FINGER DHAMMA
Question :- U Pun, How should
I practice to become a sotapanna?
U Pun :- What do you mean
by sotapanna? Question :- Sotapanna
is a person who has dropped all the sakkyadhitti ( Illusion
of self or false view of individuality.) and free from
vicikicha (skeptical doubts) in his mind.
U Pun :- " In that case, I will
tell you. (Lifting his hand he pointed a finger upwards.)
Do you see it?
Question :- ' I can see
it."
U Pun :- " Are you aware of it?"
Questioner :- " Yes, I am."
U Pun :- " What do you have
to do to see it or be aware of it?"
Questioner :- "I don't have to
do any thing. Seeing it and being aware of it come
naturally."
U Pun :- " Because of the physical
organ of seeing, there is seeing. Because of awareness
of the object, there is awareness. Is there any 'self
' or 'ownership ' involved in it?"
Questioner :- "No, none what
so ever."
U Pun :- " When there is no 'I',
'You ', 'Self ' or 'feeling of ownership ', there is
no wrong view"
Questioner :- " Yes."
U Pun :- " In the seeing and
awareness, isn't that it is free of uncertainty or
doubt? You can see the finger as it is and you are
seeing the truth. Is there any doubt about that?"
Questioner :- " No."
U Pun :- " Then there is no attachment
to the ' I ' . When one is freed from doubt, one can
be considered a sotapanna, isn't it?"
Questioner :- (Having
thought over it for a while) " Yes,
it is true, but it is not according to the scriptures."
U Pun :- " Please tell me how
it differs from the scriptures."
Questioner :-" According to the scriptures, to become
a sotapanna, one has to understand (aware) the four types
of satipahtanna . What you did was to show me a finger
and that I saw. How could I become a sotapanna by just
merely seeing it?"
U Pun :- " It certainly agrees
with the scriptures. There is not only one, but all
the four satipathannas are involved also there is awareness,
detachment, concentration and mental development."
Questioner :- " Please be good
enough to explain more to me."
U Pun :- "You were only observing
the finger. I asked you if you have seen it and your
answer was yes. When you said you didn't have to do
anything to see or be aware of it that mindfulness
of seeing is kayanupassana. I asked you the same thing
about the awareness and you gave the same answer, that
it the natural function of the mind. Mindfulness of
the mind is cittanupasanna. And there isn't any ' I
' or ' Self ' or ' ownership ' in the seeing or awareness.
This shows the principle of dhamma and this is known
as dhammanupasanna. When I showed you the finger, there
wasn't any liking or disliking, just the seeing or
awareness. Knowing this lack of sensation in the seeing
and awareness is known as vedanupassana, mindfulness
of feeling. |
