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Tien said: “my question is why maccariya would be a bad thing in the below example:
Suppose one has a huge amount of wealth but just want to live a simple life, so one would like to not announce one’s huge wealth, not buying anything fancy, or just simply hide wealth from others, to avoid fame, harassment or theft.”
Maccariya arises out of greed. One does not want others to know that one has a lot of wealth, BECAUSE one is afraid that others will either try to rob him or come asking for money.
So, one with maccariya WILL KNOW that one has it. However, others may not know.
Most of these “other bad mental factors” arise out of lobha (ranging from extreme greed, to craving for sense pleasures, to craving for jhanic pleasures), dosa (hate/anger), or moha (ranging from not knowing the difference between moral/immoral, to avijja or not comprehending Tilakkhana).
Christian has been writing to me for a while, and is making great progress. He is also making an effort to help others by introducing them to Buddha Dhamma, which is a highly meritorious deed.
I like the following from Christian’s post above:
“So Buddha did not say “Do not be happy” but “Do not be happy on the basis of mental fabrication”
So by getting rid of mental fabrications and attachments our mind will generate much more blissful and happiness which is independent and unconditioned and this is Nibbana,”These “mental fabrications” are what I called “day dreaming” or “fantasizing” or vaci sankhara in my recent posts. One (or one’s vinnana) basically makes up or fabricates scenarios for enjoyment, which can be really harmful.
– Real and long-lasting happiness is attained by getting rid of such “mind-made” pleasures. The Buddha said that vinnana is like a magician, providing an illusion of happiness.“In contrast, during unplanned times when I’m simply lying back and my mind is calm and start thinking about concepts, things start clicking and connecting and makes sense. I’d describe these as epiphanies/”aha” moments. But the unusual thing is, when I’m thinking about these concepts, I’m not in silence. Meaning, I get these realizations when I am talking to myself out loud or when writing these thoughts down. In other words I seem to not get benefit from silent thinking(sankappa), but I do notice benefits when I engage in vaca and writing-I seem to understand better via these two methods.”
This is really true.
Bhavana is NOT just formal meditation. Some people think bhavana requires one to sit like a statue. Many of those people just focus their mind on the breath, which is really a waste of time.
One could be consciously thinking or talking (both involve vaci sankhara), and even engage in writing (involving kaya sankhara) while doing bhavana.
On the other hand, mano sankhara arise automatically (when a sense input comes in), and are not really involved in bhavana.
By the way, Samma Sankappa are conscious thoughts. They are really vaci sankhara (talking to oneself), which is what you seem to be doing. Based on Samma Sankappa, one speaks out (Samma Vaca) and does bodily actions (Samma Kammanata).
So, everything you are doing seem to be correct. Listening to Dhamma discourses (and reading) are also strong aspects of bhavana.
Basically, bhavana is any activity that helps makes progress on the Path.
There are some misconceptions about this in India and Sri Lanka. Most people there think Jambudīpa means India. But some people argue that Jambudīpa is really Sri Lanka. Both are wrong per Tipitaka.
In the Paṭhamakosala Sutta (AN 10.29): “Yāvatā, bhikkhave, candimasūriyā pariharanti disā bhanti virocamānā, tāva sahassadhā loko. Tasmiṃ sahassadhā loke sahassaṃ candānaṃ sahassaṃ sūriyānaṃ sahassaṃ sinerupabbatarājānaṃ sahassaṃ jambudīpānaṃ sahassaṃ aparagoyānānaṃ sahassaṃ uttarakurūnaṃ sahassaṃ pubbavidehānaṃ ..”
Translated (from the link below): ““Bhikkhus, as far as sun and moon revolve and light up the quarters with their brightness, so far the thousandfold world system extends. In that thousandfold world system there are a thousand moons, a thousand suns, a thousand Sinerus king of mountains, a thousand Jambudīpas, a thousand Aparagoyānas, a thousand Uttarakurus, a thousand Pubbavidehas, and a thousand four great oceans; a thousand four great kings, a thousand heavens ruled by the four great kings, a thousand Tāvatiṃsa heavens..”
A fairly good English translations is at: Kosala (1)
This is an interesting sutta that provides a lot of information on Buddha’s world view 2600 years ago. Here are some key points:
- There are four “dīpās” inhabited by humans centered on the Earth (in bold in the above paragraph). Jambudīpa is just one and it includes all the countries, not only India and Sri Lanka.
