Theravada Buddhism. Vipassana Insight Practice As Taught by The Late Achan Naeb PDF

4/23/12
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namo tassa bhagavato arahato samm sambuddhassa

Homage to that Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Fully and Perfectly Awakened One
How Did I Start To Practice?
by Achan Naeb Mahaniranon

Excerpt from a Dhamma talk given at Wat Phra Chetuphon, Bangkok, Thailand
on April 25th, 2519 (1976 CE)
roundfree.110mb.com/roundfree_achannaeb.htm
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[7] Sawat-dii khaGood day respectful audience.

[23] Now they would like me to talk about how I started to practice. I just have to say that at that time
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there was no vipassan (insight) practice at all [in Thailand]. The practice back then was just samdhi
(calmness/concentration meditation). People repeated [the word] Samm-Arahant, or said Bud when
inhaling and dho when exhaling. It depended on whatever people would use as a means for mental
development (bhvan), and whatever way in which they used it. The whole lot was samdhi. There was no
vipassan at all. Although samdhi was practiced everywhere, people called it vipassan. Anyone who went
to sit to make himself calm would say, I went to practice vipassan.
All the places, all the centers, in Thailand offered only samdhi [training]. But people didnt accept [24] that
fact because they didnt understand the difference between samdhi and vipassan. However, they did know
that vipassan is the primary path of Buddhist practice, and that the development of wisdom is what can put
an end to suffering. No one, therefore, would ever admit he was doing samdhi. Everyone always said they
were doing vipassan. But the truth is, there was no vipassan at all.
I was kind of an unusually curious person: I would ask people who practicedeven the people at my house
who had also started doing vipassanwhy they kept sitting with their eyes closed. I felt, Um? Whats the
point? You close your eyes and what do you know? Nothing. Even though they sit with their eyes open they
know nothing, and on top of that they go and close them!
Back then I had no idea what vipassan was, either. I only knew that the Lord Buddha had to arise in order
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to become aware of it, and that vipassan must see the three characteristics (ti-lakkhana). Then I went
around asking people how they saw the three characteristics, and they said: Well, quite so, we see
impermanence!
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impermanence!
So I questioned them further: And how do you see impermanence?

