Abstract:
This research paper has two study objectives: (1) to study the content and teaching appeared in Aghamul Sutta, (2) to study the suffering in Aghamul Sutta related to Vipassana meditation practice. The studying data was taken from Theravada Buddhist scriptures and other related documents, summarized, analyzed and compiled in descriptive style.
The results showed that Aghamul Sutta deals with the teaching of evil and causes of evil or sins which the Buddha had given to Bhikkhus in two parts: the suffering part, namely the five aggregates, consisting of form, feeling, perception, thought and consciousness, the second is the cause of suffering or evil, that is, craving, which is the pleasure and lust that arises in the mind. Craving is divided into three types: Kāmataṇhā or lust for sensual pleasures, Bhavataṇhā or craving for existence, and Vibhavataṇhā or craving for non-existence.
As for suffering in Aghamul Sutta related to meditation practice, it refers to the knowledge occured from observing the five aggregates clinging, namely: 1) practitioner observes the perception as suffering in which the objectives of insight, that is all forms are temporary, ever-changing and disintegrated, as cause of suffering, seeing what is impermanent is also suffering, 2) he observes suffering of feeling which contains sensual knowable agent that has a temperament arisen with consciousness, 3) he knows the suffering of perception characterized by emotional memory, arisen in the same with consciousness as the cause of suffering by realizing it as origin of suffering, 4) the practitioner observes suffering of Sankhāra or thought while receiving sensual objects, in which thought will shape the mind to be in accordance with the thought types, 5) he observes suffering of consciousness with wholesome and unwholesome type, which causes suffering. For Vipassana meditation mode, the practitioner should renounce 3 causes of suffering: 1) Kāmataṇhā, 2) Bhavataṇhā, 3) Vibhavataṇhā. These all cravings should be abandoned inherent 108 craving types categorized into 36 types concerning in past, 36 in future and 36 in present. In other respects, 108 craving abandoning will lead the mind of the Vipassana practitioner to progress to the higher level for attaining the Noble Path and Fruits in the end.