Discourse to Venerable Kaccānagotta (Kaccānagotta Sutta)

by Sayadaw Dr. Nandamālābhivamsa
Today, I will explain the essence of Kaccānagotta Sutta. It is found in the Nidānasaṃyutta which explains the Dependent Origination. This Kaccānagotta sutta (Discourse to Venerable Kaccānagotta) is very important for a practitioner who practices insight meditation. Without the understanding of this kind of discourse (sutta), we cannot comprehend our knowledge in Dhamma.

Let us consider the case of Venerable Channa[1], who was the attendant to the Bodhisatta. He followed the Bodhisatta since he renounced the world who ordained himself after leaving the palace. Later on, Channa too joined the monastic order, but he practiced meditation without a good foundation. The foundation of meditation has two types of knowledges. The first is the Analytical knowledge of mind and matter (nāma-rūpaparichedañāṇa), and the second is the knowledge of causality (paccayapariggahañāṇa). These two knowledges are the foundation of Vipassanā meditation. Bhikkhu Channa did not succeed in meditation because he lacked basic knowledge of the above mentioned two. Therefore, it is very important for meditators to understand this fully.

The first knowledge is gained through an analytical knowledge of mind and matter (nāma-rūpaparichedañāṇa). This is called the purification of view (diṭṭhivisuddhi); whereas knowledge of causality (paccayapariggahañāṇa) is said to be the knowledge of overcoming doubt (kaṅkhavitaraṇavisuddhi).

As such, the book of “The Path to Purity”[2] (Visuddhimagga), written by Ven. Buddhaghosa, indicates the fact that these two knowledges are very important factors to enter the path to purity. Whoever has gained such knowledge stands in the Buddha’s Dispensation (sāsana[3]), as a junior stream-enterer (Cūḷa-sotāpanna). This person is not a stream-enterer (sotāpanna) though, but looks like a stream-enterer, so he/she is a junior or small stream-enterer. Stream-enterer is the first type of a noble person (the first stage of sainthood).

 So this Discourse of Venerable Kaccāyana (Kaccānagottasutta) clarifies and explains these two knowledges in detail. According to the sutta, the monk Kaccānagotta approached the Buddha and asked a question. His question was very simple: ‘‘Sammādiṭṭhi sammādiṭṭhī ’ ti, bhante, vuccati. Kittāvatā nu kho, bhante, sammādiṭṭhi hotī’’― “Venerable sir, many people say it is right view, it is right view. What is the measurement to right view?”
The Buddha explained that the two knowledges mentioned above in this sutta are the measurement and the right view of insight knowledge (vipassanā sammādiṭṭhi)

According to the commentary, there are five kinds of right view:
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The Dhammānupassanā from the Philology Viewpoint, and the Cause and Effect

 

Philology Point
Dhammānupassanā is formed by Dhamma+anupassana. The word Dhamma comes from the root √dhar (to bear) and the suffix-ma. This Dhamma means all mental and physical phenomena, which bear or hold own intrinsic nature, such as phassa (contact) which has the nature to contact with object, and citta (consciousness) which has the nature to cognize the object.

Anu=again and again. Passana =√dis>pass+ana. The root √dis is to see. Therefore, anupassana means to see with the wisdom eye again and again. What does it suppose to see? The mind supposes to see the real nature of the mental and physical phenomena, or nāma and rūpa.

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Optimism versus Realism

Yesterday, we started our Pali and Abhidhamma class after lunch, so I did have a few hours free in the morning. I met some young sayalays, some are half-orphans, and some without parents. I followed them wandering around the Thabarwa centre.

We did chanting together and circling around the pagoda. Then they showed me their favourite places and trees. Their favourite stick was stuck among the branches, so we tried to hit it with a stone or another branch to make it fall down.

On the way to a monastery, the young nuns saw flowers on the ground, and they were happy. They plucked the flowers, and I suggested them to offer them to the Buddha.
After paying respect to the Buddha statues in a nearby pagoda, they pointed to me a tree that had many fruits (the name is Ji thi), and then they were busy collecting the fruits. Then they saw a statue of ascetic that is sitting on the ground, and they hug it like old friends. (You can see in the photos attached.)

Normally, the children in Myanmar grow among the nature, and live together with friends. They play with neighbours and classmates, and have many friends. They look at people with fearless eyes, because they are not afraid of strangers. That is why Myanmar children have big and open eyes.

I was thinking, these young nuns are young, yet they are happy with nature, Their minds are not burdened with burdens of life, i.e. aging, sickness, death, sorrow and lamentation.

How can we, still maintain some innocence like them, looking at the world with optimism, with hope, at the same time, having a matured mind knowing the sufferings in life? How to balance optimism with the reality of life?                                    

I think, the answer is one has to see the outer world with optimism, but see the inner world that is composed of five aggregates that are arising and falling away, with wisdom.

         (17th Feb 2016, by Sayalay Cala Theri)

Why I became a nun?

Personal Story from Sayalay Aggavati

Enjoyment

I worked as a tour guide before I became a nun, when I was working as a tour guide. I used to dress up well, had great fun by going to different places and meeting different types of people. I enjoyed my work very much. It was an exciting and enriching experience. I visited many parts of Myanmar.

Personal Suffering

Then, on one occasion, I went with some tourists to a hilly place in a forest. The place was full of mosquitoes and I suffered from mosquito bites and I was infected with malaria. Without knowing my situation, I went back to my home in Yangon. After a few days, at the middle of one night, my body felt feverish, and I suffered from very high fever.

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WHAT BUDDHISTS BELIEVE

WHAT BUDDHISTS BELIEVE

By Sayadaw Dr. Nandamālābhivaṃsa[1]

          Buddhists believe in the Buddha, believe in kamma; believing that conditioned things are impermanent, unsatisfactory (sorrow) and have no soul. You can see clearly that the Buddhists believe in the Buddha. When we believe in the Buddha, we believe in the knowledge of the Buddha that is omniscient (sabbaññutañāṇa) which means the Buddha knows everything. The Buddha teaches universal truth. It can be divided into two: the wholesome state and the unwholesome state. It is different from other religions.

In other religions, people believe in God, or the Creator. This God creates everything. We are created by God, therefore God blesses the people. People pray to God and confess to him. Buddhists do not believe in God neither do they believe that God is the Creator. We are not created by God.

     According to the Buddhist texts, God is none other than Brahma: the Brahma god. In his past life, he successfully practiced samatha (concentration) meditation. Then he was reborn as the Brahma god. He is powerful because of his practice. He cannot create everything

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[1]                  Note: This Dhamma talk given by Sayadaw Dr. Nandamālā at ITBM University in 20 December 2015. We are very inspired by this Dhamma talk, therefore we like to share this Dhamma with you all. This has not been checked by sayadaw. Please forgive us for any mistake found in this transcription and editing. Transcription by Serena Ho, Edited by Sayalay Cālā Therī and Ng Pei Fuen. This is under our Aggācāra Dhamma Project.

                                                             [Click here to read more]