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ANNUAL MEETING: Dhamma Giri, India March 3, 1989

Questioner: It is said, "Ātmā is immortal." What happens to ātmā after nirvāṇa? If it does not exist after nirvāṇa then the belief that ātmā is immortal is wrong. Would you throw some light on this issue?

Goenkaji: Believing that Ātmā is immortal is a philosophical belief. First one has to believe that there is an ātmā, a soul, and then one has to believe that it is immortal. Both these beliefs are strongly interconnected. If ātmā, or the soul, is not immortal then ātmā is useless to me. I accept ātmā simply because somebody says that it is immortal, and by ātmā I understand it is "I." If somebody whispers in my ear, "Well look, everything is mortal, impermanent in this world, but you are permanent, you will always remain," I feel elated by this belief, "Wonderful, I will remain! Everything, the body, mind and the entire universe passes away, but I will remain!"

The tremendous amount of attachment that ignorance helps us develop to "I" is strengthened by this kind of belief. There is a reason behind the formation of all these philosophical beliefs. Our job is not to say, "No, it is wrong," to give reasons why, and get involved in debates and arguments—that won’t help. Neither should we confirm the belief.

Leave it aside. All right, if the belief is that there is a soul that it is immortal, then let me investigate this belief. Vipassana is nothing but investigating the truth pertaining to oneself within the framework of the body. The first thing that you come across is your bodily structure. By Vipassana, as you keep moving from the gross to the subtle, to the subtlest, you will reach a stage where you will start experiencing every tiny subatomic particle which is arising and passing. And you will realize, "Well this is not ātmā, because ātmā is immortal and this is not immortal."

Similarly, you keep on observing the entire mental structure. As you observe from the gross to the subtle, to the subtlest, you will reach the stage where you will find that the mental structure is also nothing but wavelets arising and passing. By this experience you are investigating, like a scientist, what the truth is. When you reach the stage where the entire mind and matter phenomenon is just arising and passing—and in that whole process the impurities are eradicated—then a stage comes where you transcend the field of mind and matter and you experience something which is called nibbāna, where nothing arises, nothing passes away. You may say it is immortal. But when you reach that stage there will be no "I." That stage has to be experienced by each individual. Without that, again it will become just a philosophy.

Accept only the reality pertaining to the truth that you experience within the framework of the body and keep moving. The answer will come, Vipassana will help to supply this answer. §

Why is it important to sit two full hours every day?

As it is essential that you give material food to your body every day, a minimum of twice, to keep it healthy and strong, similarly you have to give some food to the mind to keep it healthy and strong. And with these two hours of sitting, you give food to the mind to make it strong and healthy. §

Everything in the world is impermanent. Yet certain principles contained in the scriptures and in the law of mathematics are always the same, such as two plus two makes four. Then how can everything be impermanent?

Yes, everything in the field of mind and matter is impermanent and this impermanence is permanent. It is permanently impermanent. Things keep on changing. So far as matter is concerned, it keeps on changing. So far as mind is concerned, it keeps on changing. The nature of change cannot be turned into a nature of non-change. It will always be changing.

There are four, basic, ultimate truths. One ultimate truth pertaining to matter; another ultimate truth pertaining to the mind; a third ultimate truth pertaining to the mental contents; and the fourth ultimate truth, the nibbānic stage. All of them are permanent. The first three are permanent in their nature of change. And the fourth is permanent in its nature of no change—there can’t be any change. So everything is, in this respect, changing and non-changing.

Emphasis is given to that which constantly changes because out of our ignorance and madness we develop attachment to that which will change, and once it changes we become depressed. The attachment brings misery. For that purpose the whole teaching of Vipassana is to keep understanding that whatever is changing is permanently changing. This nature of change doesn’t go away, but our attachment to it has to go away, otherwise we will suffer. Vipassana is for that purpose only, not to establish any philosophy. §

What is the value of attending group sittings?

