SN 22.7 Upaadaaparitassanaa Sutta - Agitation Through Clinging

In this talk, Ektaji explains the 'SN 22.7 Agitation Through Clinging' sutta (discourse) from Samyutta Nikaya (The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya by Bhikkhu Bodhi) Chapter 22 [Khandasamyutta] Sutta 7.

These suttas, originally in 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.

Visit her website for more information.

Transcript

Salaam.

Salaam.

Salaam.

Welcome to Buddha Sangra.

Today we will read from the Samyutta Nikaya.

Sutta No.

22.

7 22 is Khanda Samyutta and No.

7 is Agitation Through Clinging.

Bhikkhus,

I will teach you agitation through clinging and non-agitation through non-clinging.

Listen to that and attend closely.

I will speak.

Yes,

Venerable sir,

Those bhikkhus replied.

The blessed one said this.

And how bhikkhus is their agitation through clinging?

Here bhikkhus,

The un-instructed worldling,

Who is not a seer of the noble ones and is unskilled and undisciplined in their dharma,

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

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

Somebody who is not a spiritual person has not understood the meaning of I am not the body.

What does such a person regard I as?

He thinks I am this body.

So he regards the form as his own self or the form is in his self.

In both ways he thinks I am the body.

But with time what happens?

Let's read ahead.

That form of his changes and alters.

Obviously this body will change with time.

It gets old,

It gets diseased and it also dies.

It withers away.

With the change and alteration of form,

His consciousness becomes preoccupied with the change of form.

When there is a little bit of pain in the body,

A little bit of dis-ease in the body,

What happens to us?

We get completely preoccupied.

My knee is paining,

It's hurting,

It's hurting,

It's paining.

I am unaware,

Unaware,

I am not able to do this,

I am not able to do that which I could do earlier.

This is preoccupation in the mind with the alteration in the form.

Now I gave you just one example of disease but there are so many other ways that form changes.

Old age,

Greying of hair,

Wrinkles coming up.

You not looking as pretty or handsome as you looked few years ago.

Pimples coming up,

Your hair not standing as straight as it used to or as curly as it used to.

All these things are changes in form.

The other changes are at the bodily functional level where the bowel movements are not as easier as they used to or the body has started functioning metabolically slower and you have put on extra weight that also changes form.

So there are many different ways that the form changes and when we do not accept the law of nature that everything changes,

Every form must undergo alteration by the law of nature.

When we don't accept this law,

What happens to us?

We are constantly preoccupied in the thoughts of that alteration,

In the thoughts of non-acceptance of that alteration,

In the thoughts of how can I change this,

How can I prevent this alteration.

Agitation and a constellation of mental states born of preoccupation with the change of form remain obsessing his mind.

So once you are preoccupied with that little pimple or that little pain in the stomach or that increase in weight,

That preoccupation slowly becomes an obsession.

Have you noticed this?

Initially it begins with just a little bit of dislike about a certain change and soon that dislike becomes so big that you are constantly thinking about it in the bathroom when you are taking a shower,

When you are sitting with friends and chatting,

When you are having dinner,

When you are at the party,

When you are studying,

When you are in office,

When you are not doing anything or when you are doing some or the other activity.

Constantly it is there at the back of the mind.

So a simple dislike turns to a preoccupation and a preoccupation turns to obsessing in the mind.

And that obsession itself is equal to agitation.

It brings up that air element in us and that air element keeps moving in a whirlpool.

And that whirlpool does not let us rest even in the night when you are sleeping you do not feel the rest because the mind has been obsessing over this particular change that you have not been able to accept.

Is this clear?

Algitation is therefore caused by my own dislike and my own attachment to my own dislike.

Can I change that which is the law of nature?

To an extent,

Yeah,

You can go ahead and get some cream from the market that can dry up your pimple.

You can get some medicine from the pharmacy that can clean up the bowels better.

But there are changes which are beyond your control.

Non-acceptance of those changes only leads to more agitation in the mind and an agitated mind cannot meditate.

An agitated mind cannot be a happy mind.

Take a moment to think of all those little little attachments of yours that have created agitation in your own mind.

