SN 22.1 Nakulapita Sutta

Ektaji explains the 'SN 22.1 Nakulapita Sutta' (discourse) from Samyutta Nikaya (The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya by Bhikkhu Bodhi) from Chapter 22 Khandasamyutta. These suttas, originally in the Pali language, are at the heart of Buddha's teachings. Ektaji uses some Pali words so that the meaning and importance of the sutta is not lost in translation and interpretation.

Transcript

Salaam.

Salaam.

Salaam.

Welcome to Buddha Sangha.

Today we will do a sutta from the Samyutta Nikaya.

This is the sutta from the part 3,

Book of the Aggregates,

Khanda Vaga.

It is page 853.

Chapter 1,

We are doing Khanda Samayutta,

Which is the connected discourses on the aggregates.

Division 1,

The root 50.

So we will do Nakula Pitta today.

Number 1,

Nakula Pitta.

Thus have I heard,

On one occasion,

The Blessed One was dwelling among the Bhagas at Tsum Sumara Gira in the Besakala grove,

The deer park.

Then the householder,

Nakula Pitta,

Approached the Blessed One,

Paid homage to him,

Sat down to one side and said to him,

I am old venerable sir,

Aged,

Burned with years,

Advanced in life,

Come to the last stage,

Afflicted in body,

Often ill.

I rarely get to see the Blessed One and the bhikkhus worthy of esteem.

Let the Blessed One exhort me.

Venerable sir,

Let him instruct me,

Since that would lead to my welfare and happiness for a long time.

So it is,

Householder,

So it is.

This body of yours is afflicted,

Weighed down,

Encumbered.

If anyone carrying around this body were to claim to be healthy,

Even for a moment,

What is that due to other than foolishness?

Therefore,

Householder,

You should train yourself thus.

Even though I am afflicted in body,

My mind will be unafflicted.

Thus should you train yourself.

Let me pause here.

This is a very important instruction given by the Buddha where,

Specifically for the householder,

He has mentioned certain suttas and certain teachings that help one while living amongst the samsara or the world of people,

Situations and things.

He can still follow the path of the Buddha.

He does not have to be an ascetic.

So here in this teaching we have Nakula-Tikta who is the householder,

Who is old and who comes to Buddha to learn something.

He is not able to come very often to the Buddha.

He asks the question about his old age.

And the Buddha replied,

How should one train oneself?

Even though I am afflicted in body,

My mind will remain unafflicted.

Most of us feel that we cannot control our own minds and we give in to the whims and fancies of this mind.

When we give in to the whims and fancies of the mind,

The mind gets afflicted.

External people,

Situations and things are not what really trouble the mind.

It is our own mind which is afflicted on a core of its own thirst.

The mind is constantly craving for something or the other.

Even if its craving is fulfilled,

It is not satiated,

It looks for something else.

Even when that something else comes to it,

It is not happy,

It wants something else now.

And so the game continues.

The mind keeps galloping from one desire to another,

From one craving to another,

From one aversion to another.

The disease of the mind is called craving.

Aversion is nothing but another form of craving.

When I do not like something,

It is because I like the opposite,

I expect the opposite.

So really,

Every aversion also falls under the bigger umbrella of craving.

When the body is old,

What craving arises?

The body should be healthy,

I should be able to do things.

And when there is a little bit of pain in the body,

What happens to the mind?

It starts on its craving marathon.

It craves for this part of the body to be fine and that part of the body to be healthy.

And it continues,

Continues this marathon,

Craving and wanting and feeling every step of the way,

Becoming more and more feverish.

And in the whole process,

It becomes afflicted.

Afflicted means it tortures its own self,

It creates its own suffering,

It digs a grave for its own self,

Jumps in and starts screaming,

Oh,

I am in this pit,

Can somebody pull me out?

Recognise the silly tendency of the mind and wake up.

Even if the body is afflicted,

My mind will remain un-afflicted.

That is the teaching number one for today and your homework number one.

Then the householder,

Nakula Pitta,

Having delighted and rejoiced in the Blessed One's statement,

Rose from his seat and having paid homage to the Blessed One,

Keeping him on his right,

He approached the venerable Sariputta.

