Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Vasubandhu’s kitchen analogy — body as plate, feelings as rice, discrimination as seasoning, consciousness as the eater — anchors Khensur Rinpoche’s 45-minute commentary on the close placements of mindfulness. Rinpoche first defines precisely what “phenomena” covers here: mental factors, non-associated compositional factors, and permanent phenomena such as space. He then explains why an ordinary self-grasping person needs these four objects of observation, each countering a different way of mistaking the aggregates for a truly existent self. A clean mapping connects the four placements to the Four Noble Truths: body to suffering, feelings to its origin, mind to cessation, phenomena to the path. He then explains why feelings and discriminations are singled out from the fifty-one mental factors — feelings perpetuating cyclic existence, discriminations enabling liberation. A short Q&A on sense faculties and death closes the session.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 03 CP of M 1997 06 07.mp3
UUID: 0dee56d5-485d-4697-a07a-ed8d3c81fc40
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Close Placements of Mindfulness (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1997-06-07
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.4 minutes
Words: ~2,167
So, in this context, phenomena refers to the mental factors except for feelings. We’ve already listed feelings separately. So all the remaining mental factors of which there are fifty are being referred to as phenomena. Also, they use the term non associated compositional factors, as I say, impermanent factors which are neither form nor consciousness, such as persons, persons are non associated compositional factors, and impermanence. So these are also being referred to here.
And then it goes on to say, unproduced phenomena. This is, for example, space, permanence, cessation. These are permanent phenomena. So these are what are meant here by phenomena. On the other hand, if we were to use the second of the ways in which held is being used, I adopt the word Dharma in terms of meaning held is being used, we would say that by of practicing the abandoning the ten unskillful actions, one is held back from falling into an unfortunate state of rebirth, or one is protected from that.
For example, the awakening heart is a Dharma in the sense that it it it holds you back or protects you from faults of the mind. Therefore, it would be referred to as dharma. And then there is, following the text, there is a quotation by Ārya Asaṇga from a text called Compendium of Knowledge where he states, What are the objects of observation or the first placements of mindfulness, bodies, feelings, minds and phenomena? So we’ve we’ve finished the first of the divisions, objects of observation. So this section goes on to say what are the reasons for positing these objects of observation as the objects of observation.
Why do we take these objects of observation? And then it goes on to say as it states in the text, so the immature will abandon grasping at the bodies as the basis of the self, the feelings as the grounds of enjoyment of the self, the mind as the thing which is the self and phenomena such as attachment and affliction as afflicting and faith as purifying the self. Here it says the immature. Literally, word simply means the childish. And this is referring to an ordinary person, someone who hasn’t realized emptiness.
But, you know, a child doesn’t really know what his child just generally plays, and we are that’s all we mostly do is play. And we moreover, a child doesn’t know where a child is immature with regard to knowing the various points of what is to be adopted and what is to be rejected. They say knowing the way to practice and we are as if immature with regard to that. So the reasons that we take these objects of observation are because we as being ordinary people grasp to the body as the place where the I resides or the self resides. This is the place we grasp or conceive that the I is residing within the body to overcome that.
And we take the various feelings that we experience are like food for food for the I or the self to overcome that conception, to to overcome the grasping or the conception that the mind is in fact the I or the self. And that And, fourthly, we take phenomena as the object of observation to overcome the conception that that, for example, various mental factors, some of which are afflictive and some which are purifying, are are afflicting a self or purifying a self. So essentially, all of these conceptions which are attributed to the childish or the immature are conceptions of self, conceptions of a truly of true existence. So if by meditating on these objects well, we will be able to abandon the conception of a truly existent self or grasping a true existence. With regard to each of them, we will be able to abandon holding each of them as the self and therefore be able to abandon the conception of a truly existent self.
So Vasubandhu uses analogy in describing these, but including them with within the five aggregates. The the aggregate of body, he said, which we hold as to be the residence of the self, is analogous to a plate. So then the feelings which are regarded to be like the food within the plate. And then the aggregate of discriminations or perceptions is like the salt, the salt which is the seasoning, we, the salt is like that which we season the food with, with discriminations. Then the fourth aggregate compositional factor is the activity of eating.
And then fifthly, aggregate of consciousnesses is the eater, the agent who is doing the eating. So okay. The body is is being likened to analogized to a plate, the plate. I mean, we have a sense we the feelings are like food. I think in this analogy, remember Jay went on to say, It’s like rice.
So we put the rice in the plate. We have a sense that that’s the place where we have our feelings. If there’s no body, there’s no place for feelings to There’s no place for us to experience where experiences take place. The experiences take place within the body. So it’s like we place the rice on the plate.
The rice is analogous to the feelings. Then I said salt. I think I should have said vegetables. It’s like adding something to the rice. The vegetables are put on the rice which is the aggregate of discriminations which is this is that or perceptions.
And then there is the aggregate compositional factors which is the activity of actually eating. Like in India, they eat with their hands. Take a handful of rice and vegetable and they feed themselves in that way. That’s like the compositional factors. And then the aggregate of consciousnesses is the experience or which is the agent of the eating, that which is the experience of what’s going on.
