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The post cubibobi referred to is: “The Infinity Problem in Buddhism.”
- I just revised it to add new links.
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Yes, that is correct in a way.
- Even saddhā (faith) is based on understanding. Therefore, it is also related to paññā. One must be able to comprehend the teachings of the Buddha.
- Both dhammānusāri and saddhānusāri must cultivate all five indriya. There is no need to specifically cultivate each separately. All five indriya will grow as one cultivates the path.
- The main task is to learn (janato) and contemplate (passato) the correct teachings until the concepts sink into the mind: ““Jānato Passato” and Ājāniya – Critical Words to Remember.”
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I listened to the first link, a discourse by Waharaka Thero. The following is the relevant summary.
1. There are three types of Buddhās: (i) Some cultivate the path to Buddhahood with “wisdom” (paññā). They are “පඥ්ඥා අධික.” (ii) Some have viriya (effort) predominant. They are “විරිය අධික.” (iii) Others have saddhā (faith) indriya predominant. They are “සද්ධා අධික.”
2. We all have five indriya or faculties: saddhā, viriya, sati, samādhi, paññā.
- Even when puthujjanas cultivates the Noble Path, they belong to two groups: Those who have paññā indriya dominant (dhammānusāri) and those who have the saddhā indriya dominant (saddhānusāri).
- See #2 of “Sōtapanna Anugāmi – No More Births in the Apāyās.”
3. Even though each Bodhisatta may have one indriya predominant, when attaining Buddhahood, they all reach the highest levels of all five indriya at Buddhahood.
- That is why all the Buddhas are equal.
- In the same way, even though puthujjanas start on the Noble Path as dhammānusāri or saddhānusāri, at the Arahant stage, they all become equal.
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I will listen to the videos and make some comments later.
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Yes. I have listened to a discourse by Waharaka Thero in which it is mentioned that some with niyata miccha ditthi (well-established wrong views) will be reborn in “specially harsh hells” outside the Solar system.
- As I remember, those will be relatively few, and most will be in the Abhassara realm.
- If we can locate that original audio from Waharaka Thero, we can look into it.
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A detailed analysis of Māluṅkyaputta Sutta and the Bahiya Sutta in “‘Diṭṭhe Diṭṭhamattaṁ Bhavissati’ – Connection to Saññā.”
Here is another way to understand the “purāna kamma” and “nava kamma” stages.
- Free will can operate only in the “nava kamma” stage. In contrast, we don’t have free will in the “purāna kamma” stage.
- This is discussed in “Free Will in Buddhism – Connection to Sankhāra.”
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My apologies! I am not sure how I missed it.
- If there is no response, please don’t hesitate to ask again.
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1. We have six sense faculties. Those for an Arahant are called “six indriya.” For a puthujjana (average human), they are used with rāga, dosa, or moha in the mind, and they are called “the six āyatana.”
- The six āyatana are usually called cakkhu, sota, ghana, jivhā, kāya, and mano without explicitly referring to them as cakkhu āyatana, mana āyatana, etc.
- For an Arahant, they are cakkhu indirya, mana indriya, etc.
2. Even though a sense event may come through one of the five physical senses, they are always registered in the mind, and the response is via mana āyatana (manāyatana).
- Thus, the responses (saṅkhāra) to any sense input in both purana and nava kamma stages arise in manāyatana. Hence, they are all ‘mano saṅkhāra.’
- However, those mano saṅkhāra in the “purana kamma” stage (without conscious thinking) are very weak, compared to those in the “nava kamma” stage. They are called “saṅkappa.”
- In contrast, those mano saṅkhāra that arise in the “nava kamma” stage, arise in javana citta (consciously), are strong.
3. So, the answer to the question: “Does mano saṅkhāra operate in both the purāṇa kamma and nava kamma stages?” is yes. But they have different strengths.
- Only those in the “nava kamma” stage can bring vipāka in future lives.
- Saṅkappa (weak mano saṅkhāra in the “purana kamma” stage) cannot bring vipāka in future lives.
Yes. It appears that you need one-to-one sessions with a teacher. I provided my input in response to your earlier comment in a different thread. As I pointed out, many people equate Nibbana to “cease existing” and thus become fearful of following the Noble Path. The solution is to fully understand that Nibbana does not mean the end of an “existing soul-type entity.” I don’t think discussing that in detail is possible in this forum.
- If you like, you can let us know the outcome of the meeting; this is a personal issue, so we understand if you don’t. I hope it will help you get on track.
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1. Yes. What Dawson called “transcendent truths” (Four Noble Truths//Paṭicca Samuppāda/Tilakkhana) are Nature’s laws.
- Those laws never change and apply anywhere in the universe at any time. They are “universal truths.”
- All Buddhas discover those laws through their efforts. Any given Buddha does not invent them; they merely re-discover the hidden truths.
- After a Buddha passes away, those teachings will be lost over the years. Then, until the next Buddha is born, they disappear.
- Some of these are discussed in “Pāramitā – How a Puthujjana Becomes a Buddha.”
