Momentum Vitae est meditatio


BENVENUTI, il mio progetto sul web nasce con l'intento di conservare e condividere

gli insegnamenti di Anapanasati e Vipassana al fine di affrancarsi dalla sofferenza esistenziale

con la guida di un insegnante autorizzato. Questo secondo la dottrina del Buddismo Theravada,

nella tradizione birmana di Sayagyi U Ba Khin, in memoria del suo allievo John Earl Coleman.

Tali insegnamenti sono preservati e perpetuati per il beneficio delle future generazioni,

per questo sono conservati con l’indicazione protettiva della perfezione, verità e devozione.

Tutte le nostre azioni sono dirette nello spirito del Damma.


WELCOME, my web project was born with the intention of preserving and sharing

the teachings of Anapanasati and Vipassana, in order to be free from existential suffering

with the guidance of a licensed teacher. This according to the doctrine of Theravada Buddhism,

in the Burmese tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin, in memory of his student John Earl Coleman.

Such teachings are preserved and perpetuated for the benefit of future generations,

for this reason they are preserved with the protective indication of perfection, truth and devotion.

All our actions are directed in the spirit of the Dhamma.


Cos'è il Buddismo per Sayagyi U Ba Khin
3°Lezione - 14 ottobre, 1951
This is the third of Three Lectures given by U Ba Khin in 1951, at the Religion Life Forum in the English Methodist Church on Signal Pagoda Road in Rangoon, Burma.

The Law of Dependent Origination, The Law of Cause and Effect

My lectures on “What is Buddhism” would not be complete without a reference, however brief, to the Law of Paticca-samuppada (the Law of Dependent Arising) and the Law of Patthana (the Law of Relationships, or Cause and Effect).

The Law of Dependent Origination

I remind you that in summarizing my first lesson, I mentioned how Prince Siddhattha, the wandering ascetic, realized the truth and became a Buddha. Lest we forget I will repeat that part again. Verily, Prince Siddhattha attained Samma-sambodhi and became the Buddha, the Awakened, the Enlightened, the Omniscient. He was awakened in a way that everyone else was sleeping and dreaming about. He was enlightened in a way compared to which all other men stumbled and groped in darkness. He knew with a knowledge in comparison with which all that other men knew was a kind of ignorance.

All religions, without a doubt, claim to point the way to the Truth. In Buddhism, as long as one has not realized the truth (i.e. the Four Noble Truths), one is ignorant. It is this ignorance (Avijja) that is responsible for the generation of mental forces (Sankhara) that regulate the continuum of life (or consciousness – Vinnana) in all sentient beings. Just as the continuum of life is established in a new existence, mind and matter (Nama and Rupa) appear automatically and interrelatedly. These, in turn, develop within a vehicle or body with sensory centers (Salayatana). These sensory centers give rise to contact (Phassa) and the contact of these sensory centers with sense objects gives rise to sensory impressions (Vedana) which have the effect of arousing desire (Tanha) followed thereafter by attachment or adhesion to the desire (Upadana). It is this attachment, or adhesion to desire, which is the cause of becoming (Bhava) or existence which accompanies birth (Jati), old age, illness, death, anxiety, agony, affliction, etc. (Jara-marana, etc.) all of which denote suffering. In this way the Buddha traced the origin of suffering to ignorance.

Thus the Buddha said:

"Ignorance is the origin of mental forces; Mental forces are the origin of the continuum of life; The continuum of life is the origin of mind and matter; Mind and matter are the origin of the sense centers; The centers sensory are the origin of contact; Contact is the origin of (sensory) impressions; Impressions are the origin of desire; Desire is the origin of attachment; Attachment is the origin of becoming (or existence); Becoming (or existence) is the origin of birth; Birth is the origin of old age, illness, death, anxiety, agony, pain, etc. (which are all suffering)."

This chain of origination is called the Law of Dependent Origination and the cause (or root) of all these is therefore Avijja (ignorance) – that is, ignorance of the Truth. It is true that superficially desire is the origin of suffering. This is so simple. When you want something, desire arises. You have to work for it or you suffer for it. However, it is not enough. The Buddha said:

“The five aggregates, which are nothing other than mind and matter, are also suffering.” In Buddhism the Truth of suffering is defined only when one realizes it by seeing mind and matter as they really are (both internally and externally) and not as they appear to be. The Truth of Suffering is therefore something that must be experienced before it can be understood. For example, we all know from science that everything that exists is nothing more than vibration caused by the rotating motion of sub-atomic particles, but how many can be persuaded to believe that our own bodies are subject to the same Law? Why don't you then try to feel things as they really are insofar as they refer to yourself? For this purpose one must go beyond the physical state. One must develop mental energy powerful enough to see things in their true state. With the development of mental power, one can see everything and everywhere; more than what he sees with the help of the most up-to-date scientific instruments. If so, why shouldn't one see what exactly is going on in oneself – atoms, electrons and whatnot, all in rapid, never-ending change? Obviously it's not easy.

