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Thank you, Yash and Gad!
1. I listened to most of the discourse. It is good. In particular, after around the 1-hour mark, Thero’s discussion of the “origins of the sensual pleasures” is excellent. As he explains it is made up by the mind. That is what I called “distorted saññā” in my recent posts.
- He discusses how “distorted saññā” arises. For example, the actual origin of a “taste” is a chemical signal that the brain receives. That signal is taken as a “pleasurable” by the mind. Based on that, the mind attaches with raga, dosa, and moha, and generates a “defiled saññā.”
2. The critical point here is that the receptiors in a pig’s tongue are wired differently compared to a human’s.
- Thus, while a a piece of rotten meat will taste great for a pig, it tastes yucky/disgusting for a human.
- In the same way, rotten meat or feces will smell bad for a pig, but a human finds that smell repulsive.
- It is just a matter of how sensory receptors are wired differently in a pig versus a human.
3. The second critical point is: That “wiring” is done by kammic energy.
- The “wiring” matches the “gati” of each sentient being.
- I will discuss that in upcoming posts.
4. Therefore, that discussion will help you understand my recent posts discussing “distorted saññā” and “defiled saññā.”
- See, for example, #8 and #12 of “Upaya and Upādāna – Two Stages of Attachment” and #9 of “Sotapanna Stage and Distorted/Defiled Saññā.”
5. There is nothing intrinsically “tasty” or “disgusting” in a piece of rotten meat or anything else!
- The same holds for all sensory inputs. A given object that looks desirable to one species may appear repulsive to another species. We don’t find grass to have any appeal, but a lush patch of grass looks appealing to cows. Even among humans, “beauty is in the eyes of the beholder” as the commonly used saying goes.
- How “distorted saññā” gives rise to “mind-made vedanā” may be hard to believe but that is the truth discovered by the Buddha.
6. Types of vedanā (including “mind-made vedanā”) are discussed in many posts : For example, “Does Bodily Pain Arise Only Due to Kamma Vipāka?” and “Vēdanā and Samphassa-Jā-Vēdanā – More Than Just Feelings.”
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Does an Anagami forget how a particular pleasure feels?
For example, the Taste of a vanilla ice cream, normal people recall how it tastes and then start craving for it. But how does an Anagami respond to it? Can he recall the taste but still not attach/want it or will he not be able to recall it’s taste at all?
Does this affect the memory power/recalling power of the Anagami?
I know taste is mind-made feeling but I still want to confirm.
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I don’t think normal people can recall the taste of ice cream as taste is a very difficult thing to recall. The same is true of smells and tactile sensations, which is why we value having physical bodies to the degree that we do; so we can make contact with those things. By contrast, you can recall sights and sounds, although, they will of course be distorted.
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Yash asked: “Does an Anagami forget how a particular pleasure feels?”
An Anagami or Arahant would still taste the flavor of ice cream. They still get the “distorted sanna” of the flavor of ice cream or the lovely smell of a rose.
– But their minds don’t get to the next step of attaching to that and making it a “defiled sanna/vinnana.”
– Their minds have comprehended the fact that the “flavor of ice cream” or the “beauty of a person” is made up the mind according to the existence (bhava.) That is why while humans experience a “foul odor” from rotten meat/feces, a pig loves that odor and tastes it delicious too. Please read the new post carefully.“Does this affect the memory power/recalling power of the Anagami?”
– No.1 user thanked author for this post.
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Whenever we see let’s say chocolate, we can recall/feel it’s taste through the past memory of the chocolate’s flavour, we remember how it tastes, we can feel it on our tongue just by thinking about it.
This is “Defiled Vinnana”, right?1 user thanked author for this post.
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It is correct to say that thiniking about chocolate can recall the “chocolate taste.”
– Even an Arahant can recall that taste. However, it is only a “DISTORTED sanna” for an Arahant. Arahant’s mind KNOWS that it is a MIRAGE and thus would not attach to it.
– For a puthujjana, that “distorted sanna” instantaneously leads to a “DEFILED sanna” and a “DEFILED vinnana”. The mind automatically adds raga and moha (for chocolate taste), and that is why it becomes DEFILED.The Buddha said that the mind is the fastest entity in the world.
1 user thanked author for this post.
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Of course.
- They can also watch an “X-rated movie” without generating any lust. They can see “beautiful people” as such (just like a puthujjana), but their minds don’t get any “pleasure” from that illusion. It’s the same with tasty food. They taste the food to be ‘”tasty” because that is how their physical bodies originated (that is explained with the “uppatti bhavanga” but it is not necessary to understand the mechanism; if one is knowledgeable in Abhidhamma that also can be understood.)
- There is no difference between that and recalling one’s own previous experiences.
They fully understand that “beauty, taste, etc.” are mind-made.
- It is like uncovering the “trick” involved in a magic show. Then one can see it is just a “trick” and the ‘magic show” will not bring any pleasure.
- However, enjoying a magic show is temporary and does not have drastic consequences. Enjoying “sensory pleasures based on distorted sanna” can be deadly. That is because people tend to engage in immoral activities (stealing, lying, sexual misconduct, and even killing) as a consequence of such “distorted sanna.” Such actions (kamma) will bring their consequences (kamma vipaka) in this life itself, and also rebirths in the apayas.
- Once fully comprehended (with the breaking of both ditthi vipallasa and sanna vipallasa), a mind will not see any value in enjoying “sensory pleasures.”
- That is why it is all about learning the true teachings of the Buddha. That knowledge (panna) itself is enough to break all samsaric bonds and attain Nibbana in this life itself. That is the same as “uncovering the pabhassara mind” by removing the layers of dirt/defilements. It all happens with the cultivation of knowledge (panna.)