Having paid homage to the venerable Sariputta,

He sat down to one side and the venerable Sariputta then said to him,

Householder,

Your faculties are serene,

Your facial complexion is pure and bright.

Did you get to hear a Dhamma talk today in the presence of the Blessed One?

Why not venerable sir?

Just now,

I was anointed by the Blessed One with the ambrosia of a Dhamma talk.

With what kind of ambrosia of a Dhamma talk did the Blessed One anoint you,

Householder?

Here venerable sir,

I approached the Blessed One.

The householder Nakula Pitta repeats his entire conversation with the Buddha.

It was with the ambrosia of such a Dhamma talk,

Venerable sir,

That the Blessed One anointed me.

Didn't it occur to you,

Householder,

To question the Blessed One further as to how one is afflicted in body and afflicted in mind and how one is afflicted in body but not afflicted in mind?

We would come from far away,

Venerable sir,

To learn the meaning of this statement from the venerable Sariputta.

It would be good indeed if the venerable Sariputta would clear up the meaning of this statement.

So,

Sariputta,

Who is also very learned and has reached the higher stages of enlightenment,

Was sitting very close to Buddha.

And when the householder Nakula Pitta went to pay respects to Sariputta,

Asked him about his conversation with the Buddha and asked him,

Don't you need a little more clarification on the same?

Why didn't you question him?

And Nakula Pitta very smartly said that he would get that explanation or he would request that explanation from Sariputta.

So,

Let's see what venerable Sariputta has to say.

Then listen and attend closely,

Householder.

I will speak.

Yes,

Venerable sir.

The householder Nakula Pitta replied,

The venerable Sariputta said this,

How householder is one afflicted in body and afflicted in mind.

Here,

Householder,

The un-instructed whirling who is not a seer of the noble ones and is unskilled and undisciplined in their Dhamma,

Who is not a seer of superior persons and is unskilled and undisciplined in their Dhamma,

Regards form as self or self as possessing form or for as in self or self as in form.

He lives obsessed by the notions,

I am form,

Form is mine.

As he lives obsessed by these notions that form of his changes and alters.

With the change and alteration of form,

There arise in him sorrow,

Lamentation,

Pain,

Displeasure and despair.

So,

Here basically Sariputta is saying that the unskilled person or somebody who is not very,

Has not reached the higher understanding of spirituality,

Where he has established in the truth that I am not the body.

When somebody has not reached this truth that I am not the body,

He believes that I am body.

He does not see a difference between I and body.

He thinks this body is who I am.

This body is nothing but form.

He has attached a lot of importance to this form.

But nature's law is such that this form will change with time.

Nature's law is such that this form must alter with time.

But someone who is very attached to this form,

The body,

And considers it as I,

He goes into despair,

He goes into displeasure.

Just the alteration of the form makes him sad and he is unable to live a happy life.

He regards I as the form and form is mine.

The I and mine are two major attachments.

The mine is because of what I consider as I.

I think I am this body and therefore that which is of this body,

Child of this body,

Spouse of this body,

Parent of this body,

Friend of this body,

House of this body,

Job of this body,

Etc.

Everything that I consider of this body I consider as mine.

Mine is born out of I.

And I considering this form as I is incorrect,

Is just the source of pain and it is not the truth.

It is the understanding of the unskilled mind.

We'll move on to the next paragraph.

He regards feeling as self or self as possessing feeling or feeling as in self or self as in feeling.

He lives obsessed by the notions I am feeling,

Feeling is mine.

As he lives obsessed by these notions,

That feeling of his changes and alters.

With the change and alteration of feeling,

There arise in him sorrow,

Lamentation,

Pain,

Displeasure and despair.

The moment I have a loving feeling towards a particular person,

I think I am loving.

Do you get it?

When I have a feeling of anger towards another person,

I feel that I am angry.

I connect with the feeling.

I get identified with the feeling.

I start misinterpreting that I am feeling and that feeling is mine.

This anger is mine.

This hatred is mine.

This compassion is mine.

Ego is mine.

All these concepts and ideas come up because of my attachment to particular feeling that I have just witnessed.

