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Thank you! It will be a good practice.
- You have a better understanding than many. I have not been able to convey these ideas to some of my friends. Some have Ph. D.s but don’t “get it.” Their minds are occupied with making “scientific discoveries” or simply not interested! It motivates me to see my efforts make a difference in at least some!
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“Harayati” means “no substance,” as I explained in “Anicca, Dukkha, Anatta – According to Some Key Suttā“
Please write comments while at home. There is no need to respond immediately. I also had to correct many spelling errors and grammar in other comments. I don’t mind that in short comments, but it is added work for me. A good comment may not make sense if not written correctly.
- Especially with long comments, please use software like Google Docs or Word to ensure the comment is grammatically correct.
- I may delete a comment and ask to be resubmitted in the future.
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Another translation that is a bit more informative is here: “Dhammapada Verse 149“
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It is a short sutta, a “Thera Gāthā” uttered by an Arahant “Siṅgālapituttheragāthā”:
“Ahu buddhassa dāyādo, bhikkhu bhesakaḷāvane;
Kevalaṁ aṭṭhisaññāya, apharī pathaviṁ imaṁ;
Maññehaṁ kāmarāgaṁ so, khippameva pahissatī”ti.
Translation:
“There was an heir of the Buddha, a bhikkhu in Bhesakaḷā forest,
who suffused the entire earth with the perception of “anicca saññā” (meaning he would not generate kama raga for anything on Earth)
I think he will quickly eliminate sensual desire (kāma rāga.)”
The critical point is to realize the following:
- There, aṭṭhi saññā means to realize the futility of craving things that induce kāma rāga, i.e., to cultivate “anicca saññā” for “sensual objects.”
- The “Aṭṭhikamahapphala Sutta (SN 46.57)” states that one who cultivates aṭṭhika saññā can become an Arahant or at least an Anagami: “Aṭṭhikasaññāya, bhikkhave, bhāvitāya bahulīkatāya dvinnaṁ phalānaṁ aññataraṁ phalaṁ pāṭikaṅkhaṁ—diṭṭheva dhamme aññā, sati vā upādisese anāgāmitā.” Here, “aññā” is an Arahant.
- The English translations of aṭṭhi saññā as “perception of bones” in the first sutta and “perception of a skeleton” in the second sutta in the above links are wrong. One cannot become an Arahant by contemplating “bones” or “skeletons.”
The meaning becomes evident in the “Girimānanda Sutta (AN 10.60)“: “Idhānanda, bhikkhu sabbasaṅkhāresu aṭṭīyati harāyati jigucchati.” I have explained this verse in #10 of “Anicca, Dukkha, Anatta – According to Some Key Suttā“
OK. Thank you!
Here is the reference: “Siṅgālapituttheragāthā.”
- I will take a look later. Others, please feel free to comment.
There are several Sila Suttas. I am not sure which sutta that refers to.
However, the “antarāparinibbāyī” state is described in the following sutta: “Paṭhamavitthāra Sutta (SN 48.15).”
“Imesaṁ kho, bhikkhave, pañcannaṁ indriyānaṁ samattā paripūrattā arahaṁ hoti, tato mudutarehi antarāparinibbāyī hoti, tato mudutarehi upahaccaparinibbāyī hoti, tato mudutarehi asaṅkhāraparinibbāyī hoti, tato mudutarehi sasaṅkhāraparinibbāyī hoti, tato mudutarehi uddhaṁsoto hoti akaniṭṭhagāmī, tato mudutarehi sakadāgāmī hoti, tato mudutarehi sotāpanno hoti, tato mudutarehi dhammānusārī hoti, tato mudutarehi saddhānusārī hotī”ti.”
Here, the ten samyojana are eliminated as follows:
- dhammānusārī and saddhānusārī are Sotapanna Anugamis. They have only started on eliminating the lowest three samyojana.
- sotāpanno has eliminated the lowest three samyojana.
- sakadāgāmī has started to eliminate the next two (kama raga, patigha).
- upahaccaparinibbāyī , asaṅkhāraparinibbāyī , sasaṅkhāraparinibbāyī, anduddhaṁsoto hoti akaniṭṭhagāmī are Anagamis who have eliminated the lower five samyojana and are in various stages of eliminating the higher five (rupa raga, arupa raga, mana, uddhacca, avijja.) They are born in various realms reserved for Anagamis.
- antarāparinibbāyī is a human Anagami who has died after eliminating rupa raga and arupa raga but has not eliminated mana, uddhacca, or avijja. Thus, he cannot be reborn in any realm because all three of kama, rupa, and arupa raga have been eliminated. But the existing manomaya kaya cannot perish since there are three more samyojana left. Thus, he stays with the manomaya kaya until the kammic energy left in the human bhava is worn out.
- P.S. Of course, arahaṁ refers to an Arahant who has eliminated all samyojana.
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I need to clarify the following I wrote above: “1. You like to eat ice cream and smoke because that gives you “mind-made” pleasure. If ice cream has an innate “deliciousness,” all living beings should have the desire to eat it.”
