MN: 1. THUS HAVE I HEARD. On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Sāvatthi in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's Park. There he addressed the bhikkhus thus: "Bhikkhus."—"Venerable sir," they replied. The Blessed One said this:

2. "Bhikkhus, I shall teach you noble right concentration with its supports and its requisites. Listen and attend closely to what I shall say."—"Yes, venerable sir," the bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this:

3. "What, bhikkhus, is noble right concentration with its supports and its requisites, that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, and right mindfulness? Unification of mind equipped with these seven factors is called noble right concentration with its supports and its requisites.

BV: Now this is the eight fold path. Always the defin, definition of what they call right concentration, that we call harmonious collectedness, is always, always, first jhana, second jhana, third jhana, fourth jhana. Fourth jhana includes the arupa jhanas. So that means eight jhanas. When people are practicing straight vipassana, they get to what they call neighborhood concentration, which is a form of one-pointed concentration. We don’t have that in the samatha vipassana meditation. And they say that that is the same thing as, the definition giving it, given in the suttas. That it is the first jhana, second jhana, third jhana, fourth jhana, and it’s not. It’s not even jhana. So, the whole, whole point of the way that the practice is being taught right now, means that it’s a seven fold path, that they’re following, not an eight fold path. Because it’s, by the definition it just doesn’t add up. Doesn’t, doesn’t work.

MN: (VIEW)

4. "Therein, bhikkhus, right view comes first. And how does right view come first? One understands wrong view as wrong view and right view as right view: this is one's right view.

5. "And what, bhikkhus, is wrong view? 'There is nothing given, nothing offered, nothing sacrificed; no fruit or result of good and bad actions; no this world, no other world; no mother, no father; no beings who are reborn spontaneously; no good and virtuous recluses and brahmins in the world who have realised for themselves by direct knowledge and declare this world and the other world.' This is wrong view.

6. "And what, bhikkhus, is right view? Right view, I say, is twofold: there is right view that is affected by taints, partaking of merit, ripening in the acquisitions; and there is right view that is noble, taintless, supramundane, a factor of the path.

7. "And what, bhikkhus, is right view that is affected by the taints, partaking of merit, ripening in the acquisitions? There is what is given and what is offered and what is sacrificed; there is fruit and result of good and bad actions; there is this world and the other world; there is mother and father; there are beings who are reborn spontaneously; there are in the world good and virtuous recluses and brahmins who have realised for themselves by direct knowledge and declare this world and the other world.' This is right view affected by taints, partaking of merit, ripening in the acquisitions.

S: ~

BV: Acquiring.

S: ~

BV: Gaining benefit. Yeah. Gaining benefit. For the acquisition of all kinds of happiness?

S: ~

BV: Ok.

BV: What does all of that mean? There’s a lot of wisdoms in there.

S: ~

BV: There is the investigation of Dependent Origination. But when you get down to it, it’s always seeing as impersonal process. The different links of dependent ~, Dependent Origination arise because there is a cause for them to arise. Did you ask that cause to arise? Not hardly. As you become, involved with, thoughts, and start taking thoughts personally, and then forming opinions, and then, getting into the habit of always having those opinions when this kind of thought arises, there is heavy duty identification that these are my opinions, these are my views, this is my concepts of the way the world really works, and we have to six r those. And I’m not talking about just while you’re sitting. I’m talking about six ring a lot while you’re doing other things. Getting caught up in views and opinions is a source of major suffering. Ok, so, we’re talking about the supramundane, the taintless. That means (repeats: the wisdom the facility of wisdom, the power of wisdom, the investigation-of-states enlightenment factor, the path factor of right view in one whose mind is noble,)

MN: whose mind is taintless, who possesses the noble path and is developing the noble path: this is right view that is noble, taintless, supramundane, a factor of the path.

9. "One makes an effort to abandon wrong view and to enter upon right view: this is one's right effort. Mindfully one abandons wrong view,

BV: Anything that has craving in it.

BV: ~

BV: You don’t have your observation power, to be able to be, you having that quiet mind and settling down, and, and seeing, then you haven’t got, mindfulness. Ok, now, we’re talking about, ah, harmonious imaging.

