The Snare of Māra

(The following is an extract, edited and condensed, from one of the discourses for a long course. In it Goenkaji refers to Māra, meaning the forces opposed to liberation a kind of personification of one’s own negativities.)

 

It is easy to develop the faculty to feel bodily sensations but more difficult to maintain perfect equanimity towards them, understanding that they are all impermanent, anicca.

 

This is the most important aspect of the practice. Unless you develop the understanding of anicca at the level of bodily sensations, liberation is far away. The Buddha kept saying that if there is a sensation and, along with it, craving or aversion, nibbāna is far away from you. Vedanā and taṇhā; vedanā and taṇhā: so long as these come together, there is only dukkha-samudaya-gāminī paṭipadā a path that multiplies your misery, that generates misery for you. The fire and the fuel; the fire and the fuel; you can’t come out of burning. You have to understand at the experiential level, "Look: this is fire. Look: this is fuel. And look: if more fuel is given to the fire, I am not coming out of burning." With this understanding, one will try not to feed the fire. If you do not give more fuel, whatever fuel already there will sooner or later be consumed. When no new saṅkhāra of craving or aversion is given, the old saṅkhāras will automatically be consumed.

 

You can do nothing about the old saṅkhāras but you can certainly stop creating new ones. Once you do, the old ones will automatically be burnt out little by little. A time will come when there will be no more saṅkhāras of the past because you have stopped creating new ones. The law of nature is such that when you stop creating new saṅkhāras you are on the path of liberation, nirodha-gāminī paṭipadā. The Buddha called it dukkha-nirodha-gāminī paṭipadā, the path to eradicate all miseries; and he has also called it vedanā-nirodha-gāminī paṭipadā, the path to eradicate all vedanā. In other words, by walking on the path one reaches the stage where there is no more vedanā because one experiences something beyond mind and matter. Within the field of mind and matter there is constant contact, because of which there is vedanā, whether pleasant, unpleasant or neutral. To come out of vedanā is to come out of misery. And the only way to come out of vedanā is to stop giving new fuel to the fire. Let it burn out. It is so simple and yet so difficult.

 

In spite of understanding everything at the intellectual level, at the actual level deep inside there is a tendency to cling to pleasant sensations. And that is the real danger. It is relatively easy to come out of aversion towards unpleasant sensations but it is very difficult to come out of craving and clinging towards pleasant ones.

 

You must explore the truth of the entire field of vedanā. As you work, you encounter unpleasant gross sensations, and initially you react with aversion because of the old habit pattern. Then you realize, "Look: there is a reaction towards unpleasant sensations." You keep training your mind: "This is impermanent, this is impermanent. I have experienced so many unpleasant sensations in the past and none of them remained forever. They all arose and sooner or later they passed away. How can the one that has come now remain forever?" In this way you train your mind not to react, understanding with experience the characteristic of anicca. To some extent you are successful.

 

Then the experience changes and you reach the stage of total dissolution, with no solidity anywhere; you observe a free flow of very subtle vibrations, an experience that is extremely pleasant. Without your realizing how or when, you start clinging to this; thinking, "Oh wonderful! This is pleasant, this is good." Then you recall the words of your teacher or the Buddha: "Oh no, this also is impermanent, impermanent." But a part of your mind still clings to it.

 

To judge whether you are clinging or not, you have to examine yourself when the free flow passes away. What happens then? Do you feel dejected, disappointed, defeated, depressed, as if you have regressed? If any trace of such feeling is present, it shows that there was clinging. Even after you first experience dissolution, from time to time unpleasant sensations keep coming. At that time you must examine yourself: "Now that these gross sensations have come again, is a part of my mind still craving for the dissolution I experienced some time back?" If the thought arises, " I must get it again, I must get it again!" then certainly there is aversion towards the unpleasant sensations and craving for pleasant ones; you are not coming out of the old habit pattern. Strive to come out of it. When a pleasant sensation arises and even a part of your mind starts relishing it, no matter how slightly, at that time wisdom should arise: "Oh dangerous! This is a truly frightening situation. This is Māra’s snare. This is what has been happening for millions of lives."

