Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Siebe said: “The Buddha states there are impossible places, i.e. places of rebirth in which the death apparantly cannot partake of our gifts offered. It seems only rebirth as a hungry ghost (peta) is a possible place. They can partake of offerings but other rebirths seem to be impossible places.”
This translation does not adequately express the true idea of that sutta. Janussoni brahmana asked the Buddha: “ Bhante, you know that we brahmans make offerings, saying, ‘May this food be enjoyed by our dead relatives; may our dead relatives accept this food.’ Now, Bhante, can our dead relatives actually accept this food?”
So, what the Buddha explained was that only those relatives who are born in certain peta realms (hungry ghosts) can actually accept and consume that food. In fact, the Buddha said that those particular petas get their food only that way. If they do not get such offerings, they just go hungry.
On the other hand, beings in other realms cannot get their food that way. For example, one born as a hell-being, an animal, a human, or a deva cannot get their food from such offerings, because that is not how they get their food.
However, this has nothing to do with giving merits (pattidana/punna anumodana). All beings can benefit from that; see, “Transfer of Merits (Pattidāna) – How Does it Happen?“.
@ y not: Sorry I missed your post.
Paying back previous debts is very important. These connections prevail though many lives, and can block the path to Nibbana.
For example, there is a Tipitaka story about two bhikkhus who meditated together. They could not concentrate because each one keep seeing a huge pile of rice in the mind. Finally, they came to the Buddha, who explained that they had been together as two beggars in a far back life; one didn’t have anything to eat one night and asked for some rice from the other. He promised to pay it back, but died overnight. That was the debt waiting to be paid. So, the Buddha asked the monk who was the donor in that previous life to focus on the other and to say that he is forgiven. Once that was done, those “mental rice piles” disappeared from their minds and they were able to proceed.
Here a question may come up: how could it be bad for the donor, since he did a good deed? However, the donor in this particular case did not “donate” in the true sense (i.e., with no attachment to that cup of rice). Rather, it was a loan that he wanted the other to pay back. This is why it is important to “give” in the true sense giving.
When one is doing metta bhavana, one is paying off all such previous debts. Even mundane metta bhavana is good. As one’s comprehension of anicca, dukkha, anatta, asubha nature, that will increasingly become Ariya metta bhavana. In other words, power of the javana citta will get stronger with increased understanding.
This is the mindset that Tien had when he started contemplating on an ant in his earlier post. When one realizes that all beings are “in the same boat”, and are subjected to this sansaric suffering, one’s mind will generate high javana power.
P.S. It is important to realize that not each and every little debt is going to affect one like in the above example. We know that there are many examples where people attained even Arahanthood in the same life after killing people (Angulimala is a good example); that is a huge debt! So, the story given above is not a typical case. Mind issues can be very complex.
Tien said: “When look back to the experience I describe here, I can tell it’s Sakadagami Phala, it’s hard to differentiate between this and Anagami Phala, only later time when you will know for sure..”
Yes. Getting rid of kama raga anusaya is harder. This is why we all have been trapped in the rebirth process for so long. A Sakadagami does not have any desire to “own” those things that provide sense pleasure, but still have cravings to enjoy (some of) them. In fact, I have been in this stage for some time now.
I can clearly see that I have no desire to “enjoy an alcoholic beverage”, to a watch a movie, listen to music, etc (Of course, I can do any of them if I feel like, but I just do not feel like doing them). I have clearly seen not only the uselessness but also the dangers in them. I am easily abstaining from all other sense pleasures as well. It is not that I have to make an effort to do that. But such thoughts (vaci sankhara) keep popping to the mind occasionally, probably due to previous gati, as Tien mentioned. But the frequency of that is reducing.
P.S. Of course, I can only know what I have attained.But there seem to be at least several making good progress.
Thank you, Vilas.
I will get to it ASAP. I need to finish a couple of more posts on the basic aspects of the mind. I am working on probably two posts on bhavanga, which is misunderstood by many.
Siebe said: “Regarding the subject of the range of Mara’s excercising authority.
MN49 describes…”Then Mara the Evil One took possession of a member of
the Brahma’s Assembly..” So, apparantly Mara can take possession of Brahma’s too.”That is true. So, it seems there could be exceptions to #1 in my post above.
