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Thank you very much for taking the time to explain this to me, sir. I have to reread it to make sure I get it right. As I said there are many concepts in transition in my mind that I used to understand in a worldly way.
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Certainly, Sir, I will answer your question. As I mentioned earlier, there are still many concepts that I am processing. Sakkaya ditthi refers to the belief in an unchanging and permanent soul, which can be controlled and passed on from one life to another or can perish with the body depending on the ditthi. A sotāpanna has eliminated these views, but the perception of self still lingers like a bad smell on a washed cloth. It is only at the arahant stage that the perception of self is eliminated. This is the summary of what I learned, sir. Please explain what I misunderstood.
No, he still has this wrong perception but he will never fall into the views related to Sakkaya ditthi.
In the Duthiya Isidatta sutta of the Samyutta Nikaya, it is stated that various other wrong views and the sixty-two wrong views described in the Brahmajala sutta arise due to the presence of sakkaya ditthi and that they do not arise when there is no sakkaya ditthi. The ten other wrong views described in the Duthiya Isidatta sutta are;
The world is eternal.
The world is not eternal.
The world is finite.
The world is not finite.
The soul and the body are the same.
The soul and the body are not the same.
One exists after death.
One does not exist after death.
One both exists and does not exist after death.
One neither exists nor does not exist after death (6).
I believe it is this aspect of Sakkaya ditthi that a sotāpanna has eliminated, right?
This is an example of a publication on Sakkaya ditthi.
SAKKAYA DITTHI: SELF-IDENTIFICATION VIEW IN THERAVADA BUDDHISM
Sakkaya ditthi is the wrong view that mistakenly identifies with one of the five aggregates of clinging that constitute the Psycho-physical complex described as a being or personality as “self”.
There are three possible ways in which self-identification can take place.
This is mine – due to craving (tanha)
This I am – due to conceit (mana)
This is me – due to the wrong view (ditthi)
I understand that a sotāpanna is said to have eradicated sakkaya ditthi. However, even though a sotāpanna has achieved this, he can still have a strong attachment to kāma ragā. This attachment depends on his gāti, and he may continue to pursue the things of this world. However, he will never commit evil acts to acquire them. I have been considering that belief in the personality might be more appropriate since it eradicates all micchādiṭṭhi. If I have made any mistakes, please correct me. I am still transitioning and learning about many Dhamma concepts that I previously understood in a worldly way. Most of my statements are based on what I learned before I encountered the Puredhamma site. Thank you for sharing the essay Dosakkhayo; it has highlighted my gaps in certain concepts.
“Sakkaya ditthi is the false belief that the consequent pleasure from having raga can be meaningful in some way.”
- To be more precise Sakkaya ditthi is the belief in personality. It can take two forms: Sassatta ditthi the belief in an eternal self that will end in a higher or lower realm forever. Present in most religions. The other is uccheda ditthi the belief in a self that is annihilated at death. Sakkaya ditthi can take many forms. However, this belief can say that there is a self that must enjoy sensual pleasures, (Kāma ragā)
Yes my friend but the only answer I told myself is that people from these remote areas are not spiritually mature enough. They don’t have the notions of Punna Kamma, Papa Kamma, and rebirth. These notions were present in Sri Lanka and India. However, the problem here is that every Lord Buddha has been in the Indian subcontinent and nowhere else.
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Thank you for the explanations, Sir. I Didn’t understand this concept yet. I will read your essay on that.
Here is a case that might be related to this discussion. I believe this teenager’s brain lost the connection with this life and took on the memories of his previous life. I’ve also seen stories of people waking up with abilities they never developed in their lives. For example, they could play instruments, do advanced mathematics, and many others. The connection between Vinnana and the brain is astounding.
