Vipassana 'as it is' sans labels & concepts

VIPASSANA ‘AS IT IS’ SANS LABELS & CONCEPTS

true vipassana is the process of choice-less, effort-less, label-less & concept-less (pannatti thapetva) observation of the reality of nama-rupa ‘as it is’ (yathabhuta) from moment-to-moment.

the mahasatipatthana sutta does not teach ‘not to react’ to sensations or to forcibly cultivate ‘equanimity’ at the level of sensations. instead the buddha repeatedly says “pajanati” - to be completely aware of the reality of nama-rupa manifesting from moment-to-moment ‘as it is’ without any restraint, restriction, control or correction. sankharas arise & pass away and equanimity naturally & effortlessly develops on its own as a corollary of such pure awareness.

vipassana is not a technique but, a process of observation. the vipassanic process of silent mere-bare observation is without the imposition or addition of any analysis, concept or label on what is being observed. the observer is the observed.

the mahasatipatthana sutta does not teach to begin the practice of vipassana with the forced psychological imposition of the concept of equanimity or anicca on sensations. buddha’s teaching in the mahasatipatthana sutta is all about the silent awareness of the reality of mind-matter ‘as it is’ (yathabhuta) whatever the reality may be from moment-to-moment - whether the reality manifests as arising-and-passing-away (samudaya vyaya) or whether it is the mere-bare impersonal awareness of the ‘empty’ phenomenon of nama-rupa rolling on (yavadeva nanamattaya patisatimattaya) or whether the mind reacts with craving (sa-raga) or aversion (sa-dosa) to sensations (samisa or niramisa vedana) or whatever reality is actually manifesting at ‘that’ moment.

the forced psychological imposition of the concept of equanimity or anicca and that too exclusively on body sensations is not the original teaching of the buddha or the original tradition of sayagyi u ba khin. buddha’s vipassana begins with yathabhuta nanadassana (observation of the reality ‘as it is’) and is not about the effortful forced cultivation of “equanimity”.

the original teaching of sayagyi u ba khin at IMC is in accordance with undistorted pure (paripunno & parisuddho) buddha-dhamma. sayagyi did not improvise & invent any new technique to attract more followers. sayagyi u ba khin did not teach to forcibly maintain equanimity at the level of body sensations and instead taught to experientially see (not psychologically or intellectually analyse & ‘understand’) anicca, dukkha, anatta of the nama-rupa phenomenon.

interestingly, a word search of sayagyi u ba khin’s collected texts published by IMC confirms that sayagyi used words like ‘equanimity’ & ‘equanimous’ only in the context of samadhi and NOT even once in the context of panna (vipassana). sayagyi u ba khin’s vipassana is a choiceless awareness of anicca or dukkha or anatta of the yathabhuta reality from moment-to-moment. period.

there is no mention of the words ‘anicca, dukkha, anatta’ in the mahasatipatthana sutta and it confirms that bhagava’s vipassana is the direct experience of paramattha sacca at the level of tilakkhanas & the tilakkhanas are not a psychological concept (pannatti) or “label” to be thoughtfully or psychologically or analytically ‘understood’ and affixed to the sensations. anicca lakkhana is the direct experience of samudaya-vyaya & not a thoughtful analysis or concept. sayagyi u ba khin pointed out that dukkha lakkhana is the experiential understanding of tejo dhatu nature of all mind-body phenomenon. referring to the oft quoted saying of upacala theri (therigatha) - one may surmise that ‘sabbo pajjalito loko’ is dukkha-lakkhana & ‘sabbo loko pakampito’ is anicca lakkhana. anatta lakkhana is seeing the nama-rupa phenomenon as impersonal & ‘empty’ phenomenon rolling on.

the vipassanic process may be begun by observing any dimension or facet of the nama-rupa phenomenon. all four satipatthanas are one [catunnaṃ satipaṭṭhānānaṃ ekena satipaṭṭhānena (Peṭakopadesapāḷi. Pañcamabhūmi) & ekameva satipaṭṭhānaṃ ārammaṇavasena cattāroti etadeva vuttaṃ. (Mahavagga Attakatha & Mulapannasa Attakatha)] and one does not need to exclusively search only for anicca lakkhana & exclude the other two lakkhana (dukkha & anatta) of the paramattha sacca. equanimity is something that naturally & effortlessly develops on its own at a later stage and this is confirmed by the fact that udayabbyaya-nana, bhanga-nana & nibbida-nana PRECEDE the sankhara upekkha nana in the stages of insight. same is the chronological order in the suttas and also in the bojjhangas.

