Where the Work of a Bhikkhu Comes To An End

Venerable Acariya Maha Boowa ~Nanasampanno
Wat Pa Baan Taad
June 22, 1979
Translated: Achaan Sudchaad

"...No more problems with the past and the future. All the wrong presumptions have now been destroyed. One can also perceive the present clearly. So all the problems of the past, present and future have now come to an end. Whether he lives or dies one who has realized this truth doesn't have any problems. It is no problem how he may die. Once one has attained to the level where there is no more problem, everything else ceases to be a problem. So there is no problem for an Arahant when he passes away. For this reason an Arahant can pass away either while standing, sitting, walking or lying down. He can pass away in any position that he likes. ... And what is the reason for this? It is because the Dukkha Vedana which is Sammuti can not now enter into the heart to stir up trouble for it any more. So why shouldn't an Arahant pass away in any position that he sees fit? For he has now transcended Sammuti. Dukkha Vedana is Sammuti and it is found within the body. It cannot get into the heart to disturb the heart of an Arahant so there is no reason why an Arahant cannot pass away as it suits his inclination. He can pass away in any position that he finds suitable for himself as it is his last act..."

Where the Work of a Bhikkhu Comes To An End

Dhamma is the most important thing. The Lord Buddha and the Savakas were not keen on building temples and Viharas, but when they had attained to Dhamma, see how they managed to propagate the teaching? In the present generation, consider Tan Acchan Mun for example. Did he build any temples? All he did was to develop the Citta and the heart to his utmost ability until he had attained to wisdom. He then taught the world the Dhamma. Look at his example and see what it is like. There are people all over Thailand who had great respect and esteem for Tan Acchan Mun, as well as people from abroad.

When one has attained to the result of Dhamma and has penetrated and realized the truth, their ability to teach the world is immeasurable. This is what it is like when the Dhamma is inside the heart. The heart is of paramount importance and has great power that is capable of teaching the world. This is when the heart has developed and established the Dhamma inside it. But which temple or shrine hall is capable of teaching the world the Dhamma and of making people good? Have you seen any such shrine hall capable of doing this? I am not speaking in contempt. I am merely saying this based on the principle of reason. I am not saying that shrine halls should not be built. In places where it is appropriate for the construction of a shrine hall, I would not have anything to say about it. But in places where it should not be done, then it should not be done because it only destroys those particular places.

This place, for example, is a place for the development of the heart so that one can establish it with a firm basis. And when a Bhikkhu has benefited from his practice, just imagine what benefit he can do for the world. I have reflected on and considered this point. Therefore, all of you who have come here from the various parts of the country and the world please be earnest and take this to heart. I always have compassion for you and that is why I have never let go of my responsibilities in teaching you. Although I may not always have the time to teach the laity, I always find a time to teach the Bhikkhus. This is for the benefit of the Bhikkhu himself as well as for the benefit that may arise after the Bhikkhu has heard the teaching, taken it up, and practised it until he realizes and attains to Dhamma himself. Then he can also help the world by propagating the Dhamma which will happen naturally. When we have the treasure then we can dispense it.

But to follow the way of dispensing things that we don't have and haven't acquired is just the way of going down and sinking. When one has not learned for oneself yet and one takes up the duty of teaching other people, it will just turn out to be mundane or worldly and will probably be worse than the world itself. This is not the way of the Lord Buddha and the Savakas who led the way. They all realized the Dhamma before they taught the world. If they had not realized Dhamma, what could they have taken to teach the world with? What basis or principle is there in this? This has no substance with which to attract the hearts of others nor is it a basis for people to depend on, unlike when we have established the Dhamma within our hearts and then go on and teach people.

Those who have established the Dhamma in their hearts, no matter where they are, will always have that Dhamma quality imbued within themselves and this is the worth of the development and training of one's Citta. So please set up your determination. Be serious and earnest in your practice. Don't speculate about the place of the Magga, Phala and Nibbana, other than within the body and the Citta, for they are found right within these two places. They are found right within the circle of the five Khandhas.

