[Lal]

Tobias wrote: “Plants are alive but not sentient. They do not have a mind. There are people who lovingly or evilly speak to cooked rice. The rice reacts with a certain consistency or just rottenness. How can this be explained in terms of Buddha Dhamma?”

As Christian says, the mind can affect our environment too. I think Tobias may be referring to the following video posted by Eric (we have not heard from him recently!): “The Rice Experiment (Video)“.
– See my comments there.

Regarding the recent post, “Human Life – A Mental Base (Gandhabba) and a Material Base (Cell)“, Tobias asks:
“Under #9 it is said: “…However, the first cells that appeared in the Earth were created by kammic energy (in javana cittas)…”
Also somewhere on this website Lal said that the evolution theory of Darwin is not correct (evolution through natural selection).
I do not understand how the first dinosaur or the first elephant or the first human appeared on earth.”

This is a very good question. But a proper answer requires more background. I am in the process of laying out that background.
– Darwin’s theory of evolution is not correct only for the evolution of a human. Humans were the first to appear on the newly-formed Earth. But those humans had “brahma-like” bodies, and no physical bodies with cells.
– Humans actually evolved “downward”, losing their ability to travel through the air like brahmas, ability to see and hear without eyes and ears, etc. They did not have to eat, just like brahmas.
– But over billions of years, they gradually evolved to have physical bodies, as I mentioned briefly in the last post.
– The rest of the species are likely to have evolved according to Darwin’s theory. First came bacteria and helped to generate oxygen in the atmosphere. Then came plants, and then came the animals who needed plants for their survival. By that time, humans had evolved to have bodies like ours and humans needed food via plants too. That time sequence is also laid out in the Agganna Sutta (without such details).

That is a brief summary. I hope you can get a rough idea. As I said, there are many other factors coming into play. It is wonderful to have the modern scientific knowledge available to clarify those teachings in the Agganna Sutta.

P.S. Nature (driven by laws of kamma), does the minimum necessary to get the “ball rolling”. The first cells were created by kammic energy. Everything is consistent with modern science. It is just that modern science does not yet know the power of mind energy (kammic energy) created by those javana citta.

[Lal]

Johnny asked:”When a zygote is impregnated with a gandhabba, any effort from this point forward to terminate life, is it considered as committing panatipata?”

Yes. Once the gandhabba (or the patisandhi vinnana) descends to the womb and “takes possession” of the zygote, there is another human life in the womb. Any attempt to kill that life (via abortion) is killing a human being; see, “Buddhist Explanations of Conception, Abortion, and Contraception“.

“Another question is, can a gandhabba attain sotāpanna magga and/or phala?”

That is an interesting question. In principle I don’t see why not. But I have not seen a Tipitaka account of a gaandhabba attaining magga phala or the Sotapanna Anugami stage.

“Can I view the gandhabba state akin to a traveller (after acquiring a new patisandhi viññāna) who is inside the airport transit lounge, waiting for the right time to enter the holding area and eventually board the plane that will bring him to the next destination?”

The situation is better described by the case of a human operator inside a totally enclosed military tank. Here the human operator is analogous to gandhabba, and the military tank is like the physical body. The human operator cannot see, hear anything outside the tank, without the help of video and audio equipment mounted on the tank. In the same way, gandhabba cannot see, hear anything without the help of the physical eyes and ears on the physical body; see, “Our Mental Body – Gandhabba“.
– Of course, the gandhabba can see, hear by itself once OUTSIDE the human body. That is what happens in Out-of-Body experiences;see, “Manomaya Kaya and Out-of-Body Experience (OBE)” and “Gandhabba Sensing the World – With and Without a Physical Body“.

Another related point is that manomaya kaya is the more generic name for the “mental body”. All living beings have manomaya kaya. Gandhabba is generally reserved for the mental bodies (manomaya kaya) of humans and animals. That is because, those human and animal manomaya kaya can inhale scents (gandha + abba, or “taking in odors”) and become a bit more dense.
P.S. I have revised the post in question, “Human Life – A Mental Base (Gandhabba) and a Material Base (Cell)” to make this clear.

