phenomenon? Since it only arises when two physical elements contact, isn't it taught as a conditioned phenomenon? Is it inherently existing or conditioned? If you understand it's conditioned, arising only when two physical elements contact, isn't it worth asking what benefit this understanding brings?
Will you still hold the view of a soul, spirit, humans, or devas? Doesn't identity-view (sakkāya-diṭṭhi) fall away?
Because people don't understand this, don't they perform rituals for the dead, like offering food to the departed and memorial services? These are due to clinging (upādāna).
Did any Buddha reject wholesome deeds like giving (dāna), morality (sīla), and concentration (samatha)? Think about it. Should we abandon giving or defilements? Should we abandon morality or defilements? Should we abandon concentration or defilements? We abandon defilements.
There are three types of formations: meritorious (puññābhisaṅkhāra), demeritorious (apuññābhisaṅkhāra), and imperturbable (āneñjābhisaṅkhāra).
Don't meritorious formations lead to human and deva existence? Are they free from aging, sickness, and death?
Through imperturbable formations, practicing the 40 meditation subjects, one can develop psychic powers, but even rebirth in the Brahma realm isn't free from aging, sickness, and death. What Noble Truth is this? Is it true happiness?
Demeritorious formations lead to lower realms.
However, if there were no one teaching about aggregates, Noble Truths, and Dependent Origination, wouldn't we still need to make merit to avoid the lower realms? This merit leads to human and deva existence.
When meeting a Buddha's teaching, one can strive to understand these truths and achieve the Path moment through understanding, abandoning, realizing, and developing.
After understanding, will one still create formations for existence? Shouldn't one still do wholesome deeds? Offerings made for liberation are called vivatta-dāna, while those made for existence are vatta-dāna.
Vivatta-dāna is led by wisdom - knowing the aggregates, knowing impermanence. Isn't this worth examining? When ignorance leads giving, aren't there formations?
With formations, isn't there ignorance behind them? Isn't it taught 'With ignorance as condition, formations arise'? Is there freedom from aging, sickness, and death?
Therefore, one needs to understand the aggregates, sense bases, elements, Noble Truths, and Dependent Origination.
Only then will attachment to views about humans, devas, and brahmas fall away. Isn't this worth examining?
Study, study, study!"