Whenever a few people sit together, whatever they generate in their minds permeates the atmosphere. If five, ten, twenty, or fifty people meditate together, the vibrations of one or two amongst them might be good vibrations and it may help the others meditate better in that atmosphere. This is the reason. §

I still get a lot of pain even when I meditate at home. What should I do?

Meditate. What else can you do? Now you have a wonderful object with which you can take out all your habit patterns of aversion. Whenever you feel something unpleasant, the old habit of the mind is to react with aversion. Vipassana is to help you to come out of all such conditionings.

Your aversion towards unpleasant sensations cannot be eradicated unless you face them and change this habit pattern. So welcome all these objects which help you to come out of your old habit of aversion. The whole purpose of Vipassana is to change the habit pattern of the mind; neither have craving towards pleasant sensations nor aversion towards unpleasant ones. When you have pleasant sensations observe them without attachment, without reaction, understanding they are anicca. Good, now unpleasant sensations have come; make use of them, work with Vipassana. §

For a period after each course I can meditate okay. Then it becomes harder, so that I cannot even pass my attention through the body. What should I do?

Continue to work. Keep on fighting your battle. When you come to a Dhamma environment like this, the entire atmosphere is charged with vibrations which are anti-craving, anti-aversion, anti-ignorance. In this atmosphere you can work better, and you gain strength by your practice here. With that strength you have to face the world outside. After all, you have to live in the world. You can’t live in a meditation centre all the time. You go to a hospital to gain health, not to live there. So gain strength here and then live in the world. After some time you may find that your meditation is again becoming weaker. Understand the reason: The whole atmosphere outside is charged with the vibrations of craving and aversion, and you are doing something which is anti-craving, anti-aversion. The outside atmosphere starts overpowering you and you become weaker. You have to keep on fighting.

For this fight you are given two tools in this technique. The first tool, Anapana, is specifically for that purpose. Whenever you find you have become so weak that you can’t work with the body and bodily sensations, come back to Anapana. Breath is something which you can intentionally make harder. You work with it and you can’t feel your breath—make it a little harder. You can intentionally make this object a little more gross. Work with that; the mind becomes calm and you will reach a stage where you can again start working on the body.

If I am not able to experience subtle sensation in the body, how can I practise mettā?

It is true that if you practise mettā with these subtle sensations, it is very strong, very effective, because then you are working with the deepest level of your mind. If you are experiencing a gross sensation, that means only the surface level of your mind is working and the mettā is not that effective. But it doesn’t matter. In this case just keep imagining at the intellectual, conscious level, "May all beings be happy. May all beings be happy." And keep on working. When you reach the stage where there are subtle vibrations, you will work at a deeper level and the mettā will be more effective. §

How can a meditator deal with grief over the death of a loved one?

A meditator should be very wise and understand the law of nature. In spite of all your crying and prayers, there is no possibility that this person will come back. You have to accept the fact that this person has gone forever.

Understand that whenever you generate a vibration of sorrow and misery while remembering someone who has passed away, the vibrations will reach wherever this person may be, and will make him or her unhappy. No-one wants a near and dear one who has passed away to be unhappy. We would certainly like the person to be happy, peaceful and liberated, yet you send vibrations to this person which will make him or her more unhappy. You are harming the person whom you want to be happy. Another harmful aspect is that while you are crying, remembering the near and dear one who has passed away, you are sowing seeds of saṅkhāras of misery. You are becoming miserable and a seed of misery will bring nothing but misery in the future. Nature will not differentiate whether you are sowing the seed because of this or that logical reason. No, the seed is of misery and it must bring misery.

After all, what is a seed? A seed generates and creates a habit pattern of the mind. And now you are supporting the habit pattern of the mind by becoming more miserable, due to this or that reason. This habit pattern will bring more misery in the future; so you have started harming yourself and the dear one who is gone.

