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Yes. In the Western world, the emphasis is on the body, not the mind.
– In Buddha Dhamma is exactly the opposite: “Manōpubbangamā Dhammā..“That is exactly right. Glad you understood. It is a step-by-step process to get to the Arahanthood.
– Most people cannot even imagine how the perception of “me” can go away. So, that is the wrong starting point.
– One first needs to get the “correct view” at the Sotapanna stage. That “correct world view” is confirmed at the Sotapnna phala moment. Every effort needs to be made to understand the Four Noble Truths/Paticca Samuppada/Tilakkhana to get to that stage. it is not that the world does not offer “pleasurable things.” But the problem is that if one attaches to them, that WILL lead to future suffering. It is hard to see that because most of that suffering comes in future lives!
– Then, to get rid of the saññā vipallasa at the Anagami stage and to get rid of the even deeper citta vipallasa at the Arahant stage, one must contemplate that “correct world view” of anicca, dukkha, anatta repeatedly, especially when one is “drawn back” to sensory pleasures.Good question. From the way you phrased it, I can see that you understand the main idea behind sakkāya diṭṭhi.
– But the keyword there is diṭṭhi.
– Sakkāya diṭṭhi is the wrong view that there is a “soul-like entity” in the rebirth process, i.e., that there is something permanent that goes from life to life.Even after you SEE that there is no such “soul-like entity” you have the PERCEPTION (saññā) of “me” and “mine”.
– That WRONG saññā REDUCES AT THE Anagami stage and GOES AWAY only at the Arahant stage.
– In fact, there are THREE types of “vipallasa”: diṭṭhi, saññā, and citta.
– Both saññā, and citta vipallasa go away at the Arahant stage with the elimination of avijja and mana. So, “mana” (sometimes called “asmi mana”) is the “perception of a “me” and it is harder to remove than sakkāya diṭṭhi.
– See, “Vipallāsa (Diṭṭhi, Saññā, Citta) Affect Saṅkhāra”Also, if you have not read the revised post on “Sakkāya Diṭṭhi – Wrong View of “Me” and “Mine”” please read that too.
See, “Anagārika”
P.S. As I explained in a recent comment, I started living an Anagarika life a couple of years ago. But I don’t wear white clothes, etc., It is all in mind.
Sexual misconduct involves practices that are considered unethical by society.
– That includes obvious actions like having an affair outside marriage, rape, incest, sex with children or animals, etc.
– Avoiding such practices is the first requirement in Buddha Dhamma.See, “Is It Necessary for a Buddhist to Eliminate Sensual Desires?” and “Craving for Pornography – How to Reduce the Tendency“
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Hello Yash,
I just made a comment on a similar issue in the following thread: “Meditation Techniques”
My comments there are fully applicable to your situation as well.
– Instead of angry thoughts discussed there, yours are lustful thoughts.
– So, instead of metta Bhavana being suitable for that case, it is asubha Bhavana that would apply here. That means contemplating the bad (long-term) consequences of engaging in sensual activities.Of course, if one is married, one does not need to abstain from sex. There were many Sotapannas who lived moral family lives during the time of the Buddha. Vishaka and Anāthapiṇḍika were the two foremost lay disciples of the Buddha who lived family lives. Both were Sotapannas.
– If one wants to avoid any sexual activities and work toward the Anagami stage, the issue of how to deal with the family situation must be addressed first.Hello Tobi,
Yes. I can see how “scars from the past” can affect one’s mindset. I can suggest a couple of actions.
1. You need to take your mind off those memories as quickly as possible. That must be done whether you are in a formal meditation session or while engaging in other activities.
2. It is unlikely that you recall such memories while you are seriously focusing attention on any kind of task, whether it is work-related or engaging in a sports activity.
– So, try to engage in such activities as much as possible. If you are in formal meditation, quickly turn your attention to metta Bhavana or a dhamma concept.