But because I am an unskilled whirling who has not been instructed in the noble truth,

I start identifying with this feeling.

When I identify with the feeling,

I experience sorrow,

Pain,

Despair,

Lamentation.

I become unhappy.

The mind is afflicted.

He regards perception as self or self as possessing perception or perception as in self or self as in perception.

He lives obsessed by the notions.

I am perception.

Perception is mine.

As he lives obsessed by these notions,

That perception of his changes and alters.

With the change and alteration of perception,

There arise in him sorrow,

Lamentation,

Pain,

Displeasure and despair.

Now you can clearly see that he is taking you towards the five aggregates.

The first aggregate was for rupa.

The second aggregate was vedana or feeling.

The third aggregate now that we just read in this paragraph is sannyas or perception.

I start identifying with my perception.

I hold on to my own concepts and ideas.

I hold on to my beliefs and I start considering them as mine.

My belief,

My concept,

My idea.

But nature's law is such that everything changes.

Your own perception also falls apart.

It changes.

It alters.

And what happens when your own belief system,

When your own concepts,

When your own ideas fall apart?

There is sorrow.

There is despair.

There is lamentation.

There is pain.

Why did all this happen in the first place?

Because I kept thinking I am sanya.

Or I am perception.

Or I kept thinking perception is mine.

Because of the mindness,

I suffer.

I do not suffer because of the external world of people,

Situations and things changing.

That is nature's law anyways.

I suffer because I am attached to my concept,

My false and imaginary concept of permanence.

I keep forgetting that nothing is permanent.

Everything is changing.

When an unskilled,

Whirling householder who is not instructed in this noble truth starts seeing the truth,

He is no more unskilled.

He is no more uninstructed.

You wake up and see how many perceptions of yours have changed with time.

And with the lesson of this change,

Did you stop getting attached to the perceptions yet?

If not,

Can we begin today?

Identify all the current beliefs,

Concepts,

Ideas that you have and drop the attachment to them.

Recognize this perception is not I.

This perception is not mine.

He regards volitional formations as self or self as possessing volitional formations or volitional formations as in self or self as in volitional formations.

He lives obsessed by the notions.

I am volitional formations.

Volitional formations are mine.

As he lives obsessed by these notions,

Those volitional formations of his change and alter.

With the change and alteration of volitional formations,

There arise in him sorrow,

Lamentation,

Pain,

Displeasure and despair.

We have studied that volitional formations are nothing but sankhara and sankhara means an impression.

If I repeatedly do something,

That becomes an impression.

For example,

If I go on punching my fist into the sand,

What will happen?

An impression will first be formed and slowly with more punches that impression becomes bigger and bigger and bigger.

That is what is a volitional formation or a sankhara because of you willing to do something,

Willing to think something,

Willing to say something.

An impression is created in the sands of your own consciousness.

It has happened by your volition.

You may or may not conclude it in action but even at the thought level,

There is a formation.

There is an impression in your consciousness and that is called volitional formations or sankhara.

Such volitional formations are what lead to my habitual tendencies.

Because I have encouraged a particular thought in the past,

I will act on the same thought again and again and again and even again and again and again and that becomes my habit pattern.

That is what determines my personality and then I put labels on myself,

This is how I am.

I start identifying with these habitual tendencies and I say I am volitional formations or volitional formations are mine.

I start identifying with them.

I think they are myself or I think myself is in these volitional formations.

The day a householder,

A simple being becomes skilled in recognising,

Oh this is just a habitual pattern that I have been sticking to for so much time with my spouse,

My friend,

My work,

My relationship.

It's just a habitual tendency.

I have identified with this tendency and that is why I am attached and the more I get attached to a particular habit pattern,

The more it brings pain,

Displeasure,

Lamentation and sorrow.

So,

What does a skilled one do?

He recognises that this volitional formation has lead to my this particular habit.

So,

The next homework is make a list of all the habitual patterns that are the cause of sorrow and pain to you.

First of all,

Drop this attachment or this identification with them that I am these habit patterns or these habit patterns are mine.

The moment this identification drops,

You will experience a freedom.

He regards consciousness as self or self as possessing consciousness or consciousness as in self or self as in consciousness.

