Anathapindika and his view

AN 10. 93 Kiṁdiṭṭhikasutta

“Venerable sirs, whatever has been brought into being, is fabricated, willed, dependently originated, that is inconstant. Whatever is inconstant is stress. Whatever is stress is not me, is not what I am, is not my self. Having seen this well with right discernment as it actually is present, I also discern the higher escape from it as it actually is present.”

What do you understand by the statements:

  1. whatever has been brought into being
  2. discern the higher escape from it as it actually is present
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  1. Anything that is not nibbana,
  2. Nibbana.
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Is the dhamma nibbana? or is it fabricated?

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You’re not asking me but by dhamma do you mean

Dhamma = The teachings of the Buddha or
dhamma = thoughts/mind-processes etc?

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yes, good to clarify it…

dhamma as the truth underlying the spoken teachings of the Buddha

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Thank you for the suggestions. In the broadest sense, this might be true.

Question is how do you use the understanding for the practice?

My understanding is that dhammas as cognizable phenomena (including both the teachings of the Buddha and the truths they describe) are fabricated (saṅkhata) (AN 4.34).

They are saṅkhata dhammas (fabricated/conditioned phenomena) because they are dependent on contact (phassa) which is dependent on consciousness (viññāna). Without a consciousness to cognize those phenomena (or truths, principles, natural laws), these do no exist from a subjective point of view, which is all that matters when it comes to suffering.

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This means knowledge of the difference between conventional and ultimate reality, of that
between conditioned and unconditioned. It is necessary to have a grasp of the conditioned ‘as it actually is present’ before the unconditioned can be known by contrast, which is a higher order thinking skill expected by the suttas to be familiar to the practitioner.

" There is, monks, an unborn[1] — unbecome — unmade — unfabricated. If there were not that unborn — unbecome — unmade — unfabricated, there would not be the case that escape from the born — become — made — fabricated would be discerned. But precisely because there is an unborn — unbecome — unmade — unfabricated, escape from the born — become — made — fabricated is discerned.[2]—Ud 8.3

Once there is the ability to contrast, separating one from the other in actual practice is in the differentiation between feelings of the flesh and not of the flesh in the second foundation of mindfulness.

Deepening insight p 36:

“In sum, sensuality arouses worldly pleasant vedanās,
whereas the lower absorptions arouse unworldly pleasant
vedanās. In this way, the distinction of vedanās into worldly
and unworldly types can serve as a tool to direct attention to
the overall quality of the mind, in the sense of investigating
whether it is related to sensuality or its absence. In other
words, in the case of joyful vedanā this distinction relates
to the question of the underlying tendency to passion.”

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You might find the discussion around the parallels interesting here: Kiṁdiṭṭhika sutta - Translations - Discuss & Discover (suttacentral.net)

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In many ways.

In meditation, whatever arises is brought into being, knowing that they are impermanent, one doesn’t need to be agitated at whatever arises (typically unwholesome or distracting thoughts), one doesn’t need to be attached to whatever arises (typically the joy and happiness).

Do the reflection as the sutta quote you did in the OP, drop any clinging to anything which is impermanent, suffering, not self.

Just not planting any craving, any clinging, the fuel, the delighting of things dry up and things stop being produced. Only left past kammas for the arahant to live until their final death. What’s left? Nibbana. Cessation. Of course, that’s a theoretical understanding and may need a long time with a lot of practice to be able to get it.

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Thank you for pointing out the Agama SA968 and SA2 202. I find the argument easier to follow. This is my understanding.

Whatever that is viewed and uphold as a reality, as an existence, they have following characteristics:

  1. conditioned, intended
  2. considered, measured, thought out
  3. dependently originated

Due to these characteristics, they are impermanent. One has a sense of entitlement to the reality that one uphold. When experience differs from one’s view, one resists. When it coincides, one craves and clings. When one is not vested in the experience, one ignores it, feels bored and probably seeks out another experience. In any case, one is dissatisfied with experiencing things that are impermanent.

Seeing this as it actually is, one does not own and uphold those views. One does not consider them as me, mine or Self.

