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Hello y not,
I missed the spouse! I may get into trouble with my wife.
It should be parents, spouse, children, siblings, extended family and friends, etc.Of course, this is not a set order. This is actually what I believe the order is for me. For another person, a close friend may come much closer, for example.
So, don’t take this order too seriously. Parents definitely come first, because they are the ones who gave us a chance to be born with a human body. There are billions of human gandhabbas waiting for a suitable womb. Killing a parent is an anantariya kamma and killing any other (except for an Arahant) is not. Of course, killing an Arahant comes under a different category based on Arahant‘s moral standing.
Very impressive!!
You seem to be making good progress in Sinhala. Is it helping with Pali words yet?Hello Donna,
Yes. We have to fulfill our obligations to others while working on our own spiritual development. So, it is always a balance. Things change unexpectedly and we have to do our best accordingly. As we fully well know, this is the anicca nature.Paying debts is a part of making progress too. In this life, we are mostly indebted to our parents, children, extended family and friends, etc in that order. In the next life, it will be different set, where we will pay debts to the next in line.
However, one thing that I have noticed is that when we do our best to fulfill our obligations, things seem to get better over time too. I think you made the right decision to leave the monastery to help your aging Dad. It is a meritorious deed. If you did not do that you could have been stressed out about it.
There is a story in the Tipitaka that I heard from a desana from Waharaka Thero. The parents of a bhikkhu became old and became helpless. The bhikkhu started to share whatever he received in his alms round each day with his parents. Other bhikkhus complained to the Buddha about this action. The Buddha actually praised that bhikkhu and approved his action.
There was also an instant where one bhikkhu became ill and became helpless with other bhikkhus avoiding him. The Buddha himself went there to take care of the bhikkhu and admonished the other bhikkhus of their misbehavior.
So, we should always try to live a balanced life. Things will work out at the end.
Hello Eric,
I am glad to hear that you have made some progress and that you are determined to stick with a plan. Doesn’t it feel good to be in a clean environment? That makes the mind calmer.
You will get more incentive to stick to the plan when you start seeing more results. Remember that progress is slow in the beginning, just like it is hard to get a stalled car moving. But once it picks up some speed, it becomes much easier.
Also, if you like the Abhidhamma section, stick with it and don’t hesitate to ask questions. There is an Abhidhamma forum.
Also, try to cut down on videos and loud music gradually. Even though acquired knowledge can reduce that tendency, it will be much easier if you enforce some discipline. For example, no matter how advanced one is, one will not be able to do any critical thinking in an environment with many distractions.
If you can, try to spend a specified time without those distractions. Try to gradually increase that time.
I am glad that you found them useful, firewns.
If you have any questions on those audios, there is a separate forum to ask questions on them: “Three Marks of Existence Discourses”.
“As I understand it, kusala kamma involves and is the PROCESS of getting rid (in time)of the kilesas, not that being rid of the kilesas in the first place is the condition on which one performs kusala kamma. If it were so, kusala kamma would be reserved for Arahants.”
Good observation, y not.
“How does one lose amoha, if it is the absence of moha, a cause of existence? For example, Nibbana is permanent and eternal, simply because it is the absence of all causes, and thus is timeless and cannot perish.”
Amoha simply means “absence of moha” at that particular time. One can act without moha (mind covered with defilements) a certain time and can act with moha at other times when tempted by an appealing sense object.
– However, a mind “not covered by defilements” does not necessarily mean one knows the real nature of this this world, i.e., Tilakkhna (that it is absolutely nothing fruitful to be had in this world).
– This is the essential point to be understood in getting to the Noble Path, i.e., to become a Sotapanna.“If amoha is not a cetasika, but the panna cetasika is cultivated instead, what is removed?”
Again, it is important to realize that one can act with amoha with moha REMAINING hidden in the mind as an anusaya. As long as one has moha anusaya, one can act with moha OR amoha depending on the sense input.
– Let us take an example to clarify this point: Person X with moha anusaya may see a drowning person Y, generate compassion, jumps into water and save Y. So, at that particular time, X acted without moha.
– However, when one cultivates panna, one will not be acting with moha AT ANY TIME. That person has removed moha anusaya, and thus will not go back and forth between moha and amoha.
– This is the uniqueness in Buddha Dhamma: to realize that one cannot be PERMANENTLY moral, until one comprehends Tilakkhana, the futility of things in this world.“In essence, how can the absence of a cause of existence itself be another cause of existence?”
– But as I explained in the post, amoha (without panna) IS A CAUSE for existence. It gives rise to rebirths in the “good realms”.
