..續本文上一頁. The second level, subtle light, goes further; and the third level goes further still. The fourth and fifth levels can travel the entire universe. The same holds true for sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile sensations. The relationships between all the potentials in the universe are interacting at every moment, differing only as to whether they”re fast or slow. This is the inequality that has been termed "anicca-lakkhana" — inherent inconstancy. Whoever is ignorant is bound to think that all this is impossible, but actually this is the way things already are by their nature. We”ll come to know this through vijja — cognitive skill — not through ordinary labels and concepts. This is called true knowing, which meditators who develop the inner eye will realize for themselves: knowing the arising of these sensations, their persisting and their disbanding, in terms of their primary qualities and basic regularity.

　　Knowing things for what they really are.

　　Release, purity, dispassion, disbanding;

　　Nibbanam paramam sukham:

　　Nibbana is the ultimate ease.

　　B. As for mental acts that arise and die, their timespan is many thousands of times faster than that of sensations. To be able to keep track of their arising and dying away, our awareness has to be still. The four kinds of mental acts are:

　　— Vedana: the mind”s experience of feelings of pleasure, pain, and indifference.

　　— Sañña: recognizing and labeling the objects of the mind.

　　— Sankhara: mental fabrications or fashionings of good and bad.

　　— Viññana: distinct consciousness or cognizance of objects.

　　One class of these mental acts stays in place, arising and disbanding with reference to the immediate present. Another class is termed "gocara vedana" "gocara sañña," etc., which go out to refer to the world. Each of these has five levels, differing as to whether they”re common, refined, or subtle, slow or fast. These five levels connect with each other, running out in stages, and then circling back to their starting point, disbanding and then arising again — all without end.

　　When we don”t have the skill to discern the primary sensations and mental acts that stay in place, we can”t see into the "gocara" sensations and mental acts that go flowing around. This is termed "avijja," the unawareness that opens the way for connecting consciousness (patisandhi viññana), giving rise to the act of fashioning (sankhara), which is the essence of kamma. This gives fruit as sensations and feelings that are followed by craving, and then the act of labeling, which gives rise to another level of consciousness — of sensory objects — and then the cycle goes circling on. This is termed the "khandha-vatta," the cycle of the aggregates, circling and changing unevenly and inconsistently. To see this is called aniccanupassana-ñana, the knowledge that keeps track of inconstancy as it occurs. This is known through the inner eye, i.e., the skill of genuine discernment.

　　Thus, those who practice the exercises of insight meditation should use their sensitivities and circumspection to the full if they hope to gain release from unawareness. Fashionings, in this context, are like waves on the ocean. If we”re out in a boat on the ocean when the waves are high, our vision is curtailed. Our senses of hearing, smell, taste, touch, and ideation are all curtailed. We won”t be able to perceive far into the distance. What this means is that when our minds are immersed in the Hindrances, we won”t be able to perceive death at all. But once we”ve been able to suppress the Hindrances, it”s like taking a boat across the ocean when there are no waves. We”ll be able to see objects far in the distance. Our eyes will be clear-seeing, our ears clear-hearing, our senses of sm…

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