Thank you, Seng Kiat, for the suggestion.
- As many of you may know, Seng Kiat is a co-administrator of puredhamma.net. He maintains the eBook and also an app with all the posts on the website: “Pure Dhamma Essays in Book Format “
This may be a good time to acknowledge the efforts of many who have contributed to building and maintaining the puredhamma.net website over the past ten years. The website was started in 2014. Thank you all for participating in discussions, making suggestions, etc.
- Those who have contributed are too numerous to list, but let me point out Tobias Große and Mr. Ja-nyun Kim or Patighosa (who maintain the “Pure Dhamma – German Website” and “Pure Dhamma – Korean Website” respectively.) I must also acknowledge LayDhammaFollower, who initiated a “Pure Shamma – Hindi Website.” He is devoting his life to being an Anagarika, and we decided it would take too much of his time to maintain that website.
I believe the “distorted saññā” concept is critical to understanding Buddha’s teachings (Buddha Dhamma.) It makes it much easier to see why attachment to “pleasurable things” in this world is an illusion.
- I started exploring this concept when we had a discussion on “saññā vipallāsa” on the forum last year.
- As I dug deeper, I realized there is a “deeper layer” that even my teacher, Waharaka Thero, had not described in detail. Of course, he likely understood the concept, but he had the Herculean task of trying to take care of many other issues, like the misinterpretation of anicca and anatta. He succeded in that. Our misfortune was that he passed away early: “Parinibbāna of Waharaka Thēro.”
Another point I would like to explain is that the mind is a quantum system that operates based on Paticca Samuppada. There is no “soul-type” entity (which is the most fundamental idea that the Buddha put forth.) Of course, quantum mechanics was not there at his time. Quantum mechanics is just another platform that could be used to explain how a mind operates. I have only laid the foundation of that discussion in the “Quantum Mechanics and Dhamma” section.
- But that section is still too technical. I want to simplify things so that anyone can understand them. Of course, those with a high-school background in physics can probably understand that section (P.S. but not the scientific paper “A Self-Consistent Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics Based on Nonlocality” mentioned in the first post there; other posts are in simpler terms.)
- However, as the discussion on the “distorted saññā” concept evolves, I can see how it can be merged with the essential concepts in quantum mechanics. I don’t mean using mathematical equations, but just the basic ideas anyone can understand.
To explain those two ideas in detail, the use of a “live discussion forum” could be valuable. I like to decide on the “best platform” for that. It is possible that “X spaces” (X is formerly Twitter) could be a strong contender.
- The planned meeting is only a trial session.
- I propose that we go ahead with the planned “Google Meet” session as it is. After that, we can take the time and decide on a “permanent platform.”