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All bodily actions and speech are initiated in the mind.
- However, not all actions leave a “kammic residue” that can lead to vipaka in the future.
- All actions have vipaka (results). However, actions that do not involve raga, dosa, and/or moha only bring results at that time. For example, getting a glass of water to quench thirst is an action that will have no future consequences. The mind gets that task done, and that is the end of it. No future kammic consequences. The same applies to most things we do in a day (driving to work, cooking meals, etc.)
- Actions with raga, dosa, and/or moha may bring some vipaka (results) at that time and some in the future.
- When one gets angry and hits someone, that anger makes one’s face “distort” (one can easily identify an “angry face”), and that is a result (vipaka) that manifests at that time. But the rest of the kammic energy is “deposited” in the vinnana dhatu to bring vipaka for that immoral action in the future.
In all cases, a signal must be sent from the mind to the brain to move that body part the way the mind wants.
- P.S. ANY energy spent by the brain (and involved in moving body parts) comes from the food we eat. Those energies are NOT kammic energies.
- Please ask questions if the above is not clear. These are the basic/fundamental facts of Buddha Dhamma.
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Yes. Buddha Dhamma is deep enough. I believe that one should pay more attention to the fact that “sensual pleasures” are a mirage and mind-made. That “distorted sanna” is built into our physical and mental bodies via Paticca Samuppada. I will try to explain that in simpler terms with the new series in the “Meditation” section: “Meditation – Deeper Aspects.”
- It is better not to be distracted by “philosophical sidetracks.”
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Dawson: “If someone had only a couple of minutes to live and their dying wish was to learn about what the Buddha taught, I believe that an ariya would, without hesitation, explain the three characteristics of nature.”
- Yes. Furthermore, the same principle is embedded in the Four Noble Truths, the three characteristics of nature (Tilakkhana), or Paticca Samuppada.
- They all describe why/how our immoral actions lead to future suffering. The key here is not all actions but immoral actions.
- Puthujjana (average humans, including anyone with even the highest intelligence who has not heard/understood the Four Noble Truths) engage in immoral actions because they are unaware of the Tilakkhana or “true nature of the world” (anicca, dukkha, anatta.) Paticca Samuppada explains how immoral actions (abhisankhara) due to ignorance (avijja) lead to future suffering. It starts with “avijja paccaya (abhi)sankhara” and ends with “jati paccaya jara, marana, soka,…” or the “whole mass of suffering.”
- In the above, anicca nature says all our immoral actions or abhisankhara (believing sensory pleasures can provide lasting happiness) are unfruitful/dangerous. They lead to dukkha or suffering. That is why all such efforts are “devoid of value” and lead to helplessness (when reborn in an apaya), i.e., they are of the anatta nature. That is one way to understand Tilakkhana or the three characteristics of nature.
Kammic energy is immeasurably small.
- Kammic energy does not directly do any “macroscopic work,” like moving a hand or even batting an eyelid.
- Pathfinder’s example, “mind energy > electrical energy > kinetic energy to move the hand,” is not correct. The energy to move a hand does not come directly from kammic energy generated in the mind. In fact, no kammic energy is generated to move a hand if that action is a “neutral action,” like picking up a glass of water to drink.
- Now, if a hand is moved to hit someone with anger, that generates kammic energy. But that kammic energy is deposited in the vinnana dhatu to bring future vipaka for that immoral action. The energy to move our body parts comes from the food we eat.
Please keep asking questions if the above is not clear. It is important to understand it.
I think we are going off track here.
- Our suffering arises from our actions based on greed, anger, and ignorance.
- Since greed and anger/hate arise due to ignorance about the true nature of this world, ignorance is the root cause.
- What is the connection of “separation” with ignorance? Someone, please explain!
The Pāli Canon, Tipiṭaka (meaning “three Piṭaka”), is not restricted to the Sutta Piṭaka. It has two more: Vinaya Piṭaka and Abhidhamma Piṭaka.
- The three Piṭakās or sections are inter-consistent.
- See “Tipiṭaka – A Systematic Approach.”
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1. Buddha Dhamma is not a religion in the sense that there is no “savior” who can save anyone from future suffering or promise eternal happiness.
- It is a “previously unheard worldview.”
- If one can grasp that worldview, one can see that sensory pleasures and mental/physical suffering arise from one’s actions. Some actions lead to a “good future with mostly sensory pleasures,” and others lead to a “bad future filled with suffering.”
- But because of the craving for sensory pleasures, most end up in realms/existences with more suffering than pleasures.
2. The astonishing aspect is that any sensory pleasure experienced is due to the “distorted sanna” built into each existence.
