1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:05,159 This evening's talk is going to be, I thought, on dependent 2 00:00:05,159 --> 00:00:09,728 origination. So I hope this sounds too 3 00:00:09,728 --> 00:00:12,904 ambitious to you, because dependent origination is a very 4 00:00:12,904 --> 00:00:18,282 profound teaching in many ways. And for that reason, it may 5 00:00:18,282 --> 00:00:21,200 sound maybe a bit fear-inducing sometimes. 6 00:00:21,900 --> 00:00:24,615 For those of you who have known Buddhism for a long time, you 7 00:00:24,615 --> 00:00:27,165 may find it quite interesting to hear something about dependent 8 00:00:27,165 --> 00:00:28,968 origination. For those of you who haven't 9 00:00:28,968 --> 00:00:32,908 heard about this teaching, I'm going to try to teach it in such 10 00:00:32,908 --> 00:00:36,020 a way that it becomes meaningful and becomes fairly easily 11 00:00:36,020 --> 00:00:39,330 comprehensible. I'm not going to go into all the 12 00:00:39,330 --> 00:00:42,560 details and all the profundities, but because it is 13 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:46,432 such an important teaching, an important part of the Buddha's 14 00:00:46,432 --> 00:00:50,930 explanation of the world, of reality, of everything, I think 15 00:00:50,930 --> 00:00:54,280 it's very useful to have some idea what this dependent 16 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:56,840 origination is all about and how it actually works. 17 00:00:57,420 --> 00:01:01,313 So that's why I want to do this. You read the suttas and you see 18 00:01:01,313 --> 00:01:04,810 what the Buddha said, you see his teachings, and again and 19 00:01:04,810 --> 00:01:07,770 again you come across this teaching of dependent 20 00:01:07,770 --> 00:01:09,457 origination. So obviously it is very 21 00:01:09,457 --> 00:01:11,920 important. It's a very important part of 22 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:13,720 the way the Buddha explained things. 23 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:18,220 So first of all, I'm just going to go through very briefly 24 00:01:18,220 --> 00:01:22,720 through these so-called twelve factors of dependent origination 25 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:26,658 to give you some idea, a kind of overall picture of what this is 26 00:01:26,658 --> 00:01:29,670 all about. And then having gone through the 27 00:01:29,670 --> 00:01:34,400 twelve factors, I'm going to explain just some of the most 28 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:37,200 important aspects of dependent origination in detail. 29 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:40,133 I'm not going to explain the whole thing in detail, just 30 00:01:40,133 --> 00:01:42,600 those aspects that seem important to me. 31 00:01:43,020 --> 00:01:47,652 And then I will also try to integrate it into the rest of 32 00:01:47,652 --> 00:01:51,677 the Buddha's teachings and show you why this is so important, 33 00:01:51,677 --> 00:01:54,260 why it matters that we understand this. 34 00:01:54,260 --> 00:01:56,580 In other words, I want to make it practical. 35 00:01:57,420 --> 00:02:00,298 I want to make it something that we might be able to use in our 36 00:02:00,298 --> 00:02:03,913 daily lives. So first of all, I'm just going 37 00:02:03,913 --> 00:02:06,902 to go through the twelve factors of dependent origination fairly 38 00:02:06,902 --> 00:02:08,854 briefly. And then you don't have to 39 00:02:08,854 --> 00:02:11,672 remember these things. I'm just doing it to give you a 40 00:02:11,672 --> 00:02:14,626 framework, a kind of reference point as we go through these 41 00:02:14,626 --> 00:02:18,708 things afterwards. So the first of these factors is 42 00:02:18,708 --> 00:02:22,308 usually known as ignorance. Ignorance means not 43 00:02:22,308 --> 00:02:24,960 understanding reality as it actually is. 44 00:02:25,300 --> 00:02:29,429 It's a kind of distortion. It's a kind of distortion of our 45 00:02:29,429 --> 00:02:30,860 understanding, not seeing things clearly. 46 00:02:31,260 --> 00:02:35,835 And once there is ignorance in a being, whether it's a human 47 00:02:35,835 --> 00:02:40,468 being or any other being, once that is there, there is the 48 00:02:40,468 --> 00:02:43,584 making of kamma. We create kamma through our 49 00:02:43,584 --> 00:02:46,352 actions. And that kamma, of course, leads 50 00:02:46,352 --> 00:02:49,869 to results in the future which are either pleasant or 51 00:02:49,869 --> 00:02:52,220 unpleasant, depending on that kamma. 52 00:02:52,220 --> 00:02:55,786 That's the second factor. And the results that it gives in 53 00:02:55,786 --> 00:02:58,780 the future are very often connected with rebirth, in other 54 00:02:58,780 --> 00:03:01,880 words, where we get born in the future life. 55 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:05,320 So the third factor of dependent origination is consciousness. 56 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:08,440 It's consciousness arising in a particular state. 57 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:12,933 And with consciousness, you always have a body, you always 58 00:03:12,933 --> 00:03:15,810 have the mind. The other factors of the mind 59 00:03:15,810 --> 00:03:17,080 are always there with consciousness. 60 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:20,967 So because of that, that becomes the fourth factor of dependent 61 00:03:20,967 --> 00:03:23,544 origination. It's mind together with body 62 00:03:23,544 --> 00:03:25,320 being conditioned by consciousness. 63 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:29,351 The fifth factor. Once you have mind and body, you 64 00:03:29,351 --> 00:03:32,520 have the six senses. The six senses are part and 65 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:36,360 parcel of this thing we call the human being, mind and body. 66 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:40,724 And once you have the six senses, you start to experience 67 00:03:40,724 --> 00:03:43,880 the world. The experiencing of the world 68 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:46,360 happens through these six senses. 69 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:50,520 That is the sixth factor, known as contact usually. 70 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:52,520 It's like we are contacting the world. 71 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:56,806 We are experiencing the world. Now, an important part of that 72 00:03:56,806 --> 00:04:00,520 experience, a very fundamental part of it, is called feeling. 73 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:03,640 This becomes the seventh factor of dependent origination. 74 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:08,810 We experience the world usually either as something pleasant or 75 00:04:08,810 --> 00:04:12,184 as something unpleasant. And this can change very rapidly 76 00:04:12,184 --> 00:04:15,000 from moment to moment. One moment we have something 77 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:18,072 pleasant that we experience, the next moment something 78 00:04:18,072 --> 00:04:20,976 unpleasant, and the moment after that something which is 79 00:04:20,976 --> 00:04:25,447 somewhere in between maybe. Then, because we experience 80 00:04:25,447 --> 00:04:29,480 things as pleasant, unpleasant and unpleasant, we have desires. 81 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:32,760 We have desires because we want the pleasant states to last. 82 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:34,760 We want to have those most of all. 83 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:37,560 And we want the unpleasant things to disappear. 84 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:41,667 We have a kind of aversion or negativity to the unpleasant 85 00:04:41,667 --> 00:04:43,790 things. So desire is a natural 86 00:04:43,790 --> 00:04:47,522 consequence of feeling. Once you have this desire or 87 00:04:47,522 --> 00:04:52,574 craving, which is the eighth factor, then you have what this 88 00:04:52,574 --> 00:04:56,840 thing called, which is called taking up or grounding. 89 00:04:56,920 --> 00:05:01,880 Grasping or clinging sometimes. And this very often is like we, 90 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:05,820 once you have desire, it's like you have strategies, you have 91 00:05:05,820 --> 00:05:09,752 ways to make sure that those desires get fulfilled in the 92 00:05:09,752 --> 00:05:13,289 best possible way. And these strategies, these are 93 00:05:13,289 --> 00:05:17,160 called taking up, clinging, grasping at things. 94 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:21,840 Once we grasp at things, once we decide on the particular way of 95 00:05:21,840 --> 00:05:25,978 living our life, then again we make kamma according to that 96 00:05:25,978 --> 00:05:28,360 grasping, according to that clinging. 