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Yes, Honk. Many people today, including many bhikkhus, believe that some suttas have been altered or later added, for the reasons that you have mentioned.
As the Buddha realized just after attaining the Buddhahood, it is not easy for humans to understand the “previously unheard” aspects of Buddha Dhamma.
– Average humans cannot “see” the truth of many aspects of the foundations of Buddha Dhamma.For example, our thoughts are generated not in the brain, but in the “mental body” or gandhabba.
– But because we cannot normally “see” the truth of that (because a gandhabba cannot be seen) most people reject the existence of a gandhabba.
– However, there are many occurrences that cannot be explained without the concept of a “mental body” that may come out of the physical body under some situations like Near-death Experience (NDE). Furthermore, now there are so many confirmed rebirth stories, which cannot be explained without a gandhabba being reborn many times with human bodies.
See, “Out-of-Body Experience (OBE) and Manōmaya Kāya” and “Evidence for Rebirth”I have discussed this to some extent in, “Mystical Phenomena in Buddhism?” and “What is Buddha Dhamma?”
Please feel free to ask questions after reading those posts.
– We are aware of only a tiny fraction of our world.
– Even though scientists have “discovered” many things about the wider world in the past few hundred years, there is still much more to discover, especially about how our minds work.
– They are unable to explain how emotions like joy, sadness, etc can arise in a brain that is made of inert atoms and molecules. The mind can NEVER be explained with that approach.
– The mental body (gandhabba) is the key to explaining many things. Once one understands that, it is easy to see that “going through a wall” is easy with the “mental body” or gandhabba. See, “Ghost 1990 Movie – Good Depiction of Gandhabba Concept”Yes, y not. We are just getting started on this topic from a new perspective.
In fact, answers to your original question will become clear as we proceed.
– The five aggregates are key to understanding how our memories are recalled.
– As you can probably see, one’s memories (in a beginningless rebirth process) is in the five aggregates. That is how the Buddha was able to “see” how he received “niyata vivarana to become a Buddha” from a Buddha who lived 100,000 eons ago!
– Some of these things may sound “exotic” but once one understands the principles, they are no longer myths. See, “Pāramitā and Niyata Vivarana – Myths or Realities?”By the way, my understanding becomes more clear with time too. Thus the need to revise these posts on the Five Aggregates (Pancakkhandha). Many of them were written several years ago.
Yes, Lang. It is a miccha ditthi.
That is explained in, “Micchā Diṭṭhi, Gandhabba, and Sōtapanna Stage.”
You are right, Johnny.
Rupakkhandha is all mental, as I have discussed before. But I will be revising that post too, next week.
– I also revised #4 of today’s post too in that regard.Furthermore, the other four khandhas are all mental too. I will write on them in upcoming posts. I do not want to refer to the old posts since many of them need some revisions.
Rupa, vedana, sanna, sankhara, vinnana all last only momentarily (as experienced). We experience them and they become memories right away.
– Now, that does NOT mean a given rupa last only momentarily. Only our experience of a rupa is only momentary.
– That is the distinction between a given rupa and one’s rupakkhandha.
– For example, a tree that one saw the previous day has been registered in the rupakkhandha forever. But that tree may have been cut down right after one saw it. Thus that tree (rupa) is not there today. But the rupakkhandha still has the memory of it as it was seen yesterday.
– Rupakkhandha is personal. Mine is different from yours, for example. That is because, for one thing, what I have seen is different from what you have seen. There are many other differences that we will discuss.Ask questions if not clear. It is important to understand these key concepts.
Y not: I don’t think your question is directly related to the intent of this post.
I was trying to explain how a basic sensory event takes place.
– For example, to see a person who comes to your line of view, you must be awake and the image of that person must land on your retina and the mind needs to register that “seeing-event.”
– Then based on one’s gati (and also based on who was seen), one will respond to that “seeing event” in the above example.So, this post was an introduction to more material that is coming. Of course, I have discussed this material in different ways. But here I will be discussing things with a focus on the five aggregates.
But there is nothing wrong with the question per se. I can think about your question and others can answer it too.
Yes. It is dangerous to try to explain Dhamma without a correct understanding. Many Theravada bhikkhus refuse to accept the gandhabba concept (despite strong evidence from the Tipitaka) and thus may be doing harm to themselves and others.
Hello Lair,
The English translation there, “The Good Friend” is,
““Bhikkhus, in regard to external factors, I do not perceive another single factor so helpful as good friendship for a bhikkhu who is a learner, who has not attained perfection but lives aspiring for the supreme security from bondage. Bhikkhus, a bhikkhu who has a good friend abandons what is unwholesome and develops what is wholesome.”
When a bhikkhu has good friends,
And is reverential and respectful,
Doing what his friends advise,
Clearly comprehending and mindful,
He may progressively attain
The destruction of all fetters.”1. One REQUIRES a teacher only until the Soatapanna stage is attained.
2. The teacher MUST be a Sotapanna or higher.
3. Once one attains the Sotapanna stage, one could go the rest of the way without a teacher. But, of course, a teacher at a higher level could be helpful.I think the above translation is compatible with that.
Of course, a teacher MUST ALWAYS be at or above the Sotapanna stage. Otherwise, how can he/she instruct how to get there?
Lang wrote, “Also, this kind of discussion is quite addicting if one is not careful. It’s a form of samphappalāpā.”
That is quite right.
– Yes. It is samphappalāpā or “idle chatter”
– These discussions go on forever since there is no resolution.The point is that if one understands the meanings of the words — saṃsāra and Nibbāna — it is utterly foolish to ask the question. I just cannot imagine such utter nonsense, especially by bhikkhus who have written books on Buddhism!
The meaning of “discarding what is bad” is INCLUDED in vipassana, Lang.
