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From the Dhamma perspective, it is immoral to pay for sex.
- It is OK to engage in sex with one’s lawful partner. All other activities fall under “sexual misconduct.”
- But bhikkhus are prohibited from engaging in any sexual activity. Anyone who cannot abide by that “Vinaya rule” should not become a bhikkhu.
- We are trapped in the “kama loka” primarily because of our craving for sex. Again, the “pleasure of sex” is “mind-made, even though hard to believe. Also, “the beauty of a woman,” or the “handsomeness of a man,” is not absolute/real; it is a “distorted sanna.” I hope to explain that via Paticca Samuppada in the future. The main ideas are in the “Sotapanna Stage via Understanding Perception (Saññā)” section.
P.S. See “Is It Necessary for a Buddhist to Eliminate Sensual Desires?“
In the early days, well before he became a bhikkhu, Waharaka Thero was involved in interactions with “unseen beings” of immoral character. Such activities were more common in those days.
- He gave up such activities after focusing on the deep Dhamma.
I don’t think we need to worry about such effects. When cultivating metta bhavana, spread metta to “all beings” without distinction.
- I have not had any issues, and I also heard about such an issue only from one or two people. Unless one starts focusing on such “unseen beings” they cannot bother us.
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Jittananto wrote: “I understand that as long as we are in the two upper Lokas (Rupa and Arupa), the bad Kamma Vipāka cannot reach us.”
- Yes. The worst types of kamma vipaka materialize in the physical body: injuries, cancer, other sicknesses, headaches, etc…
- Since all Brahmas do not have physical bodies, such vipaka cannot manifest in those 20 realms.
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Thank you, Seng Kiat, for providing the background account. It says:
Na antalikkhe na samuddamajjhe, na pabbatānaṁ vivaraṁ pavissa;
Na vijjatī so jagatippadeso, yatthaṭṭhito mucceyya pāpakammā.Verse 127: Not in the sky, nor in the middle of the ocean, nor in the cave of a mountain, nor anywhere else, is there a place, where one may escape from the consequences of an evil deed.
- What Yash wrote is correct. It does not apply to those who have removed the conditions to bring the results of any past kamma.
1. The kammic energy of any akusala kamma is preserved in viññāna dhātu. That energy can wear out gradually over a long time, but until then, they can bring vipāka IF SUITABLE CONDITIONS appear. It is possible to stop some kamma vipāka (anantariya kamma) by attaining the Sotapanna stage. ALL such conditions can be stopped by attaining Arahanthood. It is critical to understand what “kamma nirodha” means.
- The tendency is to assume that it is about nullifying accumulated kammic energies. However, the accumulated kammic energies cannot be removed (some of those energies are exhausted when they bring vipāka, and others gradually “wear away” with time, which can be billions of years.)
- Any remaining kammic energy CAN return to us as “kamma vipāka” whenever suitable CONDITIONS appear.
2. What we can do is to stop the CONDITIONS that can bring such “kamma vipāka.”
- For example, Angulimala killed almost a thousand people. However, when he attained the Sotapanna stage in front of the Buddha (whom he initially intended to kill, another potent kamma), he instantly nullified any accumulated “kamma vipāka” that could have landed him in an apaya. Then, within a month or so, he attained the Arahant stage and nullified ALL accumulated “kamma vipāka.”
- That shows the basic idea. It also shows the unimaginable benefits of attaining magga phala.
3. A kamma is not any action but a “defiled action” based on one’s sañcetanā (one’s defiled intention), and kammic energies are created AT THAT MOMENT with one’s javana cittas. See “Details of Kamma – Intention, Who Is Affected, Kamma Patha.” I may not have emphasized the difference between mere “cetanā” (any intention) and “sañcetanā” (defiled intention) in that post. If so, please let me know.
- Another point is that “kamma” is done with abhisankhara arising in the mind. Javana cittas arise when we engage in abhisankhara. See “Kamma and Saṅkhāra, Cetanā and Sañcetanā.”
- Such a kammic energy stays in “viññāna dhātu” until suitable CONDITIONS appear to bring back the fruits of that kamma as “kamma vipāka.”
- Those kammic energies are also called “dhammā.” See “What are rūpa? – Dhamma are rūpa too!” and “Rupa, Dhammā (Appaṭigha Rupa) and Nāmagotta (Memories).”
4. The key point is that “kamma nirodha” happens only with magga phala. As a higher magga phala is attained, more and more possible kamma vipāka automatically becomes nullified.
- Even though an Arahant has nullified kamma vipāka that can bring rebirth, vipāka of some accumulated strong kammic energies can appear. That is because there is still one “condition” left to bring vipāka: the physical body of the Arahant, which arose due to a kamma vipāka when that Arahant was born.
- At the death of the physical body of an Arahant, no accumulated kammic energies can bring a vipāka to lead to another rebirth in any realm. That is the end of rebirth and even a trace of suffering.
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Good summary. Thank you, Taryal!