When questioned if Anathappindika suffers due to this view of his? He replied that he did not say he owns that very view too. That is right view is merely right view.

SA968

長者答言:「我之所見真實、有為、思量、緣起,若復真實、有為、思量、緣起者,彼則無常,無常者是苦。如是知已,於一切見都無所得。如汝所見:『世間常,此是真實,餘則虛妄。』者,此見真實、有為、思量、緣起;若真實、有為、思量、緣起者,是則無常,無常者是苦。是故汝等習近於苦,唯得於苦,堅住於苦,深入於苦。如是汝言世間無常,此是真實,餘則虛妄。有如是咎。」

長者答言:「我先不言所見者,是真實、有為、思量、緣起法,悉皆無常,無常者是苦,知苦已,我於所見無所得耶?」

SA2 202

须达答言:「如我所见,一切众生悉是有为,从诸因缘和合而有。言因缘者,即是业也。若假因缘和合有者,即是无常,无常即苦,苦即无我。以是义故,我于诸见,心无存着。汝诸外道作如是言:『一切诸法常,唯此为实,余皆妄语。』如此计者,乃是众苦之根本也,以贪着斯诸邪见者,与苦相应,能忍大苦,于生死中,受无穷苦,皆由计有,世界是常,乃至死后非生于彼非不生彼。如斯诸见,实是有为,业集因缘之所和合。以此推之,当知无常,无常即苦,苦即无我。」

须达答言:「我先已说,一切诸见,心无所著,是故我今亦复不着如斯之见。」

Thank you for linking your previous post on the same subject into this discussion. Perhaps this discussion can be merged into the previous one?

I don’t have any objection to that.

Found this on

It’s very nice repond

Instead of defining them, I invite you to experience it… or rather become aware of the conditioned mind you already are experiencing.

Some questions that may trigger the awareness…
What brand of clothing do you like or prefer?
What brand of car do you love?
What kind of man/woman do you think is hot?
Where would you like to go on vacation?
Android or iPhone?
Whom do you consider as your hero?
Which religion is for you?
What are your political views?
Are you Vegetarian? Vegan? Love meat?

All these question are easily answerable… easy. But, why do you hate what you hate, love what you love?

What formed your opinions? What formed your views, perceptions?

Mostly they are from mass-media, teachers we had, books we read, friends we cherished, heroes we worshiped.

So if you are a bundle of conditioning that you soaked unknowingly all your life… there comes a time you start to realise it. Everything you do, like, hate, speak, love, comes from some kind of external message, propaganda, one sided stories - they are in one word… unexamined.

Now, having realised this, some of us go to the other extreme… do everything the opposite what the masses do… or go about attempting to have an unconditioned mind.

They are unexamined, because you are like a simple robot… action, reaction… because that is how it was, it is for others, normal, that’s what your friends do or say, your heroes do or say, …

The awareness now has fallen on a conditioned mind. The intellectual mind goes off to fight it. Another condition. Subtle.

As one grows in awareness, the things you start to do, are the things that really resonate deep within you. You start to examine your own dukkha, dukkha in others. An arising of compassion.>

Unconditioned mind is an idealised version of itself. Mind loves it! Why? It now can work on it forever, without reaching it.

Mind fights, heart remains.

When certain conditions are right, Fire occurs.
Absent certain necessary conditions, Fire ceases.

Would it be correct to term the absence of Fire because of the lack of necessary conditions a conditioned state? :thinking:

of course, the absence of fire occurs on the condition that there is no fuel and on the condition that there is no ignition and so on. both the arising and the cessation are conditoined.

when that, then this
when that is not then no this

that sort of thing.

I think.

I think “what has been brought into being” means everything there is, or all phenomena, more or less, not in an absolute metaphysical sense of ALL, just in the sense of all the phenomena you ever experience.

“the higher escape” is disenchantment, disillusionment, giving up concern for, breaking the habit of, really seeing the truth of “this too shall pass” and therefore not being attached to phenomena.

Not being attached, it is freed.

pretty much by definition.

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