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The translations are not accurate.
- See “Āhāra (Food) in Udayavaya Ñāna.”
- Feel free to ask follow-up questions.
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Yes, Gad. You are correct to say: “Unfortunately, it is beyond our control to address the distortion of Tilakkhana in Theravada texts.” But that is not an excuse to copy and paste such translations as if they are correct.
- I do not want the wrong translations to appear on this website unless the intention is to criticize and point out why they are wrong. What is the point of copying and pasting incorrect translations as if they were the correct translations?
- Of course, sometimes people post comments that include wrong translations, not realizing they are incorrect, and I point that out. That is fine. That is how one learns. I did that in response to your post with the wrong translation. But if you know a translation to be incorrect, please do not reproduce it here.
- A related point: I frequently post links to Sutta Central translations, some of which are wrong. But I try to point out the errors. Those links need to be used with caution. I have many posts pointing out the inconsistencies/errors in Sutta Central translations. But it is a good resource because it provides Pali Tipitaka suttas in the English alphabet so people can read the Pali version. The English translations there can be useful if one knows how to replace the incorrectly translated verses.
- The sole purpose of this website is to educate people about the correct teachings of the Buddha. Of course, if I write something inconsistent, anyone is welcome to explain why it is inconsistent with the Tipitaka. If that explanation is sound, I will thank them for correcting my errors.
- The goal is to end up with the correct teachings of the Buddha and DISCARD wrong interpretations, regardless of whose interpretation it is.
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The translation you quoted is incorrect: “At the end of the discourse, the thief who was steadfastly keeping his mind on the arising and perishing of the aggregates discerned the impermanent, unsatisfactory, and non-self nature of all conditioned things and soon attained Sotapatti Fruition.”
- “Anicca, dukkha, anatta” characteristics do not refer to an “impermanent, unsatisfactory, and non-self nature” OF THE aggregates (panca upadanakkhandha).
- The point is that cultivating panca upadanakkhandha (which is the same as engaging in apunna/akusala kamma) is unfruitful (anicca) and takes one away from Nibbana (dukkha). Thus, that engaging in such actions is useless and of no benefit (anatta.)
This is a bit of a deep point to think about and understand.
- It takes an effort to understand this: “Sotapanna Stage via Understanding Perception (Saññā).”
Even though AI will never be able to match human intelligence, it will lead to a revolution in many applications like self-driving cars and computer coding. Those applications only involve speeding up mechanical processes with much less “operator error.”
- More importantly, AI will be able to speed up the working of the human brain. Human thoughts arise in the “seat of the mind (hadaya vatthu)” but are implemented (i.e., turned into physical actions) by the brain. The brain is necessarily slow because the energy available (by eating food) is negligibly small compared to the many orders of magnitude larger power available for modern computer networks.
- While AI cannot come up with “paradigm-changing discoveries,” it will help implement human ideas much faster.
- The following video shows that Neuralink is in the first stages of this revolution.
- The role of the brain is discussed in the post “Brain – Interface between Mind and Body.“
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Thank you, Gad.
- Yes. These are examples of rare cases of unusual kamma vipaka.
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The sutta says that one cannot LIVE the householder life as an Arahant.
- A layperson or a householder can attain Arahanthood, but they must become a bhikkhu within seven days, or they will die.
- Santati died the same day he attained Arahanthood. I am not sure whether King Suddhodana died the same day, but he was quite ill and likely to have died within that seven-day limit.
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You are right. I have revised #5 as below:
5. Generating “kāma saññā” at this initial “kāma dhātu stage” does not mean one is already in the “kāma bhava.” Generating “kāma saññā” happens just before kāma bhava while in the “kāma dhātu” stage. An Arahant‘s mind does not go beyond the “kāma dhātu” stage. A kamma (with defiled intention or sañcetanā) must happen to get to the kāma bhava, as the Buddha explained in the “Paṭhamabhava Sutta (AN 3.76).”
