Dispassion is said to be the best of all things whether conditioned or unconditioned.
So there is unconditioned phenomena (dhamma).
Yāvatā, cundi, dhammā saṅkhatā vā asaṅkhatā vā, virāgo tesaṁ aggamakkhāyati, yadidaṁ—**
Let’s start with a few assumptions and definitions how this fits in with dispassion:
- This unconditoned phenomena is also:
the uninclined, the undefiled, the truth, the far shore, the subtle, the very hard to see, the freedom from old age, the constant, the not falling apart, the invisible, the unproliferated, the peaceful, the freedom from death, the sublime, the state of grace, the sanctuary, the ending of craving, the incredible, the amazing, the untroubled, the not liable to trouble, extinguishment, the unafflicted, dispassion, purity, freedom, not clinging, the island, the protection, the shelter, the refuge.
So that is why dispassion is considered the most important thing to practice in MN 1:
- Dispassion is unconditioned
So this is really true then that:
‘There is such an attainment where the one who enters it does not feel anything at all.’” - MN 136
And that is why Sariputtā said:
“Reverends, extinguishment is bliss! Extinguishment is bliss!” When he said this, Venerable Udāyī said to him, “But Reverend Sāriputta, what’s blissful about it, since nothing is felt?” “The fact that nothing is felt is precisely what’s blissful about it.
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But it is, despite this, still possible to delight in the Unconditioned and identity with the Unconditioned as ”I” ”Me” and ”Mine”, just as MN 1 says.
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And this attainment where the one who enters it does not feel anything at all, is the very same as that immersion beyond all planes of existence and all conditioned phenomena AN 10.6 & AN 10.7 where one can still perceive.
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And what one can still perceive, when going beyond all conditioned phenomena (as in AN 10.6 and AN 10.7) is in fact the unconditioned phenomena.
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So how can anyone be so sure it is ”impossible” to perceive the unconditioned in a dispassionate way?
When Dispassion, is both the goal and the entire path:
Just as SN 43.36 says it is:
dispassion …
Virāgañca vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi virāgagāmiñca maggaṁ.
Taṁ suṇātha.
Katamo ca, bhikkhave, virāgo …pe…?
To perceive not feeling at all in absolute stillness beyond anything in existence gives a better impression of truly being beyond logic and reason - atakkāvacara, then what being unconscious does. Something everyone has experienced and will experience.
- The immersion mentioned in AN 10.6 & AN 10.7 is really 100% Atakkāvacara - beyond logic and reason.
Regarding Dispassion, which is both the goal and the entire path:
- No darkness is found in that immersion but instead light infinite, luminous all-round:
“In the place where the water, earth, fire, and wind find no footing, There the stars do not shine, nor does the sun give light, There the moon does not glow, there darkness is not found. - Ud1.10
- So from this point of view it is fully understandable that puthujjanas and all others not in the higher training of dispassion would indeed delight in Nibbãna, just as MN 1 says.
As in delighting in nibbãna in the locative case: Nibbānasmiṃ
The wrong view is not someone getting immersed in water and delighting in all water-related things. It is not wrong view that there is water, since there is water.
The wrong view is delighting and identifying.
- Big difference.
Nibbānadhatu - So not all dhammas are conditioned then, like the element of Nibbāna that is an unconditioned dhamma/phenomena.
The Buddha says the unconditioned element should be directly known:
What two things should be directly known?
Two elements:
the conditioned element and the unconditioned element. - DN 34
Here is one more:
*“But sir, could there be another way in which a mendicant is qualified to be called ‘skilled in the elements’?” *
“There could, Ānanda.
There are these two elements:
the conditioned element and the unconditioned element.
When a mendicant knows and sees these two elements,
they’re qualified to be called ‘skilled in the elements’.” (MN 115)
And these suttas also say a great deal:
“There is, mendicants, that dimension where there is no earth, no water, no fire, no wind; no dimension of infinite space, no dimension of infinite consciousness, no dimension of nothingness, no dimension of neither perception nor non-perception; no this world, no other world, no moon or sun.
There, mendicants, I say there is no coming or going or remaining or passing away or reappearing.
It is not established, does not proceed, and has no support. Just this is the end of suffering.” (Ud 8.1)
“There is, mendicants, an unborn, unproduced, unmade, and unconditioned. If there were no unborn, unproduced, unmade, and unconditioned, then you would find no escape here from the born, produced, made, and conditioned. But since there is an unborn, unproduced, unmade, and unconditioned, an escape is found from the born, produced, made, and conditioned.” (Ud 8.3)
Beyond the scope of logic:
“What’s born, produced, and arisen,
made, conditioned, not lasting,
wrapped in old age and death,
frail, a nest of disease,
generated by food and the conduit to rebirth:
that’s not fit to delight in.
The escape from that is peaceful,
beyond the scope of logic, everlasting,
unborn and unarisen,
the sorrowless, stainless state,
the cessation of all painful things,
the stilling of conditions, bliss.” (iti 43)
“Mendicants, conditioned phenomena have these three characteristics.
What three?
Arising is evident, vanishing is evident, and change while persisting is evident.
These are the three characteristics of conditioned phenomena.”
“Unconditioned phenomena have these three characteristics.
What three?
No arising is evident, no vanishing is evident, and no change while persisting is evident.
These are the three characteristics of unconditioned phenomena.”
(AN 3.47)
If anyone wants to get technical about how all this I quoted is actually not true, fine by me.
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