Some general comments:
- A being in a given realm cannot adversely affect the mind of another in a higher realm. In fact, a deva cannot even see a brahma in any realm. A Brahma in a lower realm cannot even see one in a higher realm.
- No being in any realm can deviate a Noble person (including a Sotapanna Anugami) from the Noble Path.
- A sotapanna will attain the Arahanthood within 7 bhava. That means they will have to wait a MAXIMUM of 7 bhava. It could happen even within the same bhava or even the same jati, IF one happens to be lucky enough (or make an effort hard enough).
- Devaputta Mara may be able to influence the mind of a Sotapanna to some degree. It is said that Mara was able to make Ven. Ananda’s mind agitated enough to forget to request the Buddha to live his full life (about 100 years). However, Devaputta Mara can never make any Noble Person (Ariya) to be deviated from the Path.
- It is those who have not yet gotten to the Sotapanna Anugamai stage that need to be careful and be mindful. As long as one has faith in the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha, NO ONE in any realm can make anyone deviate from the Path. But until one gets to the Sotapanna Anugami stage, one is vulnerable to such external influences (and of course to kilesa Mara or one’s own defilements too).
All those things that you describe are true for anyone, Siebe.
That is part of the suffering that people tend to ignore. Life is a struggle, and we normally do not feel most of the suffering because our minds are focused on perceived benefits in the future.
But by the time one works hard and get to the top of their profession (if one is lucky), one is at the old age and is getting close to death.
It may sound too blunt, but that is the reality. Think about all those who reached their peak 10-20 years ago, and how they are doing now (if they are still alive).
Thanks, Siebe.
Here is an English translation of that sutta (MN 50), that gives the basic idea:
Discourse On A Rebuke To MāraSiebe (or anyone else): Do you know the name of sutta which describes how Devaputta Māra once got inside Ven. Moggallana’s body? He then admonished the Māra and reminded him that he himself was the Māra at an earlier time, and had to be born in the apayas by insulting a Buddha at that time.
The point is that Māra himself would die one day and can be born in the apayas. There is no realm in this world of 31 realms that is “safe”.
All the comments made are good. I just wanted to expand a bit more on what Siebe mentioned.
There are mainly two types of “Māra”, even though the first kind may have more subdivisions. They are both bad.
One is called “kilesa Māra”. These are one’s own defilements. By the way, kilesa means “defilements”. They can be hidden below the surface as anusaya and may be “hidden” for long times, especially when one has a good, steady, moral mindset.
-However, those hidden anusaya (“kilesa Māra”) can easily come back up under suitable conditions. When one’s mind is agitated or when the sense inputs become strong, they can come to the surface.The second is called “Māra deva”, sometimes called the “Devaputta Māra”. He is an actual deva in the Paranimmita vasavatti deva realm, which is the highest deva realm. Obviously, he is could not have been there without doing good deeds. And that is actually the problem. He thinks people should be moral, do good deeds, and be born in deva realms just like him. But he is scared of Nibbana (just like many “secular Buddhists” today; see, “Buddhism without Rebirth and Nibbana?“.
– When the Bodhisatva was striving for the Buddhahood, he tried to convince the Bodhisatva that he should give up trying to find Nibbana and just enjoy worldly pleasures. After the Enlightenment, he came to the Buddha several times asking when he was going to attain Parinibbana.
– There are also several accounts in the Tipitaka where the Māra deva tried to discourage bhikkhus and bhikkhunis from following the Path. Buddha always called him “the evil one”.So, both are real, and should be taken seriously. We should be aware of these possible obstacles. If one deviated from the Noble Path, it is easier for both those to influence one’s mind in negative and harmful ways.
“Does “subhakinha deva realm” cover the brahma realms, too? I know that sometimes the word “deva” means all beings above the human realm.”
Yes. Sometimes deva and brahma realms are clumped together as “deva” in many suttas. In the Dhammacappavattana Sutta, beings in all realms above the human realms are referred to as “deva realms”; see #6 in “Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta – Introduction“.
In “31 Realms of Existence“,
Subhakinha is listed as ““subhakinha deva”.
– But clearly it is above the deva realms in kama loka.We just need to keep this mind.
Hello Donna,
You need to read the correct story of Angulimala:
Angulimala: A Murderer’s Road to Sainthood““…the bigger unknown…This is why we need to strive hard to make progress on the Path” It boils down to this, as always;..”
