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Namo Tassa Bhagawato Arahato Samma Sambuddhassa
Thank Sriman Yash RS for the post and Gad, Tobi, Dawson and of course our beloved Lal Sir for participating in this critical post.
If ok, the following may be considered for further discussion to understand better its meditative aspects.
Lal Sir: The critical point here is that the receptiors in a pig’s tongue are wired differently from those in a human’s.
- Thus, while a piece of rotten meat will taste great for a pig, it tastes yucky/disgusting for a human.
- In the same way, rotten meat or feces will smell bad for a pig, but a human finds that smell repulsive.
- It is just a matter of how sensory receptors are wired differently in a pig versus a human.
I would like to start with “iccha” as liking. In my land it is called “isttham”. I like (istham) “X” very much.
I would also like to suggest that for the purposes of the discussion, unless it becomes too illogical, we may use iccha to encompass different intensities or its other family members, such as raga and lobha, as well as different modes and combinations, such as Kama raga and so on.
Seeing a pig eating feces, and myself liking different things, the first lesson I can learn is iccha has the quality to make one blind.
Isn’t that what I see when I see the Pig cherishing feces? In a similar vein, I, too, am blind; I like to smoke, etc.
No matter what, I want it (X, Y, Z). I know it’s wrong! but I want it! These are some standard templates of its (blindness) manifestations.
Then such blindness also points to being afflicted(with blindness), suffering from a disease, or being blindly carried away by the flood—all of which can be summed up under “Dukkha.”
The third sign, which is evident, is a sense of “distaste” behind all tastes (viraga). Pigs like to eat feces, I like to eat ice cream, and cows like to eat grass—isn’t there a sense of “distaste” in “liking some taste”?
Throughout the day or years, I have a liking for different feelings that originate from the body.
in one of the sub-commentaries, I read a line that says like flies which come running to dirt and feces, my eyes go running after body parts of the other gender…..
There is a sense of distatse, repungence in “liking a taste”. . In my telugu language there is a perfectly fitting word- “Vegatu”.
For example, you continue eating sweet(s), and after some rounds, it tastes/gets “vegatu”!
So 3 things are evident in “ichham for sensual pleasures”: Blindness, Dukkha, and a Sense of Distaste.
Is it logical? Sirs?.
Are these signs helpful in achieving a better sense of freedom and awareness in our lives? How do we develop them further? Does it constitute a practice? Are these 3 traits something that can be concretely seen and developed, and where do they eventually resolve or point to? Is there any aspect that I am missing? Import? The bigger picture?
That is it sir, then ….please add, correct, and improve
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Sweet is Dhamma, Sweet is Sangha, Sweeter is Buddha.
Sir, is my understanding , a bit better, in line now?…..i am re-adjusting with, some better clarity, as follows:
I consider myself to be an individual. Someone living this Life, having these experiences, experiencing these havings etc. I am Gopinadh…..me!
Yet at the same time , with a little effort, I can see , there are several components to my self which enable me to function as an individual.
There is a raw Sense of Being (I AM), various “things” and “actions” (actions done by kaya , by nama, including hardwired tendencies ) which appear to be done by me, or owned by me, etc. All these make up “me” “Gopinadh”. I have a Past, living this Life now and have a tomorrow.
Gopinadh is one whole. Like Laptop is one whole. It has keyboard, touch pad, touch screen, usb ports, battery, power, hardware and all the software. But I see it as one whole “a lap top” just as one “gopinadh”.
If laptop falls down, it’s the lap top which is broken and similalry It is I who lives, who laughs , who cries and who will one day die and so on so forth.
This Gopinadh will go on and on , into Ramesh, into David, into a De Silva, Dog, or a preta as long as Gopinadh has cravings for sensory inputs (rupa). He is a “satta”. He also has a slight peep into how his cravings create suffering.
The astounding thing is even with this understanding and peep into reality, even while he possesses this knowledge , as long as it doesn’t penetrate deeper , he still remains Satta.
In our land we call a similar thing “Smashana Vairagyam” . Smashana is graveyard and vairagyam is “Viraga”.
Someone dies, all of us go , tell each other, “this is life friends”, “death is inevitable” etc etc and 2 days henceforth we are disappointed that our favourite food spot is closed! Only as long as we are inside the graveyard the vairagya remains.
This sir is how the “Satta” Lives.
For all intents and purposes, there exists no difference between satta without a peep into this knowledge and to this particular satta with such superficial knowledge, who has only “smashana vairagyam”- graveyard viraga!.
However, maybe one day in “gopinadh” or “David” or “De Silva”the peep into reality grows, it penetrates deeper, the realization deepens in its depth and seriousness and reflects back in ones Life, in ones Conduct , in ones Freedom.
He realizes he is delimited, defined by what he “attaches to”. Like our friend Dog, which is tied to a post with a leash to his collar, and goes round and round around it, He realizes He is defined, delimited by the Five Aggregates owing to His craving for them. He realizes in his bones, that being so tied to the leash, He comes to be with them , suffers with them, rises and falls with them, dies with them and moves on with them.
This realisation itself seems to be stupendous. It seems easy in thought, but for people like me who can grasp it in only thought and not in actuality, it seems next to impossible. I honestly have no clue how one eventually actualizes this vision, Lives it!. But it doesnt mean others do not have. I belong to the ordinary run of the mill group , where as we can rest be assured that there are Aryans around. The fact that i don not have a clue is only a reflection on my lack of seriousness and hard work and nothing more.
