Side 3. Introduction to Abhidharma. This is the end of the last class talking about pitaka. Why don't we start there. If we can, I'd like to talk about what it means to me,

[01:01]

and what it means to you. So, can you just review a little bit about pitaka? Okay. I don't have much more to say about it. The most important thing the book came to me saying was that it was the initial starting point, it was treated as the beginning to the process of thinking, and they included in the process of thinking, of course. And there were several metaphors that you might think of, but I'll probably describe them as bad. There's one metaphor of beating a drum. And if you think of the whole process of beating the drum, as we would use the thought that's broken down, pitaka would be when the hammer or drumstick or whatever

[02:02]

hits the drum. The moment it hits that without any noise being produced, is pitaka. It's the initial starting point of thinking. And vibration would be... As Dave has usually described in giving the difference between pitaka and vichara, and the vibration would be called vichara. So it's almost like you can't really get a hold of pitaka, it just starts out the process. Anything that... There must be a better analogy. What's pitaka? Is the drum anything?

[03:06]

When they use this analogy, it's like they use another one where one hand grasps the pot and the other hand washes it. Is the pot... Where the drum comes? Yeah, that's the object of mind. The analogy fits beautifully. Another one they use is birds taking off in flight. And they use it in two ways. The first way is when the bird's starting to take off, it has great flapping of wings where it can catch airborne and then glide through the air. And pitaka would be the flapping of wings as the bird's trying to catch, throw itself upon flight, the initial process of flight. Yeah, it's almost the opposite of that. It's also likened to a bird being in flight. When it's in flight, it's not moving its wings, it's sort of soaring. And I think it's used in a sense

[04:09]

where it was writing and imagining the bird sort of doing this very intense thing, soaring without moving its wings before it takes on faster flight by flapping its wings. And so it's almost reversed, whereas the non-movement is the pitaka, the initial starting point before flapping its wings, which would be the discursive thinking or pitaka. I just thought of it as... Yeah. This work, it seems to emphasize the lifting of consciousness onto the object. In one place it says similar to drawing,

[05:12]

drawing, dragging up, withdrawing water from a well. Withdrawing the water from the well seems to me to be pitaka. There's two sections in here where it talks about each of these words. One is starting on page 141 and it talks about the same in a chapter called Moral Consciousness in the World's Distant. And then further back here, there's a chapter called The Spectrum Exposition and it talks about how it began from the point of view of the root word and also explains each one of these, what is meant by each one of the descriptions in the commentary when it says what on that occasion is conception. The ratio of...

[06:14]

ratio of the nation. How do you say that in English? The conception which on that occasion is position, the fixation, the focusing, the application of the mind, right intention. So it explains in that section what about its disposition. Disposition conveys the sense of thorough designing. Fixation is the applying of the collected mind to the object. Focusing is a more intense fixation. Uplifted mind or application of the mind is the elevating of consciousness onto the object with right intention. Intention which is praiseworthy as one of moral state because of its veracity and sub-emphasis. So when... It may be helpful to note that this

[07:14]

vittaka is not necessarily... This is one of the dharmas that's found both in Holcim and Holcim state. So you can... depending on what it's accommodating for. So it can be associated with doubt, with doubting or it can be associated with sense of desire or hatred or cruelty, thoughts of cruelty, thoughts of hatred, in which case it's an unholcim dharma. And it can be associated with... also with Holcim dharmas as it is in Holcim. The first five are in all consciousness. Yeah, I think the first five are in all consciousness

[08:17]

but they also... Anyway, that all is... That other section is... That's page 188 or... This page is actually page 142. And the full development of vittaka is... is the right intention. There's a right intention later on in this state of consciousness but the full development of vittaka is the right intention which is present in one of the past consciousnesses, in which case it is definitely thought fixed on nirvana and which destroys wrong... so-called wrong vittaka,

[09:18]

thoughts of sense of desire, hatred and cruelty. There was an interesting thing also in there where it said that vittaka supplies... Rather than... At one point instead of saying that it lifts consciousness onto the object, it said it supplies consciousness with objects. It says vittaka supplies a pot, a cart. This is what goes on in application. Application as a description of vittaka. So there's a conception or an application of mind to application. This is the primary notion of vittaka. Initial application in virtue of applying or supplying is an emphatic term for applying. Applying the mind with objects. And also it's distinguished from manaskara,

[10:26]

which is attention, or which is very similar. It has to do with attending to objects. And it says here that... It says here that manaskara as stated above is the directing of the concomitant to the object, whereas this is the application of the concomitant on the object. Thank you. I never had the chance, so... You've already touched me like... I see it's always soft like that. Yeah, it keeps going, it keeps going.

[11:27]

Go ahead. Vichara, as keeps being mentioned, is more the contemplating or... discursing or discursive thinking or continued examination of the object. Right. And that car in there is, I guess, similar to where we got the word car, because vichara seems to mean to move or to want to. About a treasured... an object. And the example you mentioned, like holding the pot, is vittaka and discursiveness, vichara. Oh, also vittaka in a...

[12:36]

developed form of vittaka is the main characteristic of the first jhana. We'll get to that later. But there's some application of the mind which is necessary for the first jhana. So that's a kind of developed form of vittaka. Which then, for later jhanas, is not present. For further concentration, it can be busy in finding stuff like this. The mind is already safe, concentrating on that, continuing thinking about it. Interesting thing, let's see. What was that? What was the name of what? Not thinking, but the object remains present without thinking.

[13:38]

Oh, no, it's still... Well, in the first jhana, vittaka is necessary in the first jhana. Where the mind is necessary for the jhana concentration, there's an application of thinking. Application of mind to the object is necessary. And then the mind is more focused. It's no longer necessary. There's actually some distraction to the thinking. Or applying the mind. It is the applying the mind that's being used in the later jhanas to keep some distraction, it's no longer present in the later jhanas. Because it's then proportionate in thinking, that kind of sounds like what contact was, that was essential. It's kind of like the object of the mind.

[14:44]

Yes. And it's kind of contact. She was talking, I think, about vittaka here. Yes, vichara is this linking. That's these other, all these other dharmas. They use the states for, they use the expressions to refer to the, the group of dharmas that are present in particular. So I guess this means that it links all the co-existing states to the object. It's, these are kind of difficult, you know, to,

[15:57]

really to say in this kind of, you know, vichara is described as some continuous application of thought or examination of an object. And yet, of course, it says that each, the things, the dharmas exhaust themselves in a moment. So, it's a little difficult to think about it that way, to know what you mean by continuous, some continuous application. Thank you. Why don't we go on to, It's been a while since I, since I've spoken. Okay. Okay.

[16:58]

So we're all so happy, happy to participate in this conference. Part of our reason for coming here. Okay. Well,

[18:06]

in general, the PTA is described, described as being joy, but later on it has to go into, maybe I'll start with a reading from the definition of the manual, I've already done it. Okay. It says there are five kinds of peace. This is kind of what I came across earlier in my reading. And, this is kind of confusing. Because the five kinds, I don't really, I wasn't really able to see much difference in the five kinds. They say there's the first kind, the thrills of joy, instantaneous joy, like a flash of lightning. The flood of joy, like the breakers on a seashore.

[19:17]

They've got these transporting joys, which enables one to float in the air just as a piece of cotton carried by the wind. When I look over there, there's another one. There's not that much, it strikes me as being different. It's pretty confusing. But that's what it is. Piranha, or piranha. It's a fusing joy which pervades the whole body in an interesting way. Like a full-blown bladder. Like a what? Or like a slug that overflows more tanks than ponds. I don't know if I can finish it all.

[20:19]

No, it's just a translator. I'm a translator. Could you imagine anyone in this bend over being transported into the air from joy? I mean, I don't know if it's the same thing for you. Well, that was the cloud, like the original looking, and something more. So when I think of that cloud, I think, you know, I'm going to turn around and look at it. It's going away. But after I read that, I was reading the introduction, and she said in the introduction that the most important thing about the way they're doing it is that it's another way of defining it, unlike our way. We define by fusing, in a way.

[21:25]

Here it is, like, what runs common to all these things is the way of understanding. Like the way they lift things, and lift other things. What is common to all the things they lift is how we increase our knowledge. Something like this. And like here, I don't see anything that runs through. It's like, it's hard to get a grasp on meaning of something when you just give analysis or sentiment all the time. Like, everything. And, P.T. has compared to Blessing, or Sukha, and it says,

[22:27]

P.T. is like a precursor, or like the condition that they're in, so that less can happen. And that's a pretty vague notion. So it's not as easily understandable as what's called Sukha. P.T. You came across with Skanda, which P.T. is considered to be. You might know who P.T. is. P.T. is Skanda. P.T. is considered to be in the current context, whereas Sukha is a feeling, today or not.

[23:33]

Sukha is a feeling. And then, without further getting back to very P.T. and Sukha, this is the same manual that I've been doing. The enjoyment of the desired object is characteristic of Sukha. It is like a king that enjoys his initial position. P.T. creates an interest in the object, while Sukha never wants to enjoy the object. Like the sight of an oasis to where we are weary traveler is P.T., like drinking water and bathing there in Sukha. Like I read them all. P.T. Today we have some questions about this channeling.

[24:46]

Do you have the, what is said to be the characteristic of this? Yeah, I have some. I have some. I'll put them in a minute. P.T. is going to be a rapture, enthusiasm, and then some other things, joy, happiness. It is one of the mental factors often common and belongs to the group of mental formations. Sankara Kanji. I have a question. If P.T. means joyful interest, or it can be associated with either wholesome, unwholesome, or initial state of consciousness, what is joyful interest in an unwholesome state of consciousness? I don't know that it can be associated with unwholesome state of consciousness. I don't know that it can be associated.