- The “Paṭhamabhava Sutta (AN 3.76)” states “Kāmadhātuvepakkañca, ānanda, kammaṁ nābhavissa, api nu kho kāmabhavo paññāyethā”ti?” OR “If no kamma took place (kammaṁ nābhavissa), would the transition from kāma dhātu to kāma bhava come about?” The answer was “no.”
- That kamma happens in the “kāmasaññaṁ paṭicca uppajjati kāmasaṅkappo” step in #1 above. As we know, kamma is done with (abhi)saṅkhāra and “saṅkappa” means “citta saṅkhāra.”
- As the verse in #1 shows, “kāma saṅkappa” arises (kāma saññaṁ paṭicca uppajjati kāma saṅkappo) in the second step. Let us carefully go through the steps involved.
Yes. Your assumption is correct.
- Jhanic and samapatti sukha are also”distorted saññā.”
- Brahmas (and Anariya yogis) get attached to them via the similar kāma guṇa (but at a lower level; Brahmas don’t engage in killing/stealing, etc. Of course, they don’t have the physical bodies to take such actions, but in any case, such strong greedy/hateful thoughts do not arise in a Brahma or an anariya yogi.)
- Getting rid of attachment to jhanic and samapatti sukha is what is left to do for an Anāgāmi.
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Thank you, Gad. It is an excellent sutta to discuss.
- Yes. Unfortunately, only relatively few strive (or even know how) to go from “darkness to light.”
- Nature’s magic show (“distorted sanna“) fools people. They think material things have kama guna, i.e., material wealth can bring long-lasting happiness: “Sotapanna Stage via Understanding Perception (Saññā).”
- But it works the way. People do akusala kamma to gain and enjoy material things (for a short time) and pay dearly later.
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Your question: “But when it comes to anger, for example. Say X saw someone he/she doesn’t like.
How do we solve this with Tilakkhana?”The “anicca nature” leads to dissatisfaction in the end. That is what “anicca” means.
- Even though X would not like to see that thing, X may not be able to get rid of it. Thus, X becomes stressed.
- Now, X may be able to get rid of it by taking action. But that action is likely to involve akusala kamma (abhisankhara). For example, if the “thing” is a co-worker at the workplace, X may be able to spread a lie and get that person fired. That involved lying and thus is an akusala kamma that will bring unpleasant vipaka in the future. Thus, even if X can get rid of that person, the outcome is more suffering in the long run.
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1. We tend to immediately think about the “physical world” with stars and planets when we hear the word “world” or “cosmos.”
- However, in Buddha Dhamma, the focus is on “each person’s world.”
- That is similar to the tendency to immediately think about “physical objects” when we see the word “rupa.” However, the Buddha almost ALWAYS referred to the “mind-made rupa” presented to the hadaya vatthu (seat of the mind) in gandhabba. See my comment in the thread “Conscious and Subconscious Mind” today.
2. It is easier to figure out why the Buddha made those comments that Tobi quoted at the beginning of his comment about the cosmos (world/universe in science) when we realize that.
- The Buddha almost always referred to one’s world. That world exists until one attains Parinibbana as an Arahant. That is why it is incorrect to say all four things about that “world.”
- See “Loka Sutta – Origin and Cessation of the World.”
3. Regarding Tobi’s question at the end, MOST sutta translations at Sutta Central (especially regarding verses with deep meanings) are incorrect.
- That holds for most other English translations as well. See “Elephant in the Room 1 – Direct Translation of the Tipiṭaka“
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OK. Let us consider: “Person X getting attached to a flower in the garden.”
1. Yes. It is critical to understand the verse “Cakkhuñca paṭicca rūpe ca uppajjāti cakkhuviññāṇaṃ.”
- It can be separated out a bit: “Cakkhuñ ca paṭicca rūpe ca uppajjāti cakkhu viññāṇaṃ.” It means “when cakkhu and a rupa come into contact cakkhu viññāṇa results.”