Because his mind is obsessed he is frightened,

Distressed and anxious and through clinging he becomes agitated.

So,

Fear comes up.

You are not very happy or secure.

You are unhappy.

So,

You are distressed,

You are very anxious,

There is a lot of restlessness.

All this has happened.

Why?

Because of clinging.

Clinging to that little attachment for the form to not alter,

To not change.

But grey hair is grey hair.

It's going to come.

Old age is old age.

It's the law of nature.

It's going to come.

As the body becomes an old piece of machinery,

This machinery is going to not function like a new piece of machinery anymore.

It is the law of nature.

It is going to come.

I cling to its current state of functioning.

That is why my clinging leads to my agitation.

If I can accept that this state right now in the present moment as it is,

Good or bad,

It is temporary and I accept this law of nature.

Then I am fine.

Come on,

I am going to be happy.

I am not going to give the reins of my happiness into a little desire that challenges the way nature functions.

It's a silly desire in me.

He regards feeling as self.

Wherever you see the dot dot dot,

We jump up to where it was for myself and continue from there.

Or self as possessing feeling or feeling as in self or self as in feeling.

That feeling of his changes and alters.

With the change and alteration of feeling,

His consciousness becomes preoccupied with the change of feeling.

Agitation and a constellation of mental states born of preoccupation with the change of feeling remain obsessing his mind.

Because his mind is obsessed,

He is frightened,

Distressed and anxious and through clinging he becomes agitated.

You have a particular feeling of love towards a particular individual in the family and that changes.

What happens to you?

You start questioning.

How did this change?

Why am I not experiencing the same feeling towards this individual?

And then that preoccupation with that change in feeling becomes an obsessive thought and then that obsessive thought leads to your own agitation because of clinging to it.

So many feelings arise in us and pass away.

You suddenly have feeling of devotion towards somebody and then that devotion is gone and then you sit and question it.

You challenge it.

You want it to come back but it is not there.

You are fighting with your own self.

The wise one recognises everything changes,

Everything passes,

Everything is impermanent.

Anicca.

Anicca means impermanent.

Everything is changing.

When one recognises this truly,

Not as an intellectual understanding but truly he remains established in the truth of nature.

He stops challenging nature.

He stops fighting with nature and when you stop fighting with nature you become happy.

So the formula to be happy is really simple.

Stop fighting with the laws of nature and be happy.

So we go back to the same paragraph and move on to the next word which is perception.

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

That perception of his changes and alters.

With the change and alteration of perception his consciousness becomes preoccupied with the change of perception.

Agitation and the constellation of mental states born of preoccupation with the change of perception remain obsessing his mind.

Because his mind is obsessed he is frightened,

Distressed and anxious and through clinging he becomes agitated.

You perceive a particular person in a particular way.

Your perception of that person is that he is a very calm and very stable individual.

But one day this Mr Stable individual has a fight at home and you are the next person he meets that morning.

What happens?

He is not stable at all.

He is not what you thought him to be.

Not calm at all.

So suddenly your perception of this individual changes from Mr Calm to Mr Not So Calm.

Well he is going through his own karma.

But what happens to you?

Because there is an alteration in your perception now you get preoccupied with thoughts of this individual.

This preoccupation does not stop there.

It becomes obsession.

You are continuously thinking about him at breakfast,

At lunch and dinner.

While taking a shower,

While talking to your family,

While sitting in office,

While walking on the street,

While doing grocery shopping.

Everywhere Mr Not So Calm is right there.

This obsession leads to agitation and your agitation is only because of your clinging to your own perception.

If in the first place you accept the law of nature that everything is changing,

Everything is impermanent,

Everything is amateur.

Then you will stop challenging nature and when you stop challenging the laws of nature and just accepting them as they are then you will be happy.

Well happiness is really a choice as we can see from all this.

Happiness is a choice.

Next homework for you to check with him.

Have you chosen happiness as the state of your mind or have you chosen agitation as the state of your mind?

We move on to the next.

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

What is volitional formations?

Sangaras,

Certain habit patterns of mine I have labelled as I.

Oh!

