[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?

[cubibobi]

Lal said:
“Of course, these Out-of-Body Experiences or Near-Death Experiences may give people the wrong idea that “everything will be fine” after death.”

That’s right; I didn’t look at it from that angle. On the one hand, this can help us remove ucceda ditthi. On the other hand, it may give us the false impression that the rebirth process is just fine, and we may see no need to end it.

Here, knowledge of the big picture of the 31 realms, especially the apāyā, helps put things in perspective.

Lal said:
“It is just an exchange of ideas without words, just like in the dreams.”

Does the gandhabba leave the body when we dream? In my dreams, I can see and hear, which must be through the cakku and sōta pasāda rūpa (physical eyes are shut and physical ears do not hear things); and the pasāda rūpa can function on their own only outside of the physical body, right?

Finally, one more curiosity: at around 17:35 the video mentions the limbic system in the brain that gets active at this moment. Could this system be the mano indriya?

Thank you,
Lang

[cubibobi]

I watched both videos, and they were terrific. Just a few points for clarification:

1) In “Description:QED – Glimpses of Death (27 01 1988)”,

At 8:25, Mrs. Barbara Lambert saw her grandfather, who died when she was 9. By now, we know that this means Mrs. Lambert’s gandhabba saw her grandfather’s gandhabba, who was still in para loka (he had not yet entered another womb). It seems that a gandhabba in para loka tends to look out for his/her family members.

In the case of Mrs. Jean Williams, at 15:00 she saw her father in a heavenly setting, and then she saw “Jesus”. For her father, it was his gandhabba, but for “Jesus”, it must have been Mrs. Williams’s gandhabba’s imagination of what Jesus would look like, correct?

2) Michael Cremo: “Forbidden Archaeology” | Talks at Google

It is fascinating to learn that Buddha Kassapa lived on the same earth as we do, millions of years ago.

When Buddha Kassapa’s sasana was over (the tipitaka from that period was lost, I suppose?), some of his teachings remained here and there in the Vedas, but people could get only the conventional meanings.

I have heard the term “pacceka buddha”. Could this be a person who, before Buddha Gotama appeared, could understand the deeper meanings of Buddha Kassapa’s teaching in the Vedas, and realized nibbana, but could not teach others?

Best,
Lang

[cubibobi]

Thank you, Lal.

I read the post about the jhanā, and just one curiosity: what is the Pali breakdown of the word jhana?

I tend to be curious about the breakdown of words, and I apologize if this has been discussed elsewhere on the site.

Reflecting on my time as a breath meditator, I am almost thankful that I did not get into jhanā. For a time, I was following a venerable bhikkhu (well-known and beloved around the world) who taught that the jhanā are necessary for nibbāna.

The rationale was that the noble eightfold path culminates in sammā samādhi, and sammā samādhi is defined in numerous suttā as the four jhanā. He did not differentiate between ariya and anariya jhanā. I do not dout that, but there is at least once exception: the Mahācattārīsaka Sutta that you have been discussing in the new section “Worldview of the Buddha”. Here, sammā samādhi is presented as something that is supported by the first 7 factors. We don’t see sammā samādhi defined as the four jhanā here.

Another equally well-known and beloved bhikkhu taught the same thing, but he does have a specific formulaic procedure for getting into jhanā. The message is still the same: the jhanā are necessary for nibbāna.

Now that I have learned about gati, I think I know what was going on: these bhikkhus taught from experience. They attained jhanā according to their gati from past lives, and when they attained nibbāna, they made the connection between the two.

Knowing about gati also tells me why I was not able to get into jhanā: kāma rāga is still strong. So, I feel more confident to set that aside to get “back to the basics”: abstaining from the BIG EIGHT, removing the ten types to micchā ditthi; and I am happy to say that this has paid off already.

Saddhu!

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