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“– I’m starting to find having long drawn out mundane conversations causes distress to my mind.”
Yes. Those are vain/frivolous talk or sampappalāpā, one of the ten akusala kamma.
That section of the Vinaya Pitaka is an account of the timeline just after the Buddha attained the Buddhahood.
The meaning becomes very clear in the context. The Buddha realized that it is going to be VERY difficult to explain to the humans, Devas, and Brahmas the perils of attachment to sensual pleasures.
“All living-beings are blinded by attachment to sensual pleasures.”
– That is the basic meaning of the verse that you quoted.
– But in word-by-translations, the meaning is not so clear.Here is the relevant section:
“5. Brahmayācanakathā
Atha kho bhagavā sattāhassa accayena tamhā samādhimhā vuṭṭhahitvā rājāyatanamūlā yena ajapālanigrodho tenupasaṅkami. Tatra sudaṁ bhagavā ajapālanigrodhamūle viharati. Atha kho bhagavato rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi—“adhigato kho myāyaṁ dhammo gambhīro duddaso duranubodho santo paṇīto atakkāvacaro nipuṇo paṇḍitavedanīyo. Ālayarāmā kho panāyaṁ pajā ālayaratā ālayasammuditā. Ālayarāmāya kho pana pajāya ālayaratāya ālayasammuditāya duddasaṁ idaṁ ṭhānaṁ yadidaṁ idappaccayatāpaṭiccasamuppādo; idampi kho ṭhānaṁ sududdasaṁ yadidaṁ sabbasaṅkhārasamatho sabbūpadhipaṭinissaggo taṇhākkhayo virāgo nirodho nibbānaṁ. Ahañceva kho pana dhammaṁ deseyyaṁ, pare ca me na ājāneyyuṁ, so mamassa kilamatho, sā mamassa vihesā”ti.”
Translation (with my edits of the first part):
“After seven days, the Buddha came out from that stillness and went from the ape-flower tree to a banyan tree, and he stayed there. Then, while in seclusion, the Buddha thought this:
“I have discovered this profound truth, so hard to see, so hard to comprehend. It’s peaceful and sublime, subtle, beyond the intellect, and knowable only to the wise. For living-beings who delight in sensual pleasures, find pleasure in them, rejoice in holding on to them, will find it hard to comprehend this deep Dhamma..”
I have skipped some unnecessary words and have translated only the meaning of the first part of the verse.
TripleGemStudent wrote: “Even if an infinite number attain Nibbana, there ALWAYS will be an infinite number left.”
– I wonder why is that so.”I have re-written an old post that addresses this and related issues:
“The Infinity Problem in Buddhism”
If there are any questions, please refer to bullet #s.
Yes. I can see that. Thank you!
I uninstalled the “Tweet This!” app.
– Yes. One can always use the “share” buttons at the bottom of each page to share.
But I will Tweet each new post.
Yes. There are infinite living-beings in this world.
– Even if an infinite number attain Nibbana, there ALWAYS will be an infinite number left.“would it be correct to say there is no discernible ending to ignorance in the world? ”
There is an ending to ignorance.
– That is called Nibbana, attained at the Arahanthood.1. Like everything else in this world, cittās also arise due to causes.
– When a tempting arammana comes to the mind, cittās arise according to one’s gati. Those gati are related to one’s defilements (raga anusaya, dosa, anusaya, moha anusaya)2. Anusaya can be removed ONLY by wisdom (paññā).
– Wrong views (and corresponding wrong cittās) arise due to not understanding the root causes of suffering: raga, dosa, moha.3.When one starts understanding Buddha Dhamma, those anusaya are removed in four stages. As anusaya are removed in stages, corresponding cittās are stopped from arising automatically. That is because those defilements are the root causes for the arising of such citta.
I am not sure which post your quote came from. It is ALWAYS helpful to cite the post and relevant bullet numbers.
Also see:
Āsava, Anusaya, and Gati (Gathi)
Conditions for the Four Stages of Nibbāna
Akusala Citta and Akusala Vipāka Citta
If things are not clear, please feel to ask questions. But refer to posts/bullet #s.
I think the issue that you dealt with in the past is related to the issue that you are having now.
You wrote: “Years ago, you helped me change what I think was my gati of playing the world’s moral policeman, and always getting offended by what other people were doing wrong.”
