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This is an issue that is do with the beginning of the humans. This is not the right time to discuss it.
– We have enough more important issues to worry about.I am going to repeat what I just mentioned in another topic:
I have been writing a series of posts at the following discussion forum.
I am trying to present a systematic presentation there, starting at a basic level (a suggested sequence of posts was published only a couple of days ago):
The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara TheroSince it is hard to present such a systematic approach at puredhamma.net, I plan to continue that series.
It is not possible to perceive beings in higher realms with our own experience.
– “Brahma bodies” are unimaginably small.
– They have attained “brhama bhava” by giving up cravings for not only sex but most sense pleasures in preference of jhanic pleasures.I have been writing a series of posts at the following discussion forum. I recently wrote about this issue there.
I am trying to present a systematic presentation there, starting at a basic level (a suggested sequence of posts was published only a couple of days ago):
The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara TheroSince it is hard to present such a systematic approach at puredhamma.net, I plan to continue that series.
From MN 115:
– ‘Aṭṭhānametaṃ anavakāso yaṃ itthī arahaṃ assa sammāsambuddho, netaṃ ṭhānaṃ vijjatī’ti pajānāti; ‘ṭhānañca kho etaṃ vijjati yaṃ puriso arahaṃ assa sammāsambuddho, ṭhānametaṃ vijjatī’ti pajānāti. ‘Aṭṭhānametaṃ anavakāso yaṃ itthī rājā assa cakkavattī, netaṃ ṭhānaṃ vijjatī’ti pajānāti; ‘ṭhānañca kho etaṃ vijjati yaṃ puriso rājā assa cakkavattī, ṭhānametaṃ vijjatī’ti pajānāti. ‘Aṭṭhānametaṃ anavakāso yaṃ itthī sakkattaṃ kareyya … mārattaṃ kareyya … brahmattaṃ kareyya, netaṃ ṭhānaṃ vijjatī’ti pajānāti; ‘ṭhānañca kho etaṃ vijjati yaṃ puriso sakkattaṃ kareyya … mārattaṃ kareyya … brahmattaṃ kareyya, ṭhānametaṃ vijjatī’ti pajānāti.Not possible for a female to be a Sammasambuddha, only a male can be a Sammasambuddha. Similarly for cakkavattī emperor (who would rule the whole of the Earth from time-to-time), Sakka (King of Devas), Mara Devaputta, and a brahma.
Except for the brahmas, all others are from kama loka. It is quite clear that a female would not be able to become any of those within that lifetime. That does not mean a woman in the current life cannot become a Buddha or any of the above in the future. In fact, I think when our Bodhisattva started the paramita process, he was a woman in that life.
The statement about the brahma is a bit confusing, since there are no female brahmas. It may just mean that a woman has to attain the “male qualities” to become a brahma. For example, a female cultivating jhana in this life, would acquire “male qualities” at that point. That just means the mindset has been elevated, not a sex change. Even if it is an anariya jhana, one would keep that “elevated mindset” until that kammic energy is exhausted at the death of that brahma.
Regarding the questions:
1)What is meant by “purisa gati”. Is it the personality traits (mental traits) of a male?
-it is an “elevated mindset”. It appears to be easier for a “conventional purisa” or a man to attain.If the other questions do not have satisfactory answers above, we can discuss more. Furthermore, others may have more ideas or a better interpretation.
Thanks, Johnny_Lim.
Informative video. It gives a good idea of how complex our bodies are.
Of course, it shows the overall anicca nature too. Each and every body is subjected to decay and death as well unexpected problems. And many things can go wrong with that complex body at any time.
Yeos said: “comes to my mind…:
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.028.nymo.html
“The eye is burning, forms are burning, eye-consciousness is burning, eye-contact is burning,..”
The sutta is Adittapariyaya Sutta (SN 35.28):
The sutta is not about a real fire. Most English translations do not provide the real message embedded in the sutta. It is about the “fires in the mind” due to hate, greed, and ignorance.