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MENTAL FACTOR OF ATTENTION (MANASIKĀRA) IN THERAVADA BUDDHISM
Stream Enterer has attained the path and the fruit of the first stage of enlightenment and has thus become a noble person (ariya) having previously been an ordinary worldling (puthujjana). One who aspires to follow the path to attain the stage of Stream Enterer is expected to observe certain wholesome practices including wise attention which plays an extremely important role:
1. Association with spiritual friends (kalyānamittha-sevana)
2. Listening to true Dhamma (saddhamma-savana)
3. Wise attention (yoniso-manasikāra)
4. Living according to Dhamma (dhammānudhamma-patipadā)
Yathā pi puppharāsimhā,
kayirā mālāgune bahū,
evaṁ jātena maccena,
kattabbaṁ kusalaṁ bahuṁ
Sir Lal, can we summarize this verse by saying that several Kusalas are associated with a lifestream that runs through samsara or does he mean much more than that?
MUCH GOOD CAN BE DONE BY ONE SUBJECT TO BIRTH AND DEATH (SAMSĀRA)
The background story of verses 53
At one time, the Buddha was staying at the Pubbārāma monastery, the palace of Migāramātā in Sāvatti, which was donated to the Buddha by Lady Visākhā, the chief benefactress of the Buddha.
Visākha was the daughter of very wealthy parents living in the Magadha Kingdom of King Bimbisāra. At the age of seven years, she happened to listen to the Buddha’s teaching when the Buddha visited her grandfather’s house for a meal and attained the supra mundane stage of Stream Enterer (Sotapañña). When she grew up to be of marriageable age, she married a young man named Punnavaddhana and moved to live in Sāvatti. Her father-in-law Migāra was a disciple of the Niganthas, and hence, Visākhā was not allowed to make any offerings to the Buddha or the order of monks. However, she was able to convert him to be a disciple of the Buddha, after which he considered her to be a mother figure to him. Hence, she also became known as Migaramātā (mother of Migāra). Since Migāra also became a disciple of the Buddha, Lady Visākhā was allowed to invite the Buddha and the monks to her house to offer alms food.
It is said that Lady Visākhā gave birth to ten sons and ten daughters, each of whom also had ten sons and ten daughters. At the time of Lady Visākhā’s marriage, her father has given her an immensely valuable gem-studded cloak as a wedding present. One day, when she went to the Jetavana monastery to see the Buddha, she removed her gem-studded cloak and gave it to her maid to keep it safe. When they left the Jetavana monastery that evening, the maid forgot to take the cloak. Venerable Ānanda, the chief attendant of the Buddha, found the cloak at the monastery and sent a message to Lady Visākha to collect it. As Venerable Ānanda had already touched it, she refused to take the gem-studded cloak back and decided to donate it to Venerable Ānanda, who declined to accept her donation. Then, she decided to sell it and donate the proceeds. However, because no one in Sāvatti could afford to buy it, Lady Visākhā bought it herself and used the money to build a monastery on the eastern side of Sāvatti. The monastery was named Pubbārāma (monastery on the eastern side), and it also came to be known as the Palace of Migāramātā.
On the day the Pubbārāma was donated to the Buddha, Lady Visākhā gathered her family at the Pubbārāma and told them that all her wishes had been fulfilled and that she had nothing more to desire. Then she went around the monastery reciting five verses of exultation. When some monks noticed her going around the monastery singing, which they had not witnessed before, they wondered whether she had gone off her head and reported it to the Buddha. Then the Buddha said to the monks:
“Today, Visākhā had all her wishes of the past and the present existences fulfilled and on account of that sense of achievement, she was feeling elated and contended. She was just reciting some verses of exultation and she has certainly not gone off her head. Visākhā, throughout her previous births, had always been a generous donor and an ardent promoter of the doctrine of the previous Buddhas. She was most strongly inclined to do good deeds and had done much good in her previous births, just as an expert florist makes many garlands from a collection of flowers.”
Then the Buddha recited the following verse which is recorded as the 53rd verse of the Dhammapada.
