Dear DC Wijeratna and Vinod,
Thank you for your remarks. As you say, knowing and seeing is
important. Can we say: understanding the four noble Truths is the aim
of the teachings? It is the way to overcome ignorance and eventually
to be liberated from the cycle of birth and death.
I would like to add a few quotes: from the Co. to the Mahaaniddesa,
of the Khuddhaka Nik�ya, the Commentary to the �Guha��aka Sutta-
niddesa�, �the Cave�. I take this from 'The Perfections' by Sujin
Boriharnwanaket, and add her remarks:

�The term �pa���� means: it penetrates. What does it penetrate? It
penetrates the noble Truths, the Truth of, �This is dukkha...� �

Sujin: The noble Truth of dukkha is not merely dukkha which is
suffering, oppressing us in daily life, such as loss of possessions,
blame, pain etc. The noble Truth of dukkha is the truth that nothing
is permanent, that whatever arises such as seeing, hearing, thinking,
happiness or pain arises just for an extremely short moment and then
disappears. Knowing, �this is dukkha�, means, knowing that what
arises and falls away immediately is dukkha.

We read further on in the Commentary quoted above:

�This kind of pa��� is an indriya, a controlling faculty, in the
sense of predominance, because it overcomes ignorance, avijj�.�...
Again, the development of pa��� with the aim to realize the four
noble Truths is walking a very long way, namely traversing the cycle
of birth and death.�

Sujin: If pa��� arises we can understand that the cycle of birth and
death we have traversed thus far is extremely long. So long as pa���
has not become accomplished, the path leading to the end of the cycle
is still extremely long. Thus, as we read, for the development of
pa��� we have an extremely long way to go. We have to go to the
further shore, into the direction of nibb�na, where, according to the
Commentary, �we never went yet, not even in our dreams�.
(end quotes)
Nina.

Op 14-aug-2007, om 14:19 heeft DC Wijeratna het volgende geschreven:

>
> The aim of the Buddha's Dhamma is not understanding, it appears.
> [See for example, Walpola Rahula]
>
> It is about Dukkha and Cessation of Dukkha.
>
> It is well-known that the teaching of the Four Noble Truths
> encompasses the whole of the Buddha's teaching.
> The four are: dukkha, dukkha samudaya, dukkha nirodha, dukkha
> nirodha-gaaminii pa.tipadaa.
>
> So you can appreciate that dukkha and its cessation is the concern
> of the Four Noble Truths.
>
> Cessation has to be achieved by travelling the path (practice) or
> pa.tipdaa. This is the noble eightfold path.
>
> 'Knowing and seeing' (jaanaati, passati) is required along the way,
> if that is what is meant by understanding.
>
> Buddhist 'jaanaati passati' and English 'understanding' are
> different concepts.
>

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