Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Could you describe to us briefly what is involved in the practice of Druidry?
I am not very familiar with even paganism, but I understand Druidry is a version of it? I took a quick look and there does not seem to be much information on the web.
What do you do to practice? I see that it involves “living in harmony with Nature”. Is it close to Amish practices?
You said, ” For example, if I look at a playing card, she can tell me what it is, not just one, but the whole deck.”
Can you do the following experiment?
You pick up 10 random cards from the pack without looking. You should look at just one card within those 10 cards. Then, as I understand, she should be able to tell the identity of all 10 cards that you have in you hand?
If so, ask her to write down on a piece of paper the identity of the 10 cards. Then you look at the 10 cards and write them down too. Then compare whether they match.
Do you need to be face-to-face to do this or can you do it over the phone too?
It would be amazing if she can do it over the phone, even if you are looking at all 10 cards that you are holding.May be I did not understand exactly what you were saying. If I did, then that would be a good experiment to do.
Very interesting, Donna! Thank you for sharing this interesting information.
These are called punna iddhi, which basically means (moderate) supernormal powers that certain people get at birth, due to previous meritorious deeds.
They can vary widely. Some with such capabilities can see living beings with fine bodies, such as devas or gandhabbas (They ususally call them ghosts). Some can get one’s own gandhabba to come out of the physical body (this is called astral travel, and is more common). Some can remember previous lives, etc.
But this is the first time I heard about being able to read the whole stack of cards another person is holding, just by the person holding the cards look at just one card. This is more complex than the above cases that I mentioned, because this involves two people.
The only case I know something like this is the abilities of Waharaka Thero. I have not met him, but he has mentioned some cases in his desanas.
Basically, one’s “mano loka” (mind plane) can be accessed by oneself only. As one’s mind is purified, one’s ability to remember things gets better. Then at some point, one may be able to see many lives in the past.
The ability to access another’s mind plane is harder. You said the women in your family can do this. So, any given person has this ability? Can you also do this if a non-family member is holding the cards? Any other information would be good, only if you feel comfortable.
Furthermore, is there any difference between your capabilities and any one of those family members?Welcome to the discussion forum, Rhys_H!
Yes. The Arahanthood is the ultimate achievement, which is the “perfect state”, once attained lasts forever, per Buddha.
I am not sure how familiar you are with Buddha Dhamma, the Theravada version. Even the Theravada version has been contaminated over the past 1500 years or so, and thus there may not have been that many Arahants in recent years, especially among humans (there could be more in other higher realms).
I discuss this in the post:”Incorrect Thēravada Interpretations – Historical Timeline“.
There has been a revival in recent years due to my Noble teacher, who passed away a year ago, likely as an Arahant: “Parinibbāna of Waharaka Thēro“.
There are indications that there are many people now with at least lower stages of Nibbana (Sotapanna,etc), thanks to his efforts.Also see the posts in the section: “Nibbana“.
@Embodied: Yes. While words like anicca and anatta cannot be described in a few words, it could be good to have a “brief phrase” for bhavana purposes.
One should use a phrase that one considers to be most impactful; a phrase that gives the “sanna” about that word. Here are some examples:
Anicca – that nothing in this world can bring a permanent happiness in the long run.
Dukkha – despite our struggles, we will be subjected to much more suffering than pleasures if we remain in the rebirth process.
Anatta – therefore, one is truly helpless in this struggle to attain “something of essence in this world”. That is just an illusion.
These may not exactly right for you. Each person may “get it” a bit differently. However, all possible meanings are inter-related.
By the way, you need to think a bit more carefully before posting a question. This particular question was not formulated correctly when you first asked it, so I did not answer. Others can get confused if a question is not asked the right way.
Same is true for the question that you asked a little while ago, on a different topic on asura devas. Please read the previous comments and replies carefully again.
Human realm is also a good realm. Think about that.
In kama loka, aggression is there in both human and deva realms. Of course, it is less in deva realms compared to the human realm.