[25:56]

It said it in the dictionary here. As such, it might be associated with wholesome, as well as with unwholesome initial state of consciousness. Yeah, it says it right here in the Buddhist dictionary. It sort of explains what I'm asking here. It says it's not a feeling or a sensation. It may be described psychologically as joyful interest. As such, it may be associated with wholesome, as well as with unwholesome initial state of consciousness. I don't think it can be associated with feeling of delusion. I think it may be associated with greed. You can take a joyful interest in your greed. You don't take a joyful interest in your anger. And there's an interesting thing in there that says that the... This is an important

[26:59]

element of Dharma in the sense that it says that the mind of an angry man is not said to be his own mind. If you're angry, you don't feel as though it's you that's angry. And it said that the mind of an angry person is not your own mind, whereas the mind of interest or the mind of joy is said to be your own mind. And when you feel joyful, you feel more as though you might be good. They talk about the feeling, you know, feelingness. Does that mean that feelingness is when it's just egoism? There's a distinction in it? And then when there's no egoism, it doesn't get worse? No, it's not... The teacher's not one of the Vedanas. He's not in the Vedana context. The next one, Sukha, is a Vedana,

[28:03]

is a form of Vedana. So Vedana is basically pleasure, pain, and indifference. But this is more like the kind of mind you bring to something. You bring interest or joy to the object. And then you're feeling about it as something else. Then some feeling is there also. What is it called? Siddhi? Ah. Like you said that Sukha is Vedana. But Siddhi is in the Sankara. Sankara Sastra, or Sankara in Pali. Ah, impulses? Yeah, impulses. Or that refers to the kind of... all the things that have to do with the mind you bring. All of these, most of these now are all in that Sangha.

[29:04]

We've already eliminated now the other three Sanghas, so all the rest of these are in some scarred Sangha pretty much. Not quite all the rest of them. Let me refer back to the other Sanghas. The next one, Sukha, is Vedana. So it's also said that Siddhi is in the sense of that it's a blending or a thorough mixing and making one of the various cultures and elements. So it makes the mind one. It makes the elements into one. And it's an interest.

[30:08]

This interest is Vedanta. Ahem, ahem, ahem. It's an interest in that maybe it's something to do with, like, soap. You use it to wash your hands and and everything, except the water and the soap, and you have to get it all blended together. Ahem. Oh, it says also that Siddhi is synonymous to the behavior of the mind in lacking and abundant lacking. Ahem. Anyway, this is something that's

[31:17]

definitely present in the Mahayana devotion to consciousness. And again, this Siddhi and Sukha are are present in the earlier jhanas, because they, if they're not there, then you tend to have not deep interest in the object or in that particular state of consciousness. So to start with, in the jhanas they're present, and then later on they're considered to be in the more developed jhanas. Again, they're considered to be some disturbance to a fuller concentration. Ahem. We'll be, later on, we have some other dharmas over on the big silver. On page 23 of the Dharmasangani,

[32:19]

called Repose of Sin and Serenity of Thought, numbers 40 and 41, and it's said that the development of Siddhi with these two, these two, which are a kind of relaxation on, that is, that they repose us, transcends, refers to repose us of feelings, perceptions, and impulses. And the next one, Serenity of Thought, refers to relaxation of Siddha. Serenity of Siddha. And the development of Siddhi leads to that relaxation. And it's also said that these, when they're developed, lead to uplift and to get concentration.

[33:23]

Ahem. Ah, I think there's a question. I think it belongs to different dharmas, I think. I think we're in there. This is not to be a distraction in my mind. Okay. Do you have a question? Sukha is bliss or happiness. PD is precursor of Sukha, the enjoyment of the desired object, which is characteristic of Sukha. PD creates and enters thought. Sukha enables one to enjoy the object. This mental Sukha should be differentiated from physical happiness. It is the joy disconnected with material pleasures.

[34:30]

This pleasurable feeling is the inevitable outcome of renouncing material pleasures. There is no feeling in experiencing the bliss of Nirvana. And, you know, to emphasize, Nirvana is far more subtle than Jnanic bliss. The total release from suffering is itself Nirvanic bliss. It is possible to ease an individual who is perfectly cured of a disease with this release. And this is from my Buddhist dictionary. Sukha, pleasant, happy, happiness, pleasure, joy, bliss. It is one of the three feelings, Vedana, and may be either bodily or mental. And it seems to disagree with these other things.

[35:36]

It says that joy is connected with... Oh, it says it should be differentiated from physical happiness. I think the first one is referring to Sukha in this particular state of consciousness. I think the first one is referring to Sukha in this first consciousness. And... I really don't get what you're saying. It's referring to what you're doing in Sukha. Oh, what state of consciousness? Well, the one where you're discussing the elements in the... Oh, the whole? Yeah, the total consciousness. Oh. So in this particular consciousness, in Sukha, I just think there is such a blind contact with that. The text distinguished between happiness of the senses and happiness of renunciation.

[36:48]

So... Happiness is an indispensable condition to attain a concentration of mind. It seems from the higher pathologies. It says that the characteristic functions and manifestation are the same as feelings. Which, I don't quite understand that. And then it lists another method. It says it's characteristic of being pleasant, development of associated states of its function, and showing favor to the same, to associated states, as its manifestation. Bliss, or ease, is the enjoyment of the taste of what is acquired. T.D. stresses the perceptible body manifestation,

[38:03]

and that is approximated more to sensation. Sukha is differentiated from it as the feeling of pleasure. Differentiated from it as the feeling of pleasure, which imparts itself to both the function pattern, kaya, and to the whole attitude of the individual, the self. To make happy is the meaning of Sukha. It makes him feel happy in whom happiness arises. Or, etymologically speaking, Sukha means to heat up properly, or to give out the affliction of function patterns and of an attitude. It is the term for the feeling of serenity. Another method of explanation is that it has the characteristic of being amusable, that it functions as expanding the associated processes,

[39:04]

and that its actuality is limitless. That's basically his translation of the same thing you did before. Huh? That's basically his translation of the same thing you did before about the characteristic of being pleasant, characteristic of being amusable. And the function of developing associated states is called expanding the associated states. And showing favor to the associated states is what he terms a significant effectiveness. Things will look better when you're at ease. You spoke about Sukha in relation to the whole concept of ultimate and possible broadness.

[40:16]

Oh, but you said that this Sukha is distinguished as a mental Sukha. And then you said in the Buddhist dictionary that this can refer to either bodily or mental. So, anyway, this, for the use of Sukha in Dharmasangha, it refers to mental. But it's also used in the more general sense in other places. It can refer to either bodily or mental. You know, why do you use the word outside of the Dharmasangha? Please listen to the next one here. It's Ishaka Vipara. He's going to speak about very important, in terms of the next one, subcollectiveness, or mental one-tentativeness.

[41:24]

So why don't we go on to that, and maybe we could talk more about all five of these. But all of these are necessary, in a sense, for mental one-tentativeness. What makes mental one-tentativeness possible? Mental subcollectiveness means one-pointedness or samadhi. In the Adhyatmani, its characterization is non-distraction or non-scattering of the mental state. Throughout the definitions, there's a lot of this definition by negation or limitation. Its function is to well together co-existent states.

[42:32]

As water meets bath powder into a paste. Can you see what I'm doing? Its manifestation is peace of mind and knowledge. And various metaphors. The ridgepole of a house. The binding of other materials together. Or a king leading an army. A flame of a lamp in the absence of wind. Along the similar... This is often the... Absorbs steadfastness of thought. And again, more than anything, the definition by negation in the absence of distraction. Characteristics of calm, such as balance.

[43:39]

Unperturbed mental procedure. Quiet. In general, all calm, to see things as they are. The mental state of being firmly fixed on one object. In the manual, samadhi is literally translated as the collective fitting together. For the right placing of consciousness on an object. It's a neutral factor. There can be a concentration on something that does not lead to...

[44:50]

That's one of the questions I had. What happens when you concentrate on something that is karmically negative? So when it's in concert with a healthy moral attitude, then it leads to all these things that I've just described. It's said that in immoral states, there can be a concentration on craving, or desire... In immoral states. In immoral states. Craving, opinionatedness, or wrong views, ignorance, avidya. And this samadhi, or one-pointedness, dives into such objects,

[46:04]

it's said to be a downward plunge, or a deep flooding. That's in Ganga? No, it's in several places. When it does that, it's still called one-pointedness. Yeah, you can be one-pointed about those things. But that one-pointedness is different than this one-pointedness here. Somewhat. So it doesn't have association with the beings, and quiet, and imperturbable procedure, and so forth. Or you could say that, again, by using a definition, by notation, that if it were concentrated on desire, opinion, or ignorance, it would not be characterized by absence of distraction, or non-confusedness, or non-dividedness. The feeling is that there has to be at least some degree of mental one-pointedness

[47:07]

for any particular consciousness. Just to have a consciousness, there has to be a certain degree, some degree of one-pointedness. Mental one-pointedness. Otherwise... No, it's not considered to be a company. But this here, the present in the ultimate state, is associated with these various things. Stability, solidity, absorbed state, that's the supply. And then absence of distraction and outage. Let's see... Fourteenth of the Dharmasankhāringa. At the top there, it says, balanced, imperturbable procedure, quiet, faculty and power concentration, right concentration. So, this one-pointedness in the wholesome state, the balance, to footnote,

[48:08]

there's a word that comes up, it's a later dharma, avijjapa, which is, I guess, non-distraction, like the heart. Equal to the... And then quiet is another factor that comes up later, number fifty-four, which is samatha, which is, we'll talk about sometimes, it's referred to, the two main kinds of Buddhist meditation are development of samatha and vipassana. So, this one-pointedness is also what's called samatha. And then the faculty and power of concentration, that's samadhi-indriya, and the number fifteen, and then power of concentration, samadhi-dala,

[49:08]

number twenty-eight, and then right concentration, as a path factor. So, samasamadhi. So, all of those aren't... probably those other more developed kinds of... and one-pointedness aren't present, I would imagine, right? They couldn't be present in the wholesome states. But more just the... the citta-segagata, the most basic form, the simple form of one-pointedness. I guess another form of karmically negative concentration would be thinking or scheming, and it's generally considered weaker and does not endure. Oh, that was the other thing, yeah. In the event of unwholesome consciousness,

[50:10]

it doesn't tend to endure. I guess this avikepa is non-confusion, can't be scattered by uncertainty. It has to do with confidence, one done in a healthy attitude. Confidence and... take the plunge. That's... That's more faith. I think confidence is more faith. It's considered an intensifying factor. Okay, well, these five are all... as the group considers these are called factors of absorption. And...