[Lal]

I just revised that post to include this comment:
“I still have not seen a definitive Tipitaka reference regarding this issue. However, all suttas on the conditions for attaining Sōtapanna stage list saddham­mas­savanaṃ (saddham­ma + savanaṃ or “listening to Dhamma”) as one condition, as in #1 above. Since written texts were not available at the time of the Buddha, this is not definitive as a condition.”

[Lal]

The post in question is: “Viññāna and Sankhāra – Connection to Paticca Samuppāda“.

Johnny asked: “In the most absolute sense, is the Ariyan Dukkha Sacca referring to rebirth suffering OR the mental vexation that entails when a person’s sense faculties take in inputs from the various external sense objects, and consequently delighting in the this and that, delighting in the here and now? ”

The main achievement is eliminating suffering in the rebirth process.
– But any suffering due to “mental vexation” even during this life is stopped for an Arahant.
– What remains for this life for an Arahant is any PHYSICAL suffering (injuries, sicknesses, etc) that arise due to kamma vipaka.
– Of course, ALL SUFFERING is stopped at the death of an Arahant (Parinibbana).

Johnny wrote: ” the Buddha said before that his Dhamma is Sanditthiko (to be seen here and now), Akaliko (not delayed in time). ”
– Dhamma CAN BE seen in this lfe and Arahanthood IS attained in this life. Even though relatively insignificant physical suffering due to kamma vipaka remain for an Arahant, that is negligible due to suffering that could be encountered in future births for billions of years to come.
– “Akalika” DOES NOT mean “not delayed in time”. It means that Buddha Dhamma DOES NOT CHANGE with time. Whether there is a Buddha in the world or not, the laws of nature as described by Buddha Dhamma are valid and enforced by Nature. It is just that no one would know about them in the absence of a Buddha Sasana.

P.S. “Sanditthika” (“San” + “ditthika” or “”seeing defilements”) — and removing those defilements — starts at the Sotapanna Anugami stage, and completed at the Arahant stage; see, “What is “San”? Meaning of Sansāra (or Samsāra)” and related posts.

[Lal]

Yes, Johnny. That is right.

[Lal]

Akmal wrote: ” I wanted to ask if phenomena such as spirit possession being done either willingly by a spirit/mara/yaksa/demon or through black magic is effective on Ariyas or those with Noble attainments.”

Relevant basic ideas are discussed in the post, “What Does Buddha Dhamma Say about Creator, Satan, Angels, and Demons?“.

Mara is different from other “bad beings”. Mara is a deva in the highest deva realm. He wants people to engage in moral activities and to be reborn as devas. But he is opposed to Buddha and his disciples because he thinks attaining Nibbana is bad.
– However, other bad beings who are in either the lower realms or the first deva realm tend to try to direct people to do “bad things”.

Neither type can harm true disciples of the Buddha, especially those who have attained magga phala.

Now, PEOPLE doing “black magic” is a different topic. Yes. I know that in Sri Lanka (especially in the old days), some people used to do certain things (“black magic”) to try to harm their enemies. But that practice losing ground now, because people are more informed.
– I do not really know whether those practices are effective or not.
– However, just like good thoughts can positively affect other people, bad thoughts can negatively affect targeted people. That is especially true if the “targeted person” has bad character qualities.

The bottom line is that if one lives a moral life and follow the Noble Path, one cannot be influenced by such external forces. It is those with bad character and weak minds who can be affected.
– People in Asian Buddhist countries also play “sutta chantings” in their houses regularly. I remember that it was done every morning while getting ready for school/work.
– That could have an effect of “keeping bad beings away” too. It is also conducive to a calm mindset; see, “Buddhist Chanting“.

One should also keep one’s house/environment clean. That can have a significant effect on one’s mindset. A simple, moral life goes together with simple, clean environment.
– Just like bad character qualities tend to attract bad friends, unclean environment will attract flies, cockroaches, mice, etc. and make that environment even more unhealthy.
– If one can visit a temple especially in Asian countries, one can clearly see that it is a simple and clean environment for a positive mindset, and that it is conducive to contemplation (bhavana).

[Lal]

These are questions that require some deep thinking.

“all a being is made up of are the 5 khandhas” may give a wrong impression.

Five khanadhas include EVERYTHING one has gone through from a beginning-less time.
They are almost all our memories AND future plans.