- It makes a huge impact if one can understand this issue.
- For example, one can enjoy a good magic show. A good magic show is when one cannot figure out what the “trick is.”
- But the Buddha exposed nature’s magic show. But it takes an effort to understand that.
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“I wish resolving this issue was easier.”
1. We have reached a point where I can no longer give advice or explanations along this line based purely on “mundane logic,” as practiced by mundane philosophers.
- When one tries to understand Buddha Dhamma through “mundane logic,” that does not work. A mind has to undergo a paradigm change.
- This is summarized in the phrase “atakkāvacaraṁ” (beyond mundane logic/inquiry) in the “Ajāta Sutta (Iti 43)” that describes Nibbana.
2. To put it in another way: If one needs to learn to swim, he can learn about swimming strokes, how to float, etc., only to a limited extent without getting into the water.
- Buddha Dhamma cannot be “taught” at a deeper level; it must be learned. If that was possible, the Buddha could have “saved” everyone living at that time. Even he could not do that.
- That involves learning the basics and starting practice.
- You asked many questions: ” Why exactly are you so confident that no one other than Buddha, not even Arahants can discover those aspects of Nature? If Arahants recited the finalized Abhidhamma, should it not be explicitly mentioned that this is the work of Buddha? Interestingly, it also doesn’t seem mentioned anywhere in the Tipitaka that “Abhidhamma is a later addition which was invented by bhikkhus” or something like that…”
- My confidence is based on my practice and understanding. One’s confidence about the Buddha, Dhamma, and the Sangha (not merely bhikkhus, but on the Noble Persons) grows with one’s understanding. One first becomes a Sotapanna Anugami by cultivating wisdom or panna (called dhammanusari) or by cultivating faith or saddha (called saddhanusari). The latter is not “blind faith” but is based on panna to an extent. It takes an effort to undergo that paradigm change. Some succeed, and some don’t because they are unwilling to spend enough time and effort.
“Bhikkhu Bodhi argues that there is no mentioning of Buddha teaching Abhidhamma to the monks in the Suttas”
- That is correct. That is why Abhidhamma is not included in the Sutta Pitaka.
- The Buddha described the Abhidhamma theory (in detail) to the Devas over several days. Each day, he returned to the human realm to meet Ven. Sariputta and summarized that day’s desana. Ven. Sariputta and his lineage of bhikkhus expanded on that summary to end up with what we have in the Abhidhamma Pitaka today. Even after Ven. Sariputta’s Parinibbana, the project continued, and it was finalized only at the third Buddhist Council, as I remember. This account is on p. 11 of Bhikkhu Bodhi’s Abhidhamma book.
- The completed Abhdhamma Pitaka was recited at the Third Council, attended by only Arahants. That is enough evidence for me to support the authenticity. Of course, the other point is that NO ONE ELSE could develop such an elaborate and self-consistent theory on the human mind even if tried.
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“But you also state in the above referenced page: “The minute details on the structure of a citta vithi (a series of citta) of 17 thought moments, with each citta lasting sub-billionth of a second, can be seen only by a Buddha.” If you don’t mind me asking, how did you come to this conclusion?”
- Our minds are incapable of experiencing a citta vithi. It runs unimaginably fast: ” sub-billionth of a second.” We experience mental phenomena on the millisecond scale.
- That is why the Buddha ALWAYS referred to “khandhas” or “aggregates, ” encompassing millions of cittas. Scientists have done experiments to figure out the minimum time one needs to look at a picture to recognize it. That time is around ten milliseconds. (See Ref.1 of “Vision Is a Series of “Snapshots” – Movie Analogy.”) Within that time period, millions of cittas would have gone through our minds! The human mind is the ultimate quantum system. The “quantum” (or the smallest unit) is a citta. On the “material side,” the smallest unit (quantum) is a suddhāṭṭhaka: “The Origin of Matter – Suddhāṭṭhaka.”
- Detecting/experiencing a single citta or a suddhāṭṭhaka is possible only for a Buddha. Anyone else, including Arahants, cannot do that.
“I love Science but I have noticed that its biggest limitation is dealing with subjective experiences.”
- Yes. This is where “conducting controlled experiments” (the operating principle of modern science) no longer holds.
- Unlike “material phenomena,” “mental phenomena” are not repeatable nor reproducible.
- For example, the motion of a rocket or any projectile can be described by a set of mathematical equations, and such an experiment can be done anywhere by anyone and yield the same results. In contrast, mental phenomena are subjective experiences unique to each individual. Even the same person may not generate the same thoughts (or react to a given sensory input the same way) under different conditions.
