Page 92 - Because I know, I can let go

What is our life composed of?

We’ll sit down and take a look. Life is made of various elements, those of earth, water, fire,
and air, plus the space and consciousness elements – six elements. Or else we can look

at it as being the five khandhas, or aggregates, that is, rūpa, vedanā, saññā, sankhāra, and
viññāna khandhas. Or, as being nāmarūpa, then the eyes, the ears, the nose, tongue, the
body and the body are rūpa, while the mind is nāma.

Rūpa is rūpa, while vedanā, saññā, sankhāra, viññāna, add up to nāma. The elements of
earth, water, fire, and air are rūpa, the element of consciousness is nāma. If we keep it
short then nāma and rūpa together add up to life.

An Arahant is a developed person, one who’s done what needed to be done. The highest in
Buddhism is the Arahant, one who’s attained nibbāna, attained remainderless quenching,
who has aimed at attainment, who has attained, who has passed through the levels of
nobility: sotapānna, sakidāgāmi, anāgāmi; such is the noble person.

We’re all born to be worldlings. The noble person, the Arahant, is at first worldly but they
practise in accord with the Buddha’s teaching and their lives then gradually move on, and,
from being worldly, they become ‘good’ but in the worldly sense, then become noble,

become ‘ariya.’ ‘Ariya’ means ‘far from the enemy,’ ‘ari’ means ‘enemy,’ ‘ya’ means ‘go,’ so
‘to go away from the enemy,’ to be far from the enemy.

What is the enemy?

Lobha, dosa, and moha, greed, aversion, and delusion, are the enemies residing in our
minds. As long as we have these mental problems it’s like always having an enemy
waiting to do violence. Greed, aversion, and delusion, these are the disturbing diseases

which prevent the mind from finding comfort and ease. When we’re free from these
defilements we feel cool, but in an instant they can enter and disturb the mind again,
making it hot once more. All worldlings suffer mental disturbance.

92 Because I Know...