Then you wrote: “So even though I understand intellectually that I should not be worrying about other people’s opinion of me good or bad how do I understand it on a deeper level so that instinctively it stops bothering me?”
So, you are still being bothered by other people’s actions in an indirect way. This time you are worried about their OPINION of you.
– Of course, it is human nature to be liked and praised. But we need to be realistic.
– We know that there are all kinds of people with vastly differing opinions. Some have correct opinions based on correct views/knowledge. Others have wrong opinions based on wrong views and misunderstandings.When those people, who may have wrong opinions of your views, figure out that they had looked at those issues incorrectly, they will turn around. They may even start having a high opinion of your views.
There is a good example in the Tipitaka. Vacchagotta used to visit the Buddha frequently and asked many questions. There is a whole set of suttas based on his questions.
– During the initial interactions with the Buddha, Vacchagotta was building confidence in the teachings of the Buddha. But on several occasions, the Buddha refused to answer some questions or gave answers that did not sit well with Vacchagotta. One time, he told the Buddha that he was displeased with the answers given by the Buddha.
– Yet, letter on, Vacchagotta started comprehending the correct world view, became a bhikkhu, and attained the Arahanthood.The only thing you need to worry about is whether YOUR own views are correct or not.
– Keep learning and you will build confidence.
– Then you will not be bothered by the opinions of others.For example, I know that I may offend some people when I answer questions. But I cannot just “go with the flow” and try to please others. I have to say what I see to be correct. Of course, in some cases, I would have to change my statements. Anyone can make a mistake.
– We all will make fewer mistakes as we learn more. Keep learning!Hello Nb,
Yes. I remember corresponding with you via email a few years ago.
– I am a bit busy today. I will think about how to make some suggestions.This requires a somewhat detailed explanation. I will think about how to explain it here.
– In the meantime, if others have any ideas please free to post.Yes. That was a typo. Thanks.
I just corrected it:
11. For example, one can break the addiction to drugs in a shorter time (say a month) if he has the discipline to stop taking it AND also stop thinking about it.
– If he stops taking the drug but goes on enjoying thinking about it (vaci saṅkhāra), it will not work. He may go on without using drugs for months and months, but one day, he may lose the resolve and go back to drugs.
– That happens to a lot of people addicted to different things like alcohol, smoking, or even over-eating. They may temporarily stop those activities, but months later they break them. That is because they had not stopped generating vaci saṅkhāra or engaging in upādāna for that activity.Yes. Both tanha and upadana can happen with like or dislike.
– Tanha is the initial “attachment”.
– Then one may keep thinking about it and “keep it close” (in the mind). That second step is upadana.For example, if you see someone you really dislike on the street, anger may arise in you. That is due to tanha.
– If you keep thinking about how bad he is, and his past actions against you, then you are “pulling it close” and making it worse. That is upadana.The following posts could be helpful:
Tanhā – How We Attach Via Greed, Hate, and Ignorance
The following series of posts have examples:
Paṭicca Samuppāda in Plain EnglishP.S. I just replied to question in another thread. And the post discussed there is relevant too:
Difference Between Tanhā and UpādānaTripleGemStudent asked: “Can anything related to the five aggregates be considered as the “worldly objects” you mentioned?”
Worldly things, such as the five aggregates, should be contemplated ONLY with respect to their anicca, dukkha, anatta nature, i.e., how valuing them leads one down the wrong path and to future suffering, and the unfruitfulness of them (and how eventually one becomes helpless if those are pursued).
– Again, we need to remember that the five aggregates are our memories, future expectations, and present actions. Furthermore, we need to realize that only pancupadanakkhandha are the problem, those that we attach to via greed, anger, and ignorance.
– There are other ACTIONS that we may pursue which do not belong to pancupadanakkhandha. Those do not involve attachment to this world. For example, pursuing Nibbana does not fall into that category.In contrast, one focuses on a kasina object or on the breath in anariya meditations (expecting that such procedures will lead to lasting happiness).
– Those actions are done with ignorance. They are not beneficial in the long run, and only distract one from the correct path.I am sorry. I don’t have time to read whole posts by others.
Could you quote relevant parts from those EXTERNAL posts?
By the way, the following Pali dictionary has the translation correctly:
Concise Pali-English Dictionary – A.P. Buddhadatta Mahathera
“addhuva : [adj.] unstable; impermanent.”