[51:11]

although they can... Which five? Vittaka, vichara, kirti-sukha and citta-segagata. What did you call them? Factors of absorption. They're called factors of absorption because they're... their development in... they're developed in the jhanic states. Because they're... intensified development in the jhanic states. And progressively throughout the jhanic states, you know, in the... thinking is given up. And then joy is given up, ease is given up. And then there's just another one point in this

[52:13]

with even-mindedness or indifference. In the fourth jhana. But to begin with, to be... So these can all... these can be... I guess most of them can be... involved either in wholesome or unwholesome states. And their... their proper development can... is... is considered essential for jhanic states. But for instance... So you don't...

[53:15]

you don't pay attention to an object that you're not interested in. So you need to, in some way, have some interest in something in order to take some interest. In order to take it as an object, you need to pay some interest. And also then... I think you can think about it. And you think of your... In terms of developing one's pointedness, you think about the same object that you're interested in and observing. That would be some other object. So this...

[54:18]

It's this... There's kind of some debate in Buddhism, in Buddhist school sometimes, as to whether how much this... concentration is necessary for wisdom. But here in the Abhidharma, it means that... he who is calm, or collected, knows that's good for the person. Someone who is calm, or collected, in this sense, knows or sees with some... So in that sense, it's... some cause for wisdom. However, it's not the... it's not exactly a direct cause, but it's conducive in a way to wisdom. Maybe not quite a direct cause, though. Some of the... Buddhism generally... Zen, for instance, doesn't stress the jhanas,

[55:18]

or development of... of mental one-pointedness, per se. Concentration, per se. And... it's not always considered that... that this is essential for development of wisdom, but it certainly is conducive to development of wisdom. ... Did you come across something... you know anything about what this one-pointedness is? What it means by one-pointedness? Or collected? Or... non-distraction?

[56:20]

Those two definitions are limiting, taking everything away. Non-distraction. One way of looking at it is that it's... you have very little left. You're taking all the distracting influences away. And then the other way of looking at it is you're binding. And there's sort of two ways of looking at the same thing. One-pointed. Well, the... yeah, the development of this state, all these... in this wholesome state here, all the... all the elements present are... collected. And not just with this mental... with this mental one-pointedness or self-collectedness, but with... by interest, which is said to make one's mind one's own, and... by ease, and by thinking, which...

[57:21]

or the chara which links associated states all together to the same object, links all the associated elements to the same object, so on. So they're very much all... related in the sense of... that all these single elements are functioning as one whole, same kind of direction, same object. There's some wholeness about it, the interest, the ease, and what... So the elements aren't kind of going into the... aren't scattered, they're going... they're scattered in different directions. Just... I have the idea of a water movement from the parenteral phase to the positive one. And maybe it's the definition of... for... how can you... kind of blending and mixing the values into one

[58:21]

which is like... a new water phase. Yeah. Yeah, they're quite similar. In the sense they're all... they all have to do with what... what uses for what... what kinds of things are involved with the oneness of mind, with another one-pointedness or a feeling of wholeness or oneness. And... so these five factors are... are all involved actually with... have something to do with that, at least in the wholesome states. Particularly. This... Chitta's taken us on the... the path of that. This self-collectiveness also seems to be quite connected with Chaitanya. In the sense that it's...

[59:23]

in the sense that it's said to be the leader, to lead the associated states. Which sounds a lot like... what we said was the function of Chaitanya. Is this in Mahāskandha? Yeah, it's in Tantra's Mahāskandha. Oh, okay. How come the boonies fit in here? Um... I think there's... The boonies? Yeah. Are you talking about the injuries that we're doing next? No, maybe I am. It sounded like what you listed was the injuries that we're talking about next. Oh, okay. This... Oh, I've had the pictures last night. This is in India.

[60:25]

Oh, okay. Anyway, this one point is quite important. In the sense of... that in order to see, or to observe things accurately, there's a certain amount of... One point is necessary. So one point is... also which is productive of balance, which translates here as balance, or non-confusion, and quiet or calm. And that... In the jhānas, again, as it's mentioned there,

[61:27]

the most developed state of this one-pointedness is characterized by indifference. And that being... One-pointedness in this particular context, one-pointedness is accompanied by joy, but in the fourth jhāna, the one-pointedness is accompanied by indifference. So the full development of this concentration is that calmness where there's not... which isn't distracted by the interest in thinking and which is more indifference, where there's social indifference. But in any way, in this particular state,

[62:50]

the concentration is mainly based on... They're all similarly engaged. Which is interesting, you know, like, if you get... Sometimes I find myself sitting in sāsana, and sometimes you get interested in doing sāsanas, but some busy work or something you... you're going to go just to sort of put it in your time, and sometimes you can't. And if you do sāsana like that, then you find that you're not very concentrated, and you have to take some kind of interest in it. For example, I wanted to do it. And you have to take some... There has to be some application.

[63:52]

So the practice in the saṃskāra, in a way, has to do with what mind is brought to the impulses, has to do with what is brought to there by the object, as it were. And then the result, then there's some resulting, or concurrently resulting, of simultaneous feelings, perception, and consciousness. And, of course, depending on what... So the saṃskāra's kind of have quite a lot to do with what the others are, what you see, what you feel, what you perceive. Depending on... Those factors are all very important for what state of mind it is. And at least in this...

[64:59]

In the Dhamma-saṃghāre, what's emphasized is not so much... Of course, not so much developing particular vedanā, particular saññā, but developing wisdom, or paññā, which is, again, in the saṃskāra's kāṇḍa. And the main effort and practices that were dissolved in this area, in the saṃskāra's kāṇḍa, the elements that are developed, the right concentration of that, all those are formed primarily in the saṃskāra's kāṇḍa. And karma is saṃskāra's kāṇḍa. Karma is carried basically by chaitanya. This is kind of the area that is looked at really closely, and which worked on before.

[66:00]

In terms of the path. So, later on, when... In the... Siddhartha Mahārāja, when the path comes, this is again characterized by no longer being directed by karma or chaitanya, but this mental being are directed by karma. Okay. Should we go on to the interest? Yeah, but... Are you ready to... Are you ready to begin, sir? Which one do you have? Oh, I had the three last...

[67:02]

of the five, and I don't have anything. You don't have anything today? Well, maybe we won't get that far. Okay, well, maybe we can get started on the first two then. You must have the last three. Aren't there eight altogether? Packers 11 through 18. I think you must have... I think you must have the faculty of Ideation, Happiness, and Vitality. David. I think I have my facts, David. Well, I can tell you that. Well, let's let David get started. Because David's going to tell us what injuries are. Right? Yeah. Well, what I'm hoping is... I have some information on it,

[68:04]

but I actually had a hard time coming up with an actual understanding of what they are. I came up with a lot of definitions, but I couldn't kind of put my finger on some definition that I could actually just say that's what it's about. The first definition that came to me when I got to the Dhamma Siddhani, the introduction to the Dhamma Siddhani, was that they call it faculty. And it's kind of confusing right here because within the definition of faculty they use the word power. And later in Gangaji's Adhidharma book, he, of course, tries to get the interest in powers and faculties. Anyway, the definition is that the introduction to the faculty powers within us

[69:06]

and in all other things by which we do as we do. What does that mean? The introduction to the Dhamma Siddhani. So, and then it goes on to say that it points to the active, self-expressive side of existence. Have we been talking about the inactive? Is this a change in direction? But these here are then, these are, as I've been talking about before, these are clearly, the others aren't necessarily exactly inactive, but these here are clearly factors that can be developed and that there's varying degrees and that by some practice,

[70:08]

as it were, they can be intensified. So particularly the first five of these are known as the, what are they known as? The spiritual faculties. The spiritual faculties, the five spiritual faculties, which I was very struck here in Seshin that basically Rushda's going to be talking about these five. He talked about vow, mindfulness, and emptiness. And he talked about vow and then the strength. These five are faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom. Rushda was talking about making a vow, which is like faith. Whether you, you make the vow on faith, whether it's possible or not possible, or you understand it, there's a vow or an intent. And then he talked about that that is necessary,

[71:08]

the next thing is necessary is some strength or energy and a kind of constant mind or reminding, which is meaning in mindfulness and then emptiness. He mentioned that as the, which here would correspond to the faculty of wisdom. So these are definitely ones that in Seshin, there is five being active or ones that can be practiced and developed and considered. So first, there's some innate quality inherent in what we have and then that particular quality can be developed through mindfulness.

[72:11]

Okay, well in the first definition he said how is it within us that we do it, by which we do it, we do it. And Rushda said that we actually make vows all the time, by which we do what we're doing right now, by which we vow, by which we do what we're doing right now. That's what he said. So in Gunther's Abhidharma, the psychology of Abhidharma, he defines Indra as dominance, not as faculty. And he goes on to say Indra is defined in a double way. The first one is an inherent power characterizing the intrinsic nature of a particular function. And secondly, as sovereignty. Donating, denoting the dominance over other factors. So I guess, again,

[73:18]

first it's an inherent power which characterizes it. And it says the intrinsic nature of a particular function, and it's a pattern of faith in which you build up the function. And then I guess, by the second definition, it means that it can be developed so that it can dominate other things, the use of the tools and so on. That's what Rushda's saying about how to make faith and not in doubt. Because allowing and doubting has preceded all. There's two definitions here, and the two are actually very similar. Yes. I can't quite get at the difference

[74:23]

between those two, but generally it's... One seems to be talking about where its nature is and where its more origins are. And the other is its development or as a new or recognized thing. Yes. Well, in the manual of the Abhidharma, it goes on to kind of... It takes off on the second part of the definition more, and it says that it is called embryo because it controls and co-associates. So it goes from dominating to at this point controlling, which is kind of like a family of control. Yes, well, often that was translated... That's the second one, of sovereignty, or in some places, often places it says it governs associated states, associated factors. Well, I think later,

[75:24]

again in the Abhidharma studies, it says that the word itself comes from the word vinda, which means lord. So a lord governing a state, or as an example, faith exercising lordship over the sign of devotion. Where is that from? That's from the Abhidharma studies. Faith exercising lordship over the sign? Sign, yes. Okay. I didn't know exactly what it meant when it said it controls and co-associates. I don't know. Well, that's... It governs or it exercises some control or sovereignty over the associated factors. What are the associated factors?