Take this to heart. Whatever things become involved with the heart entangle the heart, like the forms, sounds, smells, tastes and tactile objects, for instance. This is because both love and hate are entangling influences. This is because the heart is attached to love and hate. That is why it is necessary to investigate and examine so that when the Citta has understood these things, it will be able to let go of them. This is the relinquishment following the understanding that arises from one's investigation. In the end everything converges into the heart. When the heart is not confused or anxious, because Pa~n~na has constantly fed it with the right information, the heart will then be without worry and when one does the practice of Samaadhi Bhavana, one can easily attain to calm. The heart will be cool and calm.

One must solve the problem with the investigation of Pa~n~na when the time is appropriate to do so. Don't remain doing nothing. Pa~n~na is extremely important while Sati is the basic ground. Sati is the factor that directs the work so that when one is doing one's practice, one always does it with attention and attentiveness. Pa~n~na will then be able to work and function at it's fullest capacity. When one has seen the result from the investigation of Pa~n~na, that Pa~n~na will begin to increase in it's intensity. This is because one has now gained encouragement.

It is similar to a businessman who has made some profit. He will then begin to be greatly encouraged and he will strive harder in his work. But if one is constantly losing, one will be discouraged and lazy. When one makes a lot of profit one becomes greatly encouraged. It is the same way with the practice for the development of the heart. When one has gained some results, one becomes encouraged because one now has gained some profit. Don't remain sitting down like a tree stump without having any appreciation for the truth and Dhamma, instead becoming involved with all the troubling affairs of the world which are solely the affairs of the Kilesas and becoming immersed in the delusion of thinking about these things, totally ignorant of the truth and Dhamma, for these are the things that oppress the Citta and make it become increasingly depressed.

So when one is walking Camkama it is only a matter of moving one's legs and when one is sitting in Samaadhi it is only a matter of physical posture but the real action of the Citta is to become involved with all the troubling affairs of the world of Sa.msaara, like the forms, sounds, smells, tastes and tactile objects and about the past and about the future, all in a state of total confusion. So how can it make any profit? All there is is just loss, and one becomes totally discouraged and lazy. This is because one paves the way of one's laziness and one then treads on that way. And the result of that laziness is Dukkha that piles over one's heart in every form of birth. This is the fruit of laziness.

So one must see the harm and bane of it. Then one must use one's Sati Pa~n~na to come up with a different means of overcoming one's laziness, doing this constantly. This is the way of a wise man. Building and developing one's self is much more important than building and developing anything else. Whether it is hard or easy it cannot be beyond our ability. The Lord Buddha taught the Dhamma that is suitable to our means and capacity and the Dhammas that he taught to suit our abilities were about eighty four thousand.

In short, they are the Sila, Samaadhi and Pa~n~na. They are really not that many for they are found within the circle of the body and the Citta. Why can't we practice them? When we walk Camkama we should have continuous mindfulness. It is the same way when one is sitting in Samaadhi. One who has diligent effort or strenuous exertion is one who constantly controls and masters himself. One must not think that mastering one's self is like a thorn and that letting one's self go according to one's heart's desires is a good thing, for this is the Kilesas whispering to us. They permeate into our heart and we become totally lost in them. One sees one's diligent effort as one's enemy while one sees the Kilesas as one's friend. If such is the way then one is just as good as dead and one will be born and die, be born and die, again and again. Therefore, you must really be earnest. Really commit yourself.

Our living environment here in this monastery is quite suitable, though it is not similar to the Buddhist universities during the time of the Lord Buddha when they were made up of forests and mountains. But here there are quite enough forest areas for us. I am trying my best to help you in all respects because I really think about your benefit. I can tell people who become involved or who come into contact with this monastery regardless of what class of people they might be. When there is a reason, I can tell them. I am not afraid and do not have any qualms about anybody in this world. The only thing I have reservation for is Dhamma. I have more respect for Dhamma than for anyone else in this world. When it is time to speak the truth, I can do so. I can tell them that they should not disturb you because during this time you are practising your Bhavana. "Don't bother them." This is what I have told them. "They are now striving in their work and if they hear any noise, when perhaps they are walking Camkama, then they will have to move away. If they are sitting in Bhavana, then they will have to go into a different place. So if people go there during this time it will just be disturbing them and cause a break in their exertion."