97 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:31,880 And once we make kamma, once we live in that particular way, 98 00:05:31,880 --> 00:05:37,225 this is called existence, factor number nine, factor number ten I 99 00:05:37,225 --> 00:05:43,288 think it is, then we have rebirth or jati as the eleventh 100 00:05:43,288 --> 00:05:45,984 factor. Because we get reborn according 101 00:05:45,984 --> 00:05:51,208 to that kamma that we make. Once we get reborn, then we 102 00:05:51,208 --> 00:05:54,680 experience what everybody else in human life experiences. 103 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:57,400 We experience aging. We experience death. 104 00:05:57,400 --> 00:06:00,600 And we experience all the sufferings of being a being, 105 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:04,440 whether it's human, animal or otherwise. 106 00:06:04,440 --> 00:06:07,480 So that in brief is what dependent origination means. 107 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:12,360 It's a sequence of conditions, the sequence of twelve factors, 108 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:15,560 each one building on the previous one. 109 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:19,470 And the important thing here is to understand that there is a 110 00:06:19,470 --> 00:06:22,680 conditional relationship between all of these factors. 111 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:25,800 And that's why it's called the dependent origination. 112 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:29,560 The subsequent factor depends on the previous one. 113 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:33,880 So for example, to experience suffering, experience old age 114 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:36,840 and death, first of all you have to be born. 115 00:06:36,840 --> 00:06:41,256 Birth is a necessary condition for you to be able to experience 116 00:06:41,256 --> 00:06:44,466 suffering in life. So each one of these conditions, 117 00:06:44,466 --> 00:06:48,488 starting from ignorance at the very beginning, all the way to 118 00:06:48,488 --> 00:06:52,796 suffering at the very end, each one is necessary for the 119 00:06:52,796 --> 00:06:55,104 subsequent one to exist. Subsequent factor depends on the 120 00:06:55,104 --> 00:06:57,224 previous one. That is a very important factor 121 00:06:57,224 --> 00:07:00,018 in this dependent origination. That's the only thing you really 122 00:07:00,018 --> 00:07:03,989 need to keep in mind for this talk, because then the rest of 123 00:07:03,989 --> 00:07:06,600 the things should hopefully fall in place. 124 00:07:06,600 --> 00:07:11,080 Each condition is necessary for the subsequent one to exist. 125 00:07:11,080 --> 00:07:16,840 This is a causal relationship between these twelve links. 126 00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:21,220 So to understand, to grasp, to get a feeling for what dependent 127 00:07:21,220 --> 00:07:25,338 origination is all about, I often, sometimes, tell people 128 00:07:25,338 --> 00:07:30,264 that the best thing to do is to look at the end points of these 129 00:07:30,264 --> 00:07:33,965 twelve links. The end points are first of all, 130 00:07:33,965 --> 00:07:37,880 ignorance at the very beginning or misunderstanding of reality, 131 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:41,275 if you like. And then suffering at the very 132 00:07:41,275 --> 00:07:43,000 end. These are the two end points. 133 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:46,680 The first and the twelfth factor of dependent origination. 134 00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:50,148 Because if we understand the end points, everything else becomes 135 00:07:50,148 --> 00:07:52,840 quite clear, because it is a conditioned sequence. 136 00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:53,800 Subsequent factor depends on the previous one. 137 00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:55,620 The final factor depends on the subsequent one. of dependent 138 00:07:55,620 --> 00:08:00,334 origination then is suffering. Now this is obviously very 139 00:08:00,334 --> 00:08:04,594 important because this shows us the purpose of dependent 140 00:08:04,594 --> 00:08:07,650 origination. The purpose is found in the last 141 00:08:07,650 --> 00:08:11,193 factor. So the purpose is to show us 142 00:08:11,193 --> 00:08:15,020 basically why suffering comes about in the world. 143 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:18,420 This is why we have this teaching of dependent 144 00:08:18,420 --> 00:08:22,780 origination because it shows us the causal arising of suffering. 145 00:08:22,780 --> 00:08:27,271 This is the purpose and that's why this is the last factor of 146 00:08:27,271 --> 00:08:30,644 this thing here. And of course this becomes 147 00:08:30,644 --> 00:08:33,648 straight away very practical. You can see straight away why 148 00:08:33,648 --> 00:08:37,092 this is very practical because if we understand why suffering 149 00:08:37,092 --> 00:08:42,028 arises in the world then we have an opportunity to do something 150 00:08:42,028 --> 00:08:45,010 about it. If we understand the causal 151 00:08:45,010 --> 00:08:48,218 relationship then we can do something with those causes and 152 00:08:48,218 --> 00:08:51,732 we can both alleviate the suffering and lessen the 153 00:08:51,732 --> 00:08:55,727 problems that we have and ultimately overcome, perhaps 154 00:08:55,727 --> 00:08:57,860 even overcome that suffering altogether. 155 00:08:58,280 --> 00:09:01,380 So this is why dependent origination is so interesting 156 00:09:01,380 --> 00:09:05,029 because it shows us how suffering comes to arise in the 157 00:09:05,029 --> 00:09:08,260 world. And the interesting thing here 158 00:09:08,260 --> 00:09:12,720 is that the immediately previous condition before suffering, 159 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:15,040 independent origination, is rebirth. 160 00:09:15,820 --> 00:09:18,480 It is birth which is the condition for suffering. 161 00:09:18,900 --> 00:09:22,474 So if we don't get born, basically we're not going to 162 00:09:22,474 --> 00:09:25,045 suffer. It is the very fact that we do 163 00:09:25,045 --> 00:09:28,432 get born into the world which gives rise to all these 164 00:09:28,432 --> 00:09:32,689 problems. And of course these two last 165 00:09:32,689 --> 00:09:35,660 factors, birth and then suffering. 166 00:09:35,780 --> 00:09:38,698 Suffering is sometimes also called aging and death because 167 00:09:38,698 --> 00:09:42,115 these are the two most prominent and two most important factors 168 00:09:42,115 --> 00:09:44,846 of suffering. You will see that birth and 169 00:09:44,846 --> 00:09:50,424 death, these are also what is often a shorthand for this thing 170 00:09:50,424 --> 00:09:52,656 we know as samsara. Samsara is the thing that is 171 00:09:52,656 --> 00:09:54,694 most important for us. Samsara is this perpetual 172 00:09:54,694 --> 00:09:58,460 wandering on round and round from one life to another one, 173 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:01,300 from birth to death, from birth to death. 174 00:10:01,720 --> 00:10:04,860 So the last two factors here of dependent origination 175 00:10:04,860 --> 00:10:10,172 essentially are equivalent to this samsara, this eternal, 176 00:10:10,172 --> 00:10:14,715 perhaps not eternal, but certainly this very long-lasting 177 00:10:14,715 --> 00:10:19,208 wandering on from one life to another one, again and again and 178 00:10:19,208 --> 00:10:21,592 again. So this is another way of 179 00:10:21,592 --> 00:10:24,664 looking at dependent origination, it shows us how 180 00:10:24,664 --> 00:10:30,416 this thing we know as samsara comes to arise in the world, how 181 00:10:30,416 --> 00:10:32,460 there can be such a thing as samsara. 182 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:39,324 Very briefly, samsara, the best way to look at samsara is not to 183 00:10:39,324 --> 00:10:42,810 look at it as kind of the universe out there, something 184 00:10:42,810 --> 00:10:47,206 different from us. Samsara is essentially how we as 185 00:10:47,206 --> 00:10:49,420 human beings experience the world. 186 00:10:49,700 --> 00:10:53,147 So it is your internal, what goes on inside your head, that 187 00:10:53,147 --> 00:10:55,220 is samsara. How do you experience the world? 188 00:10:55,760 --> 00:10:59,538 So all the war going around, if you could recollect your past 189 00:10:59,538 --> 00:11:04,621 lives, all the being reborn, all the getting old, all the dying, 190 00:11:04,621 --> 00:11:07,680 all the suffering, all the happiness, everything you do, 191 00:11:07,920 --> 00:11:12,318 all your experiences, this is essentially what samsara is all 192 00:11:12,318 --> 00:11:16,214 about. And samsara is of course 193 00:11:16,214 --> 00:11:20,556 ultimately equivalent again to suffering, because all this 194 00:11:20,556 --> 00:11:25,600 wandering around, all this birth, dying, aging, doing this, 195 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:29,050 doing that, again and again and again, life after life, now 196 00:11:29,050 --> 00:11:33,600 being born here, now being born there, all that is essentially 197 00:11:33,600 --> 00:11:35,420 suffering according to the Buddha's teachings. 