They said that people, once they are born, have to age, get sick and die.
I wondered, Is that all the Lord Buddha knew? Theres no need to be a Buddha to know this. Even I could
figure that out. Who doesnt know that once youre born you have to die?! Is there anyone anywhere who
doesnt know this? [25] But its just that we dont know when we have to die, and we dont want to [die]. In
spite of knowing that were going to die, still we dont want to die. Everyone knows this, and if this is all the
Lord Buddha knew, I couldnt see how he could have been holier than ordinary people. Even without the
Lord Buddhas teachings, anyone can know that once we are born, we have to die. The Dhamma (Teaching)
the Lord Buddha taught should not mean merely this, otherwise nobody would praise this Dhamma as the
most excellent teaching, and the most difficult for ordinary people (puthujjana) to understand.
At that time I was only 34, but I was interested in the Lord Buddhas teaching because at home my parents
were already fond of it. For that reason, monks and nuns often came to our house to converse about the
Dhamma. I had the feeling they were delighted when talking about Dhamma. Oh! At that time I was so
amused by the things they said, until once the nuns told me they felt pity for me: We actually feel awfully
sorry for you, Ms. Naeb.
Why?
Well,
I asked.
because you are going to go to hell!
Really?
Is there any such thing? I would make fun of whatever they said. Very bad (ppa). I laughed
because I didnt believe at all the things they spoke aboutwhat they said about vipassan.
But I suspected that I probably had perfections (pram) from past lives, because Id had an understanding
come up; namely, I had a direct experience about something concerning the [immediate] present. What is
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this condition we call the present moment (paccuppanna -dhamma)?
At that time, I usually kept one reclining chair on the verandah. At times I would lounge on it, and my eyes3/31
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At that time, I usually kept one reclining chair on the verandah. At times I would lounge on it, and my eyes
would gaze vacantly at the trees. We all see, but I had a direct experience happen in the seeing: I could
contemplate [26] what seeing consisted of, and which defilement (kilesa, i.e., mental impurities such as
greed, hatred and delusion) occurred while seeing. How is the mind when its knowing this conditionthat
is, the seeing? Well, it seemed to be calm and cool. There was no satisfaction or dissatisfaction at all, and no
distracted mind to follow this or that arose at all.
I became confident that the [experience of the] present moment must be this way. This had to be the path to
Nibbna. The Noble Eightfold Path had to be [found] in the present-moment object (rammaa7
paccuppanna). That is when I became interested. So I went to every Dhamma meeting. Many people knew
me because I would ask around about the present-moment object all the time. My goodness! Nobody could
answer. Ten years passed and still nobody was able to answer my questions about the present-moment
object, about that object which is [happening in] the present. I couldnt do anything about it. However, I
knew for sure that it existed
Then unexpectedly I had a chance to meet with a Burmese monk. Burmese people are very religious. They
make merit regularly. The Burmese always make merit, believing that it helps support life. When they start a
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new business, at whatever place, with the purpose of making merit they build a Wat near the area and invite
monks to come and stay. There were some Burmese people who had a gem mine in the jungle at
Kanchanaburi province [Thailand]. They invited a Burmese monk to stay there for a year, and then took him
back home. [27]
Later on, because of his reputation, some other Burmese in Talat Noi, Bangkok, invited this monk again.
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They invited him because he was an expert in the Three Baskets. He was really an expertit took him
fifteen years to complete his studies. Its not that he merely graduated from studying the Baskets and that
was enough. Once hed completed his studies, he still had to adapt the meaning or substance of everything
he had learned to make the different teachings compatible with each other. Sometimes the same thing is
described one way in the Basket of Discourses (Suttanta), another way in the Basket of Phenomenology
(Abhidhamma), and another way in the Basket of Discipline (Vinaya) [the same thing may be called by
different names even though the meaning is the same]. If the whole range of meaning of a particular teaching4/31
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different names even though the meaning is the same]. If the whole range of meaning of a particular teaching
is not understood, one will not see how the different descriptions are actually consistent with each other.
When one doesnt understand the meaning or substance, how can one connect the causes with the results?
We must understand why something is given a certain name in one of the Baskets and a different name in
another, in order to realize that the meanings are not inconsistent. Even though there can be many names [for
the same thing], theres only one real meaning, and this is what should be known.
Therefore, the monk needed two more years to complete his studies. That is how he studied. But even after
hed completed his studies of the Three Baskets, he still wasnt able to practice. Subsequently, he had to
learn more: he had to learn about the practice.
He used to say that in Burma there was an awful lot of vipassan tooso many kinds of isms, theories
and beliefs about it. Mostly it was samathamuch the same as in Thailand. Moreover, this [particular]
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method of vipassan had just become established two years before [28] he had ordained as a monk;
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previously he had been a novice. Then the Burmese invited him to come to Thailand. He accepted and
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stayed at the deserted Mon temple [in the center of Bangkok], which is near the alley of Wat Don. You
walk several kilometers through a cemetery before reaching it. They invited the Burmese monk to stay for
one rainy season retreat [Buddhist Lent]that is, for three months, right?
People needed an interpreter when they wanted to communicate with him, because he couldnt speak Thai,
and so Mr. Praphan, an interpreter from the library, translated between Thai and Burmese. Mr. Praphan had
built his house there, at Wat Prok, which was a pretty small templenothing big. It was a twelve square
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rai monastery surrounded for several kilometers by a Chinese cemetery.
In that period there were many Dhamma meetings going on at various placesone day here, one day there. I
went to every single meeting. I was eagerly searching for the real meaning of the present moment. At that
point I could understand only about seeingwhat seeing was. About [29] hearing, I knew nothing. I didnt
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know if seeing was rpa or nma I knew nothing at all. I only knew that if the mind is here [present at
this moment of seeing], defilement (kilesa)liking and dislikingwould not occur. That was as much as I
could observe. But I didnt know whether it was rpa or nma.
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could observe. But I didnt know whether it was rpa or nma.
One day I met Mr. Praphan at a Dhamma meeting in the Brahman temple next to Wat Sutat. Knowing that I
was hungry for knowledge about vipassan, he talked to me about it then, saying: Look, theres this
Burmese monk who came to teach vipassan. Hes staying right here at Wat Prok. When he teaches, he says
not to think, which means, Dont be interested in the past or the future. Hes not interested in thinking
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about something. He says you should not think or imagine that rpa-nma the five khandhas are
impermanent, suffering and not-self. You have to see such truths for yourself, not just think about them.
My goodness! I became interested, and asked Mr. Praphan how seeing happened. Mr. Praphan really had no
idea about this subject, even though he was the interpreter. He told me to look for a chance to meet with the
monk and ask him myself. [30] I decided to go with him [Mr. Praphan] to see the monk that same day.
We arrived at the temple in the afternoon. Once Id made a prostration of respect to the teacher-monk, Mr.
Praphan told him I was very interested in knowing about the subject of vipassan. The monk remained
motionless, saying nothing. I asked him, What I want to know, Venerable Sir, is about the path to Nibbna,
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the path to the eradication of dukkha; on what is it based? He answered, It is based on sati
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(mindfulness). He never said it was based on the present-moment object; he only said sati. I told him I
knew that already. However, the sati of the Lord Buddhas purpose, which is the path, the path to Nibbna
where is that sati establishedon what object? He said, It is established on the six [sense-] objects.
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At that time, despite many years of frequent attendance at Dhamma meetings, I still didnt know what
image, flavour, odour or sound were. But what I hated most: Pali. If anybody were to speak in Pali, I would
not listen at alland I would not learn it, or anything like that. Why? Because once they spoke [it], one
understood nothing, so what was the point in speaking it? This Indian language, this whatever language
So I didnt learn this Indian language. I didnt understand the point of speaking it.
Its the same with parrots: parrots can memorize. Some parrots are taught to chant [Buddhist scriptures or
prayers], and the birds can go on chanting without understanding a thing. Therefore, dont speak Pali to me
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at all. Umm I looked down on it, too: What? Pali? Come on! Did the Lord [31] Buddha speak this
language? Or who spoke it? Who knows?! Anyone can write a book in Pali, and probably it would have no
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language? Or who spokeRound-free
it? Who
knows?! Anyone can write a book in Pali, and probably it would have no
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cause-and-effect consistency conforming to reality.
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And so, when I asked the question, Where is sati established? and the teacher said, At the knowing, and
I asked, At the knowing of what? and he said, At the knowing of the six objects, I had no idea what the
six [sense-] objectsimage, flavour, odour, sound, tangible-object, and mental impressionwere. But he
didnt admonish me about anything. He saw I was perplexed and uncertain, and he said it would be better to
try it for myself. I made an appointment immediately: Oh! I said, Ill come on Saturday. Ill be here on
Saturday for sure. And so I went to the temple that Saturday.
I was the kind of person who very much feared ghosts, and having to go to a place that was surrounded by a
cemetery! My goodness! I had heart palpitations! That situation was just enough to make me
uncomfortable. The only thing you could catch sight of were Chinese tombs! I closed the windows and the
back doorI kept the bath water inside the room. There were five little huts built by the Burmese. I stayed
in one of themalone, which made me feel even worse. No Thai people ever came there to practice, nor
were they acquainted with the Burmese monastery. The Burmese themselves didnt come to practice, either.
So there was only me. The other three huts were empty.
I asked Mr. Praphan to take me to see the monk. [After we reached his dwelling] I told the monk I had
arrived, and that I was there to practice vipassan. He asked me whether or not I already knew about nmarpagiven that people who study Abhidhamma must know about nma and rpa. [32] I said I didnt know
about it yet.
Eh!
So in Thailand they dont practice vipassan, then?
They
do, sir. In Thailand we definitely have nothing but vipassan. In every place there is only
vipassantheres no one doing any samatha here, I told him.
Then he said, Eh! They practice vipassan not knowing [anything] about rpa and nmathen what [object
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of contemplation] do they use in their practice?
He asked me like this, and I said, I dont know, I dont know what is it that they use. But they all practice
vipassan, just as I came here to do.
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vipassan, just as I came here to do.
He told me I had to understand rpa and nma first. He asked Mr. Praphan to teach me what rpa and nma
are. These are called the objects (rammaa) of the practice.
There is [he taught me] nothing apart from rpa-nma, because the ultimate nature of all things is just rpa
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and nma. All dhammas are nothing but nma and rpa. So he had Mr. Praphan teach me about rpa-nma.
It [the instruction] didnt need to be too longat the most, Mr. Praphan only spent two days teaching me,
because I was already interested in the subject. After I understood rpa-nma, the teacher gave me the
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following practice instructions: at that time, one should know it there.
What I liked was that the monk didnt let Mr. Praphan speak to me in Pali. He said that one should only
speak Pali with people who already knew and understood [33] it. This understanding of the language would
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allow them to reach out to comprehend the intrinsic nature [of a phenomenon] (sabhva), that which is real
[i.e. nma-rpa]. If one only knows names [words, concepts, mental constructs], one doesnt know anything
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[real]. Names cannot reach to the intrinsic nature. There can be many names [for the same intrinsic
nature].
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At that point the monk said: Im not interested in cakkhu-via sees rpa. What is the function of
cakkhu-via? Its function is to see a visual-object. You dont have to say cakkhu-via, or, it sees
rpa-rammaa. Theres no need to use those names. Just say seeing, because seeing is cakkhu-vias
function, and that way people can understand immediately. What is cakkhu-vias real nature? Seeing.
When practicing, one must be mindful of seeing, because seeing is cakkhu-vias intrinsic nature. When
one practices, one works with the intrinsic nature. Therefore one should use the word seeing instead of
cakkhu-via. He taught me like this in person for two days.
At first he [the monk] told me to observe the six [sense] objects. And in fact it has to be like that: to teach
vipassan one has to teach about the six objects. My goodness! For the most part I found practicing with the
six objects really difficult. Just practicing the four postures is still very difficult; but the six objects are much
more difficult to know, and it takes many more days to understand them correctly. Therefore, he let me take
[34] the four postures [as objects of contemplation] first, because with the four positions one can also attain
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[34] the four postures [as objects of contemplation] first, because with the four positions one can also attain
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Nibbna and became an Arahant .
There were a lot of Arahants who got enlightened by practicing with the four postures. So he taught me only
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the four postures at first. I was afraid that if I had too many objects (kammahna), I wouldnt be able to
recall all of them. And we, Thai people, understood Abhidhamma only a little. In order to practice vipassan
one has to understand the meaning or substance according to the intrinsic natures described in the
Abhidhamma [i.e., in vipassan practice one must know the intrinsic natures of what is observed as opposed
to only knowing names or concepts, so that these intrinsic natures become actual objects of mindfulness].
This monk said we should have mindfulness at the time of seeing. Seeing is nma [i.e., a mental
phenomenon]. At the time of seeing, we should experience that particular moment of seeing as nma-seeing
[as opposed to we ourselves seeing]. Nma-seeing has the specific function of seeing. Since seeing is the
present-moment condition (paccuppanna-dhamma) [i.e., the thing happening in the present moment], in
order to see the impermanence of seeing-consciousness (cakkhu-via) we must have mindfulness during
[the act of] seeing. Or, to see the impermanence of hearing-consciousness (sota-via), we must have
mindfulness at the moment of hearing, in order to know its permanence or impermanence.
Normally, an intrinsic nature must always consist of arising and passing away. Seeing-consciousness as a
concept does not arise or pass away (therefore, it lacks the characteristic of impermanence). When we use
only the name with no understanding of its meaning, then the intrinsic nature [of the real phenomenon]
cannot be experienced. We have to experience nma-seeing [instead of ourselves seeing] in order to know
that nma-seeing is impermanent, because seeing is the intrinsic nature of consciousness, one moment of
which lasts only as long as [a single instant of] arising (uppda), persisting (thiti), and passing away
(bhanga).
So the monk taught me that the eye sees and the ear hears. When hearing, we must know [35] that that
particular moment (khaa) of hearing is [a moment of] nma-hearing [i.e. nma is carrying out the hearing,
not us; not a self]. We should know the [actual] moment of hearing, rather than knowing according to the
book(s). When practicing, we must know at the moment when the object is actually happening. If there is no
such object, then there is nothing that can give us the truth.
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such object, then there is nothing that can give us the truth.
Ah! I was glad after that first lessonat that time I hadnt yet practiced, hadnt yet seen anything, but I
understood, because the teacher told me that the knowing is at the seeing, at the nma-seeing moment. At
that time I understood seeing, but I was not aware that seeing is nma. It is nma because it knows by
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itself.
At that time there was no study of Abhidhamma in Thailand at all. After paying attention in that way, I was
glad. I felt that my confidence had increased, and so I became interested in the practice. The teacher tried
seriously to help me to know the present-moment object. I practiced for four months non-stop.
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First I saw anatt; that is, I saw that there was only nma and rpa. Oh! My heart saddened. It was
something like, this body of ours means nothing at all. It has no substance. Self, it has none; I, it has
none; me, it has none... something like that. They all resemble each other. My goodness! I had no refuge
anymore. It was the end of all dependence. In other words, [I realized] there is nothing at all in this body that
can make us feel at ease or comfortable. My heart sank. I was dismayed.
Seeing any one of the three characteristics is like seeing into all three. For example, to see not-self (anatt)
is to see impermanence (anicca) and suffering (dukkha), too. Its like in the Discourses, in the Dhamma33
cakka, when the Lord Buddha asks his first five disciples (Paca-vaggiya) whether this rpa [body] is
permanent or [36] impermanenthe asks this question regarding all five aggregates, from the corporeality
aggregate (rpa-khandha) to the consciousness aggregate (via-khandha).