I also tell them when it is the proper time to go. I tell them with reason so that they can understand. And if they become disappointed or dismayed, I have no interest in this because I think that speaking with reason is the most proper thing for both us and them. There is nothing wrong with that. If there is any damage or any wrong it is because of their thinking in the wrong way. You have your privacy in your own living area.

When you are sitting and you find that the body is hard on you then you should do a lot of walking. If you are not doing any work you should also do a lot of walking as a way of exerting yourself.

You should set up your mindfulness well. Your exertion rests significantly on your mindfulness. In your investigation you should use your body as the object or other people's bodies, a man or a woman. And when you investigate you must do so in order to see the true nature of them. This is Sati Pa~n~na, mindfulness and wisdom. Magga is found both internally and externally because Samudaya, the cause of Dukkha, is also found inside and outside. For instance, forms, sounds, smells, tastes and tactile objects and the attachment to them are already a form of Samudaya. All these forms, sounds, smells, tastes and tactile objects are found externally. You become attached to this or that person, this or that thing, and this is Samudaya.

You must curb and overcome this attachment with Sati and Pa~n~na until you understand. Then this becomes the Magga, the path. So in your investigation, you can investigate the body of anyone, a man or a woman because they can all be used as the object of investigation. You must investigate in the light of Dhamma, for instance, investigating them in the light of Asupa (unwholesome and loathsome) or as Paticula, (filthiness) or as a cemetery or as Aniccam, Dukkham, or Anatta. All of these are the truth. This you can do either internally or externally. You have to struggle and resist the Kilesas because they have always been our enemies since time immemorial. They are found within our hearts and they are always our enemies. Most of the time it is the Kilesas that have the upper hand and we usually don't know this.

If we know that for instance today we have lost to that particular kind of Kilesa or this particular kind of Kilesa then there is a possibility that we can come up with the means of coping with them or we can have the heart to develop our Sati Pa~n~na so it is strong enough to cope with fighting the Kilesas. We will have the heart to develop our Sati Pa~n~na, Sata and Viriya, our diligent effort, into something very strong and eventually to be capable of leading us to victory. This is the way of a warrior. When you go into the boxing ring and you always lose and are constantly overwhelmed and knocked out, can this be possible without you being aware of it? Is this the way to do it? You should at least try to give a good fight and test your ability so that you can somehow see the possibility of gaining victory befitting one who has Sati Pa~n~na.

But here, each day, you walk Camkama or sit in Samaadhi Bhavana without ever coming up with any results. Nor can you gain calm or develop your Sati Pa~n~na to use to come up with results that will give you encouragement to develop your Pa~n~na further, in turn, encouraging you to strive harder. But non of these results come forth. When it is the time to be tough you must be tough. When it is the time to be moderate, you should be moderate. But when the Kilesas make a strong drive, you must also make a strong drive. You have to counter them likewise. If you should die, all right, let it happen. This actually happened to me. I am not speaking without having anything to back me up. When it was time to let it all out I really let it all out and when this happened it was certain and definite; I can attest this to you that you will come across the results. This is when you will conquer the Kilesas. You have to investigate and analyze on your own because each practitioner has a different personality and character but please be aware that the Kilesas always like weakness, while, on the other hand, Dhamma is always inclined towards firmness and strength.

It is this firmness and strength that can overcome weakness. Wisdom can overcome ignorance. It is the Kilesas that make people ignorant but the Kilesas themselves are not ignorant. Therefore, Sati Pa~n~na must be used to overcome this ignorance which is imbedded within the heart so that it steadily diminishes. The majesty and magnificence of the heart will then steadily appear. The treasure of Dhamma is of paramount importance. When the world is without this Dhamma treasure, it becomes burning hot. External possessions alone cannot make people happy if they do not have the Dhamma treasure within their hearts. We would not be able to impart peace and coolness within the world without this Dhamma treasure.

