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I agree with Jaro that the discourse does not describe what “anicca” is.
- However, it does clarify that “anicca” means much more than “impermanence.”
Gad (or anyone else who saw the correct interpretation from that discourse): please let us know precisely at what time interval the correct interpretation of “anicca” is explained.
- I listened from around the 1-hour mark, as Jaro suggested.
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OK. I will take a look.
- In the meantime, I hope others will give their opinion. Does the discourse explain what “anicca” is?
Good work, Jorg.
I disagree with the following statement: “What I noticed in my life was that there are quite some people who have the ability to reflect on things logically. However, and unfortunately so, terms like “Buddha,” and “Dhamma” trigger various connotations and mostly incorrect ones.”
- Without the Buddha, nothing that any bhikkhu teaches will make sense in the long run. A Buddha is the best logician.
- I understand that you don’t mean it that way. But it could give a wrong impression.
- Explaining things entirely in English is a “good introduction” to moral living and is commendable. But advising merely to live a moral life was not the central message of the Buddha.
- On the other hand, your website does not say it is about Buddha Dhamma. Therefore, that is fine. It is about moral living and thinking logically.
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Of course.
- They can also watch an “X-rated movie” without generating any lust. They can see “beautiful people” as such (just like a puthujjana), but their minds don’t get any “pleasure” from that illusion. It’s the same with tasty food. They taste the food to be ‘”tasty” because that is how their physical bodies originated (that is explained with the “uppatti bhavanga” but it is not necessary to understand the mechanism; if one is knowledgeable in Abhidhamma that also can be understood.)
- There is no difference between that and recalling one’s own previous experiences.
They fully understand that “beauty, taste, etc.” are mind-made.
- It is like uncovering the “trick” involved in a magic show. Then one can see it is just a “trick” and the ‘magic show” will not bring any pleasure.
- However, enjoying a magic show is temporary and does not have drastic consequences. Enjoying “sensory pleasures based on distorted sanna” can be deadly. That is because people tend to engage in immoral activities (stealing, lying, sexual misconduct, and even killing) as a consequence of such “distorted sanna.” Such actions (kamma) will bring their consequences (kamma vipaka) in this life itself, and also rebirths in the apayas.
- Once fully comprehended (with the breaking of both ditthi vipallasa and sanna vipallasa), a mind will not see any value in enjoying “sensory pleasures.”
- That is why it is all about learning the true teachings of the Buddha. That knowledge (panna) itself is enough to break all samsaric bonds and attain Nibbana in this life itself. That is the same as “uncovering the pabhassara mind” by removing the layers of dirt/defilements. It all happens with the cultivation of knowledge (panna.)
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Even with the Android phone, the formatting bar appears with the Chrome browser.
- It seems the problem is ONLY with an Android phone with the Opera browser.
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It seems that the issue arises only with Android phones.
- I will look into it.
- In the meantime, use a desktop or laptop (or an iPhone) to post comments that require the toolbar. Of course, some comments may not need the use of the toolbar and, thus, can be posted with Android phones.
Does anyone have the issue of the formatting bar not loading on an iPhone?
- Mine has no problem. Please comment here or email me if it is not loading on your phone.
Yes. It may take some time to fully absorb the contents of the post “Mūlapariyāya Sutta – The Root of All Things.”
- It is indeed the “root of all things”!
Regarding Hojan’s comments: I can understand the perception that the explanation of ‘Kusala-Mul PS” seems to make sense. However, it cannot be correct due to the reasons I pointed out in my previous comment.
- Here is another way to look at it. I suggest writing out the terms in the “Kusala-mula PS.” In particular, what type of vinnana, namarupa, salayatana, and samphassa will be involved? All those terms are “reduce in strength” as a Sekha cultivates the Noble Path.
- We can focus on namarupa, for example. It is with wisdom (panna) that namarupa formation gradually decreases and eventually stops, not by engaging in any sankhara.
- In the same way, salayatana means “using indriya (eyes, ears, ..) with defilements in the mind.” “samphassa” means “defiled contacts in mind.” Defilements are raga, dosa, moha. As panna increases, such “defiled actions” gradually decrease. Arahanthood is attained NOT by nullifying kammic energies that have been accumulated but by the total “deactivation” of the “Akusala-Mula PS process.” Thus, at the moment of cuti-patisandhi, such an Akusala-Mula PS process cannot run to make a new patisandhi!
- We should probably continue that discussion under a different thread to keep issues separated if there are more questions. Please feel free to ask questions. It is not good to accept anyone’s explanations unless the explanation makes sense. Even the Buddha kept saying not to accept his explanations if they did not make sense and to ask questions to clarify unresolved issues. I am still a Sekha, and I can make mistakes.
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The formatting bar is working again.
- I will delete this thread tomorrow. If anyone still has an issue posting comments, please let me know on this thread or email me: [email protected]
It is correct to say that thiniking about chocolate can recall the “chocolate taste.”
– Even an Arahant can recall that taste. However, it is only a “DISTORTED sanna” for an Arahant. Arahant’s mind KNOWS that it is a MIRAGE and thus would not attach to it.
– For a puthujjana, that “distorted sanna” instantaneously leads to a “DEFILED sanna” and a “DEFILED vinnana”. The mind automatically adds raga and moha (for chocolate taste), and that is why it becomes DEFILED.The Buddha said that the mind is the fastest entity in the world.
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Most “haunting stories” are made up of one’s mind.
– There can be some rare cases. But those are more likely to be from petas (hungry ghosts).The best way to avoid such effects is to live a moral life and keep the household clean.
– Think about it this way. The “gati attracting similar gati” plays a role in all these situations. If the sink is not cleaned for days and food gets rotted
that attracts not only insects and bacteria but also beings in lower realms like petas (hungry ghosts).