“Yathā pi puppharāsimhā,
kayirā mālāgune bahū,
evaṁ jātena maccena,
kattabbaṁ kusalaṁ bahuṁ.”
“Just as from a collection of flowers,
an expert florist can make many garlands,
so also, many good deeds can be done,
by one subject to birth and death.”
- The story of Visākha shows us how the paramis of generosity brings enormous amounts of Kusalas. In the days of the Lord Buddhas of the past, she was just a simple devotee who performed acts of generosity(Dana) and promoted the Dhamma. It is because of these Kusulas that she was able to become a sotāpanna at the age of 7 which is extremely rare among lay people. There are several stories of samanera (novice monks) who were arahant or anagami at 7 years old but for lay people, it is extremely rare to expect magga phala at such a young age. By supporting the Sasana for example by offering the Bhikkhus the 4 necessities (Accommodation, Alms, clothing, and medicine), by participating in ceremonies like Kathina (offering a robe at the end of the rains retreat to the Bhikkhus) and Wesak, and by teaching the Dhamma to others, It is very possible to achieve results like lay Visākha.
Hello everybody.
- I am a member of the Whatsapp group for Canadian and American devotees of the Jethavaranama monastery. Although most group members are Sri Lankan, people from other countries are welcome to join. This year, the Jethavaranama monastery has allowed devotees from these countries to organize the Wesak ceremony, which is scheduled to take place on May 23, 2024. The organizers have created a separate WhatsApp group for those who wish to contribute to this ceremony in their way. Detailed information will be provided by one of the organizers at the end of March. I have spoken to one of the organizers who informed me that people from all countries are welcome to participate and join the group. If you’re interested, here is the WhatsApp link to join the group directly. https://chat.whatsapp.com/KJOqohkbDtI0zcxgVAVbdU
- If you have any questions regarding the ceremony contact Miss Ajitha Cristie David on +1 (313) 910 7148.
Please note that only the group administrators can send messages. It is a meritorious activity that brings many Kusulas. For those who don’t know Wesak is the day of Lord Buddha Gautama’s birth, his enlightenment, and his parinibbānna. By participating in this ceremony you contribute to the preservation of Sasana. The Kusulas will be even more powerful if you have a good understanding of Tilakkhana.
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- An excellent speech by the Venerable on the different types of Kamma. I won’t go into detail about it because my understanding of the subject is not developed enough. I’ll leave it to Mr. Lal to explain it in a future essay when he wants. However, here’s what I learned: When we do a positive action, it’s better not to regret it. We’ll receive the effects, but they’ll be destroyed by a Kamma associated with our regret. For example, if someone says, “I shouldn’t have given my wealth to charity, what a waste,” Kamma Vipāka could make them wealthy in a future life, but due to regret, they could become bankrupt. We can see extremely rich people going bankrupt in the news. Most people think that the homeless people we see on the streets have always been homeless. Yet many were socially good or even extremely wealthy people who lost their wealth – proof of Annica and Anatta’s nature. Tomorrow we could lose our possessions and be powerless against this Vipāka.
- The same goes for bad actions. Suppose a person had a habit of physically hurting others. If they realize their bad actions and stop them, and also start donating blood, plasma, platelets, and donating to hospitals, etc., they not only realize but also start doing good deeds. The Vipāka of hurting others can take effect in a future life. The person may have a life full of illnesses, go blind, etc. However, they will suddenly be able to get well and lead a happy life because of the good deeds they did by donating. This is why there are cases of people who were diagnosed with incurable illnesses and who were able to recover.
- We must do actions contrary to our bad actions to at least lessen the impact. For example, if a person steals he must start giving to others. Theft is fueled by Lobha and generosity with positive intention is Alobha. Only by understanding Annica’s nature will we be able to do this very easily.
Example of destructive Bad Kamma.
Example of destructive good Kamma.
https://youtu.be/7KWGmtANlYw?si=p3nQv21MgZfY34rO
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