Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
“Another idea that came to my mind yesterday is whether we should start another website for beginners.”
l am with you on it deeply. In fact, I was trying to bring it up first. I thought a lot about what I could give people who first came across this site. I felt that we should think of three things.
1. They need some motivation to move on to learning more profound concepts.
One gets more motivation when one sees that one’s effort gives good consequences. So I hope this new site will cover content that more directly shows the connection between life experiences and concepts. Perhaps the site’s prospective readers are quite hard to know how tremendous it is to have all of asava removed. So I think it would be good to express it in a different way. For example, I think it can be expressed that “You will be able to make sure that you never get the problem wrong again, which you have habitually repeatedly.”
– I am trying to be able to speak English like a native speaker. But it is likely to take quite a long time. I hope there is someone who could help me with polishing my writing.2. The number of posts on the new site should be small.
Because if the number of posts is too high, readers will be overwhelmed. Therefore, it should focus on the significance of the core concept. The posts have to deal with what changes when one learns Dhamma and how it actually changes one’s life. It would be better to focus on simple but powerful changes. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. So I think I could help lal on this point later.
3. They should be able to focus on more important concepts by the new site.
They don’t have to jump into everything about Buddhism from the beginning. It is better to repeatedly focus on key information that can bring about meaningful change.
These criteria are also considered when I write the column. And what I learned while making this was that I could get a sense of the effort for us in Lal’s writing. As I read your article, I felt some differences from any other Buddhist publications. In your writing, I saw expressions that only those who actually understood the concept could write. It was a completely different type of writing from the existing Buddhist books that repeated what was previously written like a parrot. Only those who really want to tell the reader something can write such a thing. These were the driving force behind my steady reading of all the posts on Pure Dhamma. Once again, I would like to take this opportunity to thank lal for your service.
I also have a selection of some posts that are good for beginners to see. I’ll organize it and upload it here tomorrow.
They want to choose to continue rebirth rather.
=> They want to choose to continue rebirth rather than to stop.Rather than a plate shift, it works in a way that Mount Everest suddenly falls off and the Mariana Trench becomes shallow prices.
=> Mariana Trench becomes shallow water.Lal said: “We have to be very careful about initiating “new” approaches.”
I agree. I seriously pondered for a year about how the contamination of the Buddha Dhamma occurs. I was particularly concerned about the case of Mahayana. I thought desperately not to make a second Mahayana. Mahayana can not even be considered Buddhism!
We know that anicca, dukkha, and anatta are the truth. But some people don’t recognize the dangers of this world. They want to choose to continue rebirth rather. So instead of looking at the world as it is, they need to create a system that approves ‘discrepancies between reality and perception’ and ‘internal contradictions.’
In this system, they focus on understanding nature’s ‘components’ rather than the ‘law’ of nature. They don’t value knowing what they need to know, but they value knowing things that don’t matter. It is how the reversal of value occurs.
Speaking English does not imply knowing every existing word in the dictionary, though they solely concentrate on quantitative knowledge. In this manner, devaluation of the core concepts and appreciation(revaluation) of peripheral concepts occur. At this point, a fundamental crack occurs.
In the genuine Dhamma, each concept gets the treatment of actual status(importance). So even if one doesn’t know the concept of bodhisatta, one can be a sotapanna. Because the important thing is to understand Tilakkhana/Paticca Samuppada/Four noble truths. But in the wrong teaching, peripheral concepts are favored. So the deformation of the contour(map) of value occurs. It has a completely different terrain of meaning. Rather than a plate shift, it works in a way that Mount Everest suddenly falls off and the Mariana Trench becomes shallow prices.
So what we have to be careful about, at least considering the case of Mahayana, is that we have to earnestly discriminate between what’s important and what’s not. We should focus on knowing what we need to know, not trying to know everything about nature. Also, we should keep trying to contemplate the dangers of the rebirth process. In short, we should do bhāvānāya bahuleekathaya.