- The other three “dīpās”, we cannot see. They exist around the Earth, but are invisible to us, just like deva and brahma realms are also invisible.
- The sutta describes 1,000 “world systems”. Each one is centered around a star (our star is the Sun). Each of those “world systems” has 31 realms associated with it; each has those four “dīpās”.
- However, a Buddha is born only in our world system (within the 1,000 world systems), i.e., only in our Jambudīpa.
- There are an uncountable number of such clusters of 1,000 world systems in the universe (according to Buddha Dhamma). Such clusters are well-separated, and there could be Buddhas born in each of those.
- No one but a Buddha can even travel to another “1,000 world system”. Brahmas and Devas from our “1,000 world system” can visit Earth. For example, Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta says Brahmas and Devas from our “1,000 world systems” were present to hear that first desana by the Buddha.
- Furthermore, according to modern science, the separation between two adjacent “world systems” or “star systems” is several light years. That means to get to the nearest “world system” it will take say at least five years travelling at the speed of light. Since only a fraction of that speed can attained by a spacecraft, it is unlikely that humans will be able to travel even to the closest star system anytime soon. Maybe never.
- Finally, we must note that modern science was not aware of the existence of even our Moon, let alone any other “star systems with planets”, until Galileo (in the early 1600’s). This is clear evidence of the capabilities of a Buddha, and why we can have faith in his Dhamma (of course, practice provides more evidence too).
- Of course, the Buddha found out all these things about the universe without any telescopes. That shows the power of mind, when it is purified to the fullest.
This is a brief summary.
P.S. So, the meaning of the word, Jambudīpa, as pointed out by Vilas in his first post, is correct. A Buddha is born only in Jambudīpa.
Here is the original paragraph from the sutta link that Christian provided:
“Then, Malunkyaputta, with regard to phenomena to be seen, heard, sensed, or cognized: In reference to the seen, there will be only the seen. In reference to the heard, only the heard. In reference to the sensed, only the sensed. In reference to the cognized, only the cognized. That is how you should train yourself. When for you there will be only the seen in reference to the seen, only the heard in reference to the heard, only the sensed in reference to the sensed, only the cognized in reference to the cognized, then, Malunkyaputta, there is no you in connection with that. When there is no you in connection with that, there is no you there. When there is no you there, you are neither here nor yonder nor between the two. This, just this, is the end of stress.”
This is a very deep sutta that needs a lot of explanation. As Christian pointed out, those verses are also in the Bahiya Sutta.
“diṭṭhe diṭṭhamattaṃ bhavissati” needs a lot of explanation by itself. But it is translated as just one sentence in English: “In reference to the seen, there will be only the seen” (indicated in bold above).
If pressed into translating it to a single English sentence, I would say: “What is seen is only a picture (like that taken from a camera)”. But in practice, we “see” much more than that: We see ” an attractive person, a friend, an enemy, etc”. In other words, our gati are AUTOMATICALLY taken into account via our relationship with the object that we see.
– This is why two people may “see” the same object “differently”: one may “see” person X as “friend” and the other may “see” the same person X as “enemy”.This is what is explained in the recent post: “Amazingly Fast Time Evolution of a Thought (Citta)“.
One really needs to think deep in order to grasp the meaning of this sutta.
If one is interested in looking deeper, the following posts could be helpful too:
First read: “Difference Between Rupa and Rupakkhandha“, and then“Pancakkhandha or Five Aggregates – A Misinterpreted Concept“.
– One should especially watch the “Animation Video” section there.When one gets rid of one’s defilements (lobha, dosa, moha), one’s gati will also go away, and then what one “sees” would really be “what one has seen”, i.e., there is no attachment, no revulsion (anger), no ignorance (avijja) involved.
– Of course, one cannot get there quickly, like Ven. Bahiya in the Bahiya Sutta was able to. Buddha said Ven. Bahiya was the quickest person to grasp Dhamma concepts.
– Rather, especially these days, it is a step-by-step process: “Is It Necessary for a Buddhist to Eliminate Sensual Desires?“.Therefore, it is not easy to grasp the message embedded in that verse above. But if one can, then one would gain a deeper understanding.