the statements made in this article are not the personal view or interpretation of the author. a careful study of the mahasatipatthana sutta, attakathas, ven. ledi sayadaw’s dipanis & the collected dhamma texts authored by sayagyi u ba khin will confirm the statements made in this brief article. the author can cite numerous references from the tipitaka, ven. ledi sayadaw’s dipanis & also the texts authored by sayagyi u ba khin in support of the statements made herein.

this is pure & undistorted vipassana as taught by the bhagava in the mahasatipatthana sutta & in accordance with the traditional burmese definition of vipassana as “pannatti thapetva visesena passati’ti vipassana” & as was originally taught by sayagyi u ba khin at IMC.

the buddha was a revolutionary par excellance. the unparalleled ‘cattaro satipatthana bhavana’ ekayano maggo teaching of the buddha is a total revolution in the psyche and has the potential to fundamental transform our life, thought process & the entire world. undoubtedly, you are the world & the world is you.

the forceful psychological imposition of the concept of equanimity or anicca exclusively on body sensations is a new & improvised technique which is akin to a concept-laden (sa-pannatti & not pannatti thapetva) practice of samadhi (शमथ) on body sensations and is not the original vipassana as taught by the buddha or the original teaching of saya thetgyi or the original IMC tradition of sayagyi u ba khin. any conceptual meditation is not universal and is bound to be a ‘technique’ and all techniques further condition the mind. the way to de-condition the mind is not through the ‘practice’ of any conceptual meditation technique. samadhi kammatthana may be a concept (pannatti) but, if it is real vipassana - it will be a concept-free (pannatti thapetva) bhavana of nama-rupa paramattha sacca.

the unique incident of the realization of buddha-hood by siddhartha gotama 2550 years ago stands testimony. prince siddhartha had studied various philosophies & practiced many austerities. despite achieving the highest 8th jhana - the bodhisattva found that his mind was not totally de-conditioned and that the sankharas of anusaya-kilesa remained. the night of vesaka purnima was a turning point for him because now he completely abandoned the effortful & chosen path of doer-ship which comes with conceptual samadhi practices, austerities and philosophies and instead started observing the concept-less (pannatti thapetva) reality of nama-rupa ‘as it is’ (yathabhuta nanadassana) and this mere-bare awareness of the truth from moment-to-moment (visesena passati’ti vipassana) led to the realization of supreme Enlightenment - sammasambodhi - which cannot be reached through any conceptual practice.

religions and meditation techniques with concepts (pannatti) are many. may all who come in contact with buddha dhamma understand that the unique contribution of buddha is not about the concept imbued practice of sila (morality) or samadhi (concentration) but, the concept-less effortless & choiceless awareness of the totality of the nama-rupa phenomenon manifesting from moment-to-moment. only such a pure awareness can be called a concept-less (pannatti thapetva) ‘ekayano maggo’ that can de-sankharize (de-condition) the mind.

with glory to the triple gems and all those who have unshakeable saddha on the triple gems,

rejoicing with much metta,

  • manish

That is incorrect:

“He discerns how there is the arising of unarisen sensual desire. And he discerns how there is the abandoning of sensual desire once it has arisen. And he discerns how there is no future arising of sensual desire that has been abandoned.”—MN 10

Investigation is the first active factor of the factors of awakening, mindfulness being the overall governing factor. “How” means there must be investigation of what causes a hindrance to arise, and what strategies are successful in its abandonment.

“One of the most striking features of mindfulness as taught in the modern
world is how far it differs from the Canon’s teachings on right mindfulness.
Instead of being a function of memory, it’s depicted primarily—in some cases,
purely—as a function of attention to the present moment. Instead of being
purposeful, it is without agenda. Instead of making choices, it is choiceless and
without preferences.”—Thanissaro, “Right Mindfulness, chap 4 ‘The Burden of Bare Attention.’”

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Just be careful, The Buddha never ask you to do a ‘Vipassana’, in fact he taught us to practice ‘Bhavana’.

He never ask us to do a ‘Samatha’ or any kind of meditation, just do a ‘Bhavana’ for our own good.