This is emphasized in the post, “Pancakkhandha or Five Aggregates – A Misinterpreted Concept“.
– For example, rupakkhandha consists of 11 types of rupa: “Eleven types of rupa (mental impressions) are in the rupakkhandha: past, present, future, near, far, fine (sukuma), coarse (olarika), likes (panita), dislikes (appanita), internal (ajjhatta), and external (bahiddha)”.
– Need to think about the above statement, “all a being is made up of are the 5 khandhas” with that in mind.

You wrote: “There is one instance in the suttas, in the Jataka, where the Buddha is greeted by a brahmin and later by his wife with ‘ Where have you been, my son, all this time’ ? The Buddha later showed the connection : they had been His parents for 500 successive human births..”

Yes. Those are the past pancakkhandha (memories about past rupa, vedana, sanna, sankhara, vinnana).

You wrote: “Where in the being are these memories ‘lodged’?”

They are in the “nama loka”, which is accessible by the mana indriya (i.e., recalling past memories).
– This is similar to using the five physical senses (cakkhu indriya, etc) to see, hear, etc of rupa in the “rupa loka”.
– More information at: “Our Two Worlds : Material and Mental”

This requires some extended thinking. I suggest to read those posts and ask more questions if needed. As I said, not many people have grasped these deeper points.

If one really needs to get a good handle, one should read “The Five Aggregates (Pancakkhandha)”
-I have not had a chance to review those posts recently. This may be a good time to for an discussion.

[Lal]

AxelSnaxel is correct. Those pannavimutti arahants have not cultivated jhana, and thus are not able to recall previous lives.
– So, I simply deleted that sentence in the post.

However, people who cultivate even anariya jhana to higher jhanic states can recall past lives. Some of these abilities just come from previous lives (for those who had cultivated such higher jhanas in previous lives), which may be what y not is referring to.

Thanks for pointing it out, AxelSnaxel. The goal is to have full inter-consistency within the website and also with the Tipitaka.

Yes. This is a good topic where people can report inconsistencies they find.

[Lal]

Good question, Tobias. This is a pronunciation issue.

Āsēvana is different from asēvana.

Sēvana is association. Āsēvana (Ā + sēvana) is “came to associate with”.

On the other hand, Asēvana (A + sēvana) is “not to associate with”, the negation.

It is very important to see the difference, which illustrates how Pali words combine (sandhi) to produce other words with very different meanings.

P.S. I just added comments in the two posts, “Associations (Sēvana)- A Root Cause of Wrong Views” and “Āsēvana and Aññamañña Paccayā” to emphasize this point.

[Lal]

The power of both metta bhavana and anicca sanna contemplation increase with understanding. There are lower levels of samadhi (upacara samadhi) that comes even before the Sotapanna Anugami stage (gothrabu or “change of lineage”).
– Therefore, even before the Sotapanna Anugami stage, there is increase in the level of understanding.

[Lal]

Those are good comments by Tobias, firewns and y not.

However, it may not be good idea to do this: “So first thing I would stop taking all medication”.

Each personal situation is unique. In many cases, medications can help.

We need also to realize that some kamma vipaka CANNOT be overcome just by following the Eightfold Path, even though it CAN help in some cases.
– Even the Buddha had to suffer the consequences of kamma vipaka. When he was injured by Devadatta, he was treated for that by his personal physician, Jivaka.
– However, one WILL BE able to remove ALL FUTURE SUFFERING by following the Path.

[Lal]

Welcome to the forum, Samuel!

“Is it correct to say that Anicca also refers to our inability to stay satisfied with anything in this world for a long time?”

Yes. Anicca has many meanings and that is one; see, “The Incessant Distress (“Pilana”) – Key to Dukkha Sacca” and “Anicca – True Meaning”.

Rest of your comment is correct too!
– Also think about other aspects, like anicca nature leading to one (eventually) getting bad rebirths, and becoming totally helpless (one meaning of anatta): “Anattā – A Systematic Analysis“.

[Lal]

“1) What does “even just one whiff of” mean from the following quote? Does it mean how long it takes to take a whiff, so like even a FEW SECONDS of metta is greatly meritorious?”

I had missed translating that verse, as y not pointed out.
Yes. Just like contemplating on the anicca (with understanding) even for a short time is most fruitful, even a few seconds of metta bhavana (with understanding) is meritorious.