And the third harmful aspect is that this sensation of misery that you are generating by this saṅkhāra starts permeating the atmosphere around you. Everyone else in the family around you will become depressed, because you are generating that type of sensation. You have started harming yourself, those around you who are alive, and the dear one who has passed away. This action of yours is harmful in three ways. If somebody works wisely and understands the law of nature, then as soon as you remember the one who has passed away, if even slight sorrow starts in the mind, you immediately calm down and start generating vibrations of mettā, love, "May you be happy, wherever you are. May you be happy, may you be peaceful, may you be liberated." Your vibrations will reach this being and he or she will feel happy. These vibrations are full of happiness, peace, harmony. You are generating a saṅkhāra at that time of harmony and peace. This seed will bring fruit to you of peace, harmony and happiness. And this vibration will permeate the atmosphere and make it peaceful and harmonious. You have started helping all three—the loved one who has died, yourself, and your family—in the proper way, in a Dhamma way.

Vibrations do work. Even to those who have passed away, wherever they may be, the vibration that we generate whilst remembering them will certainly reach there, strongly or mildly, according to the strength of your mind.

Many times in your own life you will find that, although there is no reason, nothing has happened outside, you start feeling depressed. Certain vibrations from outside are coming in contact with you. A vibration of depression makes you depressed. Similarly often you will find that, without any reason, although nothing has happened outside, you feel happy. Certain good vibrations of happiness are reaching you. This is the law of nature. If you are near a burning oven, its vibrations will bring you heat. If you are near a refrigerator, the vibrations will bring you coldness. The earlier one understands the law of nature and starts applying it in this life, the better. So this is the best way to act at that time. §

We have young children and it is very difficult to find time to meditate. What should I do?

A householder is bound to face such difficulties. But if you wait for the time when there are no hindrances, you will not meditate for your whole life. For a woman, motherhood is good. And if you have children, you have the responsibility to look after them—very good. Along with the responsibility of looking after the child, you must find time to meditate. When the child is asleep, meditate. The child has awakened: all right, again start nursing the child. In this way, even if you don’t get a fixed time or place, it doesn’t matter, do it in intervals. But meditate, don’t stop. § At what age could I start to teach my child to meditate?

Before birth. Meditation should be taught when the child is growing in the womb. The child needs good vibrations while in the womb, so practise Vipassana. Every pregnant mother should practise more Vipassana because then you are helping two beings simultaneously. You are helping yourself, and you are helping the being which has not yet come out. Help them.

After that, when the child grows to five or six you can start teaching Anapana. Just be aware of the respiration for a few minutes; two, three, five minutes, enough. Don’t push too much. A few minutes of awareness of respiration, and then say; "All right, play." After that, again a few minutes of respiration. So it will become like playing for the child. Later on, as he or she grows, increase the time. In this way you start giving the seed of Dhamma, and the child develops in an atmosphere of Dhamma. §

You have started giving training in Anapana in some schools. How will this training benefit children?

Actually the entire teaching has only one purpose: One should live peacefully and harmoniously in accordance with the law of nature—not harming oneself or others. Now this art of living is difficult to learn in old age, so the training should start at a young age. In the schools children should learn the art of living a healthy life. Their entire life is ahead of them.

You start by teaching them how to control their minds. Along with this awareness of respiration it is explained that you have to live a moral life, so they understand, "I must not kill, I must not steal, etc. But how can I abstain from that? I must have control over my mind. And look, this helps." The object that is given is universal so a student from any caste, any community, any religion can work on this.

You also tell them that they can develop in this awareness of respiration and then they will live a good life. At further stages they can purify their minds to such an extent that they will live a perfect life, so there is a goal. In school for example, when they learn the alphabet the goal is that they will become very learned people later on. Now they have started with this base of sīla and respiration. §

Do you think that by this training children can become good citizens?

What is a good citizen? A good citizen is one who does not harm himself or herself and also does not harm other members of society. The whole teaching shows how to live a life of morality. If children start learning this in childhood, when they become adults they will naturally live healthy, good lives. This is how they will become good citizens. §

Why is there segregation of sexes on a course?

This would not have been necessary if we were working with other types of meditation which impose a good layer at the surface of the mind, making you forget everything that is deep inside.