- Yet, the Buddha provided a set of rules (types of citta vithi, how many cittas in a citta vithi, how a mind reacts under a given set of conditions, etc.) However, understanding how those rules can be applied takes a lot of learning. The suttas provide a “qualitative description,” and the Abhidhamma delivers a detailed and analytical solution.
- Some people say Abhidhamma is a “later addition.” That is the approach taken by those incapable of comprehending the deep Abhidhamma. Only a Buddha can provide such a detailed and self-consistent analysis of how the mind works. Of course, it is possible to grasp Buddha Dhamma without Abhidhamma. But Abhidhamma, once understood, provides a solid foundation for Buddha Dhamma. Any “murky issue” (that may come up while studying suttas and is up for debate) can be resolved by an Abhidhamma analysis.
I forgot to mention one key aspect above.
5. Those “javana cittas” that generate kammic energies are powered by raga (caving for sensory pleasures/greed), dosa (anger/hate when one does not get one’s desired sensory pleasures), and avijja (ignorance about how all that work).
- The ability for raga, dosa, and moha/avijja to arise in a mind are based on anusaya/samyojana. Those anusaya and samyojana can be removed by comprehending the Four Noble Truths/Paticca Samuppada/Tilakkhana.
- A Sotapanna‘s mind is devoid of ditthi and vicikiccha anusaya (two of seven types of anusaya) and three of the ten samyojana. In addition, an Anagami‘s mind is devoid of kama raga/patigha anusaya and kama raga/patigha samyojana.
- An Arahant‘s mind is devoid of all anusaya/samyojana.
- See “Conditions for the Four Stages of Nibbāna.”
This is an excellent question. You are engaged in the correct type of “insight mediation” (Vipassana.)
1. You wrote: “In Science, energy is defined as the capacity to do work.”
- It is the same definition in Buddha Dhamma.
- However, Buddha Dhamma addresses a special type of energy called “kammic energy.” It has the ability to create the most fundamental types of matter (hadaya vatthu and five pasada rupa). Those are the basic elements a living being is made of. Hadaya vatthu is the “seat of the mind” where all cittas (“thoughts”) arise, not in the brain as scientists believe. The five physical sensory units (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and the physical body) are tools that collect data on sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches. Those signals are processed by the brain and passed onto the five pasada rupa associated with the hadaya vatthu (in the manomaya kaya or gandhabba).
- The above “picture” is put together by combining information from the Suttas and Abhidhamma.
- There are many posts on the subject scattered throughout this website. See, for example, “Manomaya Kaya (Gandhabba) and the Physical Body“, “Brain – Interface between Mind and Body“, and “Bhūta and Yathābhūta – What Do They Really Mean.”
2. Kammic energy is unbelievably tiny compared to the types of energy involved in moving a car or even lifting a finger.
- However, the critical constituents of a living being (whether it is a human, animal, Deva, or Brahma) can be created ONLY by kammic energy.
- That kammic energy is created by our thoughts (cittas), specifically in a special type of cittas called “javana cittas.”
- Javana cittas produce and release energies preserved in the “vinnana dhatu” as “dhammā” for very long times. Those are the kammic energies that bring kamma vipaka, including rebirth.
- See, for example, “What are Rūpa? – Dhammā are Rūpa too!“
- The first verse in the Dhammapada points out this fundamental aspect: the mind is the precursor to everything in this world. See “Manōpubbangamā dhammā..“
3. This is a fascinating and deep subject. I hope not only Taryal but also others will look deeply into it.
- This is why I say that the Buddha was the greatest scientist who ever lived! Nowadays, people are fascinated with quantum mechanics, but the Buddha described the most fundamental quantum system (the mind) 2600 years ago. Scientists’ discoveries match and confirm Buddha’s teachings: “Quantum Mechanics and Dhamma.” This section is mostly suitable for those with some physics background.
4. There are many relevant posts on the website. We can discuss more as we proceed.
Yes. That is the “previously unheard teachings” of a Buddha.
- You wrote, “This is one of the craziest concepts I have ever attempted to learn. It doesn’t surprise me that it is arguably the most misunderstood aspect of Gautam Buddha’s teachings. I still think this is not a 100% clear to me but I feel like I am getting closer. “
- That is exactly right. No average human can ever come up with that explanation (only a Buddha can discover nature’s hidden secrets). We can only see the truth of it (once explained by a true disciple of the Buddha who has understood that explanation.) Of course, each person must verify its truth by himself.