 

At a very superficial level one appears to take pleasure in a vision, sound, smell, taste, touch or thought. One thinks, "Indulging in such pleasures is a bondage. One must come out of them. One should not become entangled in pleasures." But with the practice of Vipassana, it becomes clear that whatever one called pleasure was nothing but a pleasant sensation on the body. Whatever the outside object whether a vision, a sound, something tangible, a smell, a taste or a thought along with it there occurred a very pleasant sensation on the body. One understands, "This is what I used to call pleasure. And its opposite as well was only apparently an outside object; actually there was unpleasant sensation on the body. Reacting to sensations was a game I had been playing all my life and for countless lives in the past."

 

Now you find that in the name of Vipassana you are playing the same game. What is the difference? Now too, when you experience a free flow of very subtle sensations, you think, "Oh, very pleasant!" And when it disappears you feel depressed, as if you had lost ground. When it returns you feel you are progressing: "Now I have got it again!"

 

You have heard this before and understood it at the intellectual level. But examine yourself. If you are still playing the same game the understanding is very superficial; you have not grasped Dhamma properly. Liberation is far, far away. As the Buddha very emphatically said, if there is a sensation and, along with it, craving or aversion, nibbāna is far, far away.

 

Understand his words of warning, especially when you are passing through a situation of very pleasant, subtle sensations. This is a very dangerous, even frightening situation.

 

If you really start understanding this, you will want to come out of the experience. It becomes impossible for you to relish it. It is so dangerous, so frightening; what is there to relish? Instead one feels disgusted: "What is there in this pleasant sensation?" Only then does one start coming out of it to experience the nibbānic stage.

 

So long as the relishing persists, so long as one is not disgusted with the relishing, so long as one does not see any danger in the relishing, one is far, far away from nibbāna. That is why it is so important to work with the bodily sensations properly. You have started feeling sensation; good. But how are you feeling it? Is saññā [perception] still working in the same mad way, or is it changing into anicca-saññā? Do you understand what Māra’s snare is? Are you deepening that understanding?

 

A story: A parrot came to stay in the hermitage where a bhikkhu meditated a very peaceful place with many fruit trees. The bhikkhu tried to teach the parrot, saying to it, "Oh parrot, there is a danger here. A hunter will come and scatter some grains; you will be attracted to them. He will throw his net; you will be caught in it. A great danger; you must be very careful. The grains that he scatters are very dangerous, because through them you will be caught in the net. A great danger. Oh parrot, the hunter will come. He will throw some grains. You will be attracted towards the grains. He will throw his net and you will be caught. Be careful. Oh parrot, be careful!"

 

The parrot learned to repeat these words. It would keep on reciting, "Oh parrot, be careful! Oh parrot, be careful! The hunter will come and scatter grains. Don’t be attracted to them. He will throw his net and you will be caught. Be careful! Be careful!"

 

And exactly as the bhikkhu had warned, one day the hunter came and scattered some grains. The parrot was attracted to them and the hunter threw his net, ensnaring the parrot. The hunter caught hold of the parrot, which still kept on reciting the same words: "Oh parrot, be careful! The hunter will come. He will scatter grains. He will throw his net. Be careful, be careful!"

 

A Vipassana meditator who relishes the grains of the hunter becomes entangled in Māra’s net. And these pleasant sensations on the body are the grains. This is Māra’s snare. When you start relishing them, you are caught. Yet you imagine that, because you are practicing Vipassana, you are becoming liberated, you are approaching the experience of nibbāna. Instead you are running in the opposite direction.

 

This is how the wheel of misery keeps rotating. It always starts with pleasant sensations and with craving towards them. Aversion simply follows. One is not entangled in Māra’s snare by the unpleasant sensations. So long as you have craving and clinging for pleasant sensations, you will have aversion towards the unpleasant. The root is your craving for the pleasant.