But this technique is totally different. From the very beginning it starts an operation of the mind, taking out the impurities from the deepest level. When you operate on a wound, only pus will come out; you can’t expect rose water to come out. What is the pus of the mind? Now the worst pus that you have is sexual passion. The entire loka in which you are living is called kāma-loka, the loka where sexual passion is predominant. Even at the apparent level your birth is because of the sexual contact of your parents. The base of sexual passion is deep inside. And if sexual passion comes on the surface, it becomes stronger for a male when he is in contact with the vibration of a female. When a female develops passion, it is strengthened by contact with the vibrations of a male. And if you remain intermingled while you are doing this operation, it is dangerous. It will harm you. Instead of your coming out of passion, there is every possibility that you will multiply passion. So better remain separated as much as possible. It is essential. §

We have found that foreigners benefit more than Indians from Vipassana meditation. Comparatively they seem to be more disciplined and sincere. Even in service they are more sincere, selfless and prepared to serve in any section. Why is it so? The teaching of Dhamma is the same for all, but you don’t work! So examine yourselves: Why don’t you work? The difficulty is that you are all involved in mad games of philosophical beliefs, "There is a soul, there is a god, I believe in this." All that becomes a big obstacle. And these people more or less have come out of that madness. They think, "I am here to learn a technique which will purify my mind and make me a good person." So they work.

Or, you have all these bondages, "I am a very conservative Hindu"... "I am a very strict Jain. I can’t get converted to this." Through Vipassana you are not converted to Buddhism, you are converted to Dhamma. Still this question keeps coming in your mind. If you can’t come out of these bondages, you can’t be helped. Come out of the bondages! Understand Dhamma is universal. It is simply an art of living: how to develop control over the mind and how to purify the mind so that we live a healthy life. Once you understand that, you will work more. Then all those qualities that you have mentioned about the Westerners are bound to come to you also, nature will not discriminate. §

Why is drinking only one glass of wine a breakage of sīla?

One glass becomes more. So why not come out it from the very beginning?

Once one becomes addicted, it is so difficult to come out of the addiction. Why not refrain from anything that is addictive?

Another important reason is that if someone who has come out of all kinds of intoxicants and is progressing in meditation takes even a very small quantity of alcohol, that person will immediately feel that it creates agitation and will feel unhappy. They can’t take it.

Understand, with the experience of so many who have progressed, that this goes against Dhamma, against the purification of the mind. Ignorance causes impurities to develop and intoxicants are closely associated with ignorance. They drown all your understanding. Come out of them as quickly as possible. §

Most organizations, as they become larger, are preoccupied with their own growth and expansion. How can we protect our Dhamma organization from making this mistake?

The cause of the problem is included in the question. When these organizations work for their own expansion, they have already started rotting. The aim should be to increase other people’s benefits. Then there is a pure Dhamma volition and there is no chance of decay.

When there is a Dhamma volition, "May more and more people benefit," there is no attachment. But if you want your organization to grow, there is attachment and that pollutes Dhamma. §

Was it necessary for Lord Buddha to practise meditation even after enlightenment? Yes, it was necessary. Even when one becomes a buddha, it does not mean that the law of nature will start favouring this person. The law of nature of this body is that it is decaying, dying. The body requires strength, and when a buddha goes in this meditative state of nibbāna and comes out, he finds that the whole body has become healthier. It helps, he can work much more.

There is so much work for the body of one who works all the twenty-four hours, except for two or two-and-a-half hours when he lies down. Some rest is needed. The mind is peaceful, but to rest the body the mind has to go to the depth and reach the nibbānic stage. When one comes out of the nibbānic experience one is physically refreshed. §

Apparently during Buddha’s time, there was no secret about the attainment of serious meditators. But in our organization, attainments are not discussed openly. Why not use these to inspire beginners?