For all three questions of Upekkha, this is the key: “with understanding”.
– The more one understands the anicca nature of this world, that leads to a better understanding of what metta is too. The key is to “understand” what is meant by anicca and how to do the real “metta bhavana”. Then even a short time of contemplating will lead to much merits. See, “Anicca – True Meaning” and “5. Ariya Metta Bhavana (Loving Kindness Meditation).
– That also leads to a better understanding of why giving is meritorious. For example, one “accumulates” stuff BECAUSE one perceives that those are very valuable. When one starts comprehending anicca nature, one starts to realize that one can gain more “use” of such things by giving SOME to the needy. Buddha never said to give everything.

This “understanding” is really the not so accurate translation of the Pali word “sampajanna”. One who understands the true nature is a “sampajanno”.
– Sampajanna comes from “san” + pajana”, or understanding that “san” and that accumulating ‘san” is not fruitful and even dangerous.
– The more one understands Buddha Dhamma (first why dasa akusala are BAD, kamma have corresponding vipaka, rebirth is real, AND then understanding Tilakkhana), one’s mind AUTOMATICALLY generates better kamma vipaka.

I will give a mundane example to try to explain what is meant by “understanding” and how that AUTOMATICALLY leads to actions based on that understanding: There was a boy in a classroom whom some others called by the name “orangutan”. That boy did not know that orangutan is a monkey that is extremely ugly. So did not mind others calling him orangutan. Then one day the teacher took the whole class to a Zoo. After a while, that boy starts hitting some boys who were calling him by the name “orangutan”, saying he was upset that they called him an orangutan: He had not seen or heard what an “orangutan” is, and had just seen one at the Zoo. Then only he understood what an “orangutan” is!

[Lal]

Last night I watched the following video:

“James Tour: The Mystery of the Origin of Life”

This video provides the backgrounds for both ucceda ditthi (that there is nothing other than physical body to life and that life is ended with the death of the physical body) and sassata ditthi (that there is a soul surviving the death of the physical body, and that soul is eternal and was created by the Creator).
– Even though most scientists have ucceda ditthi, James Tour has sassata ditthi.

James Tour clearly explains why evolution cannot be true and that science CANNOT explains the origins of life.
– At 39.50 minutes, he explains why it is not possible to take the physical body as “me”, because all the cells in the physical body are continuously re-generated (and scientists do not understand how the cells seem to be “programmed”).
– Therefore, he concludes, that life was created by God, the Creator.

Of course, he does not know about the third (and much deeper) possible explanation provided by the Buddha: That life has no traceable beginning and that a given “lifestream” is reborn in a wide variety of forms including human, animal, deva, brahma, etc.
– Thus Darwin’s theory of evolution is wrong, just like James Tour explains.
– There is no need to resort to a Creator either. Everything can be explained in great detail with Paticca Samuppada. Of course that takes a lot of contemplation to grasp. It is the same “lifestream” that may be reborn a monkey or a human, for example.

This video provides fundamental information that may help some of you to get a better understanding on how complex life is.
– James Tour clearly explains the how science cannot even create a single cell (basic unit of life) in the laboratory despite claims made that “we are close”.
– Science will NEVER be able to able CREATE life. It can create CONDITIONS for an existing lifestream (gandhabba) to get a physical body. That is what happened in the cloning experiments where sheep Dolly was cloned.

[Lal]

Hello Upekkha,

Thank you for bringing to attention this important sutta.

Following is my translation of the whole sutta. If there are questions, please don’t hesitate to ask:

On one occasion the Blessed One was staying in Anāthapiṇḍika’s Jetvanarama monastery. Then Anāthapiṇḍika the householder went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, bowed down to him and sat to one side. As he was sitting there, the Blessed One said to him, “Householder, are offerings still given by your family?”.

“Food offerings are still given by my family, bhante, but they are coarse made with broken rice and not that good”. (My Comment: By this time, Anāthapiṇḍika had gone broke, having spent all his wealth building Jetavanarama and making offerings to the bhikkhus every day. But he got his wealth back later on).

