The Stages of Vipassana - 2nd stage of vipassana nana


The second stage of vipassana nana is discerning conditions for nama and rupa (paccaya-pariggaha-nana).
When the moments of vipassana nana have fallen away, the world appears as it used to appear, as a whole. The person who develops satipatthana clearly knows the difference between the moment of vipassana nana and the moment that is not vipassana nana. When vipassana nana has fallen away, ignorance and doubt about realities can arise again, since these defilements have not been eradicated. When the first stage of insight has been reached there is full comprehension of what has been known, i.e., nata parinna. Panna realises as they are the characteristics of realities that appear at the moments of vipassana.nana. Then there is no ignorance and doubt about those realities. The first stage of insight is only a beginning stage that can lead to the following stages of insight, which penetrates the characteristics of nama and rupa more and more.
When satipatthana continues to be mindful of the realities that appear and investigates their characteristics, there can be more understanding of their conditions. When one object appears at a time, panna can realise that nama (the element that experiences) arises because of conditions, that it is conditioned by that object. If there were no object appearing, nama could not arise. Thus, whenever there is nama, there must be an object experienced by nama. When one object at a time appears, panna can understand that the dhammas that arise are dependent on conditions. In this way panna can see more clearly the nature of anatta of all dhammas and thus there will gradually be more detachment from the inclination to take objects for self. When the factors of the Eightfold Path, cetasikas included in sankharakkhandha, have been developed to a higher degree, they can condition the arising of the second vipassana nana. This is paccaya- pariggaha-nana, which directly understands the dependency on conditions of nama and rupa at the moment they arise. Thus, there is awareness and direct understanding of the arising of realities such as hearing, sound, pleasant feeling, unpleasant feeling or thinking. All these dhammas, each arising because of its own conditions, are realised one at a time, as clearly distinct from each other. They are realised as devoid of self.
vipassana nana clearly knows the characteristics of the realities that naturally appear and it knows them through the mind-door. Vipassana nana discerns the characteristics of the different objects as clearly distinct from each other and it realises them as non-self. When vipassana nana has fallen away the world appears as it used to appear, as a whole.


Topic 238