[76:25]

That's the other things that are present in this, in the particular practices. The ones, all these ones that we've been talking about. Yeah. All right. Indra is so-called because they possess controlling power in their respective spirits. Maybe we should do some examples. Yeah. So like, do you have some example from the first one? Faith. Faith. Sada. Sada indriya. Okay, back to faith. Well, I don't think... Okay, the first five indriyas are trying to spiritual faculties because they master their offices. And so it says

[77:26]

they keep them under control. Therefore, faith brings faith that's under control. That's actually about the only example I have. It doesn't seem like a very good one. Okay. Well, the faith... Yeah, the faith overcomes its opposite power. So its power is that when faith is present, there's not... Unfaith present. There's not a lack of faith when faith is present. And it's also said that it overcomes what is not trustworthy. And in the sense of that it's by the decision or determination of faith that it has some governance over associated factors. Or, as Roshi put it, this is by vow

[78:28]

that it gives some control or weight. I think it says it's... I mean, it says it was the seed of all wholesome states. So really, religion was... So the faith is the seed of all wholesome states because it inspires the mind with confidence and determination for launching out across the threat of some sort. Target launching. Because that was my point. So it... In the manual of Avidyāna, it brings up the question of faith, anyway, because faith is defined, which I haven't defined it yet, as primarily a Buddhist term. And it doesn't give much room

[79:32]

for something that isn't Buddhist. And in the manual of Avidyāna, there's a question, well, can... Is it possible for non-Buddhists to experience faith? They don't really answer it very well. It must kind of be assumed that it is possible. Well, salvation. But, see, what it does, actually, is when it says, well, if it's limited to if a non-Buddhist has something called... that could be faith, but they're not Buddhist and it's not faith, so what is it? And they say, could it be false to you? So maybe that's where it comes in. Questioner 2

[80:42]

In the Avidyāna study, it's said, again, that the common function of the intellect is... our common function consists of exercising, dominating, governing, or controlling influence over the other mental factors associated with them and over simultaneously arising corporal phenomena. They all... One's definition seems to say the same thing, which is, basically, intrinsic. Yet, control is other things, and I guess it means it kind of... When it says control, does it mean it puts it into its own use, maybe? Like there's other factors? It doesn't exactly mean puts to its own use, no. It means more like... like the... the sense organs are called areas. If you look up in the

[81:45]

Buddhist dictionary, there's 22 in this. So, there's envious and other senses, and the sense organs as a whole are called envious. And so, it's said that the sense consciousness depends on the sense organs. So, therefore, the organs are called sovereign. And the... the sense consciousnesses are subject to the sense organs. And so, they can't produce any... the sense consciousness can't produce something except as it's given by the sense organs to produce something particular. So, but that's not exactly put to their own use. That's... a different feeling. So, if they're there, then something... when the injuries are there, something... something happens which...

[82:46]

in the associated factors, which wouldn't otherwise happen, which is dependent on the... dependent on the injury of being there or in that particular... for them to function in a particular way. I also got the feeling that the injuries, though it didn't... in the Abhidharma studies, it didn't mention injuries, maybe in general, but what's typically stated is that were dependent upon the five factors that they actually needed to sort of unintentionally, five factors observed to sort of run the process of fate and sustainment and give it... I can see the quote. Okay. Sada,

[83:49]

faith, devotion, or confidence, only has a controlling or governing influence on the character when the factors of absorption, specifically piti, sukha, and ekad, katha, themselves possess a considerable degree of intensity and impart this intensity to the faith as well. It is from joy that faith derives a good part of its conquering power, and it is keen and enthusiastic interest that makes for the constancy of faith. Also, faith is only able to become exclusive to devotion when there is also a high degree of mental influence. It is faith that achieves concentration How is it dependent on ease? I couldn't...

[84:50]

I need to get that one. Well, in a way, faith is also... you think there are mutually dependent because faith also produces ease. It's a producer-inspired ease of tranquility, calmness, pure mind, just as the mud settles out of the water, faith settles down. And then that inspires some... some more interest or gives it to a free aspiration and energy or paves the way for effort. Question from the audience There's one statement

[85:50]

in the Nostradamus and I'll be done with it. Just one sentence so that you understand is that the eight material faculties are born with kindness. Where is that? In the manual of Abraham I don't think so. The eight material faculties? Yeah. Well, that's probably something else. Then there's eight. Oh, okay. I know this is eight, but these aren't material. Yeah. So, if you name these in here, there's 22 of them, and there's probably eight of them there. There's the six, uh, let's see, six day students. Hi, June. Thanks for the faculty. Thank you. I don't know. Maybe they're talking about the first eight in here. Eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind, feminine and masculine. Maybe they're talking about those eight. Okay. Oh, actually, it says one through five and seven and eight are physical,

[87:03]

and nine is either physical or mental. All the rest are mental. So, mind is not considered physical. And the ninth one is vitality. So, uh, five senses, yeah, five senses. No, I don't think that's anything. That's, uh, that's the one Ned's going to do. Well, uh, the, uh, it seems like that's always been important, and the system is also quite important, in the sense that the whole, the whole, uh, uh, study and practice of, uh, of Buddhism, of the Upadana, is interested in, uh, development of consciousness, consciousness, with, uh, insight.

[88:07]

And that's the, uh, basic, most basic, uh, uh, liberating, uh, factor. Uh, so that seems to be realistic as well. I know that we don't get to the powers until, uh, for quite a little while, but it seems that because, uh, many of the powers are also faculties. The powers are the spiritual faculties, and they're considered as powers. Uh-huh. Maybe we could, uh, make some, some distinction between the two. Okay, well that's, uh, that, that again is something I haven't, I haven't quite figured out why there's both of those, because it said that as faculties, these things can waver. Right. But as powers, they're, they don't waver. Right. And as to how that's true for a momentary consciousness,

[89:09]

that you can have a wavering dharma, and a dharma that doesn't waver, uh, in a momentary consciousness, I don't know. The powers don't waver? Huh? The powers are said not to waver. In other words, these, as faculties, the, the faith faculty can be, uh, can be, uh, uh, can waver. Is, is all this strictly looked at, uh, the concept of momentary? That's, that's so strictly, I guess. Because there's that one that's continually, continually mind, continually mind activity? Yeah, yeah. And this thing, the way they talk about it, for faculties and, uh, faculties and families, they're like, they just go on and on. It seems to me that, that... Well, Gertrude was talking about those two, two kinds of indriya, or two understandings of it. Dave was mentioning.

[90:13]

Let's see. Let's see. First is the inherent power characterized in the intrinsic nature of the particular function. I guess that's leading to sort of, you know, where it's at. Yeah, that's like, that's the characteristic. Uh-huh. That's like it's function or manifestation or dominance or something. Well, it seems you kind of get into that when you're talking sort of like the faculty ability or the quality. I don't know. It's really non-distinct power, you know, so it's not shakable. Always do it that way. Yeah, I don't know what that means because it sounds like if you always do it that way, it sounds like, it would sound like once you got one of these wholesome states, then you'd always be into wholesome states. If this power is so unshakable. Because all these powers are present in this wholesome consciousness here.

[91:15]

This is just a, just a, uh... So maybe it just means some, some, uh... more emphasis or something. To call them powers as well as faculties that they're re-emphasized or emphasized even further. The, uh, how powerful these five, uh, the five spiritual faculties are when they're, when they're, uh, fully developed. Um, yes, is this more things about faith? Yeah, I have more things. Okay, let me go on with that. Okay, uh, the Dharmasandhani defines, uh,

[92:16]

the five spiritual faculties. Which on that occasion is a trusting in, a professing confidence in, in a sense, in a sense that it assures. And, uh, when it says a trusting in and a professing confidence in, this is specifically meant to be in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. So it says, it says, uh, in the footnote of Dharmasandhani, faith, a state of mind where the absence of perplexity sets free aspiration and energy, trust in the Buddha and the system. Maybe we could use the first part. It says, a state of mind where the absence of perplexity sets free aspiration and energy. In the Buddha's dictionary,

[93:20]

it makes a point to, uh, to let you know that, uh, faith is a blind faith. It says, sadhā should be reasoned with and rested. And, uh, rested in understanding, in understanding, and the object of faith should be investigated and tested. A Buddhist faith is not in conflict with the spirit of inquiry and doubt about divisible, divisible, divisible things is admitted and inquiry into them is encouraged. The faculty of faith should be balanced with that of wisdom. And, uh, this, uh, this big field, you should inquire into wisdom and doubt about it and to completely understand that there is a state of mind. Yeah, I read something, something that was actually true, that, uh,

[94:20]

uh, the vow or the faith won't work when it's, uh, when it's, uh, uh, ambiguous or when there's conflicting vows. And, uh, also that, uh, that some doubt is necessary to, uh, as well as faith. In other words, there's a, uh, homosanus faith, complementary faith, uh, and also, uh, finances of wisdom or, uh, emptiness has a corollary to, to faith. So what you, what you take faith in is what you have, isn't just based on insight. Uh, and isn't just based on, uh, taking a, or something else. So you take, uh, in that sense, the faith in Buddha, Dharma, Sangha is based on some insight. It goes on to say that, uh,

[95:43]

Buddhists, uh, that faith is, is, is just based, is, is the development of faith. The seed? The seed. Oh, the seed. Yes. Well, I guess, I'll, I'll be, um, thrilled, I think. Um, the wholesome states are, are the conglomeration of the Dharma that we're studying right now. Yeah, we're studying one of the wholesome states right now. The faculty state is called the wholesome state itself, or, or we're studying a wholesome state in general? We're studying, well, did you give a different chart? Yeah. Well, it's number one here, commonly wholesome, joyful, with knowledge, unprepared, that we're studying here. Right. Which is, so it's a commonly wholesome state, and the president of that commonly wholesome state is, is, uh, faculty of faith. Do you have any more on that? Sorry. Yeah. Hmm. I also have here,

[96:47]

uh, five classes according to the Amazon, uh, which is what these things are down at the bottom. And, uh, ahem, these are, uh, translations from, uh, Spanish, uh, copies. Mm-hmm. Here, it's got a quote, so I'd like to look at it. I don't think there's any actual meaning to it, I just think. Uh, confidence is that element in our attitude, which gives us assurance and certainty in our progress, because it purifies and gives lucidity into our con-

[97:47]

conceptions about that with which we are dealing. Unlike mere belief, which ob- ficates, ob- ob- obfuscates our minds, such confidence destroys the unwarranted assumptions that whatever we are, whatever we cherish, for the moment, will persist and change. The word obfuscates. What's that word? Is it permanent? Yeah. Okay. We have to invent the whole conception of convention. Um, anyway, one of the points, of course, is that confidence, uh, faith gives assurance and certainty in the progress that we're making and what we're doing and whatever we're doing to keep you

[98:48]

going on with it. But then it makes it really, um, shows the difference between that and belief, which ob- [...] obfuscates what we cover up for. This is just a joke. That's like downfield blocking. Like what? It's like, um, blocking life. So this sort of, uh, shows a negative analysis. It shows a similar, it could show a similar belief in that when we want to make a con- [...]