MN: (INTENTION)

10. "Therein, bhikkhus, right view comes first. And how does right view come first? One understands wrong intention as wrong intention

BV: Holding on to views is an unharmonious image. Holding on to any of the hindrances, any thoughts, any restlessness, any of that is unharmonious imaging, because you’re bringing that image in, and you’re attached to it. You’re taking it personally.

MN: and right intention as right intention: this is one's right view.

11. "And what, bhikkhus, is wrong intention? The intention of sensual desire, the intention of ill will, and the intention of cruelty: this is wrong intention.

BV: And imaging is a real interesting, thing. And I, I like imaging as compared to thought, or intention, because the image, you always have an image before there’s any action. And when you take that image and you hold on to it, you have the image of sensual desire: "I want that.", doesn’t matter whether it’s sexual desire or, ah, ice cream, or ah, sights, or sounds, or excitement, the want for excitement, go to a baseball game or a basketball game, or hockey, whatever. But you, the reason that you have that action is because you’re holding on to that image, that desire for, this to happen. And, that leads directly to immeasurably amounts of suffering, of unsatisfactoriness, of pain, of craving, of repeated re, acting, in they way you’ve always acted.

Ok -

MN: 12. "And what, bhikkhus, is right intention? Right intention, I say, is twofold: there is right intention that is affected by taints, partaking of merit, ripening in the acquisitions, and there is right intention that is noble, taintless, supramundane, a factor of the path.

13. "And what, bhikkhus, is right intention that is affected by taints, partaking of merit, ripening in the acquisitions? The intention of renunciation, the intention of non-ill will, and the intention of non-cruelty: this is right intention that is affected by taints...ripening in the acquisitions.

14. "And what, bhikkhus, is right intention that is noble, taintless, supramundane, a factor of the path? The thinking, thought, intention, mental absorption, mental fixity,

BV: I don’t agree with this.

S: ~

BV: Now I don’t agree with most of this: "the thinking, thought, intention, mental absorption, mental fixity." You’re talking about one-pointed concentration. Now if you, eh, you have mental images, they can have words in them, or they can be, ah, a visual image, either one.

S: ~ words are there ~

BV: What is the words in the Pali, for the right intention? Or right ah, right dh…

BUJ: ~~

BV: Sankappa? (saṅkappa)

BUJ: ~

BV: Ok, so what they’re really saying is that this is vitakka, vicara (vicāra), sankappa (saṅkappa).

BUJ: ~

BV: The, their… So they’re talking, they’re talking about being, yeah, they’re talking about being in jhana.

BUJ: ~

BV: Ah uh.

BUJ: ~

BV: AP~, yes.

S: ~

BV: Absorption

S: ~

BV: Yeah, Mental absorption.

BUJ: ~

BV: Yeah, that means being in jhana.

BUJ: ~

BV: But it talking about absorption jhana, that’s the name of that. Ok, what is mental fixity?

BV: You got me there, I thought that you were going to say ah, ah,

BUJ: ~

S: It’s what?

BUJ: ~

BV: A special type of fixity. (Sighs) I really have problems with this.

BUJ: ~

BV: I have real problems with this.

BUJ: ~

BV: I thought, when you said mental, ah, fixity, that you were going to say ah "ekaggata" (ekaggatā).

Not there. Ah. Ah I have some real problems with all of that, because it doesn’t really ring true.

SK and BUJ talking indistinctly.

BV: (Laughs) I think what we want to do is, ah, if they, there’s a sub-commentary notes, we want to look at those. Quite often what Bhikkhu Bodhi does is he’ll ~ take something from the commentary, and reword it a little bit, and then but it in, and, that might be from the commentary. Anyway, let’s say that what is the right imaging that is noble taintless supramundane, a factor of the path, we can call that samatha vipassana. And that means a tranquil kind of insight, into verbal formation. So you’re ~, very careful with, with your verbal formation, ~ say, and it’s, it’s also, "whose mind is taintless, who possesses the noble path and is developing the noble path:"

MN: this is right intention that is noble...a factor of the path.

