The Importance of Wholesome Mind States and Protection Through Dhamma Practice

Therefore, memorize how to analyze the aggregates to understand them. When traveling to the forest, during business dealings, or while riding in vehicles, contemplate the aggregates. Take the book with you, and when you're reading it, is studying the aggregates wholesome or unwholesome?

Oh - when reading, these are wholesome mind states. Can unwholesome thoughts enter at that time? Reading the book generates wholesome thoughts, do you understand? Once you've memorized it, do you still need to carry the book? Recite while riding in cars, recite while flying in planes. Even if you unfortunately die in a car accident, if you die with a wholesome mind state, you'll become a deva or be reborn as a human, do you understand?

Isn't this worth examining?

These are wholesome mind states occurring. If you die mindlessly thinking about buying and selling without understanding this, then a lower realm rebirth is certain. That's because you died with an unwholesome mind state. So memorize how to analyze the aggregates. If you haven't mastered it yet, when you study, it generates wholesome mind states. Can unwholesome states arise then?

If you travel with intention and faith while reciting, even in forests known for ghosts - speaking conventionally - guardian deities always protect you. The guardian deities of the Buddha's teachings protect you. The righteous deities protect you, do you understand? Don't wholesome mind states arise then? Can wrong beings attach to you? Wrong beings cannot attach, you see. Green ghosts and hungry ghosts are wrong beings. The righteous deities and guardians of the teachings are right beings, do you understand? There are also personal guardian deities. Personal guardian deities ward off both harmful and beneficial spirits. Isn't this worth studying? This is why we need to know how to make wholesome kamma.

Now, those who haven't yet achieved understanding should strive to achieve it, and those who have already understood should complete the essential task by contemplating the Noble Truths."

The Importance of Thoroughly Understanding the Five Aggregates

 "Don't all of you, the Dhamma audience, see the monk now? Don't you think 'monk'? Don't you believe he exists? Dhamma means truth. We must teach what is true.

Now, do we call it 'monk' or 'head'? Do we call it 'monk' or 'forehead'? Do we call it 'monk' or 'face'? Do we call it 'monk' or 'cheeks'? Do we call it 'monk' or 'nose'? Do we call it 'monk' or 'ears'? Do we call it 'monk' or 'lips'? Do we call it 'monk' or 'mouth'? Do we call it 'monk' or 'chin'? Do we call it 'monk' or 'neck'? Do we call it 'monk' or 'nape'?

When you examine from head to toe, both forward and backward, do you find a 'monk' or do you find the thirty-two parts of the body? Before, didn't you think 'monk' existed? But now what do you find - a monk or the thirty-two parts? Are the thirty-two parts really a monk? The attachment to 'monk' is wrong, isn't it? This is direct experiential knowledge.

Isn't Vipassana wisdom said to be known only when a Buddha appears? Vipassana wisdom includes two wisdom factors of the Path: Right View (sammā-diṭṭhi) and Right Intention (sammā-saṅkappa). Then three concentration factors: Right Effort (sammā-vāyāma), Right Mindfulness (sammā-sati), and Right Concentration (sammā-samādhi). Together these make five Path factors. These five Path factors are the knowing mind. What is known are the five aggregates. We need to understand these aggregates through direct experience.

When you sit in meditation, doesn't your bottom touch the floor? Isn't it taught as 'contact, knowing, mindfulness'? When you're mindful, do you find the floor or hardness? Do you find buttocks or body-sensitivity?

When there's body-sensitivity and the earth element (hardness) contacts it, doesn't knowing arise? Do you know it as 'floor' or as 'hardness'? Can consciousness arise alone through contact and knowing? Don't feeling, perception, and volition arise together with it?

Is it a person who feels hardness, or is it feeling (vedanā)? Is it a deva or feeling? A brahma or feeling? Is it a person, deva, or brahma who perceives hardness, or is it perception (saññā)? Is it a self that motivates feeling and perception, or is it volition (cetanā)? When feeling, perception, and volition combine, don't we have four mental aggregates? Only when these four are complete does the knowing consciousness arise.

Is it a monk or four mental aggregates? Is body-sensitivity the buttocks? Is the earth element the floor? When we analyze the aggregates, don't we find the material aggregate? Combined with the four mental aggregates, (How many aggregates?) Five aggregates! Doesn't the entire Tipitaka ultimately teach about these five aggregates? These are the five aggregates that appear during meditation.

How long has it been? Even after an hour, some don't find the aggregates. Even after a day, they don't find them. The retreat ends. Seven days, eight days, and still they don't find the aggregates. Isn't this worth investigating?

This needs to be understood thoroughly. We study to understand these aggregates. Isn't this worth examining?"

"One day we teach the Five Aggregates, the next day still the Five Aggregates. We keep teaching about the Aggregates. We can't change from the Aggregates now. Here's a story you might not have heard before.

In a village long ago, they had trouble inviting a monk. When they finally got one, he stayed for three years. He only taught the Mangala Sutta, for three years. The villagers had a meeting. The Dhamma listeners discussed: 'Our monk only teaches the Mangala Sutta. This year, let's ask him to change.'

They said to the Venerable One: 'It's been three years now teaching the Mangala Sutta. Please change to something else, Venerable Sir.'

'Why didn't you say so earlier? Three years is a long time!' he replied.

'Well, do you all agree to change?' he asked.
'Yes, Venerable Sir,' they answered.
'Alright then, recite the Mangala Sutta for me.'

Not a single person could recite it! Do you understand? Not one person could recite it - how could they change to something else? Not one person knew it!

Similarly now, we keep teaching about the Aggregates - how could we change? Think about it, study it well."