Detailed Explanation of the Meditation Path

With permission from the most venerable and presiding chief meditation master, the venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw. With permission from the great Sangha. Devout lay devotees, the venerable Sayadaw has provided a detailed explanation of the meditation path followed at the Pa Auk Meditation Center. Indeed, "Pa Auk" is the name of a place, not a type of meditation. "Pa Auk" is the name of a village, Pa Auk Village. However, the place is known as the Chittala Pabbata Meditation Center. So, because the center is in the village, it is referred to by the village name, but the meditation itself is not "Pa Auk."

 The meditation, as the venerable Sayadaw explained, is based on the Visuddhimagga, written in Sri Lanka by the great commentator Buddhaghosa, which is a common commentary on the entire Tripitaka. This is the path of meditation of the supreme Buddha. The Buddha taught the path of right view (Sammā Diṭṭhi), and it is this path of samatha-vipassana meditation, rooted in right view, that the venerable Sayadaw teaches in detail. Thus, the venerable Sayadaw is known as "Pa Auk Sayadaw," but this is not his birth name. His birthplace is a different village. The name used is not from his birth village but from the village where the forest monastery is located. His venerable name is the most venerable Achinna Sayadaw. Through the yogis who are taught this meditation path by the venerable Sayadaw, we have been able to see how this meditation path is developed progressively.

 Firstly, morality (sīla) is purified. Then, anapanasati (mindfulness of breathing) is developed sequentially in the samatha aspect. Anapanasati is cultivated through three stages: preparatory concentration (parikamma samādhi), access concentration (upacāra samādhi), and absorption concentration (appanā samādhi). For those with sharp faculties, four jhānas are developed. For those with medium faculties, five jhānas are developed. Based on these jhānas, thirty-two aspects of the first jhānas are developed in the thirty-two parts of the body meditation. From this, taking the skull of the body's skeleton and also visualizing an external skull, with the help of the anapana counterpart sign (paṭibhāga nimitta), one transitions to the white kasina (odāta kasina). The white kasina is very easy for the one who has attained anapana jhānas because the hindrances (nīvaranas) have been suppressed. The white kasina develops the four form jhānas (rūpāvacara jhānas). To develop these four jhānas, first, in the access concentration stage, the white light of the odāta kasina is spread in the ten directions in the infinite world systems, up and down and across. After spreading it thus, the meditation of loving-kindness (mettā kammaṭṭhāna) is cultivated. 528 mettā jhānas are developed sequentially. Then, compassion (karuṇā), appreciative joy (muditā), and equanimity (upekkhā) jhānas are also developed.

 Similarly, the four color kasinas are developed from this body. That is, the blue kasina (nīla kasina), yellow kasina (pīta kasina), and red kasina (lohita kasina) are visualized through the parts of this body. Visualizing them, jhānas are developed with the counterpart sign as the object. Similarly, all the kasinas of earth (paṭhavi), water (āpo), fire (tejo), wind (vāyo), light (āloka), and space (ākāsa) are developed with ease. From these, except for the space kasina, the remaining kasinas, jhānas, and kasina objects, all nine of them develop the eight attainments (samāpattis). From these nine kasinas, one by one, moving upwards through the sphere of infinite space (ākāsānañcāyatana), the sphere of infinite consciousness (viññāṇañcāyatana), the sphere of nothingness (ākiñcaññāyatana), and the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception (nevasaññānāsaññāyatana), all the attainments are developed. Many people in Sri Lanka are afraid to cultivate kasinas because they do not do it sequentially. They start with the earth kasina and encounter dangers due to ignorance and following the wrong path. But with the sequential meditation path taught by the venerable Sayadaw, a mistake like that never happens. Anapana samādhi is very simple, very easy, and a very pleasant meditation path. For someone who develops jhānas through it, all other meditation subjects can be cultivated easily. Similarly, ten impurity jhānas are developed, one first jhāna for each impurity.

 Similarly, upacāra jhānas are developed in the recollection of the Buddha (Buddhānussati) and mindfulness of death (maraṇasati). In all these ways, all thirty jhānas-developing meditation subjects are completed. The concentration power of a yogi who has completed all these jhānas-developing meditation subjects is very strong. Since his hindrances and other defilements are largely suppressed, and that light, meaning the counterpart sign, is turned into the light of wisdom, then the transition to vipassana happens.

 In this way, when transitioning to vipassana, first, towards this body, with a bright kasina like the odāta kasina or the āloka kasina or the tejo kasina, light is spread. The odāta kasina is mainly used because its light is very gentle. The odāta kasina provides a very pleasant and gentle light. When that is spread over this body, instead of all the limbs, eyes, head, etc., the entire body appears as a separate white light from the outside. Through that, the twelve characteristics of the four great elements of earth, water, fire, and wind are seen. The six characteristics of the earth element, and two characteristics each for water, fire, and wind are seen, and then he, within those four elements, in each continuum, in each part, separates the clusters of matter (rūpa kalāpas). First, the six heart-base material clusters, and similarly, the eye-base, ear-base, nose-base, tongue-base, and body-base material clusters. In the body-base, there are five, and in the other places, six each are identified. Similarly, the eight kamma-born material clusters in one body are separated and understood. Similarly, the eight mind-born material clusters are separated. Similarly, the four temperature-born material clusters are separated. The two nutriment-born material clusters are understood and separated. These are separated by seeing them penetratingly and with great sharpness, not just by hearing about them conceptually.