198 00:11:36,580 --> 00:11:39,812 So, in other words, what I'm saying is that dependent 199 00:11:39,812 --> 00:11:45,700 origination, it shows us how samsara and how suffering comes 200 00:11:45,700 --> 00:11:48,564 to be. It's extremely useful to know 201 00:11:48,564 --> 00:11:51,760 this, because then we can actually do something about it. 202 00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:55,940 So this is the end point of dependent origination. 203 00:11:56,260 --> 00:11:59,810 It shows us what this is aiming at, what the purpose of this 204 00:11:59,810 --> 00:12:03,060 teaching is all about. But then we have the starting 205 00:12:03,060 --> 00:12:06,945 point of dependent origination. The starting point is usually 206 00:12:06,945 --> 00:12:10,520 translated as ignorance. Now this is very important, 207 00:12:10,620 --> 00:12:14,064 because once we understand the starting point, we understand 208 00:12:14,064 --> 00:12:18,640 how this whole dependent origination comes into being, 209 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:22,096 how it can actually exist. If we were to remove the 210 00:12:22,096 --> 00:12:25,810 starting point, this whole dependent origination would 211 00:12:25,810 --> 00:12:29,599 unravel. It unravels because each factor 212 00:12:29,599 --> 00:12:33,692 of dependent origination is causally related to the previous 213 00:12:33,692 --> 00:12:36,795 one. So remove the first one, the 214 00:12:36,795 --> 00:12:40,528 whole thing unravels, and we essentially make an end of 215 00:12:40,528 --> 00:12:43,018 samsara. We make an end of suffering if 216 00:12:43,018 --> 00:12:45,400 we can remove this ignorance altogether. 217 00:12:46,360 --> 00:12:52,040 If maybe we are not able to remove ignorance altogether, 218 00:12:52,260 --> 00:12:54,120 instead we can remove it. We can maybe weaken ignorance. 219 00:12:54,500 --> 00:12:57,180 If you weaken ignorance, you weaken suffering. 220 00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:01,995 Because again, that weakening of ignorance makes itself felt all 221 00:13:01,995 --> 00:13:05,840 the way through that chain, all the way up to suffering. 222 00:13:06,020 --> 00:13:08,220 So you suffer less if you weaken ignorance. 223 00:13:09,680 --> 00:13:12,800 So for that reason, it's quite important to try to get a grasp 224 00:13:12,800 --> 00:13:14,540 of what this ignorance actually means. 225 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:19,461 And ignorance is one way of translating this term, but as I 226 00:13:19,461 --> 00:13:23,014 was mentioning before, it is more about, our distorted 227 00:13:23,014 --> 00:13:27,250 perception of the world. The problem is not so much that 228 00:13:27,250 --> 00:13:30,020 we lack knowledge, which ignorance might suggest. 229 00:13:30,380 --> 00:13:33,854 The problem is that we have a distorted understanding of how 230 00:13:33,854 --> 00:13:37,456 the world actually works. We don't see things as they 231 00:13:37,456 --> 00:13:39,400 actually are, and that is the problem. 232 00:13:40,020 --> 00:13:44,100 So maybe delusion is another way of translating this word, which 233 00:13:44,100 --> 00:13:47,560 is usually rendered ignorance, delusion, or misunderstanding, 234 00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:52,450 or distortion of reality. And this delusion, or 235 00:13:52,450 --> 00:13:57,161 distortion, basically comes back to the distortions that we talk 236 00:13:57,161 --> 00:14:02,180 about in Buddhism, when we tend to see things as happy, when in 237 00:14:02,180 --> 00:14:05,989 fact they are suffering. We tend to see things as 238 00:14:05,989 --> 00:14:08,180 permanent, when in fact they are impermanent. 239 00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:12,517 And we tend to see things as self, when in fact they are 240 00:14:12,517 --> 00:14:15,047 non-self. This is the basic delusion that 241 00:14:15,047 --> 00:14:19,328 we live under. And this is the type of 242 00:14:19,328 --> 00:14:23,124 misunderstanding or ignorance, which is at the root, of this 243 00:14:23,124 --> 00:14:25,480 entire chain of dependent origination. 244 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:31,181 Now one interesting fact about this ignorance at the beginning 245 00:14:31,181 --> 00:14:35,180 of dependent origination, is that that itself is again 246 00:14:35,180 --> 00:14:39,324 conditioned by other things. Ignorance is not like a 247 00:14:39,324 --> 00:14:42,180 monolithic thing that stands there all by itself. 248 00:14:42,180 --> 00:14:45,180 It is also conditioned by other things in turn. 249 00:14:45,180 --> 00:14:49,182 And when we understand some of these conditions, we will very 250 00:14:49,182 --> 00:14:51,988 quickly understand what sort of practice, and what sort of 251 00:14:51,988 --> 00:14:55,780 practice, we can undertake to undermine ignorance, and 252 00:14:55,780 --> 00:14:58,180 eventually abandon it altogether. 253 00:14:58,180 --> 00:15:00,180 So what is the condition for ignorance? 254 00:15:00,180 --> 00:15:05,180 The condition for ignorance is the five hindrances. 255 00:15:05,180 --> 00:15:08,999 The five hindrances, I am sure most of you would have heard of 256 00:15:08,999 --> 00:15:11,404 them. They are briefly the sensual 257 00:15:11,404 --> 00:15:15,728 desires in the world, any kind of desire that we experience 258 00:15:15,728 --> 00:15:19,680 through the five senses. They are ill will, irritation, 259 00:15:19,680 --> 00:15:21,180 anger. They are the sloth and torpor, 260 00:15:21,180 --> 00:15:22,580 the desire to be happy, the desire to be happy, the desire 261 00:15:22,580 --> 00:15:24,180 to be happy, restlessness and worry and doubt. 262 00:15:24,180 --> 00:15:29,609 These are the five hindrances. And these are the conditions for 263 00:15:29,609 --> 00:15:32,180 ignorance. So the stronger these five 264 00:15:32,180 --> 00:15:36,848 hindrances are in our minds, the more powerful this ignorance is 265 00:15:36,848 --> 00:15:39,180 going to be. How does this work? 266 00:15:39,180 --> 00:15:42,180 And I talked about this here before, but it is actually very, 267 00:15:42,180 --> 00:15:46,980 it is quite a useful way of looking at how the hindrances 268 00:15:46,980 --> 00:15:49,847 distort reality. It is quite simple to 269 00:15:49,847 --> 00:15:51,580 understand. If you are very angry, what 270 00:15:51,580 --> 00:15:54,580 happens in your mind? What happens in your mind if you 271 00:15:54,580 --> 00:15:57,848 are very angry is that you tend sometimes to do things that you 272 00:15:57,848 --> 00:16:00,680 otherwise would not do. You think that you should tell 273 00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:03,180 somebody off, you think that you should do something nasty 274 00:16:03,180 --> 00:16:07,514 because you are angry. And while you are angry, it 275 00:16:07,514 --> 00:16:10,680 seems right. This, I need to do this, this 276 00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:14,180 person deserves this, this will be for the good of that person 277 00:16:14,180 --> 00:16:17,180 if I tell them off. So that is what we often do. 278 00:16:17,180 --> 00:16:20,180 We do stupid things when we get upset. 279 00:16:20,180 --> 00:16:26,780 When we get upset at something. And of course, once the anger is 280 00:16:26,780 --> 00:16:29,180 over, we realize that this was actually a mistake. 281 00:16:29,180 --> 00:16:31,180 We shouldn't have been so harsh on that person. 282 00:16:31,180 --> 00:16:33,180 We should have been more understanding. 283 00:16:33,180 --> 00:16:36,324 We should have understood why this person did this thing in 284 00:16:36,324 --> 00:16:38,180 the first place. It was a mistake. 285 00:16:38,180 --> 00:16:41,680 And then we feel a sense of regret and remorse that we did 286 00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:45,180 such a thing while we were angry. 287 00:16:45,180 --> 00:16:48,180 And this shows you the problem of anger. 288 00:16:48,180 --> 00:16:51,896 The problem is that when you are angry, your perception of the 289 00:16:51,896 --> 00:16:54,680 world is distorted. You don't see things as it 290 00:16:54,680 --> 00:16:56,958 actually is. And that is why we tend to do 291 00:16:56,958 --> 00:17:01,514 things that we later on regret. So you can see here how anger 292 00:17:01,514 --> 00:17:04,180 connects up with this thing we call ignorance. 293 00:17:04,180 --> 00:17:07,180 It distorts our understanding of the world. 