 

And when free flow occurs you face a dangerous situation. This is the stage at which a subtle craving will start. At the surface of the mind, at the conscious, intellectual level, you will keep saying, "This is anicca, anicca." But deep inside you will start clinging to the experience. You will behave exactly like the parrot that keeps repeating, "Oh parrot, be careful; oh parrot, be careful!" even after he has been caught because of his craving for the grains scattered by the hunter. You have craving, and as long as the craving exists you cannot come to the end of vedanā.

 

This craving must go away. You must learn to stop relishing the pleasant sensations. You must discern the danger in them; you must recognize that this is a frightening situation. And you must understand that you have to come out of it. A feeling of disgust arises towards the pleasant sensations themselves: "What is really pleasant here? I have been caught in this snare in countless lives in the past, and I continue to be caught in it in this life as well."

 

A pleasant sensation appears to be pleasant but it is really suffering because it enmeshes one in the old habit of relishing it, of clinging to it. It is dukkha, it is bondage. As the Buddha said, "Yaṃ kiñci vedayitaṃ, taṃ pi dukkhasmiṃ Whatever sensation one is experiencing, it is actually dukkha, dukkha, dukkha."

 

As long as there is vedanā, there will be dukkha, because the process of multiplication of misery is operating. The fire is burning, and you are giving it fuel. Let the fire be extinguished. Then you will come to the end of vedanā, the end of suffering.

Message from Goenkaji

(extract from an address to assistant teachers and Dhamma workers, December 31, 1999)

 

This is not only the start of a new millennium but also the centenary of the birth of the great householder saint, Sayagyi U Ba Khin. In fulfillment of his hopes, this is the time for Vipassana to arise. The darkness of ignorance, the darkness of misery exists everywhere around the world. The light of Vipassana is needed, and the light of Vipassana is arising.

 

May all of you strengthen yourselves in Dhamma, in sīla, samādhi, paññā, mettā; only then will you be able to help others. First help yourselves and then start helping others.

 

The next millennium is for peace, for harmony, for Dhamma. May the darkness of ignorance pass away. May the light of Dhamma spread round the world. May Vipassana spread for the good of many, for the benefit of many, for the liberation of many.

10-day Vipassana Course in Police Academy, New Delhi (3 to 14 Jan, 2000)

(Report filed by Dhamma worker serving the course)

 

A Vipassana course for Assistant Sub-Inspectors was recently held at Dhamma Rakkhaka.

 

(The Vipassana centre established at the Police Training Academy in New Delhi, India). The course was part of a 6 month training program resulting in the promotion of the participants.

 

The course commenced on 3 Jan 2000 and concluded on 14 Jan 2000. Approximately 450 male participants and one female participant completed the course. Three students left the course due to unfortunate circumstances. The course was also attended by 3 people from the Navjyoti De-Addiction Centre.

 

There were 7 Dhamma halls and the students stayed in their barracks. For 8 Assistant Teachers and 7 Dhamma servers it was a challenging yet rewarding experience. Despite efforts to enforce the Code of Discipline, many students simply refused to comply. However after 10 days the results of meditation were extraordinary. Many students were working seriously and the atmosphere was charged with Dhamma.

 

On mettā day the students spoke of their experiences and the great benefits they had acquired. One student who had sat a previous course at the Police Training Academy (PTC) was so enthusiastic to deepen his practice that he asked permission to sit the next course in order to qualify for a Satipaṭṭhāna course. His wish was granted…

 

50 Muslims who were unable to participate in the January course due to a coinciding religious festival, requested an opportunity to sit at a later date. This course is hoped to take place in February.

 

The great compassion and dedication of Dr Kiran Bedi (Joint-Commissioner of Delhi Police) to help establish Dhamma in society, has led to further developments… Weekly group sittings will be held for all old students at the PTC and the Dhamma hall will be open daily to encourage regular practice. Courses are being planned for the families of trainees at the PTC, which should be a significant support for these people. It is also hoped to expand the Vipassana section in the PTC library.

 

It was an inspiration to serve with the staff who were old students from previous courses at the PTC. Their goodwill, energy and generosity is a living example for all organisations of the results of Vipassana. One senior staff member shared of the dramatic changes in his life and the Police Force in general since courses commenced in Jan 1999.