This “burning up” is called “tāpa” in Pali, and is due to greed, hate, and ignorance. “Ātāpi” means the opposite, “cooling down via getting rid of those defilements”. This is what is meant by “ātāpi sampajānō” in the Satipattana sutta; see, “Mahā Satipatthāna Sutta“.
- When someone can get to the “ātāpi sampajānō” state, one feels calm and “cooled down”; see, “Kāyānupassanā – The Section on Habits (Sampajānapabba)“.
Yes, Tien. Your original post was in the spam folder.
Since this happened to a couple of people before, I checked the spam folder and “unspammed” it.
Anyone running to this problem, please send me an email: [email protected].
You said: “According to the lifetime of stars (details here) and their abundance in the universe, a Red Dwarf’s age is vary from 100 billions years (BY) to 1 billion billion years (BBY), and they are the most abundant stars in the universe (80%).”
I checked that link and the maximum lifetime shown there seems to 200 billion years. Did I miss the higher numbers somehow?
y not said: “Yet, if he is feeling unsettled, is that not an indication that there already is remorse hidden somewhere? – lying underneath, below the conscious level. And will not the possible kammic outcomes be still worse if he has an altogether wrong view about what is moral – i.e if he feels ‘settled’ in performing the deed, and does it with joy?”
That is very true. Those with “really covered minds” or moha will have no remorse even. So, indeed it is good that M “feels unsettled”.
In fact, when one starts on Satipatthana, one may realize that one just did something wrong after-the-fact. But that is still good. Then one makes a determination to “catch it early” next time. That is how one makes progress.
But the point is that it is not enough just to realize that one is doing something wrong. One MUST act on it and at least get the bad habit reduced gradually. Just keep thinking about it is bad.
Let me see whether I get this right.
Case 1: Man (M) lives with woman (W). Out of an old bad habit, M likes to have sex with a prostitute (P) and he pays P for sex. W is not aware of this.
– M is doing an akusala kamma because he can potentially hurt W, if she finds out. Whether W finds out or not, M KNOWS that he is doing something wrong.Let us consider an imaginary case 2: M having an affair with another married woman (W1). In that case, M could potentially hurt both M and W1’s spouse.
So, the only difference between case 1 and case 2 is that in case 2, he will be doubling up on akusala kamma.
– Just because one has not been caught DOES NOT mean one is not doing a bad kamma. M already knows that M is doing a bad kamma.You asked: “For instance: the more he’ll feel unsettled about his deed worse will be the kammic outcomes?”
– Yes. M is generating lot of bad vaci sankhara and that adds to bad kamma. Kamma is not just bodily action. Speech and conscious thoughts also contribute.I emphasize this all the time: One should contemplate on the possible bad consequences of one’s actions: in this case hurting W, and hurting himself too (due to possible breakup with W and associated mental suffering). That will provide incentive to break such bad habits.
No. There I was referring to having sex with a person who either is married or is engaged.
The bottom line is whether it will disrupt another relationship.
In dealing with any akusala that is a baseline criterion. If the action harms others, that is bad.
Yeos asked: “When one attains an anariya jhana AND does not lose it ” how to behave for not losing it – Panca Sila and not acting with dasa akusala it’s enough?”
To attain jhana one must abstain from both dasa akusala and at least suppress kama raga. Jhanas correspond to mental states of brahma realms, and thus one must have the mindset of a brahma, who do not engage in sex (they are unisex, i.e., no male/female brahmas).
– Also see the response to upekkha100 below.Ascendance to Nibbāna via Jhāna (Dhyāna)
Rest of your question: I just answered in the other post that you asked essentially the same question.
Upekkha100: I have revised #8 of the following post to provide a better explanation of what happens to one who has attained anariya jhana:
Ascendance to Nibbāna via Jhāna (Dhyāna)
From there:
- One who abstains from akusala kamma and kāmaccanda, can cultivate rūpavacara or arūpavacara jhāna. With those mahaggata kusala kamma (mahaggata means higher), one WILL be reborn in rūpa or arūpa lōka at the next cuti-patisandhi transition., not at the death of the current physical body.