2. Mundane laws apply to geographic locations, cultures, etc., as Stacy pointed out.
- They can evolve as the societies evolve. Interactions with other parts of the world can influence such changes, as we can see today.
- Since they change over time, such laws/rules/customs are not based on “universal truths.”
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I don’t know whether it’s “Vijānanti” or “Vinānanti.” I can’t find a sutta with either.
- But Pitā means father, and Mātā means mother. “Pitā ca Mātā” means “father and/or mother.”
- The rough meaning is probably “Dhamma is better than father or mother.”
Stacy asked: “Regarding Jhana, do we must stay away from all heavy sensual activities like sex, substance, etc.?”
- When following Buddha’s teachings, one must take a step-by-step approach.
- One starts living a moral life first. Staying away from sensual activities like sex comes later with an understanding of their adverse consequences. See “Is It Necessary for a Buddhist to Eliminate Sensual Desires?“
- Cultivating jhana is not necessary. See “Samādhi, Jhāna, Magga Phala – Introduction.”
Stacy asked: “I still find myself often conflicted on whether pure materialism is correct (that consciousness is an emergent property of neuronal activities of the brain) or if there is something else going on. I don’t want to adamantly reject any possibility but I’m desperate to know how it works.”
- There is an extensive series of posts in “Origin of Life.”
- I suggest scanning them to see whether any posts interest you.
Stacy asked: “I’ve seen videos online where people talk about flying out of their bodies and moving to places after immersing in deep breathing & body scanning meditations. This is often referred to as “Astral Projection.” Is it recommended to try something like this?”
- No. The Buddha did not ask people to practice “astral projection” or “astral travel.”
- However, there are times when the “mental body” (or the gandhabba) can separate from the physical body and come out of the physical body. (i) Some people have the natural ability to do that. (ii) When cultivating the Noble Path or even mundane jhana, some develop the ability to come out of the physical body. Once out of the physical body, the gandhabba can travel at high speed and reach far-away places instantly.
In the post “Out-of-Body Experience (OBE) and Manōmaya Kāya,” I gave examples of (i) in #10.
- The other possibility is also discussed there.
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Stacy wrote: “What made me curious is that this is often recommended online for people who think consciousness is limited to the physical body. They contend that it is not a hallucination and there is only one way of figuring that out for yourself.”
- Both physical and mental bodies are not hallucinations.
- But in the Brahma realms, the physical body is absent, and they have only the mental body.
1. I have linked to the place (in your comment) where the Buddha tells Sandha, “Sandha, for a fine thoroughbred person, the perception of earth has vanished in relation to earth. The perception of water … fire … air has vanished in relation to air. The perception of the dimension of infinite space has vanished in relation to the dimension of infinite space…”
- That is a critical point to understand.
- A Noble Person (Ariya) does not meditate with the focus on a worldly object like breath, a ball of clay, a water bowl, etc., as is done by anariya yogis.
- For that, an Ariya must release the mind from any “perception (saññā) about the world” because they are all “distorted saññā.”
In another thread, I listed the steps needed to get the mind off of “distorted saññā.” They are:
- It is necessary to understand the “purana kamma” and “nava kamma” stages because the “distorted saññā” arises AUTOMATICALLY in the “purana kamma” stage.
- The “purana kamma” stage happens automatically due to unbroken samyojana. the mind goes through this stage in a split second.
- The “nava kamma” stage is where we have free will to control our thoughts, speech, and actions.
- We have to start the “cleansing process” in the “nava kamma” stage and gradually take the mind toward the “purana kamma” stage.
- At the same time, one must learn the the details of the “purana kamma” and “nava kamma” stages. That means learning about “distorted sanna“, Paticca Samuppada, etc.
- At some point in this process, one will become a Sotapanna Anugami, and the mind will get the ability to bypass the “purana kamma” stage and move into the “Satipaṭṭhāna Bhumi, ” allowing the mind to be free of the “distorted sanna.” Here, one can contemplate Dhamma concepts without being hindered by the “distorted sanna.“
- That is when one becomes a Sotapanna by breaking three of the ten samyojana.
- Once becoming a Sotapanna, one must make the effort to get into the “Satipaṭṭhāna Bhumi ” as often as possible. “Satipaṭṭhāna Bhumi ” is where one can engage in Satipaṭṭhāna effectively and start breaking the remaining seven samyojana
- Once all ten samyojana are eliminated, the “nava kamma” stage will not be initiated based on ANY sensory input.
- The basic process is in the chart in #1 of “Pāth to Nibbāna – Learning Dhamma to Become a Sotapanna.”
I discussed the “Sandha Sutta” in “Sammā Samādhi – How to Define It?.”
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2. An Arahant is not bothered by any situations like wildfires, earthquakes, etc.
- They have been freed from suffering, except for the suffering associated with the physical body they are born with.
- They know that ALL suffering will end upon the death of the physical body and look forward to that event.
- They live only for the benefit of others, i.e., to teach Dhamma to others.
- That is why a few Arahants who had come down with terminal illnesses committed suicide (and the Buddha approved it).