 

The Delhi Police notorious for their corruption and rough behavior are being transformed into a Moral Force!

Goenkaji Attends the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland

The Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum is perhaps the most distinguished gathering of contemporary business, industrial and government leaders in the world today. Every January in the small Alpine ski-resort of Davos, Switzerland, more than 1,000 CEOs of major multi-national corporations, leading academics and government leaders, including presidents and prime ministers of countries gather. They are invited to come together annually to discuss current issues related to world-wide economics, environment, health and culture. The results hopefully lead to a shared view among participants of how solutions to these problems faced by humanity in the world today can be implemented. At the beginning of this new millennium, the theme of this year’s World Economic Forum was, "New Beginnings: Making a Difference".

 

Goenkaji was invited to be a Forum Fellow in this year's Annual Meeting held from 26 January-1 February. He participated in several panel discussions and gave one featured address.

 

On the first day, Goenkaji was interviewed by CNBC, the media representative who provided internal video coverage. In his interview, he emphasised how important secular spirituality is to the successful implementation of business strategies in the world. Without a base of Dhamma, all the money and success in business will be an empty accomplishment.

 

The first program Goenkaji participated in was a panel discussion entitled "The Future of Religion: Beyond Beliefs?" Also on the panel were a Jewish Rabbi, a Muslim leader, a Chinese professor of philosophy from Harvard and a professor of religion from Oxford. In the discussion, Goenkaji emphasised that there are two aspects of religion. The first is the outer shell of religion, which often includes rites, rituals and religious ceremonies, mythological beliefs, philosophical beliefs and dogma that characterise most sectarian religions. Followers of such sectarian religions may not have a trace of morality, love, compassion or good will, yet remain under the impression that they are religious people because they have performed such and such rite or ritual or because they have full faith in a particular belief. Such people are actually deluding themselves and missing the true nectar of the practice of the true essence of religion. The second aspect of religion, the quintessence of religion, is to live a moral life full of love, compassion, good will and tolerance. This is the greatest common denominator of all religions. If people practice this core aspect of religion, there will be no reason for any conflict or confrontation among the people of the world regardless of their religion. Everyone in the human society can enjoy real peace, real harmony and real happiness by observing this quintessence of religion.

 

The second program Goenkaji participated in was a dinner program at which the topic was, "Death: Exploring the Taboo". Goenkaji addressed the issue of why death is considered a taboo in society. It is basically because people fear death and do not want to face even the thought of death. However if one becomes fearless, there is no need for this taboo. This fear complex, including the fear of death, can be totally eradicated. A rational, pragmatic and scientific technique exists for this. The Buddha, a great super scientist of India, discovered a technique of mental exercise, which liberates the mind from all complexes, including the fear complex. This technique is called Vipassana meditation.

 

On the third day, Goenkaji addressed a dinner group on the subject of, "What to do when you are angry". To the group who attended, Goenkaji explained what happens when one becomes angry, in terms of reactions that occur in response to the unpleasant sensations one experiences with the larger subconscious part of the mind. He talked about how Vipassana renders the entire mind fully conscious and trains the mind not to react to sensations, whether pleasant or unpleasant. By simply observing the unpleasant sensations that occur in the body when someone does something that you do not like or when something you want to happen does not happen, with the understanding that these sensations are impermanent, you can come out of anger. He explained that this technique enables one to eliminate one’s old stock of stored anger, to be free from the tendency to become angry.

 

The principal address given by Goenkaji to the participants of the Forum was entitled, "Is This as Good as it Gets? The Meaning of Happiness". In this presentation, he explained that unhappiness occurs because of defilements in the mind. In his discourse, he told the audience of distinguished Forum participants how Vipassana meditation enables one to live a life of true happiness.

 

Goenkaji’s attendance at the 2000 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum was altogether a great success. For the first time, the leaders of world business, professional and government institutions had the opportunity to come in contact with true Dhamma. This is a small beginning for the more rapid spread of Dhamma in the West.