- Here, cakkhu is NOT the eyes; rupa DOES NOT refer to the external rupa; cakkhu viññāṇa DOES NOT only refer to “seeing” but more than “just seeing” because it may arise with a “certain expectation” (In your suggested example of looking at a flower, it could be to pluck it and take it home.)
- The eyes capture an image of the flower. The brain processes that image; during that process, the brain adds one’s likes/dislikes about such a flower to that image. That modified “rupa” is then passed onto the “cakkhu pasada rupa” (or simply “cakkhu“), which is in the manomaya kaya (gandhabba.) Those are the cakkhu and rupa in “Cakkhuñ ca paṭicca rūpe ca uppajjāti cakkhu viññāṇaṃ.”
- Because that rupa is NOT a true representation of the flower in the garden. Therefore, the cakkhu viññāṇa arising in the mind sees a somewhat “distorted representation of the flower,” and that is why one’s mind may also generate a “liking for that flower.” Thus, cakkhu viññāṇa is more than just “seeing the flower.” It may prompt one to pluck it and take it home!
- You can replace the flower with a “more enticing object” (e.g., one’s favorite meal, a car one likes to buy, etc.), and you can see how thoughts of greed arise with a cakkhu viññāṇa.
2. Those are the basics one must have an idea of. More details in “Contact Between Āyatana Leads to Vipāka Viññāna.” Don’t forget to read the links referenced.
3. Those ideas are necessary to follow the recent posts in the section: “Sotapanna Stage via Understanding Perception (Saññā).”
- I don’t know whether you read any of those or whether you can understand them. Those are somewhat deeper aspects of Buddha’s teachings.
- If your understanding is not at that level, try to understand the post in #2 with the information in #1. Don’t worry. Each person has to start somewhere. I just don’t know the background of a person writing a comment or asking a question.
1. You wrote: “I am confused about Chittada Kaya.” It is written as “Cittaja Kaya” and pronounced “chiththaja kaya.” I will explain that in #7 below.
2. The mind is “mano.” Thoughts that arise in the mind are sometimes called “citta” (pronounced “chiththa”) and other times vinnana.
- An easy way to remember is as follows. Usually, “citta” means uncontaminated “thoughts.” Usually, “viññāna” is reserved for thoughts contaminated with greed, anger, or ignorance (lobha, dosa, moha).
3. The physical body (“karaja kaya” or “sarira“) does not generate citta. The physical body is mostly made from the food we eat; that contribution is “aharaja kaya.” Kammic energy and also thoughts contribute only a little but play important roles; those two contributions are “kammaja kaya” and “cittaja kaya.”
4. Overlapping the dense physical body is a “manōmaya kāya,” which is more like an “energy field.” Manōmaya kāya means a “mental body.” This is more important than the physical body since that is where thoughts or citta arise. It is also called “gandhabba.”
- The above ideas are discussed in several posts. See, for example, “Manomaya Kaya (Gandhabba) and the Physical Body.”
5. Thoughts or cittas have “mental factors” (“cetasika“) embedded. A citta has at least seven cetasika: Phassa (contact); vēdanā (feeling); saññā (perception); cētanā (volition); Ekaggata (One-pointedness) can become Sammā Samādhi; jivitindriya (life faculty); manasikāra (memory).
- When it develops into a contaminated thought, it would have more cetasika, like greed.
- “Cetasika (Mental Factors).”
- You asked: “So Cittaja Kaya is Phassa, Cethana, Vinnana?” So, you can see from the above that cittaja kaya is a part of the physical body and, therefore, not directly related to phassa, cetana, viññāna.
6. In #4 above, I mentioned that thoughts (cittas) arise in the manomaya kaya (gandhabba.) The “hadaya vatthu” is part of the manomaya kaya, and that is precisely where cittas arise.
- It may take some time to put all these together. I suggest keeping notes as you read posts. Then, you will be able to see the important connections and how the pieces of the puzzle can be assembled to see a coherent picture.
- Take the time and read the above-mentioned posts and links in those posts.
