The Practice Which leads to Nibbana - A Buddhist Library

involving meditation, and finally one teaching meditation. Whenhe searched amongst these four kammas to discern which hadcaused the resultant five aggregates in the present life he foundthat the kamma of meditating was the one that had given the resultand that that kamma was the object of the near death impulsion.When he further investigated to discern which meditation subjectwas being practised he saw that he had been practising insightmeditation and applying the three characteristics of anicca, dukkha,and anatta to mentality and matter. When he made furtherinvestigations he saw that before and after each meditation sittinghe had made the wish to be reborn as a man, to become a monk,and be a monk who disseminates the Buddhist teachings.In this case ignorance is the wrong knowledge that "a man, amonk, or a monk who disseminates the Buddhist teachings" is areality. Craving is the liking and craving for that, and clinging isthe attachment to that. Kamma formations is the act of practisingvipassanŒ meditation, and kamma is the kammic force of that action.When the meditator discerns the immediate past life in this wayand is able to see the five causes in the past life of ignorance,craving, clinging, kamma formations, and kamma and is also ableto see the five results in the present of rebirth consciousness,mentality and matter, six sense bases (Œyatana), contact, and feeling,then he needs to discern in the same way back further progressivelyto a second, third, and fourth past life. He does this for as manylives as he can discern in the past. Then after that he discerns inthe same way into the future. To do this he starts by discerning thepresent matter and mentality and then discern into the future untilthe time of death in this life. At that time he is able to see either thekamma object or the sign of the place of birth that will occurbecause of the power of a particular kamma he has performed inthis life. He will then be able to discern after that the rebirthmentality and matter that will be produced in the future life.w 25