What I have discovered Lal:
- “Should a seeker not find a companion who is better or equal, let them resolutely pursue a solitary course.” Dhammapada 61
- Completion of the Noble Eightfold Path results in a persistent state of calmness, where nothing material and even mental pleasantries outside of the Dhamma seems attractive or desired.
- This leads to a kind of isolation, where gathering with others who are not inclined to the Dhamma holds no attraction. When I am in a situation where I find myself amongst such persons, there is a sense of detachment, as though I were not really there.
- Upon waking in the morning there are no other thoughts but the Dhamma. (Sometimes I have to remind myself to eat.)
- All I want to do is learn the Dhamma, teach the Dhamma, and learn the deeper things of the Buddha’s teachings.
- Is it somehow strange (healthy) that nothing else seems to matter anymore?
- Focus on the paramitas takes the front of the mind, and there is almost a tangible sense of Nibbana, and yet it seems far away.
- Ädeenava becomes a natural part of the mind. The name of the path becomes Ädeenava.
- I envision the path of the mountain simile as a one way trip. The path behind no longer exists, step by step, the path behind disappears. It is pointless to look at the path I have left behind.
- In one section of your site you state: “Anyone reading this website has been exposed to Buddha Dhamma in the past.” I know that this statement is true. Although I started on the path late in life, it now feels as though I never left…it seems all so familiar and natural. (https://puredhamma.net/three-levels-of-practice/moral-living-and-fundamentals/where-to-start-on-the-path/)
- Knowing: Knowing that I know is intense, wonderful, a bit scary, and has caused the feeling of detachment, dissatisfaction and dispassionate about the world at large.
That is what I have discovered.