In reality, this Internal Suffering is an effect of the acute sense of vibration, radiation and friction of atomic units experienced through a process of introspective meditation called Vipassana, with the help of the powerful lenses of Samadhi. Not knowing this Truth is truly ignorance. Knowing this Truth in its Ultimate Reality means the destruction of the root-cause of suffering, that is - ignorance - with all the links in the chain of causality that ends with what we call "life" with its characteristics of old age, anxiety, agony , pain, etc.
…
This is it for the Law of Dependent Arising and the root cause of suffering.

The Law of Cause and Effect

We now shift our attention to the Causal Law of Relationships as expounded by the Buddha in the Law of Patthana in the Abhidhamma Pitaka. This is the Law of Analytical Study in the course of which six colored rays emerged from the person of the Buddha during his long forty-nine day meditation just after attaining Buddhahood. We have five volumes in Pali text, of around 500 pages each covering the very sensitive topic. I would like to give here just an idea of the Law. There are twenty-four types of Relationships on which the fundamental principles of Cause and Effect in Buddhism are based. They are:

1. Condition – Hetu
2. Subject – Aramanna
3. Domination – Adhipati
4. Contiguity – Anantara
5. Immediate Condiguity – Samanantara
6. Coexistence – Sahajata
7. Reciprocity – Annamanna
8. Addiction – Nissaya
9. Sufficient Condition – Upanissaya
10. Antecedent – Purejata
11. Consequence – Pacchajata
12. Succession – Asevana
13. Action – Kamma
14. Effect – Vipaka
15. Support – Ahara
16. Control – Indriya
17. Ecstasy – Jhana
18. Meanings – Magga
19. Association – Sampayutta
20. Dissociation – Vippayutta
21. Presence – Atthi
22. Absence – Natthi
23. Suspension – Vigata
24. Continuation – Avigata

Now I will explain to you the correlation between Hetu (condition) and Kamma (action) and the effect produced by their causes, as I understand them.

Hetu is the condition of the mind in a moment of consciousness for any Kamma (action) whether physical, vocal or mental. Each Kamma therefore produces a mental condition that is both moral and immoral or neutral. This is what in Buddhism is called Kusala Dhamma, Akusala Dhamma and Abyakata Dhamma. These Dhammas are simple forces – mental forces – that together make up the Universe of Mental Forces, as I explained in my first lesson.

Moral Forces (Kusala) are positive forces generated by Kamma (actions, words and thoughts) motivated by good deeds such as almsgiving, social work, devotion, purification of the mind, etc.

Immoral Forces (Akusala) are negative forces generated by Kamma (actions, words and thoughts) motivated by desire, greed, lust, anger, hatred, dissatisfaction, disappointment, etc.

Neutral Forces (Abyakata) are neither moral nor immoral. This is the case, for example, of an Arahat who has rid himself of all traces of ignorance (Avijja). In the case of an Arahat, the contact (Phassa) of sensory objects with the sensory centers produces no reaction to any sensory impression (Vedana), just as no impression is possible on flowing water which is always in motion. For him, the whole picture of the body is nothing but an ever-changing mass and any impression automatically decays along with the (changing) mass.

Now let's try to sort out the moral and immoral forces generated by actions conditioned by the planes of existence. For this purpose, I will classify the planes of existence roughly, as follows:

1. Planes of Arupa and Rupa-Brahama / These are beyond the range of sensuality. Supreme Love, Supreme Compassion, Supreme Joy towards the success or greatness of others and Supreme Equanimity of Mind are the four mental qualities that generate transcendental purity; extremely bright and pleasant, fresh and light mental forces that are located in the highest planes of existence. This is the reason why in these planes the matter is very fine and there is nothing but splendor, and the vehicles or bodies of the Brahmas cannot be identified with matter but with light and splendor.

2. Sensual Planes which are composed of: (i) – Planes of the Celestial Beings (ii) – Human World (iii) – Planes of the Lower Forms of Existence.

