From what do the formations come? When one investigates their root causes, they are found to come from four things; these being:
1. Food (Ahara), which is of two types.
(a) Edible food (Kabalinkarahara), which is food for maintaining the body.
(b)Sense Contact (Phassahara), which strikes the sense doors, and is food of the mind.
2. Actions (Kamma); which are of two types ; these being:
(a)Good and (b) Bad. These only arise from actions done in the past or present, and include acts of body and speech, both of which are controlled by Acts of Mind (Manokamma). Having done these actions, it is one’s Acts of Mind which accumulate and preserve the kamma. These actions arise from Craving.
3. Craving, which arises from Ignorance.
4. Ignorance, which is not knowing what is good and what is evil.
The Heart Base, compared with a cinema screen
The sphere of the heart base is like a cinema screen; all aspects of the Form ations of Body are like the cinema hall; the formations which enter and arise within the heart base are like the images which are projected onto the cinema screen. Craving is like the cinema projector, for wherever desire arises in the story which is on the screen, it is projected into the story. Ignorance is like the projectionist.
When ignorance ceases, there is nothing to sustain craving. The formations, which add flavours,1 then die away, and when this occurs, the sphere of the heart base becomes blank or empty. Thus, in the analogy, when the projectionist stops work, the projector also stops; and when the projector stops the images do not appear on the screen, so that the screen becomes blank or empty.
When the person who is doing the practice knows clearly in this way, then he has Reviewing Knowledge (Paccavekkhana Nana), which is his Non Ignorance (Vijja) and is that which prevents Ignorance from arising and supporting craving. When craving does not arise, then thoughts in the three times do not arise; and when these thoughts do not arise, the heart base remains blank and empty.
Where it says above, that the formations die away, this is the same as the stopping of thoughts in the three times. As for Consciousness or knowledge associa ted with the six sense doors, it cannot be stopped except when one lies down and goes to sleep. But when one wakes again, then one sees, hears, etc. This is due to the resultant aggregates (Vipaka Khandha) which give rise to the Truth of Suf fering (Dukkha Sacca),1 and these, should be understood, but one should not seize hold of them. If one does seize hold of them, then they are the cause (Samudaya)1 of the arising of suffering. If one lets go of them, this is the extinction (Nirodha)1 of suffering. The action of letting go of them is the way or path (Magga).
Letting go of the Consciousness Aggregate means that when there is knowing, then there is only knowing; and not a self who knows. Which is the same thing as was mentioned under the heading of Stage 3. If one can let go of the conscious ness aggregate, then one has finished the task. The consciousness aggregate is included in the aggregates which make up the mind (Nama Khandha), so that when one can become detached from mind, it also means that one has finished the task.
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