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The following is a documentary on the high-precision Barbar caves in India, an engineering marvel. How was such precision attained thousands of years ago?
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Thank you, Jittananto.
- Yes. We need to handle each case differently, depending on the situation.
- The following post is relevant: “Right Speech – How to Avoid Accumulating Kamma.”
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I think the main points are the following:
1. We must do all we can to inform others of Buddha’s teachings. It is out of our hands how many would be interested.
2. However, the Buddha discouraged anyone from forcefully teaching Dhamma to others or engaging in “debates” that may escalate and become unproductive.
Regarding who is qualified to teach:
1. The “Ministry of the Buddha” or the “Buddha Sāsana” with the unique message of the Buddha will last only as long as there are Noble Persons (those who have attained magga phala, i.e., Sotapanna through Arahant) stages.
– They have the special name “kalyāṇa mittā” of a “Noble friend.”2. Only a Buddha or a true disciple of the Buddha (who has grasped the teachings of the Buddha) can explain those teachings.
– Once there is no longer any such kalyāṇa mittā on the Earth, Buddha Sāsana will disappear. Full copies of the Tipitaka may be there, but there will be no one to explain their contents. This is also why “word-by-word” translations are useless: “Elephant in the Room 1 – Direct Translation of the Tipiṭaka“
– Then, the world will have to wait for the next Buddha, Buddha Maitreya, to be born to attain magga phala (Nibbana.) That is supposed to happen in a billion years or so.
– The current Buddha Sāsana of Buddha Gotama is expected to disappear within the next 2000 years.3. That is why the Buddha told Ven. Ananda (in the Upaḍḍha Sutta (SN 45.2)) that the continuation of his Buddha Sāsana depends TOTALLY on kalyāṇa mittā.
Good analysis. Thank you!
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Yes. In many instances, Pali tends to combine many words.
- “Sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā” = soka, parideva, dukkha, domanassa, upāyāsa.
- Those are related words indicating sorrow/pain associated with various situations.
The main ideas are associated with death (marana), which is inevitable for each birth (jati). In Paticca Samuppada: “bhava paccayā jāti, jāti paccayā jarā, marana, soka-paridēva-dukkha-dōmanassupāyasā sambhavan’ti”
- Each birth leads to jarā (old age and decay) and marana (death). Of course, one is not aware of one’s death. But we all have suffered due to the death of a close relative, in particular, if it is a parent, spouse, or child.
- When one first hears about such a death, one becomes sad (soka). Then, whoever is present there starts talking about their relationship, good times, or special events with the deceased, and the sadness grows to parideva. If intense feelings arise, one can feel it in the body (dukkha), and the sad state of mind (domanassa) can last for days. The last one, upāyasa, is the most intense state; for example, when the deceased is taken to be buried or cremated, a sense of despair can come over, and some start crying and wailing, and some even faint.
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I think what Christian is trying to say is the following:
- In Buddha Dhamma, there are two main types of meditation: Samatha (calming the mind by staying away from immoral deeds and focusing on living a moral life) and Vipassana (contemplate Dhamma concepts like Tilakkhana and Paticca Samuppada and how they help explain the Four Noble Truths).
- What types of “meditation” are you doing? For example, you mentioned “NSDR (Non-Sleep Deep Rest) meditation.” What is that?
- In the Western world, “meditation” usually means “breath meditation.” That is not a Buddhist meditation. See “Vipassanā – Buddhist Meditation.”
Jittananto asked: “I have a question regarding a statement I read. It mentioned that bodhisattvas who lie cannot become Lord Buddhas.”
- A Bodhisatta is not a Buddha. He is on the way to become a Buddha.
- Our Bodhisatta was born (as Jotipāla) during the previous Buddha Sasana of Buddha Kassapa (there were three Buddhas in this Maha Kappa before Buddha Gotama; see “Mahāpadāna Sutta (DN 14)“). His friend Ghaṭīkāra tried to take Jotipāla to meet Buddha Kassapa, but Jotipāla refused and insulted Buddha Kassapa. That was one reason why our Bodhisatta had to endure six years of hardships before attaining the Buddhahood.