15. "One makes an effort to abandon wrong intention and to enter upon right intention: this is one's right effort. Mindfully one abandons wrong intention, mindfully one enters upon and abides in right intention: this is one's right mindfulness. Thus these three states run and circle around right intention, that is, right view, right effort, and right mindfulness.

BV: Now this, this is starting to be real interesting because what he’s doing is he’s saying that, these three factors are running around every one of the other ones that come up, and keeping them wholesome, keeping them pointing mind towards the wholesome.

MN: (SPEECH)

16. "Therein, bhikkhus, right view comes first. And how does right view come first? One understands wrong speech as wrong speech and right speech as right speech: this is one's right view.

17. "And what, bhikkhus, is wrong speech? False speech, malicious speech, harsh speech, and gossip: this is wrong speech.

BV: Now the thing that they don’t tell you in here, is that is the kind of verbalization in you own mind, that you have to, be careful of too, how you come down on yourself, how you criticize yourself, how you tell yourself that you don’t understand, that you don’t want to do, that you all of the, the internal dialogue, is a part of the harmonious communication. Now with the wrong harmonious communication, false speech, ah, malicious speech, harsh speech, and gossip, these four kinds of speech, you can direct towards yourself. You can make up stories, about what, what you would like to see happen, that basically turns into gossip. You can turn yourself against yourself, and sabotage yourself. You can have the perspective of just flat out lying to yourself, and trying to make up excuses for things because of this or because of that. Making excuses is a really, unwholesome kind of mind, and you have to be careful of that.

MN: 18. "And what, bhikkhus, is right speech? Right speech, I say, is twofold: there is right speech that is affected by taints, partaking of merit, ripening in the acquisitions; and there is [74] right speech that is noble, taintless, supramundane, a factor of the path.

19. "And what, bhikkhus, is right speech that is affected by taints, partaking of merit, ripening in the acquisitions? Abstinence from false speech, abstinence from malicious speech, abstinence from harsh speech, abstinence from gossip: this is right speech that is affected by taints...ripening in the acquisitions.

BV: Now, you, it says: "that is affected by the taints" and I’d like to change that to "maybe" affected by the taints. Why would those kind of speech still be affected by the taints? Because you believe that these are yours. See it always, it always comes down to, impersonal or personal. Personal means ownership. Impersonal means not own, ownership.

BV: Now, the ultimate is, when you’re sitting in meditation, and you’re observing and, relaxing, and you don’t have any verbal communication, with yourself. That’s noble silence. That is a desirable state to get into, and, as you are able to observe whatever arises, and you six r with it, relax into it, your mind becomes more and more pure, more and more, at ease, more and more clear, and this is how your personality development really starts to take off.

BV: Now this, this gives the impression that your mindfulness is the thing that makes the decision. The decision is not part of mindfulness. Mindfulness is just the observation of the decision that is made. Got it? Yes?

S: ~

BV: Well, now it’s not volitional mindful. Don’t, don’t be doing that. You’re, you’re trying to make mindfulness something other than it is. Mindfulness is the observation power. That’s all it is. It observes. That that part of the mind that observes. There is a decision, before that.

S: Remember. ~~

BV: It’s remembering to observe.

S: (continues) ~~

BV: Yes. But the thing is, there is the decision that happens before, and the mindfulness is the observing power, for, watching, that decision. What ever that decision happens.

S: ~

BV: It

S: ~

BV: Yes. Of course.

S:~

BV: And that’s that’s part of the effort.

S: ~

BV: Ah that...

S: ~

BV: Well, that…

S: ~

BV: But it it is, there is volition in it because, you have the harmonious practice in the four kinds, seeing the unwholesome, letting go of the unwholesome and relaxing, bringing up the wholesome, smiling, and keeping the wholesome going. But the mindfulness is the part of the mind that’s observing that. Where the decision comes in, is with the harmonious practice. Ok. Got it? (Laughs)

BV: It’s impersonal.

BV: Letting go of the unwholesome, relaxing, bringing up the wholesome, keeping the wholesome going.

BV: Observing how that is done.

MN: (ACTION)

22. "Therein, bhikkhus, right view comes first.

