Yuganaddhakathā
This is a series of lectures on the Yuganaddhakathā in the Paṭisambhidāmagga (Path of Analytical Knowledge) given by Sayadaw Dr. Nandamālābhivaṃsa on Feb 2015.
Yuganaddhakathā was taught by Venerable Sāriputta after he had listened to the Yuganaddha Sutta, admonished by Venerable Ᾱnanda. Venerable Sāriputta and venerable Ᾱnanda were two of the greatest disciples of the Buddha. This sutta is about the four ways of meditation practiced by disciples who attained Arahantship. These are:
- Vipassanā preceded by Samatha,
- Samatha preceded by Vipassanā,
- The joined practice of Samathaand Vipassanā,
- Removing Vipassanupakkilesa (disturbance of insight)
In this series of lectures, Sayadaw explains the meaning of these four ways of practice described in the Yuganaddha Sutta and clarifies it further with the texts on these four ways from the Paṭisambhidāmagga.
This topic is actual, because there are often confusion and wrong ideas about the value and the way to practice Samatha and Vipassanā, separately or joined together. It is important to penetrate the meaning of the several ways of practice. In these lectures, Sayadaw explains these ways of practice in detail, following Yuganaddhakathā.
Nowadays, some people state that it is impossible to develop Vipassanā without Samatha. As Sayadaw explains in the lectures, it is not impossible. There are some Arahants, called paññāvimutta, who are liberated by paññā. They did not first obtain jhāna and abhiññā (supernormal knowledge).
We greatly appreciate Sayadaw‘s effort to translate and explain Paṭisambhidā from the original Pāḷi and to expand the meanings with information from the Commentaries and the Sub-Commentaries. All is guided by his own great intellect and contemplative practice.