The Living Computer
Photo: Buddhadāsa Indapañño Archives C05606
“What khandha is avijjā? Is it a tendency or a khandha?”
~ Response by Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu ~
Normally we translate avijjā as ‘not knowing,’ but in fact there isn’t anyone who doesn’t know something, there isn’t anyone who knows absolutely nothing. So in practice, avijjā means ‘wrong knowing,’ ‘knowing things in an incorrect way.’ Therefore we should translate the word avijjā as ‘the absence of correct knowledge.’ This is how it’s best to translate it. When there is correct understanding, then there is no dukkha, there are no problems. But when there is an absence or lack of this correct understanding, then dukkha is created. When we talk about the five khandhas, we should say that when the five khandhas belong to avijjā they are ignorant khandhas. When these five khandhas lack correct understanding, then they will be attached to and there will be dukkha. But when the five khandhas are trained, when they are trained properly until they have correct knowledge, then they will be the five khandhas of vijjā (correct knowledge and understanding). So this is what we should do, we should train the five khandhas until they have correct understanding.
If one wants to place avijjā in a particular khandha, then we can put it under saṅkhāra-khandha. Correct knowledge fits into saṅkhāra-khandha and so does incorrect knowledge, avijjā. But the way I have spoken was to say that all the khandhas together are made up out of ignorance, or all of them are under vijjā, correct knowledge.
If sati (recollection, recall) is lacking, then vijjā will be wasted. So therefore we need to train and have sati, to be mindful, to recollect, so that vijjā can be put into action. This sati or recollection can be placed within saññā-khandha.
Therefore we should train in ānāpānasati so that we have both vijjā and sati, so we have both mindfulness and wisdom through training in ānāpānasati. Then both of them, when they are fully trained, will be on hand in order to deal with all these circumstances of life, so that nothing will create problems.
So sati is aware of the situation and then it recalls or retrieves wisdom so as to apply it correctly in order to deal with the situation. But if sati is too slow or if it is shaky or careless, and if wisdom is incomplete or insufficient, then we won’t be able to cope with the situation and it will concoct into dukkha. So we must have sati which is quick enough, which is precise, and then wisdom which is sufficient and complete in order to deal with all the situations of life.
But we have a tendency to prefer things which retard or destroy mindfulness, things like marijuana, alcohol, beer, and other forms of drugs which dull and retard sati. In this way then, whatever knowledge or understanding we have is wasted because we don’t have the mindfulness, we don’t have the clarity and precision of mind to retrieve that knowledge in order to actually use it in life, because of our addiction to things like alcohol and other drugs.
(From the retreat “The Living Computer,” as translated from the Thai by Santikaro)
Dhamma Questions & Responses sessions were offered by Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu in 1990-1991 to foreign meditators attending Suan Mokkh International Dharma Hermitage courses.
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