“Householder, regardless of whether an offering is inexpensive or expensive, if it is prepared inattentively, disrespectfully, not with one’s own hand, as if throwing it away, with the view that nothing will come of it, then the results (vipaka) of that giving will not be that good: Whenever the result of that giving comes to fruition, one would not enjoy it even if it is splendid food, splendid clothing, splendid vehicles, or any other enjoyment coming through the five senses. And one’s children, servants, and other workers will not listen to one, will not be respectful. Why is that? Because that giving was not done with the proper mindset.

Householder, regardless of whether a gift is inexpensive or expensive, if it is prepared attentively, respectfully, with one’s own hand, not as if throwing it away, knowing that good kamma lead to good vipaka, then the results (vipaka) of that giving will be optimum: Whenever the result of that giving come to fruition, one’s mind will incline to the enjoyment of splendid food, will incline to the enjoyment of splendid clothing, will incline to the enjoyment of splendid vehicles, will incline to the enjoyment of the five sense faculties. And one’s children, servants, and workers will listen to one and will be respectful. Why is that? Because that is the result of a good kamma done with the proper mindset.

Once, householder, there was a brahman named Velāma. And this was the nature of the great gift, he gave: He gave 84,000 gold trays filled with silver, 84,000 silver trays filled with gold, 84,000 copper trays filled with gems. He gave 84,000 elephants with gold ornaments, gold banners, covered with nets of gold thread. He gave 84,000 chariots spread with lion skins, tiger skins, leopard skins, saffron-colored blankets, with gold ornaments, gold banners, covered with nets of gold thread. He gave 84,000 milk cows with tethers of fine jute and copper milk pails. He gave 84,000 maidens adorned with jeweled earrings. He gave 84,000 couches spread with long-fleeced coverlets, white wool coverlets, embroidered coverlets, rugs of deer hide, each with a canopy above and on red cushions. He gave 84,000 lengths of cloth—of finest linen, of finest cotton, of finest silk. To say nothing of the food and drink, staple and non-staple food, lotions and beddings: They flowed, as it were, like rivers.

Now, householder, I was Velāma the brahman at that time. I gave those expensive gifts. But those who received those gifts were not worthy of receiving them. Therefore, those givings did not lead to much merit”
However, if there was just one who was a ditthisampanna (Sotapanna) among them, that would have led to great benefits.
If one were to feed one Anagami, that would be more fruitful than that great gift that Velāma the brahman gave.

Furthermore, if one were to feed just one Anagami, that would be more beneficial than feeding 100 Sotapannas.
– If one were to feed one Arahant, that would be more fruitful than if one were to feed 100 Anagamis.
– If one were to feed one Pacceka Buddha, that would be more fruitful than if one were to feed 100 Arahants.
– If one were to feed one Smmasambuddha– self-awakened One- that would be more fruitful than if one were to feed 100 Pacceka Buddhas.
– If one were to feed a community of monks headed by the Buddha, that would be more fruitful than if one were to feed a Smmasambuddha.
– If one were to have a dwelling built and dedicated to the community of bhikkhus, that would be more fruitful than if one were to feed a community of bhikkhus headed by the Buddha.
– If one with a confident mind were to seek the refuge Buddha, Dhamma, & Sangha, that would be more fruitful than if one were to have a dwelling built and dedicated to the bhikkhus.
– If one with a confident mind were to undertake the precepts—refraining from taking life, refraining from taking what is not given, refraining from illicit sex, refraining from misleading others, refraining from being intoxicated with liquor, money, power, etc—that would be more fruitful than if one with a confident mind were to seek refuge in Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha.

– If one were to cultivate the anicca saññā even for just a short time only lasting a finger-snap (accharāsaṅghātamattampi aniccasaññaṃ bhāveyya), that would be more fruitful than all those great gifts that Velāma the brahman gave, and also greater than those other greater actions described above.”

End of the sutta.

My comments: There are four major “take-ins”:
1. Just giving for the sake of giving (without right understanding, etc) will not be fruitful, no matter how much is given.

2. Even if a little is given with the right mindset, that will lead to much benefits (mahapphalataran).
3. Merits of such giving will increase greatly if the recipient is of worthy of receiving.
4. Comprehending the anicca nature even for a brief moment is much more beneficial than all givings mentioned.

So, there are many things we can learn from this sutta. Most of all, it shows how important it is to cultivate the anicca saññā.

[Author]

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