294 00:17:07,180 --> 00:17:10,180 And desire is very much the same. 295 00:17:10,180 --> 00:17:14,680 If you think about desire, why do people have extramarital 296 00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:17,324 affairs, for example? Well, sometimes just desire 297 00:17:17,324 --> 00:17:19,038 overpowering the mind. You don't know what you are 298 00:17:19,038 --> 00:17:21,430 doing. And afterwards you regret it for 299 00:17:21,430 --> 00:17:24,180 a long, long time usually to come. 300 00:17:24,180 --> 00:17:27,736 Most people regret it. I've had people coming up to me 301 00:17:27,736 --> 00:17:30,580 and saying, certainly saying that they have regretted these 302 00:17:30,580 --> 00:17:33,930 things a lot afterwards. But again, it is desire in this 303 00:17:33,930 --> 00:17:36,180 case which distorts the perceptions. 304 00:17:36,180 --> 00:17:39,272 You think that you should do something which in reality you 305 00:17:39,272 --> 00:17:42,848 know that you should not be doing when the mind is not 306 00:17:42,848 --> 00:17:46,880 overpowered by these desires. And it is the same if you go out 307 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:50,610 shopping or you see something in a shop, a shop that you think 308 00:17:50,610 --> 00:17:53,514 you need, and it looks so wonderful right there, this 309 00:17:53,514 --> 00:17:55,736 desire arises. And later on you realize it was 310 00:17:55,736 --> 00:17:59,364 a mistake to buy that item. Because later on you are freed 311 00:17:59,364 --> 00:18:03,180 from that grasp of desire which arose in that moment. 312 00:18:03,180 --> 00:18:06,514 So the point I'm trying to make is simply that these five 313 00:18:06,514 --> 00:18:11,467 hindrances, particularly anger and desire, they distort our 314 00:18:11,467 --> 00:18:15,181 view of the world. So the greater, the more of 315 00:18:15,181 --> 00:18:19,780 these five hindrances we have in the mind, the greater is our 316 00:18:19,780 --> 00:18:23,180 ignorance, the greater is this distortion of reality. 317 00:18:23,180 --> 00:18:26,930 The less we have of these five hindrances in our mind, the less 318 00:18:26,930 --> 00:18:31,180 is the distortion that we have, and the less is the ignorance. 319 00:18:31,180 --> 00:18:35,847 And it feeds into dependent origination all the way up to 320 00:18:35,847 --> 00:18:38,180 suffering. So the less hindrances we have, 321 00:18:38,180 --> 00:18:42,580 the less suffering we have. The more hindrances we have, the 322 00:18:42,580 --> 00:18:45,847 more suffering we have. It feeds through this whole 323 00:18:45,847 --> 00:18:48,180 chain because it is a causal chain. 324 00:18:48,180 --> 00:18:52,180 It feeds through this whole chain that we are going after. 325 00:18:52,180 --> 00:18:55,848 So the answer then, if you want to reduce ignorance, if you want 326 00:18:55,848 --> 00:18:59,180 to reduce suffering in our lives, one way of looking at it 327 00:18:59,180 --> 00:19:02,780 is to say we have to reduce the defilements of the mind, in 328 00:19:02,780 --> 00:19:07,181 particular the five hindrances. How do we reduce the defilements 329 00:19:07,181 --> 00:19:11,180 of the mind? How do we reduce the hindrances? 330 00:19:11,180 --> 00:19:13,180 It is by practicing the Eightfold Path. 331 00:19:13,180 --> 00:19:15,180 That's really all there is to it. 332 00:19:15,180 --> 00:19:17,180 That is how you reduce these problems. 333 00:19:17,180 --> 00:19:21,180 Practicing the Eightfold Path, starting off with virtue. 334 00:19:21,180 --> 00:19:24,324 Now if you are a virtuous person, there are certain things 335 00:19:24,324 --> 00:19:27,180 you cannot do. And because you can't do them, 336 00:19:27,180 --> 00:19:28,980 you are restraining yourself, you are restraining the 337 00:19:28,980 --> 00:19:31,180 hindrances, you are restraining the defilements. 338 00:19:31,180 --> 00:19:34,514 By practicing meditation practice, loving kindness, 339 00:19:34,514 --> 00:19:38,680 peace, all these beautiful states of mind, again we are 340 00:19:38,680 --> 00:19:41,980 reducing the hindrances because we are going against the 341 00:19:41,980 --> 00:19:45,180 hindrances of the mind. We are taking them away, 342 00:19:45,180 --> 00:19:48,895 abandoning them step by step. So the Eightfold Path is nothing 343 00:19:48,895 --> 00:19:53,404 less than the removal of these hindrances or the removal of the 344 00:19:53,404 --> 00:19:57,430 defilements of the mind. So by this practice we are 345 00:19:57,430 --> 00:20:01,380 reducing ignorance and by this practice we are also then 346 00:20:01,380 --> 00:20:04,752 reducing suffering. So there you can see very 347 00:20:04,752 --> 00:20:08,680 beautifully how the Noble Eightfold Path and how dependent 348 00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:12,180 origination, how it all fits together in a beautiful picture. 349 00:20:12,180 --> 00:20:16,680 And that is one of the wonderful aspects of the Buddha's 350 00:20:16,680 --> 00:20:20,780 teachings, one way of looking at it, is that the Buddha's 351 00:20:20,780 --> 00:20:23,180 teaching is really a unified whole. 352 00:20:23,180 --> 00:20:26,180 It is one realization, one understanding. 353 00:20:26,180 --> 00:20:29,180 But it has all of these different aspects. 354 00:20:29,180 --> 00:20:34,180 And you can understand that one realization, like a big picture, 355 00:20:34,180 --> 00:20:38,960 and then each aspect is like one little piece of a jigsaw puzzle 356 00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:42,847 fitting into that big picture. And the more understanding you 357 00:20:42,847 --> 00:20:47,180 have of the Buddha's teachings, the more you understand how this 358 00:20:47,180 --> 00:20:51,180 jigsaw puzzle fits together. And what I pointed out right now 359 00:20:51,180 --> 00:20:54,958 is how the Noble Eightfold Path, or at least this is one way of 360 00:20:54,958 --> 00:20:58,380 understanding how the Noble Eightfold Path fits together 361 00:20:58,380 --> 00:21:01,680 with dependent origination. The Noble Eightfold Path reduces 362 00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:05,180 our ignorance stage by stage, therefore reduces our suffering 363 00:21:05,180 --> 00:21:10,180 until one day we can eliminate the suffering altogether. 364 00:21:10,180 --> 00:21:14,980 And how is it that reducing the hindrances leads to abandoning 365 00:21:14,980 --> 00:21:18,324 ignorance altogether? Well, by practicing the Noble 366 00:21:18,324 --> 00:21:22,180 Eightfold Path, stage by stage, we reduce these five hindrances 367 00:21:22,180 --> 00:21:27,514 until the day comes, hopefully, for all of us, when those 368 00:21:27,514 --> 00:21:30,180 hindrances are completely abandoned. 369 00:21:30,180 --> 00:21:33,180 They are not there at all in the mind anymore. 370 00:21:33,180 --> 00:21:35,180 And this is what the Buddha promised. 371 00:21:35,180 --> 00:21:37,908 If we practice the Noble Eightfold Path properly, this is 372 00:21:37,908 --> 00:21:41,180 what will happen in the future at some stage. 373 00:21:41,180 --> 00:21:45,580 Now when the five hindrances are completely abandoned, because 374 00:21:45,580 --> 00:21:49,555 they are the cause, the condition for ignorance, it 375 00:21:49,555 --> 00:21:52,180 means that ignorance has lost its conditioning. 376 00:21:52,180 --> 00:21:56,180 It has lost those things which prop it up, so to speak. 377 00:21:56,180 --> 00:21:59,180 Because the five hindrances prop up ignorance. 378 00:21:59,180 --> 00:22:03,930 Because ignorance is no longer propped up by the five 379 00:22:03,930 --> 00:22:07,180 hindrances, it becomes very weak at this particular point. 380 00:22:07,180 --> 00:22:11,780 And that is why after a very powerful and deep state of 381 00:22:11,780 --> 00:22:14,752 meditation, when these five hindrances are completely 382 00:22:14,752 --> 00:22:19,515 abandoned, that is why at this is the point when it is possible 383 00:22:19,515 --> 00:22:23,752 to attain that deep insight and understand the reality that the 384 00:22:23,752 --> 00:22:26,848 Buddha said is out there. The reality that there is 385 00:22:26,848 --> 00:22:30,180 suffering in this world, that there is things are impermanent, 386 00:22:30,180 --> 00:22:35,180 and ultimately that there is no permanent aspect inside the 387 00:22:35,180 --> 00:22:37,180 human beings. There is just non-self. 388 00:22:37,180 --> 00:22:40,180 There is no self in this universe. 389 00:22:40,180 --> 00:22:45,467 And that is what we see, what we can see here, when these five 390 00:22:45,467 --> 00:22:47,180 hindrances are completely abandoned. 391 00:22:47,180 --> 00:22:50,180 And that is why the deep meditations are so powerful. 392 00:22:50,180 --> 00:22:53,380 And that is why they are the last aspect of the Noble 393 00:22:53,380 --> 00:22:55,752 Eightfold Path. Because at that point, we have 394 00:22:55,752 --> 00:22:59,055 the possibility of breaking through to the actual truth that 395 00:22:59,055 --> 00:23:03,180 the Buddha said is there for us to understand. 396 00:23:03,180 --> 00:23:06,752 And at that point, when we break through that ignorance 397 00:23:06,752 --> 00:23:10,980 completely, we see reality as it actually is, in terms of the 398 00:23:10,980 --> 00:23:13,847 Four Noble Truths, if you like, in terms of the three 399 00:23:13,847 --> 00:23:17,180 characteristics, suffering, impermanence, and non-self. 400 00:23:17,180 --> 00:23:20,680 That, when ignorance is completely abandoned, then 401 00:23:20,680 --> 00:23:23,180 suffering is also completely abandoned. 