BV: Isn’t that interesting how it always comes first? I was at a big retreat in, in Australia, there must have been forty, forty five people, and the last day somebody, ah, the teacher said: "Ok, write down your questions." And, one of the first questions was: "Why, is, right understanding, or right view, always first?" And the answer came back: "Because that’s the way the Buddha said it." (Laughter) But here, you’re seeing that it always comes first with every one of the factors, and you have, not only the one factor, you have three factors that surround all the other factors. But the right view or right understanding is always seeing it as impersonal. When you see it as impersonal, then, there’s no tension; there’s no tightness; there’s no craving; there’s no clinging; there’s no habitual tendency; there’s no birth; there’s no death; there’s only this right here in the present moment.

(Repeats: "Therein, bhikkhus, right view comes first.)

BV: What they call right action.

S: ~

BV: Well, it can be. It can be a lot of things. We’ll get into it in a moment.

MN: this is one's right view.

23. "And what, bhikkhus, is wrong action? Killing living beings, taking what is not given, and misconduct in sensual pleasures: this is wrong action.

24. "And what, bhikkhus, is right action?

BV: One of the interesting things that I find with most presentations of the eight fold path, is, that the definitions they give are always general term and don’t have anything directly to do with your practice. But this was, so important, that the Buddha decided that that’s what we’re going to give on the first Dhamma talk. Now, these monks were virtuous men. They had some wrong views, but they were very virtuous. They wouldn’t kill anything; they wouldn’t steal anything; they were celibate. Why would the Buddha talk about killing, and stealing, and having wrong sexual act activity to these monks? It doesn’t make sense. Now, when I was in Mahasi enter, and in even in this book, Bhikkhu Bodhi follows follows suit with this, He says: "The right speech, right action, and right livelihood are only part of morality, And, when you’re sitting in meditation, you’re not doing any, you’re not breaking any of those, so, we won’t even talk about it." And then they don’t talk about right concentration at the end, so instead of an eight fold path, they’re teaching you four fold path. But, for a long time, I’ve been looking for how the eight fold path directly affects your meditation, how it is helpful to see the eight fold path with the practice that you’re doing, and keeping that path straight. So these kind of definitions, I have some real problems with, because they don’t have anything to do about your, your meditation and what you see while you’re in the meditation. That’s why I changed a lot of these words, to harmonious communication instead of speech, and harmonious movement instead of right action, because it’s being able to see how mind’s movement goes to an unwholesome state, goes to a wholesome state, being able to see that movement of mind’s attention, and if you’re practicing harmonious movement, then you're always nudging mind so that it goes towards that wholesome. Ok? And (Repeats - "And what, bhikkhus, is right action?)

MN: Right action, I say, is twofold: there is right action that is affected by taints, partaking of merit, ripening in the acquisitions; and there is right action that is noble, taintless, supramundane, a factor of the path.

25. "And what, bhikkhus, is right action that is affected by taints, partaking of merit, ripening in the acquisitions? Abstinence from killing living beings,

BV: That doesn’t make sense in itself. How can you get merit by abstaining from killing? You’re not doing the action, to, cause the pain. And the definition of karma is: "Action". (Laughs) So the absence of killing, I ‘m not going to kill this dog. So I just made good merit because I’m not going to kill the dog? I’m not holding any ill will in my mind. I suppose that way I could be making merit. But we’re talking about action here. We’re talking about actual body movement. Ah, it’s just more questions that I have with this stuff

BV: Ok, I’m not going to steal from you. So I get good merit for it?

MN: abstinence from misconduct in sensual pleasures: this is right action that is affected by taints...ripening in the acquisitions.

26. "And what, bhikkhus, is right action that is noble, taintless, supramundane, a factor of the path? The desisting from the three kinds of bodily misconduct, the abstaining, refraining, abstinence from them in one whose mind is noble, whose mind is taintless, who possesses the noble path and is developing the noble path: this is right action that is noble...a factor of the path.

BV: The harmonious movement has to do with, your mindfulness, and watching how mind’s attention moves. You have to learn how to let go of your concepts, of your opinions, of your ideas; you have to learn how to let that movement be and relax into it.