When the five disciples answered that the body was impermanent, the Lord Buddha continued to question
them about whether it was suffering (oppressive) or happiness. They answered that it was suffering. He then
asked whether that which was impermanent and suffering should be taken as self or I. They said, no. So,
according to the three characteristics, when one sees impermanence one also has to see suffering. Whatever
is impermanent has to be suffering, too. And whatever is impermanent and suffering must also be not-self,
because one cannot control or direct [it]; it has to be that way.
I practiced seriously there. Before I went to practice like that, I had been addicted to all kinds of things:
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I practiced seriously there.
Before I went to practice like that, I had been addicted to all kinds of things:
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coffee, betel nuts, cigarettes. Id take everythingsnuff; well, why not, I used snuff. I had all these things
available to take with me [to the practice place]. But once I got there and started practicing, [I found] there
was no one who would prohibit me from taking them. I myself didnt want to use snuff. I stopped craving
cigarettes. That is, it was as if the heart/mind lifted itself above defilement (kilesa), the defilement that
infiltrates [the mind] to feed and sustain us. Its like a fish that is taken from the water; hes totally without
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the water that sustains him. The water is like the defilement. The heart did not see a thing that could relieve
suffering. It did not see a thing it could rely on. There was none of that. Anattmy goodness!does not
contain anything at all.
Thats when my teacher asked whether I had lost weight. My goodness! I was thin. [37] Normally, I used to
be the fussiest person about food. If the dish was missing anythingjust one ingredient!like parsley for
example, I would not eat it. The dish had to be complete, perfect. When you are someone as fussy as this,
well, you have to cook your own food, and when I had to go to buy fish sauceeven if it was just one bottle
I had to go from store to store trying them all out, and I would not buy anything until I had found the best
one. The same with the other condiments.
So I had to prepare many kinds of food before going to practice, just in case I wouldnt be able to eat the
food [cooked by] others.
[During the practice] I only ate one meal a day. Actually, I had never kept this [observance of eating one
meal a day] before. The teacher asked: Which precepts are you going to keep, the Five or the Eight
Precepts? Its better I keep the Five Precepts and not the Eightsoon Ill get hungry and that would be
trouble, I told him. But I never had supper, although in fact I took only the Five Precepts. I experimented
with not having dinner. I abstained from it myself. I refrained from having dinner. I did not have any [food
after noon]. Andhey!there wasnt much food. But the heart/mind felt relieved. It didnt have any
obstructions: those issues that make us feel unhappy, those issues that compel us to get involved and
attached to things. The mind was completely devoid of all that. Here is where the practice went very
smoothly. I could pay attention to every object (rammaa-) that was [appearing in the] present moment
(paccuppanna). And the food that I myself preparedI never touched it, since the mind kept itself in the
present and never thought: I have this there, I have that there. Absolutely never.
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Talking was something that was absolutely forbidden by the teacher. No one was allowed to see [38] or visit
me. The teacher would sit in his kuti (monks hut), from which he had a view of the monastery entrance. As
soon as any Thai people walked in, he would quickly inform Mr. Praphan. Mr. Praphan would immediately
go to my teachers practice hut, where the visitors would declare their intention to see me, and Mr. Praphan
would then lead them to my teacher instead. The teacher would ask the visitors whether they had come on an
urgent matter, and they would say, no, they just wanted to visit meI was quite well known at that time,
too. The teacher would tell them I was fine and all right, so a visit was unnecessary. Visits were forbidden
because talking was forbidden. If they had something important to say, they could leave a message. But they
never had anything important to say.
There was one woman who came to the temple to see me, but she said clumsilyI dont know how [it
happened]that she had come in order to practice [and so the teacher misunderstood her reason for going to
the temple]. The teacher, therefore, took her to another hut to practice. Thats when she got mad at me and
cried, My goodness! Im here already but I cant see you even for a moment? I dont know where you are
why dont you tell me! Oh my! Since Ive already come here, I at least want to meet you.
They would put the food outside the door. Id come out and see it there. Eh! Whose is this? But I knew it
was for me; thats all I knew. [39] Regarding this issue of foodwhen the mind kept itself in the present
moment, I still couldnt tell what the dishes consisted of: if they were meat or fish or pork. I didnt know at
all. If the dish they brought me was vegetarian, I didnt know that it had no pork or fish. I didnt know,
because the mind couldnt reach all the way out to there. Anything that was not immediate, it was incapable
of reaching. The mind felt trouble-free! It was extremely easy!
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Normally we ate by putting the food in our mouths with the fingers. The teacher said that eating with a
spoon [and fork] was not convenient, because the two hands would have to be used [simultaneously]. That
would cause us not to observe skilfully, because [the objects] would get mixed up; mindfulness would not be
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able to follow up [all] the objects. Thus I ate with the hands.
When I picked up rice, meat and vegetables, I didnt know what [kind of food] it wasI didnt want to
know anythingnot at all. When picking up the rice, meat or vegetables, I didnt know what they were. I
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know anythingnot at Round-free
all. When
picking up the rice, meat or vegetables, I didnt know what they were. I
didnt need to know anything at all. When picking up the food, bringing it to the mouth, putting it in the
mouth, etc., the mind had to order [the movement] first before each single action [was carried out]. Just as
the hand brings the food up to the mouth, the mind has to give an order firstit has to order the hand to go
up to the mouth. As soon as the hand reaches the mouth, the mind has to order the mouth to open. Once [the
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food] is in the mouth, the mind has to order [the jaws] to chew, then [the throat] to swallow, and so on.
Whatever orders the mind gives, it has to give in advance (before the action itself). And it is doing this while
we are totally ignorant, completely unaware of the fact [i.e., it happens automatically].
But when one observes the present moment, it is not like that. When I picked up the food, if the mind didnt
instruct the hand to rise, the hand wouldnt go up; it would not rise up to the mouth. When the mind
instructed [the hand], it moved. It was very obedient. And when the food was in the mouth, the mind had to
order the mouth to chew, and then [40] it chewed. Here, as soon as the mind ordered [the mouth] to chew, I
would chew, and I could be mindful of the chewing. The chewing became the present object, moment by
moment, absolutely every moment. My goodness! It was so easy.
I didnt eat much, but I wasnt hungry or anything. So the teacher asked me, Ms. Naeb, have you been
taking betel nut? I said no. Have you been smoking? No. Taking snuff? No. He wanted to know the
reason [I wasnt]: Why? Are you being lazy? He meant, was I reluctant to [make the effort to] eat, smoke,
etc.
No,
I told him, Im not being lazy; by itself it just doesnt want to eat.
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you are being lazy, thats not correct. Laziness is defilement (kilesa), he said. If you dont eat because
of defilement, it is not good. But if its necessary, please go ahead and do it. You must know the reason why
you must know why you have to take snuff or chew betel nut. You need to know the reason for doing
those things. If we are lazy, thats incorrect. And here he asked, Is the food not good? I said it was all
right. It wasnt that the food wasnt good. I mean, I could eat itbut I could only have a little. But I was
fine, I was not tired or anything at all.
If
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likely you have become thin because you have been eating just a little bit, he said, very thin. Yet 13/31
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Its
likely you have become thin because you have been eating just a little bit, he said, very thin. Yet I
did not feel my body was that thin. But he said that was good, because it meant rpa-kammahna had
39
occurred. [But] I didnt feel [I had obtained] anything [special], so I continued practicing the way he had
already taught me.
During the interview period, it took him the whole day to interview the practitioners one by one, since there
were so many of them. But [41] he didnt let us meet with each other. He called either them or me first.
When the last one had finished, he would have that practitioner return to his hut, and then he would call me.
He never let us see each other at all, because he definitely didnt want us to talk.
Also, there was a pair of twin huts linked by a verandah in the middle. If anybody was practicing
kammahna in those huts, at night the monk would ask a disciple to go and spy on them to see whether
the two practitioners were talking to each other or not. He took this subject of talking very seriously. Talking
is unlikely to be an unwholesome action (akusala-kamma), but it has no present moment [i.e., when talking
we cannot stay in the present moment, knowing only nma and rpa, because we have to conceptualize, and
concepts are not realities occurring in the present]. For instance, if we spoke in such a way as to limit the
present moment to a single word only, we would not understand each other. As soon as we finished one
word, we would have to speak again [and utter a different word]. One must think, and only then can one
speak intelligibly.
For that reason, the teacher used to say that the subject of talking was really very important. At that point he
called me for an interview and ask how I was feeling (Hows your heart/mind doing?), only that. Oh! I
would almost burst into tears. I had to force myself not to cry. I thought it was humiliating since I was an
adult. My goodness! I had to put up with trying not to let the tears run out. But I thought he noticed all the
same. So I asked him, When you, venerable teacher, practiced, did you felt like crying?
He said, Oh yes! I also cried like that. I felt relieved.
[42] In the practice we first have to stop defilement (kilesa) from coming in, and then well have the present
moment. Its like when planting a tree: the grass around it needs to be uprooted, weeded out, so that the tree
will grow successfully. If not, the grass will eat everything. With the practice its same. Its not about
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Buddhism.will
Vipassana
Insight
Practice as taught by With
the late Achan
will grow successfully. Round-free
If not,- Theravada
the grass
eat
everything.
theNaebpractice its same. Its not about
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focusing only on practicingif we dont make an effort to weaken defilement, we cannot achieve wisdom
(pa).
And why is this? Because defilement has ruled us for many lifetimes. It is very strong. So it has penetrated
to become the owner. It has ownership of our minds. The heart/mind is under the power of defilement.
We also need to have a method of preventing new defilements from arising and entering the mind.
Therefore, when we practice we have to be very careful not to do things that are unnecessary [distinguishing
what is necessary from what isnt is carried out by yoniso-manasikra, skilful attention]. And whenever we
do something, we must be aware of what we are doing [that awareness is mindfulness].
For example, was I allowed to clean my room? I asked the teacher if I could clean my roomit was messy
and dirty. Yes, you can, he told me. But be aware of why you have to clean it. That means that
whatever we doraising the hand or whateveris done [for the sake of] ease, in order to relieve suffering.
Please be aware of the truth that if we dont feel comfortable because the room is dirty, it means the mind
40
isnt clear.
So if I swept and mopped, I had to be aware that I was doing it in order to relieve suffering. Its not that we
sweep and then as soon as things are clean we feel comfortable (happy or satisfied)no, it cannot be that
way. Whenever we think we are going to obtain [43] happiness, it is a perversion [of view (vipallsa)] right
41
away. The perversion of happiness has entered the mind right away. We must realize that everything we do
is only done in order to relieve suffering. We can do anything, but we must understand it according to
reality. Then such understanding will not be a supporting condition for [the arising of] defilement. We must
have yoniso-manasikra (proper consideration or skillful attention).
Skillful attention is very important for the practitioner. It means that our understanding of direct experience
corresponds with reality. In that way, wise attention becomes food [i.e., becomes a supporting condition] for
wisdom (pa). When practicing, we should bring wise attention in line with reality [so wise attention can
know in accordance with the nma or rpa that is actually taking place at that moment]. Only then can
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know in accordance with
the nma or rpa that is actually taking place at that moment]. Only then can
wisdom arise and enable us to know the truth. We should always have wisdom know the truth. On the other
hand, unskillful attention (improper consideration, ayoniso-manasikra) is food for defilement, and wisdom
therefore cannot arise. Thats why we should use skillful attentionso it can serve as an aiding condition for
wisdom. In other words, lets feed wisdom to make it strong so that defilement cannot fight back. When
defilement doesnt get any food, its power must surely weaken. Only then can wisdom destroy defilement.
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Therefore, we must teach the vipassan practitioner to have skillful attention: How are we to know the sitting
[posture]? Why should we change posture, such as when we are sitting and dukkha [stiffness, aching, the
need to evacuate, hunger, etc.] arises?
When we sit, we are knowing sitting-rpa. We [44] must know where we know sitting-rpa, where sittingrpa is. For the most part, people have no understanding about kammahna [the object of contemplation] at
all.
For example, I ask them, Right now, are you sitting or lying down? They say they are sitting. But when I
ask where the sitting is, they dont answer correctly. Where is the sittingis it in the coccyx [i.e. the
buttocks], or in the leg, or in the feet? The sitting is not in any of those places. So I have to let them know
that when we sit, we have to know sitting-rpa. Where do we know the sitting-rpa? Where is sitting-rpa?
Its like satipahna. I mean, suppose we take a photograph: we can figure out from the picture whether the
body is sitting, lying down, standing, or walking. We [should] know in the same way as if taking a picture,
42
because the posture is the mode (kra) .
[Now] this rpa is sittingthe body is sitting: the awareness goes to the sitting mode (kra) to know [the
object] there or to the lying down, standing, or walking modes. So one must directly experience it at the
mode [i.e., one must experience the current position or attitude of the body]. One doesnt take the awareness
here and then theresuch as to the legs or the buttocks. Eh! Walking has buttocks and lying down has
buttocks, so is there any sitting mode there? No, there isnt. If the mode is in the buttocks, then during lying
down there must be sitting, too. This has to be understood. We have to make the knowing (i.e., the
awareness) correct according to reality.
When we are already stiff or sore, what do we do? When having sat for some time, we feel stiff or sore.16/31
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When we are already stiff or sore, what do we do? When having sat for some time, we feel stiff or sore.
From what we have studied, we know that such stiffness, unpleasant bodily feeling, is dukkha-vedan. So
when stiffness occurs, what should we do? We must know!must know that dukkha has arisen. Know who
[or what] suffers, and at which rpa or nma dukkha has occurred. When dukkha occurs at sitting-rpa, we
must have direct awareness of that fact. If we are not aware that dukkha has occurred with the sitting-rpa,
that the sitting-rpa is dukkha, then we are bound to take the self as dukkha, thinking, it is me who suffers
[45] the stiffness or aching (or it is me who is the stiffness or aching).
In regard to the four posturessitting, lying down, standing and walkingwe must realize that we adopt
them because we have to, not because we want to. To want to is defilement (kilesa)wanting to lie down,
to sit, etc. Defilement is that which conceals the truth. We cannot penetrate the truth because defilement is
strong. Therefore, in order to cut off defilements food, we should cease to desire. Desiring to lie down
shows that defilement wants the lying-down-rpa, because it understands it as comfort or happiness.
43
Perversion of view has entered into the comfort. Defilement always wants a comfortable position. Once
44
greed (lobha) has entered [the mind], then wrong view (dihi) follows. Greed is the root-cause (mla).
Wrong view can arise because greed is a cause that has entered before.
[But we should understand that] once dukkha occurs, we must lie down. We should know that we are lying
down because we have tonot because we want to. Because wanting to lie down is not in accordance with
reality. Why not? Because if we desired not to lie down, could we then refrain from lying down? If it were
possible to lie down, sit or walk whenever we wanted to, then it should also be possible to refrain from lying
45
down, sitting, or walking according to our desire. But is that possible? No, its definitely impossible.
The truth is that we have to sit, we have to lie down, we have to stand, and we have to walk. But if we dont
pay attention or consider things according to the truth, then we will say that we sit because we want to [sit],
eat because we want to, take a shower because we want to. That means that everything we do [46] is done
entirely with defilement [i.e., with wrong view and therefore with desire present in the mind].
Regarding walking, it is the same. Every step is carried out with defilement, every single step. Whenever we
are going to walk somewhere, see someone, buy something, etc., every single step of that walking is done
with defilement. Then we do not know the truth of who walks or who suffers. And so we are bound to put17/31
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with defilement. Then we do not know the truth of who walks or who suffers. And so we are bound to put
self into the walking [I am walking, It is me who is walking]. When we sit, we dont know who sits.
Consequently, we are bound to put self into the sitting [I am sitting]. When dukkha occurs, we dont know
who is [experiencing the] dukkha. Consequently, we are bound to put self into the dukkha [I am suffering].
When we study [theoretically] about paramattha (ultimate truth), about the Abhidhamma, we learn that
46
vedan (feeling) is nam we dont learn about the subject of relieving dukkha. So, its true, dukkha is
47
