[cubibobi]

Lal said:
“It is in the asankata dhatu (full Nibbaba) AFTER the death of the physical body.”

So another way we can say anything about Nibbana is asankata dhatu. Short of parinibbana, is this what is “experienced” by someone in Nirodha samapatti?

And this asankata dhatu must be “one of a kind”. All other dhatu, the kind made out of the maha bhuta, are “sankata”, correct?

Best,
Lang

[cubibobi]

Hi,

I am curious about one of the Acinteyyā, the one about jhana.

First off, I assume this admonition applies to anariya jhana; if so, does it mean either one of these two, or both, or something else:

(1) Not to speculate what is is like to be in a jhana
(2) Not to cultivate one (e.g. via breath or kasina meditation)

Best,
Lang

[cubibobi]

Lal wrote:

A saṃvaṭṭa kappa (in saṃvaṭṭakappe) is the time taken to re-form the Earth. That means to re-form the whole 10,000 world systems.
– “Samvatta” (“san” + “vatta”) indicates the formation. As we know the word “san” means “adding up” or “aggregation.”

A vivaṭṭa kappa (in vivaṭṭakappe) is the time taken to re-form the Earth. That means to re-form the whole 10,000 world systems.
– “Vivatta” (“vi” + “vatta”) indicates “breaking up.”

In the second paragraph, don’t you mean: “A vivaṭṭa kappa (in vivaṭṭakappe) is the time taken to break up the earth?

[cubibobi]

Hello lodonyo,

I understand how you feel (I think) to some extent, since there were (and are) things I wish I’m doing less of. Below is my personal endeavour in working through them; I hope some of them resonate with you.

First, I concur with you that this site is a treasure; coming to it, reading it, and reflecting on it, changed my mind significantly (I hope). I believe Lal created this site to provide resources for us to reach at least the sotapanna stage, so that was one of the first things I studied.

To reach the sotapanna stage, the only defilement to be removed is wrong view (micca ditthi), starting with the 10 types of micca ditthi. So, that’s what I did, i.e. studying and reflecting on the 10 types of micca ditthi.

A little digression here: I can’t tell you how eye-opening just this bit of information was. I used to be told what it took to be a sotapanna, such as: your concentration must be so good that when you sit in meditation, if someone puts your favorite dish to your nose, you won’t smell it; only that kind of concentration can lead to insight. I couldn’t tell you how discouraging that was, since I knew my concentration!

You asked about the most useful practice to do should you end up a miser. I would start with meditating on the 10 types of micca ditthi to get started on the mundane path, contemplating on why having them lead to serious consequences.

Specifically, wrong view #4 about kamma / kamma vipaka on covers a number of other ones. I can honestly say that I am fully convinced of this point now, and it makes the mind feel so much lighter. If things do not happen randomly, that they have causes, then there is always hope. You are also making this point of kamma in your post, so you’ve got a good start.

#6 on the list about para loka and the world of the gandhabba also brought joy to the heart. This was new to me (and I had been studying Buddhism for 30 years prior!). Studying it, seeing how it explains rebirth, was again eye-opening and absolutely convincing, and there was no longer doubt about rebirth, which was another milestone for me.

I did some deep diving on this point about the nature of the gandhabba (or manomaya kaya) with the hadaya vatthu and pasada rupā and so on. Learning the details of the mind again brings lightness to me.

As I began to see incremental BENEFITS (however little), I felt motivated to keep going (and doing better with the 5 precepts in the meantime). Now, the benefits of learning dhamma outweighs those of some forms of sensual pleasures for me — the kinds of pleasures I once held dear; and I gained confidence that the others will fade with time.

That was how my personal journey started with puredhamma.net. Here’s wishing you will be less burdened.

[cubibobi]

Thank you,

So for an average being, pañcupādānakkhandhā is “huge” (and so is pañcakkhandhā), and dukkhā is enormous.

For an arahant, pañcupādānakkhandhā is no more, and any dukkhā is residual kamma vipaka until parinibbana, and then at parinibbana, pañcakkhandhā collapse, never to rise again.

Is this correct?

[cubibobi]

Isn’t pañcakkhandhā just another way of saying “this world of 31 realms” and is therefore anicca, dukkha, anatta?

[cubibobi]

In the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, we read: “pañcupādānakkhandhā dukkhā”

If the statement had been just “pañcakkhandhā dukkhā”, it would still have been correct, right? It may even be more comprehensive.

Thank you.