402 00:23:23,180 --> 00:23:27,680 They go hand in hand, because ignorance is the cause for that 403 00:23:27,680 --> 00:23:30,847 suffering. So this is how then to get a 404 00:23:30,847 --> 00:23:35,180 grasp on this dependent origination, to understand it is 405 00:23:35,180 --> 00:23:39,180 all rooted, the root of the problem is ignorance. 406 00:23:39,180 --> 00:23:42,514 That is the problem. The root is delusion, the 407 00:23:42,514 --> 00:23:47,609 misunderstanding of how things are, and it all leads, step by 408 00:23:47,609 --> 00:23:50,180 step, all the way up to suffering. 409 00:23:50,180 --> 00:23:53,180 We suffer because we are ignorant. 410 00:23:53,180 --> 00:23:56,680 Sometimes in the world, you hear this saying, this proverb, that 411 00:23:56,680 --> 00:23:59,895 ignorance is bliss. Well, in Buddhism, it isn't like 412 00:23:59,895 --> 00:24:01,780 that. In Buddhism, ignorance is 413 00:24:01,780 --> 00:24:04,091 suffering. And this is then the right way 414 00:24:04,091 --> 00:24:07,180 of looking at it from a Buddhist point of view. 415 00:24:07,180 --> 00:24:10,752 So you have to be careful with some of these worldly proverbs 416 00:24:10,752 --> 00:24:13,180 sometimes. So how is it then? 417 00:24:13,180 --> 00:24:15,180 This is the next thing to maybe consider a bit. 418 00:24:15,180 --> 00:24:19,625 How is it that ignorance translates itself into 419 00:24:19,625 --> 00:24:22,180 suffering? And this is also interesting, 420 00:24:22,180 --> 00:24:25,514 because it shows us maybe the mechanism of dependent 421 00:24:25,514 --> 00:24:28,980 origination. This is what I will call maybe 422 00:24:28,980 --> 00:24:33,680 the core driver of dependent origination, how it actually 423 00:24:33,680 --> 00:24:36,180 functions, what actually drives this thing forward. 424 00:24:36,180 --> 00:24:39,180 Why is it that ignorance leads to suffering? 425 00:24:39,180 --> 00:24:42,848 And to understand this, I'm not going to go through all the 426 00:24:42,848 --> 00:24:45,930 links of the chain, because I don't think that is actually 427 00:24:45,930 --> 00:24:47,480 necessary. What I'm going to do instead is 428 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:51,680 just go through the last five of these links, because that shows 429 00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:55,180 us plenty enough how this thing actually works. 430 00:24:55,180 --> 00:25:01,752 And the seventh factor of dependent origination, the last 431 00:25:01,752 --> 00:25:04,847 six factors, I should say, the seventh factor of dependent 432 00:25:04,847 --> 00:25:08,180 origination is, as I said before, it's feeling. 433 00:25:08,180 --> 00:25:11,930 Now feeling, I don't mean emotion by feeling, when the 434 00:25:11,930 --> 00:25:16,430 Buddha had used the word feeling, he meant how it is that 435 00:25:16,430 --> 00:25:19,930 we experience the world outside us in terms of either whether 436 00:25:19,930 --> 00:25:22,180 it's pleasant or whether it's unpleasant. 437 00:25:22,180 --> 00:25:26,780 Sometimes he also added neutral feelings, but they are really 438 00:25:26,780 --> 00:25:29,181 irrelevant, and they tend to be experienced as either pleasant 439 00:25:29,181 --> 00:25:32,180 or unpleasant anyway. So really feeling is about 440 00:25:32,180 --> 00:25:36,180 whether we see the world, whether we experience pleasure 441 00:25:36,180 --> 00:25:39,728 or displeasure. And this is part and parcel of 442 00:25:39,728 --> 00:25:43,280 being a human being. Of being an animal, of being any 443 00:25:43,280 --> 00:25:48,180 kind of being, that we have this kind of experience of the world. 444 00:25:48,180 --> 00:25:51,180 Always it is either pleasant or it's unpleasant. 445 00:25:51,180 --> 00:25:55,180 And this is part and parcel of having a mind, of having a body. 446 00:25:55,180 --> 00:25:58,680 The previous links of dependent origination just before feeling 447 00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:03,930 just shows us how it is that feeling arises from having a 448 00:26:03,930 --> 00:26:06,980 body and having a mind. That's why I have skipped them 449 00:26:06,980 --> 00:26:11,180 for this particular purpose. And of course, once it is given, 450 00:26:11,180 --> 00:26:14,817 that we experience the world in times of pleasure or 451 00:26:14,817 --> 00:26:17,908 displeasure, it is also given that we are going to have 452 00:26:17,908 --> 00:26:21,180 desires according to those pleasures and displeasures. 453 00:26:21,180 --> 00:26:25,847 Because we don't want to have displeasure, and we want to have 454 00:26:25,847 --> 00:26:27,580 pleasure. This is just the nature of any 455 00:26:27,580 --> 00:26:29,736 kind of being. This is the way we want things 456 00:26:29,736 --> 00:26:32,910 to be. And because of that, craving is 457 00:26:32,910 --> 00:26:35,180 a natural consequence of feeling. 458 00:26:35,180 --> 00:26:38,180 Desire is a natural consequence of having these feelings. 459 00:26:38,180 --> 00:26:43,180 So craving comes into being because we have feelings. 460 00:26:43,180 --> 00:26:49,280 Now, once we have craving, we want to make sure that this 461 00:26:49,280 --> 00:26:52,280 craving gets satisfied. We don't want to crave and not 462 00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:55,805 satisfy the craving because this craving not satisfying it is 463 00:26:55,805 --> 00:26:57,895 painful. So we want to satisfy this 464 00:26:57,895 --> 00:27:00,805 craving. Now to be able to satisfy this 465 00:27:00,805 --> 00:27:04,180 craving, we start to take things up in the world. 466 00:27:04,180 --> 00:27:07,930 We grasp at things. We go into all these kinds of 467 00:27:07,930 --> 00:27:11,181 strategies, these ways of leading our lives, we do various 468 00:27:11,181 --> 00:27:16,180 kinds of things so as to enable us to satisfy the cravings. 469 00:27:16,180 --> 00:27:21,180 We get into relationships. We buy ourselves a house. 470 00:27:21,180 --> 00:27:27,347 We have a nice job somewhere. We undertake maybe education for 471 00:27:27,347 --> 00:27:30,180 ourselves. We have children. 472 00:27:30,180 --> 00:27:32,180 We have maybe a religion for ourselves. 473 00:27:32,180 --> 00:27:36,180 We become Buddhists. Why do we become Buddhists? 474 00:27:36,180 --> 00:27:39,847 Again, it is a strategy for helping us to try to find some 475 00:27:39,847 --> 00:27:43,467 happiness, to increase the pleasure and decrease the 476 00:27:43,467 --> 00:27:46,895 displeasure of the world. So all of these things are 477 00:27:46,895 --> 00:27:49,180 strategies. They are like views. 478 00:27:49,180 --> 00:27:52,380 Even political viewpoints that we have are strategies for 479 00:27:52,380 --> 00:27:55,180 finding happiness and not suffering. 480 00:27:55,180 --> 00:27:59,752 So all of these views, how we make strategies to enjoy 481 00:27:59,752 --> 00:28:03,896 ourselves, to have a good time, not a bad time, all of this is 482 00:28:03,896 --> 00:28:09,180 part of this eighth, ninth factor of dependent origination. 483 00:28:10,180 --> 00:28:14,580 Which is called taking things up, grasping at things, clinging 484 00:28:14,580 --> 00:28:17,180 to things in life. This is what it is all about. 485 00:28:17,180 --> 00:28:21,181 The strategy is to make sure that we can satisfy the cravings 486 00:28:21,181 --> 00:28:25,180 that we have which are based on feelings in turn. 487 00:28:25,180 --> 00:28:29,680 Now once we take up certain strategies, once we do certain 488 00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:33,180 things in the world, we have relationships, we have a house, 489 00:28:33,180 --> 00:28:36,180 that means we start to live in a certain way. 490 00:28:36,180 --> 00:28:39,180 We live in accordance with those strategies. 491 00:28:39,180 --> 00:28:43,514 Now living in accordance with those strategies is like a type 492 00:28:43,514 --> 00:28:46,180 of existence. We exist in a certain way. 493 00:28:46,180 --> 00:28:50,180 And most people, they live in the world of sensual pleasures. 494 00:28:50,180 --> 00:28:54,680 They have a nice house because it satisfies their sensual 495 00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:56,680 cravings. They can have a nice breakfast 496 00:28:56,680 --> 00:28:59,930 in there, have nice meals with the family, they can have 497 00:28:59,930 --> 00:29:02,180 entertainment, they can feel safe from the world around them 498 00:29:02,180 --> 00:29:06,180 inside their little house. Then they have relationships. 499 00:29:06,180 --> 00:29:09,680 Again, it is to satisfy our desires for companionship and 500 00:29:09,680 --> 00:29:12,180 again also for sensual pleasures. 501 00:29:12,180 --> 00:29:16,580 And they have a job again, it is to satisfy all the things that 502 00:29:16,580 --> 00:29:20,180 we need, that we can purchase through money. 