[99:52]

Many of Avadhanas have a pacification of the mental associate with the chief characteristic of sadness. And that's in comparison to the gem that you throw in the lake and all the money you throw in. I mean, the water doesn't have to be clear. If it isn't clear, the water, at least, doesn't settle down where it's supposed to be. And then in the manual of Avadhanas, there's another definition which I didn't quite understand. That saddha is also apprehension intuitively of experience or knowledge gathered in past births. Did you see this one about the light-bulb and the crocodile? Yeah, I saw that one.

[100:55]

But all the definitions of faith are really outstanding and very forceful. It's an assurance of professional confidence and trust and self-assurance. And then it says it's apprehension. It doesn't seem like it. I think the use of apprehension is an apprehension. I mean, it's sort of like a grasping. Uh-huh, apprehension. Grasping. Yes. Yes. Yes.

[102:07]

Yes. [...] As I mentioned, I was very struck with the scene in which you talked about vow. It seems as though that's how we often talk about faith, or faith in the sense that to take something on faith is to vow something. To have faith is not so much something that happens to you,

[103:17]

that faith comes along, and then you sort of take it or grasp it, but it is some, as we were saying before, active in the sense that it's not like it comes along and you get hold of it, but you actively do it. I guess it's like a vow, a vow, something that's, I don't know, it's saying what you have faith in. But she's also saying that you should see your life and see what you're actually doing. When you see what you're doing, you should vow to do it, which means that it doesn't necessarily come along, but maybe it means you should have faith in it, see what you're doing on faith, and then actively respond to it, but also faithfully respond to it,

[104:19]

actively participate in it, interact with it, and do what you're doing. How do you do what you're doing because you're doing it anyway? Well, that kind of faith is faith in the sense of the same thing as saying that you don't lack anything, or everything you need is right here. So, in that sense, vow to do what you're doing because everything is right here. There's nothing lacking from it but the situation. So, vow to do that, rather than always putting that aside in favor of some more personal situation that's going to come along. Didn't he also say something like, by vowing to do what you're actually doing,

[105:19]

that act would reveal whether or not that's really what you wanted to be doing? That by vowing to do it, there might be a change in what you're actually doing. Very definitely. It's similar to whether you take an interest in something. Similar kind of thing. If you, when you say, when you decide to do what you're doing, then it's quite a different experience. The feeling I got was that also you might stop doing what you're doing. You might not do that. You might do something else. Yeah. Yeah. In that sense, it's like making do.

[106:38]

Like what he's talking about, making do. As soon as you start making do, when you start making do, then it could, something comes out of that, develops out of that, more and more. Next thing develops out of that. Next thing, next thing, keeps developing out of that. Rather than, which may be, is doing the same thing or doing something else or something else. But things develop out of making do with what you have, rather than thinking up some objective or more perfect kind of conditions that you can have, and then trying to get there, and you sort of jump to there. And then the present condition is, in some ways, sort of ignored, or not so much participating.

[107:39]

You just jump into the... So, in that sense, faith would be the, which I was trying to talk about, in my lecture, it's like having faith in the moment, or having faith in making do, or in doing what you're doing, and that everything is in there, and making do with that. And that in itself is, it takes some faith to believe that there's some doubt that comes in with this, but then how do I get this thing I'm looking forward to? How am I ever going to get that if I don't try to jump to it all the time? How can I get the things I want if I'm just making do? I'll never get to all those nice places.

[108:45]

So, it takes some faith to actually make do, and see what comes out of it, rather than getting some... You didn't say once that it could just be a decision that you made, or something that you just decided to follow. I think you used existential decision. But would that be like faith, or more like... Well, that's used here in the descriptions of this faith, and it says, by decision, or determination and certitude, but by decision it governs, associates things. Decision is a kind of... Decision is a kind of faith, and by that decision,

[109:47]

that has some effect on the nature of the consciousness, that decision, the nature of the state of mind. The decision, rather than this... I mean, leaving things to karma. We're not saying, we're not... Or leaving things to people, and by not deciding various things happen, without deciding whether you're going to do this or not, it all happens, everything all happens. So that's different than by deciding. Okay. Okay.

[110:56]

Okay. Mindfulness is very much... He was talking about minding and reminding, and that's what I meant by reminding. Reminding... Mindfulness reminds what is advocated, what is advocated. So it reminds... It attends to... I hope the rest of you also do some reading, of course, on all these things, on these various faculties, because I think they're quite important, especially the five spiritual faculties. I think probably those of you who are doing the paper should plan to complete it in about four weeks,

[112:12]

which, best I can tell, one, two, three, four, is the 2nd of December, best I can tell. Until the 16th of December. Alright, I'll follow up with more questions. Looks like the last class is the 16th of December. Can you talk about anything? I don't know. Oh, you weren't here? Thank you. Where to begin? Well, I suggested that people pick some... You can pick whatever you want, but the ones that I suggested as possibilities are something like karma, or the twelvefold chain of causation, or something about this thought process in the Abhidharma, the skandhas, all or one of the skandhas, something about the jhanas, or something about the unwholesome states,

[113:15]

the karmically neutral states, something about the... somebody could study the supramundane or the path consciousnesses, the loci para, because it would be helpful, you know, the last couple of weeks, if somebody knows something about those things, if we want to talk about the jhanas, it would be helpful if somebody has studied them maybe a little more deeply than usually we'll get a chance to do generally, or the loci para, if somebody studies the path consciousnesses, this chain way they're watching, churning out the chain of pleasure, again, that would be helpful for the whole class. Something else on the bottom of the slide. Can you write anecdotes like they happen? Yeah, I'll take some classes on that. Somebody did this chart.

[114:26]

Yeah, that's the thought process. So anyway, any of those things would be quite helpful. I think if somebody's interested in a picture of one of those, to do some studying on it and get together some kind of a paper and do some papers, to talk to them about it in class, would be very helpful, I think, for all of us. Okay. So next week, that's it. We probably won't get to it, but it must have been very informative. Let me remind you, too, as I've mentioned earlier in this, in the expository there's two sections on each of these things. One is in the chapter on moral consciousness

[115:32]

in the world of sense, and the other is in the later chapter called perception and explanation and things are reviewed. So all we need to do is talk about it in both places. This thing doesn't have an index. It's hard to find anything. You just have to read the whole thing. But oftentimes, like, if you look at these footnotes here, it gives both references. Yeah. Well, anyway, it's just there's two main places and they're in order in both places. Well, they just go straight through in both places. Oh, so which is the British MIM? That's for the questions of P. Miranda. Is that Abhidharma? No. I guess it's a fairly early Buddhist text. I guess it must be a Buddhist.

[116:32]

And it's a series of questions I guess that a king asked to some... was asking somebody, some Buddhist priest or scholar or something and they actually concluded that it was a Buddhist tradition. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[118:14]

What's the name of your museum? What makes you here in India? Where is it? Well, in the Dhammasangana here, it's... It's... It starts on page 14 with sadh indriya, sadh indriya, which is lack of good faith. And there's eight of them. Shri indriya, sadh indriya, sadhi, sadhi indriya, [...] sadhi indriya. Anyway,

[119:21]

it's the... If you look at the list on page... at the beginning here on page 2, page 2-3 of the Dhammasangana, it's the last five on this page, and the first three on the next page. The faculty of faith, energy, consciousness, self-satisfaction, ideation, happiness, and vitality. And, of course, there's corresponding readings, or ceremonies, at least, in the Dhammasangana. Anyway, can someone say why indriya is indriya?