 In this way, the yogi who has understood all the material clusters internally, can also see the inanimate material clusters in the clothes he is wearing, the requisites like robes, the seats he is sitting on, the hermitages he is in, and the trees and plants in the surrounding environment. In those inanimate objects, there are only one or two material clusters: the pure octad and the sound nonad. Then, the material clusters in the sentient continuums are also understood and comprehended in the same way. Similarly, when developing mettā jhānas, since all beings are taken as the object, he understands the material clusters in those different groups of beings separately, just as he saw the material clusters in his own continuum. Then, spreading that light to the heart-base, he investigates the existence of the mind-continuum that works there. By entering into each jhānas he has attained, and rising from that jhānas, with the light of that jhānas, he separates the jhānas-citta and cetasikas in his own continuum. Similarly, by entering into every jhānas, and then separating all the jhānas-dhammas in that mind, he understands the ultimate mental phenomena and, in the internal continuum, mainly according to the wholesome mind-door cognitive processes (manodvārika kusala citta vīthi), he observes the cittas and cetasikas. By taking as object the various kinds of wholesome dhammas that have arisen in his mind in this life, he separates the mental phenomena in the wholesome mind-door cognitive processes. Similarly, in the ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness... these consciousnesses, etc., just as the material clusters that arose in the six doors, he observes the mental phenomena according to the wholesome cognitive processes. Similarly, he understands how unwholesome minds arose in the continuum, both at the mind-door and at the five sense-doors like the eye-door. Having seen all the cittas and cetasikas in his own continuum, he also comprehends the mental phenomena in external continuums. For that, without any effort, by spreading the light of wisdom that he has generated in his own continuum, he understands it with great sharpness.

 In this way, having seen all internal and external ultimate mental and material phenomena as they are, he then begins to investigate their cause and effect relationship. For that, he turns his attention to dependent origination (paṭiccasamuppāda). He enters into dependent origination in two ways: the five-fold method and the first method. When he enters into dependent origination, by directing the light of wisdom from the odāta kasina, he is able to see back to the moment of conception in this life. Then, he is able to see back to the moment of death in the previous life. From the moment of death in the previous life, he sees back to the moment of conception in that life. In this way, going back through several great aeons, he understands how the past successions of mental and material phenomena have come to be. In the same way, he also turns his attention to the future. In this way, having understood the succession of mental and material phenomena belonging to the past, future, and present three times, with their cause and effect relationship according to dependent origination, he chooses the path of vipassana meditation he must follow.

 For that, the yogis who follow the instructions of this venerable Sayadaw very successfully, sequentially enter into the knowledge of comprehension (sammasana ñāṇa), and there, as the knowledge of vipassanā in forty-two ways, they see the ten characteristics of impermanence, the twenty-five characteristics of suffering, and the five characteristics of non-self. In this way, having clearly seen dependent origination, by comprehending these mental and material phenomena, they enter into the knowledge of arising and passing away (udayabbaya ñāṇa). In the knowledge of arising and passing away, they properly understand arising and passing away in fifty-one ways, and having understood it with their own wisdom from direct experience, they then turn to the vipassanā of dissolution (bhaṅgānupassanā), and with great sharpness, comprehending the mental and material phenomena, they cultivate all the remaining vipassanā knowledges sequentially.

 Indeed, in this meditation path, since all mental and material phenomena are seen without leaving any corner unexamined, in accordance with the Buddha's words, "Sabbaṃ bhikkhave abhiññeyyaṃ, sabbaṃ pariññeyyaṃ" ("All, O monks, is to be fully understood, all is to be fully comprehended"), one comes to see everything for oneself. In truth, by directly seeing those mental and material phenomena clearly, and by cultivating the series of vipassanā knowledges sequentially, if one has developed samatha-vipassanā meditation and fulfilled the ten perfections in the long cycle of saṃsāra, then in this very life, by following this meditation path, one can sequentially attain the path and fruit of stream-entry, the path and fruit of once-returning, the path and fruit of non-returning, and the path and fruit of Arahantship.

 So this Dhamma is the path of deliverance. There are no conflicts, no confusions, no complications in this Dhamma. It is a very sequential path of instruction. Indeed, by following those instructions, today in Myanmar, many lay and ordained yogis have benefited from this meditation. For our fellow monastics in Sri Lanka who are interested in this, the instruction path of this venerable Sayadaw is extremely beneficial and has been made very fruitful. Therefore, we respectfully invite the venerable Sayadaw with bows and prostrations to let his instructions be available further for the development of this meditation path in Sri Lanka as well. And through this meditation path, even if one does not attain the paths and fruits in this life, in future lives, this becomes a perfection, a perfection of wisdom, to realize the paths and fruits.

 Thus, for the yogis who have cultivated both samatha and vipassanā meditation, in attaining the paths and fruits, through the practice of "sukha paṭipadā khippābhiññā" (easy practice with quick realization), they are able to quickly and easily realize the fruits of the path and the bliss of Nibbāna. Therefore, our respectful salutations to this pure meditation path taught by this venerable Sayadaw, which is the sole way to sequentially cultivate both samatha and vipassanā meditation. Our respectful salutations to this venerable Sayadaw who is clarifying this meditation path to the world. May the wholesome energy generated in the minds of all the lay and ordained people who are reaping the fruits of this meditation path be joyfully shared by us. And may the strength to cultivate this meditation path also arise in our own minds. By following the path of vipassanā meditation with access and absorption concentration, as taught by the supreme Buddha, and by conquering this world, the next world, saṃsāra, the defilements, and the self, and becoming invincible, just as the Buddhas, Paccekabuddhas, and Arahants have attained and realized the deathless, peaceful, sublime, and transcendent element of Nibbāna, may it be a cause and a condition for the venerable Sayadaw and for all of us to realize it. I briefly introduce this program with these words.