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Sorry, I did not see your comment earlier, yann.
(P.S. Most times, a comment does not “show up” on the main forum page. I have to periodically reset it at my end for a new comment to show up in some cases. This is part of the “software bug.”)The first part of your comment explains the general idea that I was trying to explain to upekkha.
If one has a “weak or defeatist mindset” that mind attracts more bad events.
– One way to cultivate a weak mindset is to constantly think about one’s misery and spend time thinking about how “unlucky” one is. Those are “bad vaci sankhara” in the terminology of Buddha Dhamma.
– Bad vaci sankhara lead to bad vinnana. In simple English, such self-pitying thoughts” leads to a “bad/weak” mindset.
– With that bad mindset, one takes bad decisions. Furthermore, such bad mindsets attract more bad events too.Another factor that comes in to play is whether or not one is living a moral life. If one is living a moral life, the tendency to have “self-pity” is reduced.
When one lives a moral life and has a positive outlook on life, things start going his/her way.
– Here, one is making conditions for any “good kamma” done in this or previous lives to bring their results.
– Just as a bad mindset would make conditions to bring in “bad kamma vipaka”, a “good mindset’ makes conditions to bring good vipaka.You may want to read that post which I suggested to upekkha. It explains this in more detail.
At the end, you wrote, “What really “attracts” positive or negative circumstances is the way you feel, your energy so to speak.”
– What I explained above is how you got that energy. You overcame your “weak mindset” by cultivating a positive outlook.It is better to think about the whole process in the following way:
It is mano sankhara that arise first. Those are the “first thoughts” that come to the mind when we first see, hear, taste, smell, etc.
– They arise due to our gati (habits/character) and are automatic.
– For example, if one sees an object, a liking for that may register in the mind as soon as one sees it. That liking is registered as mano sankhara. (But another person with different gati may not generate any mano sankhara, since he/she may not have an attraction/liking for it)Then one starts thinking about that object. That is the vaci sankhara stage.
– If one really likes that object, one may speak about it. That speaking is also done with vaci sankhara.If one gets really attached to that object, one may take bodily actions. For example, one may buy it by paying for it. Such bodily actions are done with kaya sankhara.
Now if you read those posts again, you may be able to really grasp the concepts.
cubibobi asked: “Is it correct to say that the sounds coming out is vaci sankhara, and the ideas emitted from the thoughts mano sankhara?”
No. Mano sankhara arise automatically due to our gati.
Vaci sankhara are what we CONSCIOUSLY think and speak.
See, “Sankhāra – What It Really Means” and “Correct Meaning of Vacī Sankhāra.”Please feel free to ask questions, if not clear.
yann wrote: “if i kill myself in a pleasant state of mind and cultivate good thoughts, then i will reach better rebirth….”
You have not understood what I explained. As I said, it takes time to understand Buddha Dhamma.
– I hope you will read the sections that I recommended. But it is up to you.P.S. Your other comments in the above post also reflects the fact that you have not had time to read/understand some basic concepts about Buddha Dhamma and its history.
For example, you say, “I though this website was based on revisiting bouddha’s teachings… Since they are 2500 years old, and since they were written by somebody else 500 years later, i think it is very safe to assume that they do not ressemble 100% the original teachings.”
You simply have not read the relevant sections at the website. In this case, you should read “Historical Background.”
– Budha’s teachings have been fully preserved, even during oral transmission over about 400 years.I just came across the following article:
“KASTRUP: NO, CONSCIOUSNESS CANNOT BE JUST A BYPRODUCT”Scientists and philosophers are beginning to realize that consciousness CANNOT arise from inert matter.
But they have no idea how consciousness arises.
Consciousness can arise only if a “seat of the mind” (hadaya vatthu) is created by Nature, via kammic energy.
– We create our own future lives (that are conscious) with our own actions.The series of posts on “Origin of Life” analyze that in detail and came to that conclusion in the post, “Origin of Life – One Creates One’s Own Future Lives.”
y not, Sybe07, yann: “Yes, that the last thought moment determines the next birth may be quite unsettling.
The key to understanding here is the following.