He lives obsessed by the notions.

I am consciousness.

Consciousness is mine.

As he lives obsessed by these notions that consciousness of his changes and alters.

With the change and alteration of consciousness,

There arise in him sorrow,

Lamentation,

Pain,

Displeasure and despair.

The next is Vinyana consciousness.

How many types of consciousnesses do you know?

Eye consciousness,

Ear consciousness,

Tongue consciousness,

Nose consciousness,

Body consciousness and mind consciousness.

The job of the consciousness is just cognition.

It's like in computer language you would say just data input.

Processing of data has not yet begun.

Just plain data input is Vinyana or consciousness.

Recognize this that consciousness or Vinyana arises only where there is craving.

Only if there is a craving to look to the right side does the eye consciousness arise.

Only if there is a craving to get up and move does the body consciousness arise.

The main cause of suffering is really craving.

Recognize this higher truth.

This craving is what makes one identify with Vinyana.

And the unskilled mind gets obsessed with it and thinks I am consciousness or consciousness is mine.

It is in such a way householder that one is afflicted in body and afflicted in mind.

You get it?

These five khandas,

The pancha khanda,

What are they?

Rupa which is form,

Vinyana which is consciousness,

Sanya which is perception,

Vedana which is feeling and Sankhara which is volitional formations or impressions.

These five are what become the root cause of affliction in the body and mind.

And why?

Only because I identify with them.

I say I am them or I say they are mine.

And how householder is one afflicted in body but not afflicted in mind?

Here householder,

The instructed noble disciple who is a seer of the noble ones and is skilled and disciplined in their dhamma,

Who is a seer of superior persons and is skilled and disciplined in their dhamma,

Does not regard form as self or self as possessing form.

Or form as in self or self as in form.

So recognize this,

The wise one,

The skilled one is the one who is not identified with this form called the body.

He does not live obsessed by the notions I am form and form is mine.

As he lives unobsessed by these emotions,

That form of his changes and alters.

Do you get it?

We say that okay I will not be obsessed by these things but then the form should stop altering.

Is that possible?

We are saying okay I will not be bothered when this body is too diseased and I will not crib and cry and wail and scream but then if I stop doing this I am expecting this body to not be diseased anymore,

To not become old.

Is that possible?

Do you get what I am saying?

We need to recognize the truth.

The truth is that everything changes.

Everything is changing.

Everything is impermanent.

Anitcha.

Buddha called this anitcha.

Nothing is permanent.

Accepting this truth is what is wisdom.

Accepting this law of nature is what is wisdom.

As he lives unobsessed by these notions,

That form of his changes and alters.

With the change and alteration of form,

There do not arise in him sorrow,

Lamentation,

Pain,

Displeasure and despair.

Are you getting it?

Our mind is looking for permanence,

That which does not exist.

It runs behind things,

Expecting them to last forever.

It runs behind people,

Expecting them to stay there forever.

It runs behind situations,

Expecting them to never change.

Man is really wishing for the impossible and that is why he is in pain.

Next homework for you.

Are you in pain?

And do you recognize the cause of your pain?

The cause of your pain is your own expectation for things to not change,

For people to not change and for situations to not change.

The day you recognize that the truth is that everything changes,

You accept the law of nature as it is.

That day you accept reality as it is and then pain,

Lamentation,

Sorrow,

Despair,

Displeasure all leave you.

He does not regard feeling as self or self as possessing feeling.

Or feeling as in self or self as in feeling.

He does not live obsessed by the notions,

I am feeling,

Feeling is mine.

As he lives unobsessed by these notions,

That feeling of his changes and alters.

With the change and alteration of feeling,

There do not arise in him sorrow,

Lamentation,

Pain,

Displeasure and despair.

On the same lines,

The day you become skilled and you recognize that I am not this feeling,

There is no more identification with feelings.

You are not holding on to them.

You don't have an expectation for that lovely feeling of love,

Of compassion or passion to remain forever and you are ready to accept nature's law of change.

Then when it really alters,

When it really changes,

It does not hurt you,

It does not pain you,

It does not bring displeasure.

He does not regard perception as self or self as possessing perception or perception as in self or self as in perception.