vedan (feeling) and vedan is nam (a mental phenomenon). But such dukkha is a vedan that arises from
sitting, right? If we sit too long, we get dukkha. Therefore, because it arises at the rpa, we have to relieve it
48
at the rpa. If the nma has dukkha, then we have to relieve it at nma. Dukkha is a feeling (vedan), so
then we have to relieve it at nma, [thats what makes sense,] right? [I.e., it is a mental phenomenon, and
therefore it makes sense we would have to relieve it at the mind.] [But] why are we then relieving it at the
rpa?
The truth is that it arises at the rpa: If we didnt have the body (rpa), would there be any pain and aching?
Even though there would be feeling [referring to mental, not bodily, feeling], there wouldnt be the dukkha of
stiffness, aching, or sickness. Thus we have to relieve it at the rpa.
Like when we are sick and go to the hospital would the doctor treat the vedan (feeling) or would he treat
the sickness? He would treat the sickness, right? He would give some kind of medicine to treat the body,
right? This shows us that truth is always here. Actually, we are doing absolutely nothing unusual here. We
are simply allowing ourselves to know as much truth as is normally here already.
As I mentioned, [47] we must be careful about the walking posture. When we enter the practice of
kammahna, we tend to walk in an unusual wayordinarily we dont walk like thiswe change it into
walking-kammahna. It is not walking to relieve dukkha. When walking, we walk sort of slowly. In
some placesmy goodness!they even walk doing a three-, five-, or six-interval exercise for each step! For
what reason do they do it?
We have to have a reason for whatever we are going to do. Otherwise we will be following defilement, and
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We have to have a reason
for whatever we are going to do. Otherwise we will be following defilement, and
wisdom (pa) will not be able to know the truth of the present-moment object at all, because defilement
will have entered and gained power over the object already. We should walk in a normal way, without
feeling that we are doing kammahna [i.e. that we are practicing vipassan]. When we sit, we [only] sit
49
to relieve stiffness or aching, as we normally do [in daily life]we dont sit to do kammahna.
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Some people are not aware of this. When I ask them if they sit kammahna or not, they say they do, but I
have already told them not to sit kammahna. Some already know, so they dont do it. Several days later
when I ask the same question again they tell me they dont, but they are not aware that theyre still doing it. I
ask them how they sit, and they show me by adopting the concentration (samdhi) posture and hand gesture
[sitting cross-legged with the hands in the lap]. I ask them, Like that? Thats not sitting-kammahna? Are
you sitting to relieve dukkha? Then why do you have to sit like that? Whatever way we sit is finewith the
feet stretched out, or howeverit depends. Whatever posture we adopt that allows us to relieve the stiffness,
aching, or suffering is already correct.
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Sometimes when people who have been practicing meditation (samdhi) in the past come to do [48]
vipassan, concentration or calmness disturbs them too much. They need vigorous energy [not to delight in
the pleasant feeling arising from strong concentration], and they must have observation, too. They should use
many [different] objects, too, but they shouldnt use them for too long. When they stay with an object for
some time, concentration arises.
For those who have not practiced concentration before, who have not practiced at alllike me, who, before
practicing at Wat Prok, hadnt done any at allits easier. Id never liked any of the practices around,
mainly because you couldnt know the present-moment object. They made you quiet, and you knew nothing
therefore, I never practiced them. Because Id done absolutely no practice in the past, things went
smoothly, easily.
But for former concentration practitioners, a lot of observation is needed, especially in being aware when
concentration occurs. People may loose awareness when concentration occurs; this can cause them to have
different kinds of mental images (nimitta), which can even frighten them. Thats why people say, dont go
to practice vipassan. After just a minute youll go crazy, youll have hallucinations. Sometimes people see
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to practice vipassan. After
just a minute youll go crazy, youll have hallucinations. Sometimes people see
frightful things, such as images that happen from the power of concentration. So we have to observe whether
we are aware when concentration occurs. If we know nothing, only calmness, we have to begin a new
observation immediately.
Some people ask me whether they should think (recall) often about what position they are in. I say, no!
[49] We must really understand that to think and to be aware are different things. Awareness reaches to the
present-moment object. Thinking can only be [about the] past or the future. We can make it up, though
think it upbut thats not [being with] the present-moment object.
Some people are not aware, so they ask me how to do it: Should I be thinking often, sitting-rpa or lyingdown-rpa, like that? I tell them its not like that, that awareness is like listening to what I am saying right
now.
I ask, Are you aware that youre listening to what Im saying? Whoever it is that you are listening to, are
you aware of that? Im sure you are aware that youre listening to Achan Naeb, right? And theres no need to
keep thinking that youre listening to Achan Naeb, right? Do you have to keep thinking like this or not? No,
you dont have to, right? Because we are already aware of whos talking, right? Even though I might speak
for one hour, two hours, or you listen for a few hours, you dont need to be thinking, you dont need to label
or murmur like that. Awareness has to be there continuously, on and on.
This is something difficultsome people dont understand it at all, because they lack observation.
Observation is to study [to learn; train oneself; probe; examine]. In Pali, we call it sikkhati: sla-sikkh,
samdhi-sikkh or pa-sikkh, that is to say, the training or study of morality (sla), concentration
(samdhi) and wisdom (pa). Sikkhati is nothing but observation. People who study well, or do anything
well, must be people who have good observation in order to do things effectively or do things right. If thats
not the case, [50] then its impossible.
I tell people who have practiced in other places beforemy goodness! some people come after having
practiced in so many places!I talk to them like this, People of old had to charge a lot of money for
teaching. If a person came without knowing anything at all, the teacher would charge a little, just six baht.
However, if he or she [the student] already knew something or had any previous experience, the teacher
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However, if he or she [the student] already knew something or had any previous experience, the teacher
would ask for twelve baht. Why? Because the teacher had to charge for repairing, too. The students had to
pay the price of repairing. Its like with clothing: if you have the tailor cut a new shirt, its cheaper than
having him fix an old one, because he doesnt have to undo any seams, doesnt have to be careful not to
51
damage it, etc. He doesnt have to waste time repairing it.
Its the same with this. Some people are so attached to concentration (samdhi) that I have to move them
outdoors, have to let them rest for a while until they get free of the concentration, and then, slowly, let them
come back in to practice again. This is no gameonce they get attached to concentration, oh my, they really
get attached to it!
In my case, I practiced for four months. At that time there still wasnt any Abhidhamma [being taught] in
Thailand. Nobody studied or knew anything about it at all. Whoever recited the Abhidhamma had no idea
what it all was (nor did the people who listened). But they believed that [reciting or listening to it] made
merit, and that [buying a copy of an Abhidhamma text and] offering it [to the Sagha] was like repaying, and
showing gratitude to, your parents.
52
Supremely holy these words, cit, ce, ru, ni, the holiest of the Abhidhamma. By [writing them on a piece
of paper and] placing them in the mouth of the dead, people believed that [the body of] the deceased would
53
not stink. My goodness! They really held on to such holiness, and so truly offered it according to this
belief, but they had no idea whatsoever about what the Abhidhamma [51] [actually] talked about. My teacher
became aware of this as soon as I told him that I didnt know about rpa and nma, but wanted to practice
vipassan. The fact that Thai people wanted to practice vipassan without knowing rpa-nma made him
understand immediately that we had no study of Abhidhammawhich means that there was no
Abhidhamma in Thailand.
So when I completed my practice, my teacher wanted me to set my mind to studying. I already knew a bit
about vipassan, such as the order of the various kinds of insight-knowledges (a), like anuloma-a and
54
gotrabh-a. One time [when I had just come to practice] I asked him [my teacher] what the meaning of
anuloma-a and gotrabh-a were. He raised his hand to stop me from asking, and said that it was not
time to know about that yet. Later on I would know. He meant that these knowledges should not be known21/31
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time to know about that yet. Later on I would know. He meant that these knowledges should not be known
through someone telling us about them. They have to be known by means of our own work, through our own
correct practice. If he were to talk to me about that now, he told me, I would lose [awareness of] the present
moment, because the mind would be thinking about a.
He asked me to set my mind on studying with determination, because he had the intention to teach me with
the purpose of having me become a master in preaching the Dhamma (desan ptihriya), which means
teaching others to make them understand [how to practice].
I told him I could not do it because I couldnt teach. When he asked why not, I said that because I didnt
know anything about the scriptures (pariyatti), it would be impossible to teach others. He said that that
[having prior knowledge of the Buddhist scriptures] was unnecessary, and then told me his story.
He had turned to this practice because of his [own] teacher, a layman who had practiced for ten months. The
laymans teacher was [in turn] a 70 year-old novice. In Burma, if you are elderly, you would normally ordain
as a novice instead of a monk. They think you might be unable to keep [52] the monks discipline (vinaya)
pure. Just because youre over 20 doesnt mean you should necessarily ordain as a monk. Those who ordain
as monks must be people with the ability to uphold all the rules of the Dhamma-Vinaya.
So the laymans teacher became a novice when he was 70. However, he had studied the scriptures (pariyatti)
very wellthe Burmese are generally very good in the study of pariyatti. He had carried a book, the
Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse (Satipahna Sutta), with him into the forest. He stayed in a cave,
and because he could read Pali, he practiced every subcategory [from the Foundations of Mindfulness
Discourse]he was skillful with Pali; he could translate anything. So he practiced every subcategory
(pabba), and succeeded [in attaining wisdom] when practicing with the postures and clear comprehension
subcategories, which are pure vipassan. Satipahna, the foundations of mindfulness, consists of 44
55
subcategories within the four [main] categories. Each category has its own particular group of
subcategories, which add up to 44.
In the Contemplation of the Body as a Basis for Mindfulness category (kynupassan-satipahna), we
find two or three subcategories that are pure vipassan, for which it is not necessary to develop samatha
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find two or three subcategories that are pure vipassan, for which it is not necessary to develop samatha
(concentration). These subcategories are: the Four Major Postures (iriy-patha), the Minor Postures
(sampajaa), and then the four elements [earth, air, fire, and water] belonging to the Elements (dhtu)
subcategory, in which we contemplate the entire body as [nothing but] elements.
But [in this category, Contemplation of the Body as a Basis for Mindfulness] there are also subcategories
that have to be practiced by way of samatha [i.e., in which concentration has to be developed first], like the
32 parts of the body, consisting of hair, body hair, nails, teeth, skin, and so forth (when a monk has just
ordained, it is traditional to practice this kammahna).
There are only three subcategories of pure vipassan. Apart from these, in the remaining subcategories,
although one also practices the Four Foundations [of Mindfulness] to reach Nibbna, one must do samatha
first. One needs to have concentration (samdhi) first, and one should attain absorption (jhna) first, too.
Only then can one switch to vipassan. Otherwise one cannot do it: [in regard to these latter subcategories] if
one succeeds in samatha but develops no jhna, then vipassan cannot happen.
[53] Once the teacher of the layman had become a novice and had [gained] the knowledge of vipassan, he
didnt know who he could teach, because in Burma it was the same thing [as in Thailand]: there was only
56
samdhi, not vipassan. The wealthy Burmese would make merit by building small huts (kutis) in the forest
and leaving them there for [the use of] anyone who wanted to meditate. But here again, there was no
vipassan. My teacher said, The novice had it, but he didnt know who to transmit it to, so he thought he
would transmit it to the wealthy man who supported the monks in that temple. Every Burmese temple
always had to have a rich man as a benefactor. For that reason the government had nothing to do with the
temples or the running of them. The English administration was not concerned. Then how would the temples
support themselves? Impoverished or not, they had to take care of themselves. A rich man would be the
benefactor of a temple, supplying the four requisites (paccaya) according to his means.
The novice really had no idea who to turn to, because nobody would be able to understand anything. But
since he intended to teach some monks who were under a laymans support, he decided to talk to and
explain everything to that layman. The layman, having some knowledge about pariyatti (theory), said, No,
sir, I cannot force the monks [54] to practice what you say. I dont yet know whether or not it is correct or23/31
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sir, I cannot force the monks [54] to practice what you say. I dont yet know whether or not it is correct or
justified. I have to try it myself first. If he was to disseminate this knowledge to the monks, he had to prove
its worth by practicing it himself first, to see to what extent it was true.
So the novice took the layman to practice, and he [the layman] practiced the postures (iriy-patha) and the
clear comprehension (sampajaa) categories for ten months. After ten months, the layman gained the
wisdom that penetrates [ultimate] truth. [Since] he knew that he [now] had right view, he wanted the monks
to practice, tooin particular the monks who were keen on pariyatti. Only then, by also including the
knowledge derived from paipatti, would their knowledge become broad.
Someone advised the layman to see my teacher, who had completed the study of the Three Baskets, and at
that time was teaching [a number of] monks and novices at the same temple. So he [the layman] went to see
him, but in the status of a student. He went to ask questions, because he was told that my teacher was an
expert in the Three Baskets. Therefore, he had some challenging question to ask. When he asked about
pariyatti, my teacher could answer everything, but as soon as he started to ask about paipatti (practice) he
[my teacher] could not answer, because he had never practiced.
Then the layman said that since he had been studying, he would like my teacher to ask him some questions,
and he would try to answer them. My teacher did so, and the layman answered all the questions easily. My
goodness! That layman had no difficulty with the path of practice! My teacher then realized that the
laymans way of practice must be correct, must be right view, otherwise thered have been no way he could
have answered all the questions, no matter what means he used. The layman then asked my teacher to [55]
practice [vipassan]. So my teacher went to practice with the layman. He, too, practiced for four months.
After four months he [my teacher] quit, meaning, he had succeeded [attained insight].
The layman also wanted my teacher to become an instructor himself. However, although my teacher actually
understood the practice [from firsthand experience], he still didnt know how to teach kammahna [i.e., he
57
didnt know how to explain it to others]. Each practitioner makes his or her own particular mistake(s),
which is an obstacle in developing vipassan. So my teacher had to stay there first to listen to how the
layman interviewed and taught other practitioners, and how he corrected their mistakes. Then, unexpectedly,
he [my teacher], a Burmese instructor, was invited to come and teach kammahna [in Thailand].
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he [my teacher], a Burmese instructor, was invited to come and teach kammahna [in Thailand].
After I finished my four months of practice, my teacher, knowing that in Thailand there was no study of
Abhidhamma (with which I myself wasnt even yet familiar) said to me, Ms. Naeb, if its not yet necessary
[for you to go home], could you postpone your return?
Oh! I wondered what other duty he could have for me. But I said, Okay. Is there anything else the
venerable teacher wants me to do, or? He said he wanted me to learn Abhidhammahe said it like that,
straight awayhe said he would teach me himself.
The reason [he wanted to teach me] is because the intrinsic natures are very [56] clear to practitioners who
have just finished kammahna [i.e., who have just finished their practice]. Thats because, in vipassan
practice we work with intrinsic natures rather than concepts (paatti) or names. He said that the intrinsic
natures were still clear [to me] then, meaning that it hadnt yet been long enough for me to forget them. So
he had me learning.
My goodness! It wasnt easy. It all had to be translated from Burmese. When my teacher finished writing it
in Burmese, he would have Mr. Praphan come and write it in Thai, and then it would be my turn to read it
and commit it to memory. Then, when it was time, he would examine me to see whether I had already
memorized what he had written down or not, if I understood it yet or not.
He taught me and I studied for a long time. Later I went back home, but that didnt mean I had completed
my studies. I still had to return twice a week to study, every Wednesday and Saturday. I would go to see my
teacher on Wednesday and come back home on Thursday. I would go again on Saturday, spent a night, and
return home on Sunday. I studied for a long time. But even after ten years of having studied both Vipassan
and Abhidhamma, people would listen [to what I said] but understand nothing. I didnt talk about it at all.
58
And why did I not teach Abhidhamma? Because they were all utterly mystified! They had absolutely no
idea about what consciousness-and-mental factors (citta-cetasika) and materiality (rpa) were. They
understood nothing. They had never learned or heard about them before, not even the monks. For those first
ten years the people I taught could understand a bit about vipassan, [57] but not about Abhidhamma. Ten
years later it was better. So twenty years passed.
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years later it was better. So twenty years passed.

