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The misunderstanding was obviously mine. I thank you for the clarification. Your edits to section 13 referenced above were also very helpful. I should have worded the question better. Reminds me of Einstein’s quote: “If I were given an hour in which to solve a problem upon which my life depended, I would spend 40 minutes studying it, 15 minutes reviewing it and 5 minutes solving it.”
What I have discovered Lal:
- “Should a seeker not find a companion who is better or equal, let them resolutely pursue a solitary course.” Dhammapada 61
- Completion of the Noble Eightfold Path results in a persistent state of calmness, where nothing material and even mental pleasantries outside of the Dhamma seems attractive or desired.
- This leads to a kind of isolation, where gathering with others who are not inclined to the Dhamma holds no attraction. When I am in a situation where I find myself amongst such persons, there is a sense of detachment, as though I were not really there.
- Upon waking in the morning there are no other thoughts but the Dhamma. (Sometimes I have to remind myself to eat.)
- All I want to do is learn the Dhamma, teach the Dhamma, and learn the deeper things of the Buddha’s teachings.
- Is it somehow strange (healthy) that nothing else seems to matter anymore?
- Focus on the paramitas takes the front of the mind, and there is almost a tangible sense of Nibbana, and yet it seems far away.
- Ädeenava becomes a natural part of the mind. The name of the path becomes Ädeenava.
- I envision the path of the mountain simile as a one way trip. The path behind no longer exists, step by step, the path behind disappears. It is pointless to look at the path I have left behind.
- In one section of your site you state: “Anyone reading this website has been exposed to Buddha Dhamma in the past.” I know that this statement is true. Although I started on the path late in life, it now feels as though I never left…it seems all so familiar and natural. (https://puredhamma.net/three-levels-of-practice/moral-living-and-fundamentals/where-to-start-on-the-path/)
- Knowing: Knowing that I know is intense, wonderful, a bit scary, and has caused the feeling of detachment, dissatisfaction and dispassionate about the world at large.
That is what I have discovered.
Thank you. Such an elegant answer. Discounting any reference to material existence, from the Greeks or modern physicists, can I suppose that the time issue, i.e. if time is not linear as we imagine, does gandhabba operate anywhere in time, being only subject to locality? Also, is there ever an event where a gandhabba is completely annihilated, such as in a parinibbana of a Buddha?
Post script: This question results from reflecting on the Buddha Dhamma, and all of the elements of rebirth; 31 realms, kamma loka, and a bunch of other things. For some reason my mind wandered into the contemplation of time and how my concept of time is so limited. Then I began thinking about time and motion. I contemplated whether or not a gandhabba is ever completely annihilated. All of this contemplation lead me to wonder about the nature of time in relation to rebirth and gandhabba.
With regard to the image, no, I do not understand the green side, which is why I asked if it was correct. The green side of the image appears to be nothing more than someone’s invention. some of the items listed in the “Unbinding” green section, do not reflect what is meant (in the Buddha Dhamma) by unbinding. For example, why would “pleasure” be listed under unbinding? The chart is actually confusing.
With regard to Thanissaro’s paper: I have left off reading it because I cannot have faith that it is correct. If just one aspect is incorrect then how can I have any confidence that other aspects are correct? With regard to Paticca Samupadda: I already had a fair understanding that PS is the foundation of how we accumulate kamma bija/energy; that it is the reason for bhava, and that it is the primary way of understanding conditions, causes and effects. PS has very broad implications for the entire Buddha Dhamma. I think that understanding PS allows one to identify kammic conditions (kamma bija) that exist in one’s kammic profile, which leads to an understanding of the possible conditions that could energize causes in the present life. I think that it is ignorance (avijja) that PS explains how it is that kammic energy fuels future rebirth. In this light, I think that PS is the PRIMARY teaching that explains how suffering arises.
Understanding PS, I believe, is the key to stop accumulating or adding (san) negative kammic energy to, what I call, one’s kammic profile. Clear understanding of PS allows one to see one’s gati and how one’s own gati is attached to, and in some instances, is dependent on, negative kamma bija.