Planes of the Celestial Beings. All good and meritorious deeds, words or thoughts that have a taint of desire for future well-being create moral mental forces that are very pure, bright, pleasant and light. This places their belonging in the highest planes of celestial beings where matter is subtle, luminous, pleasant and light. Therefore these celestial beings possess astral bodies that vary in thinness, brightness and color in accordance with the planes to which they belong. Usually, they live in celestial bliss until moral mental forces are spent and they return to the lower planes of existence.

Now I will go to point (iii) i.e. the Planes of the Lower Forms of Existence. Next we will go to our Human World (ii).

Planes of the Lower Forms of Existence. All malignity, evil, meritless actions, words and thoughts create mental forces that are impure by nature, dark, fiery, heavy and burdensome. The most impure, dark, fiery, heavy and burdensome mental forces should therefore find their place in Hell, the lowest of the four planes of existence. Matter in all these planes must, therefore, be burdensome, rude, unpleasant and fiery. The human world is just above the concentration of these forces, which are 'meant' for consumption by those beings destined for such lower forms of existence. These beings, with the exception of those belonging to the animal world, are invisible to the ordinary human eye but visible only to those who have developed the high powers of Samadhi by securing the Divine Eye. Here (on this NDT plane) suffering, both physical and mental, predominates. This is precisely the reverse of what happens in the Planes of the Celestial Beings.

The Human World. Now we come to the human world. This is halfway between heaven and hell. We experience pleasure and pain mixed together, determined in percentages that conform to the Kamma of our past. From here we can, by developing our mental attitude, draw ourselves into the forces found on the higher planes. From here we can also go down to the depths of depravity and tune into the forces of the Lower Level. There is no constancy like in the other planes of existence. One can be a saint today but become a criminal later. One can be rich today but soon become poor. Here the vicissitudes of life are very evident. There is no man that is stable, no family that is stable, no community that is stable, no nation that is stable. They are all subject to the Law of Kamma.

As this Kamma comes out of the Mind, which is always changing, then the effects of the Kamma themselves must necessarily change.

It is the conditions of evil mental forces embedded in the Earth right beneath our feet that give rise to the Force of Gravity. All the time (of life NDT) man has inherent impurities that subsist in him at first sight; he is subject to this gravitational attraction and if he dies with the mental attitude attuned to the forces of a plane of the Lower Existence - in the last moment of his life (that of death) - the next existence is automatically in this plane, at with the aim of clearing up there – in a manner of speaking – his debt of mental strength. On the other hand, if at the moment of death his mental attitude is associated with forces of the human world, the next existence can still be in that world. If, however, his mental attitude at the last moment of death is associated with the reminiscence of his good deeds, etc. the next existence will normally be in the celestial world, for the purpose of enjoying the credit balance there from his mental forces. One goes to the world of Brahma if, at the time of death, one's mind is not sensual, but pure and tranquil. This is how Kamma plays its part in Buddhism with mathematical precision.

Ladies and Gentlemen, these are the teachings of the Buddha. The way in which these teachings will affect the individual depends on how one takes them. Same applies to family, community or people in general. We have Buddhism in Faith and Buddhism in Practice. There is yet another class of Buddhists who are precisely labeled as Birth Buddhists. Only Buddhists in practice can ensure the change of mental attitude in perspective. Let them observe only the Five Precepts. They are the followers of the Buddha's teachings. If these were followed by all Buddhists in Burma, there would be no infighting like we have here. However, there is another disturbing factor: bodily needs. One must have the bare minimum of life. For a person, life is more precious than anything else. The inclination, therefore, is for someone to break the laws of discipline, whether religious or governmental, for his own personal preservation and those who depend on him.

What is most important is to generate pure and benign mental forces to combat the evil forces that dominate mankind. This is not easy at all. One cannot grow to a level of pure mental aptitude without the help of a Teacher. If we want effective power to combat these forces, we must work Dhammicly - that is, in accordance with the Dhamma -. Modern science gave us the atomic bomb for its value, the most wonderful and at the same time the most terrible product of human intelligence. Is man using his intelligence in the right way? Is it creating good or bad mental forces, according to the spirit of Buddhism? It is our will that decides how and on what topic we will use intelligence. Instead of using intelligence only to conquer atomic energy without, why don't we also use it to conquer energy within? This will give us Inner Peace and enable us to share it with everyone else. We will then radiate such purified and powerful mental forces as well as successfully counteract the evil forces that are all around us. Just as the light of a single candle has the power to chase away the darkness in a room, so too does the light developed withinone man can help dispel the darkness in several others.