Then sir,(in the case of one where it starts to actualize) , the satta is set on the path. The actualization of saccas (truths) begin in the “Sattas” Life. The Vision Penetrates deeper. Freedom grows. truthfulness grows.
With gradual ending of craving He or She Proceeds from Being a Satta, towards not being a Satta(tied to the post with a leash to His or Her Collar). In other words He or She completely resolves all the elements of Satta, Sense of Being, having Properties, Having Family, Actions, Birth, Death, Rebirth, etc etc etc into their proper places. The sun of Freedom starts to shine brightly. He or She can now completely look into the various factors which constitute a satta and assign each of them their proper place.
Then man starts to live a life in truth. Not just He , but his fellow men, beings, social systems….. too are benefited by this Aryan.
In social Terms He or She stands as the epitome of correct , consummate and highest values which felloe men can aspire. Society gets a fresh breath of Life.
That’s about it Sir. Under this topic – satta , I think we touched imp points, the individual, how he or she can improve, why there is an area of improvement and how such an individual can benefit the society , for there in lies the value addition.
Kindly correct/add/improve
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Sir. Beautiful.
In particular “Anyone who has cravings for sensory inputs (rupa) is a “satta” – reading this is , I felt someone was pouring honey in my ears. I thought Radha’s Satta Sutta was sweet, and the above summing up , is like crushing out the sweetness into some jaggery.
After looking at my post, it is inhhumane in its approach. I have to admit. While Your articulation , is like in the middle: human yet human in some rightly balanced sense(i cant articulate) .
Anyway I will think on how to readjust my thought in the post and come back in this backdrop sir.
Mutlpile things to be clear about, being, sense of being, that which causes and conditions the Being, as well as Sense of Being…..
….Look at Man!
To Be, He has to Love all that he Can!
But all that He Loves comes with a Span!
——
Do you See sir,…..?…. by admitting me in the forum, all of you will be getting free poetry service as a value addition. which other member is giving it?
(thank God You must be saying. hm?)
Regards Sir, Have a good day.
Sir i went through them.
I am thinking That Satta is not Satta Bhava (a sense of being) but rather “Satta” is Satta or Visatta (in the sense of being caught, attatched, raga) which fuels the mis- interpretation of there being someone- “ME”. “I”.
Actually, in my thought, Satta or Visatta (the attatchment) is itself misinterpreted as the Basic Sense of Being. “I”.
This Basic Sense of Being is then used to build the next level of individuality which is where “Gopinadh” Comes in.
That is about it Sir.
Namo Tassa Bhagawato Arahato Samma SamBuddhassa
The Okkanta Samyutta Samyutta Nikhaya 25-1 to 10, magnanimously sets out the teaching for two types of Dhamma Aspirants:
One who approaches and touches these teachings “ Annicca, Viparinama, AnnathaBhava” with faith and conviction, against each of the 10 items starting from Chakku upto the Aggregates, as He or she deems engaging ….and…
The Second One who approaches, and works though the faculty of observation, attention and understanding.
In both the cases, the faculties such as faith, understanding need not be of a superlative degree, for these men are yet to be set on the path of integrity and truthfulness, beneficial to themselves and others.
Once they do touch these Dhammas “Annicca, Viparinama, AnnataBhava” even in the “mundane” sense , if we would so want to call them such, they are bang set on the path which leads them to the Stream.
They are now men, equipped with integrity, ability to seeing things as they are, truthful, and empowered by right conduct in Life.
Once they understand the “Deeper Meanings” , perhaps the Bigger Picture if you so will, they enter the Stream as Sotapanna, which is also how each of the Sutta Ends.
Whats astounding on the whole , is like an eagle which first tears the food into small morsels for its young and feeds them with tenderness, Dhamma in this section gives us Ten items , like a parent or an older brother, prodding us on, pick one, any one will do, see into at-least one , don’t you find it interesting atleast? So on…in such gentle manner
Friends, please correct/add/improve. Have a Good Day.
I have posted a picture of Chakravarthi Below. Its from the Sambodhi Kat Kyaw Temple from Burma. In this picture , the Lord’s face is so innocent. Like a child he doesn’t hide anything. At the same time the sparkling suit which is golden, remind us of His Immaculate Meditative absorptions/achievements, His Impeccable Qualities such as Compassion , and for those who love Him and Dhamma- that He is the “King of Kings”.
In “Cakkhuṁ, bhikkhave, aniccaṁ vipariṇāmi aññathābhāvi”……………..”Anicca , Viparinamim Annathabhavim”, follow Chakkhu.(only bhikkhave in between) There isnt any another word to lead us on to “ If Chakku is Used for Sensual Pleasures”.
While , – “that Viparinama and Annathabhavi in a deeper sense mean a movement away from Nibbana by using the Eye as a basis for Sensual Pleasures” – is truly and brilliantly majestic , in its scale, and in beauty,…..
here …Chakku itself is to be seen as Aniccam, Viparinamino, Annathabhavino. It gives us a sense of the statement being absolute. There isn’t any compromise , that under such and such conditions only Chakku is Dukkha. Where as otherwise its not.
“What Has come to be” intrinsically , itself, is Dukkha. Our Attachment Or Hatred ,Or Shrouding the Sacca, add one more dart and make the wound bigger (or double) ……….whereas Chakku itself is a wound(the first dart).
Saying it so easily, Can we live up to it? Elders Did. They were Great. Men Made of Steel in Body and Mind.
Please correct/add/improve as fitting.
