..续本文上一页te truth (paramattha). One has to go beyond the apparent truth to reach the ultimate truth. This is what Vipassana is-”paññatti ṭhapetvā visesena passatī”ti vipassanā3. When one looks within, one starts to realise that everything in the field of mind and matter is impermanent-”anicca. Everything keeps changing.

　　Whatever keeps changing cannot be a source of lasting happiness. One realises that whatever happiness one experiences, sooner or later, turns into unhappiness. Unhappiness is inherent in transient happiness. As one continues on the path, one realises that suffering is inherent in every experience in the field of mind and matter-”yaṃ kiñci vedayitaṃ taṃ dukkhasmiṃ4.

　　As one observes the phenomenon objectively, the way the Buddha taught, one will find that there is no solidity. One”s own investigation of the mind-matter phenomenon leads to the discovery that everything is mere vibration. Sabbo pajjalito loko, sabbo loko pakampito5. The entire universe is nothing but combustion and vibration. There is no lasting substance in it. One has no control over it. There is nothing that one can point out as "I" or "mine" or "my soul"

　　The experience of anicca at the experiential level changes saññā to anicca-saññā, which naturally leads to anattā. This leads to the experience of nibbāna-”Aniccasaññino hi, anattasaññā saṇṭhāti, anattasaññī asmimānasamugghātaṃ pāpuṇāti diṭṭheva dhamme nibbānan”ti.6

　　This has to be experienced. One may keep on saying: "There is no soul," but if one is full of ego, the Buddha”s teaching doesn”t help. One”s ego is so strong. If one doesn”t experience anattā but makes a philosophy out of it, it won”t help. But when one experiences this oneself, one is liberated. That is anattā.

　　Paññā takes one to the stage where the ego naturally gets dissolved by experiential understanding. It is neither an intellectual game nor an emotional or devotional game. It is not a blind belief; it is not a dogma; it is not a cult; it is not a philosophy. It is a truth that can be realised by one and all: a Christian or a Muslim, a Hindu or a Jain, a Myanmar or a Thai, an Indian or a Pakistani, an American or a Russian or a Chinese. It makes no difference. The law of nature is universal-”it is applicable to everyone.

　　This was the discovery made by the Buddha. Some accepted it in the past and some didn”t. The Buddha shows the path. He doesn”t want you to accept blindly. He gives you a way to find out the truth for yourself.

　　Galileo discovered that the earth is round. He also discovered that the earth is rotating on its own axis. Some believed it; some didn”t believe it. Later on, all people accepted this as the truth. The earth was round even before Galileo. The earth was round at the time of Galileo. The earth remains round after Galileo. Newton found out that there is a law of gravity. He announced it. The law of gravity was there even before Newton, at the time of Newton, and will remain after Newton.

　　Similarly, the law of paṭiccasamuppāda was there-”even before the Buddha, at the time of the Buddha, and it will remain after the Buddha. This is the law of nature. Whether there is a Buddha or no Buddha, Dhamma niyāmatā remains eternal. The Buddha said: Uppādā vā tathāgatānaṃ anuppādā vā tathāgatānaṃ, ṭhitāva sā dhātu dhammaṭṭhitatā dhammaniyāmatā idappaccayatā.7

　　Due to ignorance (avijjā), one does not know what is happening within the framework of mind and matter (nāma-rūpa). Every moment there is some sensation or the other, throughout the body. Wherever there is life, there is a sensation. All these six sense organs come…

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