‘Dhamma Sota’ (Haryana)

It has been decided that the inauguration of the 1^st course beginning from 8-19^th March will be in the presence of Guruji. On 11^thMarch, Vipassana will be given to the meditators by Pujya Guruji In the afternoon: 12.30 p.m, a press conference will be held. Information regarding the forthcoming courses at this centre is given in the schedule.

Pujya Guruji’s other programs and discourse series at Jaipur and Delhi.

8^th March: Guruji will be giving Vipassana to the meditators at ‘Dhammathali’, Jaipur.

8^th & 9^th March: Public talk at Jaipur.

10^th March: Leaving Jaipur for Delhi.

11^th March: 9 to 11 a.m, Vipassana will be given to meditators at ‘Dhamma Sota’, Haryana.

12^th March: One day course in the presence of Guruji at Logicstat farm-house.

13^th March: afternoon: Discourse at ‘Delhi Police Academy’

13^th March: 6 to 7.30 p.m: Dhamma Discourse for members of the Loksabha and their family members.

14^th March: Discourse for prisoners of Dhamma Tihar

15^th March: 6 to 7.30 p.m: Public talk & Q/A at Meerut

16^th, 17^th, 18^th: 6 to 7.30 p.m: Public talk series as follows:

Venue: Talkatora Indore stadium, Shankar road, New Delhi.

Time: Daily 5 to 6 p.m: Group sitting for old students.

6 to 7.30 p.m: Public talk & Q/A session

Subject (serially) 1. Vipassana: A Science of transformation.

2. Vipassana: Its relevance & Applicability in the New Millennium.

3. Vipassana: A way from bondage to liberation.

For furthur details please contact:

Vipassana Sadhana Sansthan, phone: 001-6452772; e-mail:<logicstat@vsnl.com>

19^th March: Leaving Delhi for Kathmandu(Nepal).

New Appointments

Assistant Teachers (In India)

1. Dr. Achyut Pal, Thana 2. Shri. Manhar Sheladia, Gandhinagar

3. Shri. Brahmanand Goyal, Mahasamund

4. Shri. Chhabilal Sahu, Raipur

5. Mrs Sudhaben Patel, Ahmedabad.

Assistant Teachers (Outside India)

1. Mr. Dennis Ferman, U.S.A 2. Mr & Mrs. Norm & Debra Kosky, U.S.A 3. Bhikkhuni Ming Chia Shih, Taiwan

Children Course Teachers (In India)

Mr Om Prakash &

Mrs Sharda Devi Mathuria, Ajmer

Ms Bindu Dangaria, Rajkot

Mrs Kusum Vijay Shah, Mandvi

Mrs Jaya Prabhudas Patel, Bhuj

Ms Jaya Kasta, Mandvi

Mrs Jyesta Rohit Savla, Mandvi

Mrs Foram H. Ranawala, Gandhidham

Mrs Rambha Premji Bhudia, Bhuj

Mrs Damayanti Luxman Asani, Bhuj

Mr Digant P. Shah, Mandvi

Mr Anilkumar P. Thakkar, Gandhidham

Mr Jaganath B. &

Mrs Vijaylaxmi Jaganath B., Bhuj

Mrs Uma Durvas Choudhary, Nagpur

Mr Udayan T. Bhange, Nagpur

Mr Anvir M. Dhawle, Nagpur

Mr Rahul M. Tayade, Akola

Mrs Pushpa Ashok Pawar, Dhule

Mr Om Prakash Shirsath, Nashik

Children Course Teachers (Outside India)

Mr R. P. C. Rajapakse, Sri Lanka

Mrs Deepthi Tennakoon, Sri Lanka

Mrs M. A. Dhammawathie, Sri Lanka

Mrs Indrani Seneviratne, Sri Lanka

Mrs Eva Sophonpanich, Thailand

Mrs Sayo Medina, Spain

Mrs Ann Ashton, U.K.

Ms Angela Davis, U.K.

Mrs Jocelyne Soucasse, France

Ms Marie Christine Fromont, France