He does not live obsessed by the notions,

I am perception,

Perception is mine.

As he lives unobsessed by these notions,

That perception of his changes and alters.

With the change and alteration of perception,

There do not arise in him sorrow,

Lamentation,

Pain,

Displeasure and despair.

On the same lines,

He does not have attachment to his perception,

To his sannyas,

His concepts,

His ideas,

His beliefs can change any day.

He is aware of that and he respects the law of change.

When he respects the law of change,

There is no expectation in him that it will not change.

So when there is no expectation of it to not change and when change really comes,

He is not upset,

He is not sad,

He accepts it.

If beliefs change,

It's probably time for a new understanding in life.

If a certain concept is broken,

He is ready to welcome some new understanding,

A new growth.

Homework for you.

Are you ready to accept breaking of perceptions?

Are you ready to accept everything that life brings your way?

Ask yourself.

He does not regard volitional formations as self or self as possessing volitional formations or volitional formations as in self or self as in volitional formations.

He does not live obsessed by the notions,

I am volitional formations.

Volitional formations are mine.

As he lives unobsessed by these notions,

Those volitional formations of his change and alter.

With the change and alteration of volitional formations,

There do not arise in him sorrow,

Lamentation,

Pain,

Displeasure and despair.

All your habitual tendencies,

Your habit patterns,

Your style of talking,

Walking,

Behaving,

The same patterns that you keep repeating are nothing but products of volitional formations.

If you keep identifying,

Oh,

This is the way I am,

Then there is attachment.

That attachment has craving hidden underneath it.

And when you are attached,

You have a subtle expectation for it to not change.

But Mother Nature does not listen to you and it just operates on its own nature.

And what is the nature of Mother Nature?

To change of course.

So everything changes,

Your own nature changes,

Your habit patterns,

Your style of walking,

Talking,

Behaving,

The way you do work,

The way you do not do work,

The way you do particular things,

The way you do not do particular things,

The way you think,

The way you act,

The way you speak.

All of these are born of volitional formations,

Of impressions of sankaras.

Everything is bound to change.

Till the time the unwise keeps thinking,

I am these volitional formations,

He wants them to not change and therefore he can get unhappy.

He needs pain,

Displeasure,

Lamentation and sorrow.

The wise one recognizes,

I am not these volitional formations and therefore whenever these change,

They do not cause sorrow or pain to him.

You check who then,

What are your habit patterns that you are very attached to?

Good or bad habit patterns?

You are attached to both.

Can you let them go?

Can you drop this identification that I am these patterns?

Or these habit patterns are mine?

He does not regard consciousness as self or self as possessing consciousness or consciousness as in self or self as in consciousness.

He does not live obsessed by the notions,

I am consciousness,

Consciousness is mine.

As he lives unobsessed by these notions,

That consciousness of his changes and alters.

With the change and alteration of consciousness,

They do not arise in him sorrow,

Lamentation,

Pain,

Displeasure and despair.

Same applies to all the consciousnesses.

There is an identification,

A very slight identification with every consciousness.

That is why you look,

You talk,

You do a particular action.

There is a little amount of craving for the vinyana chitta or the consciousness to even arise towards a particular direction.

Recognise that I have a little bit of attachment to these consciousnesses as well.

It is in such a way householder that one is afflicted in body but not afflicted in mind.

Stick this up as your homework.

Can you not be afflicted in mind even if there is affliction in the body?

Let's start with something very easy.

You have pain in the body,

You have some kind of discomfort in the body.

Even being a little overweight is your discomfort.

Even if your jeans don't fit you,

It is a little discomfort.

Can you be unafflicted in the mind?

Even if there is a little bit of gas problem,

The body is afflicted but can you remain unafflicted in the mind?

Even if there is a little bit of heart burn or acid reflux,

Can you remain unafflicted in the mind?

This is what the Venerable Sariputta said.

Elated,

The householder Nakula Pitta delighted in the Venerable Sariputta's statement.

Do your homework and I will see you next week.

May you be at peace.

Copyright © 2020 Mooji Media Ltd.

All Rights Reserved.

No part of this recording may be reproduced without Mooji Media Ltd.

's express consent.