Concepts II - Panna knows realities and concepts


Question: If we don’t cling to concepts, I fear that we won’t know that this is a pen.
Sujin: That is not so. We should know realities in accordance with the truth. What appears through the eyes falls away, and then there are mind-door process cittas, which arise afterwards and know a concept. Panna (wisdom) should know realities as they are. It should know what is visible object, which appears through the eye- door. It should know that the experience of visible object is different from the moment that citta knows a concept. Thus we can become detached from the idea that visible object that appears are beings, people, or things; we can become detached from that which is the foundation of clinging. We should understand that when it is known that there is a man, a woman, beings, or different people, the object is an image or concept known through the mind-door. When we develop satipatthana we should know, in order to be able to realise the arising and falling away of nama and rupa, the characteristics of the realities just as they naturally appear. It should be known that paramattha dhammas are not concepts. One should continue to develop panna when realities appear through eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body-sense, and mind-door.

Topic 289