I first taught Abhidhamma at one temple only, Wat Rakhang [in Bangkok]. There were about twenty
studentsthat is all I wanted for a start, or so I thought. I also started teaching vipassan there, in a deserted
sermon-hall with many bats flying around. The wooden door had been hammered shut with nails. I asked
permission from the abbot to have it opened. We cleaned and fixed up the hall, then divided it into small
rooms for practicing vipassan. There were about twenty students the first day. I continued teaching there
Translated by Rodrigo Aldana

Edited by Cynthia Thatcher
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1Achan: teacher; professor; instructor. Pali form: cariya.

2Vipassan is a special type of penetrating insight that sees the three characteristics of all conditioned existence: impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and
nonself.
3Insight-wisdom (vipassan-pa) is an impersonal mental factor, and it is wisdom, not a self, which sees the three characteristics. For this reason, it is
expressed as, vipassan sees instead of, one sees (through vipassan) This may sound strange because human languages are built upon the
self-view. But in ultimate terms, theres no one (or self) involved in the seeing/understanding process of insight-wisdom. In fact, there isnt a self
involved in anything anywhere whatsoever, due to its nonexistence. However, the idea of a self does exist, and therefore has real implications for our
everyday experience.
4Ti-lakkhana: the three characteristics of all conditioned mental and physical phenomena. The Buddha taught that all formations are inconstant (anicca),
subject to suffering (dukkha), and without self (anatt).
5Paccuppanna: what is arising (right now); what is existing this moment; the present (as opposed to the past or future).
6Achan Naeb still did not know the meaning of her experience, because there was no one as yet who could explain it to her.
7Paccuppanna-dhamma (the present-moment condition) exists all the time, while rammaa-paccuppanna exists only when paccuppanna-dhamma is
known.
8Monastery or temple.
9Ti-pitaka: the Three Baskets or sections which make up the Buddhist Pali Canon, namely, the Suttas or Basket of Discourses, the Vinaya or Basket of
Discipline, and the Abhidhamma or Basket of Phenomenological Higher Teaching.
10This method, which Achan Naeb learned from the monk in question, the Venerable Achan Bhaththanta Vilsa, is the one she eventually taught her
own students.
11In one recording, Achan Naeb says he accepted because he enjoyed taking trips.
12An ethnic group now living in the southern part of Burma (Myanmar), originally from Kalinga, India. Large numbers have been immigrating to
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Thailand from Burma for many centuries.