Vipassana is defined as follows in the section, “2.3.3.32. Samathavipassanāduka” at, “2.3.3. Suttantikadukanikkhepa of dhammasaṅgaṇī“:
“Tattha katamā vipassanā? Yā paññā pajānanā … pe … amoho dhammavicayo sammādiṭṭhi—ayaṃ vuccati vipassanā.”Therefore, vipassana is connected to paññā (wisdom), dhammavicaya sabbojjhanga, and sammā diṭṭhi.
– It is the ability “to see” things as they really are. “Passa” also means “to see.”
– With that understanding, one would know what to “discard” and what to “take in.”Thank you, y not.
I have revised that post to make it more clear. Let me know if it is not clear. We need to get this right.
The discussion that y not refer to is at, “Difference between Magga and Phala Citta.”
It is those who are not knowledgeable in Abhidhamma that run into this issue. Then they say that Abhidhamma is not consistent with the Sutta Piṭaka.
– EVERYTHING in the three Piṭaka (Sutta, Vinaya, Abhidhamma) are fully self-consistent.
– I looked at MN 142 and SN 55.24 that the Thero referred to in the discourse. There is no inconsistency with Abhidhamma.There are four magga phala. Each phala citta arises right after the magga citta.
– A magga citta DOES NOT mean the Anugami stage.
– A “magga anugami” has not had a “magga citta” yet.
– The relevant citta vithi is discussed in the subsection “Citta Vīthi for Attainment of Magga Phala” toward the end of the post, “Citta Vithi – Processing of Sense Inputs”
– when someone cultivates the Path, it COULD take a lot of time to go through Parikamma (P), Upacara (U), Anuloma (A), Gotrabu (G) stages. For example, one may get to the Parikamma (P) stage after some months, and then to the Upacara (U) after more time.
– Then one may get to the Gotrabu (G) stage, and that is when one becomes a Sotapanna Anugami. That is called “change lineage” to become an Ariya or a Noble Person. This is what most people do not realize. A Sotapanna Anugami is an Ariya.
– After more time (depending on the person), one WILL get to the magga citta. That magga citta is INVARIABLY followed by the phala citta. There is no “gap” between the magga citta and the phala citta. A Sotapanna Anugami becomes a Sotapanna at that point.
– Until one reaches the Gotrabu (G) stage, the process is reversible.
– But once the Gotrabu (G) stage is attained, one is an Ariya and WILL NOT go back.The process is similar for the higher stages of magga phala. Once one becomes a Sotapanna, that does not mean he/she is a Sakadagami Anugami. He/she has to start working on getting to the next stage to become a Sakadagami Anugami.
Also, see, “Sōtapanna Anugāmi – No More Births in the Apāyās.”
Welcome to the forum, Newin!
Yes. That was not correct. I just fixed it and made a few more revisions in that old post.
Thanks for pointing that out.“Let’s assume a sotapanna dies without grasping paticca samauppada..”
It is unlikely that one would attain the Sotapanna stage without grasping Paticca Samuppada (PS).
– Now, that does not mean one needs to know the formal PS, i.e., “avijja paccaya sankhara”, ..steps one by one.
– One would need to know that suffering arises because one generates defiled thoughts based on one’s ignorance of the true nature of this world.This is also related to your first question. One may have investigated this in previous lives and may have made a lot of progress.
– Then one would just need a “little push” to make things clear and to attain not only Sotapanna but even higher stages of magga phala.
– There were many such occurrences, especially in the days of the Buddha. Many people were able to attain magga phala with just a “little push.” For example, Venerables Sariputta, Moggallana, Angulimala, etc.It is a good idea to contemplate on this important point.
Thank you for the offer of help, Lvalio.
I have alerted upekkha by email about your post. Hopefully, she will get to read it. She has not commented at the forum for a little while.
Regarding Cubibobi (Lang)’s questions, I need to repeat what I wrote earlier, maybe a bit differently.
Our dreams are “made up” by the mind. It is possibly due to a dhammā or a past event.
Thus, the question: “1) Images and sounds in dreams are not rupā, so they must be dhammā, correct?”
– Yes. Images and sounds in dreams are not rupā, in the sense of “physical objects or actual sounds.”
– A dream is based on a past event(s) that registered strongly in the mind. The mind “re-lives” or “makes up” scenarios based on those experiences/impressions.Next question: “And they arise due to kamma vipakā? Some dreams are pleasant while others are truly nightmares.
– That is possible. But my impression is that it depends mostly on the “state of mind.” A mind that has been agitated during the daytime, is more likely to “generate dreams,” especially nightmares.Question: “2) Many dreams are filled with actions. For a nightmare, I may be fighting against attackers or running away from vicious animals, etc. For a pleasant dream, I may be enjoying some sensual pleasure.”
– That is true. The mind is making up a scenario.
– If one tends to have sexual fantasies, one is likely to see similar dreams.Question: “In either case, I have no control of the course of the dream. In the dream, I may wish for the chase to stop or the pleasure to continue but have no control over anything.”
– That is true. We have helpless to “take any action” in a dream. If a dog is chasing, one may not even be able to “run.” Even a “pleasant dream”, we just experience it. It just happens.
– In dreams, we experience “parittarammana citta vithi.” There are no javana citta. That is why we just experience them, and cannot generate any javana citta.Once a bhikkhu saw a dream where he had sex with a woman. He confessed it to the Buddha. He thought he had to give up the robes since sexual intercourse is prohibited for a bhikkhu.
– But the Buddha said dreams are not meaningful, and that he had done nothing wrong. The bhikkhu did not do that on volition. There were no javana citta generated on his own will.
– I believe that logic also holds in the courts. If one does something while “sleepwalking” one is not responsible for such actions. Of course, one has to prove the “sleepwalking” part.
