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On August 20, 2020, at 6:37 am, Lal Posted:
Hello Granier,
You asked: “the ”good one” (dhamma-chanda or vibhava tanha) and the ”bad one”
(kama tanha), “desires” for sensory pleasures… (but what about bhava tanha?).”The desire to attain Nibbana (chanda) is NOT the same as vibhava tanha.
– But I can see why one would think so.
– The key is to realize that vibhava tanha DOES NOT mean DESIRE for no more births. It is the WRONG VIEW that there will be no more rebirths. For example, most scientists today BELIEVE that there CANNOT BE rebirths because the physical body is all one has. When the physical body dies, that is the end of the story.Furthermore, chanda is NOT a desire for non-existence. At least that is the wrong way to think about Nibbana.
– Nibbana means the desire to stop all future suffering.
– When one starts understanding the deeper teachings of the Buddha (anicca, dukkha, anatta nature) one will see that there is no “soul type” entity being reborn again and again. It is just good deeds (kamma) lead to good rebirths and bad deeds lead to bad rebirths. Since living-beings are tempted to do bad kamma (with kama tanha), most rebirths will be in bad realms.Therefore, all three types of tanha are “bad.” They all keep one bound to the rebirth process.
– In the case of vibhava tanha, the wrong view that there will be no rebirths will (at least subconsciously) induce people to do immoral things to gain sense pleasures.Nw, bhava tanha means one does believe in rebirth. But one believes one can get a “good birth” by engaging in “good deeds” or doing good kamma.
– But we all are likely to have done such bad deeds in past lives (if not in this life). Such kamma (vipaka) are just waiting to bring rebirth in bad realms. The only way to avoid that is to attain at least the SStream Entry (Sotapanna) by learning Dhamma.More information on the three types of tanha: “Kāma Tanhā, Bhava Tanhā, Vibhava Tanhā”
The other question: “if there is no more self (anatta), who will make ”good desires” (kusala-chanda)?” is a very comment question many people ask based on a wrong view they have.
– That wrong view is based on the view that there is a “soul” going from one birth to another.
– Rebirths happen ONLY as a result of good or bad kamma. There is no “self” or a “soul” going from this life to the next.
– That is essentially one aspect of the concept of anatta.More information on that: “What Reincarnates? – Concept of a Lifestream”
Finally a note: There have been several times during the past few days where the website did not load or took a long time to load. That technical glitch is being fixed. It seems to be much better now.
On August 19, 2020, at 7:40 pm, Grenier posted:
Bonjour Lal,
I thank you for your clarifications about ”desires”; if I understand your point, there are two categories of ”desires” : the ”good one” (dhamma-chanda or vibhava tanha) and the ”bad one”
(kama tanha),” desires” for sensory pleasures… (but what about bhava tanha?).
A being must develops ”good desires” to discard the ”bad one”… (desiring desirelessness).
But a being is not in ”control” (anatta) and in that position, could he (a self) makes ”good desires”, step-by-step, not forcefully abstaining from sense pleasures (patigha…a lower level of hate, more like ”friction”), respecting the ”middle way”, and, at the end, if there is no more self (anatta), who will make “good desires” (kusala-chanda)?
Please give light to my ”ignorance”, Merci, Grenier.On August 19, 2020 at 12:53 pm, y not posted:
Very reasonable questions, Grenier. Justified and factual too.
I see it this way. What someone on the Path is actually trying to do is to go beyond Nature. No less than that. But once one accepts the Buddha’s Teaching and has come to unshakeable confidence in the Dhamma and the Sangha as well, it is there that the Great Struggle begins. One has come to right view. It then becomes a tug-of-war between Nature on the one side and the Dhamma on the other, with you the knot in the middle of the rope. It is said somewhere in the suttas, in the Dhammapada if I remember correctly, that one who conquers himself (is no longer swayed this way and that by Nature) is greater that a conqueror of many lands and kingdoms. Why? Because it is much harder, obviously.