Only in brahma realms, aggression is not manifested. Of course, most of them have not removed dosa (hate): Those who get there through anariya jhana still have dosa as anusaya (hidden or suppressed); when they are reborn in the human realm, dosa will again be manifested.
P.S. Tavatimsa devas are sometimes called “sura devas” in comparison to “asura devas“, and the war between the two sides is sometimes called the “sura asura war”.
“Sura” of course is the opposite of “asura“: clever and “quick thinking”.Johnny said: “Aggañña Sutta and this video have proven Darwin’s theory of evolution to be false!”
I normally do not like people posting too many youtube videos. But this is a good one.
It is to the point and there are several key contradictions with Darwin’s theory of evolution are pointed out. As it says, “Time does not make impossible things possible”. Indeed!
For those who are really into this subject, there is an in-depth analysis of why evolution theory is wrong in the book, “Signature in the Cell”, by Stephen C. Meyer (2009).
Embodied said: ” in other words, Anatta might also be envisaged as an impersonal bio-psy energy dynamics…?”
No need to make it complicated. The perception of a “me” is going to be there until one feels that there are fruitful and worthy things to be had in this world.
As one makes progress, and understands not only the futility — but also the dangers — in cravings for worldly things, one will gradually realize that there is nothing in this world to be possessed, to take as mine.
To give an example, suppose one has been keeping in a safe a necklace that one believed to be worth millions of dollars. The one day, he gets it evaluated by a professional and it turns out to be worthless. Would he still keep it in the safe? Would he still crave for it?
Craving for things in this world can be even worse (dangerous), because one could do immoral things to get them, and then be subjected to bad kamma vipaka.
To give another analogy, if that necklace somehow had a built-in miniature explosive device, and he found out about it, he would not only lose craving for it, but would be scared and quickly get rid of it.
In short: The sense of “me” is going to be there until one perceives that there things in this world that are worthwhile to be taken as mine.
But of course, it is not easy to get rid of these cravings (cannot be done by force). It comes with cultivating wisdom (panna), by learning Dhamma (and contemplating), the real nature of things in this world.
Of course, one could feel the relief as one gets rid of the worse of those cravings (which could lead to immoral actions), and thus one would know the benefits of lose cravings. That is how one makes gradual progress.
When I start describing this, I probably repeat what I said in the “Anicca, Dukkha, Anatta” section. When one has gone through those posts, then if one could spend a day going through the five discourses (in sequence) in “Three Marks of Existence – English Discourses“, then one may be able to get a good idea of what I am trying to say.
The sense of ‘me” is the last one to lose (at the Arahant stage). So, one should not start there. One should start with avoiding the worse of dasa akusala that one is engaged in. Keep in mind that micca ditthi can be the worst: 10 types of micca ditthi first, and then the deeper level that is removed by grasping Tilakkhana.
There are two types of asuras.
One type in the apayas: one of the four lowest realms. They are born there due cultivation of bad sankhara because of aimless, lazy gati (depended on others). These asuras are said live in the oceans and mountains on Earth (around us). They are called Vinipatha Asuras.
The other type are actually “asura devas” who live in the Chathurmaharajika deva realm. They are said to constantly fight with Tavatimsa devas headed by Sakka.
Also see, “31 Realms of Existence“.
P.S. I just revised “Asuras” to “Vinipatha Asuras” in the post, “Sīla, Samādhi, Pannā to Pannā, sīla, Samādhi“.
Johnny, It is important to read the following posts carefully (if you are really interested in this particular subject):
What Is a Wave and What Is a Particle?
Photons Are Particles Not Waves
Contrary to what you learned in the old days (as we all did), light is not a wave. Light is a stream of particles called photons. Don’t feel bad. I know some physicists who still think of light as a wave. It is very important to understand the difference between a wave and a wave function, as discussed in the first three posts.
After reading the above posts carefully, also read #10 of the new post. There I point out that the observation of zero signal with experiments done with large plate thicknesses again disprove light is a wave, for the same reasons that you pointed out (#1 off of the top surface is gone even before #2 coming from the bottom surface gets there; thus destructive interference of “waves” cannot happen).