“So vaci sankhara can be more specifically defined in terms of vitakka and vicara right? Then the key to stopping a certain thought is to stop the vicara, then vitakka, then apply vitakka to another thought.”
You got it exactly right!
P.S. For those who may not know: Vitakka is setting one’s attention on a given thought object. Vicara is maintaining one’s attention on that thought object, generating more vaci sankhara.
Vaci sankhara are actually defined as “vitakka, vicara“.
Hello Akvan,
“Waharaka Thero mentions that the 7 lives that a saththakathuparama has left doesn’t really refer to bava.”
Yes. That is correct.
I am not sure what issue is that we are trying to resolve. Can you ask the question again?What I have stated is that once one attains the Sotapanna stage, there will be no “eighth bhava”. He/she will attain the Arahant stage within 7 bhava.
But that COULD take more than seven jati or births within those seven bhava. There is no stated limit to number of jati within a given bhava.
Of course, a Sotapanna COULD attain Arahanthood within the same bhava too. Sometimes, one can go through all four stage of Nibbana and attain the Arahanthood while listening to a single desana.
Hopefully, the following will clarify the situation:
- King Bimbisara attained the Sotapanna stage BEFORE dying.
- The lifespans of the realms given, for example, at “31 Realms of Existence“, are the MAXIMUM possible.
- Apparently, “King Bimbisara” died several times in that deva realm and was reborn in the same realm, just a like a human can die and reborn many times in the human realm. The only difference is that there is no gandhabba state in deva realms.
– It is possible for a being in any of those realms to “die” before that time.
– If a deva with a Sakadagami stage attains the Anagami stage, then he would be reborn instantly in a brahma realm reserved for Anagamis.
– If a deva generates hateful thought towards another deva, he could be instantly reborn in a lower realm.
– Furthermore, a being in one of those realms could die at any moment due a kamma vipaka, just like humans die in early life.y not: Where does it say, ” text allows for those 14 ‘lives’ to be bhavas not only jatis.”?
From the Janavasabha Sutta (DN 18):
“Idaṃ sattamaṃ kho ahaṃ, bhante, vessavaṇassa mahārājassa sahabyataṃ upapajjāmi, so tato cuto manussarājā bhavituṃ pahomi
Ito satta tato satta,
saṃsārāni catuddasa;
Nivāsa¬mabhi¬jānāmi,
yattha me vusitaṃ pure.
Dīgharattaṃ kho ahaṃ, bhante, avinipāto avinipātaṃ sañjānāmi, āsā ca pana me santiṭṭhati sakadāgāmitāyā’”ti.Translated: “This is now the seventh time, Bhante, that I am reborn into the communion of the great King Vessavaṇa. Deceased as a human king, I am in heaven, a non-human king.
Seven there and seven here, in all fourteen rebirths—So much I know of lives I’ve lived in the past. Long, Bhante, have I, who am destined not to be reborn in states of woe (apayas), been conscious of that destiny, and now there is desire in me to become a Sakadagami.”Hi Akvan,
There is a difference between bhava and jati: “Bhava and Jāti – States of Existence and Births Therein“.
“King Bimbisara was born 14 times in deva and human realms”. Those are 14 jati, and not bhava.
Welcome to the forum, layman!
Yes. As I explained in that example, if one stops taking drugs but keeps on thinking about those drug related pleasures/activities, then it will not be possible to break the habit. At least, it will take much longer to break the habit; but the real problem is that if one uses it just one time after even several months, then one will have to start all over.
Of course that is the hard part too: to stop thinking about it. The Buddha suggested the following:
- One must think about the bad consequences of taking drugs. Since thinking about drugs also contribute to the problem, it is as bad as taking drugs. One could read about what happens to drug addicts at the end, and that should scare anyone.
- Start doing or thinking about another activity that one likes, when those bad thoughts come to the mind. One could read a book, exercise, or do some other activity that one likes.
- If all this fails, one should “with his teeth clenched and his tongue pressed against the roof of his mouth — he should beat down, constrain, and suppress those bad thoughts”.
The above quotation (which I revised a bit) is from the “Vitakkasanthana Sutta: The Relaxation of Thoughts“.
