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　　 Where does it vanish to

　　 Actually the mind by nature is not something that vanishes. How can anyone come and make it vanish

　　Investigate carefully between the mind and the khandha until the truth is absolutely clear to the heart and your doubts vanish. This is called training discernment, developing discernment so as to see the truth.

　　No matter how great the pain arising at that moment, it won”t have the power to affect the mind at all. Once we see the mind as the mind, the feeling as feeling — once discernment has seen clearly in this way that the khandhas and the mind are real in their own separate ways — they won”t infringe on one another at all. The body is simply the body and stays as it is. When the pain appears, the body is still there. When the pain vanishes, every part of the body remains, in accordance with its own nature. If the feeling arises, that”s the feeling”s business. If it remains, that”s the feeling”s business. If it vanishes, that the feeling”s business. The mind is the one who knows that the pain arises, remains, and vanishes. The mind isn”t the one who arises, remains, and vanishes like the body or the feeling.

　　Once you have investigated this way until you”re adept, then when the chips are down, investigate in the same way. You needn”t fear death, because you”re a warrior. Fear of death is not the Dhamma of the Lord Buddha. The Dhamma is a matter of courage in the face of the truth. This is the basic principle of the svakkhata dhamma: the well-taught teaching. Follow in the path of this truth. If the time comes to die, be ready to die. There is no need to fear, because the mind doesn”t die — but be sure to know clearly what is appearing at that moment. For example, the pain: What is it like

　　 Look at it so as to know its truth. Once you have seen its truth, then the pain is simply a phenomenon. It doesn”t have any meaning, good or bad, at all. And it doesn”t act as anyone”s enemy. It”s simply its own full reality, displaying itself in line with natural principles. The body is also its own reality, appearing in line with its own principles. The mind is a separate phenomenon that constantly knows and doesn”t intermingle with anything else.

　　When you have investigated so as to know all-around, the mind extricates itself to be its own reality in full measure. The pain has its own fullness in line with its nature; the body has its own fullness in line with its nature, in that the mind doesn”t create any turmoil, trying to lay claim to anything of theirs. This being the case, nothing disturbs anything else. Pain, no matter how great, has no impact on the mind. You can smile even while great pain is arising — you can smile! — because the mind is something separate, not involving itself with the feeling. It doesn”t intermingle with the pain so as to burn itself. This way, the heart is at ease.

　　This, then, is the investigation of pain so as to comprehend it, by taking pain as your battlefield, as a whetstone for discernment, as the place where you temper and sharpen discernment by investigating and dissecting the pains that arise. Single out the body and single out the feeling. Which will vanish first, which will vanish after, try to know in accordance with their truth. Arising and vanishing have always been a part of their nature from time immemorial. Regardless of whether or not you”ve been aware of it, these have been their inherent characteristics. All you need to do is to investigate so as to see in line with their truth, so as not to resist the Dhamma, and you can live at ease.

　　So. If the time comes to die, let the body die — as the conventions of the world understand ”dying.” The body falls apart, so let it fall apart. Whatever is going to disintegrate, let it go — but that which doesn”t disintegrate r…

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