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It’s quite incredible how we are fooled by our appearance in our youth and how society fuels this illusion. People have even told me that I am too young to practice Dhamma or religious things. 22 is the age when you must use all your energy to enjoy the beautiful things in life and to be at the top of society (finish your studies, have a good job, a partner, a good social status). Morality and philosophy will come later. The famous phrase “we only have one life, we must make the most of it” comes up very often in their speeches. It’s sad if they knew the danger they expose themselves to by having these erroneous beliefs.
I had also thought a lot about the meaning of asubha that you brought to me the other time sir. If we only had to contemplate the corpse or the repugnance of the body, without the correct understanding; All these surgeons, doctors and cemetery workers would be free from Kāma ragā.
The other day I learned the story of a surgeon, through a show, who cheated on his wife with one of these patients. He had operated on this patient and seen the disgusting appearance of her body. Unfortunately, it was not enough to calm his passion and break this precept. There is also the story of people who sleep with corpses. In this case, we can perhaps speak of mental disorders. All these cases remind me of the importance of proper understanding before engaging in any meditation.
THE BODY: WANTED BY MANY WHEN LIVING; WANTED BY NONE WHEN DEAD
The young monk who was in love with Sirimā and had developed a desire to have her, was unaware that she had died. So when he heard that the Buddha and the other monks were going to see Sirimā, he also joined them and arrived at the cemetery. By now, the Buddha and the accompanying monks were on one side of Sirimā’s dead body while King Bimbisāra with his men and the other lay people were on the other side of the dead body. The Buddha then asked the king to call a drummer and to send him around the city announcing that Sirimā is available for anyone who is willing to pay one thousand pieces of money per night. No one came forward to pay one thousand pieces of money to have Sirimā for one night. Then the price to be paid per night was gradually brought down to almost nothing and because no one was coming forward to have her, finally it was announced that anyone can have her for nothing. Even then no one came forward to have Sirimā’s body and the king informed the Buddha that nobody wants Sirimā’s body even if it is given for nothing.
Then the Buddha said: “Monks, when Sirimā was living, there were many men in this city, who were willing to pay even one thousand pieces of money for the privilege of spending one night with her. But now, there is no one who wants her even if she is given for nothing. Monks, this body is subject to decay and deterioration”.
Then the Buddha recited the following verse which is recorded as the 147th verse of the Dhammapada.
“Passa cittakataṁ bimbaṁ,
arukāyaṁ samussitaṁ,
āturaṁ bahusankappaṁ,
yassa natthi dhuvaṁ thiti.”“Look at this decked body,
a mass of sores, a heaped up entity,
diseased, imagined in many ways,
which has nothing stable or firm.”It is said that at the end of the Buddha’s discourse, the young monk who was in love with Sirimā and desired to have her, attained the first supra mundane stage of Stream Enterer (Sotāpanna).
My thought: I think that the general idea taught that one must meditate “on the repugnance of the body” comes from this story. However, I think that this monk’s attainment of the sotāpanna stage was through realizing the fruitless nature of the body.
Okay, thank you for these details. But sir what I wanted to know is can we compare the nimitta experienced during death to a dream?
During a dream we do not control anything and during the moment of death we are powerless (anatta). We don’t know what thought will come to us when we pass away. Especially when a person is puthujunas.
OK sir. I didn’t understand this key concept. If I understand correctly the nimitta only appears when he has a new bhava?
I found an interesting site (laws of the nature). This site contains a lot of reading material on the Dhamma. Of course, like many Dhamma sites, it uses poor translations and misinterpretations of key concepts. This is an inevitable situation. However, some information may be useful.
This site is a decade old. The author is Mr. Martin Barua. It seems like he hasn’t updated it in a very long time. I tried to contact the author by email but his address is having problems.
Long after Lord Gautama’s teaching has disappeared from the human world, many beings will attain Nibbāna. As long as the relics of Lord Buddha remain. However, it will only be divine beings such as devas and brahmas. The relics will come to life temporarily and teach the Dhamma to a multitude of devas and brahmas. The vast majority will have varying levels of magga phala. The relics will be destroyed and that will be the end of Lord Gautama’s sasana. Those who remain will be reborn in the time of Lord Metteya.
Here the link for this information The duration of Gotama sasana (Dispensation)
Here information on the apayas
In relation to food yes we must understand the true meanings. I’ll use myself as an example. I have a bad relationship with food. I often act with extreme greed. I have a penchant for fruits, especially mangoes and citrus fruits. I happily share when others want it. However when no one wants it I enjoy it. The social context also plays a crucial role. Sometimes the craving for food is amplified under the influence of others. During a dinner with family or friends, for example. I must now contemplate your post in more depth.