- That account is in the “Ghaṭikāra Sutta (MN 81).”
@Tobias G: A Bodhisatta does not know about Vipassana until the night of attaining Buddhahood.
- It is impossible for us to figure out how a Bodhisatta works his way to Buddhahood. It is a natural and lengthy process.
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One can genuinely start helping others at the Sotapanna stage once one becomes an Ariya or a Noble Person.
- Of course, all should start discussing at any stage.
The basic premise of Tobis’ essay is correct.
- Modern science (or quantum mechanics) has not shown how mental entities (vedana, sanna, sankhara, vinnana) arise from inert matter.
- That is not going to happen, ever.
- It is the reverse that is true. New matter arises based on javana citta created with vedana, sanna, sankhara, and vinnana. That is why the Buddha stated, “Manōpubbangamā dhammā...“
I like your new name, Tobi.
When Tobi states, “This interaction through R, V, S, S, V, causes consciousness to rise in a PS cycle,” I think he refers to rupa, vedana, sanna, sankhara, and vinnana. That is correct.
Tobi wrote: “5 million magnetic crystals per gram of brain mass are assumed to be “Mana Indria” in the brain.”
- Where did you get that information?
I have not read through the whole essay.
Taryal wrote: “I think the people in the East can also comprehend Buddha’s teachings when explained properly. “
- Of course. I meant that people in the East have been exposed to Buddha’s teachings (even with incorrect interpretations) for a long time. It is easier for them to grasp concepts like kamma/kamma vipaka, rebirth, etc. Most are familiar with those concepts.
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@Jittananto: Yes. Sotapannas are not Anagamis. A Sotapanna can engage in many akusala kamma, but not apayagami ones.
In my previous comment, I wrote: “Thus, engaging in sexual activities unacceptable to society is a “papa kamma” or the worst kind that can lead to rebirths in the apayas.”
- Per Jittananto’s comment, “King Bimbisāra was a sotāpanna, and he enjoyed the service of prostitutes.” I do not know the truth of that. If it is true, may be prostitution was acceptable to the society where the Buddha lived.
- In this case, it is a grey area. I cannot be certain about it. In general, it depends on one’s mental state when one engages in a sexual act outside the marriage. If society does not look down upon it, one may not generate strong javana citta for it to become an apayagami kamma.
- However, in most cases, societal norms do not come into play.
- Kamma and kamma vipaka are not fully discernible to our minds but only to the mind of a Buddha.
@Taryal: Buddha’s (nature’s) laws differ from mundane ones. As I have tried to explain, it is an entirely different worldview.
- You asked: “Why can’t 2 consenting adults have sex even if not married?”
- Of course, the Buddha did not prohibit anyone from doing anything. It is up to each person to decide how to live their lives. But it is bound to have kammic consequences whether one likes it or not. As I mentioned above, if it is normal in a given society, it may not become a strong kamma because one may not generate strong enough javana citta while engaging in that activity. In cases like this, we cannot be 100% certain.
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Pathfinder wrote: “I thought immoral would mean that it would “hurt others”. “
- No. That is the “mundane meaning.”
- “Moral” in Buddha Dhamma has various levels: What you wrote is the first level, which MUST be avoided. The higher levels involve hurting oneself. If one’s actions create conditions that bring future suffering for oneself, those must also be avoided.
- Thus, engaging in sexual activities unacceptable to society is a “papa kamma” or the worst kind; that can lead to rebirths in the apayas. At the next level, sex with one’s lawful partner is “moral” in the mundane sense, but until that desire is removed one cannot get to the Anagami stage.
- See “Pāpa Kamma Versus Akusala Kamma” and “Details of Kamma – Intention, Who Is Affected, Kamma Patha.”
Pathfinder asked: “Is the sukha vedana not real?”
- It is real in the sense that our physical bodies are created to provide that feeling
- This is a deeper aspect that will take some time to understand: “Sotapanna Stage via Understanding Perception (Saññā)”
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Yes. Such effects have been observed by others.
- The physical body can manifest some effects when the mind undergoes significant changes.
- However, those effects “wear away” on their own. One should not pay much attention to them.
- See “Can Buddhist Meditation be Dangerous?“
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