And the last one, the fourth one, is attachment to oneself, or perhaps put it another way, the attachment to the illusion of oneself. When one knows oneself, there is no attachment, but most of the time we are attached to the illusion of ourself, the illusion of self, which is not self. We cling to or hold on to the self-image, or self-idealized image. So, we don't know what we are. Then at this level, there is attachment, it's very deep, very deep.

[01:06]

The Buddha didn't explain it in the discourse, but that is really the psychological process Could you say something about the distinction between the doctrine of no-self and the doctrine of no-own-self? The doctrine of self-realization and the doctrine of no-self, what do you mean by no-own-self? To me, it's just an expression I've heard talked about, what it means to me is the commitment

[02:34]

of the self to something bigger than it, a small self. I mean, there is no small self, but there is a big self. The doctrine of no-self, which is emphasized in Theravada Buddhism, is similar to the Mahayana concept of emptiness, sunyata. Everything is sunyata, empty, devoid of substance, devoid of the thing which we can grasp, we can cling to, and that is accepted by all schools of Buddhism. And the Buddha taught the doctrine of no-self because of the Hindu concept of Atman.

[03:43]

Atman is the immortal soul, immortal self, which can divide itself into a small self and a big self, so the small self becomes Jiva Atman, the Atman which exists in the individual beings, like in all of us individually, we have Jiva Atman according to Hindu concept. But in the end, this Jiva Atman must be united and come into communion with the Brahma Atman, the supreme self, the big one, and that is the end of the journey. So when the Atman divides itself and gives a kind of segment of itself to be a Jiva Atman

[04:45]

and let it go wander along in samsara, and then after experiencing good and bad, suffering and happiness for many lifetimes, then it may be united with Brahma Atman. So the Buddha denies that there is no permanent entity, there is no immortal soul. Then when he talked about Nirvana, he also made it clear that Nirvana itself is not a self, not a permanent soul, not a Brahma Atman. So the Buddha talks about the complete extinction of all conditioned states.

[05:53]

So Nirvana is the blowing out of fires, the fire of greed, hate and delusion. So Nirvana cannot be a self. As the Hindus accept. And then in Mahayana tradition, we still have this teaching of self-identity, the truly self-identity, which is not the identification with names or with the body or mind, the identity which cannot be really put into words. And that is called self-realization. One realizes oneself or one realizes self.

[07:00]

This is something universal, not particularly confined to an individual self. So that is a kind of combination of Buddhism and Taoism. In China, when that school of Buddhism, called Tiana School of Buddhism, was introduced to China, then gradually the practice is mixed with the belief or the doctrine of Taoism, which emphasizes nature, natural way of living and the realization of self.

[08:06]

But that is only the terminology. It may be also similar to the Hindu understanding of the supreme self, which cannot be put into the concept of permanence or impermanence, but something which is. Like saying that, Tattvamasi, you are that, that are you. So that are you cannot be said, but to come to it and see it. In that case, we may use the other word in order not to be confused.

[09:16]

That is being. We use the word being without a, article a. Just being. So being is Tattvamasi. Tattvamasi, that you are. So when you come to realize this, in the Mahayana tradition, means the journey has ended. And then the Theravada would, if people understand the meaning, they will accept this attitude. Because this is only the attitude. So that when one comes to realize the true being, it means one has realized the truth.

[10:18]

One has seen Nirvana. So that one is free from illusion of self. The first, as I talked in the talk last night, that the first category or the first qualification for the person who enters the stream of Nirvana is overcoming the self-illusion. Sakkayatiti, the illusion of self, must be removed. Otherwise Nirvana cannot be seen, cannot be realized. So Nirvana can be put into the word being, or the self which is universal. The self which cannot be put into words. So that self is not something we say permanent or everlasting,

[11:25]

but something to be realized. Some people may call it pure consciousness. Buddha uses it too. Luminous consciousness. So that it is very essential for us not to get stuck in words, but to understand the meaning. In different traditions too. Perhaps I still have some difficulty with your teaching. When I hear you speak, I think of the practice of meditation as being a way to gain insight. But how do we gain insight unless we have insight already?