I am an angry person or an opinionated person.

I am a passionate person or I am a very calm relaxed person or I am a very laid back individual.

These are all habit patterns of ours that we have continuously been repeating in our interactions with people and then we have created labels of particular habit pattern and we have stuck the labels onto ourselves and think I am that.

Yes or that is in I.

This itself is clinging.

Understand the word volitional.

That which is formed out of your own will.

Volition means will.

So volitional formations are my own habit patterns created by my own will out of my own wanting to interact and be in a particular way.

The labels that I have put on myself I get preoccupied with them.

It does not stop at preoccupation when that particular habit pattern clicks in and I react in that particular manner.

What happens?

I start thinking again and again and again of that label that I have put on myself and I keep justifying to myself,

Oh you know I am an angry person.

I always behave like that.

I have always reacted like this all my life and that is who I am and if somebody wants to accept me they should accept me as who I am and I go on and on and on and on in my head.

Preoccupation.

This preoccupation soon becomes an obsession in the mind and the obsession in the mind creates that agitation,

That big volcano inside me and I am agitated not only during the day with eyes open but also in my sleep.

I am dreaming about the same agitated state.

This has happened because of my clinging simply to my own label,

That label that I put on myself of volitional formations,

Of my own habit patterns,

Of my own sankharas or my own impression about how I am.

Next homework,

You recognise those habit patterns that have become your labels and you have identified with them.

Be wise and drop identification.

Everything is changing,

Everything is passing.

Yesterday you could have been an angry person but today you can be a very calm person,

A very relaxed person.

Yesterday you were a calm and relaxed individual,

Today you could be an agitated one.

Everything is just moving like a passing train.

Hold on to nothing,

Cling to nothing.

Then you will be happy.

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

That consciousness of his changes and alters with the change and alteration of consciousness.

His consciousness becomes preoccupied with the change of consciousness.

Agitation and a constellation of mental states born of preoccupation with the change of consciousness remain obsessing his mind.

Because his mind is obsessed,

He is frightened,

Distressed and anxious and through clinging he becomes agitated.

Same thing applies to consciousness.

What is consciousness?

Cognition.

I see something that is I consciousness coming up.

I hear something that is ill consciousness coming up.

I smell something that is nose consciousness coming up.

I taste something that is the taste consciousness coming up.

Or I touch something with the body,

Body consciousness or the mind consciousness.

This also changes certain data you perceive from the environment,

Certain you start missing.

As you grow older you miss certain things that were said and then what happens to you?

This perfectly aware consciousness of yours which was once upon a time the perfect cognition is not so perfect today what happens inside.

Because of clinging to my Mr.

Perfect cognition of taste or Mr.

Perfect cognition of words or Mr.

Perfect cognition of sight turning into not so perfect agitates me.

And this agitation is only created by my clinging to that perfection.

Everything changes,

Everything changes.

The way I cognise something today will not be the same tomorrow.

It is all following the simple law of anicca,

Impermanence.

Everything is changing.

The moment I come to accept this truth I stop challenging and fighting with nature and I become happy.

It is in such a way because that there is agitation through clinging.

And how because is there non agitation through non clinging?

Here because the instructed noble disciple who is a seer of the noble ones and skilled and disciplined in their dharma who is a seer of superior persons and skilled and disciplined in their dharma does not regard form as self or self as possessing form.

Or form as in self or self as in form.

That form of his changes and alters.

Despite the change and alteration of form his consciousness does not become preoccupied with the change of form.

No agitation and constellation of mental states born of preoccupation with the change of form remain obsessing his mind.

Because his mind is not obsessed he is not frightened nor distressed nor anxious and through non clinging he does not become agitated.

Super clear?

Somebody who is instructed in this knowledge,

Who understands,

Who has become skilled in it.

He stops considering this form as I.

When he stops considering this form as I there is no clinging to it.

This form naturally with the change in nature the form changes.

And because there is an alteration in the form he does not get agitated because he is not identified with the form.

There is no more clinging to this form.

There is no more I and mine.

Yeah?

So there is no preoccupation.

