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I apologize, but this is a bit difficult to understand. If I may ask, are you suggesting that external objects are also somewhat distorted or contaminated to a certain degree?
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I have summarized my understanding of distorted sanna as follows:
Distorted sanna refers to bahidda sanna.
It arises according to the built in system of indriya (manomaya kaya + physical body) which causes distortion.
Bahidda sanna creates the illusion that external objects possess attractive or repulsive characteristics.
However, external objects composed of apo, tejo, pathavi, and vayo are neutral.
This illusion can be overcome by understanding the mechanism that drives the system.
It is Paticca Samuppada.
Indriya samvara refers to the process of gradually eliminating ajjhatta kaya by understanding this distortion.
Thank you for the revision.
Is “bahidda rupa” also a rupa created by the mind, just like “ajjhatta rupa,” since it is a distorted version of rupa?
Thank you for the clarification. If so, I think this post’s chart needs revision.
It seems necessary to distinguish between (i) pancakkhandha in the context of simply referring to combined mental entities, and (ii) pancakkhandha as it refers to pure experience in arahant phala samapatti. This is because upadana to the pancakkhandha only makes sense in the former case.
Amazingly Fast Time Evolution of a Thought (Citta)
3. Those nine stages of contamination during the lifetime of the fundamental unit of cognition (within a billionth of a second) are citta, manō, mānasan, hadayaṃ, pandaran, manō manāyatanam, mana indriyam (or manindriyam), viññāna, viññānakkhandha. A Tipiṭaka reference is given in the post, “Pabhassara Citta, Radiant Mind, and Bhavaṅga.”
- Amazingly, these nine steps occur within a split second, and the Buddha said there are billions of citta arising within the blink of an eye. Each citta has three stages: uppāda, ṭhiti, and bhaṅga. Those nine steps occur before the bhaṅga or the termination stage.
- It may be hard to believe, but we can prove this true with the following example.
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I think this phrase is the reason why I came to see the 9-stage evolution of citta as occurring in a single citta.
This clearly conflicts with the idea that the 9-stage evolution occurs in a single citta vithi.
So, should I view the 9-stage evolution of citta vithi and the 9-stage evolution of citta as progressing separately?
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I attached this video to point out that the role of DNA has been overestimated. I disagree with the discussion about evolutionary theory that comes up in the latter part of the video. Please keep this in mind while watching the video. Thank you.
Oh, I had thought until now that the 9-stage evolution occurs in a single citta. If it occurs in a single citta vithi, then there’s no problem. Thank you for clarifying.
I’m having difficulty understanding these 9 stages of citta.
In citta vithi, the citta where purana kamma occurs and the citta where nava kamma occurs are different.
However, in the explanation of the 9 stages of defilement, why is it described as if purana evolves into nava within a single citta?
It doesn’t seem likely that the paṇḍaran stage would occur in atita bhanvanga citta in citta vithi.
So I’m beginning to wonder if perhaps cittaṃ mano mānasan hadayan paṇḍaran mano manāyatanaṃ manindriyaṃ viññāṇaṃ viññāṇakkhandho might not be describing a single citta, but rather the cumulative effect of multiple cittas (citta vithi).
If I’m off base here, please set me straight. Thanks.
After reading the post, I realized that what I had in mind was the anariya meditation. Thank you for guiding me on the right path. Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!
I’d like to share with everyone how I practice formal metta, karuna, muditta, upekkha meditation.
Samsara can be described as a process of alternating between virtuous and vicious cycles.
First, I extend metta to beings trapped in vicious cycles and experiencing suffering.
Most beings fall into this category, as sabbe sankhara anicca.
Next, I extend karuna to those beings caught in vicious cycles who are trying to move towards virtuous cycles.
Despite their bad habits, they strive to do good, but these bad habits continue to pull them down.
I hope they won’t be too harsh on themselves.
Then, I think of beings in virtuous cycles and rejoice in their good qualities.
I believe this is mudita meditation.
Lastly, I try to understand that both vicious and virtuous cycles are under the law of nature.
This brings calmness to my mind. I believe this is upekkha meditation.
Could you please let me know if I’m practicing correctly and if there are any areas I should review? Thank you.
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Archaeological evidence isn’t crucial for cleansing my mind. I can distinguish between morally worthwhile pursuits without it, and choose the better option. So I’ve moved past the “seeing is believing” mentality because I’ve found that seeing isn’t always necessary. What we need is the power to understand through wisdom(panna), despite not being able to see.
However, reaching this point of sufficiency took me a long time. I’m naturally inquisitive and curious, always questioning things. Through studying Buddha Dhamma, I learned to discern what makes a good question. The right questions liberated me from san, while the wrong ones left it unresolved. Eventually, I began consistently choosing the better path.
I think if I had the attitude “I will only believe what everyone can believe,” I would end up achieving nothing. This is because there will always be people with different beliefs. So one must learn to take responsibility for one’s own mind and beliefs. In fact, I think this is the beginning of vipassana meditation.
Evidence itself isn’t the decisive factor. Let’s imagine that the evidence you’ve been seeking has finally emerged. The nature of evidence is such that (i) it eliminates other interpretations of the past that don’t align with it, but (ii) it can’t pinpoint a single, definitive interpretation. As a result, the demand for evidence can be endless. You could endlessly demand evidence to prove that the evidence is valid. You could keep asking for more and more, but this approach will never lead to a conclusive answer.1 user thanked author for this post.