BV: Now we get to livelihood. This is great. The definition doesn’t have one thing in the world to do with your meditation. But it was important enough that the Buddha mentioned it on the first, first sermon, and he was dealing with people that were meditators. How does that get moved into, your practice. So I call it harmonious lifestyle?

MN: (LIVELIHOOD)

28. "Therein, bhikkhus, right view comes first. And how does right view come first? One understands wrong livelihood as wrong livelihood and right livelihood as right livelihood: this is one's right view.

29. "And what, bhikkhus, is wrong livelihood? Scheming, talking, hinting, belittling, pursuing gain with gain: this is wrong livelihood.

BV: What does that have to do with your practice? Ok-

MN: 30. "And what, bhikkhus, is right livelihood? Right livelihood, I say, is twofold: there is right livelihood that is affected by taints, partaking of merit, ripening in the acquisitions; and there is right livelihood that is noble, taintless, supramundane, a factor of the path.

31. "And what, bhikkhus, is right livelihood that is affected by taints, partaking of merit, ripening in the acquisitions? Here, bhikkhus, a noble disciple abandons wrong livelihood and gains his living by right livelihood:

BV: Gains his living.

BV: In other places it says you don’t kill living beings; you don’t sell being;, you don’t have slaves; you don’t, ah have anything to do with poisons; you don’t have anything to do with firearms. That is right life, livelihood, or ah, that is if you do have something to do with that, wrong livelihood. But the life style is how you see the movement of mind’s attention. The things that you put in front of yourself. You put in a scary movie; you don’t sleep at night. You put in a movie that, really, inspires you to have a peaceful calm mind, a movie like a Dhamma talk, or something like that. The kind of material that you read. All of these things lead to a harmonious lifestyle, because they always help you to have an uplifted mind. Ok-

BV: So, that actually is not much help at all. That whole definition is like enhaa, what does that mean?

BV: So the whole thing is, is coming right down to being able to see craving when it arises, and the faster, more clearly you can observe that and let it go, the more harmonious your whole practice becomes, the more at ease everything becomes.

MN: (THE GREAT FORTY)

34. "Therein, bhikkhus, right view comes first. And how does right view come first? In one of right view, right intention comes into being; in one of right intention, right speech comes into being; in one of right speech, right action comes into being; in one of right action, right livelihood comes into being; in one of right livelihood, right effort comes into being; in one of right effort, right mindfulness comes into being; in one of right mindfulness, right concentration comes into being; in one of right concentration, right knowledge comes into being; in one of right knowledge, right deliverance comes into being. Thus, bhikkhus, the path of the disciple in higher training possesses eight factors, the arahant possesses ten factors.

35. "Therein, bhikkhus, right view comes first. And how does right view come first? In one of right view, wrong view is abolished, and the many evil unwholesome states that originate with wrong view as condition are also abolished, and the many wholesome states that originate with right view as condition come to fulfilment by development.

"In one of right intention, wrong intention is abolished, and the many evil unwholesome states that originate with wrong intention as condition are also abolished, and the many wholesome states that originate with right intention as condition come to fulfillment by development.

"In one of right speech, wrong speech is abolished. In one of right action, wrong action is abolished. In one of right livelihood, wrong livelihood is abolished. In one of right effort, wrong effort is abolished. In one of right mindfulness, wrong mindfulness is abolished. In one of right concentration, wrong concentration is abolished. In one of right knowledge, wrong knowledge is abolished. In one of right deliverance, wrong deliverance is abolished, and the many evil unwholesome states that originate with wrong deliverance as condition are also abolished, and the many wholesome states that originate with right deliverance as condition come to fulfillment by development.

36. "Thus, bhikkhus, there are twenty factors on the side of the wholesome, and twenty factors on the side of the unwholesome. This Dhamma discourse on the Great Forty has been set rolling and cannot be stopped by any recluse or brahmin or god or Mara or Brahma or anyone in the world.