For this reason, the Sasana is extremely necessary. There are those who are critical of the Sasana and who claim that it is an opiate and an addiction. If one has never practised or known about the Sasana one would not be able to counter their claim. They would say that the Bhikkhus are doing nothing. But think about pots and pans. Do you use them to plough the fields? When you have rice you then take it and cook it in the pots and pans. These things perform different functions. A generator is used to charge up batteries and the teaching of the Sasana is for the purpose of charging up the courage of the people, similar to charging up batteries.

This is the business of the Sasana. If a sick person is not involved or attached to the physician, how can he ever become well? If he is not attached to or dependent on the medicine then how can he ever be cured? He can only turn into a corpse. Think about it. A sick patient must be involved with the doctor and the medicine. They have to be interrelated. If the patient thinks that to become involved with medicines, the doctor or the physician is wrong, then that patient will definitely die. If he thinks that this involvement with the doctor is an addiction then again he will surely die.

It is the same way with people that are afflicted with the Kilesas. They are one form of patient that is afflicted with incorrectness and if there is no clean water of the Sasana to wash them, how can these people ever become good people? Greed, hatred and delusion are very severe, severe enough to tear the world apart, because there are no medicines to remedy them. But when we take the Buddha Sasana to use as the cleansing material to clean off these dirty things, what damage can this do? People become steadily good people and everything becomes good. The world becomes steadily cooler and cooler. How can the Sasana then be an addiction?

It is similar with the patient who gets well with the medicines and the physician. How can this be an addiction? What kind of wrong can be found in that? Narcotic drugs damage and ruin people but these other things do not. One who does not have any contact with people or things is just a dead person. A dead person is not interested in anything. As for us, we are still dependent on the medicine, a remedy of Dhamma, because this medicine is extremely vital for us. Likewise, when we travel, the road is always necessary to us as long as we have not yet reached our destination. The patient is dependent on the physician and medicines as long as he is not yet well, whether he is addicted to them or not. These criticisms are just dirty things, coming out of dirty mouths, lacking in any reason. If one speaks from the principle of reason then as long as one is still sick, one must depend on the doctor and medicine.

So it is the same with our Citta. When we are still on the path of practice, that is, as long as it is still involved with the Kilesas, Tanha and Asava, then it is likewise with Dhamma. We must still depend on it, for Dhamma serves as the signpost, showing us the way. We must depend on it until we finally reach the destination. We will then reach the state of one who has let go of good and evil. It is similar to when we come up to the Sala. As soon as we come up to the Sala the stairway leading to it looses it's purpose. Nobody remains clinging to the stairway. The Sasana doesn't teach people to cling to things, like clinging to the stairway. And one who has cured himself doesn't cling to the doctor or the medicine either. Once the patient is cured of his illness then his relationship with the doctor and the medicine is on a different basis.

It is the same with the heart. When it has developed to the highest then the Sasana doesn't have any more purpose for that particular person. He will let go of it naturally. Once one has let go can one really say that one is still attached to it? Right now, exert to your fullest. Let your Sati Pa~n~na be involved with the Citta and the Kilesas. It is the Kilesas that are the addiction but nobody talks about that. If the Dhamma is used to overcome and correct the Kilesas, how can it be an addiction? The Kilesas themselves are the addiction. They have been for Culpas and Culpas to the extent where we cannot even account for all our forms of existence. And if we have been attached to them for that long don't you think that it is them that are the addiction?

It is very hard to find one who can let go and become weary of the Kilesas. They are attached to the heart to the extent that we cannot even see the heart. Why doesn't anyone say it in this way? If one is a sportsman one must also speak in this way. That is, one must also accept this fact. Use your thoughts well. Sati is very important. I have constantly said that mindfulness is extremely important and you cannot let go of it. You must always be possessed with mindfulness. You must come up with different means and techniques in your practice of Bhavana. This you have to do by yourself. Look for the way in which the Citta can become interested and concentrated in it's work, then your Sati will become continuous.