He taught us the ‘Noble-8-Path’, not to stop at ‘Sati’ or go straight to ‘Samadhi’. In fact he asked us to do it one by one and in sequence.

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respected and learned friend,

much metta!

  1. i won’t comment on anything said by the sangha.
    sangham saranam gacchami.

  2. the vipassanic moment is definitely effortless & choiceless. or else the yathabhuta-nanadassana bhavanamayi-panna vipassana will become a part of cintamayi panna / yonisomanasikara / paccavekkhati conceptual psychoanalysis or interpretation.

because vipassanic moment is effort-less, choice-less & label-less yathabhuta nanadassana - it becomes possible to de-condition the mind. navanca kammam na karoti. puranca kammam phussa phussa vyanti karoti.

  1. there may be moments in-between or after a period of vipassana when the thoughtful / interpretative / conceptual mind may intervene for post-review (paccavekkhati).

  2. what you quoted can also be a part of label-less, effort-less & choice-less dhammanupassana i.e. cattaro satipatthana bhavana.

Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu santaṃ vā ajjhattaṃ kāmacchandaṃ ‘atthi me ajjhattaṃ kāmacchando’ ti pajānāti, asantaṃ vā ajjhattaṃ kāmacchandaṃ ‘natthi me ajjhattaṃ kāmacchando’ ti pajānāti, yathā ca anuppannassa kāmacchandassa uppādo hoti taṃ ca pajānāti, yathā ca uppannassa kāmacchandassa pahānaṃ hoti taṃ ca pajānāti, yathā ca pahīnassa kāmacchandassa āyatiṃ anuppādo hoti taṃ ca pajānāti.
(dhammanupassana. nivarana pabbam)

  1. if vipassana is “pannatti thapetva visesena passati’ti vipassana” then only it can be “yathabhuta nanadassana” and if so - it has to be effortless, choiceless & labelless observation of the reality ‘as it is’. a journey from doer to observer to observer-is-observed (yavadeva nanamattaya patisatimattaya anissito ca viharati).

  2. samadhi is with concept, effort & choice. vipassana (panya) is a different dimension altogether. vipassana is yathabhutam pajanati. samadhim bhikkhave bhaveth. samahito yathabhutam pajanati.

  3. re: your comment on “investigation”. do you mean dhamma-vicaya? if so, kindly refer to various dipanis by ven. ledi sayadaw including the vipassana dipani. ven. ledi sayadaw incorporates all kinds of vipassana within the dhamma-vicaya bojjhanga & states that it is a function of panna cetasika. bojjhanga pabbam is a part of dhammanupassana and samma-sati has been defined by the buddha as the bhavana of all four satipatthanas i.e. the entire field of nama-rupa. atapi sampajano satima - effortlessly & choicelessly. so, no contradiction at all. vipassana is a moment-to-moment awareness of the yathabhuta reality of ‘that’ moment and this dhamma-vicaya continues from olariko to sukhuma to sukhuma’ti to nibbana. imusu catusu ariyasaccesu evam tiparivattam dvadasakaram “yathabhutam nanadassanam” suvisuddham ahosi.

  4. vipassana is definitely not a technique with a doer technician! it is mere-bare observation of the reality as it is. in brief - the vipassanic “strategy” to de-condition the mind is very simple - effort-less & choice-less & label-less yathabhuta observation of the reality ‘as it is’ from moment-to-moment. this yathabhuta paramattha sacca bhavana covers everything - all four satipatthanas & all seven bojjhangas. navanca kammam na karoti. puranca kammam phussa phussa vyanti karoti…leading to vimutti.

  5. the traditional burmese definition of vipassana “pannatti thapetva visesena passati’ti vipassana”…this is the essence of ven. ledi sayadaw’s vipassana & paramattha dipanis & also patisambhidamagga attakatha nanakatha. you may reflect on what is that ‘pannatti-free’ observation that elevates ordinary passati to ‘visesena passati’ti’ and makes it vipassana!

with respect & much metta,

manish

Agreed, it even goes a little further back to Yoniso Manasikara (proper attention). The suttas show that before one can even have sati-sampajanna and sense-restraint they need to have yoniso manasikara.

Yoniso Manasikara is simply having your attention on your mind, thoughts in particular, rather than the world.

Before one can remove an unwholesome thought, one has to be aware of thoughts arising in the mind in the first place.