It is certainly not natural to defy Nature, to go beyond Nature, to try to be rid of greed, aversion and delusion. Yet, reflecting on the Buddha’s teachings that not only the harm we do to other beings, but also the apparently innocent pleasures we so cheerfully indulge in, will bring us harm in the longer run and, indeed, forevermore- in that they keep us chained to sansara, much of which by far consists of existences in the apayas.
It is no easy undertaking. Up to the Sakadagami Stage it can be said to be reasonably ‘do-able’. Beyond that, where all sensuality is given up, including sex, only Anagamis and Arahants have reached. So it is done in steps. The elimination of wrong views, not committing unwholesome deeds, observing morality the best you can, being generous…. you may be there already, I cannot tell. I sincerely hope so. Then, constantly reflecting on the Dhamma is of paramount importance. This will in time give rise to aveccappsada in the Buddha (and in the Dhamma and the Sangha). You are done with the apayas for a start.
May the Dhamma guide you on.
My response on August 24, 2020 at 5:59 pm:
I have revised both relevant posts:
“Buddhism and Evolution – Aggañña Sutta (DN 27)”
Thanks again for pointing out this issue.
Zapper’s response on August 24, 2020 at 11:39 am:
Thanks Lal now we’ve got things clear. However I’m also confused about the lifetimes of Parittabha and Appamanabha deva (2 MK and 4 MK) shouldn’t their maximum lifetime be 1 MK since everything under the Abhassara deva realm undergoes destruction within 1 MK.
My response on August 24, 2020 at 10:17 am:
You are right.
The problem was that the lifetime of the Solar system is only 1/4 of a Maha Kappa.
– During a Maha Kappa there are four phases: duration of the Solar system (about 10 billion years), destruction of it (about 10 billion years), remaining in that state (about 10 billion years), reformation of the Solar system (about 10 billion years).
– Each of those four phases is 20 antakkappa.I have revised the post, “31 Realms of Existence” to make that correction.
Thanks for pointing it out.
This is a very deep subject, Tobias.
I looked at the original Patthana Pakarana, which consists of three books in the Tipitaka.
– The pdf file that you sent has only a few pages in comparison.There are 24 conditions (paccaya) in all.
– I have described in simple terms several of those in the section, “Paṭṭhāna Dhamma”It is a good idea to read the first post there, and also to get an idea of the most important “conditions” discussed in that section.
– When I have time, I will describe other conditions as well.But this is a VERY DEEP subject. We can only get to the “surface level”.
– This is why the Buddha told Ven. Ananda that Paticca Samuppada is a deep subject.In the pdf that you posted, the author just translates Pali text word-by-word. But if you have the link to the whole translation, you can post it just for the sake of completeness. I have not seen anyone else doing even a word-by-word translation.
– I have not seen anyone who has provided an explanation (in simple terms) other than Waharaka Thero.
– He has discussed those terms in simple terms in a couple of discourses, without going to details.
– Such a simple description is enough to get the basic idea.I have restored the lost posts from yesterday by Marina and Tobias.
I also restored the last weekly post on August 22, 2020.
Hopefully, this do-over of the website will take care of some recent technical issues.
– My apologies for those who were inconvenienced.
– If any other comments at the forum are known to be missing, I can look for them too. Please send me an email: [email protected]Everything posted prior to August 18, 2020, should be fine.
I have not read the pdf that you sent, Tobias. But you have quoted the definitions from there.
The question is, what does the author mean by “contiguity condition” and “immediacy condition”?
– Has the author explained them? If so, which pages?I have explained the two terms in more detail than you quoted in my post.
– If someone can explain what is meant by the other definitions, I can look at it.
– I cannot guess what someone means by those definitions.Hello Marina,
As I advised in my previous reply on a different thread, I think you should read the following section to get some basic information about Buddha Dhamma:
“Moral Living and Fundamentals”But to provide some quick answers.
“Once an arahant passes into Nibbana, does it stop having a mind or does the mind follow its evolution and this evolution would be Nibbana? Can we properly speak of an enlightened mind?”