13A measurement of land equal to 1,600 square meters.
14Nma means mentality or mental phenomena. It is subdivided into consciousness and mental factors. Consciousness has the nature of knowing an
object, and mental factors are such things as volition, feeling, attention, etc., which accompany consciousness. Rpa has the nature of not knowing
anything at all. It means materiality, that is, physical or material phenomena or events. These terms are used to differentiate it from matter. Because, for
example, the bodily postures, although relying on matter (the four great elements), are not in themselves matter or concrete matter, but derived
materiality (updya-rpa). Specifically, they are mind-produced materiality (cittajarpa). Therefore they are to be known through the mind-door, not
through any of the sense-doors.
15That is, her knowledge was derived only from experiencing the intrinsic nature of the phenomenon, the direct experience of the object, not from
concepts or mental constructs.
16The five aggregates that comprise what we call a being, namely, materiality, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness. Although
all beings cling to these aggregates, in truth they are nonself.
17Suffering or unsatisfactoriness. On the ordinary level this means obvious suffering such as physical pain. On the deepest level, dukkha refers to the
unstable, changing nature of all mental and physical phenomena, even the most pleasurable. Thats why even pleasant feelings are unsatisfactory and
not worthy of being wanted. From this perspective it can also be defined as oppression or stress (generated by constant change). And in the
ultimate sense whatever we call happiness or pleasure is nothing else but a decrease in dukkha.
18Sati: Mindfulness. Alertness, carefulness. Presence of mind, attentiveness to the present; the state of being turned towards the object.
19The six sense-spheres, or yatana. The 12 bases or sources on which depend the mental processes, consist of five physical sense-organs and
consciousness, being the six personal (ajjhattika) bases; and the six objects, the so-called external (bhira) bases - namely: eye, or visual organ; visible
object; ear, or auditory organ; sound, or audible object; nose, or olfactory organ; odour, or olfactive object; tongue, or gustatory organ; taste, or gustative
object; body, or tactile organ; body-impression, or tactile object; mind-base, or consciousness mind-object. By the visual organ (cakkhyatana) is meant
the sensitive part of the eye (cakkhu-pasda) built up of the four elements ... responding to sense-stimuli (sa-ppaigha).... (Vibh. II). Similar is the
explanation of the four remaining physical sense-organs. Buddhist Dictionary: Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines, Nyanatiloka, Kandy: Buddhist
Publication Society, 1988, online edition, http://www.palikanon.com/english/wtb/dic1-titel.htm.
20Here Achan Naeb means, Dont cite the Pali Canon to me assuming that because its Pali, what you are saying must be correct, which would turn
the Pali Canon into a dogma. The Pali Canon is, on her view, actually correct, but peoples interpretation of what is written there is not necessarily so.
Therefore, she says, Dont speak Pali to me. If you dont speak with cause-and-effect consistency, then whatever language you use is irrelevant to
me.
21Achan Naeb means that anyone, merely by knowing the Pali language, could have composed the Buddhist Pali Canon (what she refers to as a
book), and therefore it doesnt necessarily represent the Buddhas words (although for other reasons we might say that it does, but not merely because it
is written in Pali).
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22In genuine vipassan practice one only contemplates ultimate realities, i.e., nma-rpa, hence the teachers surprise that she hadnt heard of them.
23Dhamma: thing, condition; event; that which is a phenomenon in and of itself; a reality; all things and states, whether conditioned or unconditioned.
24This means, for instance, at the time of seeing one should know seeing-nma, and likewise for the other sense-perceptions of hearing, etc.
25Sabhva, the intrinsic nature of a phenomenon, is identical with the phenomenon itself.
26Even though the act of knowing a concept is a real event, the content of a concept is not, in the ultimate sense, a real phenomenon with its own intrinsic
nature. The act of thinking, as it is happening, is a realityit is something that is actually going on right now, in the present moment. But the story
or content of the thought is always a concept. The topic of the conceptthe thing the concept is aboutis not actually being experienced in the
present.
27Including the names from all the worlds many languages.
28Cakkhu-via means seeing-consciousness, and rpa in this case means colour or visual object.
29One who has purified the mind of all delusion and attained full awakening.
30The word kammahna has two meanings: 1) rammaa, object (of observation); and 2) bhvan-vidhi, the means for mental development. If the
word kammahna appears with verbs such as, know, contemplate, investigate [the kammahna], then the first definition is meant. If it appears in
phrases such as, kammahna practice or kammahna development, the second definition obtains. Kammahna means working-ground; the
work here is the practice of mental development (bhvan). Specifically, it is the act of causing to arise instances of morality (sla: virtue), concentration
(samdhi), and understanding (pa) that had never arisen before; and the development of factors of morality, concentration, and understanding that
have already arisen in oneself.
31Meaning, theres no entity involved, no self.

