discomfort causes mental stress. But once the citta is truly free, one
remains supremely happy even amid intense physical suffering. The
body and the pain are known to be phenomena separate from the
citta, so the citta does not participate in the distress. Having relin-
quished them unequivocally, body and feelings can never again inter-
mix with the citta. This is the citta’s absolute freedom.Being intrinsically bright and clear, the citta is always ready to make
contact with everything of every nature. Although all conditioned
phenomena without exception are governed by the three universal
laws of anicca, dukkha, and anattã, the citta’s true nature is not subject
to these laws. The citta is conditioned by anicca, dukkha, and anattã
only because things that are subject to these laws come spinning in
to become involved with the citta and so cause it to spin along with
them. However, though it spins in unison with conditioned phenom-
ena, the citta never disintegrates or falls apart. It spins following the
influence of those forces which have the power to make it spin, but
the true power of the citta’s own nature is that it knows and does not
die. This deathlessness is a quality that lies beyond disintegration.
Being beyond disintegration, it also lies beyond the range of anicca,
dukkha, and anattã and the universal laws of nature. But we remain
unaware of this truth because the conventional realities that involve
themselves with the citta have completely surrounded it, making the
citta’s nature thoroughly conform to theirs.
Birth and death have always been conditions of the citta that is
infected by kilesas. But, since kilesas themselves are the cause of our
ignorance, we are unaware of this truth. Birth and death are problems
arising from the kilesas. Our real problem, our one fundamental prob-
lem – which is also the citta’s fundamental problem – is that we lack
the power needed to be our own true self. Instead, we have always
taken counterfeit things to be the essence of who we really are, so that