[120:28]

Because it somehow exercises governing or dominating force over other factors associated with it. But if it overcomes or governs others or or overcomes certain certain governing or... It is a little bit funny, isn't it? Because, for instance, the faculty of faith is said to be the faculty of faith because faithlessness is not present. So what it means is if the faculty of faith is present, then faithlessness or doubt is not present. So if faithlessness or doubt,

[121:36]

lack of confidence, aren't present, then it's said that the faculty of faith is present. The word, I guess, sometimes, indriya, sometimes it becomes like the word indriya, who is the Lord of God. So, anyway, it's David's thing. Lord or sovereign. Sometimes it's translated as something like a sovereign that has some sovereignty controlling it. Particularly the first five years as mentioned in Matthew are important. The first five of the indriya are known as the five spiritual faculties. This book, Abhidharmaceti, emphasizes the various groupings of the

[122:39]

of the different elements. This whole book actually is just about the first couple of state of consciousness that we can study. So it's rather handy. Can I ask a question about that book? There aren't any in the library, and only one person who signed out one copy. And I thought it was the rule where you don't take the last copy. And I found it very difficult. I checked, uh, I checked the account, and there was one left at the time that I checked it. In mid-January, the only person who signed out the last copy was me. I have one, but there were two there when I checked it. It's all here, so I was right after you. Oh, so that's our copies, I guess. But you didn't sign yours out. No, but there was another one there. Yeah. Do we only have two copies of this? We have three. We should have three, I think. And, uh, if you take one of these out,

[123:39]

that sort of basically means that you try to take it out and return it as soon as you can. It's really like this overnight. If you take it out a day, when you know you can study that night, and the next day come, and it might take a few days, and then bring it back. Because, anyway, this book is basically, uh, for the first half of the state, it's quite good. And it kind of emphasizes this very, uh, grouping. Uh, in here, the dharmas are listed kind of by their group. And, uh, for instance, the first five that we studied, uh, contact, feeling, perception, delusion, and consciousness. Uh, hasa, vedana, sannyas, cetanam, citta, uh, are known as the centet of sense expressions. And then the next five, uh, vicharkas, vichara,

[124:40]

cittasukha, and cittas, ekadastra, are known as the factors of absorption, or, uh, intensifying factors. Vichar, vicharka, vichara, uh, thinking, and interest or joy, ease or, uh, pleasure, and, uh, mental one-pointedness, are all factors which intensify state consciousness. And, uh, particularly, uh, not just, uh, well, particularly in the jhanas, those five are very important, but also, uh, generally when those factors are present, then the, uh, state of consciousness is more intensified. So as it's mentioned in here, like, the faculties, the indriyas, uh,

[125:42]

can only function, like, they function associated with the factors of absorption. So, uh, like, faith can't function so well without, unless there's some interest or joy. Otherwise, uh, faith can't really get off the ground. And, uh, wisdom needs at least some kind of prodding, uh, from, uh, the tathagatagaras. So some, uh, it's in a way some, uh, uh, panya, uh, panya is sort of discrimination, because it's a clear discrimination. So anyway, it needs, uh, maybe some thinking and, uh, uh, thinking.

[126:43]

Okay. Okay, and then, so then the next one for now studying this group known as the indriya are faculties or controlling factors, uh, the dharmas 11 to 18 in this list. Then the next, uh, five are known as path factors, right understanding, right thought, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. And then the next, uh, seven or so are known as the palas or phalas. Now that, uh, I think the phalas were part of the indriyas. Indriyas? I think the first five indriyas were the five phalas. Well, they're, they're, the first five indriyas, uh, are listed again as, uh, powers or phalas. And the,

[128:15]

the powers are said to be, the powers said that it's considered to be more unshakable or more firm than, than the faculty. The faculty consider, uh, it's considered to be more shaky, just as a faculty. It's somewhat shaky. But as a power, it's considered to be firm. Unshakable. Uncontrollable? Uncontrollable. And, uh, there's also two other powers. Aside from the, the five spiritual faculties considered as powers, uh, power of moral shame, power of moral dread. And then there's, uh, the next three, uh, non-greed, non-hatred, non-delusion, known as wholesome roots. Uh, when they're, they're, they're present in a state of consciousness, it makes the whole state of consciousness wholesome.

[129:18]

And, and the next three are kind of a repetition of those three. Non-competitiveness, non-ill will and light understanding are wholesome ways of action. When the wholesome roots are considered as being, uh, active. Can you hear that? Hm? I didn't hear you. Those are called wholesome ways of action. But they're, they're kind of the same as the wholesome roots, only, only they're given, you know, uh, they're active rather than just sort of present. And that's their more active aspects. Then the next two, um, hiri and uttapa, moral shame and moral dread are, that's again a kind of a repetition of the, uh, from the powers. Those are known as the guardians of the world. And then, uh, the next twelve,

[130:26]

tranquility, mental concomitance, special agility, defiancy, workableness, proficiency, uprightness, and so on. These twelve are known as the six pairs. And then fifty-one, fifty-two, mindfulness and mental clarity are known as the helpers. I'm reading these from this Abhidharma study, it's actually listed in the Dharmasanghani. Which part of the Abhidharma study is this? This is on page thirty-one to thirty-three. The list is, it has the same list of dharmas as it's in the Dharmasanghani. There's a little different translation in it. It's divided up by, uh, into various groupings. In the Dharmasanghani, uh, anyway, uh, mindfulness, what's this? Mindfulness and intelligence? Is that it? No. Mindfulness and intelligence. Mental clarity. Mindfulness and mental clarity,

[131:33]

uh, are known as the helpers. Well, those two are called mindfulness and intelligence in Dharmasanghani. Then the next two, uh, quiet and insight, that's samatha and vipassana, are called the pairwise combinations. That's, uh, those are, of course, both quite important terms. And the last two, uh, grasp and balance, are in this Abhidharma study, it's called exertion and undistractedness, are known as the last dyad. Of the last two. And then there's, uh, the supplementary factors, which are listed in the alphabet, probably. So each one of these groupings, then, is, uh, given a section in this book so you can find out, uh, something about, uh,

[132:35]

uh, there's not so much difference. I mean, the, a lot of, you know, the same factor, in a way, is listed several times. Um, you know, for, for instance, uh, for instance, uh, uh, one-pointedness, another one-pointedness, or samadhi is listed. There's, uh, self-collectedness, a mental one-pointedness, number ten. And then it's listed again, as, uh, a controlling faculty, uh, samadhi, samadhi-india. And then there's a power, uh, uh, samadhi-bala, as a, uh, past factor, karma samadhi. Uh, and then, as, uh, later on, it's listed as, uh, quiet, number, or, uh,

[133:35]

avicetta. Are there different degrees of, of development, maybe, of dharma, dharmic development? Well, I think there's, that's, uh, it's not exactly, I can weigh different degrees of its development, or, maybe another way to say it is, uh, the analogy used in the Abhidharma, Abhidharma studies is, is, like a person who's, who's skill is used in, in different ways. So, like, the example given is, uh, somebody who can do, uh, figures, or accounting, uh, might keep his own, a record of his own expenses, and then he might belong to a club, and be the treasurer of the club. And he might belong to, uh, and then he might have a business where he also keeps the records of his business. So the, the same skill is used, it kind of functions in different ways. So,

[134:38]

these seem to be listed in a kind of, like, uh, to, as, as a faculty, to show how something, how a particular thing controls, or governs, uh, something, and has a power in something being unshakable. I mean, it's, as a path factor, in the sense of showing how it, it, is practicing, practicing, uh, following the path, and leading towards, uh, insights, uh, and so on. So, things are, are listed, uh, to show various sides, or various characteristics or functions or aspects of these things. Uh, and, [...]

[135:40]

and, [...]

[136:43]

and, [...] Well, this is the gasoline.

[137:58]

The gasoline. Fuel. So, uh, The Dalai Samgale, uh, Samgale, defines this as, the mental inception of energy. And, uh, the only thing I can understand from what the mental inception of energy is is what they said was overt action as distinguished from inaction. Uh, the mental inception of energy, which is, on that occasion, striving and outward effort, exerting and endeavor, and, um, endeavor is meant, in this case, to be the same thing as the, uh, as effort, an eightfold path. Uh, or which is padhana, padhana. And this effort,

[139:02]

uh, comes in these four, uh, forms of this effort, the effort to avoid, the effort to overcome, the effort to develop, and the effort to maintain. Or, that is, the effort to avoid on wholesome states, the effort to overcome on wholesome states, the effort to develop, a wholesome state, and, uh, the effort to maintain that wholesome state. Uh, zeal and ardor, vigor and fortitude, unfaltering effort, and unfaltering effort is meant as, uh, the attitude that Buddha took when he said when he said, when he said he's secure, come, may his bones rot, may his skin shrivel up, and if anything else happens, he's not going to get up until he has attained perfect understanding.

[140:02]

Uh, sustained desire, and this literally will, uh, mean, uh, desire not cast down. And it's, it's, It's an occasion to make a good karma. I think I found something. I don't think desire here is the normal form of desire. Desire for the sublime, right. Unflinching endurance, solid grip of the burden, and right endeavor. Entomologically, virium comes from vira, which is the dynamic effectiveness, which is the essence of the genus hero, and from irium, which means vibrating movement.

[141:08]

And it's characterized by the notion of support, or grasping or stretching forward, and by the notion of exerting. Virium is one of the spiritual faculties because it overcomes idleness. So it has dominance over idleness, and when it's idle it doesn't exist. And it exercises government with the characteristic of support, as an old house stands when strengthened by pillars, so the aspirant, when strengthened by energy, does not fall. Thus energy does not allow associated states to recede, it uplifts and supports them. And the other notion of energy as exerting

[142:16]

is its function as strengthening coexisting states, and its manifestation is the opposition to giving way. Hence it is said, keeping agitated makes a rational effort. Hence it is agitation or the basic condition of making energy as an approximate cause. Another word used here is stimulated, and agitated to be enumerated. Well, I guess what they mean here as agitation or stimulation is that basic condition which is making energy. Right energy is regarded as the root of all attainment. So energy sort of drives the other diamonds,

[143:21]

or if you have faith, you might have faith, but you can't really get it going without the energy. You might, it's kind of, it would be latent. It says, while confidence in, Gunther says, while confidence and respect, which I guess means sadha, pave the way toward our goal, it is only by energy that we are able to achieve the goal, or actually set out for its attainment. And the energy has the nature of perseverance, the actuality of not slackening, and the basis for which it operates is stimulation. Thus, stimulated, one puts one's shoulder to the test. And he goes through about a page here, which is what he calls graded intensity manifestation.

[144:25]

It may be simple cessation from idleness, or simple rejection of sensuous and sensual enjoyment. It may be viewed from its increasing intensity, or as the cutting off of the ties that bind us to the world of relativity. It may be seen in its progressive movement, or its crossing the flood of desire. It may be the strong endeavor, or the going to the other shore. It may be perseverance, or that which perceives the solution of everything that is difficult. It may be perseverance continually gaining strength. It may be firmness, or the uprooting of the pillar of ignorance. It may manifest itself as steadfastness, because it carries or gives strength to one's attitudes and functions operating in and according to it. And because it carries a continuous stream of healthy factors, and thus produces a firmness and resolution to go the way one has decided to be the best for one's spiritual welfare.