[cubibobi]

Hi,

I often see a non-committal attitude toward gandhabbas among Buddhists who do believe in rebirth. It goes something like this: “I believe in kamma and rebirth, and to me it doesn’t matter how it happens — with or without gandhabbas”. And such a person most often takes no further interest in the subject of gandhabbas.

Is this attitude also miccha ditthi #6 among the 10 types of miccha ditthi?

Thank you,
Lang

[cubibobi]

This kind of discussion is common among mahayanists (more often from the East from what I see) who delight in using clever words to create an impression of “profundity”. There is no end to how clever they can get with words.

In my native country, Mahāyāna is dominant, and I see this kind of dicussion more often than not. Not only that, a topic like “emptiness”, along with others from Zen and Taoism, make it to popular classic novels. Readers then spend endless time discussing the “philosophy” of these novels, how “deep” they are, and how the author really “got Buddhism and Taoism”.

Also, I suspect that at the core of these discussions is the implication that this is superior to Theravada teaching, that Theravada is just the foundation, where one sees a distinction between nibbana and samsara. At a “higher level”, one sees no distinction between nibbana and samsara (this is especially popular in Zen).

That’s my two cents. Also, this kind of discussion is quite addicting if one is not careful. It’s a form of samphappalāpā.

[cubibobi]

I must admit I like the “old etymology” better — one of “discarding what is bad”; and it is more closely related to anapana.

So, “passa” here is not the same “passa” in “assa / passa”?

And “vi” means different things in different places too, I suppose? In vicikiccā, you explained “vi” as “twisted”.

“vi” (twisted) + passa (assa/passa) would actually make a good combination: discarding what is twisted. It brings the point home better than “special seeing”.

Anyhow, just some musing; a word is what it is despite my liking.

Best,
Lang

[cubibobi]

Hello Upekkha,

In my native country, stories of disturbances by invisible beings (as we call them) abound.

If the affected person seeks out a Theravada Bhikkhu, the suggestion is almost universal: cultivate sila and dana, and practice recollection of your effort with joy.

For sila, it means the 5 precepts, and the formula is somewhat like this:

Take the 5 precepts at the beginning of the day.
Observe them scrupulously for that day.
Rejoice in your effort at the end of the day.
Should you break a precept or more during the day, then have a moment of repentance, forgive yourself, and reset.
Repeat the process the next day.

For dana, it usually involves one or more of the following:

Financial donation to Buddhist monasteries
Giving service to Buddhist monasteries
Providing meals to the sangha
Releasing life (usually fish and birds)
etc.

This list is very culturally-based; they are just examples. The point is that whatever generous activities you engage in, recollect them with joy (sadhu) daily.

Of course, we don’t know for sure that invisible beings are involved here in what you’re going through. Nevertheless, sila and dana are wholesome factors in the path. You mentioned your wish to become a sotapanna and meet an ariya in the US. Sila and dana contribute to the path toward a sotapanna in the long run (in the short term, they can bring gladness to the mind); and I believe there are ariyā in the forums here at puredhamma.net.

You’ve come to the right place online, and you are not alone. We are all striving for the sotapanna stage, and we seek guidance and support each other toward that goal here.

One final thought having to do with medication. Obviously, it’s your doctor’s and your decision about what medication to take. However, if you keep good records of what happen throughout the day, it can provide valuable feedback to the doctor. For example:

What time did you take what medicine
The times the “voices” happened, and what they said

Best wishes to you.
Lang

[cubibobi]

Thank you, Lal!

Knowing that there are no javana citta in dreams does explain many things.

[cubibobi]

Hi,

A few more questions about dreams if I may.

1) Images and sounds in dreams are not rupā, so they must be dhammā, correct?
And they arise due to kamma vipakā? Some dreams are pleasant while others are truly nightmares.

2) Many dreams are filled with actions. For a nightmare, I may be fighting against attackers or running away from vicious animals, etc. For a pleasant dream, I may be enjoying some sensual pleasure.

In either case, I have no control of the course of the dream. In the dream, I may wish for the chase to stop or the pleasure to continue but have no control over anything.

Would this be an example of mano sankhara? We know that we have no control over mano sankhara; they come about due to gati. This seems like a very vivid example of that.

Thank you,
Lang

[cubibobi]

Thank you!

[cubibobi]

Hello Lal,

The links under the Mahā Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta section cannot be found:

Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta – Structure
Satipaṭṭhāna – Introduction
Kāyānupassanā – Section on Postures (Iriyapathapabba)
Kāyānupassanā – The Section on Habits (Sampajanapabba)
Prerequisites for the Satipaṭṭhāna Bhavana
What is “Kaya” in Kāyānupassanā?

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