– It is not a very good translation. But the above three points are made in that sutta.
– Of course it should work with any bad habit.So, it takes a real effort to suppress such thoughts (vaci sankhara).
I am not sure about the significance of the 49th and 100th days. But I have heard an explanation for waiting for 7 days before making an offering to the bhukkhus and giving merits (pattidana) for the diseased person.
As we know, when a person’s physical body dies, the mental body (gandhabba) comes out if the kammic energy for the human bhava has not run out. Then that gandhabba has to wait for many years before a suitable womb becomes available. During this time, it is possible for the gandhabba to receive merits form the relatives.
However, when that gandhabba comes out of the dead body, he becomes disoriented for several days (let us assume it is a “he”). First there is no realization that one has lost the “solid body”. Contrary to what we believe, one may not feel much pain at death. Sometime back, I watched a youtube video of a rebirth story of a person who died in an automobile accident. The reborn child says he remembers his car getting hit by a large truck, and that next moment he was watching the scene of the accident from above. He said he did not feel any pain. Maybe he died instantly.
The following is not from his story, but is a generic description given by Waharaka Thero. A “new gandhbba” tries to talk to the humans around and of course they are not aware of him. If he wants to get somewhere, he gets there instantly. So, most people who die of accidents just go home instantly to their surprise. Then he tries to get a drink, but of course there are no sold hands to hold a cup. So, it is a confusing time period for the new gandhabba. But other gandhabbas teach him how to function in that world, called “para loka” by the Buddha. It exists “side-by-side” with our human world, but we cannot see that world.
The bottom line here is that it takes the new gandhabba about seven days to settle down in his new world. Until then his mind is too agitated to receive any merits. That is the reason for waiting for 7 days before trying to “give merits” or pattidana. For a discussion on pattidana, see, “Transfer of Merits (Pattidāna) – How Does it Happen?“.
It is likely that one with a dvihetuka patisandhi may not be able to fully get rid of the 10 types of micca ditthi. For someone to really believe in something, the REASONS for believing must be become clear.
– That is really the difference between blind faith and true faith based on understanding.This is sort of like the following: Suppose one learns a complex mathematical procedure, but the understanding is not complete. Then he/she may be able to solve some problems, but will not be able to solve a problem that requires the full understanding.
So, one with a dvihetuka patisandhi may not have the wisdom to fully get rid of the 10 types of micca ditthi, and thereby to comprehend Tilakkhana.
However, I MUST point out that this issue of determining whether one has tihetuka or dvihetuka patisandhi is very TRICKY.
The story of Ven. Culapanthaka from the Tipitaka is an excellent example. He almost disrobed because he could not even memorize a single gāthā after trying hard for months. His older brother, who was already an Arahant, became frustrated and asked him to disrobe. He apparently thought that Culapanthaka had a dvihetuka birth.
But with Buddha’s help, Ven. Culapanthaka was able to attain the Arahanthood in a day, and simultaneously developed abhinna powers too.
So, it is best not to worry about this issue and strive to the best of one’s ability. Even if one has a dvihetuka birth, one can make a lot of progress and make conditions for the next patisandhi to be a tihetuka one.
These are the basic rules that can be used to settle these questions:
- Whether it is tihetuka or dvihetuka is determined at the moment of grasping a new bhava at a cuit-patisandhi moment.
- Then that (tihetuka or dvihetuka) is not changed during that whole bhava. For example, if one is born a human with tihetuka patisandhi, it will not change to dvihetuka (and vice versa), when that person is born a human many times during that bhava.
- There is a third category called “ahetuka”, which is the lowest. Beings in the four realms (and even a few humans) are born with ahetuka (which does not mean without hetu, but just means with “no good hetu”). Those humans born with ahetuka patisandhi are mentally retarded, and thus can be recognized.
- What kind of a birth (ahetuka, dvihetuka, tvihetuka) is determined by the kamma beeja (or the kamma vipaka) responsible for the new bhava.
- Therefore, even a human with tihetuka patisandhi can be born with an ahetuka patisandhi in the next bhava. Conversely, an animal could be born with a tihetuka human in the next bhava.
- Those are changed permanently only with magga phala. Of course anyone with a magga phala will always be reborn with a tihetuka patisandhi.
Please ask questions if anything is not clear.