[145:28]

It is firm resolution, which will under no circumstances become weak and feeble, that made the Buddha utter the proud words before he had attained enlightenment, May my skin, my sinews, my bones wither away, not until I have attained my goal shall I rise from this sea. And because of this energy, this willpower, because this energy, this willpower, does not throw off this earnest desire to do good, and since it does not shirk the obligations involved in it, it is called, negatively expressed, the manner of acting in which the desire for the sublime has not been discarded, and the manner of acting in which the obligations one has taken up are not shirked. So positively stated, the vigorous tackling of obligations. It is out of proper employment of energy that right assertions are maintained The ultimate goal, the result. Have you all been studying this one?

[146:36]

You're all angry. I really got that. You really see the point, because when you get up early in the morning, you see the point. Why do you say faith is well-taken, David? I think now it would be, do you want, you know, one day in every day, sort of, you know, start somewhere. Well, I think I'm going to get up this morning, yeah. But you've got to have your spirit up front, to really get to the motive. Yeah. Well, this phrase is rather hard to hear in this state. Anyway, this viria, of course, is not, this viria is also present in other, in unwholesome states, which is not just present in wholesome states, so

[147:38]

any of you can go a lot of different directions. Huh? Huh? Well, I guess it wouldn't have the directive. The precise directive. Yeah. Where is, where can, where do you talk about the viria that's in unwholesome states? Well, I hate to go to the unwholesome states. I think in the unwholesome states, you probably talked about viria. Anyway, in the, do any of the books we have cover unwholesome states?

[148:41]

Yes. The whole book on unwholesome states. Yeah. The whole book on unwholesome states. The same book we have, or the same book there? The whole book, I don't know, it's not the abbreviated, it's not the short section. Uh, that's because it's beginning on page 98. Actually, not so much page 98, it's 98 to 123. That's all. But, um, they also need energy to keep them going. And energy is also present, I think, in neutral states. Like, there's energy present in monos, or monodontia, or monodontia. As a, um, monodontia or monodontia as a state of consciousness. Does it, does the Adhyatmika actually explain the process of how viria works in unwholesome states? Because it's not very explicit text.

[149:44]

No, it probably doesn't, it probably, but it may mention, I don't know, but I haven't read, so I don't know. Uh, like in the expository. All these other books, like the Vinda and Gunther and the many of the Adhyatmikas, most of the people, I don't know about the many, they seem to dwell on the wholesome states more than the unwholesome states. Yeah, right, they all do. That's, that generally does that. Um, anyway, in the bad states, does anybody else have this whole, that book? I do, I've got it. Anyway, on page 98 is where the unwholesome states begin. And, like the first one here, it has a list of the dharmas present. And, uh, it even has quiet and rest and balance present. But the faculties of energy, concentration, ideation, happiness, and morality. So the faculties which aren't present in an unwholesome state are, um, faith, energy,

[150:44]

I mean faith, mindfulness, and wisdom. So Samadhi can be, uh, Samadhi. You can be very concentrated in your unwholesome state. It doesn't talk about the Samadhi, does it? It talks about the powers of unconscientiousness, the powers of disregard of one. The powers of love. Okay, okay. The first one is greed. In the greed state, so it has joy and happiness. Very nice. Good to know you can quiet, rest, and balance. What, uh, what class of non-dharma do we get to talk about unwholesome states? Well, we can, we can spend, we can spend a class. We do those all the time. Later on. One of our classes should be, should be weeks or something. We do three or four weeks. From now we can spend a class on unwholesome states. Yeah, the first one next to here is, um, the greed one.

[151:50]

So it has joy and happiness. And, um, balance, quiet. Go ahead in there. Okay. Then what makes a wholesome, unwholesome state different from a wholesome state? Well, the unwholesome state has a presence of lust, indolence, and covetousness, rather than, uh, in wrong views, unconscientiousness, disregard of claims. Whereas a wholesome state has absence of lust, absence of indolence, absence of wrong views. It has right views. It has absence of greed, absence of hatred, and absence of wrong views. This is called the state of the cheerful sinner. You can also explain to everyone if you don't have the full text. Concentration is as effective as necessary. It is essential to affect the evil doings.

[152:51]

What page are you on? Ninety-nine. Ninety-nine. If the mind is on the strength of the murderer's knife, it's not necessary. So, you need to have some concentration. Anyway, what makes the first state worth studying, what makes it wholesome, is it has presence... absence of lust, absence of hate, absence of indolence, absence of covetousness, absence of malice and right views, all present in this first state. It has wholesome roots, present stories, wholesome consciousness. And Buddhism also has this idea that, for a wholesome state, that shame is used as a wholesome feeling, and fear of blame, or fear of what others will think,

[153:56]

is used as, considered to be a virtue, or a wholesome status. And lack of, lack of, as it's used in here, and we'd have to, later on we'll look closely at what that is that they're talking about, or how that might differ from our usual conception of shame or something like that. But, anyway, in here it's used that way. And that the absence of, in the absence, if there's an absence of shame, or moral dread, or what other people might think, it's very difficult to... Is that what you call the guardians of the world? Yeah. There are also, there's this twice, there's powers, and then there's guardians of the world. Yeah. So, anyway, it's considered to be very difficult to, in the absence of those, it's considered to be very difficult to practice, or to be motivated to practice. You just stay in, you tend to stay in a wholesome state, so you don't have any shame.

[155:00]

If you have a lack of shame, or what other people think, you don't care what other people think, then you tend to stay in a wholesome state. Okay. Why don't we go on to... 19th, is it? Uh-huh. That would be in line for me. That's about what I don't have tonight. I've got the next three. I gave you three because the next one, for my review, is the same as the other one. Yeah, that one's easy, I just said, you know. It particularly struck me, I read that cute little thing, but the part in it that was talking about the spiritual faculties, and it struck me, the sentence that says, it is mainly owing to the operation of these five spiritual faculties and powers that noticeable transformations of character, conduct, ideas, and ideals are made possible.

[156:03]

Went on, it talks about that a little bit. That sentence in particular struck me about it, since I had three of them. At first, in the Nama Sanghani, she said that it had been compared, the faculty of mindfulness had been compared to the Western idea of conscience, but that she didn't like that at all, and I quite agree with her, because that's just a slur over the Eastern and Western divergences in thought. Western thought goes at it in one way, which is to say, man, you shouldn't do that, you shouldn't do that. And Eastern thought seems to look at it from a different angle, which we haven't quite caught on to somehow yet. In reading over material on it, it kept saying that it was recollection, or remembering, or calling back to mind. Recollection by virtue of repeated calling to mind,

[157:05]

calling back to mind by virtue of calling to mind, as though gone to the presence of the object. It said, calling back to mind by virtue of calling to mind as though gone to the presence of the object. In other words, it's right there. Another way to say it was, it doesn't float away, it stays on guard. Its characteristic is not floating away. It had this, I couldn't do it any other way, it was this pumpkin floating downstream in my mind when I read it. Let me see if I can find that example. Not allowing any floating away as of a pumpkin in a stream. It does not suffer the object to slip, but keeps it steady as rock. It's like a pumpkin on the table. I have a picture, I do, to keep my mind on the surface.

[158:06]

Its function is facing the object, guarding or the state of facing the object, and I think this is what it meant up here in the sentence, gone to the presence of the object. It helps to guard the sense doors and it turns you directly, it keeps you on the object of mind. Proximate cause with firm perception or application as regards the body. Its faculty as it controls its opposite heedlessness, and this is one that occurs only in good consciousness. There was another example given about it, where they had a treasure reminding the king of his possessions, you have so many horses, you have so many cows,

[159:13]

supposing you don't have this and you don't have that, and he told him what he'd have, knowing the advantageous and the disadvantageous, and he sort of removed the disadvantageous and acquired the advantageous, and then it said it has acquirement as characteristic, and I tried to put not floating away and acquirement as characteristic together, and I couldn't seem to find a word. Do you have a suggestion for a word of not floating away and acquirement? Putting them into one phrase somehow. Well, that acquirement is used in the sense of acquiring advantageous states. Going a little further than just not letting something float away. In looking at Sati,

[160:20]

it says that mindfulness is one of the five spiritual faculties and powers, one of the seven factors of enlightenment, and the seventh link of the eightfold path, and is in its widest sense one of those mental factors that is inseparably associated with all karmically wholesome and karmic-produced lofty consciousness. Maybe for that other one, say not floating away and not getting flooded. What's the name of the painting? I couldn't find that. Manifestation of guarding. You mentioned the manifestation of guarding. The state of manifestation of the object. Well, then I got them confused here because I thought I couldn't find the manifestation

[161:24]

and it had guarding. In one place I found guarding and in another place I found the manifestation of the object. Is there a state of guarding or the state of facing the object as a function? You said one of the functions. Maybe so. I have a function of unforgiveness. That sounds familiar to me. Is there someone in the audience? I remember reading this one passage and because it talks so much about recollecting and recalling it wanted to make sure that it wasn't some dwelling in the past and it seemed to be talking about remembering something to the extent that you actually made it present and so it It says something about non-superficiality.

[162:33]

It does not let the object born in mind flay away. It governs the associated states and the characteristic of presenting or illuminating the object. It keeps the mind from confusion. Maybe it's faculty in the sense of predominance. I don't know exactly what that is. I don't recognize quite that. Yeah, I can't remember what it is. That's sufficient. This mindfulness is not, in the sense of recollection, that word for me is very confusing.

[163:35]

You know, it's a complete, it's an accurate recollection, recollecting of past experiences. So it doesn't, it recollects the, what were the advantages, what were the disadvantages, what was a good state, what was a bad state, and it doesn't like just take one side. It doesn't just remember what was good about some past experience and forget the part that wasn't good about it. So that's why it's not just memory or recollection, but it's accurate, this mindfulness. It accurately recollects and remembers and reminds what was advantages, what was disadvantages. It seems like most recollecting about the past, it either takes one side or the other.

