HOW TO ERADICATE FEELINGS (LESSON 30)

HOW TO ERADICATE FEELINGS (VEDANA) (LESSON 30)

Upto this stage you would know that the pain, aching etc.. has no real connotation with the “I, Me”. It is merely the process of vedana feelings. Contemplation of the process of feelings without attaching to the “Self, I, Me, Mine”, you are relieved from deceptive perceptions. Be warned that once you are tentatively departed from pain, aching etc… disagreed feelings or sufferings (dukkha vedana) are converted into agreed feelings (sukkha vedana). This is also another deceptive perception of identity. The game of hiding and catching in Nama becomes inevitable and obvious. The tendency is to counter-interact with the vedana feelings. If it is sufferings (Dukkha) the tendency is to avoid it or replace it with sukkha objects and vice versa. Disagreed feelings or agreed feelings are however merely the phenomenon of citta process (Nama).  It arises and vanishes immediately and interchangeably.

Continuous contemplation of Nama process on the observable objects, you can understand and develop the firm knowledge on the object (vedana satipatthana). You then come to realization of the true nature of the object which is merely the interaction of the four Dhatus, thereby eliminating the followings:

-       -  wrong views

-       - wrong perceptions

-       - wrong consciousness

-        Wrong views /perceptions attached the nama and rupa to the illusionary concept Self, I, Me, Mine which is the roots of all worriness and troublesome. 

That is the foundation of semi-sotapanna.

In practice, when stiffness arises you should not contemplate on the superficial perception of those feelings. These are merely the interaction of the four elements (Dhatus). In contemplating on the Nama characteristics, the process of feeling becomes dissociated with the Rupa identity “Self, I, Me”. Such development will take the course to the eradication of the illusionary  concept “Self, I, Me”.

The wrong view (ditthi) of Self, I, Me and its associated craving (tanha) is thereby destructed. The Vedana stops here and will not move to gradually transforming into Tanha. It is stopped because you have developed the Proper Views (Samaditthi) one key of the eight pillars of Purification.

(to be continued)

Bhikkhu Minh Tam