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“Gandhabba can be destroyed, but not forever. Rather, they can get dismantled by powerful beings and then accumulates again at some point in the future.”
- A gandhabba cannot be “destroyed” by any “powerful being.”
- When getting a “human existence” a “human gandhabba” is born and can live for many thousands of years. That gandhabba will be pulled into the womb of a woman and be born a baby to grow into a human. When that human dies within hundred years or so, the gandhabba does not die. It comes out of the dead body. It can be pulled into another womb and that process can go on until the lifetime of the gandhabba ends.
- The only way that gandhabba can die before the end of its lifetime is as follows. If a human carrying that gandhabba commits an anatarika kamma then when that human physical body dies the gandhabba will also die.
- See “Ānantarika Kamma – Connection to Gandhabba.”
“..even if you get “annihilated”, you will be born again sometime in the future, maybe it will take eons (billions and billions of years) for it to happen,..”
- There is no gap between lives. When a human gandhabba dies, it will reborn in one of other realms or in the realm immediately.
- See “What Reincarnates? – Concept of a Lifestream“
“.. this practice is in fact very useless since it results in being reborn as “immaterial things” “
- A lifeform (human, animal, Deva, etc.) cannot be reborn an “immaterial thing” like a rock. Rebirths are ALWAYS within the 31 realms. See “What Reincarnates? – Concept of a Lifestream“
“Samsara is truly a giant cosmic horror story.”
- That is true!
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Tobi asked: “I would be interested to know what you think of this parable of hell”
The hell is real. No parable is needed to explain it.
- Rebirths in hell (niraya) result due to immoral deeds done by attachment to “made-up” sensory pleasures or “distorted saññā.”
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I asked Grok (Elon Musk’s AI) to explain the “Plato’s Allegory of the Cave.” The following is its explanation:
“Plato’s Allegory of the Cave is a story about a group of people who are chained inside a cave, facing a wall. They have been there since birth and can only see shadows of objects passing by behind them, which they believe to be real. One day, one of the prisoners is freed and is able to turn around and see the actual objects. He realizes that the shadows were just a poor representation of reality.
The freed prisoner then leaves the cave and discovers the real world outside, full of sunlight and colors. He realizes that the world he knew inside the cave was just a limited and distorted version of reality. Excited about his discovery, he returns to the cave to tell the others, but they don’t believe him and even threaten to kill him if he tries to set them free.In this allegory, the cave represents the world of appearances and the limited knowledge we have through our senses. The prisoners represent people who are trapped in their limited understanding of the world, and the shadows represent the distorted view of reality that they have. The journey out of the cave and into the real world represents the pursuit of true knowledge and understanding, which can be difficult and uncomfortable, but ultimately leads to enlightenment.”I think Grok explains the “Plato’s Allegory of the Cave” well.- From the early days of philosophy, people have wondered whether we experience the “true nature of the world.”
- “Plato’s Allegory of the Cave” is one such attempt. Of course, all philosophers can do is try to make guesses. Only a Buddha can figure out the “true nature of the world.”
Tobi is correct to point out the connection to “distorted saññā.”
- We are trapped in the endless rebirth process due to the “distorted saññā,” i.e., what we experience is not a true representation of the external stimuli that come in through our senses.
- The Buddha also explained how that “distorted saññā” arises and how to overcome the tendency to attach to it.
- See “Mūlapariyāya Sutta – The Root of All Things” and “Fooled by Distorted Saññā (Sañjānāti) – Origin of Attachment (Taṇhā)” among other posts in “Sotapanna Stage via Understanding Perception (Saññā).”
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There is a danger in trying to explain “pancakkhandha” in terms of “things” in the external world.
- Think about this: “Rupa” in rupakkhandha does not refer to “external objects made of atoms and molecules.” Of course, they arise due to things in the external world.
- “Rupa” in rupakkhandha refers to “mental impressions of external rupa.”
- Also, “rupa” in the external world can be solid objects (which we can see) and also sounds, smells, tastes, and touches. See “Difference Between Physical Rūpa and Rūpakkhandha.”
I have made some revisions to the post “Samādhi, Jhāna, and Sammā Samādhi,” which I rewrote yesterday.
1. First, it is “Tipitaka” and NOT “Tripitaka.”
- Tripitaka is a Sanskrit word. The Buddha advised not to use the Sanskrit language.
- We need to start using Pali words (or equivalent Sinhala words.)
2. We can figure it out if you can give the Pali sutta reference in the Tipitaka.
- If you are using the Sinhala Buddha Jayanthi version, which book and what page is it on?
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Thank you! I suggest using a word processor, though. I corrected many grammar errors. It makes a big difference in getting your ideas across.
Excellent observation!
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You missed the deeper explanation in my previous comment.
In the strict sense, parinibbāna means “full and complete Nibbana.” In the strict/technical sense, it is NOT the death of the physical body that carries the “suffering-free” mind trapped inside.
– The mind of a living Arahant is free of not only birth but also decay and death. “Bhava paccaya jati” AND “jati paccaya jara, marana, …” do not happen for that Arahant (or a Buddha.)
– What dies is the physical body that was born long before attaining Nibbana or Arahanthood.Of course, we do say Buddha’s parinibbana happened 45 years after attaining Buddhahood.
– But that physical body of a human was not the Buddha. Once, a Brahmin asked the Buddha whether he was a human, Deva, or some other being. The Buddha told him that he was not a human, Deva, or did not belong to any of other categories. He had transcended all existences in this world of 31 realms. That is the point I wanted to convey.Don’t take it too seriously. As I mentioned in the previous comment, it is a “technical point.” Even the Tipitaka says that Buddha’s Parinibbana happened 45 years after Buddhahood. That version is not entirely incorrect, either. The Buddha, while trapped inside that decaying physical body subjected to pain and suffering, was able to teach what he had discovered.