503 00:29:20,180 --> 00:29:24,181 Again, that is why we have a job, at the very least to enable 504 00:29:24,181 --> 00:29:26,930 us to survive. So this is the world for most 505 00:29:26,930 --> 00:29:30,180 people, just to be able to lead a life of as much pleasure, 506 00:29:30,180 --> 00:29:34,480 sensual pleasure as possible. Now if you are a Buddhist, you 507 00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:38,180 have maybe your priorities are a little bit different, so maybe 508 00:29:38,180 --> 00:29:40,930 you meditate. And then your strategy is to use 509 00:29:40,930 --> 00:29:44,180 meditation and a spiritual life to achieve that happiness. 510 00:29:44,180 --> 00:29:49,580 And in this case, again, sensual pleasures may be part of it, but 511 00:29:49,580 --> 00:29:53,259 also in this case, it is also the pleasures of the mind that 512 00:29:53,259 --> 00:29:57,180 we are also seeking to a higher extent, to a greater extent. 513 00:29:57,180 --> 00:30:02,180 And the more, the deeper we get into the practice of meditation, 514 00:30:02,180 --> 00:30:05,466 the more we are enjoying the pleasures of the mind, rather 515 00:30:05,466 --> 00:30:09,752 than the pleasures of the mind. And this is another way of 516 00:30:09,752 --> 00:30:12,028 existing. It is an existence which is 517 00:30:12,028 --> 00:30:15,324 based on the pleasures of the mind rather than the pleasures 518 00:30:15,324 --> 00:30:18,480 of the senses. So whatever we do in life, we 519 00:30:18,480 --> 00:30:22,467 are in a sense existing in a certain way according to the 520 00:30:22,467 --> 00:30:26,430 strategies that we undertake to find pleasure and displeasure in 521 00:30:26,430 --> 00:30:28,680 the world. We all want pleasures in a 522 00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:32,680 certain way, whether we call it peace, contentment, happiness, 523 00:30:32,680 --> 00:30:36,180 excitement, whatever it is, we all prefer pleasure to pleasure. 524 00:30:36,180 --> 00:30:41,514 Pleasure to displeasure. So then, when we exist in this 525 00:30:41,514 --> 00:30:46,336 certain way, when we have a kind of established our consciousness 526 00:30:46,336 --> 00:30:50,805 in a certain way, that means that we are creating kamma 527 00:30:50,805 --> 00:30:53,728 accordingly. Because we live in this way, we 528 00:30:53,728 --> 00:30:57,180 are creating kamma accordingly. Consciousness is established in 529 00:30:57,180 --> 00:31:02,180 a particular field, if you like. If the field here is the kind of 530 00:31:02,180 --> 00:31:05,180 actions that we undertake. And because we make this kamma, 531 00:31:05,180 --> 00:31:08,980 and because consciousness is established in this way, then in 532 00:31:08,980 --> 00:31:14,181 the future life we get reborn in accordance to where that 533 00:31:14,181 --> 00:31:17,324 consciousness is established. We establish the consciousness 534 00:31:17,324 --> 00:31:21,090 in this life, and then when the body falls away, then the 535 00:31:21,090 --> 00:31:24,726 consciousness is straight away established in that particular 536 00:31:24,726 --> 00:31:26,818 state. Because that is what we have 537 00:31:26,818 --> 00:31:32,466 been practicing over our lives. So if we are inclined towards 538 00:31:32,466 --> 00:31:35,847 practicing or just enjoying sensual pleasures, our whole 539 00:31:35,847 --> 00:31:38,805 life, then that consciousness is established in sensual 540 00:31:38,805 --> 00:31:41,514 pleasures. When the body falls away, that 541 00:31:41,514 --> 00:31:43,847 consciousness will still be established in sensual 542 00:31:43,847 --> 00:31:46,515 pleasures. And we get reborn in a sensual 543 00:31:46,515 --> 00:31:48,180 realm according to that establishment. 544 00:31:48,180 --> 00:31:52,514 If you are a good meditator and our mind is quite peaceful, then 545 00:31:52,514 --> 00:31:56,780 after we die, at the moment we die, the consciousness is likely 546 00:31:56,780 --> 00:32:00,514 to be established in that peace. So when the body falls away, the 547 00:32:00,514 --> 00:32:03,180 consciousness will be right there with that peace. 548 00:32:03,180 --> 00:32:04,180 And we will be reborn in that peace. 549 00:32:04,180 --> 00:32:08,180 We will be reborn in a realm in accordance to that peace. 550 00:32:08,180 --> 00:32:12,488 And this is how rebirth happens in accordance with kamma, in 551 00:32:12,488 --> 00:32:15,873 accordance with how the mind has been established in the previous 552 00:32:15,873 --> 00:32:18,875 life. So there you can see here stage 553 00:32:18,875 --> 00:32:22,980 by stage how this leads forward. And then when rebirth happens in 554 00:32:22,980 --> 00:32:26,635 accordance to your kamma, then whatever realm you are in, you 555 00:32:26,635 --> 00:32:30,272 will experience pleasure and suffering in accordance with 556 00:32:30,272 --> 00:32:32,847 that realm. And eventually you will become 557 00:32:32,847 --> 00:32:34,895 older. Eventually you will die in that 558 00:32:34,895 --> 00:32:36,720 realm. And the suffering that comes 559 00:32:36,720 --> 00:32:39,180 with this will also be part of it. 560 00:32:39,180 --> 00:32:44,180 So you can see here how this whole process works forward. 561 00:32:44,180 --> 00:32:48,726 Because we crave, we start having these strategies in the 562 00:32:48,726 --> 00:32:50,680 world. Because we have strategies, we 563 00:32:50,680 --> 00:32:53,895 live in a certain way. Because we live in a certain 564 00:32:53,895 --> 00:32:56,980 way, the consciousness gets established in that way and we 565 00:32:56,980 --> 00:33:00,181 get reborn accordingly. And then we suffer in accordance 566 00:33:00,181 --> 00:33:03,180 and have happiness in accordance with that rebirth. 567 00:33:03,180 --> 00:33:06,180 And it is all because of ignorance. 568 00:33:06,180 --> 00:33:10,682 Why is it because of ignorance? Well, the reason why we crave 569 00:33:10,682 --> 00:33:15,980 for feeling in the first place is because we think that we can 570 00:33:15,980 --> 00:33:19,514 control these feelings. If we didn't think that we can 571 00:33:19,514 --> 00:33:22,180 control them, we wouldn't crave for them. 572 00:33:22,180 --> 00:33:26,847 It is because we think that we can somehow have it the way we 573 00:33:26,847 --> 00:33:30,180 want, that is why we crave for these feelings. 574 00:33:30,180 --> 00:33:34,848 Imagine if you had absolutely no control of the feelings in your 575 00:33:34,848 --> 00:33:38,180 body, in your mind. What is the point of craving? 576 00:33:38,180 --> 00:33:42,038 There is no point of desiring anything anymore because if you 577 00:33:42,038 --> 00:33:45,180 have no control, there is nothing you can do about it. 578 00:33:45,180 --> 00:33:48,873 There is absolutely, all you have to do is sit back and 579 00:33:48,873 --> 00:33:52,780 watch. And this is what happens when 580 00:33:52,780 --> 00:33:59,182 you eventually find out that the world is non-self, that there is 581 00:33:59,182 --> 00:34:03,180 no permanent core inside of you, that things are impermanent, 582 00:34:03,180 --> 00:34:07,244 when you see that, you realize that there is nothing you can do 583 00:34:07,244 --> 00:34:10,467 about the world. Feelings arise according to 584 00:34:10,467 --> 00:34:13,636 causes and conditions. You cannot control, ultimately 585 00:34:13,636 --> 00:34:17,780 there is no control around these things, they just happen by 586 00:34:17,780 --> 00:34:19,679 themselves. And of course at that moment, 587 00:34:19,679 --> 00:34:22,467 when you then abandon the ignorance, you abandon the 588 00:34:22,467 --> 00:34:27,179 delusion of the self, then you stop craving. 589 00:34:27,179 --> 00:34:30,179 Because you know that the world has to be the way it is. 590 00:34:30,179 --> 00:34:32,179 There is nothing you can do about it. 591 00:34:32,179 --> 00:34:35,179 You have seen through this idea that you can control the world. 592 00:34:35,179 --> 00:34:38,179 You can't control these feelings. 593 00:34:38,179 --> 00:34:41,179 When you realize that, you abandon craving. 594 00:34:41,179 --> 00:34:45,181 When you abandon craving, there is no more strategies to try to 595 00:34:45,181 --> 00:34:47,850 satisfy these cravings. When there is no more 596 00:34:47,850 --> 00:34:51,487 strategies, no more taking up of all kinds of strategies to 597 00:34:51,487 --> 00:34:54,565 satisfy the craving, there is no existence anymore according to 598 00:34:54,565 --> 00:34:57,180 those strategies. When consciousness is not 599 00:34:57,180 --> 00:35:01,180 established in anything in accordance with its existence, 600 00:35:01,180 --> 00:35:05,544 then when you die, when you pass away, the body disappears, then 601 00:35:05,544 --> 00:35:08,817 the consciousness is also not established in any particular 602 00:35:08,817 --> 00:35:11,055 realm. Because it isn't established in 603 00:35:11,055 --> 00:35:14,000 any particular realm, any particular, whether it's 604 00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:19,580 sensuality or meditation or whatever it is, there can be no 605 00:35:19,580 --> 00:35:21,848 rebirth. Because there is nowhere for 606 00:35:21,848 --> 00:35:25,180 that consciousness to go. It's not established anywhere. 