Sensuous
objects are the cause of calamity, excrescence, danger, disease, a
dart and a fear to me. Observing this danger resulting from sensuous
objects, let one live alone like a unicorn horn. (Sn.v
51)
Detachment, loneliness, separation, seclusion, scission, aloofness – viveka has two main divisions. Kayaviveka is the initial environmental and physical condition, the physical (bodily) separation from sensuous objects; it is the abiding at ease in condition suited to growth in the Dhamma – if no one is found in front or behind me, it is very pleasant for one dwelling alone in the wood. (Theragata, v 537)
Cittaviveka is that very growth in the Dhamma, the inner, mental detachment from sensuous things.
Herein, Elder, whatsoever is past, that is abandoned, whatever is yet-to-come, that is relinquish, and the desire-and-lust for the present modes of personality is well under control. It is thus, Elder, that lone-dwelling becomes fulfilled in all details. (S II, 282)
This solitude is not loneliness of lack (tanha), the craving of the crowd, it is abiding in strength and ease, independent and aloof. This solitude becomes the path and the goal to the one with clear vision who apprehends samsara, and his own being as samsaric, who thus develops estrangement (nibbida) – pushed to the extreme, this feeling (estrangement) becomes even at times not only the resort but also the goal of philosophy: to exile (Grenier).
One seeks solitude because one seeks truth, and the crowd is untruth: “But the thing is simple enough: this thing of loving one's neighbor is self-denial, that of loving the crowd, or pretending to love it, of making it the authority in matters of truth, is the way to temporal and earthly advantages of all sort – at the same time it is the untruth, for crowd is untruth. (Kierkegaard).
And this is very important for the way of the crowd is the way of samsara, and cultural, political, social constructions of society can never lead from samsara, for samsara is their origin, their meaning and goal. Cultures are particular to time and space, there are “Buddhist” cultures but these are not Dhamma, though inspired by, for culture is within time – the residue of the historic process – the Dhamma is akaliko, not involving time. One does not obtain sila (the ethical) let alone Dhamma, from the historical process, from majority opinions. The Dhamma is approachable by the wise (pandita) and each for himself (paccatam), separately, individually, that is in solitude).
Therefore the Dhamma is not “progressive” within the historical process, within the mass of human kind. Real progress (of the individual) is linear, but samsara is a revolving about a repetition, the wheel of birth and death, that merely reflects the inner revolving (vatta) – the centripetal vortex of name-and-form (namarupa) about consciousness (vinniana).
The Dhamma is not involved in the illusory “progress” of samsara – the politico-economic ideals of linear advancement within samsara, there is no progress in samsara, this straight line of “progress” is a result of myopia, a viewing to closely a particular section of curvature of the historical cycle. Real progress is against the centripetal attraction of samsara – against the stream – a tangent directed away from enveloping vortex into calm and this is kayaviveka.
Cittaviveka is that gradual journey from the samsara within that fules the outher – the revolving about of namarupa (feeling, perception, intention, contact, attention, and matter) with vinniana (consciousness) – the progress through nibbida (estrangement) to nibbana. These two vortices are two tangles within and tangles without (antojata, bahijata) SI, 13, the solution and unraveling of what is the Buddha's teaching and the two tools for this progress are kaya and cittaviveka.
This progress is only to the individual in his subjective solitude cut of from the crowd and the process of history – for between the historic process and the ideal of social progress the individual is dissipated and confused. Only by solitude, a cut of, an estrangement , can one truly approach the Dhamma in its immediacy as having meaning only to the individual, who has become subjective – and thus aware of anguish (dukkha) as personal, an existential and the problem of existence as an individualization of the process of tanha (lack/need). Only within this subjective solitude does one recognizing the problem and start toward ultimate solitude – Nibbana, cutting of all factors of existence.
Flee society as a heavy burden, seek solitude above all! (M3)
Detachment, loneliness, separation, seclusion, scission, aloofness – viveka has two main divisions. Kayaviveka is the initial environmental and physical condition, the physical (bodily) separation from sensuous objects; it is the abiding at ease in condition suited to growth in the Dhamma – if no one is found in front or behind me, it is very pleasant for one dwelling alone in the wood. (Theragata, v 537)
Cittaviveka is that very growth in the Dhamma, the inner, mental detachment from sensuous things.
Herein, Elder, whatsoever is past, that is abandoned, whatever is yet-to-come, that is relinquish, and the desire-and-lust for the present modes of personality is well under control. It is thus, Elder, that lone-dwelling becomes fulfilled in all details. (S II, 282)
This solitude is not loneliness of lack (tanha), the craving of the crowd, it is abiding in strength and ease, independent and aloof. This solitude becomes the path and the goal to the one with clear vision who apprehends samsara, and his own being as samsaric, who thus develops estrangement (nibbida) – pushed to the extreme, this feeling (estrangement) becomes even at times not only the resort but also the goal of philosophy: to exile (Grenier).
One seeks solitude because one seeks truth, and the crowd is untruth: “But the thing is simple enough: this thing of loving one's neighbor is self-denial, that of loving the crowd, or pretending to love it, of making it the authority in matters of truth, is the way to temporal and earthly advantages of all sort – at the same time it is the untruth, for crowd is untruth. (Kierkegaard).
And this is very important for the way of the crowd is the way of samsara, and cultural, political, social constructions of society can never lead from samsara, for samsara is their origin, their meaning and goal. Cultures are particular to time and space, there are “Buddhist” cultures but these are not Dhamma, though inspired by, for culture is within time – the residue of the historic process – the Dhamma is akaliko, not involving time. One does not obtain sila (the ethical) let alone Dhamma, from the historical process, from majority opinions. The Dhamma is approachable by the wise (pandita) and each for himself (paccatam), separately, individually, that is in solitude).
Therefore the Dhamma is not “progressive” within the historical process, within the mass of human kind. Real progress (of the individual) is linear, but samsara is a revolving about a repetition, the wheel of birth and death, that merely reflects the inner revolving (vatta) – the centripetal vortex of name-and-form (namarupa) about consciousness (vinniana).
The Dhamma is not involved in the illusory “progress” of samsara – the politico-economic ideals of linear advancement within samsara, there is no progress in samsara, this straight line of “progress” is a result of myopia, a viewing to closely a particular section of curvature of the historical cycle. Real progress is against the centripetal attraction of samsara – against the stream – a tangent directed away from enveloping vortex into calm and this is kayaviveka.
Cittaviveka is that gradual journey from the samsara within that fules the outher – the revolving about of namarupa (feeling, perception, intention, contact, attention, and matter) with vinniana (consciousness) – the progress through nibbida (estrangement) to nibbana. These two vortices are two tangles within and tangles without (antojata, bahijata) SI, 13, the solution and unraveling of what is the Buddha's teaching and the two tools for this progress are kaya and cittaviveka.
This progress is only to the individual in his subjective solitude cut of from the crowd and the process of history – for between the historic process and the ideal of social progress the individual is dissipated and confused. Only by solitude, a cut of, an estrangement , can one truly approach the Dhamma in its immediacy as having meaning only to the individual, who has become subjective – and thus aware of anguish (dukkha) as personal, an existential and the problem of existence as an individualization of the process of tanha (lack/need). Only within this subjective solitude does one recognizing the problem and start toward ultimate solitude – Nibbana, cutting of all factors of existence.
Flee society as a heavy burden, seek solitude above all! (M3)
Bhikkhu Saddhajiva