[12:29]

Where else would it come from? That is an intellectual approach. It cannot bring about clarity, but it gives you more confusion. See, the best way to do it is to stop thinking, or to watch your thinking. Otherwise you have more confusion. But I can't do that if I have an idea in my mind that I am about to gain something. No, watch your idea. What is my idea? Watch. Watch your idea. Whatever is going up, coming up, so you just do the work of watching. Watching everything.

[13:32]

Whether you are waking or you are sleeping. Intellectual mind wants something to be definite before it can accept. We say that if there is no insight in us, or if we haven't got it, how can we gain it? When we have got insight already, why should we try to gain it? It is a waste of energy. Just make use of it. Then we say, what is the source of insight? We want to know the source of it.

[14:42]

Or where it is. Maybe we like to go and get it as soon as possible, when we know the source. But the way to get to the source is simple. We don't really appreciate the simple way, so we get stuck in many obstacles. And the barriers on the path. And then perhaps we don't need to ask, what is the source of the river? When we are thirsty, we come across water,

[15:48]

and we just drink it. You know, trying to ask, where does the water come from? It's like in the Nittimanikaya, the Buddha said, the man is shot by the arrow, and instead of taking the arrow out of his body, he would retain it until he is sure who shot him. To see if that person is from the Brahmana class, or from the king class, or from the untouchable class. So he does not need to wait until he knows everything clearly, before he takes the arrow out of the body. So the urgent work is to take out the arrow,

[16:53]

and then the remedy to cure it. So Buddhism does not talk about the source of insight, or the source of enlightenment, because clearly there is no source, otherwise it becomes something which can be produced. Of course if enlightenment can be produced, we can build a very big factory, and sell enlightenment to people. But it has to be realized, and then it is not easy, it cannot be produced.

[17:59]

Is everybody in the world trying to do the same things that Buddha taught? Oh no, people are doing different things. People are doing different things according to their beliefs. But we would say that even people doing different things, in the end they will come to the same point, the same goal. Sooner or later, depending on the practice, some people may get lost for some time, some people may go on sleeping before they can wake up, but in the end they will come to the goal. It's like one of the suttas,

[19:14]

talking about tortoise diving, diving in the sea, diving down and down and down to the bottom of the sea. It takes a long time, and then it has to come up slowly, slowly, slowly, to get to the surface, but it will come up. Maybe that some people are diving down to the bottom of the sea, some people are coming up to get to the surface. They will try to swim in a different way, because there are different roads, different techniques. Perhaps we say a different road may help to begin, and then if that road cannot really help a person to get to the goal,

[20:26]

a person will not stop, but will seek for another way. So the searching will go on until the goal is achieved. We can say that every individual one day will realize himself, will wake up to himself and see what the truth is. So, knowing that we can extend our compassion to do what we can to help people to wake up without forcing them, that's why the helpers, the pointers out of the way are essential.

[21:34]

Many, many people are hungry for waking up, but they don't know how to wake up. It is not simple for them to wake up. So then we have to point out, let them try something, see whether they can wake up and realize themselves. Do you have a question? Knowing that our essential nature is wills and will and love and all those things, the shallowness that we feel, that I feel, is there a lack of sincerity?

[22:42]

What is sincerity? Sincerity. Sincerity is a purity of heart, heart desire. When you are sincere, you are pure with your aim, with your practice, with yourself. Sincerity is so that you can put all energy you have to what you do. So that sincerity is very similar to faith. And serenity. When you are serene, you are faithful. But you are faithful naturally, without compelling yourself to have faith.

[23:51]

Or to have trust, but you are. When you are sincere, you are clear about what you do. You are clear about where you are going. So the direction is clear. When you are sincere, because you are doing it wholeheartedly, so your heart is there. Your whole being is there. Then you have sincerity. I think we have to stop 10 to 10. So, thank you.

[24:50]

@Text_v004
@Score_JJ