Because of no preoccupation there is no obsessing and because of no obsessing there is no agitation.

Is that clear?

Clinging leads to an agitated mind.

Non clinging leads to a non agitated mind.

You decide if you want an agitated mind or you want a non agitated mind.

If you're looking for a shortcut there isn't one.

There isn't one.

Don't try to fool yourself.

The ego wants to keep the clinging as well and wants non agitation.

These two cannot go hand in hand.

And whoever tells you that it's possible is just fooling you.

So wake up.

Wake up and recognise the truth from your own experience.

How will you recognise from your own experience?

You experiment.

You cling to one thing and see does this lead to agitation or not?

And then do an experiment.

Number two.

You do not cling to something.

And you check does it lead to non agitation or not?

When you complete both the experiments you will be the knower of your own truth and then nobody can take this truth away from you.

Don't believe me.

Don't believe even the Buddha.

Just believe in your own experience.

We'll move ahead to the next paragraph now.

He does not regard feeling as self.

You can turn the page back.

Or self as possessing feeling.

Or feeling as in self.

Or self as in feeling.

That feeling of his changes and alters despite the change and alteration of feeling.

His consciousness does not become preoccupied with the change of feeling.

No agitation and constellation of mental states born of preoccupation with the change of form remain obsessing his mind.

Because his mind is not obsessed.

He is not frightened.

Nor distressed.

Nor anxious.

And through non clinging he does not become agitated.

When the wise one sees the truth that feelings keep changing feelings are also not constant.

A feeling can arise and pass away.

Again another feeling can arise and pass away.

And one must learn the key to equanimity.

And what is the key to equanimity?

Non reaction to feelings.

We usually react to feelings.

If there is a good feeling what is our reaction?

I like it.

I want it.

If there is a not so good feeling what happens?

I don't like it.

I don't want it.

All our reactions are based on the type of feeling that arises.

Again you must realize that you react because you are not ready to accept that the feelings change.

When one becomes ready to accept the law of nature that everything changes.

It is unachiev impermanent.

It is temporary.

It is like a passing train.

This feeling will arise and it will fall away.

Another feeling will arise and that will also fall away.

I should not become a football to these feelings and keep reacting.

When the wise one realizes this he stops becoming a football.

He stops getting kicked to the right and to the left.

He just becomes established.

He watches the drama of the feelings arising,

Cling for a while and dropping away.

He again watches another feeling arise,

Cling for a while and dropping away.

He does not react to feelings simply because he has understood the law of non-clinging.

When you do not cling there is no agitation.

When you cling there is agitation.

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

That perception of his changes and alters despite the change and alteration of perception his consciousness does not become preoccupied with the change of perception.

No agitation and constellation of mental states born of preoccupation with the change of perception remain obsessing his mind.

Because his mind is not obsessed he is not frightened,

Distressed or anxious and through non-clinging he does not become agitated.

He understands that whatever I perceive right now is based on how the reality appears right now.

It's like a movie on a screen.

The current scene does not tell you what will happen in the next scene.

The next scene of the movie could completely change your perception of what you see in the current scene.

He becomes very clear that life is one scene after another after another after another.

It's constantly moving from one scene to the next to the next to the next.

The people in this scene might be the same who are in the next scene who are in the next scene and who are in the next scene.

He does not hold on to perceptions.

He sees them as temporary,

Constantly changing.

His own perception of people changes.

His own perception of his own self keeps changing.

He sees this truth and he holds on to that truth.

Yes,

Everything is changing.

Everything is aniccio,

Aniccio.

When my perception about me only changes how can I hold on to the perception of another?

This is a wrong understanding and he lets go of this wrong understanding.

He becomes very clear aniccio,

Aniccio,

Aniccio.

Everything is changing.

Nothing is permanent here.

Not even perception.

When he becomes very clear he gets established.

There is no preoccupation with any attachment to perception when it changes.

Because there is no preoccupation,

There is no obsessing in the mind.

And when there is no obsessing in the mind,

Obviously there is no agitation.

So simply the non agitation is born out of non clinging.

He does not regard volitional formations as self.

Turn the page again.

Or self as possessing volitional formations.