You wrote: “It is sad to see that the true Dhamma remains hidden for the majority of the humans, even many self-proclaimed Buddhists.”
- That is sad but true.
- Most Buddhists (mainly Mahayana and Tibetan) believe that just engaging in rituals (chanting, worshipping the Buddha, etc.) is enough to attain Nibbana.
- I believe most Westerners can grasp Buddha’s teachings if explained methodically and will be able to see the “depth” of Buddha’s teachings. I will try to do that in the new “Meditation – Deeper Aspects” section where I will try to simplify Abhidhamma concepts.
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Yes. It is not easy to stay away from “sensory pleasures.” Some spend hours recalling and enjoying “fond memories” of past sensory experiences.
- Even after it is fully grasped that most “sensory pleasures” are mind-made (due to “distorted sanna“), the tendency is to indulge in sensory pleasures because that is what we all have been doing for an eternity. It is not easy to break that habit.
- That is why people pay to watch good magic shows. They know that those effects are not real, but they are mind-pleasing. The same applies to watching movies.
- That is why the Buddha advised bhikkhus to engage in “mindful meditation” or Satipatthana constantly. Most of those bhikkhus fully understood how the “distorted sanna” arises, but it needed to be contemplated constantly to “wear away” the “bad gati” accumulated over innumerable past lives.
I don’t understand the last part of your comment: “However, i was thinking if there could be a better answer. WITHOUT bringing in concepts of kamma, rebirth and how attachment leads to rebirth, is there a better way to answer this question? I did not want to bring in “supernatural” concepts because it becomes harder to believe. How would y’all have handled it?”
- The fact that a mind attaches not to “real pleasures” but to “mind-made pleasures” (via “distorted sanna“) can not be understood without understanding those concepts.
- One must at least understand the bad consequences of attaching to sensory pleasures if the better explanation of “distorted sanna” is not yet comprehended. That also requires understanding the concepts of kamma, rebirth, and how attachment leads to rebirth, i.e., the ‘big picture.”
TGS asked: “What are you thoughts on SammasamBuddha’s and paccekaBuddha’s? Or more specially what do you think of how a SammasamBuddha or paccekaBuddha’s can come to the understanding / comprehension of the rules of kamma, Paticca Samuppada, 4 Noble Truths and other doctrines without hearing or listening to the teachings from another? It’s my understanding and belief that hearing / listening to even 1 line of the Buddha’s doctrine could be enough to help one to attain nibbana, especially from an Ariya, likewise from the Buddha.”
A Sammasambuddha or a Paccekabuddha were also average humans (puthujjana).
- The word puthujjana can be interpreted two ways (some words can have multiple meanings not only in Pali but in other languages, too). (i) “Puthu” means “many” or ‘majority,” and “jana” means “population.” Thus, in this way, puthujjana means “most people.” (ii) The word puthujjana may also come from “pothu” (meaning “not of much use” like the “bark of a tree”) and “janika” means to “generate.” Thus, it could mean “average humans who engage in foolish activities (because they are unaware of the teachings of a Buddha.) That latter meaning is evident in the “Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (SN 56.11)“: “Yo cāyaṁ kāmesu kāmasukhallikānuyogo hīno gammo pothujjaniko anariyo anatthasaṁhito, yo cāyaṁ attakilamathānuyogo dukkho anariyo anatthasaṁhito.”
- Any Sammasambuddha, Paccekabuddha, Arahant, or anyone with magga phala would have started off as a puthujjana. They evolve into different paths. I tried to explain that in the post “Pāramitā and Niyata Vivarana – Myths or Realities?“
The below is extracted from that post:
9. A person who eventually becomes a Buddha starts as a scientist or a philosopher in today’s terminology. It is started via two paths, and both need to be fulfilled: “kim sacca gavēsi, kim kusala gavēsi“: investigations of truth and morality.
- Sacca (pronounced “sachcha”) means the truth; “kusala” is, of course, morals, and “gavēsi” is one who investigates. One starts with the intention of finding out how nature works, what morals are, and where morals come from.
- Even today, we can assign such labels to many scientists and philosophers. Of course, only a minute fraction of them will eventually become a Buddha or a great disciple, but that is how one starts.
10. That habit (gati) of looking into the truth and morals grows through successive lives. Most of them drop off due to external influences and unexpected circumstances. But those few who get to cultivate those gati keep cultivating them. As I said before, one may not have even heard of a Buddha for many eons while cultivating such gati. It is just that when one is on the right (or even wrong) path, nature starts guiding one: “Dhammō ha vē rakkhati dhammacāri.”
- By the way, one could start as a man or a woman, but only a man attains Buddhahood. This and several other things “that would not happen” are discussed in the “Bahudhātuka Sutta (MN 115)“.
- In our rebirth process, one could change sex. Sex change can happen even during a lifetime (these days, such transgenders are more common due to social influences).