You are exactly right, y not. If one can see the anicca nature, that is all that really matters.
– In the Susima sutta that I mentioned in the most recent post, “Pannāvimutti – Arahanthood without Jhāna“, the Buddha told bhikkhu Susima that pannavimutti Arahants do not care about abhinna powers, because they have seen the anicca Nature of those things too.Some of the technical things that I discuss are not necessary to attain Nibbana. It is just to instill “knowledge-based faith” in those who like to investigate things in depth, and to show the critics that Buddha Dhamma is a complete description of Nature.
“In short, I am trying to see whether one can ‘choose’, or at least influence to a significant degree, the conditions of the next jati (in the current bhava) by powerful abhisankhara(s) and thus ‘overpower’ or divert at will the overall blueprint of the bhava..”
Abhisankhara means good or bad kamma. Just one bad abhisnakhara (killing a parent, for example) can change the whole picture instantaneously. Just making good thoughts at the dying moment may not make much of a difference (unless, of course it is a strong kamma, good or bad).
– Furthermore, the bigger unknown is what kind of kamma we may have done in previous lives and are waiting to bring vipaka. This why we need to strive hard to make progress on the Path.“we always say that Existence or Nature ‘knows’. The thought may arise that since It knows, It is therefore an entity, because to know is an attribute of sentient beings ..”
This is a version of Creator concept. There is “no entity” called Nature. When I say, “ A suitable womb is decided by Nature”, I do not mean that literally.
– Actually, the world operates according to paticca samuppada. Things happen due to causes, under suitable conditions. It may not be possible to sort out exactly why something happens, because there could be multiple causes leading to that.
– When one throws a stone, there is no “entity” out there making sure that stone flies a certain distance. There are laws of Nature (Newton’s Laws and laws of gravitation) that automatically operate to make the stone take a certain path. Similarly, a tiny seed grows to be a mighty tree according to universal laws. A gandhabba being pulled into a “gati-matching womb” is just like that.- Let me address this first: “Another question is: does this provision of a nimitta/arammana apply also to determine the next jati in a human bhava?”
- “In this and several other posts it is stated that this provision (of nimitta and arammana) applies where there is, or is to be, a change in Bhava – that is,a change in the type of Bhava, if I read correctly). Will this also apply when the next bhava is again a human one?”
- “A related point: what of those dying persons of theistic beliefs who ‘go’ (apparently) with an image of some saviour or saint or a loved ones as their last thought- object? I am inclined to think that the PRACTICAL experiences of their lives will override any belief,..”
No. A nimitta induces the mind to grasp a new bhava, not a new jati.
– For example, when one is in a human bhava, one may be born (jati) with a human body many times. So, grasping of a nimitta does not happen until one is born for the last time as a human.
– Until then, when the physical human body dies, gandhabba just comes out and waits for a suitable womb. A suitable womb is decided by Nature, based on one’s gati at that time. One’s bhava remains the same.Yes. If one dies the last death in that human bhava, and grasps a brand new human bhava, then a nimitta is grasped at that time.
– However, it is important to realize that this nimitta could be associated with a kamma done even in a previous life (if the nimitta is associated with a particular kamma).It is not possible for oneself to determine the nimitta, in most cases. The strongest kamma beeja from the past (could be from many lives back) is selected by Nature. At the moment of cuti-patisandhi, the mind is controlled by that kamma vipaka.
– For example, one can actually see some dying people get scared at the dying moment (If they are grasping a bad bhava), because they may see or hear a scene from the next bad bhava). In the same way, others may “go peacefully” with pleasant facial features, if the next bhava is in a good realm and they see a nimitta (sign) from that realm.
– However, in some cases one’s mindset may have some influence in grasping the next bhava (especially if it happens to be a gati nimitta; one would not know). In many Asian Buddhist countries, people try to induce good thoughts by playing paritta (suttas) or discourses that one used to like, etc., at deathbed.It is a complex subject. Feel free to ask more questions. That is the only way to clarify finer points.
“But still, I need to come up with pleasant things with which to force out those Bad Thoughts other than imagined sense-pleasures I’ll never experience.”
Yes, Eric. That is very important.
Just thinking about those things is harmful. Most people do not realize how addictive this “day dreaming” is.In this particular case, you may want to try to stop minor ones that can be stopped quickly. That may give you an incentive to work on bigger ones.