The actual attainment, is to reach the stage of arahant. Become arahants, and I will announce loudly, "Look, one of my students has become an arahant! Come, come all of you!" Unless you become an arahant, then what can I announce? [Laughter] Now the biggest attraction is that your way of life is changing. If you are a better person, certainly you are getting strengthened in Dhamma. That is good enough. § In India there are many types of religious practices, social customs and caste. In these conditions how can Vipassana be helpful?

Vipassana is the only way to help in such a situation. In all these sects, communities, beliefs, dogmas, rites, and rituals, there is something universal: the goal of purifying the mind to such an extent that you will not harm yourself or others. Now one may belong to any community or belief, but everyone can accept this easily.

An example: A large number of Christian priests and nuns come to courses and some have said, "You are teaching Christianity in the name of Buddha." Everyone wants the mind to become pure. Similarly, whether one is a Jain or a Hindu or anything else, if one starts doing Vipassana, one finds it is universal and good for all. These differences will all be immaterial for people who start working in Vipassana. And this will give a unity to the country, a unity to all humanity. It is a very positive thing to do. §

You say that we should not come to Vipassana to cure a disease. However, we see that many ailing people have found benefit. Why do you discourage this?

We don’t discourage people from coming out of their illness. But the goal should be very clear: Vipassana is to purify the mind so that the mind is free from all illnesses. If the goal is only to come out of a certain disease, your motivation is wrong and you won’t work properly; all the time your attention will be towards your illness. When your attention is not on the object on which you should be working, you can’t benefit. You will attain neither this nor that.

The aim is to come out of all the illnesses of life which make us unhappy. Yes, when the mind is purified, all psychosomatic diseases will have to go, they can’t remain, but we don’t say that physical diseases will also be cured. Some may indeed be cured, but the goal is to purify the mind. §

Can non-householders be allowed during the Vipassana course to do some of the compulsory daily practices of their own religion for a short period—like sāmāyika, pratikramaṇa, sandhyā, etc.?

This would be harmful. Understand: The names of practices that are used here— sāmāyika, pratikramaṇa, kāyotsarga, sandhyā—are all words of pure Dhamma, of Vipassana. But today the essence is lost; it is just a lifeless shell which they are performing.

For example: At the source of the Ganges the water is so pure, but it gets dirtier as the river descends. By the time it reaches the sea the water is so polluted you cannot drink it or even wash clothes in it. Now the same thing is found in Dhamma: It starts with such crystal purity, but as it descends all sorts of pollution comes in, and then it is of no use.

Dhamma must be kept in its purity. Such people who perform these rites and rituals must be made to understand what their rite is.

One word that is used is sāmāyika. The literal meaning of this is that the mind becomes equanimous. What do they do for this sāmāyika? They sit and repeat a set formula for forty-eight minutes. Now you sit here for one hour so you have given more sāmāyika, as far as the time is concerned.

But in those forty-eight minutes they repeat a certain formula without understanding that this is done by the surface of the mind, the conscious part of the mind. By diverting the mind to an object—the recitation of a certain word—one feels that the mind is becoming equanimous. Which part of the mind? Just the surface of the mind. The totality of the mind must become equanimous and then it is sāmāyika.

The entire mass of the mind is agitated all the time. Even though the surface has become calm, deep inside there is agitation—craving and aversion. From the very beginning Vipassana helps you to work at that depth, and make the deepest level of the mind equanimous. When people understand that Vipassana is nothing but sāmāyika, the trouble goes away. Attachment to rites, rituals, ceremonies, your particular formula—all that is the pollution of the Ganges water.

Similarly, another word—kāyotsarga—means to eradicate attachment towards this body. Now what do you do? Again you sit down and start reciting a set formula. At the conscious level you recite that formula and feel that you are doing kāyotsarga. Vipassana takes you to the stage where you don’t have attachment to even the tiniest particle of your body. It becomes so clear: Vipassana is kāyotsarga.