We should try to come up with different techniques. It doesn't mean that you should only have one parikamma object. Look out for new methods for this is the means and ability of Sati Pa~n~na. I've also practised in this way. You have to do it until you understand. Here we are speaking about the investigation of Pa~n~na and about the internal and external things. In the four Satipattana (the four foundations of mindfulness) it states that we should investigate both the internal and external body. At one time one should investigate the internal and at another time one should investigate the external body then at another time one should investigate both the internal and external bodies. In short, all of these are Magga, the path.

They are all the correct way of investigation and it is the same way with the inner and the external Vedana. As far as the external Vedana is concerned, if they arise in other people and they do not exhibit them, we won't notice them. But in the way of practice the external Vedana is really the Vedana of the body while the internal Vedana is the Vedana of the Citta. As far as practice is concerned, I really have a strong conviction of this, but I do not deny the Vedana of other people when they experience pain and misery and then cry and moan. But this is very far away from the four Satipattana which are completely found within ourselves because if the internal and external Vedana are not found within the body and Citta, where else could they be found? Then the four Satipattana would not be complete. But truly, the four Satipattana are complete in each individual except that we don't bring them out so that we can see them vividly and clearly.

For instance, the Dukkha, Samudaya, Nirodha and Magga are found right within this body and Citta. They are completely found within them and it is the same way with the four Satipattana. They are completely found within the body and Citta as well. Once we are fully convinced that these things are completely found within ourselves, if we take the external things and take them up to investigate and compare with what we have inside, there is nothing wrong with that. But we must see according to Dhamma. That is, we should not have a view in contradiction to the Dhamma. Any way you want to investigate is all right because the Lord Buddha taught us to be wise. He didn't teach us to be ignorant.

The main point is to really get yourself committed to this practice. Do it until you can see the Kilesas. These appear from your heart with your ability of Sati Pa~n~na. This can really happen. For instance, with Asupa (loathsomeness), investigate. Whenever I got myself really involved and committed with the investigation, I became really saddened until tears started rolling down my cheeks. I said to myself, really, is this the way to see what Asupa looks like? Is this really the way to see the body? This really happened when I became really saddened with this thing. But this body has slowly decomposed and this appeared wherever Sati Pa~n~na had concentrated it's attention. It is like pointing a torch at a particular part of the body. It gradually decomposes and disperses wherever Sati Pa~n~na focuses it's attention.

Get to see this clearly. Let there be only this image within the Citta or this image and the Citta. Don't imagine or speculate about anything else, and when one has penetrated to the truth the Citta will then just let go of them in a single instant because the Citta will have understood fully. One could see that it was just Paticula, (filthiness) and one realizes also that it is just made up of the four elements of earth, water, fire and air. What is there then to be deluded about? One now sees the truth as it is and realizes that all the time it was just one's own fabrication and imagination that wiped out the Dhamma of the Lord Buddha.

The Lord said Annicam, Dukkham and Anatta but the Citta doesn't follow and see the Annicam, Dukkham and Anatta. Instead it follows the Kilesas and at the same time wipes out the Dhamma. Asupa can be seen very clearly but then again, the Citta cannot see it as Asupa. It sees the body as something pleasant, something beautiful. These are all the affairs of the Kilesas, wiping out Dhamma. But once we have perceived and realized the truth of Dhamma, how can we go against this truth and at the same time, have to carry the burden of this contradiction? It is this burden of attachment that weighs heavily on us, day in and day out.

We will just let go of them or throw them away once we have seen the truth and seen the harm of our attachment to them after we have investigated following the principle of the Dhamma of the Lord Buddha. When our perceptions do not run contrary to the Dhamma of the Lord Buddha, we will gradually come to see the truth. The heart will steadily let go and become empty, peaceful, at ease. It will then be pushing hard to find the things that it hasn't understood yet.

Concerning Rupa or form, this whole body is really what Rupa is all about. We must differentiate and analyze this body in aspects of Asupa or in the aspect of seeing different parts of it, joined together to become one whole body, having the muscles and sinews to connect the various pieces of bone together, and then the skin lapping all around it. The skin is really like a piece of cloth that is used to wrap around a dead body. What is this piece of cloth good for because it just wraps up a corpse? And the skin just wraps around the bones, the flesh and all kinds of filth inside, very similar to the piece of cloth that is used to wrap around a dead body.