So I disagree with @dhammachakka , there’s countless suttas where the Buddha tells you to obliterate and wipe out of existence unwholesome thoughts.

In fact, in the panner sutta, the Buddha even says forceful suppression is necessary at first. He even says in another sutta that one should smash their teeth and their tongue against the palate if they have to, to remove a stubborn unwholesome thought.

The second factor of the noble eightfold path, Right Intention/Thought, is specifically about this.

dear thito

you have mixed things up.

what you say comes under anupubbi katha (preliminaries), sila & samadhi. surely, these sections have effort, choice, analysis, restraint…in short - pannattis (concepts).

vipassana comes under the panna division of the noble 8 fold path. the vipassana bhavana is ‘pannatti thapetva’ yathabhuta nanadassana. it is effort-less & choice-less observation of the reality as it is.

I don’t think I’ve mixed things up, my interpretation is EBT whereas yours is traditional theravada which includes commentaries.

In EBT, there isn’t “vipassana bhavana”, one must overcome the 5 hindrances, which obstruct knowledge and vision, in order to attain knowledge, so samadhi is not optional as there is no “momentary concentration” (khanika) in EBT.

All these differences of opinion usually come down to different interpretations using different sources like suttas vs commentaries.

Interesting topic.

It reminds me of Krishnamurti. He was my teacher for some time. Choiceless awarenss was one of his main topics. He saw no use in methods, in developing qualities over time. Spiritual transformation is not in/over time but immediate was his opinion. But at the end of his life, i understood, he was somewhat disappointed. As a teacher he did not guide many to the truth. Not many realised that spiritual transformation.

I now think the Buddha’s approach is more realistic. He has a great mix of development over time and sudden change of lineage.

That pure vipassana is difficult, because when does one really choiceless observe what is? I think, almost never because the heart is full of passion (likesand dislike). There are all the time anusaya’s triggered.

This choiceless awareness, where is it? Does one not have to be dispassionate first? If one has a strong tendency of dosa in regard to painful feeling, for example, how can we choiceless be aware of the pain? That becomes very forced. I think one has to be very progressed to be choiceless and concept-unladen aware of what is. So, i think Buddha’s approach to become more dispassionate in a concept-laden way is wise.

I think the uniqueness of buddha-dhamma is how concept-laden, choicefull, effortful practice can still lead to a wisdom and true knowledge that goes beyond concepts, effort en choices.

I think Buddha’s concept-laden, effortful and choiceful practice guided him, and made it possible that he used another approach under the Bodhitree. Don’t you think @dhammachakka ?

Hi @Thito,

Is seeing rupa, vedana, sanna, sankhara and vinnana as anicca, dukkha and anatta not a kind of vipassana bhavana?

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“Seeing” is not a practice, it’s a result. Vipassana and Samatha are results of Samma Samadhi. In the suttas, vipassana and samatha arise as a result of abhinna (direct knowledge), they’re a result of practice, not a practice.

And what are the things that should be developed by direct knowledge? Katame ca, bhikkhave, dhammā abhiññā bhāvetabbā?

Serenity and discernment. Samatho ca vipassanā ca—

Attaining abhinna requires samma samadhi.

You can contemplate the drawbacks of everything, but contemplating isn’t vipassana. For example Paikkūlamanasikāra** is the contemplation/reflecting on foulness, doing this results in overcoming the hindrance of sensual desire. When thoughts of the 5 hindrances are calmed for a long enough period, one can overcome the 5 hindrances and attain jhana (samma samadhi) which then calms a person down (samatha) and allows them to see things as they are clearly (vipassana). This is why the 5 hindrances are considered an obstruction to knowledge and vision.

So contemplating the drawbacks is the practice, which allows one to overcome the 5 hindrances and see things as they are (result).

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Thanks.

Bodhi, MN22§27. "Therefore, bhikkhus, any kind of material form whatever, whether past, future, or present, internal or external, [139] gross or subtle, inferior or superior, far or near, all material form should be seen as it actually is with proper wisdom thus: "This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’ (the same with vedana, sanna, sankhara and vinnana).

One cannot expact to see this immeditately , right? If we would see this directly, immediately, effortlessly, non-conceptually… But do we? I not.
There is still the strong habit to view and experience these khandha’s as Me, mine, my self.

But one can at least practice, which is, for me, something like, developing more feeling for it. I always believed this, too, is a kind of training or development of insight. To learn to regards and see the khandha’s as anicca, dukkha and anatta and as ‘not me, not mine, not my self’. To get more feeling for this.