Similarly for pratikramaṇa. The word pratikramaṇa means to come back. Now you sit down for some time and remember, "Today I did these unwholesome actions at the physical, mental and vocal levels. Oh, it was bad. In future I won’t do these." It is good, but which part of the mind is doing that? Again, only the surface of the mind. Deep at the unconscious level, you are making the same mistakes which you want to rectify. Craving and aversion are there; these are the roots. If you can’t take these out, all purification of the mind at the surface level is not really pratikramaṇa, which is to come back to the original state of purity.

The Enlightened One said that the mind by itself is pure: Keep away the impurities, and it is pure. When the mind is in its natural, pure nature, if suddenly an unpleasant sensation arises and it makes the mistake of developing aversion towards this, then it has gone out of its own limit—atikramaṇa. You remember, "Oh, it has gone beyond its limit. Bring it back within the boundary where there is no aversion. Oh it has gone towards craving. Bring it back within the boundary where there is no craving." That is pratikramaṇa. And this is what you are doing in Vipassana. If we encourage people, saying, "All right, because you have taken a vow, carry on," then we are harming them.

Another word used is sandhyā. One literal meaning is that the day and night join together. A deeper meaning is samyak-dhyāna, to meditate in a proper way. The proper way means your entire mind should get concentrated with purity; this is sandhyā. And what is being done now? In the name of sandhyā you recite certain mantras for a few minutes; and you have finished your job. Vipassana gives you samyak-dhyāna, the real sandhyā. People who are involved in rites and rituals will understand all this provided you tell them, "Work on this. Suspend judgement for ten days. If you keep on doing your rites you won’t understand what is being taught here."

I have come across a few cases where people practise Vipassana for some time and also follow their own rites and rituals. When some benefit comes due to the practice of Vipassana, they think, "This benefit came because of my rite. I am so perfect in my rites and rituals." They don’t understand that the benefit is a hundred per cent because of Vipassana. Your rites, rituals, and fasting are meaningless. Only if you leave them aside and then try, can you give a real evaluation of Dhamma.

Then the question comes that during the course somebody might do these rites. Well, if he has worked with all his rites and rituals and gone away, what can we do? Even if you find out later on, we don’t have any stick to run after him. He or she has missed the full advantage of Vipassana.

But if one comes to know that a particular student is continuing to practise all those rites and rituals during a course, then very compassionately tell them, "No, it is harmful. You have to stop it. You have taken a vow not to mix up things, at least for these ten days. Don’t do it." In spite of repeated warnings if someone doesn’t agree, then very compassionately ask these people to leave. You must be very strict. There is compassion in this discipline. You are strict to help others, not to please yourself. With great compassion be strict.

Can they continue Vipassana along with their rites and rituals after leaving the course?

If they start understanding, "This is an empty shell, and Vipassana is the real essence, yet I can’t let go of the empty shell," then at least they should keep the two apart. Do these rites and rituals, then leave a gap and do Vipassana later. They can continue like that, although it is not healthy. But as they grow they have to come out of these rites and rituals. Rites and rituals can’t go together with Vipassana. §

What is the measure of a sotāpanna? How do we know that a person has attained this stage?

There are certain criteria. The most important thing is that one has experienced the nibbānic stage, maybe only for a few moments.

Now how can one check whether this person has experienced nibbāna or not? There are certain directions given to a teacher, and some experience also, by which one checks whether somebody is in the nibbānic stage. Someone might have a very deep experience of peace, and feel, "That was an experience of nibbāna." But the teacher was not there, or the teacher is not experienced enough to check whether it really was nibbāna.

If someone really has experienced nibbāna, the way of life must change. One must be a better person than before. Certain things must be totally eradicated from the mind. One thing that is totally eradicated is doubt, scepticism. So long as one has not travelled the entire path, there is bound to be some kind of doubt: "Am I on the right path? Maybe something is wrong." But once you have covered the entire path and gone beyond this mind-and-matter phenomenon, and experienced nibbāna if only for a moment, how can there be doubt? This is one yardstick by which one can measure whether one has become sotāpanna.