– An enlightened mind (that of an Arahant) is a mind devoid of greed, anger, and ignorance (about the true nature of this world). That means that one will be stuck with the rebirth process as long as one has no comprehension about the Four Noble Truths.
– When one truly understands the Four Noble Truths, one will see that there is much suffering in the future especially due to rebirths in the four lower realms. Those rebirths arise due to akusala kamma done with greed, anger, and ignorance.
– That is why it is important to understand how the laws of kamma work first.Hello Marina,
It seems that you may need to read some of the posts in the following section.
“Moral Living and Fundamentals”
Please take the time and read some posts that seem to be relevant to your questions.
– I answered your questions on gandhabba before seeing these questions. I think you should learn about the laws of kamma before getting into issues relating to gandhabba. Those are more complex issues.
– So, my advice is to focus on the above section first.Yes. Those are complex questions. I cannot answer them in even a couple of posts.
Such details can be found in the following sections:
“Mental Body – Gandhabba”
“Gandhabba (Manomaya Kaya)”I recently started a new section to discuss this in a systematic way:
“Buddha Dhamma – A Scientific Approach”You may want to scan through the above sections to see which section would best for you. Each person is different.
Hello Marina!
You asked: “I have read that the gandhabba cannot bear the energy of the arahant. So what happens to the gandhabba when the ordinary living being becomes an arahant? Is it weakened and reduced by starvation?”
Gandhabba of an Arahant cannot bear the energy of an Arahant when OUTSIDE the physical body. So, when the physical body of the Arahant dies, the gandhabba comes out and perished.
– Gandhabba, in this case, can be compared to a heater coil. As long as the heater coil (with heat on) is immersed in water, it will be fine. But as soon as it is taken out of the water, it burns.You asked: “And as the arahant passes into Nibbana, does the weakened gandhabba dissolve or is somehow reabsorbed into the mortal remains of the arahant?”
Parinibbana (attained at the death of an Arahant) and “this world” are mutually exclusive, meaning that one can either in this world or in Parinibbana.
– Parinibbana means “complete and full Nibbana.” Until then an Arahant has Nibbana but still has the physical body living in this world.
– So, at the death of an Arahant, there is nothing remaining about him/her in this world. That is why the Buddha likened that to the flame of an oil lamp extinguished.You asked: “Why is it necessary to be ordained to attain Nibbana.”
It is not necessary to be ordained to attain Nibbana. One can stay as a “householder” or a ‘layperson” all the way up to the Arahanthood.
Added part 4 of the Series to Waharaka TV transcriptions of Waharaka Thero’s Desanas listed in my post on July 10, 2020, above.
Also added part 8 of the Series to Janith Fernando’s transcriptions of Waharaka Thero’s Desanas listed in my post on June 19, 2020, above.
– Both were sent to me by Patighosa Hojan (Hojanyun). Thanks, Hojanyun!
Normally, the word moha is used to describe those who have ten types of wrong views (miccha ditthi).
– That is the strongest level of “ignorance.”When those ten types of wrong views are removed, one gets to mundane Samma Ditthi.
But one has not comprehended the Four Noble Truths (or Tilakkhana) yet.
– Thus one still has avijja, a lower level than moha.That is why the akusala-mula Paticca Samuppada process starts with, “avijja paccaya sankhara“. It ends in “the whole mass of suffering.”
To remove avijja, one must first learn them from a Buddha or a true disciple of the Buddha, of course. Then one must contemplate on what is learned, and comprehend the “anicca nature.”
– That is the “previously unheard Dhamma” until a Buddha is born.The kusala-mula Paticca Samuppada process comes into play ONLY after the comprehension of Tilakkhana.
– That process DOES NOT lead to “the whole mass of suffering”. It ends with “Dhammanam samudayo hoti” and leads to only Ariya births (i.e., as a Sotapanna Anugami or above). Whehter one is reborn a human, a Deva, or a Brahma, one WILL BE an Ariya.