[164:45]

It seems like something happens that's unpleasurable in the past, or something that you really regret. Well, that's semi-closely to mindfulness. But anyway, this mindfulness, it anyway is, as Megan mentioned, it's only present in wholesome states, so it seems to have that kind of, why it's present in wholesome states and not just unwholesome states. Maybe remembering, you know, what was bad, just remembering what was bad is kind of mindfulness. But this is remembering anyway, not ignoring, you know. It's not just ignoring involved in this mindfulness. Mindfulness is zero recollection. Well, wouldn't you, the infection side of it, or whatever that is, to do that you have to have some sort of recollection. Yeah, and that's the process of...

[165:47]

Is that part of what you're saying? I'm not quite sure what you're, I mean, that's what you're talking about. Well, let's see, because that's also in other places. In the process of a sense perception, it's necessary to have, to discriminate objects, to have a perception. It's necessary, as when we studied Sanya, there has to be some mark and some kind of, in a way, kind of remembering is involved. In order that you remember the mark, and you're reminded of the mark as something that you notice, you see something and then you can mark it, it's marking somewhere for you. So, this is somewhat like that, it seems like.

[167:04]

It has both, mindfulness is also used as an inspection. It's important to be accurate, of course. It becomes more and more accurate the more we're not involved with joy and pain and pleasure, joy and grief. Mindfulness, we'll know it will find later, but in the jhanas, it says that, you know, when that joy and, that mindfulness is sharpened when indifference becomes a controlling faculty. So, in the fourth jhana, this indriya that we have later here,

[168:08]

samas indriya, samanas indriya, which is the faculty of pleasure or ease, that's replaced with uttaka, indriya, disinterestedness. And so, at that time is when mindfulness functions most accurately, most sharply. When we have no sort of vested interest or stake involved, when we're rather disinterested, when we're disinterested in, that's when mindfulness is most accurate. I'm actually going to focus on having a mind that has the ability to, like in the middle of the winter, or the long winter, to be able to recall, or a spring day or to actually be able to bring it back to the point where you're actually living it.

[169:10]

So that, maybe I should do... Is that, is that, is that, is that mindfulness? That's what I'm trying to get, that's what I'm trying to get going today. Doesn't sound like, like hot, hot water. Not cold water, but cold hot water. Okay. Or just maybe, maybe that is a kind of mindfulness or recollection, recollection. Maybe it's just not for the purpose, you know, of getting rid of this whole winter. To be able to do that. Maybe, maybe that is a kind of, a kind of recollection. Okay. So anyway, this has both the aspects of inspection, or inspection by, you inspect the object, it doesn't, you inspect the object and it doesn't,

[170:19]

it's not floating away or something. You have it right there and you inspect it in a way by recollection. By recollection now, where is this, where is that? And then you can recall, it says that it can recall the advantages and disadvantages and what was good and what was bad and so forth. And that it's, that this mindfulness acts to remove the disadvantages and to acquire the advantages. Then does that become a state of mindfulness for that, recall for that? I want you to tell me about three things. The advantages, do you remember both? Do you remember the time that, of another time, that you called it up?

[171:22]

And that prior time? Yeah, it seems like there's, that, that mindfulness is a kind of, up to some rather high level, it seems like, I don't know what level, but it seems like it's, it's some continuing necessity that, that our, as Joyce, you were talking about, it seems that our bow takes some minding, constant kind of attention or tending or minding or reminding. It seems very much to be emphasizing, you know, that mindfulness is something that if you want to act on your bow, it takes energy, as you were mentioning earlier. It takes energy or strength or perseverance, and so on. And it also takes attention or tending or minding, reminding, recollecting, recollecting the bow, remembering it,

[172:25]

minding it, tending it, your deep attention. Even when, it's when you, because when you stop doing that, then, there's maybe some point when you get to where you're not so irresistible, but, but for the most part, if we stop minding or tending, we lose it. But as long as you keep doing that, you can remember not only the bow, but subsequently your thoughts or subsequently mindfulness you have about it. That makes sense. You remember all the phases. And it says that non-obliviousness, informally, is non-obliviousness or not forgetting the thing done and spoken.

[173:30]

You know, what is the sexuality thing? What happens? Anyway, this, this is a complain before you terminate. You see, in many ways, there's also something in quotes called the four foundations of mindfulness, which is one kind of system of meditation. And, and some groups of meditation are kind of based primarily on mindfulness. Mindfulness that can affect it. That is mindfulness, attaining mindfulness. Let's go on. Thank you. The faculty of concentration, I suppose, should be mentioned just because it happens to be in between there. And instead of saying, you know,

[174:35]

if you remember when it was talked about the welding together of coexistence states that function as water needs, powder, and the pea. It was a one-pointedness or samadhi, non-distractionist characteristic. The welds together states of mind as a function. Ease of mind and knowledge of manifestation. Ease of proximate cause. Like the steadfastness of the flame of a lamp in the absence of wind, so should steadfastness of mind be understood. That was the one where you talked about the rafters of the gabled house, where you had a chief, concentration is chief among them. One of the seven factors of enlightenment, one of the five spiritual faculties and powers, and the last one is the length of the eightfold path. In particular, in India, it's said to overcome distraction and to exercise governance over associated states by its indetricability.

[175:39]

Okay. Would this still come? Distraction. Don't be distracted by anything. Don't be distracted by anything. Faculty of wisdom? The one question I have is, is there such a thing as distraction? Yes, there is. At least at some point. And then mindfulness can act on that, or can remind us of that. Yes. The minutes are out.

[176:53]

The minutes are about. Is it being the key to the door? Is that it? Mindfulness is kind of like a change of background. Yeah, in a sense. From one point of view in the Abhidharma studies, it's said that mindfulness is like the chief of these five. Okay. What? The chief of these five spiritual faculties. It has the chief controlling power of these five. That is the faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom? Yeah. Because it's said that, see, faith and wisdom have to be in some balance or harmony. If you have too much faith without having the actual wisdom, then you can just be blind. And if you have, like, concentration and energy also go together. So if you're, for concentration to be effective, there has to be some level of, I mean, for energy to be effective,

[177:54]

there has to be some concentration. For concentration to be effective, there has to be some energy. There has to be some balance between concentration and energy, and faith and wisdom, that they don't get ahead of each other. And it's said that mindfulness watches after that. Mindfulness seems to emphasize sort of presence. Yeah, presence. Yeah, that's letting go. But it's interesting because, I mean, in a sense, we just, sometimes we just don't see. For a long time we could not see the, you know, like smoking. You remember how wonderful it is, like we were mentioning before,

[178:57]

you remember how wonderful it is, but you don't remember how bad you felt. How you woke up in the morning with a sore throat, and you don't have a good taste in your throat, and how you coughed so much. And after you quit for a month, or two months, or four months, or six months, you remember how wonderful it was to smoke. Because we're not in a conscious experience of the pain. You know? So, actually we don't need to control things, we just need to experience what happens. If we really experience, if we really are present in our smoking, then we notice its painful effects as well as pleasant effects. And then when you notice, when you actually notice the painful effects as well as the pleasant effects, then there's no problem about quitting. It's just that we, it's just that we tend not to notice.

[179:59]

Those things that we do over and over again, at some point you tend to enter some kind of fog or drift away. And we always do those, those things that we can't, and just tend to do a fog. Yeah. From a certain point. Yeah, right. You use it to drift into fog to not be mindful. Uh-huh. You know, you really have this habit that kind of just gratifies, you know, you really have this habit that kind of just gratifies the future. And then you can sort of get away from things a little bit and use them as a daydream or whatever. Yeah, then you get kind of tranquil. What you actually want to do is drift into a fog. So in a way, it's very helpful for us to have a conscious experience of the pain of our situation, of pain. Which is, in that conscious experience of pain, is, of course, the first note of a truth. Well, that's the next one.

[181:04]

Your faculty is waiting. Oh. Wait a minute. We're going to call that when the bells and drums start coming. Oh, we're going to do it. Let's do this one. Faculty of Wisdom. This occurs only in good consciousness. It controls its opposite ignorance. It says that one understands the Aryan truths. The Aryan. Aryan truths. Okay. I can't pronounce it. I'm going to fall in. That's why I say it all the time. What's the Aryan truth? Aryan truth? The Aryan truth that is for noble truth. Through overcoming the ignorance, it's a controlling faculty in the sense of predominance. It governs the associated space by the characteristic of vision,

[182:06]

illuminating and understanding as characteristic. You made a rather large point about this illumination. As when a lamp burns at night in four walls, the darkness ceases. And no illumination is equal to the illumination of understanding. To the wise of the single sitting, the ten thousand world spheres appear as of one light. There are four kinds of light, which are the four. The light of the moon, of the sun, of fire, and of understanding. Understanding, as it arises, knows states as moral or immoral. It guides. Understanding is so-called in the sense of knowing plainly, i.e. making plain the meaning of various things. Insight is that which knows states under various aspects as impermanent, impermanent, etc. Knowing widely is wisdom.

[183:08]

It's discernment by virtue of discerning impermanence, etc. And it names several words. In Dhammatangani, she seemed to, in her footnote, not particularly have a reference to anything. She said, well, we could use these words to talk about it. And she went through a score of words like the word understanding and wisdom and knowledge and things like that. And she says, well, I don't want to talk about it like that. And so she didn't really seem to talk about it much, in my opinion. I mean, she said something about it, but she didn't really talk about it. In the exposit or in a couple of the other books, they just immediately picked up a word to define it, like the word understanding was very commonplace. Well, she didn't like understanding. She didn't like that at all. She seemed to put it aside, saying that our interpretation of that word

[184:10]

isn't what they meant by the faculty of wisdom. So she went through it. In her interpretation, she used the word sagacity. They said that this is as lightning. It grasps and bears the meaning. From another view, it has penetrating, as characteristic illumination as function, non-perplexity as proximate cause, as it were a good guide in the foremost. Could you go over there again? I missed the manifestation again. That seems to be one of my characteristics. As a good guide in the foremost? Yeah, that's non-perplexity as approximate cause. And then it explains it by saying as it were a good guide in the foremost. What purpose? Illumination and penetration. Thank you.

[185:08]

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