P.S. To deform Dhamma can happen in other ways. It can be caused by a completely incorrect interpretation too. Such as the case that Anapanasati turned into breath meditation. But the solution is always the same. In either case, one must try to verify the Dhamma properly oneself. That’s when the truth becomes clear. Without this effort, it becomes blurred and obscured.
7. Dosakkhayo wrote: “I would like to deliver to everyone else what I got. From now, I’m starting to write a column that I planned before. I’ll write it down in Korean for now, but I plan on drawing it into comics.”
– That sentence didn’t register in my mind while reading your comment earlier.
– That is an extremely bad idea. Buddha Dhamma is to be treated with respect. I don’t want to have any association with this kind of stuff.–
I fully understand your concern. A cartoon is a format that usually deals with funny, comic stories. I chose the wrong word. In Korean, these words(cartoon, comics, graphic novel, etc.) are all grouped into one word. What I wanted to say was a graphic essay.
– I am going to treat Buddha’s teachings with sincere respect. I can guarantee this. If you are still worried, then I will make a manuscript and send it to you. If there is a problem with it in your view, I will discard it without hesitation. Because I don’t want to treat Dhamma carelessly and improperly too.– I would like to show you how I’m going to draw it. There is a book: “Genome Express: A Spectacular Voyage into the World of Genome“. It’s my role model of work. I would really appreciate it if you could review this just once. I hope my sincerity will be accepted.
I see. I’ve been thinking about it. And I concluded your response is proper. I was thinking about how to deliver Dhamma to others properly. And your answer solved many miscellaneous problems. Thank you.
Yes, I understand that. To me, this is a clear fact. However, Korean Theravada group who follows the vissudhimagga seems to think that this explanation is not enough. Of course, there is no such thing as “a convincing explanation for everyone”. Because people can insist stubbornly on their views as much as they want. But there is a possiblity that someone can still try to listen to us. That’s why I have been looking for a phrase that clearly explains samadhi and jhana separately. For those people, this phrase will be invaluable.
1. You’re welcome.
2. So can the context of this phrase be used as evidence that Buddha said samadhi, not jhana, to someone who is a layperson?
3. OK.
1. Lal said:
– Sekha means “one who has completed training,” i.e., an Arahant.
– Asekha means “one who has NOT completed training,” i.e., someone who is on the Noble Path (i.e., above Sotapanna Anugami).I am a little confused. Because as far as I know, it’s the other way around.
Sekha means one who has to train yet. Asekha means one who doesn’t need to train.So I’m confused about whether you misspelled it or I was wrong.
2. What I want to know is the following.
“Evametaṁ yathābhūtaṁ sammappaññāya disvā yāyaṁ upekkhā nānattā nānattasitā taṁ abhinivajjetvā, yāyaṁ upekkhā ekattā ekattasitā yattha sabbaso lokāmisūpādānā aparisesā nirujjhanti tamevūpekkhaṁ bhāveti.”
My question is whether this phrase is referring to samadhi.
– I read my previous question again. I saw some drawbacks in my writing habit. I didn’t know it when I was writing. I think it could be surely confusing to you. I will try my best to break this habit.
3. OK. Please check if I’m doing it well.
I think this sutta is important. It shows the “aṭṭīyati” quality through the “aṭṭhikaṅkalaṁ” metaphors. In addition, the listener of desana is a layman. So Buddha used a different expression instead of jhana.
““Seyyathāpi, gahapati, kukkuro jighacchādubbalyapareto goghātakasūnaṁ paccupaṭṭhito assa. Tamenaṁ dakkho goghātako vā goghātakantevāsī vā aṭṭhikaṅkalaṁ sunikkantaṁ nikkantaṁ nimmaṁsaṁ lohitamakkhitaṁ upasumbheyya. Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, gahapati, api nu kho so kukkuro amuṁ aṭṭhikaṅkalaṁ sunikkantaṁ nikkantaṁ nimmaṁsaṁ lohitamakkhitaṁ palehanto jighacchādubbalyaṁ paṭivineyyā”ti?