32Not-self; the absence of any me or mine; insubstantiality; the lack of any fundamental entity; impersonality; a condition of not being amenable to
control.
33Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta: The Discourse of the Turning of the Wheel of Dhamma, the Lord Buddhas first discourse.
34Betel nut is an evergreen vine with wide leaves that Asians chew as a mild stimulant and digestive aid.
35In the same way that water has always kept fish alive, the defilement in the mind ensures our survival, keeping us going in the wheel of existence.
36The way traditional Thai (and Indian) people used to eat, before westernization.
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37Which means using only one hand, normally the right.
38Laziness here means being tired of something, which is a type of aversion (dosa).
39Rpa-kammahna (i.e., knowledge regarding the true nature of material phenomena) does not actually occur because of thinness. It occurs because
of understanding or wisdom (pa). However, when there is wisdom, defilement diminishes. When defilement diminishes, one eats only out of
necessity; and when one eats out of necessity, one does not want much food.
40In other words, if we clean the room because we desire cleanliness or dislike dirtiness, it means the mind is ayoniso manasikra, i.e., it lacks skillful
attention.
41The perversion of view about happiness (sukha-vipallsa) wrongly regards our own rpa-nma (body-mind) as something which can provide
happiness, whereas in truth it is suffering.
42kra: the (way of) making, i.e., mode, manner; gesture, sign, appearance; indication; expression. With regards to the bodily postures, the (way of)
making, executing or adopting a posture means the mode in which the body is presently displayed. The mode is the posture itself, thus it comprises those
characteristics that distinguish one posture from another.
43That is, the comfort is not viewed according to its true nature. What is in fact dukkha is misunderstood as happiness-yielding.
44The Buddhist Dictionary: Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines says: Mla: roots, also called hetu, are those conditions which through their
presence determine the actual moral quality of a volitional state (cetan), and the consciousness (citta) and mental factors (cetasika) associated
therewith, in other words, the quality of kamma (karma). There are six such roots, three kammically wholesome (greedlessness, hatelessness, and
undeludedness) and three unwholesome (greed, hatred, and delusion).
45Achan Naeb is not talking about whether were able to adopt a posture or not. What she wants us to understand is the real cause behind our actions. In
truth, we do not lie down because we want to, since we wouldnt want to lie down unless we were tired. Tiredness is dukkha. The need to alleviate
dukkha is the real reason we change and thus adopt the various postures.
46The Abhidhamma teachings explain that feeling is a mental phenomenon of which there are two kinds: mental and bodily. Bodily feeling denotes
feeling that relies on rpa (it does not mean that feeling itself is rpa).
47Here Achan Naeb is talking here about the unpleasant bodily feeling of stiffness and/or aching she was referring above.
48In other words, if the unpleasant feeling is not caused by the body but is a purely mental condition. Unpleasant mental feeling, displeasure, or grief, is
called domanassa in Pali.
49Mindfulness (sati) knows naturally at the naturally occurring mode. Everything must be known naturally. Naturally means, as one has always known
things in daily life. There should not be any special feeling. There should be no feeling that one is practicing (doing kammahna) or doing
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anything out of the ordinary.
50That is, samatha, tranquility meditation.