607 00:35:25,180 --> 00:35:28,180 And then, when there is no rebirth, there is no suffering, 608 00:35:28,180 --> 00:35:31,180 there is no old age, and there is no death anymore. 609 00:35:31,180 --> 00:35:35,764 And that is how the reverse comes out of this dependent 610 00:35:35,764 --> 00:35:38,534 origination. How we start off, and we can see 611 00:35:38,534 --> 00:35:43,180 how this whole thing can come to an end by abandoning suffering. 612 00:35:43,180 --> 00:35:47,104 Because when we abandon, sorry, by abandoning ignorance, when we 613 00:35:47,104 --> 00:35:52,180 abandon ignorance, craving has no longer a basis in our mind. 614 00:35:52,180 --> 00:35:59,114 So, that is in brief what I will call the engine inside the 615 00:35:59,114 --> 00:36:03,324 dependent origination. The thing which drives this 616 00:36:03,324 --> 00:36:08,182 thing forward. The thing which makes sure that 617 00:36:08,182 --> 00:36:13,180 ignorance or delusion always leads to rebirth in the future. 618 00:36:13,180 --> 00:36:17,719 And how lack of that ignorance, lack of that delusion, makes 619 00:36:17,719 --> 00:36:23,642 absolutely sure that there can be no rebirth again in the 620 00:36:23,642 --> 00:36:25,680 future. But the important thing is also 621 00:36:25,680 --> 00:36:29,847 for us to remind ourselves that even if we feel that the goal of 622 00:36:29,847 --> 00:36:34,580 rebirth, of eliminating rebirth altogether is far away, remember 623 00:36:34,580 --> 00:36:38,514 that every time you reduce ignorance a little bit, every 624 00:36:38,514 --> 00:36:42,467 time you reduce the hindrances a little bit, you are also 625 00:36:42,467 --> 00:36:46,805 reducing suffering for yourself, both in this life and in future 626 00:36:46,805 --> 00:36:50,609 lives. Because if you reduce the five 627 00:36:50,609 --> 00:36:54,180 hindrances, then your craving is not so strong anymore. 628 00:36:54,180 --> 00:36:57,272 Because you realize that this is not going to, you tend to become 629 00:36:57,272 --> 00:36:59,180 wiser when these things are taken away. 630 00:36:59,180 --> 00:37:03,180 When the craving is reduced, when the craving is reduced, 631 00:37:03,180 --> 00:37:06,848 again, it goes through the same sequence of conditions all the 632 00:37:06,848 --> 00:37:10,055 way up to suffering. And you have less suffering 633 00:37:10,055 --> 00:37:15,180 because of that. So, those are the two things, 634 00:37:15,180 --> 00:37:18,454 the aspects of dependent origination that I wanted to 635 00:37:18,454 --> 00:37:21,181 talk about. Maybe one last point which I 636 00:37:21,181 --> 00:37:25,818 wanted to mention is that sometimes you can read or you 637 00:37:25,818 --> 00:37:31,514 hear about people, and they argue that, they say first of 638 00:37:31,514 --> 00:37:35,609 all that, well, the Buddha's teachings is about 639 00:37:35,609 --> 00:37:39,180 interdependence, how everything in the world is interdependent. 640 00:37:39,180 --> 00:37:42,545 And I don't disagree with that. I certainly agree that things 641 00:37:42,545 --> 00:37:44,180 are very interdependent in this world. 642 00:37:44,180 --> 00:37:48,466 But then they say that this is shown by the teaching of 643 00:37:48,466 --> 00:37:50,960 dependent origination. Dependent origination shows us 644 00:37:50,960 --> 00:37:53,180 how all things are interdependent. 645 00:37:53,180 --> 00:37:57,380 But I, personally, I cannot see that that is exactly quite to 646 00:37:57,380 --> 00:37:59,680 the point. Because to me it seems that 647 00:37:59,680 --> 00:38:02,980 dependent origination is a very specific teaching about how 648 00:38:02,980 --> 00:38:06,180 ignorance gives rise to suffering in the world. 649 00:38:06,180 --> 00:38:09,180 It's a very specific sequence of conditions. 650 00:38:09,180 --> 00:38:12,180 And it shows us the mechanism by how these things come about. 651 00:38:12,180 --> 00:38:15,180 That is what dependent origination is about. 652 00:38:15,180 --> 00:38:19,180 If you want to find that Buddha's teaching, which teaches 653 00:38:19,180 --> 00:38:24,514 us about interdependence, I would say that is the teaching 654 00:38:24,514 --> 00:38:27,805 of non-self. Because as long as there is a 655 00:38:27,805 --> 00:38:32,348 self, as long as there is something which is outside of 656 00:38:32,348 --> 00:38:35,324 conditioned phenomena, something which is independent of 657 00:38:35,324 --> 00:38:39,515 everything else, then obviously that is not going to be part of 658 00:38:39,515 --> 00:38:41,180 this interdependent world of ours. 659 00:38:41,180 --> 00:38:44,610 It's going to stand outside, because it's not part of 660 00:38:44,610 --> 00:38:46,895 conditioned phenomena. But from the Buddha's point of 661 00:38:46,895 --> 00:38:50,780 view, because there is no such self, because there is nothing 662 00:38:50,780 --> 00:38:54,180 in this universe that is permanent, then everything 663 00:38:54,180 --> 00:38:57,180 becomes interdependent for that particular reason. 664 00:38:57,180 --> 00:39:00,609 So to my mind it is this teaching of non-self which 665 00:39:00,609 --> 00:39:03,930 actually shows the interdependence of things more 666 00:39:03,930 --> 00:39:10,848 than anything else. Anyway, so that is my talk about 667 00:39:10,848 --> 00:39:13,780 dependent origination. Again, to summarize very 668 00:39:13,780 --> 00:39:17,515 briefly, to understand these teachings, think of the first 669 00:39:17,515 --> 00:39:21,680 factor and the last factor. The last factor shows us what 670 00:39:21,680 --> 00:39:24,514 dependent origination is. What dependent origination is 671 00:39:24,514 --> 00:39:27,728 aiming at. It is aiming at showing us how 672 00:39:27,728 --> 00:39:31,580 suffering comes to be. And the first factor shows us 673 00:39:31,580 --> 00:39:36,380 the most basic reason, the most basic cause, why this suffering 674 00:39:36,380 --> 00:39:40,180 comes about. The most basic cause is our 675 00:39:40,180 --> 00:39:43,180 distorted understanding of how the world works. 676 00:39:43,180 --> 00:39:46,980 This is maybe the most important thing, I think, to understand 677 00:39:46,980 --> 00:39:50,680 about dependent origination. If you understand that, then I 678 00:39:50,680 --> 00:39:54,324 think you have a reasonable grasp of what this teaching is 679 00:39:54,324 --> 00:39:57,364 all about. Okay, that is all I have to say 680 00:39:57,364 --> 00:40:07,680 for this evening. Okay, so any questions or any 681 00:40:07,680 --> 00:40:14,752 complaints maybe? It is a complex teaching, so you 682 00:40:14,752 --> 00:40:17,680 are allowed to ask anything. You can ask questions which are 683 00:40:17,680 --> 00:40:20,580 very foolish because you might not have understood what this 684 00:40:20,580 --> 00:40:23,180 was about. That is perfectly okay. 685 00:40:23,180 --> 00:40:26,180 So anybody have a question? Yes? 686 00:40:32,180 --> 00:40:35,514 Well, this is the thing. In Buddhism there is no fixed 687 00:40:35,514 --> 00:40:38,847 number of rebirths. It is not as if the universe is 688 00:40:38,847 --> 00:40:41,180 predetermined and there has to be a certain number of rebirths. 689 00:40:41,180 --> 00:40:43,895 It doesn't work like that. It all depends on your own 690 00:40:43,895 --> 00:40:45,292 practice. So the more powerful you 691 00:40:45,292 --> 00:40:47,626 practice the spiritual life and the Buddhist path, the fewer 692 00:40:47,626 --> 00:40:49,180 rebirths there will be in the future. 693 00:40:49,180 --> 00:40:52,514 It all depends on your practice. If you don't practice at all the 694 00:40:52,514 --> 00:40:55,580 spiritual life, then potentially it could get reborn forever into 695 00:40:55,580 --> 00:40:58,180 the future. There is no clear limit. 696 00:40:58,180 --> 00:41:02,280 The Buddha was once asked, will all the people of the world 697 00:41:02,280 --> 00:41:04,896 eventually attain liberation? Or is it only half the people in 698 00:41:04,896 --> 00:41:06,180 the world that will attain liberation? 699 00:41:06,180 --> 00:41:09,847 Or is it some other quantity? The Buddha didn't answer that 700 00:41:09,847 --> 00:41:12,680 question because I don't think there is an answer to that 701 00:41:12,680 --> 00:41:16,292 particular question. So potentially we could go on in 702 00:41:16,292 --> 00:41:19,180 samsara, suffering, falling into the abyss of the world. 703 00:41:19,180 --> 00:41:24,680 Suffering for a very, very, very long time if we don't practice 704 00:41:24,680 --> 00:41:31,180 the path fully, properly. Does that make sense? 705 00:41:31,180 --> 00:41:33,180 Anybody else want to ask any questions? 