Vipassana Meditation : Lectures On Insight Meditation by Venerable

NAMO TASSA BHAGAVATO ARAHATO SAMMASAMBUDDHASSAChapter OneHappiness Through Right UnderstandingEverybody in the world wants happiness and peace. This is the reason whypeople are seeking the true path, which leads them to the cessation ofsuffering. All kinds of religions in the world arise because of this search. Onegreat religion in the world is Buddhism; it leads people to the cessation ofsuffering.The Cause of SufferingThe Lord Buddha found out the cause of suffering (dukkha). According to histeachings, everything arises dependent on conditions. Everything in the worldhas its cause; nothing arises without a cause. When the Buddha wanted to getrid of suffering (dukkha), he had to find out the cause. When the cause hadbeen eradicated, there will not be any effect. When the omniscient Buddhabecame enlightened, he discovered that the cause of suffering is attachment(tanha). The word 'tanha' means greed, lust, desire, craving and the like.Buddhist scholars have translated 'tanha' into attachment so that it covers allforms of desire. So in English, we use the word 'attachment' for 'tanha'.Tanha or attachment is the cause of suffering. When there is tanha there isdukkha (suffering). When a man can eliminate tanha, he is sure to get rid ofdukkha. This tanha also arises dependent on a cause. Without a cause, tanhawill not arise. Tanha is a mental state and a process of mentality, which isconditioned. The Omniscient Buddha discovered that the cause of attachment(tanha) is wrong view, i.e. the false view of a soul, a self, an 'I' or a 'you' apersonality or an individuality known as sakkaya-ditthi or atta-ditthi. Sothissakkaya-ditthi or atta-ditthi is the cause of tanha, which causes dukkha.Then what is the cause of this false view (sakkaya-ditthi or atta-ditthi)?The Omniscient Buddha pointed out that ignorance (moha or avijja in Pali)of the natural processes of mentality and physicality is the cause of the falseview of a soul or a self. Thus by realization or right understanding of this dualprocess in its true nature, we can exterminate ignorance. Then we come toknow the law of Cause and Effect. We can summarize the chain of cause andeffect like this: Ignorance is the cause; false view (sakkaya-ditthi or atta-ditthi)is the effect. False view is the cause, attachment is the effect. Attachment is thecause suffering is the effect.Then what we come to know is: if mental and physical processes arerightly understood, that right understanding will do away with ignorance.When ignorance has been eradicated, then there will not be any false view of asoul, a self, a person or a being. When this false view has been destroyed, there3