Another aspect is that during the beginning steps of Dhamma people start working to extremes, thinking, "By this extreme I will get liberated." This madness automatically goes away because one has worked with the Middle Path and reached the goal. One realizes, "Oh, those extremes are useless. They are actually a hindrance in my progress." Such a person will never go to such extremes but will get more and more perfect on the Middle Path. Thus there are two or three criteria which manifest. §

Why is it harmful to mix techniques?

Every rite, ritual or ceremony is nothing but a corrupt form of pure Dhamma. If people keep this corrupt thing along with the purity of Vipassana, the rituals will again become predominant in their mind, "That is more important. I am a traditional Jain, Hindu, Buddhist, so that must be there." They can’t get the real benefit of Vipassana.

Another reason is that from one enlightened person to another there is a big gap. During that gap the technique disappears, but the words somehow remain, though the real meaning is lost. And without practice even pure Dhamma taught by an enlightened person will slowly become a sect.

For the head of a sect, the number of followers is important and the aim is to increase this number. Whether people get real benefit or not is unimportant to him. If one of the followers asks for a technique, he will explain the words that remain in his own way, and give a technique without understanding the real meaning of those words. His wish is to keep the followers happy within his sect. And now that starts and people get very attached, "This is given by our wonderful ācariya who is definitely in contact with an enlightened person, so what he says is perfectly all right."

Dhamma becomes polluted because things are started by these people who know nothing of how to purify the mind at the depth. They find some formula here or there, and start these things. If these are added to Vipassana it will get polluted. Then the efficacy of this pure Dhamma will definitely be lost.

Now what will be added? If somebody wants to calm the mind, he will be told, "All right, you’d better recite this word." And the word given is the name of the one who started this particular sect, "...because he is an enlightened person." So every sect will repeat a particular name. Now, one becomes calm because this word is repeated. They think, "Ah, our tradition is wonderful. It gives such peace." But they have missed the real essence of Dhamma.

What is Dhamma? The purpose is to come out of the wheel, the process of birth and death. Every time you generate a saṅkhāra by reacting to a pleasant or unpleasant sensation, you are giving a push to this wheel. If you don’t reach that place where craving and aversion originate and instead you work at the surface level, then the process of multiplying your misery, your craving and aversion, goes on. When you recite a word only the surface level of your mind is reciting. Deep inside the whole process is the same.

Now if you add this to Vipassana, what happens? Every word has its own vibration, and if you keep on reciting the same word your entire body gets engulfed in the vibration that you have created. It is good at the surface level; it works like a shield so that no bad vibration can enter. But you have forgotten to work with your own vibration.

The technique of Vipassana is to change the habit pattern at the deepest level of the mind. When you are repeating a word you are not changing the habit pattern, because you don’t know what vibrations there are when something is either pleasant or unpleasant. You don’t know how you are reacting to the natural vibrations which keep on working deep inside your body and mind. You have just put up a good shield of created, artificial vibrations. You have created a hindrance for yourself.

What other kinds of pollution are there? You can sit down and imagine something, and your mind gets concentrated with this image. Now how will you reach the stage where you observe craving and aversion arising at the deepest level? You have diverted your conscious mind to an imagined object, and forgotten all about your unconscious mind.

There is another difficulty: The whole technique is to examine the reality within yourself by disintegrating the entire mind-and-matter phenomenon. Only then can you reach the stage which is beyond mind and matter. And now you are creating another illusion, an imaginary shape which is integrated, and you don’t do anything to disintegrate this. How can you come out of ignorance? All this integrated reality is ignorance, it makes you feel that this is "I, mine." Only when that gets disintegrated and dissolved can you understand it is all subatomic particles, wavelets, vibrations. When you reach that stage you find that the entire mind-matter structure is essenceless.

So those who understand Dhamma properly must be careful. You should not add anything simply to please the followers of traditional beliefs or philosophies.

The Dhamma is so complete; there is nothing to add—kevalaṃ paripuṇṇaṃ. It is parisuddhaṃ, that is, there is no question of taking out anything. Keep it paripuṇṇa and parisuddha and you will get all the benefits. §

Bhavatu sabba maṅgalaṃ

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