Lecture to
foreign meditators at Suan Mokkhabalarama
7 May 1986
Translated by Santikaro Bhikkhu
NATURAL HUNGER &
UNNECESSARY HUNGER
Let's go back and take another look at this thing
we call "hunger." We ought to know that there are two levels of
hunger. First, there is physical, material hunger, which is a natural process of
life. The body instinctually feels hunger regarding its natural needs: clothing,
food, shelter, medicine, exercise. This kind of hunger is no problem. It doesn't
cause dukkha and can be satisfied without
causing dukkha. Then, there is the second
kind of hunger, which is mental, that we call "spiritual
hunger." This is the hunger of thinking born out of attachment.
Physical hunger really has no meaning, for it causes no problems. Even animals
experience physical hunger, so they eat as allowed by limits of the situation.
Spiritual hunger, however, being tied up with ignorance (avijja)
and attachment (upadana), destroys the
coolness and calm of the mind, which is true happiness and peace, thus bringing dukkha.
The problem of human being is that our minds have
developed beyond the animal mind. The consciousness of animals has not learned
how to turn physical hunger into mental hunger. They don't attach to their
instinctual hunger as we do, so they are free of the dukkha
caused by craving (tanha) and clinging (upadana).
The human mind is more highly evolved and suffers from more highly evolved
hunger. Through attachement the human mind knows spiritual hunger.
We must distinguish between these two kinds of
hungers. Physical hunger can be dealt with easily. One day of work can satisfy
our bodily needs for many days. With mindfulness and wisdom, physical hunger is
no problem. Don't foolishly make it into dukkha.
When it arises, just see it as tathata - thusness,
the state of being "just like that." The
body has a nervous system. When it lacks something that it needs there arises a
certain activity which we call "hunger." That's all there is to it -
tathata. Don't let it cook up into spiritual hunger by attaching to
it as "my hunger" or the "I who hungers." That is very
dangerous, for it causes a lot of dukkha.
When the body is hungry, eat mindfully and wisely. Then physical hunger won't
disturb the mind.
Hunger is solely a mental problem. The highly
developed human mind develops hunger into the spiritual hunger that results in
attachment. These are mental phenomena - tanha (craving)
and upadana (grasping
and clinging, attachment) - which aren't at all cool. Although we may be
millionaires, with homes full of consumer products and pockets full of money, we
still hunger spiritually. The more we consume, the more we hunger. However much
we try to satisfy mental hunger, to that extent it will expand, grow, and
disturb the mind ever more. Even billionaires are spiritually hungry.
So how are we to solve this problem? There is the
Dhamma principle that stopping this foolish hunger results in peace of mind,
cool happiness, freedom from disturbance.
Physical hunger doesn't bother us. It's easy to
take care of, to find something to eat that satisfies the hunger. Spiritual
hunger, however, is another matter. The more we eat, the more we hunger. This is
the problem we're caught in - being annoyed, pestered, bothered, agitated by
spiritual hunger. When nothing annoys the mind, that is true happiness. This may
sound funny to you, but the absence of disturbance is genuine happiness.
We're sure that each of you is bothered by hopes
and wishes. You've come here with your hopes and expectations. These hopes,
wishes, and expectiations are another kind of spiritual hunger, so be very
careful about them. Don't let them become dangerous! Find a way to stop the
expecting and hoping. Live by sati-panna (mindfulness
and wisdom); don't live by expectations.
Usually we teach children to be full of wishes -
to "make a wish," to "dream the impossible dream." This
isn't correct. Why teach them to live in spiritual hunger? It torments them,
even to the point of causing physical pain, illness, and death. It would be
kinder to teach them to live without hunger, whatever must be done, but don't
hope, don't dream, don't expect. Hopes are merely spiritual hunger. Teach them
not to attach. No hunger, neither physically nor mentally - think about it -
what happiness that would be! There's no happiness greater than this. Can you
see?
THREE KINDS OF SOLITUDE
Lastly, we'll talk about the benefits of the end
of hunger. To do so, we'll ask you to learn one more Pali word. Listen carefully
and remember it, for it is a most important word: viveka,
in Pali; vivek, in Thai. viveka
can be translated "utmost aloneness, perfect
singleness, complete solitude." Because people no longer understand
this correctly, you've probably never heard of it. First, know that viveka
has three levels. Physical viveka (kaya-viveka)
is when nothing disturbs the physical level of life. Mental
viveka (citta-viveka) is when no
emotions disturb the mind, when the citta
isn't troubled by things like sexual lust, hatred, fear, frustration, envy,
sentimentality, and love. This mental viveka can occur even in a crowded noisy
room; it isn't dependent on physical solitude. The third kind, spiritual
viveka (upadhi-viveka) is when no
feelings or thoughts of attachment to "I" and "mine,"
"soul" or "myself" disturb the mind. If all three levels
happen, you are truly alone and free.
Merely being free of physical disturbances while
emotions pester one isn't viveka. Many "meditators" run off into
forests and caves to find solitude, but if they bring their emotions with them,
they won't find what they're looking for. True happiness will elude them. If the
emotions don't annoy them, but feelings of "I" and "mine"
disturb and distract them, it can't be called "viveka,"
either. There must be no feeling of "I" or "mine"
interfering. Then, there will be no hunger of any kind disturbing and no hopes
pestering. This is solitude. The mind is perfectly alone. This is the happiness
that is the aim of Buddhism. It is vimutti(emancipation)
on Buddhism's highest level. The final goal of Buddhism, the highest liberation,
isn't a mind that is merely happy or quiet. The ultimate goal is total freedom
from all attachment, from any clinging to "I" or "mine." We
want you to know about these three levels of viveka.
If you are able to practice mindfulness with
breathing completely and correctly through all sixteen of its steps and stages,
then you will discover these three kinds of viveka.
Then you will receive the happiness of never being tormented by hunger again.
But if you don't like this kind of happiness, if you prefer the happiness of
responding to hunger, of feeding desire, then nothing can help you. Buddhism
wont' be able to help you a bit. It can't help you because Buddhism aims to
eliminate the kind of happiness and enjoyment that depends on things to satisfy
its hunger. We want that to end. We need the kind of viveka that is undisturbed
by hunger.
This is what we are afraid you may misunderstand.
If you don't understood the Buddhist kind of happiness, you might expect
something that Buddhism can't provide. Then you will be disappointed. You will
be wasting your time here. If you want the happiness that comes from responding
to hunger, we have nothing to talk about. There's nothing for us to say. But if
you want the happiness born from not having any hunger at all, we have something
to talk about. And we've said it already.
We hope that you will meet with success in your
practice and development of mindfulness with breathing. Once you have, you will
receive the genuine happiness born of the the total absence of hunger.
Thank you for coming to Suan Mokkh and using it
beneficially.