That last thought-moment does not come to the mind arbitrarily.
Usually, it is related to the strongest kamma (good or bad) that one has done in all previous lives (including the present life). The Buddha gave the following analogy, which I have discussed before.
In those days, cows were kept in barns overnight. In the morning, the gate would be opened and the cows will go out and start eating grass. The cows are anxious to come out by the morning, but only the strongest push their way to the front to be close to the gate.
– In the same way, stronger kamma would come to the mind of a dying person.There is a second factor that comes into play, and that is what y not is referring to.
– One may have attained a magga phala (or at least the Sotapanna Anugami stage) during life. Then that person’s mind would not grasp any thought object suitable for rebirth in lower realms. Then it will be replaced by a thought object corresponding to the next strongest kamma in line. If that is also not compatible with the mindset of the person that would not be grasped either. That process would happen very quickly until an arammana (thought object) compatible with the mindset is grasped.
– Of course, an Arahant’s mind would not grasp any arammana due to any previous kamma. Thus an Arahant would not be reborn anywhere in the 31 realms.A good example is Angulimala who killed almost a thousand people. But he attained the Arahanthood, and thus became free of all rebirths. If he had not attained the Arahanthhod, he would have been born in a lower realm.
See, “Account of Angulimāla – Many Insights to Buddha Dhamma.”firewns wrote: “Thus I would think that cultivating these universal sobhana cetasikas through performing meritorious deeds indeed help set the stage for further development of concentration and insight.”
Yes. That is indeed true.
Sybe07 and yann: There are many things that we do not like. However, we cannot change Nature’s laws. If you can provide any supporting material we can discuss.
Buddha’s teachings are vast and all self-consistent. The only way to disprove them would be to find any inconsistencies.
So, if you can find any inconsistencies with the material on this website, please feel free to state them.
I will try to address SOME of yann’s questions below. It takes some effort to understand the key concepts.
“Therefore, it is difficult to see how a human mind, even though it might be inhabited by greed or other mental impurities, could regress toward an animal life form post mortem.”
– The seeds for future lives are created during the lifetime. For example, if one kills another human, a kamma bija (seed) is created. That kammic energy can bring a “bad birth” in the future.
“Most of past life material i have read rarely if ever mention non human past lives.”
– Yes. Humans normally cannot recall past lives in other existence (bhava).
– Even that capability is there only for a few, and only as a child. As that child grows, such memories from past lives fade away.“So human existence has a natural tendency to drag you toward fighting, hatred, accumulation of goods for survival, etc…”
– Not so if one comprehends Buddha Dhamma. Then one would stay away from such tendencies because one is aware of the bad consequences.“Also if you are not born in a good environment, it is very difficult to develop intellect and understanding.”
– Yes.“Most dying people are extremely tormented and unhappy. It seems absurd to me that they should be directed in a negative direction for a few understandable negative emotions.”
– Who is directing them? One is fully responsible for one’s destiny. If they had learned Dhamma, they would not be tormented.“This passage is also hard for me to grasp.
Out of the 31 realms of existence (see, “The Grand Unified Theory of Dhamma“), the mind has much less capability in most other realms. Thus, it is very difficult to get rid of bad kamma seeds and cultivate good ones while in realms other than the human. Therefore, one should make the utmost effort to get rid of the bad seeds and to develop “good seeds” during this short life span of 100 years or so.”
– Think about the animal realm. Animals are like robots. They cannot learn Dhamma.
– Those in higher realms are CAPABLE of learning Dhamma. But they don’t have any incentive. They do not see much suffering around them.“So human existence has a natural tendency to drag you toward fighting, hatred, accumulation of goods for survival, etc…. Even if you tend to be a moral person. Also if you are not born in a good environment, it is very difficult to develop intellect and understanding.”
– Yes. That is why relatively few people are interested in Buddha Dhamma. They do not take time to think about the “bigger picture” of the rebirth process among 31 realms. Of course, most people have not even heard about Buddha Dhamma.“What would cause the end of this kammic potential?”
– One’s own thoughts with greed, anger, and ignorance (of the Buddha Dhamma).Some of the essential concepts are discussed at, “Living Dhamma” and “Moral Living and Fundamentals” sections.