Can’t we put it another way? Just like there are two kinds of right view (mundana/conceptual and noble or supramundane, MN117), there is also a development of insight which is based on effort, concepts, choices, and is still mundane, associated with merit, and there is also insight which is beyond merit and demerit, noble vipassana. Something like this?

my dear thito!

you are mixed up again! i have already given loads of references. so replying very briefly to you. hope it resolves your vicikiccha.

samadhi is practiced to overcome the nivaranas (5 hindrances) and thereby prepare the seeker to observe the reality as it is (yathabhuta nanadassana).

2 references:

  1. samadhim bhikkhave bhaveth
    samahito yathabhutam pajanati

  2. vineyya loke abhijjha-domanassam (in the uddeso of the mahasatipatthana sutta. which refers to the samadhi-indriya as confirmed by the commentaries. initial step to prepare the seeker for the holistic nama-rupa cattaro satipatthana bhavana i.e. vipassana).

i hope this is enough. kindly allow me to close our discussion here.

with respect & much metta,

M

hi green!

you come across as a genuine seeker! sadhu!

22 years ago, i had compiled a “buddha vipassana j. krishnamurti research study” and it is still on buddhanet. at that time i was looking for parallels between krishnamurti & buddha / vipassana. over the years, i discovered a lot more material beyond what i had compiled but, felt it is pointless to waste time in this comparison.

(i never completed this work because i realized that it is a futile exercise & can help only to boost my ego! so i had dumped everything 22 or so years ago and walked away! my point of view & conclusions have dramatically changed over the years. this material is just an archaeological relic of my previously held concepts & conditionings)

  1. the point of view of understanding the dhamma must be from the perspective presented by the buddha & not from any other source. only that can be ekayano maggo…nibbanassa saccikiriyaya.

  2. pure intellectual or psychological discussion & even psycho-analysis is limited only to the paritta citta whereas the buddha dhamma covers the entire field of nama-rupa and goes to the depths of mahaggata citta. so, lets develop experiential insight (bhavanamaya panna) that resolves all doubts & questions. reading the book one is oneself is true self-study & not merely going to a Krishnamurti centre!

see scott tapes towards the end of K’s life where he is lamenting that no one has understood! so, experiential understanding as per the original teachings of the bhagava is what is required to penetrate the veil of ignorance.

allow me to expand on Krishnamurti’s most famous quote:

truth is a pathless land and one cannot reach it by any religion, sect, cult, dogma, rites & rituals, meditation ‘technique’, book, intellectual discussion or psycho-analysis. because all this is within the field of thought - which is so petty & so limited and operates within the narrow confines of previously accumulated concepts (pannattis). thought is past - it is old - and it cannot see the new from moment-to-moment. the way out of this vicious circle of conditioning is: pannatti thapetva visesena passati’ti vipassana! no messiah, guru, meditation centre or place of worship can be your saviour. atta hi attano natho, atta hi attano gati. observer is observed. buddhas can only show the way - we need to look within to discover the truth - the sparkling illumination of nibbana dhatu within! ehipassiko!

you may refer to the 2 references that i quoted to thito about the preparation for vipassana bhavana with samadhi. that answers some of your queries.

i may also suggest that you may read the articles/discourses by sayagyi u ba khin & sit vipassana courses in the original IMC tradition of sayagyi u ba khin.
may be you will get what you are seeking…

https://internationalmeditationcentre.org/

btw - you may enjoy reading john coleman’s book QUIET MIND. he was an ex-CIA agent who traveled all over the world seeking the truth & had shortlisted sayagyi u ba khin, krishnamurti & DTS sukuzi as the 3 teachers, who in his opinion, knew the truth. he had personally interacted with krishnamurti too. (everything may not be in the book). finally, all doubts resolved - he went back to sayagyi u ba khin at IMC rangoon (burma) for the second time and this time - the puthujjana john coleman became ariya (sotapanna) john coleman.

(i see a free pdf option here)

hope it helps.

with respect & much metta,

M

@Green

Only supermundane (aka noble/ariyan) right view is part of the path, mundane right view is not part of the path. This is a nuance many people gloss over.

Supermundane/noble right view is phenomological, and thus “visible here and now”.