I would explain it to someone this way:
Let’s say that alcoholism or addictions seems to be prevalent in a family. Aside from genetic predispositions, children of substance addicts live with certain social and cultural traditions within the family. Due to ignorance, a child may grow up to abuse alcohol themselves. However, a person who is aware of the proclivity to abuse alcohol, avoidance of alcohol altogether will break the chain of dependency. The same may hold true for children in abusive homes. Since a child is born to parents with matching or similar gati, then the chance of being predisposed to such things is likely to be high. Understanding PS causes a person to be more knowledgeable that feeding such proclivities (gati), creates a cycle of increasing (san) negative kammic energy, compounding the propensity to suffer greater in future lifetimes.
In this modern age, I can see where the behavior or succumbing to consensus without investigating the truth of a matter, is a prevalent example of PS. Doing so compounds one’s ignorance. I think that consensus plays a big role in the dissemination of false ideas and concepts about the Buddha Dhamma.
Is the chart below correct?
Thank you for that explanation. Spurious translations casts a shadow of doubt as to the correctness of any commentary. Other than being an expert, such as yourself, there truly is no way that the average person has any way to insure the reliability of the Buddha Dhamma one reads. One might consider that reading any Buddha Dhamma, even if incorrect, is better than no Buddha Dhamma. But, being confident OF the Buddha Dhamma, should not be reliant on WHO writes the commentary. Bad translations then renders useless the value of a particular Buddha Dhamma.
While during his time, the Buddha did not have texts and commentaries, he relied on his own life experience; his own powers of observation and his own initiative to achieve what no other human being had achieved in this sasana. In some respects, I wonder whether or not all of the “stuff,” that exists today; the commentaries, the opinions, and the translations are not in themselves a crutch to which we become dependent on, rather than simply following the Buddha’s example.
These spurious translations give the Kalama Sutta confers more cogent reasons for heading the Buddha’s counsel:
When you know for yourselves that, These qualities are skillful; these qualities are blameless; these qualities are praised by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to welfare and to happiness then you should enter and remain in them.
But, at the same time the onus is placed on the teacher/translator to provide correct translations, otherwise the student may be led to believe incorrectly, perhaps acting on those beliefs, and ultimately steering another human being toward avijja rather than away from it. As you state in:
I hope I have provided enough information to contemplate why the opinions of “scholars” are likely to be wrong due to reasons beyond their control. Again, I admire and appreciate what Rhys Davids, Burnouf, Muller, and others did those days, and it was not their intention to distort Buddha Dhamma. It is not the fault of current scholars either.
To emphasize, one needs to learn Buddha Dhamma from a true disciple of the Buddha who has attained at least the Sotapanna stage. Academic credentials mean NOTHING as far as teaching Buddha Dhamma is concerned. With all due respect to those European scholars, they DID NOT understand the key message of the Buddha. That message is that the rebirth process is filled with suffering, and the goal of a true Buddhist is to stop the rebirth process and attain Nibbāna.
My own thinking is to be careful not to become too dependent on the various commentaries and teachings of famous monks, nuns or academics. The foundation of the Buddha Dhamma is already within that person who wishes to shed the cloak of avijja, first coming to understand their own individual experience. It may sound cheeky or pithy to say, but find a tree, find the breath, and contemplate what is already within you.
Basic Framework of the Buddha Dhamma
P.S. So then, can I assume that what you are saying is that Thanissaro Bhikku’s use of the phrase seeds of consciousness are actually kamma bija? If so, then I surmise that his interpretation or analogy therefore, is not a good one. He should have just said kmammic seeds, which would make more sense.
I have downloaded your entire website in the compiled book form and am about half way through reading it. I add PDF pages wherever I must do additional research, and interject notes. At times my study of your posts is slow going because there is no way that I can ascertain how it is that you concluded the meaning of certain Pali words when other sources contain a completely different rendering**. While you provide the most excellent explanation of certain Pali words, there is no indication of how or why you arrived at a certain meaning. For persons such as myself who seek a deeper understanding, but have limited knowledge of Pali, I must try and determine that how & why on my own. Your entire site (in the book format) contains a massive amount of information, so it will take me time. Now, with regard to my understanding of various types of vinnana: I have read the following many times:
Viññāṇa – What It Really Means
My caveat is that I appreciate that merely reading something, ingesting the words, does not guarantee understanding. Therefore, I repeat a reading of something like Viññāṇa – What It Really Means several times; making note of words or concepts I do not fully grasp. When I want to fully grasp a concept/meaning, I contemplate on the subject I have read silently, which is probably similar to Vipassana contemplation. I find that when contemplating, I discover my own cultural biases and am able to put such aside. Buddha Dhamma to me is a discovery process, like the way Newton discovered gravity. I do not think or believe that the Buddha Dhamma has much intellectual (academic) value by itself (outside of its obvious ethics and philosophy). However, the true intrinsic value and purpose of the Buddha Dhamma is truly only known through individual discovery of personal applicability…a realization. If that makes any sense.