“No hetaṁ, bhante”. “Taṁ kissa hetu”? “Aduñhi, bhante, aṭṭhikaṅkalaṁ sunikkantaṁ nikkantaṁ nimmaṁsaṁ lohitamakkhitaṁ. Yāvadeva pana so kukkuro kilamathassa vighātassa bhāgī assā”ti.
“Evameva kho, gahapati, ariyasāvako iti paṭisañcikkhati: ‘aṭṭhikaṅkalūpamā kāmā vuttā bhagavatā bahudukkhā bahupāyāsā, ādīnavo ettha bhiyyo’ti. Evametaṁ yathābhūtaṁ sammappaññāya disvā yāyaṁ upekkhā nānattā nānattasitā taṁ abhinivajjetvā, yāyaṁ upekkhā ekattā ekattasitā yattha sabbaso lokāmisūpādānā aparisesā nirujjhanti tamevūpekkhaṁ bhāveti.”
I would like to know a detailed explanation of this sutta. Thank you.
Thank lal for the explanation of anatta! And Thank TripleGemStudent for sharing the description of anicca in Peṭakopadesa! I could appreciate the literature’s value in virtue of you.
1. I read the revised version and I understood it.
2. “I am responsible for teaching all I know, and I will do my best. That is all I can do to pay off my debts to Waharaka Thero, who is no longer with us.” When I read these sentences, I could experience a cooling down of my heart. It is motivating me a lot. Thank you.
3. Yes.
5. Yes. That’s exactly what I was going to say.
6. “Note that it is better to use Pali words in many cases without trying to translate them to English (or any other language).” OK. I will do that next time.
7. Thank you for your service. I think we should continue to talk about that topic in the future. So I want to open a new thread to discuss it. Is it Okay?
There is a grammatical error, so I correct it.
Therefore, reasonably, lal would have advised me to learn the Paticca Samuppada. => Therefore, reasonably, lal advised me to learn the Paticca Samuppada.
I re-read what I wrote and realized that I didn’t reflect the main point that lal said in the above post properly. So I worked on several tasks at the same time, and it caused a problem. When I was writing in English a question came in from the Korean Pure Damma Forum so I answered it. Next time, I’ll just do one thing at a time. It’s 00:46 now. So I’ll give you another opinion tomorrow. Thank you.
P.S. Lal said: “I appreciate your efforts to learn Buddha Dhamma.” Thank you!! for telling me about it. It is really helpful to me.
#4: “So, I am beginning to think that I am also guilty of focusing on the deeper aspects of Buddha Dhamma.”
Don’t say that. You’ve done a great job. I’m sure that everyone who visits here knows it.
#5: “In my previous post, I advised learning the Paticca Samuppada process. But even before that, one needs to understand the terms involved there. What do the terms avijja, sankhara, bhava, jati, etc., represent?”
And another question from the mail: “Do you understand the difference between “phassa” and “samphassa”?”
I saw these questions and then I understood what was wrong. I never asked a question or tell about Paticca Samuppada in the forum or mail. That’s why lal didn’t know how much I understood. Also, I mentioned that I did not achieve any maggaphala before. Therefore, reasonably, lal would have advised me to learn the Paticca Samuppada.
I got infected with the coronavirus eight days ago. The first time I had a high fever, I felt like I could actually die. I suffered from a severely high fever of 103℉. I had been taking a rest with medicine brought from a nearby hospital while self-quarantining at home. Now, I am totally fine. Through this experience, I have clearly seen the dangers of staying in the human realm. I know that I can’t be free from this pain as long as I keep accepting vatthu kāma.
Anyway, I would like to focus more on what lal was going to say in the above post, so let me give you a brief answer. I did my best to understand the Paticca Samuppada. And I certainly attained sotapanna anugami now. But I am not sure whether I am sotapanna.
+) I can tell the difference between “phassa” and “samphassa” to you. Phassa is just contact between “six rupa” and “five pasada rupa and hadaya vatthu”. Samphassa means phassa with “san”. So it occurs through six ayatana.
