Explanation of the Fourth Stage Part 3 - The Method of Withdrawing From Feeling By Arjanyai At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

This is so, because greed, hate and delusion when they arise, do so within the mind. If one has let go of the mind, then one has cut off the root-cause of the defilements.

The defilements, which include greed, hate and delusion are analogous to fire; the mind (Vinnanฺa) is like the root-cause of the fire. If one gets rid of the root-cause of the fire, it is the same thing as getting rid of the fire; in other words, one lets go of body and mind.

If one has let go of the aggregates of body (Rupa-Khandha) and of mind (Nama-Khandha); then there is nothing further that one can say. We do a lot of talking in order to arouse interest in doing this thing. Therefore, we may stress the point, that if one has already abandoned body and mind, there is no need to continue with this book, for if one were then to read it or listen to it being read, it would only produce disagreeable sensations in the eye or ear, which would be a waste of time. If one still cannot abandon the mind, then one must continue further.

Before the mind comes into being, what exists? What is the origin of mind? The mind arises due to the following :
1. When the eye associates with forms, then there arises Eye-Consciousness.
2. When the ear associates with sounds, then there arises Ear-Consciousness.
3. When the nose associates with smells, then there arises Nose-Consciousness.
4. When the tongue associates with tastes, then there arises Tongue-Consciousness.
5. When the body associates with tangible objects, then there arises Body-Consciousness.
6. When the mind associates with mental objects, then there arises Mind-Consciousness.

When any of these groups of three factors (Dhamma) come together, this is the condition for the arising of Sense-Contact (Phassa). Sense-Contact is the condition for the arising of feeling, sometimes pleasant, sometimes unpleasant, and sometimes neither pleasant nor unpleasant.

The Method of Withdrawing from Feeling
When a person experiences pleasant feelings, but is not elated, overjoyed, or engrossed in seeking for them, then the tendency of greed does not increase but dies away in the habits of that person. When he experiences unpleasant feelings and does not become downcast or sorrowful, and does not moan or grumble, nor become forgetful due to weakness of mind, then the tendency of repugnance (Patฺigha) does not increase, but dies away in the habits of that person. Furthermore, when lie experiences feelings that are neither pleasant nor unpleasant, and he knows their arising and their ceasing, he knows what is pleasing and what is displeasing, and he knows the departing from those feelings, with clear understanding, according to truth, then the tendency of ignorance does not develop in the habits of that person.

Having abandoned the tendency of greed for pleasant feelings, the tendency of ill-will for painful feelings, and the tendency of ignorance for feelings which are neither pleasant nor unpleasant, he causes understanding (Vijja) to arise of even the most subtle forms of suffering. In the old texts (Sutras), this is called feeling; therefore one should leave feeling. If one can leave feeling, then one can leave mind.

The mind is one thing, but made up of various parts ; these being; a) Feeling (Vedana), b) Perception (Sanna), c) Formations (Sankhara), d) Consciousness (Vinnanฺa) ; all these together being called Mind. This is like a stew, which is one thing, but made up of various flavours or tastes; thus it is bitter, peppery, salty and sweet; but all these flavours are included in the meaning of stew.

If one leaves the stew, one also leaves all the flavours of the stew. Similarly, if one leaves the mind, one also leaves the four aggregates of the mind; then one can attain the goal.

If one cannot leave the mind, one cannot see Nibbana; for Nibbana does not have any aggregates, and it is completely hidden by them. If one wishes to see Nibbana, one must reveal the aggregates; one must leave them and finish with them. If one cannot reveal them, one cannot let go of them, and then one may lose hope and go looking for some other way. But there is no other way, there is only this way, because our aggregates are not real things and they deceive us so that we are led to grasp hold of them.

Whenever we grasp hold of things in order to become their owners, we do so because of a wrong understanding of their nature, and we cannot truly own them because all things are internal or external bases of sensation; in other words, internal or external to our bodies, and they are impermanent.

We have these things which only give rise to trouble. This is considered under the heading of Stage 5, where we will deal with non-grasping after things.

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