So, what I pointed out was only a technical point. But it is important to understand that aspect, too.
P.S. Another way to think about that is the following. The moment-to-moment “Idappaccayata Paticca Samuppada” process stopped at the moment of attaining the Buddhahood.
– This is why we should not focus too much on uppatti Paticca Samuppada (which describes rebirths). The Sutta Pitaka does not explicitly discuss that. It is mostly in the Commentaries. We need to focus more on the “Idappaccayata Paticca Samuppada” process.
–Paṭicca Samuppāda During a Lifetime
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Gad wrote: “Some people reach Nibbāna in suffering or shortly before death. Some arahants have attained parinibbãna violently…”
– That is not the technically correct way to state what happens.
– Nibbana is complete the moment one attains Arahantood. Thus, rebirth and suffering end (jati paccaya jara, marana, soka, parideva, ..) with the termination of the Paticca Samuppada process.
– However, the physical body of the Arahant (which arose due to previous kamma) remains alive until its death, and can be subjected to any vipaka coming to it. Thus, until the death of the physical body, that Arahant is in “Saupādisesa nibbānadhātu.” At the death of the physical body, an Arahant attains “Anupādisesa nibbānadhātu.”
– This is discussed in the “Nibbānadhātu Sutta (Iti 44).
– That sutta is discussed in Kalahavivāda Sutta – Origin of Fights and DisputesBy the way, formatting options are temporarily unavailable. They should be restored in a day or two.
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Sammasambodhi Gami wrote: “Jhanas can also be achieved by focusing one’s mind on a suitable object like breath/kasina/mantras/image of a god, etc. That is Samatha meditation.
However, just getting to jhanas will not get one to Nibbana because the anusayas (mental fermentations) are only suppressed (in anariya jhanas), they are not removed. The anusayas and sanyojanas can be removed only by cultivating wisdom (panna) of Anicca, Dukkha, Anatta/Paticca Samuppada/Four Noble Truths.”
That is correct. Good observation!
– Jhānic states correspond to the Brahma realms. They are a set of existences in the world of 31 realms.
– Paticca Samuppada generates all existences via abhisankhara.
– Existences in the apayas are generated via apunna abhisankhara. Those in the human, Deva, and rupavacara Brahma realms (corresponding to jhāna) arise via punna abhisankhara. Those in arupavacara Brahma realms (corresponding to akasanancayatana through nevasannanasanayatana samapattis) arise via anenja abhisankhara. See the post: “Rebirths Take Place According to Abhisaṅkhāra“Therefore, the term “Ariya jhāna” does not make sense. There are only four (or five according to Abhidhamma classification) jhana.
– However, I also used the term “Ariya jhāna” previously. I need to start correcting those posts.
– One can be a Noble Person (up to Arahanthood) without cultivating jhāna. Those Arahants are Pannavimutti Arahants.
– One can be a puthujjana and have all the jhanas and samapattis without any magga phala. They are cetovimutta but not pannavimutta.
– A limited number of Arahants are both pannavimutta and cetovimutta. They are called ubhatovimutta Arahants.
– Any Noble Person may have some jhāna at various levels. I will write a post discussing this in detail.
This is explained well in Abhidhamma. For a Noble Person without jhāna, the total number of citta possible is 81. When jhānas are included (for those with jhāna at various levels), that number of possible cittas increases to 121.Excellent!
Another (related) way to look at “dukkha” is to see that as long as we crave pancupadanakkhandha (i.e., perceived “pleasures” in this world), we are moving away from the “suffering-free pabhassara mind” and to more suffering.
An average human (puthujjana), unaware of Buddha’s teachings, is trapped in the birth/death Sansaric process.
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“Mahāsudassana Sutta (DN 17)” has several interesting pieces of information:
1. @ marker 1.2.2: When the Buddha prepared for his Parinibbana in the small city of Kusinara, Ven. Ananda asked him to change his mind and select a large city.
- The Buddha told Ven. Ananda the following: Once upon a time, there was a king named Mahāsudassana. His capital was this Kusinārā, which at that time was named Kusāvatī.
- Then, the Buddha described various aspects of that kingdom in great detail.
2. Information relevant to the current topic is in Section “5. Jhānasampatti” @ marker 2.1.1.
- It describes how King Mahāsudassana cultivated jhanas. They were anariya jhanas, as we see below.
- The interesting point is that the description of the jhana is the same as for Ariya jhana descriptions in other suttas.
- @2.3.1 marker: “Atha kho, ānanda, rājā mahāsudassano mahāviyūhaṁ kūṭāgāraṁ pavisitvā sovaṇṇamaye pallaṅke nisinno vivicceva kāmehi vivicca akusalehi dhammehi savitakkaṁ savicāraṁ vivekajaṁ pītisukhaṁ paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja vihāsi.”
- He had cultivated all four jhanas.
- @ marker 2.13.3: “Upon passing away, King Mahāsudassana was reborn in a good place, a Brahmā realm.”
- @ 2.14.3: ” I myself was King Mahāsudassana at that time.”
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Hopefully, the following chart will help clarify the difference between Ariya and anariya jhana. I can make improvements before putting it in a post. Feel free to ask questions/suggest improvements.
Download/Print: “Ariya and Anariya Jhana“
The chart does not show that the time spent in the rupa and arupa loka is negligibly small. Furthermore, even in kama loka, most of the time is spent in the apayas. Thus, the term “Nibbānic Bliss.” It is bliss to be free of all that suffering!
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