I have a little bit of time and thought of writing a few things to consider.
1. There are three ways to attain Nibbāna:
– A Sammā Sambuddha (like Buddha Gōtama) discovers the Noble Eightfold Path and achieves Nibbāna through his efforts, AND he can teach the doctrine to others.
– A second way to attain Nibbāna is to learn Dhamma from a Sammā Sambuddha or a true disciple of his. That is how an Arahant reaches nibbāna.
– Then a paccēka Buddha discovers the Path by himself but is not capable of explaining the path (Dhamma) to other people.2. In all three cases, the same Nibbana (Enlightenment) is attained. That basically means stopping the suffering-filled rebirth process.
– However, a Sammā Sambuddha is a very special person. Without a Sammā Sambuddha, no one else (other than a paccēka Buddha) will be able to attain Nibbana.3. I have not had time to read the article of Bhikkhu Analayo quoted by Lvalio.
– However, as I understand, Bhikkhu Analayo does not firmly believe in rebirth. He seems to be one of those “secular Buddhists” that I have discussed in the following post: “Buddhism without Rebirth and Nibbāna?.”Finally regarding the following statement in Lavalio’s post: “But two followers of the Ajahn of Thailand’s forest responded that I was wrong and that this concept of taking many lives for someone to become a Buddha was outdated and basically a Buddha could get enlightenment through following the Noble Way octuple…“, I recommend the following post:
“Pāramitā and Niyata Vivarana – Myths or Realities?”
– Yes. It takes an enormous effort, through an enormous number of lives, to become a Buddha.
– A Buddha is indeed a VERY SPECIAL human. In fact, he is the ultimate scientist, since he discovers ALL ABOUT the wider world of 31 realms, AND how to escape from it.
– One cannot really appreciate the value of a Buddha until one starts comprehending that “wider world view.”The sentence that I have highlighted shows the ignorance of whoever said that. No one can KNOW about the Eightfold Noble Path without a Buddha DISCOVERING it! A Buddha discovers that on his own.
Yes to all.
There are some subtleties in Pali grammar that I have not discussed. That could be “too much” to cover at once.
– But with the next few posts, I will try to cover some key aspects.Lang asked: “In Sinhala, are citta and cittā two different words?”
Those are Pali words and WRITTEN with the Sinhala script as චිත්ත and චිත්තා.
– Note the slight difference.The Sinhala words are සිත and සිත්.
– We know that English words are thought and thoughts.Lang asked: “Secondly, is there a distinction in capitalization in Sinhala script? For example, is dhamma (what one bears) written differently from Dhamma (teaching of Buddha)?”
No. There are no capital letters in Sinhala.
– dhamma (what one bears) is written as ධම්මා (in plural)
– Dhamma (teaching of Buddha) is written as බුද්ධ ධම්ම. Note that ධම්ම here is in the singular.P.S. I missed Lang’s following comment: “I have seen the use of ā for plurality, such as citta and cittā, sutta and suttā. Adding an “s”, such as in suttas, is clearly and English imposition.”
The plural of citta and sutta SHOULD BE cittā and suttā.
– I have been writing the plurals as cittas and suttas, since that may make it easier for many to understand.
– But I am going to discuss this in the next post, and also try to adhere to the correct way in the future.Good questions!
Thank you, yann for your comments.
Yes. Rebirth is an issue that many in the West have a hard time to deal with. I suggest reading the post, “What Reincarnates? – Concept of a Lifestream.”
– Please refer to bullet numbers in the post if you have questions.I am not sure what you mean by “Also just a tip, you should high-ligh the lexical pages because they are hard to find on the home page. I spend a few hours reading and browsing the internet for pali translations while the lexical was there all along.”
The Pali Glossary could be helpful and can be found here: “Tables and Summaries.”
Are you certain that your information is correct? Where are you getting this information? We have to be careful not to spread rumors. This is a serious issue.
The Buddha advised that it is better not to say anything unless it is true AND it is the right time to say even if it is true.
– I cannot imagine governments not taking appropriate actions if there is such a concern.