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Namo Tassa Bhagawato Arahato Samma Sambuddhassa
Thank Sriman Yash RS for the post and Gad, Tobi, Dawson and of course our beloved Lal Sir for participating in this critical post.
If ok, the following may be considered for further discussion to understand better its meditative aspects.
Lal Sir: The critical point here is that the receptiors in a pig’s tongue are wired differently from those in a human’s.
- Thus, while a piece of rotten meat will taste great for a pig, it tastes yucky/disgusting for a human.
- In the same way, rotten meat or feces will smell bad for a pig, but a human finds that smell repulsive.
- It is just a matter of how sensory receptors are wired differently in a pig versus a human.
I would like to start with “iccha” as liking. In my land it is called “isttham”. I like (istham) “X” very much.
I would also like to suggest that for the purposes of the discussion, unless it becomes too illogical, we may use iccha to encompass different intensities or its other family members, such as raga and lobha, as well as different modes and combinations, such as Kama raga and so on.
Seeing a pig eating feces, and myself liking different things, the first lesson I can learn is iccha has the quality to make one blind.
Isn’t that what I see when I see the Pig cherishing feces? In a similar vein, I, too, am blind; I like to smoke, etc.
No matter what, I want it (X, Y, Z). I know it’s wrong! but I want it! These are some standard templates of its (blindness) manifestations.
Then such blindness also points to being afflicted(with blindness), suffering from a disease, or being blindly carried away by the flood—all of which can be summed up under “Dukkha.”
The third sign, which is evident, is a sense of “distaste” behind all tastes (viraga). Pigs like to eat feces, I like to eat ice cream, and cows like to eat grass—isn’t there a sense of “distaste” in “liking some taste”?
Throughout the day or years, I have a liking for different feelings that originate from the body.
in one of the sub-commentaries, I read a line that says like flies which come running to dirt and feces, my eyes go running after body parts of the other gender…..
There is a sense of distatse, repungence in “liking a taste”. . In my telugu language there is a perfectly fitting word- “Vegatu”.
For example, you continue eating sweet(s), and after some rounds, it tastes/gets “vegatu”!
So 3 things are evident in “ichham for sensual pleasures”: Blindness, Dukkha, and a Sense of Distaste.
Is it logical? Sirs?.
Are these signs helpful in achieving a better sense of freedom and awareness in our lives? How do we develop them further? Does it constitute a practice? Are these 3 traits something that can be concretely seen and developed, and where do they eventually resolve or point to? Is there any aspect that I am missing? Import? The bigger picture?
That is it sir, then ….please add, correct, and improve
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Excellent. You are on the right track. Let me highlight some critical issues.
1. You like to eat ice cream and smoke because that gives you “mind-made” pleasure. If ice cream has an innate “deliciousness,” all living beings should have the desire to eat it. Not even all humans like to smoke. These are habits (part of gati) that we cultivate.
- Even the desire for sex is the same. Only those in kama loka see it as “giving pleasure.” To cultivate jhana and to be born a Brahma, one must see it as a hindrance to getting to a “higher stage.”
- As long as we crave those things, we will be trapped in the kama loka. Paticca Samuppada (“pati icca leading to sama uppada” means such cravings are perpetuated in the rebirth process.)
2. Such cravings can lead to worse outcomes if we engage in immoral deeds to “have more of them.”
- For example, some people take bribes to make more money in seeking more sensory pleasure. Since that is an immoral deed, it could lead to a birth matching that lowly deed by being born a pig. Since that birth corresponds to “distasteful actions,” pigs crave feces. They get to reap the fruits of their actions.
- Those who commit violent deeds (killing) are likely to be born lions, tigers, etc., who have to depend on the flesh of other animals. Rebirths are, according to gati.
3. The release from cravings comes from developing a deeper understanding of these Paticca Samuppada processes.
- It is not easy to give up cravings because those are built into our births. But the only way out is to fully understand this vicious cyclic process: Births are according to gati, and gati are hard to break, so one gets trapped!
- As one’s understanding grows, it becomes easier to give up cravings. I know by experience.
- When one begins to understand why the Buddha called “sanna a mirage” and “vinnana a magician,” one’s mind will voluntarily give up those cravings. Here, “sanna” is the “innate sense/feeling” that ice cream or smoking can provide pleasure.
- Again, I refer to the post “Fooled by Distorted Saññā (Sañjānāti) – Origin of Attachment (Taṇhā)” and other posts in the section “Sotapanna Stage via Understanding Perception (Saññā).”
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I need to clarify the following I wrote above: “1. You like to eat ice cream and smoke because that gives you “mind-made” pleasure. If ice cream has an innate “deliciousness,” all living beings should have the desire to eat it.”
- The “sweet taste of ice cream” is not made up by your mind at that moment. It is built into the human body’s experience of tastiness. Even an Arahant tastes ice cream to be tasty/sweet.
- But that sweet taste is “mind-made” because the human body giving that taste arose via Paticca Samuppada. That happened in a previous life.
- But if you don’t “see with wisdom” that whole process and keep attaching to that taste, rebirth in kama loka cannot be stopped. An Arahant (or Anagami) feels the taste of ice cream (“rasa paṭisaṁvedī”) but has given up craving (no “rasa rāga paṭisaṁvedī”), not by willpower, but by cultivating wisdom, i.e., seeing how this endless cyclic process operates! See #7 through #9 of the new post “Ārammaṇa (Sensory Input) Initiates Critical Processes.”
- P.S. However, the craving for smoking is not “built into your body,” so that can be stopped more easily. Many people have up smoking by seeing the adverse health effects.
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