Investigate so that you can see the truth. Then you will let go of it naturally. No matter how thick, dark and obscure the Upadana is, it is just like the darkness of the night. Once one turns on a light, all the darkness must disappear. It is the same with Sati or Pa~n~na. Once it has shone down on any particular part, that particular part becomes bright. No other light in the world can be brighter than the light of Pa~n~na. The light of the Sun cannot penetrate or pass through opaque objects but the light of Pa~n~na can penetrate through anything. That is why this light of Pa~n~na is called Lokavittu, seeing clearly and knowing clearly all the truth within the three worlds.

Whatever the truth that one has received, the other truths are of a similar nature. This is the perception with Pa~n~na that is fully impressed within the heart and this is the way that we should investigate the body. Whatever way you find suits your personality and is comfortable for you, that is the way you should do it. For instance, if you are inclined to investigate the nature of Asupa, you should concentrate on that investigation. Get to see that this body is full of Asupa and filth, all over. It is really a conglomeration of loathsomeness. We can see this if we are not complacent and do not let the Kilesas lull us to sleep. We will then get to see the truth.

Once we have investigated and come to see the truth, then we will let go. The reason why we are still attached to this body is because we do not understand it. And this is because our presumptions and assumptions that this body is "I" and "mine" have strongly bound us to it, that this body is animals and people and that every part of this body is "I" and "mine". So, the Upadana (attachment) takes hold of every piece of this body. For this reason, the Dhamma has no way to enter this body. But once Pa~n~na enters it, the truth begins to scatter our presumptions and assumptions. When we have understood fully the truth of this body then we will let go of it and let it return to it's original nature. Then it will be Analayo which means the desireless, for we have come to extinguish this desire for the body. And once we have got to this stage alone it can provide us with great happiness. We become very light and at ease.

If one were in business it would mean that one would have attained to quite an enormous profit. One can now establish one's self as a rich man. Now we must concentrate our investigation on the Dukkha and Sukkha within the Khandhas. They are merely Vedanas, just as the Lord said. They are something that appear and we experience them. Sukkha, or happiness, arises and ceases and so does Dukkha and Upekkhaa which is neutral, neither Sukkha nor Dukkha. These are brought of the body and the Citta. How can we find any people, animals, "I" or "they" in them? Once we have seen with Pa~n~na then these things are just one particular truth of a certain kind.

As far as Sa~n~naa is concerned, that is the most subtle of the five Khandhas, for Sa~n~naa can slowly permeate out to draw up pictures and fool the possessor. It can, in a subtle way, fool us. As far as Sankhaara is concerned, it tends to stir before it begins to concoct. One can feel it inside the Citta before it begins to concoct because it begins to stir first. But with Sa~n~naa there is no stirring at all. When one focuses one's attention on the Citta one can see that Sa~n~naa has already drawn up the pictures to deceive one. The Citta, or the heart, actually lives with these five Khandhas. It takes these five Khandhas to fool itself and deceive itself. It deceives itself with this story or this affair or that affair or those people or that animal and this animal and with all kinds of affairs. This is the creation of Sa~n~naa and Sankhaara merely concocts and creates further stories from these.

Really, when it is time to get to know these things one will get to know them. This is because of the power of Pa~n~na. Whenever the Citta begins to draw up pictures and one focuses one's Pa~n~na on this, they would draw back inside the Citta and disappear. Whatever pictures are created one focuses one's Pa~n~na on this, they would draw back inside the Citta and disappear. What ever pictures are created one focuses one's attention here and they will eventually be withdrawn inside the Citta. Then one begins to realize that actually these pictures arise out of the Citta. One can see this clearly, that all of these pictures actually arise from the heart. It is the Citta itself or the heart itself that creates all these images or pictures and then uses them to deceive itself. As far as the real pictures are concerned there are none to be found. They are out there but the pictures that appear within the heart, that is, the pictures that we draw up inside, these come out of the heart. The heart is deluded in the five Khandhas. It takes the creations of the five Khandhas as the objects of it's pleasure and sorrow for Culpas and Culpas, while Vi~n~naana flicks on and off, on and off. When it acknowledges the things that come into contact and those things disappear, Vi~n~naana also disappears. It is similar to a lightening flash, or the light that comes from the firefly in the night.