– Stray thoughts can be dangerous as I explain next.3. Most people take every effort to avoid immoral actions by speech or actions. There are 4 akusala kamma done with speech and 3 done with actions, as you probably read in the post on the BIG EIGHT: “2. The Basics in Meditation”
– It seems to me that I need to make it about BIG NINE. I need to emphasize the problem of “vaci sankhara”.4. Actions involve “kaya sankhara” and speech involves “vaci sankhara.” Both types of those become abhisankhara if they involve lobha, dosa, moha. Those are immoral speech and actions.
– However, CONSCIOUS thoughts (even if speech or actions not involved) also generate vaci abhisankhara. They can be as harmful as abhisankhara done with speech. In other words, speaking out or just “talking oneself” with lobha, dosa, moha thoughts both are harmful to a similar extent.5. I have tried to explain that in the post, “Correct Meaning of Vacī Sankhāra”
– You may also want to read the post on sankhara: “Saṅkhāra – What It Really Means”6. Therefore, it is VERY important to stay from silently engaging in generating angry/lustful thoughts. Many people tend to do that because they think “I am not hurting anyone.” But that is not true. You are hurting yourself!
– You can see that clearly in the face of someone who is angry but is not acting out or even not saying a word. But you can see the anger in the face.
– The same is true for someone “enjoying lustful thoughts”. They spend hours “coming up with various actions” that they would like to engage in. That is as bad as engaging in such activities! Furthermore, when such thoughts become strong, one may be forced to take action.7. What I discussed above is a key component of Anapanasati/Satipatthana Bhavana. Of course, most people don’t realize that. They spend hours and hours just focusing on their breath or some such nonsense.
I have re-written most of the post, “Sakkāya Diṭṭhi – Wrong View of ‘Me’ and ‘Mine’”
Please post if anyone has questions/comments.
– Thanks again to Jorg. My goal is to have all posts on the website be self-consistent and also consistent with the Tipitaka.Nirodha Samapatti means “entering full Nibbana” for up to 7 days at a time.
– So it will not be possible for Anagamis to attain it.Not all Arahants can attain Nirodha Samapatti.
– Pannavimutta Arahants who have not cultivated jhana samapatti cannot get into it. That is because one needs to proceed systematically through the first four jhana samapatti, then systematically go through the arupavacara samapatti, and finally enter Nirodha Samapatti.See, “Nirōdha Samāpatti, Phala Samāpatti, Jhāna, and Jhāna Samāpatti”
– It is an old post. Please let me know if you see any errors.Thanks, Jorg. It seems to me that the description in the second post you quoted is the correct explanation.
– I will go through both posts carefully and revise one. I will comment here when that is done.
– Thanks again for pointing out the discrepancy.P.S. When asking a question on a specific post, please have “Post on ‘Title of the Post'”
– I have revised the title of this thread accordingly.
– Otherwise, the thread could be confused with the post itself.Yes. That is correct.
– But probably we should not say “feel like” because there are no feelings (vedana) in Nirodha Samapatti.
– It is the total and complete absence of dukkha.Hello Tobi,
1. “Removal” is done using a two-prong method.
– When sensual/immoral thoughts come to the mind, one needs to turn the mind away from them. The easiest way is to start thinking about opposite thoughts. They can be thinking about the bad consequences of continuing on sensual/immoral thoughts. The commonly used “anariya” technique is to start thinking about a “neutral object” like breath or a kasina object.
– The above method just keeps the “fire” subsided. That is not enough. The tendency for such thoughts to arise will be there until “kama raga anusaya”, “ditthi anusaya” and “avijja anusaya” are there. Those are removed from the mind by comprehending the core principles of Buddha Dhamma: Four Noble Truths/Paticca Samuppada/Tilakkhana.
– Thus, learning Buddha Dhamma and living according to those principles is the key.2. ” fearful thoughts / worries / sorrows” all will also go away when those anusaya are removed. But it is a step-by-step process. By the way, you can use the same techniques in #1 above to take the mind off of such thoughts.
– Even for an Arahant, physical suffering (associated with the physical body) like injuries, and sicknesses, will be there until the death of the physical body.You can use the “Search” box on the top right to find relevant posts. I can suggest some if you like. Just let me know which topics.
– You can also scan through the following two sections;
Moral Living and Fundamentals
Living Dhamma