- The “sweet taste of ice cream” is not made up by your mind at that moment. It is built into the human body’s experience of tastiness. Even an Arahant tastes ice cream to be tasty/sweet.
- But that sweet taste is “mind-made” because the human body giving that taste arose via Paticca Samuppada. That happened in a previous life.
- But if you don’t “see with wisdom” that whole process and keep attaching to that taste, rebirth in kama loka cannot be stopped. An Arahant (or Anagami) feels the taste of ice cream (“rasa paṭisaṁvedī”) but has given up craving (no “rasa rāga paṭisaṁvedī”), not by willpower, but by cultivating wisdom, i.e., seeing how this endless cyclic process operates! See #7 through #9 of the new post “Ārammaṇa (Sensory Input) Initiates Critical Processes.”
- P.S. However, the craving for smoking is not “built into your body,” so that can be stopped more easily. Many people have up smoking by seeing the adverse health effects.
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Excellent. You are on the right track. Let me highlight some critical issues.
1. You like to eat ice cream and smoke because that gives you “mind-made” pleasure. If ice cream has an innate “deliciousness,” all living beings should have the desire to eat it. Not even all humans like to smoke. These are habits (part of gati) that we cultivate.
- Even the desire for sex is the same. Only those in kama loka see it as “giving pleasure.” To cultivate jhana and to be born a Brahma, one must see it as a hindrance to getting to a “higher stage.”
- As long as we crave those things, we will be trapped in the kama loka. Paticca Samuppada (“pati icca leading to sama uppada” means such cravings are perpetuated in the rebirth process.)
2. Such cravings can lead to worse outcomes if we engage in immoral deeds to “have more of them.”
- For example, some people take bribes to make more money in seeking more sensory pleasure. Since that is an immoral deed, it could lead to a birth matching that lowly deed by being born a pig. Since that birth corresponds to “distasteful actions,” pigs crave feces. They get to reap the fruits of their actions.
- Those who commit violent deeds (killing) are likely to be born lions, tigers, etc., who have to depend on the flesh of other animals. Rebirths are, according to gati.
3. The release from cravings comes from developing a deeper understanding of these Paticca Samuppada processes.
- It is not easy to give up cravings because those are built into our births. But the only way out is to fully understand this vicious cyclic process: Births are according to gati, and gati are hard to break, so one gets trapped!
- As one’s understanding grows, it becomes easier to give up cravings. I know by experience.
- When one begins to understand why the Buddha called “sanna a mirage” and “vinnana a magician,” one’s mind will voluntarily give up those cravings. Here, “sanna” is the “innate sense/feeling” that ice cream or smoking can provide pleasure.
- Again, I refer to the post “Fooled by Distorted Saññā (Sañjānāti) – Origin of Attachment (Taṇhā)” and other posts in the section “Sotapanna Stage via Understanding Perception (Saññā).”
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Excellent.
- You wrote: “Sakkaya ditthi refers to the belief in an unchanging and permanent soul, which can be controlled and passed on from one life to another or can perish with the body depending on the ditthi. A sotāpanna has eliminated these views, but the perception of self still lingers like a bad smell on a washed cloth.”
- That is the explanation I was looking for.
There are three related concepts that the Buddha taught.
- A puthujjana attaches to things with mana (or asmi mana), tanha, and ditthi, in that order. All three arise based on the “distorted sanna” that is built-in to ALL births via Paticca Samuppada.
- Asmi mana is the “sense of self or me,” which is the “deepest layer.” That is eliminated at the Arahant stage.
- Next is tanha (in the form of kama raga, rupa raga, and arupa raga, which value existences in kama, rupa, and arupa loka.) Here, kama raga is removed at the Anagami stage. Rupa raga and arupa raga are removed while on the Arahant magga, i.e., after attaining the Anagami stage.
- The outermost layer is “sakkaya ditthi.” That is the VIEW that worldly things have kama guna and thus can bring happiness. That is the first layer of ignorance to be removed at the Sotapanna stage
They are summarized in the verse: “etaṁ mama, esohamasmi, eso me attā’ti.” It is discussed in the post “Etaṁ Mama, Esohamasmi, Eso Me Attā’ti – What Does It Mean?”
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Yes. Depending on one’s actions and lifestyle (based on one’s mindset), one will have certain gati (character/habits).
- One will become that in the upcoming life/rebirth.
- If one lives like a preta (greedy), one will likely be reborn a preta (hungry ghost.) If one lives a moral life and cultivates anariya jhana, one will be reborn a Brahma. Both are useless, but a Brahma will at least have a peaceful life while it lasts.
- It is the same lifestream that lives the life of a human, Deva, animal, preta, Brahma, etc. The rebirth process is just moving back and forth between “good realms” and “bad realms.”
You are still quoting standard phrases: “No, he still has this wrong perception but he will never fall into the views related to Sakkaya ditthi.” That does not say anything about the meaning of “sakkaya ditthi.” I asked a couple of direct questions above.