** “Now, Kalamas, don’t go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, ‘This contemplative is our teacher.’ When you know for yourselves that, ‘These qualities are skillful; these qualities are blameless; these qualities are praised by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to welfare and to happiness’ — then you should enter and remain in them.”
Thank you. I look forward to your additional comments. With regard to; Why do people take these translations seriously?: I suspect, like me, with limited knowledge of Pali, we take it on good faith that well known persons such as Thanissaro Bhikkhu, Bhikkhu Bodhi, Bhikkhu Nanamoli, and others, know what they are talking about. Also, because there are very few good/reliable/correct resources available. For myself, I admittedly always remain skeptical with Pali renderings until I am satisfied the rendering is a good one based on multiple sources, like Pure Dhamma. But, as you say, many sources appear to duplicate the same errors or the same avijjas for lack of correct knowledge of the linguistics of the language.
Incidentally, I had the opportunity to register for obtaining a degree in Pali studies with a university is Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, living as I do, I could not afford the tuition of $500. Therefore, I must do it the hard way…one word at a time. LOL…a long journey indeed. Also, I am compiling a database for myself of Pali words, comparing various renderings. The comparisons, at times, not always, provide a milieu or flavor of the subject context. The effort alone is like research that, in a cumulative way, gives rise to understanding.
Again, thank you. The first three answers gives me a springboard from which to further study. I am happy that I got one correct. LOL.
I see the PRINT button at the bottom of the regular posts (subject) pages, but not the FORUM pages such as this one. That is what I was referring to.
P.S. Just an idea, but I would find it immensely helpful for learning if there were a PRINT button at the end of a post. I always print the post and save it to a Subject Indexed directory. In PDF format, I always add notes to keep track of my thoughts and ah-ha! moments.
Okay. Your answer was very helpful. I appreciate your patience. Sometimes I feel as though I am in pre-school each time I tackle a Buddha Dhamma subject. For a teacher, the compassionate patience of the Buddha is certainly profound. Anyway, below is my summation. Let me know if it appears to you that I am beginning to understand correctly.
1. Gandhabba (containing anusaya gati) senses an available zygote (womb), one that is gati compatible with the parents.
2. Gandhabba enters the womb and triggers the body to grow.
3. The brain facilitates consciousness only when arammana (sensory stimulus/pasada rupa) is present, thus mind (hadaya vatthu) is established. The arammana corresponds to the strongest kamma from a person’s past.
4. It is a person’s individual gandhabba (containing anusaya gati) that is the thing that always keeps a person linked to who and what they are despite loss of consciousness or death.
Are these four points correct?
My reading:
Thoughts (Citta), Consciousness (Viññāṇa), and Mind (Hadaya Vatthu) – IntroductionWhere Are Memories Stored? – Viññāṇa Dhātu
Ārammaṇa Plays a Critical Role in a Sensory Event
Thank you for the response. I feel that I am a bit closer to an understanding.
Presupposing (as I do), that the brain is merely a receiver for consciousness, conscious awareness cannot be experienced without the presence of hadaya vathu, which means that neither can citta (including seven universal cetasika) be experienced. If this is correct, I got this far.
Since the gandhabba (manomaya kaya) combined with pasada rupa, are ON all the time, can I assume that this is the MEMORY circuit (so to speak)? AND that this memory circuit’s function is isolated to each individual person preserving who we perceive we are.
Is then, this gandhabba/pasada rupa THE thing…the thread that becomes activated when a person regains consciousness, such as with a comatose state?
If the brain does not produce consciousness (which I do not believe it does), why am I still me when I wake up in the morning or when a person who has been in a coma for 10 years regains consciousness and is the same person as before the coma?
Is the gandhabba directly responsible for this? If not, what is? I understand that the gandhabba may be like a memory storage device, and that it is always ON, but like a computer, the memory stored within it is of no use unless the ON switch is activated.
Let’s assume that consciousness is a field and the brain receives a consciousness signal. the gandhabba/pasada rupa keep track of who and what we are, BUT what is the link…the thing…that keeps us tethered to a specific ghandhabba/ pasada rupa?
I hope these questions are making sense.
