SELECTED DISCOURSES of WEBU SAYADAW
The Path to be followed in this world [1]
1. The Teachings of the Buddha contained in the Tipitaka have but one
object: liberation from suffering. Methods vary but the object is the same.
It is not necessary to follow all the methods. Choose one of them, and then
what is required is to put it into practice with adequate energy and in a
steadfast manner.
2. Vijja (knowledge) and carana (conduct) must be developed simultaneously.
Two things can be done at the same time.
3. Follow the Teaching of the Buddha as well as that of the teacher.
Be respectful. Be humble. Khanti (patience) and metta (loving kindness) must
be practised assiduously.
4. Vipassana means to see what really is. Meditators must see things
as they really are, otherwise it is not Vipassana.
5. What really is, is not to be sought elsewhere, it is in one's own
body. It is ever present there. It is unavoidable. It is nama-rupa (mind-matter).
6. Of all the manifestations of nama and rupa in the body, the in-breath
and out-breath are not easily recognizable but they are easy to contemplate.
7. The process of breathing in and breathing out begins with birth
and only ends with death. It goes on without any pause or break. It is always
there, whether one is working, talking, studying, or sleeping.
8. Although the process of breathing in and breathing out is continuous,
it is hardly noticed by unmindful people. As the Burmese saying goes, "Those
who are unmindful would not notice a cave. Those who are mindful would notice
even the mist." Only those who are mindful will be aware of the breathing
process.
9. Here, awareness means that the meditator takes note of the in-breath
as it touches the nostrils and of the out-breath as it touches the nostrils.
As breathing is continuous, so awareness must be continuous too. Only then
can awareness be properly called Vipassana Meditation.
10. There are twenty-four hours in a day. If your awareness can be
continuous for twenty-four hours, the beneficial results will be very clear.
If possible, the ascetic practice of always sitting (nesajjika-dhutanga) should
be performed. What the Buddha teaches is not suffering but the cessation of
suffering. In the Buddha's lifetime, those who performed this ascetic practice
of always sitting were healthier and lived longer. If you give in to sleepiness
and go to sleep, you are likely to sleep forever in the round of rebirths
(samsara). If you wish to sleep, go to that place where no sleep is necessary.
11. Being mindful of what really is, or seeing things as they really
are, that is the main purpose of the three sikkhas, the Noble Eightfold Path,
the thirty-seven Bodhipakkhiyas, in short, of the entire Tipitaka. They are
all covered, as it were, in one stroke.
12. Touch or contact is rupa. Knowing or awareness is nama.
13. Appearance and disappearance of vibrating manifestations are the
process of becoming and cessation.
14. As meditators notice the swiftly changing process of appearance
and disappearance of contact sensations at the nostrils, concentrated insight
(Vipassana-samadhi) develops in due course, that is to say, after a considerable
length of time. The concentration developed in this way becomes more and more
intense until a meditator becomes aware of swiftly sweeping changes all over
the body.
15. When these swiftly sweeping changes are seen with insight, the
characteristic of anicca becomes most obvious, and accordingly the characteristics
of dukkha and anatta are also seen. It is not necessary to utter them by word
of mouth. Vipassana meditation means being mindful of what actually happens.
Mindfulness develops day by day, and consequently, meditators gain penetrating
insight.
16. As meditators develop concentration, their insight develops as
well, culminating in the realization of Path Knowledge (Magga-nana) and Fruition
State Knowledge (Phala-nana). This realization is as evident and satisfying
as quenching your thirst by drinking water. The meditator who has realized
the Path and Fruition State has realized it by himself in this present lifetime,
not hereafter. Therefore, the result of his practice is "seen by him
himself and in his self" (sanditthiko).
17. After the Knowledge of the Path and the Knowledge of the Fruition
State is attained, if someone wishes to regain the attainment of the Fruition
State (Phala- samapatti), he has to return to the practice of Vipassana and
progressive realization. The attainment of the Fruition State (Phala-samapatti)
can be compared to one's own dwelling.
18. With firm faith and unflagging energy, be mindful of the contact
of the breath with the nostrils without any let-up or break. Do not waver.
Do not procrastinate. Do it now, and the sustained practice will yield results
forthwith. The result is the end of being tormented by passions and the enjoyment
of indescribable bliss. Therefore, the results of the practice are immediately
effective (akaliko).
HOW TO FULFIL SILA
Do meritorious deeds such as cleaning a pagoda or watering the Bodhi tree, or by serving your teacher or parents, or even by attending to the needs of your family-all these will go into the credit side of your fulfilment of sila. While doing these things, you can still meditate. If you neglect any of these duties, can you say for certain that you have fulfilled sila? If sila is unfulfilled, can you acquire the happiness you are looking for? If there is no happiness, no peace, you cannot get samadhi. Without samadhi you cannot acquire panna.