When one continuously investigates, reflects and meditates to go against the current or flow of the Kilesas, as Sati and Pa~n~na do not trust these things and desire to know the true nature of these things with interest and attentiveness, then one will eventually get to know these things and what the five Khandhas are all about. Once one has got to know what the five Khandhas are all about then the five Khandhas are just five Khandhas. When we don't know they are still just the five Khandhas but they fall within the influence of Samudaya, the cause of Dukkha, although we don't understand or know about it and that the real and genuine Samudaya comes out of the heart. Now, as Sati Pa~n~na moves in closer, as it advances in it's investigation, the scope of these things becomes narrower and narrower as Sati and Pa~n~na begin to understand more and more, until eventually all these things converge and gather inside the heart. They now cannot go out in the way of Sa~n~naa nor in the way of Sankhaara to concoct up all the various stories and affairs. This is because Sati and Pa~n~na can now constantly catch up with them.

As soon as the Citta begins to concoct, these concoctions immediately disappear, just like the light of a firefly. Once Sati Pa~n~na has caught up with them, they cannot go on conjuring up all sorts of affairs and stories. When Sati is constantly aware of them, they can only arise and cease, arise and cease. Now Sati Pa~n~na will make it's all out effort to wage the final battle. All that is left now is Aviccaa. Both Aviccaa and the Citta are one and the same thing as they are blended together. If one is possessive of the Citta then one will also be possessive of Aviccaa. If one cherishes the Citta and has affection for it, then one will also cherish Aviccaa and have affection for it. If one is attached to the Citta then one will also be attached to Aviccaa. If one is deluded in the Citta then one is also deluded in Aviccaa, for both the Citta and Aviccaa are together. At this stage, Sati Pa~n~na is on the verge of moving forward or advancing. This is the only thing it can do. Retreating is not possible.

When the investigation has come to a saturation point it will be the time for Pa~n~na to take on the size and intensity of an atomic bomb. Once the bomb is dropped, at that particular point, that particular point will burst apart and explode. Then everything will break apart and fall into pieces and the seed and source of birth and existences will be totally annihilated. One will then be able to see clearly that there is no more birth and death for one because the seed and source of lives and existences, Aviccaa, has been totally put out or destroyed.

As soon as the Citta has attained to deliverance the knowledge that deliverance has been attained will appear simultaneously and this is where the work or exertion of a Bhikkhu comes to an end. It doesn't cease at any other place but right here. Once Aviccaa has been broken it means that all the enemies have been destroyed. Then Sati Pa~n~na, which functions relentlessly, now also comes to cease because now Sati Pa~n~na has no more work to do and no more problem to solve. One does not then destroy any more Kilesas because there are no more Kilesas to be destroyed. Once the chief of the revolving wheel of birth and death has been extinguished then everything else comes to an end. The result that we have attained from our strenuous and arduous exertion now surpasses everything, once we have attained to this state.

No more problems with the past and the future. All the wrong presumptions have now been destroyed. One can also perceive the present clearly. So all the problems of the past, present and future have now come to an end. Whether he lives or dies one who has realized this truth doesn't have any problems. It is no problem how he may die. Once one has attained to the level where there is no more problem, everything else ceases to be a problem. So there is no problem for an Arahant when he passes away. For this reason an Arahant can pass away either while standing, sitting, walking or lying down. He can pass away in any position that he likes. It is just like I wrote in the biography of Phra Achaan Mun by quoting what Phra Achaan Mun said.

And what is the reason for this? It is because the Dukkha Vedana which is Sammuti can not now enter into the heart to stir up trouble for it any more. So why shouldn't an Arahant pass away in any position that he sees fit? For he has now transcended Sammuti. Dukkha Vedana is Sammuti and it is found within the body. It cannot get into the heart to disturb the heart of an Arahant so there is no reason why an Arahant cannot pass away as it suits his inclination. He can pass away in any position that he finds suitable for himself as it is his last act.

End of Dessana.