What does it mean to be “visible here & now”? thankfully there is a sutta that explicitly states what it means

“The fact that when a delusive quality is present within you, you discern that a delusive quality is present within you; and when a delusive quality is not present within you, you discern that a delusive quality is not present within you: that is one way in which the Dhamma is visible in the here-&-now, timeless, inviting verification, pertinent, to be realized by the wise for themselves.”

https://suttacentral.net/an6.47/en/thanissaro?reference=none&highlight=false

Same goes for the remaining 2 poisons

So as long as the 3 poisons (manifested as the 5 hindrances) are arising, you can see the dhamma here and now. When you overcome the 5 hindrances for the first time and confirm that the 3 poisons are not arising, even for a moment of a finger snap, then you have proven to yourself that the dhamma and dependent origination is true and thus you have attained the fruit of stream entry.

The same goes for craving verbalizations

And which are the 18 craving-verbalizations dependent on what is internal? There being ‘I am,’ there comes to be ‘I am here,’ there comes to be ‘I am like this’ … ‘I am otherwise’ … ‘I am bad’ … ‘I am good’ … ‘I might be’ … ‘I might be here’ … ‘I might be like this’ … ‘I might be otherwise’ … ‘May I be’ … ‘May I be here’ … ‘May I be like this’ … ‘May I be otherwise’ … ‘I will be’ … ‘I will be here’ … ‘I will be like this’ … ‘I will be otherwise.’ These are the 18 craving-verbalizations dependent on what is internal

https://suttacentral.net/an4.199/en/thanissaro?reference=none&highlight=false

As long as you have craving verbalizations then bhava and conceit are present and thus you cannot be an Arahant.

But for a stream winner he cannot return to identity view, he does not contemplate what he will be in the future, what he was in the past, etc… because he understands how he comes to be, which is what dependent origination answers. A stream winner knows he exists because of ignorance fabricating a self, and when ignorance is gone, bhava, a being or self, can no longer arise in the mind.

So to answer your question, a sotapanna does not identify with the 5 aggregates because he understands that the self is a fabrication imposed on the parts of the machine, no different than calling the parts of a car, a car. When the mind no longer fabricates a being, such as in second jhana when there are no thoughts arising, this lack of stress is how the sotapanna sees the dhamma, like a weight lifted from ones shoulder, there is no longer any existential dread.

the whole spectrum of buddha-dhamma is a complete treatise on mind management & covers all possible strategies of control, balance, abandonment, restraint etc. and these come under sila & samadhi sections of the ariyo atthangiko maggo. but, the topmost strategy is that of vipassanic purification under samma ditthi (panna) leading to nibbana.

the vipassanic process or cattaro satipatthana bhavana is not a rigid “technique” with a step-by-step rigid structure. from anattalakkhana sutta to adittapariyaya sutta to bahiya daruciriya sutta to the various sections/subsections of the mahasatipatthana sutta - one can see the manifold ways by which the bhagava has presented the dhamma leading to nibbana. however, it must be emphasized the while there may be many ways to do anupubbi katha, develop cintamayi panna, establish sila & develop samadhi - there is only one ‘ekayano maggo’ leading to nibbana. this ekayano maggo is not a technique but the effortless & choiceless awareness of the paramattha sacca of nama-rupa as it is (yathabhuta nanadassana).

yathabhuta nanadassana is not & cannot be a technique. any technique involved a technician & comes with doer-ship. if there is a doer - there is formation of kamma i.e. kamma sankhara and the bhavacakka will roll on & on. the way out of this rut is going beyond doer-ship and dwelling in mere-bare awareness of the reality as it is (yavadeva nanamattaya patisatimattaya anissito ca viharati) and this “navanca kammam na karoti, purananca kammam phussa phussa vyanti karoti” is the process of de-conditioning of mind (with the second link of paticca samuppada operating in patiloma).

however, all said & done - although vipassana is not a technique & cannot be so - the realization of “yathabhuta nanadassana” is progressive process. the journey is a progressive one from doer to observer to observer-is-observed. the yathabhuta-nanadassana process progressively develops to reach the ‘suvisuddham’ stage of perfection and for these various strategies (including those falling under pannatti endowed sila, samadhi) may become necessary from time to time. the entire eight fold path is cyclical and all limbs are interlinked & interdependent. the buddha makes the progressive “yathabhutam nanadassanam” development strategy so clear when he elaborates a twelve fold process…“bhikkhave, imesu catusu ariyasaccesu evam tiparivattam dvadasakaram yathabhutam nanadassanam suvisuddham ahosi”. however, the “kicca” part of the “tiparivattam” involves pure vipassana bhavana & the vipassanic moment is not a technique & is not a function of thought/psychoanalysis/pannatti. pannatti thapetva visesena passati’ti vipassana.