- What do you understand by “sakkaya ditthi“? If you can explain in your own words, I can comment.
- I am not trying to “get you.” If you genuinely want to learn Dhamma, you need to try to understand what you don’t know. If you don’t want to answer, that is fine.
One problem I have is that I don’t know how much of what I write people understand. I can write many posts, but if I am not addressing issues that people don’t understand, then it is a waste of time.
Gad wrote: “Sakkaya ditthi is the wrong view that mistakenly identifies with one of the five aggregates of clinging that constitute the Psycho-physical complex described as a being or personality as “self”.”
- So, a Sotapanna does not have the sense of a “me”? Would not consider the house, car, or anything else as his?
1. Those ideas (Dosakkhayo‘s) about sakkaya ditthi are good but mostly mundane.
- At the root level, sakkaya ditthi means the view that “pursuing worldly things can bring happiness.”
- Once one can see the “big picture of the Buddha” that spans over the rebirth process and the fact that a “suffering-free mind” is hidden under layers of defilements, that view will be eliminated. Sakkaya ditthi will disappear, and the tendency to pursue worldly things will diminish when one comprehends that.
- I have been discussing that in recent posts and tried to summarize it in the latest post: “Ārammaṇa (Sensory Input) Initiates Critical Processes.”
2. Silabba Paramasa
- I may not have discussed “silabbata paramasa” sufficiently.
- “Paramasa” means a “conviction” that some way of doing things can DEFINITELY get one to the goal.
- When the goal is to attain Nibbana, “silabbata paramasa” means “following a specific set of precepts/rituals” can get one there. However, while moral conduct is necessary to attain Nibbana, it is NOT sufficient. Nibbana is attained by cultivating wisdom (panna), and morality is a necessary CONDITION.
3. The various categories of “conditions to attain Nibbana” (seven types of anusaya, ten samyojana, four yogā, four Asava, etc) are discussed in the post “Conditions for the Four Stages of Nibbāna.” To categorize into raga, dosa, moha would be as follows:
Raga categories:
- kama raga
- rupa raga
- arupa raga
Dosa categories:
- patigha
- uddacca
Moha categories:
- sakkaya ditthi
- vicikicca
- silabbata paramasa
- mana
- avijja
Under the moha category, sakkaya ditthi, vicikicca, and silabbata paramasa are ditthi (wrong views). Mana (the idea of “me/myself”) and avijja arise due to avijja. Uddacca (“unsettled mind”) could be categorized under avijja or dosa.
- Of course, everything will eventually be due to avijja!
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This question requires a lengthy explanation. I will try to provide a summary.
1. A critical factor in rebirth is gati. One’s gati is determined by sankhara (kamma) they engage in.
2. Paticca Samuppada determines not only future rebirths but also the environments where sentient beings with the majority of gati can be reborn.
- For example, at the beginning of a “new Earth,” all sentient beings on Earth have fine bodies like those of Brahmas. Initially, there is no vegetation, animals, etc. and also no males/females. They have just descended from Abhassara Brahma realm and are mostly like Brahmas.
- With time, their “manussa gati” (with raga, dosa, and moha) slowly emerge. Their bodies become dense, and initially, there is “free food” in terms of natural rice-like vegetation that can be eaten without any preparation.
- Then sexes emerge and more incentive to engage in defiled activities.
- With time, those with worse gati are reborn as animals. By that time, there is more vegetation, rivers, etc.
- With time, the nirayas inside the Earth take shape, and some humans/animals are born there.
- That is an example of how the environment changes as the dominant gati of sentient beings change.
3. Toward the end of the Earth (and the Sun and surrounding stars), the environment changes drastically again.
- The Sun (and the Earth) start getting hot, and gradually, rivers dry over millions of years. Mind-pleasing things, as well as food start to become scarce, and people naturally become “more moral.” They start cultivating (anariya) jhana and migrating back to the Abhassara Brahma realm over millions of years. By that time, apayas would have been destroyed, and beings there also gradually moved to the Abhassara Brahma realm (via the human realm).
4. That is the “life cycle” on a grand scale. That cycle has been repeating from a “beginning-less time.” More details in “Buddhism and Evolution – Aggañña Sutta (DN 27)“
5. Another point is the following: On that time scale, the overall gati of sentient beings (and thus the environment or the “structure of Earth”) remains roughly the same. For example, the main continents, oceans, etc., are re-formed similarly, not the same, but roughly the same.
- People with similar gati are born in similar places/countries. All Buddhas are born in the “same” geographical area of India/Sri Lanka. They speak similar languages, have similar names, etc.
- That does not mean the same people recycle back to their original places of birth. Rather, people with similar gati AT THAT TIME are reborn in similar geographical locations. Even now, as gati changes, one’s birth location can change.
That is a brief summary, but it should be enough to get the general idea. It is not worthwhile to spend time on these issues, but it is good to have a general idea. The task at hand is to cultivate the path and be free of suffering because no one knows how long one will live.
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