- Reading the first several posts in “Abhidhamma” could be helpful too.
7. Finally, a special way to write Pali words with the English alphabet was adopted in the 1800s (this is what I mentioned in #1 above). The following two posts are necessary to understand how to write and pronounce Pali words:
“Tipiṭaka English” Convention Adopted by Early European Scholars – Part 1
“Tipiṭaka English” Convention Adopted by Early European Scholars – Part 2
8. It will take an effort to grasp all these issues. It is best not to rush into it. Take the time to read the posts and take notes while you read them. That will help.
- You can also use the “Search” box on the top right to locate posts with a specific word.
- P.S. The following two posts could be helpful with definitions/pronunciations: “Pāli Glossary – (A-K)” and “Pāli Glossary – (L-Z)“.
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Tobi’s essay has some good ideas. However, there are some incompatibilities with Buddha Dhamma.
1. As Yash pointed out, “The universe is finite because we can leave it and enter Nibbāna” is incorrect.
- Nibbāna is not a physical event, like a rocket leaving the Erath. The best way to understand that is as follows. During the beginningless rebirth process, the “seat of the mind” (hadaya vatthu) is REGENERATED in a new form every time it dies. For example, a human has specific hadaya vatthu for the whole duration of that human existence (bhava), which could be many thousands of years. At the end of that “human bhava,” a new existence (say that of a Brahma) is grasped, and a new hadaya vatthu matching that of a Brahma is created by kammic energy.
- That process ends at the death of an Arahant. The mind of an Arahant WILL NOT grasp a new existence in this world, i.e., no new hadaya vatthu arises when the hadaya vatthu of an Arahant dies with his/her physical body. That is how we separate from this world.
- Attaining “final Nibbāna” is purely a mental phenomenon.
- P.S. Many posts on the website describe the hadaya vatthu; see, for example, “Mind and Matter – Buddhist Analysis.“
2. Furthermore, the main topic does not make sense. Tobi wrote, “This expanding universe is cooling down more and more as it expands.”
- This idea of an “expanding universe” is attached to the “Big Bang Theory,” which says our universe started with a “Big Bang” only about 14 billion ago. According to the Buddha, our universe has “no traceable beginning. ” Only small parts are destroyed (and re-formed) periodically in a “loka vināsaya.” See “Buddhism and Evolution – Aggañña Sutta (DN 27).”
3. However, I appreciate Tobi’s efforts. The essay contains many good ideas.
- It is not a good idea to try to explain “theorized” physical phenomena, such as an “expanding universe.” That does not help with cultivating the Noble Path to Nibbāna.
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1. No. Paññatti refers to the conventional “naming of things” so that people understand what a certain word means.
- Namarupa is a deep concept in Buddha Dhamma. It does not appear anywhere else.
2. A basic idea can be gleaned by looking at Paticca Samuppada.
- When X becomes interested in an arammana (say about a beautiful woman, Y) he starts generating sankharas: “avijja paccaya sankhara,” which are initially vaci sankhara (talking to himself). That starts a new expectation (kamma vinnana) to start a friendship with her: “sankhara paccaya vinnana.”
- Based on that expectation, sankhara generation intensifies, and X imagines various scenarios. The figure of Y comes to his mind often, and that is the beginning of “namarupa formation.” These thoughts involve strong javana citta that generates “namarupa” in his mind: “vinnana paccaya namarupa.” There is kammic energy generated in this process.
- That “namarupa formation” leads to “namarupa paccaya salayatana.” Now, X utilizes all his sensory faculties to pursue Y. This process goes back and forth intensifying all those factors.
3. Reading the post “Kamma Viññāṇa – Link Between Mind and Matter” could be helpful.
- “namarupa” is where “nama” (thoughts about Y) generates kammic energy (rupa) regarding his expectations of Y. That is one way to explain “namarupa” for the above scenario.
- There are different ways to look at it. Also see “Viññāna Paccayā Nāmarūpa.”
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