51We should emphasize that students who have practiced in other places before are very hard to teach due to the wrong habits, i.e., wrong views, they
have acquired. The longer they have practiced incorrectly, the harder it is to remove their wrong views. Despite Achan Naebs playful comparison, the
teachers of old did not charge for their instruction, nor do contemporary instructors who teach the genuine practice. Since the Buddhas teaching
doesnt belong to anyone, it cannot fall into the worldly realm of buying-and-selling.
52Citta, cetasika, rpa, and Nibbna are the crux of the Abhidhamma.
53This is a peculiarly Thai belief.
54These two insight-knowledges concern awakening, whereas vipassan practice concerns becoming aware of and comprehending the defilements in the
mind. The former (awakening) is the result of the latter (the understanding of defilement).
55Contemplation of the body, feelings, mind and specific mental qualities.

56In another talk Achan Naeb puts it this way: ...The 70 year old novice took with him a copy of the Satipahna Sutta to look at. But the novices
pariyatti was also very good. He was intelligent about the scriptures. He took the copy with him to look at, examine, and then practice. Once he had
investigated it, he followed it. He followed it until he met with sure evidence. In order for vipassan to be visible it must be done in this way. And then in
the sections where you do pure vipassan, not having to rely on samatha firstwhere you dont have to do samdhi and get jhna firstthat is what the
novice took [with him] to study, examine, and train in. He took the guidelines to look at, to studybasing himself [his practice] on this for ten years. It
took ten years from the time he went to live alone in a cave in the forest [in order] to give it a try, to inquire and verify, until it became apparent to him.
He was then 80 years old. And then, at the age of 80, he returned. So who could he speak with? Nobody believed him. No one could understand anything
[he taught]. How would he transmit it like this? To whom would he transmit it? ...
57I.e., every student has his own particular misunderstandings.
58From the Thai idiom: to be in darkness about the eight sides, which are: the Four Noble Truths, past time, future time, present time, and dependent
co-arising (paicca samuppda).
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Theravada Buddhism. Vipassana Insight Practice As Taught by The Late Achan Naeb PDF

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4/23/12

namo tassa bhagavato arahato samm sambuddhassa

How Did I Start To Practice?

by Achan Naeb Mahaniranon

[7] Sawat-dii khaGood day respectful audience.

So I questioned them further: And how do you see impermanence?

because you are going to go to hell!

could observe. But I didnt know whether it was rpa or nma.

So in Thailand they dont practice vipassan, then?

vipassan, just as I came here to do.

years later it was better. So twenty years passed.

Translated by Rodrigo Aldana

1Achan: teacher; professor; instructor. Pali form: cariya.

Thailand from Burma for many centuries.

27Including the names from all the worlds many languages.

31Meaning, theres no entity involved, no self.

37Which means using only one hand, normally the right.

anything out of the ordinary.

50That is, samatha, tranquility meditation.

55Contemplation of the body, feelings, mind and specific mental qualities.

57I.e., every student has his own particular misunderstandings.

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