#6: “I would like to hear your thoughts on the above. Each person is different, and it would help to get an idea of their background first.”
First of all, I don’t remember whether I said my age or not. Maybe I told lal by mail that I am 22 years old. I am 21 years old man from South Korea. The reason I said I was 22 years old before is because of the East Asian age reckoning. I grew up in a Catholic family. But I wasn’t devout because I couldn’t understand their doctrines logically. In 2019, I tried to join the sangha. But the group was Mahayana. I realized that their teachings were different from what I had studied. So I returned to lay life. At this time, I didn’t even know that there is Theravada Sangha in South Korea.
Anyway, I had a lot of thoughts about the direction of Pure Dhamma. Some of the prejudices against Budda sasana have not yet been addressed on this site. Let me list a two things.
1. Buddhism was influenced by Hinduism(Brahmanism more precisely). I think I saw this briefly covered in some posts. For example, Arōgyā Paramā Lābhā.. In Korea, many scholars and the general public think that Buddhism is a religion created by criticizing Hinduism. So it would be helpful to write about this topic, as far more people have this misunderstanding than we think.
2. Everyone has Buddha-nature. In Korea, it is not well known how exceptional the appearance of Buddha is. Because they think everyone has Buddha-nature. I think it would be appropriate to add a few paragraphs to the existing post(Key Problems with Mahāyāna Teachings) rather than writing a new post on this point.
So, these are what I came up with right after I was asked. I think we should continue to think about this problem in the future. It would be good to open a new thread to discuss this topic.
As far as I know, information within viññāṇa dhātu is preserved in a completely different way than in the material world(rūpa lōka). So I deduced the generation and preservation of information from Dhamma. Let’s start with a point we already understood.
For example, someone is happy after eating the cake. It took three things for this sensory event to happen. (i) arammana (the cake), (ii) one’s gati and anusaya, (iii) phassa (contact). In other words, these three pieces of information came together to create new information that someone is happy after eating the cake.
It can be summarized as follows: Existing information is required for any new information to occur.
It is also why there is no traceable origin in samsara. No matter how far back, there is still information.
Yes, now we know. But how is it possible? What is the mechanism of preservation of information?
First, we need to know that information includes three things: Rupa, Citta, and Cetasika. So, sankata is basically a variety of forms of information.
Sankata(information) is divided into two categories. The active one, the inactive one. The critical point is that additional energy is required for any information to activate.
Rūpa(including dhammā) means activated energy. So, anidassana/appaṭigha rūpa can turn into anidassana/appaṭigha nāma. But anidassana/appaṭigha nāma can not turn into anidassana/appaṭigha nāma.
From this, the following conclusions can be drawn.
Rūpa loses energy over time. The record of information is a naturally occurring process of it. The registration and preservation of information is not a process of consuming additional energy. It does not conflict with the above proposition(Existing information is required for any new information to occur).
Because the above process refers to information with energy(New Information), and the below process relates to information that remains as a result of the process of energy disappearance(Remaining Information).
Therefore, it can be seen that the two ways of generation of information(NI and RI) are all in one direction. It also explains that time flows in one direction with Dhamma’s words.
So, the question ‘What is the mechanism of preservation of information?’ is changed like that ‘how anidassana/appaṭigha rūpa(dhammā) turn into anidassana/appaṭigha nāma?’
Let’s think about it this way. When a bullet is fired from the gun, it will move in a parabolic trajectory. In this situation, the motion of the bullet is rūpa. And the trajectory of the bullet is namagotta. (Of course, the bullet is inert. But I hope this example can convey my thought.) The fired bullet will continue to move until it loses its power. When it loses all the power, the halt of the bullet is also registered in namagotta. Therefore, there is no need for any particular registration process. It happens naturally. As if it doesn’t take any registration process for a bullet to fly away.
–
Please let me know if there is anything wrong with this thought.