– If one genuinely lives a moral life AND keeps the household clean, most such situations can be avoided.3 users thanked author for this post.
Yes. A gandhabba is a human without a physical body.
– When an average human dies, only the physical body dies, and the gandhabba comes out of the physical body. Unless the kammic energy fueling the human existence (bhava) is exhausted, that gandhabba will be drawn into another womb at a later time and will be reborn as a human baby.
– During the gandhabba existence, it can see, hear, and think. Thus, it can accumulate kamma via mano and vaci sankhara (with vitakka/vicara). The same ten samyojana and even anusaya are still with the gandhabba, and thus it can think just like a human, and thus will accumulate kamma with tanha. That is what is meant by “craving is the fuel.”
– It cannot accumulate “kaya sankhara” since it has no physical body.Yash asked: “Does an Anagami forget how a particular pleasure feels?”
An Anagami or Arahant would still taste the flavor of ice cream. They still get the “distorted sanna” of the flavor of ice cream or the lovely smell of a rose.
– But their minds don’t get to the next step of attaching to that and making it a “defiled sanna/vinnana.”
– Their minds have comprehended the fact that the “flavor of ice cream” or the “beauty of a person” is made up the mind according to the existence (bhava.) That is why while humans experience a “foul odor” from rotten meat/feces, a pig loves that odor and tastes it delicious too. Please read the new post carefully.“Does this affect the memory power/recalling power of the Anagami?”
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I don’t understand the first question. But the following may help.
In the second part, you wrote: “This is why I am struggling to understand the recent revision. According to it, the input term is generated by Avyakata PS. But I don’t understand how can one do stuff like walk down the stair (purana kamma) by only mano sankhara. .”
- Paticca Samuppada should not be used to describe things like walking down the stairs to the bathroom or actions like that.
- It is focused on kamma accumulation, mainly to generate kammic energy to bring about future rebirths in various realms. That is why it is “akusala-mula PS.”
The other point that could be helpful is the following:
- Each citta in a citta vithi with a specific symbol engages in a specific task.
- The presence of the seven javana cittas in a citta vithi means that the mind is engaged with that sensory input and generates kammic energy with raga, dosa, or moha.
- The presence of two tadarammana citta (T) at the end of the javanas indicates that the mind has “locked into” the sensory input. “Tadarammana” is translated as “registration,” meaning the mind has shifted from the “uppatti bhvanaga state” to take a new mindset. For example, upon hearing the news of the death of a close relative, the mind shifts to a “saddened state.” Then that mindset becomes a “temporary bhvanaga state” that could replace the “uppatti bhvanaga state” for hours or even days.
- See “Bhava and Bhavaṅga – Simply Explained!” and “State of Mind in the Absence of Citta Vithi – Bhavaṅga.”
- More references are in the new post, “Mūlapariyāya Sutta – The Root of All Things.”
“Q1. Could purana kamma have some minor kammic energy because of existing sangati?”
- Yes. They have kammic energy. But only javana citta can generate strong kammic energy, for example, to fuel future rebirths.
“Q2. If someone who is puthujjana just sees a wall at a given moment, how does that moment’s citta vithi go? Does it fall under one of the two below? Or does neither? (B: Bhavanga citta, K: Kiriya citta)”
- It is (a). AB BC BU PD CV Sam San V B B B B B B B T T
- No kriya citta (without any kammic energy) can arise in a puthujjana; see below.
“Q3. What is the citta vithi only a purana kamma arises? Does it fall under one of the two below? Or does neither?”
- It is neither of those.
- It would be “AB BC BU PD CV Sam San V B B B B B B B BB” since only javana citta can change the mindset even temporarily to T. If no javana citta arise, then the bhavanga remains unchanged.
“Q4. If purana kamma is only related to Avyakata PS, then the citta vithi (a) progresses by only Avyakata PS without Akusala mula PS?”
- By definition, purana kamma is the avyakata PS. Here, “avyakata” means no strong kamma occurs. That part is in any citta vithi, bringing a new sensory input.
- If the mind decides the sense input is of importance, only then an akusala-mula PS runs generating javana citta. Otherwise, the citta vithi would look like the one I stated in answer to Q3.
“Q5. If purana kamma is only related to Avyakata PS, then the citta vithi (b) progresses by only Avyakata PS without Akusala mula PS?”
- Same answer as above.
The next comment, starting with “Let me rearrange what I understand…” conflicts with my answer to Q3.
Finally, regarding the comment starting with: “Lastly, there is a different type of citta vithi unlike above, which can present kusala kamma properly. (Dosakkhayo’s thought)”
- It is correct until the following statement: “In the same way, the lokuttara alobha can be considered as lokuttara raga. Of course, the lokuttara alobha, adosa, and amoha cause kusala kamma.”
- That statement is not correct. Nibbana is reached by nullifying the ability of the previously-made kammic energies to bring vipaka. Thus, a kusala kamma DOES NOT make new kammic energies. A kusala kamma is an action that cultivates wisdom (panna) and breaks samsaric bonds (samyojana) or, equivalently, nullifies all anusaya; that prevents any previously-prepared kammic energy from bringing a new rebirth.
- Also, a javana citta can arise ONLY with lobha, dosa, or moha (or lokiya alobha, adosa, or amoha).
- Another way to say the above: Nibbana is reached via stopping “all preparations” with abhisankhara. Any javana citta rooted in abhisankhara (which starts at the “purana kamma” stage and gains strength at the “nava kamma” stage) can lead to the preparation of something in this world,” i.e., a sankhata. On the other hand, Nibbana is “asankhata,” i.e., “not prepared.”