Or volitional formations as in self or self as in volitional formations.

That volitional formations of his changes and alters.

Despite the change and alteration of volitional formations,

His consciousness does not become preoccupied with the change of volitional formations.

No agitation and constellation of mental states born of preoccupation with the change of volitional formations remain obsessing his mind.

Because his mind is not obsessed,

He is not frightened,

Distressed or anxious.

And through non clinging he does not become agitated.

Again he recognizes that all these labels,

The sankhara,

The impression I have,

The habitual patterns that I have,

They keep changing.

You yourself look at your own habit patterns.

The way you spoke 10 years ago or 15 years ago is not the same way you speak today.

The way you got angry 15 years ago is not the same today.

Today the way you behaved with your family members 15 years ago has changed today.

Volitional formations are also a nature.

They keep changing.

So he does not hold on to his own labels.

He recognizes the danger of holding on to labels.

Whenever he has held on to labels of oh I am an angry person,

I am an agitated person or I am a closed person,

I am a depressed person.

When he held on to these agitated labels that he had created by looking at his own habitual tendencies,

He recognized he landed up in a not so happy state.

So recognize this thing that it is only because of my clingy,

Clingy nature to my own labels and these labels keep changing.

So let me not hold on to these labels.

Let me not create any more labels from impressions that are changing.

Volitional formations are just impressions.

Today I react this way with change in time and personality.

I react in a different way.

So I do not label myself.

Everything is changing.

Everything is changing.

Nothing is permanent.

When you recognize this,

You will be non-agitated due to non-clinging to the habit patterns.

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

That consciousness of his changes and alters.

Despite the change and alteration of consciousness,

His consciousness does not become preoccupied with the change of consciousness.

No agitation and constellation of mental states,

Burn of preoccupation with the change of consciousness remain obsessing his mind.

Because his mind is not obsessed,

He is not frightened,

Distressed or anxious and through non-clinging he does not become agitated.

Again another example for consciousness.

When you are not so aware and you miss an instruction given to you by the boss.

Your ear consciousness did not cognize the particular sound of words that came from the boss.

You miss something and therefore you miss something at work.

What happens to you?

You get preoccupied with this thought now.

How did I miss that?

How did my ear consciousness not come into contact with those words that were spoken by the boss?

How did I miss it?

Oh my,

Your consciousness changed.

I'm not an aware person.

I was not in that moment.

I was this,

I was that,

Blah blah blah.

Preoccupation.

Reoccupation leads to obsession and that obsession leads to agitation.

And then you are not in a happy state of mind.

Correct?

When you become very clear that consciousness,

Ear consciousness,

Eye consciousness,

Nose consciousness,

Tongue consciousness,

Body consciousness and mind consciousness can arise and fall.

And sometimes they can be there,

Sometimes they cannot be there.

There is alteration that can happen in them.

And the alteration is fine.

Then you will not be at war with your own self constantly.

You will be with what is.

Being with reality is one of the most delicious things to taste.

Yes,

Delicious not to this tongue but delicious to the mind.

And that is a happy mind.

That is a mind that is at peace with its own self,

Which is at peace with this great truth of nature that everything is changing,

Everything is a nature,

A nature,

A nature.

It is in such a way because that there is non agitation through non clinging.

Homework for you.

You experiment with yourself.

Does really clinging lead to agitation?

Let me experiment it on this one little thing.

Maybe your phone,

Maybe whatever,

Facebook.

And then do experiment number two.

Don't cling to something.

Don't be worried about what people say if you keep singing all day or dancing around all day in your house.

It doesn't matter.

Become fearless and just sing and dance and be happy.

Just throwing out an example out there.

You experiment.

Does non clinging to other people's words and opinions lead to non agitation at me?

And when the truth becomes very clear to you,

It will become your truth.

Nobody can take your truth away from you.

Therefore,

You experience it on your own.

Don't believe me.

Don't believe the Buddha.

Don't believe anybody else but your own experience.

May you be at peace.

You

Reviews

Sutra dharma talk well delivered, leaves you with ways to alleviate self mental mutation from your thoughts. Thank you.