In Kandy the Venerable Piyadassi Thera was leading the discussions with metta and a great deal of patience. He understood which terms used in the discussions people would find difficult and thus he asked for more precise definitions. 'Right understanding' was one of the terms he asked us to explain.

What is right understanding? There are many levels of right understanding, in Pali panna. When we are generous the kusala citta may or may not arise with right understanding. We may give because it is our nature to give, without there being any understanding of what kusala is, what kamma and vipaka (deeds and their results) are. Or we may give with right understanding of cause and effect. It is the same with the kusala citta which observes sila: it may or may not be accompanied by right understanding.

As we have seen, the citta which develops samatha must always be accompanied by right understanding. There has to be right understanding of the object of samatha. The object has to be the right condition for the citta to become calm, to become temporarily free from attachment, aversion and ignorance. The right understanding which arise in samatha knows the difference between kusala citta and akusala citta and itknows when these cittas arise. However, it does not know kusala citta, akusala citta and the other phenomena as they are: as elements devoid of self.

The right understanding which is developed in vipassana is of the highest level: it sees nama and rupa as not 'self'. This kind of right understanding is able to eradicate wrong view and the other defilements. Right understanding which is developed in vipassana sees, for example, visible object as only visible object, no 'thing' in it, no 'being' in it. It sees visible object as not self.

When we take phenomena for self there is wrong view. What is this wrong view? Can one take phenomena outside oneself for self? The word 'self' in Pali 'atta', has a meaning which is  different from the word 'self' as we use it in conventional language. One may take phenomena such as seeing and hearing, and also phenomena 'outside', such as visible object, for 'self', when one does not see them as they are. Taking visible object for 'self' means taking it for 'someone' or 'something'. One may believe that one sees a person or a thing, instead of realizing visible object as only an element which arises and then falls away immediately. So long as wrong view has not been eradicated realities can be taken for 'self'.

We may have intellectual understanding of the truth but it is still very difficult to experience visible object as only visible object when it appears. We have to be mindful of visible object when it appears, seeing when it appears, and all the other phenomena over and over again, perhaps during countless lives. We may remind ourselves that what is seen is not a person, not a thing. That is intellectual understanding and we should know that it is not mindfulness. When there is 'study' of the realities which appear it is the beginning of panna (wisdom). Khun Sujin reminded us many times. 'Is there no seeing now? Study it. Otherwise panna cannot grow.'

I find the word study very effective. The word study is a translation of the Pali term 'sikkha'. Sikkha can also be translated as training. The word study reminds me that mindfulness without knowing anything, without knowing the reality which appears now, is not helpful for the development of right understanding. Study reminds me that right understanding is only beginning to develop and that there has to be study countless times before realities can be seen as they are. There are many degrees of right understanding and it develops gradually.

We should not be discouraged that there is very little mindfulness and understanding. The fact that we are interested today and that we listen today shows that we have conditions for further development of right understanding. We are likely to have listened in former lives.

Khun Sujin said: 'All those people who listened in the Buddha's time and did not attain enlightenment, where are they now?' They had conditions for the development of panna, but panna needed more development; it had not yet been developed to the degree so as to attain enlightenment. We may have been one of those who listened to the Buddha and now panna needs to be developed more.

When we were walking along the beach one of our friends remarked that he was worried that he could not become a sotapanna in this life. Those who have not attained enlightenment run the risk of an unhappy rebirth Rebirth may occur in a plane where one cannot develop  satipatthana. I had been preoccupied with the same question.

Khun Sujin answered: 'Today we are in the human plane and we are discussing Dhamma. We have had births as animals, but those are forgotten now. Sati which is accumulated today is never lost. It is a condition for future development. There can be unhappy births again, but why should we worry about it.' She gave the example of the Buddha's horse Kandhaka. He had brought the Buddha outside the palace, after he had renounced worldly life. In that life Kandhaka could not develop wisdom, since he was an animal. But he was reborn in a deva plane where he developed wisdom and attained enlightenment. We cannot control anything which happens, but when there are conditions for right understanding to develop, it will work its way.

What are realities, was a question some people asked. Reality is not a concept, it is not something abstract. Reality is what can be directly experienced, now. Is there no seeing now? When our eyes are closed there is no seeing, but when we open them, isn't there seeing? When there is mindfulness seeing can be studied, it can be directly experienced. Seeing is a reality.

Visible object is a reality, it can be experienced when it appears, now. Hearing is a reality, sound is a reality. Hardness, softness, heat and coldness are realities, they can be directly experienced through the bodysense, when they appear. Is there no impingement on the bodysense now? If there is not forgetfulness, realities can be studied with sati. This is the way to know them as they are: elements which are devoid of self.

Person is not a reality, it is only a concept or idea we form up in our minds. We cling to people and we take them for self and for permanent. We know that we all have to die. We should remember that what we take for self or person are only mental phenomena and physical phenomena which arise and fall away. Thus, there is actually birth and death each moment.

What we call life is in reality one short moment of recognizing an object. This moment falls away and is succeeded by the next moment. When a citta arises which experiences visible object our life is seeing. At another moment our life is hearing or thinking. All these moments fall away as soon as they have arisen. Thus we can say that life exists only in one short moment, this very moment only.

Namas and rupas are realities, they can be experienced. Instead of the word reality we can use the word 'dhamma'. Dhamma does not only mean the Buddha's teaching, it has other meanings as well. Everything which is real is dhamma or 'paramattha dhamma', which is translated as 'absolute reality'. Namas and rupas are paramattha dhammas.

As regards nama, there are two kinds of conditioned namas: citta consciousness) and cetasika (mental factor arising with consciousness). For example, seeing and hearing are cittas; attachment and mindfulness are cetasikas which can accompany citta. Citta is always accompanied by at least seven cetasikas.

Nibbana is the unconditioned nama. It does not experience an object, but it is the object experienced by lokuttara (supramundane) citta. Summarizing the paramattha dhamma they are:

citta,
cetasika,
rupa,
nibbana