So if in terms of ourselves, if we can come to understand that the place of the self, that which is experienced within the self, the activity of the experiencing and the experiencer are selfless. Then we will we will, by understanding that these inner phenomena are do not truly exist, achieve liberation. So the text goes on to quote, again, Ārya Asaṇga in his Compendium of Knowledge where it states, the things the thing which is the dwelling place of the self, the grounds of enjoyment of the self, the thing which is the self, and the things which afflict and purify the self. So this where he says what is meant here when he says the things which afflict and purify the self, these are that which the afflictive phenomena are those things which are to be abandoned. The purifying phenomena are those which are to be cultivated.
If we use in the if we apply it to the context of the Four Noble Truths, the truth of sufferings and the truth of the origins of suffering, are afflictive phenomena and they are to be abandoned. We are to understand that these two are not a truly existent self. And then the third and fourth noble truths, the cessation of suffering and the path leading to cessation of suffering are purifying phenomena. They are to be cultivated. But additionally, we are to understand that they too are not a truly existent self.
So we’re going to stop there. If you have some we’ll spend a few minutes if you have some questions. So Vasubandhu explains that because the neutral feelings or another way to translate that, it’s unspecified feelings, are of little potency. They’re they are not explained in in these two ways. So they there does exist both neutral physical and mental feelings, but they are not explained.
So it’s extremely vast in its benefits. But if we were to explain why these four objects of observation are specified very briefly. It is because it would be it could be explained in terms of realizing the four noble truths. By taking the body as the object of observation of the close placements of mindfulness, we are able to realize the truth of suffering. By taking feelings, we are able to realize the truth of the origins of suffering.
By taking minds, we are able to realize the truth of cessation. By taking phenomena, we are able to realize the path leading to cessation the noble truth of the path leading to cessation. Therefore, these four are specifically taken as objects of observation in order to realize the four noble truths. In terms of the individual vehicle, whether we attain liberation or not is completely dependent upon whether we realize the Four Noble Truths. If we don’t realize the Four Noble Truths, we are not liberated.
If we do, we are liberated. They’re also extremely important in the universal vehicle. But these these reasons will be explained in later on in the text. So by by realizing It is by realizing these truths that one will abandon the afflictive emotions. By abandoning the afflictive emotions, one attains liberation.
So the relationship between the four objects of observation and the five aggregates are from the point of view of subject and object. Aside from that relationship, there’s there’s not another relationship? So the object are these four objects of observation and the subject that which during the observing are are is the close placement of mindfulness. So that analogy that we used about a place the plate and the rice and the veg, etcetera. That was those were an analog making use of analogy and explaining the five aggregates.
So those are the that’s just a a analogy for a way of so as in a way of presenting the five aggregates. I think the third and fourth aggregates, which are discrimination and compositional factors, together comprise what we call a phenomenon. Within the five aggregates, there are two which have been singled out, aggregate of feelings and the aggregate of discriminations. Though it’s an extremely vast subject, there are fifty one mental factors or secondary consciousnesses. And these two are singled out from those fifty one.
The reason this is done is because, first, the feelings are the entity of experience. And it is in general that dependent upon our experience that we go on to develop afflictive emotions whether so therefore, it is explaining in terms of how the afflictive emotions are the evolution of the afflictive emotions, feelings are singled out. The feelings are very much the basis for our continual circling within cyclic existence. Whereas on the other hand, discriminations are singled out because it is by being able to discriminate that we are able to withdraw from cyclic existence by understanding what is a correct view, what is an incorrect view, what is liberation and what is not conducive that we are able to develop, for example, renunciation. That being able to there’s a great deal of debate between, you know, what is the correct and what is incorrect view and it’s necessary to develop a proper discrimination with regard to that if we are to what is pure and impure if we are able to liberate ourselves.
Feelings are the basis for continual cycling in general. Feelings are the basis for continual cycling within cyclic existence. And discrimination is the basis for liberating ourselves from cyclic existence. So those two are separated out from these fifty-one mental factors. So if you wanted to understand that well, you’d have to study knowledge, higher knowledge or abhidharma.
Rinpoche said that these two feelings and discriminations would be included within phenomena, object of observation of phenomena. And then, what was the last part of your question? Just if the sense faculty is the thing that ceases to be, because just his background, he was saying that differentiating between the sense faculty and on the basis of feeling was problematic. So he said that because of it is extinguished at death, that means that it’s something that’s is associated with feeling. But if the basis of the sense faculty remains, what is it?
[unclear] So the basis of the sense faculty is the eye organ, the flesh, the coarse flesh, the white part, the iris of the eye. That’s the sensory basis. The sense faculty is a very subtle matter within that. It’s like a mirror.
It’s extremely small. If that’s the case, then could Rinpoche please repeat how to do that distinction? How do how do we characterize that external and, you know, internal phenomenon on the basis of whether they persist or not after them? Because he had said that there were problems with using feeling. I probably should have asked this question at the time this arose.
But and then he said there’s another way to look at it, and that was whether it persisted after death or not or whether it was extinguished after death because he really is just thinking. Forget it.