If one who practises Dhamma, understands clearly that seizing hold of the aggregates is wrong action, he then sees value only in letting go of them. Then that worthy person can get free of them because be does not hould on to them firmly.
When one overcomes the grasping after self (Atthavadupadana), then all grasping and all becoming are finished and one comes to the end of suffering. This is the principle which was constantly taught by the Buddha. Thus, in the following quotation :
“Upadanerayam Disava” ... To see all evil as due to grasping.
“Esevanto Dukkhassa” ... That is the end of suffering.
If one cannot get rid of grasping, what troubles will one come to? One will again come to the suffering of birth ; and when one is born, then one must come to death. If one does hate death, then one may grasp at these conditions and not allow them to cease. Because, if one seizes hold of them, one has grasping; when one has grasping, then one has becoming, and when one has becoming, then one must have birth, In this way, people whirl about endlessly.
Letting go of the Four Graspings
In considering Grasping there are four kinds, these being:
1. Grasping after the use of magic formulae and rituals(Silabbatupadana).
2. Grasping after views and opinios(Dit& #3642;t& #3642;hupadana).
3. Grasping after sense desires (Kamupadana).
4. Grasping after self (Attavadupadana).
What is required to overcome and get rid of grasping? One needs Wisdom Morality, and Samadhi. In this case, however, the wisdom must be transcendental (Lokuttara Panna) in order to get rid of grasping.
In what way does transcendental wisdom get rid of grasping? It does so by examining causes and their results (Hetu Phala). What is meant by Cause? What is meant by Results? Our bodies are our own cause; in othere words, we have already been born. Our results are : old age, sickness, and death. When one has seen these results, one must then search for the chief cause of them; which is birth. And from what does birth arise? From kamma which leads to becoming (Kammabhava), which is merit and demerit; and this in turn arises from grasping.
Grasping means seizing hold of merit and demerit, the latter being as follows:
1. Grasping after magic formulae and rituals. This means the practising of doctrines which are outside the Buddha’s teachings (Sasana).
Silabbata means the doing of those things which are low minded, vulgar and unworthy. The teachings of the Buddha instruct one to avoid evil and to perform what is good. Evil which leads towards misfortune is called Defiled Kamma. It is of four kinds and includes :
a) Killing beings.
b) Stealing.
c) Wrong behaviour in sense desires.
d) Wrong speech.
Some other doctrines teach that to kill beings is not evil. If one folllows that doctrine; or if one calles oneself a follower of the Buddha, but only pays lip service to the teachings, without putting them into practice; in other words, if one constantly does evil things, this is one’s kamma which leads to becoming. This is one’s cause, and it is evil. One’s birth is the result, and if the cause has been evil, the result will be accordingly unfortunate.