- In the rebirth process, we have been born a man and a woman innumerable times. If I remember correctly, the Bodhisatta was a woman when she started cultivating pāramitā to become Buddha. But at some point (probably after getting niyata vivarana), he had been a male.
- There is a slight difference between males and females. That may not be politically correct to say these days, but that is the reality. One is a man or a woman because one has cultivated the corresponding gati. No matter how many laws are passed, the military will always be dominated by men, for example.
11. In the Tipiṭaka, it says the usual progression of one’s character (gati) buildup is dāna (giving), sila (moral conduct), bhāvanā (mostly loving kindness towards others), and culminating in paññā (wisdom).
- While these main ones are being cultivated, others are simultaneously cultivated, and the set of ten is called dasa pāramitā. The others are sacca (truth), viriya (effort), khanti (patience), adhitthāna (determination), metta (loving-kindness), nekkhamma (renunciation), and upekkhā (equanimity).
- The process has been analyzed in great detail. For example, each of those ten grows into higher stages: upa pāramitā (middle) and paramatta pāramitā (ultimate). As one progresses through successive lives, such gati get amplified, and one advances to those higher stages.
- As we saw in the previous post, “Animisa Locana Bodhi Poojawa – A Prelude to Acts of Gratitude, “it takes an unimaginably long time to purify the mind and attain the perfect mind of a Buddha.
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Yes. However, I am not sure what type of “illnesses” those three Theros suffered. Furthermore, the Buddha did not use “supernormal powers.” He only advised them on the benefits of satta bojjhaṅga cultivation.
- There are many instances of the Buddha suffering from backaches. Once, the Devadatta injured him, and he was treated by the physician Ajivaka.
- Then there was another instance where an Arahant had some illness that was not curable. He got permission from the Buddha to commit suicide.
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I don’t think Abhinna Powers can cure bodily injuries/sicknesses.
- Those are kamma vipaka that come to the physical body. One must use medical treatments (which may not work sometimes.)
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Pathfinder asked: “What were the Buddha’s actual words? Is the sutta central one just a condensed one, or does the link Jittanato sent have additional commentaries, with words not from the Buddha himself?”
1. The problem is that you focused on one of the deepest/most complex suttas.
- I don’t think any of those translators understand the meaning of those verses the Buddha delivered to Ven. Bahiya.
2. Even in the case of many other suttas, “word-by-word” translations cannot provide the embedded meaning. Such suttas need to be explained in detail.
- Most suttas are in the “very brief” (uddesa) or “brief” (niddesa) versions. They cannot be translated “word-by-word” but require detailed explanations.
- In the old days, bhikkhus would take a single verse or a few verses from a sutta like that and explain in detail in long verbal discourses.
- Please read “Sutta Interpretation – Uddēsa, Niddēsa, Paṭiniddēsa” and “Elephant in the Room 1 – Direct Translation of the Tipiṭaka“
3. There will come a time when there are no Ariyas (at or above the Sotapanna stage) who can explain Buddha’s teachings. That is the end of Buddha Gotama’s Buddha Sasana.
- All the books of the Tipitaka will be there, but no one to explain them.
- Then, the world must wait for another Buddha to be born to learn the teachings of a Buddha.
- That is why having a “kalyana mitta” to explain the fundamentals is a requirement to attain the Sotapanna stage: “Four Conditions for Attaining Sotāpanna Magga/Phala“
4. People who visit this website have wide-varying backgrounds. I do not know each person’s background enough to recommend specific posts/sections. One needs to scan through various sections. The following sections discuss fundamental concepts:
- “Three Levels of Practice“
- “Living Dhamma“
- “Key Dhamma Concepts“
- Also, I have discussed in detail some suttas: “Sutta Interpretations.”
5. Hopefully, this will also help clarify some of the questions you asked in other threads.
- Please select a few posts from those sections (or any other section) and start asking questions from them if things are not clear. That is probably a good way to clarify issues.
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That is because the true teachings of the Buddha have been hidden for thousands of years. Waharaka Thero (a jati Sotapanna with some special capabilities) who revived the decaying Buddha Sasana: “Parinibbāna of Waharaka Thēro.”
Pathfinder wrote: “At this rate there should be sotapannas without need for Buddha’s teachings!”
- But those are the teachings of the Buddha! For example, otherwise, you would not know about the ten types of miccha ditthi.
- Of course, your description of anariya yogis being able to see ALL types of past lives in incorrect. They cannot see their past lives in the apayas. Only SOME Ariyas at higher stages of magga phala can see ALL their previous lives.
Thank you, Jittananto. Those are excellent accounts, even though the translations of the verses are not entirely accurate.
- I encourage all those interested to read them, especially the second link Jittananto provided.
- You can ask questions after carefully reading them. Quote from the links and ask questions.
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There is a series of suttas providing the names of the “greatest disciples of the Buddha” in various aspects:
- Bāhiya dārucīriya is in the “Tatiyavagga.”
- The series starts with: “Paṭhamavagga”
- You can go through the whole series of eight suttas with the complete list.