P.S. Of course many phenomena involving light can be explained with light treated as an electromagnetic wave, just like the motion of large particles can be treated with Newtonian mechanics.
But when analyzing quantum phenomena, neither the EM theory nor the Newtonian mechanics work.Johnny said: “Since matter is created by the mind, how then is matter evolved into lakes and mountains, stars and galaxies, and other physical objects that we see around us? What is the doctrine governing this mechanism and evolution?”
That is a long story, which is condensed in the Agganna Sutta. It will take a long time to correctly describe what is in that sutta. If we start on that now, it will be hard to make sense.
However, what is important now is to just see that QM cannot explain consciousness.
However, the correct interpretation of QM is based on the “interconnectedness” of everything around us (including inert matter), and that is the second item of importance.Again, I don’t want to distract people from the actual practice. This section is for those who really want to “get to the bottom of it”. But this section is not necessary to attain the Sotapanna stage or any magga phala.
P.S. I just saw the comment by Vilas: “Mind makes matter and this is the right forum to explore within oneselves and get rid of Satkayaditti”
That is true.By the way, our proposed interpretation of quantum mechanics is based on the work of Professor Richard Feynman. The book that mentioned in the posts was based on a series of 4 lectures.
These are simple lectures delivered to non-physicists, and could be useful especially if one does not have access to the book:
QED: Photons — Corpuscles of Light — Richard Feynman (1/4)Yes, Vilas. You got it!
What you described is the essence of what happens.
Rupa are created in our minds, of course in minute amounts that we cannot even see. In fact, they are emitted in rays, and that is what some people call “aura”.Some key facts that we will discuss in detail in the future:
1.Gati get into rupa (via bhuta and maha bhuta stages) via varna, gandha, rasa, oja as well as the four satara maha bhuta (patavi, apo, tejo, vayo) in the suddhashtaka. Remember that suddhashataka means “made of eight”.
2.The energy is embedded via bramana (rotation) and paribramana (spin or rotation around its own axis). A suddhadshtaka created by the mind lasts one-quarter of a maha kappa (age of the Solar system). The Solar system is destroyed when that energy runs out.3. Each star system dies that way. Each individual start systems (like our Solar system) is destroyed after around 5-10 billion years, and that is a called a “supernova” event.
4. While a normal human generates only insignificant of matter (suddhashtaka), one in jhana samapatti (where javana citta run continuously) one can generate significant amount of matter. This is how yogis with abhinna powers can create material things or convert one thing to another. But that requires a lot of practice.
5. Energy embedded in spin and rotational modes can be seen everywhere: in electron orbital in atoms. Atomic orbitals in molecules. Solar system with its planets undergoing both spin and rotation. Whole galaxies undergoing rotation, etc.
Anyway, that is just a brief summary. And now you can see why most physicists are wrong in saying that consciousness arises via quantum processes in the brain (from inert matter in the brain). It is the other way around: All matter is created via citta (specifically via javana citta). But a full explanation needs lot more details. This new section just lays the foundation.
QM cannot explain ANYTHING about mental aspects. That is what I was trying to say in my previous comment above.
Many people have tried to show that QM can EXPLAIN how consciousness arises from inert matter. That is WRONG, and that is what I am trying to explain in the new section. I am working on a couple of posts to explain why their interpretations are not correct.
This is why we could not get our paper published. Too many physicists think consciousness arise from inert matter in the brain, and that QM can explain how that happens. There are many papers/books written on that premise.
However, when the correct interpretation of QM is understood, one can see the “interconnected-ness” of Nature. That is the importance of QM for us: to build confidence in Buddha Dhamma.
With our new interpretation of QM one can see the interconnectedness of Nature, and that can explain how the Nature “knows” relationships among different people. For example, this is how X will be assigned an anantariya kamma vipaka, if X kills an Arahant. X may not have any idea who he killed.
I have discussed several such examples in those three posts. Even if one is not familiar with QM, one can get the basic idea from the those posts. The paper (given as a pdf) itself could be too technical.