- One key issue with grasping that “worldview” is our built-in innate “distorted sanna” of an unchanging essence of a soul/atma.” Each birth/existence has that built-in “distorted sanna” (for liking certain worldly things) via Paticca Samuppada. That is why no scientist can ever figure out that “sweetness of sugar” is not real in the ultimate sense. Once one can see how that naturally gets built into our human bodies, one will have discovered the trick behind the greatest magic show.
I tried to explain that in the section “Sotapanna Stage via Understanding Perception (Saññā).”
- However, that analysis is too deep for many. I will discuss it in simpler terms (using a different approach) in the new series of posts starting with “Vipassanā – Buddhist Meditation.”
- Please feel free to ask questions as you proceed. We are all here to help.
- It could be a good idea to scan through and read some posts in the “Paṭicca Samuppāda” section. The key is to get started. Each person’s background is different, so asking questions is critical.
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I am glad to hear from you, Taryal.
1. Most of what you wrote is correct. However, the following is incorrect: “But I should also understand that what I perceive to be me/mine are the 5 aggregates which are not under my complete control. These evolve according to natural causes and not according to my desires.” It is correct that the five aggregates play a significant role. However, we have control over it, especially after comprehending the teachings of the Buddha. See the post in #3 below.
2. Yes. This is what I referred to in #1 above. Once one understands the Paticca Samuppada (PS) process, we will know how to manage it.
3. Again, mostly correct except for “What makes an arahant unique is that their perception won’t be defiled since they won’t attach to any sensory input.” The corrected version is explained in #9 of the new post of today “Vipassanā – Buddhist Meditation” Please read that. It is called “distorted perception” and not “defiled perception.” An Arahant would not have anything defiled.
4. Yes. An Arahant has a heightened awareness. That is because that mind is not defiled. As one progresses on the Noble Path, one’s awareness will increase. It is also true that even an unenlightened individual can use anariya jhana to increase their awareness because, at least while in jhana, their minds are devoid of kama raga. However, an anariya yogi would not know what Nibbana is until it is explained in detail by a Noble Person; of course, it could be easier for them to grasp those concepts once explained.
5. You seem to have read the relevant literature. The literature on Out-of-Body Experiences (OBE) is similar to those on Near Death Experiences (NDE). See “Manomaya Kaya and Out-of-Body Experience (OBE)” and “Mental Body (Gandhabba) – Personal Accounts.” This website has many other posts on gandhabba, manomaya kaya, OBE, and NDE. You can use the search box on the top right to look for relevant posts using those keywords.
I am glad you are interested in these issues at a young age. This is the best time to look into Buddha’s teachings. I wish I had started much earlier.
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Yes, Yash.
- Well before getting to the Arahant stage, one can see that there is no “unchanging self” (a soul in Christianity /or “atma” in Hinduism). Our experiences arise based on root causes (and conditions for triggering them).
- When the root causes (greed, hate, and ignorance) disappear, no external sensory input, under no circumstance, can trigger generating attachment/repulsion to that sensory input. The key is the following: When one understands this at the Paticca Samuppada level, ignorance disappears, and that will make greed and hate disappear, too.
- It is impossible to stop greed/hate from arising without eliminating ignorance (avijja) by comprehending Paticca Samuppada. That happens in stages, and avijja is entirely dispelled at the Arahant stage.
In the above, why does “attachment/repulsion to that sensory input” play a critical role?
- When we attach to a sensory input, we act with greed, anger, and/or ignorance and engage in immoral (or unwise) deeds. This is the same as engaging in “bad kamma” or “generating abhisankhara,” which leads to generating “kammic energies” that can bring “kamma vipaka,” including rebirth.
- Paticca Samuppada describes that process.
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Yash: “The arahant would perceive the world based on distorted Sanna, but not a self, right?”
- That is correct.
- Furthermore, the rise of “distorted sanna” can also be explained by Paticca Samuppada. Each rebirth occurs with “distorted sanna” built-in by kammic energy!
- I tried to explain that in the section “Sotapanna Stage via Understanding Perception (Saññā).”
- However, that analysis is too deep for many. I will discuss that in simpler terms in a new series of posts.
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P.S. An Arahant also gets the “distorted sanna” because it is “built-in” to human birth. But Arahant’s mind will not be “fooled by it.” See, for example, “Fooled by Distorted Saññā (Sañjānāti) – Origin of Attachment (Taṇhā).”
- Each realm has a different “distorted sanna” according to Paticca Samuppada. That is why our minds generate the “sweetness of sugar,” we like that taste, but a pig would not get that sanna. A pig feels a “built-in sanna of a good taste” for rotten food!
- It is critical to understand sanna: “Saññā – What It Really Means.”
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