- However, one must not lose that jhāna until that moment, which means through possibly more births as a human within the current human bhava.
- This also explains why some people can easily get to jhāna. Those had cultivated jhāna in recent human births within this human bhava.
- However, if it is an anāriya jhāna, one has not been released from the apāyas, since one has not removed avijjā by comprehending Tilakkhana.
P.S. I have not yet found a Tipitaka reference for the effects of mahaggata kusala kamma. Here is a short desana by Waharaka Thero for those who understand Sinhala:
ආනන්තරිය කුසල් තිබේද?Sexual MISCONDUCT is an akusala kamma. That could make one eligible to be born in the apayas.
But having sex is not an akusala kamma. Sex becomes an akusala kamma if it is harmful to the other person(s), i.e., if it is a child, someone else’s partner, etc.
Is It Necessary for a Buddhist to Eliminate Sensual Desires?
One can have cravings for sex or any other “legitimate” sense pleasures and still can become a Sotapanna.
– One needs to abstain from sex (or any other sense pleasure) to attain the Anagami stage:Yes. Akvan is right.
– An anantariya kamma, by definition, is one that WILL invariably bring in vipaka at death. It will not wait until one’s kammic energy for the current bhava runs out.Therefore, an anariya jhana cannot be labelled an anantariya kamma.
– However, an Ariya jhana is an anantariya kamma.Now, the question is: When one attains an anariya jhana AND does not lose it until the moment of death, will he/she be born in a brahma realm EVEN IF one has kammic energy for the current bhava left?
– I need to think about that to make sure.
– If someone has evidence from the Tipitaka, please post it.1 user thanked author for this post.
As I explained, if that person has not the new gati by the time of death, he/she will be born in the corresponding brahma realm.
An anantariya kamma breaks the current bhava.
- That means even if there is more kammic energy for the human bhava left, one will be born in an apaya when one’s physical body dies if one did an anantariya papa (apunna) kamma in this life.
- In the same way, if one cultivated a jhana (an anatariya punna kamma), one will be born in the corresponding brahma realm.
“Breaking the human bhava” involves a clear change in one’s gathi (or gati).
- When one does an anantariya papa kamma, ons’s gati changes irreversibly (not forever, but for this life).
- No matter how many punna or kusala kamma one engages in AFTER doing that anantariya kamma, one will not be able to overcome it until one pays for that kamma by spending time in the appropriate apaya.
In the case of cultivating a jhana, one has transcended the human realm and is elevated to a brahma realm (by changing one’s gati).
– But unless it is an Ariya jhana, one can lose that “better gati” by engaging in activities that corrupts one’s mind. In that case one’s gati will reveres back to human, and if does an anatariya papa kamma, one’s gati will change to that of a being in an apaya.
– When one gets to an Ariya jhana, one’s anusaya or root causes have been permanently removed. That gati can never change.Devadatta had cultivated anariya jhana. He went “downward” twice, first losing the jhanas, and then doing an anatariya papa kamma by injuring the Buddha.
This is why we need to be careful. It is easy to break something, but never easy to fix something that is broken.
– It is easy to corrupt a mind (that still has anusaya left), but it is very hard to overcome cravings and cultivate a defilement-free mind.
– The exception is that it is not possible to break a magga phala or an Ariya jhana.The key is to understand gati and how they are intricately associated with one’s mindset.
Buddha Dhamma is NOT based on kamma and kamma vipaka, even though they play a significant role.
– It is based on causes (hetu) and effects (phala).
– If we HAVE TO pay back all the bad (or good) kamma we have done, we will never be able to attain Nibbana. What is critical to do is to remove root causes (anusaya). That is always associated with magga phala. One cannot get to Ariya jhana unless one has magga phala.“it can also happen that when walking in the street and looking at a specific place where i was once with him/her, at the very moment that i look at that place I’ll think about him/her – then such thought would be triggered by the sense of sight plus the respective aggregates ?”
Yes. In this particular case, the initial “trigger” is seeing that specific place.
But there are times when thoughts come directly to the mind, without the involvement of the five physical senses.