706 00:41:33,180 --> 00:41:40,430 I have a question. How does the human justice and 707 00:41:40,430 --> 00:41:47,180 the world, how do you, how do you quite, when you suffer, when 708 00:41:47,180 --> 00:41:54,180 you suffer, when you are in the justice, perform the time? 709 00:41:54,180 --> 00:41:58,038 Right. For example, in Thailand, or in 710 00:41:58,038 --> 00:42:01,180 other cities in the situation? Sure. 711 00:42:01,180 --> 00:42:03,403 Well, the thing is that you have to be very careful here because 712 00:42:03,403 --> 00:42:06,680 to be able to understand how this works, you have to remember 713 00:42:06,680 --> 00:42:09,847 that the Buddha's teachings and dependent origination is about 714 00:42:09,847 --> 00:42:13,609 individuals and about how individuals experience the 715 00:42:13,609 --> 00:42:17,430 world. So on an individual level, if, 716 00:42:17,430 --> 00:42:20,780 let's say that you are fully enlightened, you don't have any 717 00:42:20,780 --> 00:42:24,555 craving, what you do then is that you don't actually arouse 718 00:42:24,555 --> 00:42:27,180 any desire to end this particular thing. 719 00:42:27,180 --> 00:42:29,895 You don't have any strong craving, any strong urge to end 720 00:42:29,895 --> 00:42:31,514 this thing. If you can help, if the 721 00:42:31,514 --> 00:42:35,000 situation is there, you might help, but you don't have any 722 00:42:35,000 --> 00:42:38,180 thirst or craving inside of you to end these riots. 723 00:42:38,180 --> 00:42:42,680 So on a personal level, you are equanimous because you realize 724 00:42:42,680 --> 00:42:45,180 ultimately the world is the way it is. 725 00:42:45,180 --> 00:42:47,681 Sometimes there's going to be riots, sometimes there's going 726 00:42:47,681 --> 00:42:49,847 to be earthquakes. Sometimes there might be atomic 727 00:42:49,847 --> 00:42:51,566 bombs. Sometimes there are going to be 728 00:42:51,566 --> 00:42:53,180 all kinds of disasters in the world. 729 00:42:53,180 --> 00:42:55,180 You can never solve all of those things. 730 00:42:55,180 --> 00:42:57,610 It's impossible. Ultimately, you're going to have 731 00:42:57,610 --> 00:43:00,180 to accept that this is the way the world is. 732 00:43:00,180 --> 00:43:03,180 If you can do something, fine, do something. 733 00:43:03,180 --> 00:43:06,453 But if you can't, you're going to have to look on economously 734 00:43:06,453 --> 00:43:09,180 if you want to have some peace in your life. 735 00:43:09,180 --> 00:43:12,380 Otherwise, you're going to be always agitated, trying to solve 736 00:43:12,380 --> 00:43:16,180 an endless, and it is literally endless, series of problems. 737 00:43:16,180 --> 00:43:20,099 So have compassion. But don't allow it to make it 738 00:43:20,099 --> 00:43:23,780 too much suffering for yourself because then it becomes 739 00:43:23,780 --> 00:43:27,180 pointless to have that compassion in the first place. 740 00:43:27,180 --> 00:43:31,080 So the point here is that the suffering here, you have to 741 00:43:31,080 --> 00:43:33,180 bring it back to an individual level. 742 00:43:33,180 --> 00:43:36,514 And it's at that individual level where you can understand 743 00:43:36,514 --> 00:43:39,180 the suffering, not at a societal level. 744 00:43:39,180 --> 00:43:43,680 At the individual level, it depends simply on whether you 745 00:43:43,680 --> 00:43:48,180 have ignorance or distortions in the world, but in the mind. 746 00:43:48,180 --> 00:43:50,930 If you haven't got those, you're not going to suffer no matter 747 00:43:50,930 --> 00:43:52,930 what. If you have those, you are going 748 00:43:52,930 --> 00:43:56,180 to suffer no matter what. Does that answer your question? 749 00:43:56,180 --> 00:44:00,680 I'm just wondering if the impact of some of these things that 750 00:44:00,680 --> 00:44:05,180 actually happened could be lessened with more dialogue, 751 00:44:05,180 --> 00:44:11,680 when things are arising from the dialogue that's going on in the 752 00:44:11,680 --> 00:44:13,895 world. It could be sort of like 753 00:44:13,895 --> 00:44:16,180 management of how all countries are doing that. 754 00:44:17,180 --> 00:44:21,180 And Buddhist leaders have done that. 755 00:44:21,180 --> 00:44:23,180 There's a lot of stories about it. 756 00:44:23,180 --> 00:44:26,180 There's a lot of wisdom in Buddhism. 757 00:44:26,180 --> 00:44:30,580 Sometimes I think that the leaders aren't really aware of 758 00:44:30,580 --> 00:44:35,180 it. And if there's some dialogue, it 759 00:44:35,180 --> 00:44:41,180 manages the government. It would be a less problem. 760 00:44:41,180 --> 00:44:45,180 Yeah, I think maybe you're right. 761 00:44:45,180 --> 00:44:47,514 I think it's certainly, if more of the Buddhist practice and 762 00:44:47,514 --> 00:44:50,514 principles were used by governments around the world, it 763 00:44:50,514 --> 00:44:54,180 might actually be very helpful. I have no doubt about that. 764 00:44:54,180 --> 00:44:56,180 But the interesting thing is that you go to Buddhist... 765 00:44:56,180 --> 00:44:58,180 Thailand is a Buddhist country here. 766 00:44:58,180 --> 00:45:01,180 And many of the leaders in Thailand are Buddhists. 767 00:45:01,180 --> 00:45:06,180 I think 95% of the Thai population is Buddhist. 768 00:45:06,180 --> 00:45:08,180 Most of the leaders are Buddhist. 769 00:45:08,180 --> 00:45:10,180 And still you have these problems. 770 00:45:10,180 --> 00:45:12,930 Go to Sri Lanka. You have a civil war going on 771 00:45:12,930 --> 00:45:14,930 there. Now the man who is the president 772 00:45:14,930 --> 00:45:17,180 of Sri Lanka right now, he's a Buddhist. 773 00:45:17,180 --> 00:45:19,818 Right? Some of those generals who fight 774 00:45:19,818 --> 00:45:22,980 in the army are Buddhists. So the problem is that even 775 00:45:22,980 --> 00:45:25,736 though people are Buddhist and are supposed to enact some of 776 00:45:25,736 --> 00:45:29,070 these principles, very often human nature is such that it 777 00:45:29,070 --> 00:45:32,180 sort of overrules the principles of Buddhism. 778 00:45:32,180 --> 00:45:35,636 And it takes, you know, it sort of gets in the way for applying 779 00:45:35,636 --> 00:45:37,895 those principles. I think that is often the 780 00:45:37,895 --> 00:45:40,181 difficulty. The difficulty is that the world 781 00:45:40,181 --> 00:45:42,736 is so complicated. And when you get in a position 782 00:45:42,736 --> 00:45:45,680 of government, the pressures on you are so high from all kinds 783 00:45:45,680 --> 00:45:47,468 of directions. I think sometimes we need to 784 00:45:47,468 --> 00:45:49,180 have a bit more compassion on our leaders. 785 00:45:49,180 --> 00:45:52,038 I mean, if you look at the newspapers, we always criticize 786 00:45:52,038 --> 00:45:54,736 our leaders so enormously, no matter where they are and how 787 00:45:54,736 --> 00:45:57,180 they are. But sometimes we have to think, 788 00:45:57,180 --> 00:45:59,580 I think it's a very difficult position to be in the leadership 789 00:45:59,580 --> 00:46:02,336 of a country. How easy is it to always be 790 00:46:02,336 --> 00:46:05,516 fair, always do the right thing? It is incredibly difficult 791 00:46:05,516 --> 00:46:08,180 because the forces on you are so strong. 792 00:46:08,180 --> 00:46:10,180 But ultimately, I agree with you. 793 00:46:10,180 --> 00:46:16,180 I think that maybe in Thailand if they had a dialogue, it might 794 00:46:16,180 --> 00:46:18,430 be better. But maybe the circumstances are 795 00:46:18,430 --> 00:46:21,070 such that there is so much animosity that maybe a dialogue 796 00:46:21,070 --> 00:46:23,180 is difficult at this point. I don't know. 797 00:46:23,180 --> 00:46:25,180 I mean, in principle, I agree with you. 798 00:46:25,180 --> 00:46:28,873 But I think the reality is often very, very complex and very 799 00:46:28,873 --> 00:46:30,349 difficult. I think the best thing you can 800 00:46:30,349 --> 00:46:33,930 do very often is that, at least for myself as a monk, I feel if 801 00:46:33,930 --> 00:46:36,514 I can give teachings which are useful for people, and 802 00:46:36,514 --> 00:46:40,180 hopefully, you know, those will sort of spread out in society 803 00:46:40,180 --> 00:46:43,181 and be used out there. And for other people, by all 804 00:46:43,181 --> 00:46:45,180 means, help out. Have compassion. 805 00:46:45,180 --> 00:46:47,180 Do something good. But be careful. 806 00:46:47,180 --> 00:46:51,764 Always be very careful that wanting to do something in the 807 00:46:51,764 --> 00:46:55,180 world doesn't destroy your own peace of mind. 808 00:46:55,180 --> 00:46:59,180 Make sure it doesn't make you angry or upset at the world. 809 00:46:59,180 --> 00:47:01,880 Make sure you practice enough to have understanding and 810 00:47:01,880 --> 00:47:04,728 compassion, even for the leaders, even for the 811 00:47:04,728 --> 00:47:08,580 perpetrators of the crime, because ultimately they're all 812 00:47:08,580 --> 00:47:10,514 suffering. And they're all doing, if they 813 00:47:10,514 --> 00:47:13,805 do stupid things, it's because of delusion and because of 814 00:47:13,805 --> 00:47:15,930 misunderstanding. Not because they want to be bad 815 00:47:15,930 --> 00:47:18,364 people. Nobody, I think it's fair to 816 00:47:18,364 --> 00:47:22,000 say, wants to be bad. So remember that, because it's 817 00:47:22,000 --> 00:47:25,181 very easy to become very self-righteous and then become 818 00:47:25,181 --> 00:47:27,680 angry and things. It's not going to help anybody, 819 00:47:27,680 --> 00:47:42,180 I think. Yeah. . . . 820 00:47:42,180 --> 00:48:10,180 .