For your video don’t worry sir. I’m used to seeing worse! We could even apply it to food, too. Some depressed people tend to overeat. It is said that excessive food cravings can be a sign of depression!
I knew someone like that when I was 15 16 year old. It was sad to see she was constantly eating. Whether in class or during breaks. She was depressed. It’s a memory that comes back to me sometimes, because I was part of his problem. It sometimes causes me agitation. I had bad kamma after that.
Okay sir if I understand the main idea correctly: We need to check if there is a second meaning to the word in the text with a true disciple of the Buddha. The Buddha used common terms to talk about things of the mind.
I just read your post. Thank you very much sir, it gave me a good basic idea. You also talked about the *danger of contemplating the unpleasant aspect of food* I know this type of meditation. I even tried to practice it a few times!! To be honest, you’re right, for an ordinary person it’s not a good idea.
However, I think it could be a tool for a person who is close to the anagami stage, right?? One of the results of this stage is the permanent loss of the desire for tastes and delicious food, in this human life. If this same person is reborn as a brahma, then it will be in the literal sense. That person will never eat again, even to support her body.
I don’t know if what I’m saying is wrong! Please correct me if you see any mistakes on my part!
SIGNIFICANCE OF CONTACT (PHASSA) IN THERAVADA BUDDHISM
” Four nutriments (āhāra)
1)Physical food (kabalinkāhāra)
2)Contact (phassāhāra)
3)Volitional thoughts (mano sancetanāhāra)
4)Consciousness (viññānāhāra)
Feelings that arise dependent on contact would inevitably lead to suffering. Feelings that are considered as pleasant will lead to suffering when they cease to exist due to their very transient nature while the unpleasant feelings cause suffering by their very nature. Neutral feelings will lead to suffering due to their bland nature and boredom. Because contact conditions feeling that lead to suffering and because feeling also conditions craving (tanhā), clinging (upādāna), becoming (bhava) and re-birth (jāti), contact has a most significant role as a mental nutriment. (11)
In the Puttamansa sutta, the Buddha has advised the monks to reflect on the simile of a skinned cow when considering the nutriment of contact. When a skinned cow is standing near a wall it is bitten by the insects living on the wall, standing near a tree it is bitten by the insects living on the tree, standing in the water it is bitten by the insects living in the water, and standing in the open space it is bitten by insects living in the air. So, wherever the skinned cow stands it will be bitten by the insects causing suffering. Similarly, one is constantly in danger of being bombarded with sensory contact through the six sense doors which will inevitably lead to suffering. According to the Buddha, when the nutriment of contact is comprehended, it will lead to comprehension of the pleasant, unpleasant and neutral feelings resulting in the eradication of the fetters that keep beings bound to the cycle of birth and death (samsāra) with no re-birth.
Contact or sense impression (phassa) within the Buddhist teaching is the coming together of three factors: an internal sense door, an external sense object and the respective sense based consciousness. There are six types of contact based on the six sense doors. Contact plays a crucial role in producing mental defilements and suffering in unenlightened beings, as it is from contact that the mental processes such as feeling, perception and volitions arise. Hence, the Buddha has named it as a nutriment (āhāra) that sustains the life of living beings and support those who are to be born within the cycle of birth and death (samsāra). Through the development of wisdom by comprehending into the real nature of contact, the enlightened ones continue to experience contact through the six sense doors, but there is no arising of any mental defilements as they have given up any subjectivity with regard to their sense doors and sensory experiences. “
I found a text that contradicts the idea that “paccekabuddhas do not teach magga phala” The Lord Buddha was the father of a young Brahmin, in a past life. His son was ordained by paccekabuddhas and became one of them. The son even attained parinibbāna, shortly after his awakening.
In my personal opinion, such an outcome is only possible when the person has enough paramis, to become one of them. They just didn’t teach too many people. They do not establish a sasana like the sammasambuddhas. They ordain only if the persons are close to them, I think.
I leave it to Sir Lal to examine this information, to see if it is credible!!
The sources
Saṅkha’s StoryPaccekabuddhas Teach Awakening(from the Commentary to Dhammapada 290)
Dhammapada Verse 290 Attanopubbakamma Vatthu
“Matta sukhapariccaga
passe ce vipulam sukham
caje mattasukhirh dhiro
sampassam vipulam sukham “