37. "Bhikkhus, if any recluse or brahmin thinks that this Dhamma discourse on the Great Forty should be censured and rejected, then there are ten legitimate deductions from his assertions that would provide grounds for censuring him here and now. If that worthy one censures right view, then he would honour and praise those recluses and brahmins who are of wrong view. If that worthy one censures right intention, then he would honour and praise those recluses and brahmins who are of wrong intention. If that worthy one censures right speech...right action...right livelihood...right effort...right mindfulness...right concentration...right knowledge...right deliverance, then he would honour and praise those recluses and brahmins who are of wrong deliverance. If any recluse or brahmin thinks that this Dhamma discourse on the Great Forty should be censured and rejected, then these are ten legitimate deductions from his assertions that would provide grounds for censuring him here and now.

38. "Bhikkhus, even those teachers from Okkala, Vassa and Bhañña, who held the doctrine of non-causality, the doctrine of non-doing, and the doctrine of nihilism, would not think that this Dhamma discourse on the Great Forty should be censured and rejected. Why is that? For fear of blame, attack, and confutation."

That is what the Blessed One said. The bhikkhus were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words.

BV: So the eight fold path, each one of the factors of the eight fold path has, other factors supporting it, and helping it, and I really like the fact that they talk about the eight fold path, and always talk about the harmonious perspective first, because if you don’t have that perspective, and it’s the wrong perspective, it’s really going to screw up the rest of the eight fold path. If you start taking any of this stuff personally, if you start taking any of your views, any of your concepts, any of your opinions personally, that that’s going to stop your, progress in the meditation. And it’s, your choice. Ok? Anybody have any questions?

BUJ: ~

BV: Ah, when, when he gave the, the white cloth to the, the younger, ah, monk.

BUJ: ~

BV: Yeah. That was for him personally. Anybody else that would try to do that, it wouldn’t mean anything to them. So that would, that would be that kind of an instance

BUJ: ~

BV: Yeah. He and his older brother ordained at the same time. His older brother became an arahat very quickly, and he decided he was going to teach, his younger brother, the Dhamma, the discourses, and, the younger brother had no memory. He would work and he would get one line, and he’d finally get it right, and then they would go to the next line and it would drive that line out of his head. So he couldn’t, he, he just couldn’t do it, and after ah, ah few months of this…

BUJ: ~

BV: Yeah. The older brother said: "You might as well disrobe. You might as well, ah, get out of the order. You, you don’t have a memory. You can’t, you can’t teach." So, he went off by himself and he started crying. And the Buddha saw him. He said: "What’s the matter, monk?" And he said, he told him what his older brother had said and that he had to disrobe, and the Buddha gave him a white white piece of cloth, and he said: "I want you to rub this piece of cloth, and say" something, I can’t, purity or something like that.

BUJ: ~

BV: Yeah, pure cloth, pure cloth, pure cloth. And over a period of time of his doing that, it got to be dirty. And as soon as he saw that, he saw impermanence and ah, the impersonal nature of everything, and became an arahat. Now the reason that that happened was for for the five hundred lifetimes before he was in that lifetime, he was a goldsmith, and he was working with the purest kind of gold, all the time, and the slightest little defect would bother him. So when he gave him this white piece of cloth and he started rubbing it and saw that defect that was was coming off his body, he got repulsed by it, and it balanced his mind. He became an arahat. Now what happened was that particular day, all of the monks in the monastery were invited to somebody’s house. They, they wanted all arahats, I think, at the house, and, they arrive at the house and the Buddha looks around and says: "Well, where is this monk? "He’s not an arahat." He said: "No, no, you have to go get him." So they send somebody back to the monastery to get him, and he had developed the power of having one body, he could have many, and he turned into a thousand monks and he was sweeping all the different places out in the monastery, and cleaning up and doing all of that, the guy that was coming to get him went back and he said: "The monastery is full. There’s a thousand monks there. How do I know which one I supposed to talk to?" And the Buddha said: "Well, just grab a hold of one of then, and he’ll be the right one." And he comes back, and he grabs a hold of one of the monks and all the other monks disappeared, and it was the right one, and then he invited him to come to dinner, as an arahat. That was his first meal, so that was real special merit for, whoever gave that ~. But every since she’s heard that story, (Laughter) she wants to have a thousand bodies. I keep on saying things like: "But you can’t even take care of one." (Laughs) Ok, any questions? Let’s share some merit then.