Imagining that "good" can be achieved through "evil" is an illusion, a nightmare. The case in question is that of Korea*. With all the lives lost on both sides, now over a million, we are closer or further from Peace? These are the lessons we have learned. The solution is a change in the mental attitude of mankind through religion alone. What is needed at the moment is mastery over the mind and not just mastery over matter.

In Buddhism we differentiate between Loka Dhatu and Dhamma Dhatu. By Dhatu we mean the nature of the elements or forces. Loka Dhatu is therefore matter (with its natural elements) within the field of the physical plane. Dhamma Dathu, on the other hand, includes the mind, mental properties and some aspects of natural elements that are not in the physical but in the mental plane. Modern science proceeds with what we call Loka Dathu. It is only a basis for Dhamma Dhatu on the mental plane. One step forward and we arrive at the mental plane, not with the knowledge of modern science but with that of the Buddha-Dhamma in practice.

At least Mr. HAOverstreet, author of The Mature Mind (NY: WWNorton) is optimistic about what is in store for mature minds. He said:“The peculiar science of our century is psychology. The most dramatic advances in physics and chemistry are primarily the application of known research methods. However, the attitude towards nature and human experience that has come into our time is new. This attitude could not have come sooner. Before arriving there had to be a long preparation. Physiology was supposed to be an advanced science; for psychology it is also about physiology. His mind, among other things, is a matter of brain tissue, nerves, glands, or organs of contact, smell and sight. It was not until about seventy years ago that physiology was developed enough to make psychological research possible, as in the laboratories of the illustrious German psychologist - William Wundt -. However, before physiology there had to be a developed science of biology. Because the brain, nerves, glands, and everything else depend on processes, the science of the living cell had to mature before a competent physiologist could emerge.

However, before biology there had to be chemistry; and first physics; and before that mathematics. Thus the long preparation goes back through the centuries. There is, in short, a science clock. Each science must wait until its hour strikes. Today, at least, the hour of science strikes in psychology, and a new enlightenment begins. To be precise, the interests explored by recent sciences are themselves ancient; but the accuracy of the research is new. There is, in short, a kind of ironclad logic that is inherent in control. Each science awaits its peculiar definition until its forerunner brings out the data and tools with which its accuracy is established. The clock of science now strikes a new time: a new 'insight' begins, to remain in our service.”

I can say that it is the Buddha-Dhamma that should be studied by all for a new kind of 'insight' into the realities of human nature. In Buddhism we have the cure for all mental illnesses that afflict mankind. It is the evil forces of the mind (past and present) that are responsible for the current state of affairs throughout the world. By instilling a strong sense of Buddhism in people's minds during Burma's most critical days a couple of years ago, we were able to overcome the crisis.

Nowadays there is enough dissatisfaction everywhere. Dissatisfaction creates bad feelings. Bad feelings create hatred. Hatred creates enmity. Enmity creates war. War creates enemies. Enemies create war. War creates enemies, etc. Now it's becoming a vicious circle. Why? Certainly because there is a lack of proper control over the mind.

What is man? After all, man is mental forces personified. What is matter? After all, matter is materialized mental forces, a result of the reaction of moral (positive) and immoral (negative) forces. The Buddha said, “Cittena niyyati loko.” – The world is made of mind –.

The mind, therefore, predominates above all things. Let us then study the mind and its peculiar characteristics and solve the problem(s) that the world is now facing.

There is great scope for practical research in Buddhism. Those who are eager to profit from their (the Burmese's) experience will always be welcome in Burma.

Ladies and gentlemen. I have made an attempt to give you as much as I know about Buddhism. I will be happy to give any interested person further explanations on any point he wishes to discuss. I am grateful to you for your kind participation and interest you have brought into my lessons. May I again thank the clergy of the church for permission so kindly given to this series of lectures on their premises.

Peace to all beings.

(translation from English by Mario Amati)
continues ... Lesson No.1, Lesson No.2

* The Korean War (known in North Korea as 조국해방전쟁, in South Korea as 한국전쟁, in English Korean War) was the conflict fought on the Korean peninsula from 1950 to 1953. It determined one of the most acute phases of the cold war, with the risk of global conflict and the possible use of nuclear bombs. (Wiki source)
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