– I am glad that firewrns asked these questions. These are subtle points that need to be contemplated on and understood. That is how one’s understanding can become complete: CONTEMPLATION. That is insight mediation. It may be helpful to do a search on “anusaya gathi gati” (because I have spelled gati sometimes as gathi) and read the relevant posts.
– Anusaya and gati can be REMOVED only by cultivating panna. Essentially, anusaya and gati CANNOT be removed without comprehending the real nature of this world, Tilakkhana: anicca, dukkha, anatta. You may also want to listen to: Three Marks of Existence – English DiscoursesFinally, regarding the post in question ynot pointed out a mistake that I made: “without getting rid of moha rather than of amoha?” that appeared in #8 of that post.
– I just fixed it. Thanks, ynot.Yes. Those solipsists think that material things around us do not exist.
The Buddha said that material things do exist, but there is no value in them (because they all exist only for a finite time AND undergo unexpected change during their existence).
If one gets attached to them, one will end up in suffering.
As explained in that post, “Patthana Dhamma – Connection to Cause and Effect (Hetu Phala)“, a tree will die if the transportation of nutrients is cut-off by girdling.
In the same way, the samsaric process is stopped by cutting off the “nutrients” that feed it.
This can be stated in many different ways: removing lobha, dosa, moha is at the root; that will automatically remove the other 3 root causes of alobha, adosa, amoha; see, “Six Root Causes – Loka Samudaya (Arising of Suffering) and Loka Nirodhaya (Nibbana)“.
Removal of dasa samyojana, 12 types of akusala citta, 7 types of anusaya, or 4 types of asava gets to the same result: “Conditions for the Four Stages of Nibbana“.
Comprehension of Tilakkhana will lead to that final result of permanent release from suffering, Nibbana. All above will be completed.
Furthermore, Satipatthana/Anapanasati is the way to get there, once Tilakkhana are comprehended.
– Of course, one must get rid of the 10 types of micca ditthi, before being able to comprehend Tilakkhana.“How would someone who thinks this world does not exist account for their experiences in this world?”
You would be surprised to hear that people have all sorts of weird views. In the Brahmajala Sutta, Buddha listed 62 types of wrong views.
– There are many people even today, who believe that the world around them is all made up by the mind, for example. You can Google “solipsism” and read about it.“By a father and mother being special persons, I think it means that we are deeply indebted to our parents for giving us the chance to have a human jati. Is this view correct?”
Yes. That is correct. Even if one is in human bhava, it is not easy to born with a human body. There are an unbelievable number of human gandhabbas waiting for a mother’s womb.
– For example, in rebirth accounts, there is always a gap of many years in between two adjacent human births.” I was thinking it might be “abhi” which is strong + “vada” ??? + “mi” which is “I””
- In this case, breakdown of the word does not work. It is just a word on its own.
” I just permutated vowels in the word – not that I know anything about it.”
- Very impressive! Pali words rhyme in a certain way.
The word comes in a popular Dhammapada gatha:
Abhivadana silissa
niccam vuddhapacayino
cattaro dhamma vaddhanti
ayu vanno sukham balamTranslated: “One who always respects and honors those who are virtuous and wise, is bound to receive (as kamma vipaka in future lives) four benefits of longevity, health, comforts and strength.”
abhivādana means to “bow down (in reverence)”.
The following dictionary is the best that I found, even though it is not totally accurate:
“Concise Pali-English Dictionary by A.P. Buddhadatta Mahathera”abhivādemi means “I bow down”.
I must add that some people may not see the reasoning explained this way, i.e, to see the anatta nature.
Many people start comprehending anicca nature first. So, no one should be discouraged if this does not seem to be the way they are understanding Tilakkhana.
Thank you, Vilas, for sharing your experience. It is apparent that you have spent time contemplating on some key issues.
You said, “What I found out is that by changing the “gati” or habit pattern, one can change the way “chitta flows” and what rupa is being created and what perception is being had, what feeling is being generated and whether an abhisankahara needs to be performed”
That is a key point. And those gati are changed permanently at each stage of magga phala.As you explain in the rest of the post, “I” that arises depends on the arammana (thought object) and one’s gati.
This is why there is no “unchanging self”. But since gati come into play, one cannot say that there is “no-self” either. Until one gets to the Arahant stage (i.e., until one’s gati are removed), there is a “perception of a self”. This is the key that many people have a hard time understanding.Thank you, firewns.
Yes. It is discussed specifically at #2 in that post.Even if one has pending kamma vipaka, they cannot bring their fruits unless suitable conditions are present.
A special case is when one attains magga phala. Then the conditions for certain kamma vipaka to bring to fruits are removed permanently.
– For example, if one has kamma vipaka that could lead to rebirth in the apayas, they are automatically prevented from bringing vipaka when the Sotapanna stage is attained.