the path of pannatti (concepts) & the path of abandonment of concepts can only be clearly comprehended by actual vipassana bhavana & tasting the entire spectrum of buddha-dhamma (even if it be very little) from pariyatti to sila to samadhi to vipassana.

with much metta,

M

i am aware of the various strategies & technologies given by bhagava for mind management leading to nibbana. i am focusing specifically on the experiential abhidhamma aspects of the ‘vipassana moment’ when “uppajitva nirujjhanti” happens due to the second link of the paticca samuppada working in patiloma.

i am repeating what i gathered after reflection on “pannatti thapetva visesena passati’ti vipassana” and self-observation. learned elders & abhidhamma scholars may kindly consider telling me whether i am right…

“the concept-less, thought-less & label-less perception of paramattha sacca of nama-rupa manifests only as anicca or dukkha or anatta but, without the psychological/psychoanalytical ‘label’ of anicca/dukkha/anatta”.

veneration at the feet of the sangha!
sangham saranam gacchami.

i pray for your guidance.

here, i am focusing specifically on the experiential abhidhamma aspects of the ‘vipassana moment’ when “uppajitva nirujjhanti” happens due to the second link of the paticca samuppada working in patiloma.

i am writing my conclusion after reflection on the statement: “pannatti thapetva visesena passati’ti vipassana” and also self-observation.

i will be deeply grateful if venerables (and other abhidhamma scholars) may kindly let me know whether my understanding is right & if not suitably correct me in order to arrive at the right understanding.

my conclusion is:

"the concept-less, thought-less & label-less perception of paramattha sacca of nama-rupa manifests only as anicca or dukkha or anatta but, without the psychological / psychoanalytical ‘label’ of anicca/dukkha/anatta”

(therefore, for example, the mind ‘sees’ anicca lakkhana as samudaya-vyaya but, does not think / analyse and ‘label’ it as ‘anicca’ or impermanent. it is simply a silent observation of the yathabhuta reality at that moment without any thought ‘understanding’ or ‘labeling’ it).

with veneration at the feet of the sangha,

manish

I think that is true but i am not an expert, senior, teacher.

An example: the awareness of the body can disappear but one does not disappear at that moment because a knowing essence remains, according Maha Boowa in Arahattamagga/phala, page 21.
(He was doing an intensive investigation in the nature of pain at that moment while his whole body was filled with intense pains).

On page 20/21 he says:

I saw clearly that it was the citta that defined feeling as being painful and unpleasant. Otherwise, pain was merely a natural phenomenon that occurred. It was not an integral part of the body, nor was it intrinsic to the citta. As soon as this principle became absolutely clear, the pain vanished in an instant. At that moment, the body was simply the body—a separate reality on its own. Pain was simply feeling, and in a flash that feeling vanished straight into the citta. As soon as the pain vanished into the citta, the citta knew that the pain had disappeared. It just vanished without a trace”.

He also says: “In addition, the entire physical body vanished from awareness. At that moment I was not consciously aware of the body at all. Only a simple and harmonious awareness remained, alone on its own. That’s all. The citta was so exceedingly refined as to be indescribable. It simply knew a profoundly subtle inner state of awareness pervaded. The body had completely disappeared. Although my physical form still sat in meditation, I was completely unconscious of it. The pain too had disappeared. No physical feelings were left at all. Only the citta’s essential knowing nature remained. All thinking had stopped; the mind was not forming a single thought. When thinking ceases, not the slightest movement disturbs the inner stillness. Unwavering, the citta remains firmly fixed in its own solitude”

I think it is safe to say that at that moment ‘the body is not me, mine, myself’ is more than just an idea, intellectual understanding, a strategy. It is seen directly.

Can’t you say that such moments of direct seeing/knowing are real conceptless, thoughtless and labelless vipassana moments? Such moments are really insigthfull because one really starts to see and know things not based on theory anymore.

surely Maha Boowa descrbes it as

I would say

Now, we must just only see for ourselves :innocent: