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Dear friend AniccaSeeker🌷
Sympathy and compassion for you concerning feeling lonely. It is something the most followers of the Dhamma in 2026 have to go through. We can remember it’s better to be lonely while walking on the right road than having friendly company while walking on the wrong road.
Concerning free will vs predestination.
Some humble constructive thoughts. This is probably similar to the kinds of tricky questions which were asked of the Holy Buddha: Is the universe finite or infinite? Is the body and the self one thing or not one thing? Does the Buddha exist after passing away or does he not exist after passing away? …etc…
In morality, philosophy, western religion or eastern religion, there is a big variety of ideas about the topic of free will. As a youngster, I just did what I wanted to do (no-idea). Then I became a Christian (predestined), then Daoist (free), then Hindu (both), then Non-dualist (neither). ☺️
Perhaps it is just another attempt for a human being to try to find permanent happiness for himself/herself. This is of course ignorant of anicca, dukkha and anatta. This ignorance will lead on to making kamma. To stop and say, ‘But who is making it? Is it my will or is it God’s will or is it the universe or is it fate?’ Mmm… Not useful. Not skillful. Insight is useful and skillful. Insight like what Venerable Lal is sharing on this wonderful website.
May all escape from unskillfull ways of thinking.
Namo Buddhaya 💛
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Dear friend AniccaSeeker 🙏🏻
Blessings of peace and love to you and all the dear ones who are looking to improve themselves in this life, through a way which is in line with the big picture and in line with Truth.
A humble suggestion which you could try and see if it is of benefit to you:
1. A line in the water – If it is an emotion which is suddenly upon you, and you know from past experience that it’s not going to last too long, say to yourself the following:
(for example) ”Instead of being angry, I’m going to realize that people doing things I do not like are just results of previous causes. So now I’m going to repeat the name of the Buddha ten times. Namo Buddhaya… Namo Buddhaya… etc. x10. Now I express gratitude that instead of being angry, I could praise the Buddha.”
By that time, two or three minutes should have passed, and the emotion should have calmed down to a great extent.
2. A line in the sand – If it is something on a deeper level, like your mother always asking you when you’re gonna get married, or your boss never saying ‘hello’ to you every time you greet him, we need to realize that this is our jati. We can try the suggestion for level one, but if that does not work, we can accept it as being fair, reward for previous choices, and wait it out. We can think of it like as if someone else is having an emotional reaction, and now we just have to wait until he or she gets over it. So now we wait until we get over it ourselves.
3. A line in the stone – If it is something which is beyond level one or two, like fear when someone pulls out a gun, or anxiety when you hear your parent is on death’s bed, we can know that this can only be removed through maggaphala. There’s little we can do about it, and the most constructive thing is just to be motivated by it to find the path and stay on the path.
Namo Buddhaya 🌺🕊️💙
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Gratitude to the venerable ones for sharing their thoughts on the issue. 🙏🏻
It is so easy to become a victim of clinging. At the end of the day, what is the difference between dreaming about a stone and dreaming about a deva? The only difference is clinging.
I would ignorantly feel very happy with myself if I dream about the Holy Buddha. Yet, it is just a namarupa (sound & sight / name & form); something you see with your eyes and hear with your ears. Interesting how in dreams you just see and hear, there is no smelling, tasting or touching. It’s like you become a half-brahma… kamaloka form with brahmaloka senses. ☺️
Namo Buddhaya 🕊️
Dear venerable Saurabh and other dear ones.
May this day find you devoted to the Triple Jewel of Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. 🙏🏻
You shared, So, only way mental energy can make colorful world is through sanna only and not in real!? Hmm.
Constructive suggestion, What is the meaning of ‘real’ world? If we are disappointed, helpless and suffering in a world, what’s the difference whether it is real or fake? Is the world we see in a dream real or fake? Fake… why do we say that? Because we KNOW we cannot get permanent happiness for ourselves in the dream world. We DON’T KNOW we cannot get permanent happiness for ourselves in this world. So we say it’s real. 🕊️
You shared, So, does arahat exhaust all his karma at death i.e. at parinibbana?
Constructive suggestion, No one has karma. Look at the cycle:
Because of good karma, there is a reward of human consciousness.
That causes contact between senses and objects.
That gives feeling.
That gives desiring.
That gives attachment.
That formulates an identity: What I want to see, what I want to believe, what I want to be.
That gives birth, age, sickness, pain and death.
That is disappointing.
That causes us to ignorantly think there is permanent happiness for ourselves somewhere.
That causes doing with intent (makes karma).
That gives consciousness.
…
The noble arahant cuts the cycle. 🕊️
Namo Buddhaya 🙏🏻
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Dear friends and venerable ones 🌼
Joy to the world.
Forgive this brother, but he can’t seem to not view this topic as exactly what the Tathagata Buddha said was a wrong focus in sutta MN2:
“This is how he attends inappropriately: ‘Was I in the past? Was I not in the past? What was I in the past? How was I in the past? Having been what, what was I in the past? Shall I be in the future? Shall I not be in the future? What shall I be in the future? How shall I be in the future? Having been what, what shall I be in the future?’ Or else he is inwardly perplexed about the immediate present: ‘Am I? Am I not? What am I? How am I? Where has this being come from? Where is it bound?’
Notice the 3rd last question, ‘How am I?’
Namo Buddhaya 🙏🏻
Beloved friend Saurabh@2110
Peace to you and all the dear humans here in 2026.
Very thankful for your expressing gratitude for the humble post this brother shared. Please forgive me if anything came out unclearly.
Jhanas are of great importance. The holy Buddha even said that it’s impossible to overcome sensual stimulation without them. They even make a part of the noble path. The eighth factor: right samadhi (concentration). What I simply wanted to suggest was that attachment to them is unworthy. Accepting continued becoming which is dukkha, just for the sake of jhanas, is a wrong view. It would be just like a person wanting to become a monk, but unable to in this life, now doesn’t want to become a sakadagami because then he would not be born as a person again, and thus he cannot become a monk. This is an extremely wrong view.
How exactly the jhanas help in gaining insight, this brother cannot tell. With much gratitude I can admit to being able to get into the first jhana but no higher. The venerable Lal has shared before that he can reach the third one, so perhaps he can tell you more.
We must be careful of clinging to certain words. The book that made me turn to the Dhamma was Handbook for Mankind, by Bhikkhu Buddhadasa. The definition he gave for Dhamma was simply to see things as they are. Just to have certain concepts, and now playing around with them in your mind, this is not to see things as they are. This is just information which will be lost when the body dies. To use a comparison:
Let’s look at a math problem,
4 x 19 + 8 x 3
If we answer,
= 76 + 24
= 100
Then no points for us.
If we answer,
= 4 x 19 + 4 x 6
= 4 x 25
= 100
Then we get the points.
Wherever we know the mathematical term for what we just did, makes no difference. In the same way, just because as humans who are interested in Dhamma we use a lot of technical terms when communicating with each other, that does not mean the value is in those terms. The Holy Buddha used the expression that His finger points to the moon, but the moon is not at His finger. The words are pointing us at something: To see things as they are.
When in jhana, it is crystal clear that this is much better than getting joy from eating a hamburger. But using a little logic will tell us that there is again something better than jhana. Therefore, just as we should not cling to sensuality, we should not cling to jhana. Not cling to views. Not cling to becoming. And not cling to ‘self’ ideas. When this brother was a commoner, his body was his ‘I am’. When I was a Christian, my soul was my ‘I am’. When I was a Hindu Non-dualist, atman was my ‘I am’. Now by the grace of the Dhamma and Noble Ariyans, there is no clinging to ideas of ‘I am’.
You shared, ”Because I don’t think anariya person like me…” This is a horrifying statement. You say you are anariya, that means you are saying you’re going to end up in hell! You got to do something! FAST! Stop reading this post, sit down, calm your mind, think deeply, realise nothing is worth getting… nothing is worth becoming… Nothing can in truth be, ”I am this, this is me, this is my ‘self’, this belongs to me.” Put away all doubt, superstition and ritualism. This body, mind and consciousness… ”I am not this, this is not me, this is not my ‘self’, this does not belong to me.” GO!…
Dear friend Saurabh@2110
Peace and love to you and all the other noble ones.
In this brother’s humble opinion: We must be very careful with this idea of we are living in a game or a virtual reality.
To use the Holy Buddha’s symbolism, this is like trying to catch a snake by just simply walking up to it and grabbing its tail. Causes harm to yourself, causes harm to the snake, and causes harm to others who love you.
Perhaps this is a more constructive or skillful way of looking at it: Let’s imagine a UFO lands in front of the white house in Washington DC. All cameras will be focused on that event, and anyone who has an internet connection will be glued to his or her screen watching it. Why? Because it’s a big thing, it must be worthy of our attention. But what is big, what is worthy? Why do we want a big thing? Why do we want something worthy of our attention? Because, it’s reducing the fire of suffering. When we focus on something intently, it is blocking the suffering of being. Consider carefully. The hardest thing for a human being to do is what? Nothing. Doing nothing is the hardest thing. Why? Because then there’s nothing blocking the suffering of being.
Now look at the big picture. We are humans. We have a better ‘being’ than 99.999% of living beings. Think about that for a moment.
You shared, ”…does this understanding becomes irreversible after stream entry? And one not so related question, is a stream entered able to bear kind of more suffering (from the viewpoint of puthujana) to avoid bigger suffering (from the viewpoint of ariya), as he has realized the lack of real essense in his own body?”
Look at the words which are said by a most venerable arahant, ”I have lived the life, done what was to be done, laid down the burden, attained my own goal, the fetters of becoming utterly destroyed, freed by perfect profound knowledge.”
You ask if a stream-enterer can bear more suffering. He does not need to be able to bear more suffering. He has realized that 99.999% of living beings are suffering more than humans but he will never become one of those beings (he cannot be born as an animal or a ghost or go to hell). He is starting to put down the incredible burden of ‘being’. He’s starting to cut the fetters of ‘becoming’. He is starting to be freed by the knowledge of suffering. To do nothing is suffering. To do something is a humiliating attempt to cover some suffering for a time. This is UNACCEPTABLE.
No state of being is acceptable. No life form is free of this humiliation. No pleasure through eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body or mind is worth it. No level of jhana (subtle forms of joy in deep meditation) is worth it.
Drop this burden. May all the beings of this universe escape.
Namo Buddhaya 🙏🏻
Dear venerable Lal, and other readers 🙏🏻
Very grateful for your response. Thank you for using words of encouragement.
On this issue of using step-by-step wisdom to see sense-pleasure as a fire, the excellent article of ‘Lōbha, Dōsa, Mōha versus Rāga, Paṭigha, Avijjā’ was studied today. It makes so many things clear. There is one point on which I have a question:
The article reads, ‘All pañca nīvaraṇa were permanently removed at the Sōtapanna stage.’ Is there not perhaps a typo/mistake here? Perhaps the 5 hindrances can temporarily be removed at sotapanna stage?
Thank you for using the time that you have available to you to freely offer wisdom, insight and understanding. With much gratitude to the holy Sangha.
Namo Buddhaya 🕊️
Venerable Sister AniccaSeeker
It makes the heart glad to hear of a noble person desiring to become a monk/nun. 🙏🏻
You shared, ”developing a sincere interest in someday becoming a bhikkhunī.”
Some humble feedback. If the desire is really sincere, then we would not cling to it. If we progress to the level of anagami, then we will not come back to kamaloka again. But it’s only in kamaloka that we can be monks/nuns. So which is more important; become a monk/nun or become an anagami? Am I going to not become an anagami because I want to stay in kamaloka to become a nun? 😊
This humble brother is in the same boat. Probably no chance to become a monk. But if my desire is really sincere, I will not cling to it, but rather just make progress on the path leading to Nibbana… but feel free to see things in a different way. I am just a beginner.
Thank you for reading, dear sister; may peace and love fill every heart.
Namo Buddhaya 🕊️
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Dear Venerables and Friends 🦋
Thank you kindly for your responses and insightful feedback.
This beginner still has a lot of misunderstanding about these triggers for mind and rebirth. For many years, I thought that the highest level would be a person who sits there like a piece of wood, though still completely mentally sound; he is not mentally handicapped. I thought this would indicate complete ending of craving for sensuality and body.
Still remember my first question on this forum was concerning the picture on this wesite of Venerable Waharaka. I asked why is he looking at the camera? Doesn’t that imply that he thinks he has a self.
Slowly studying the articles on the site. Slow and steady wins the race. 😊 Unfortunately, not able to make any meaningful suggestions for improvement. But in a way, the content of this website is similar to the content of the Tipitaka. You just have to dive in.
Peace and love to all in this new year.
Namo Buddhaya 🕊️
Dear Venerable Lal 🙏
Just to let you know that in the last 5 days I have been trying to do what you so lovingly suggested. And my definite conclusion so far is that 5 days are not enough. 😊
Namo Buddhaya ☸️
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Dear Jittananto
Thank you for taking the trouble to share that correction. May you and all others reach the great cessation. 🙏
Namo Buddhaya ☸️
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And in digha Nikaya, 16.6.1
The Buddha said that after he had mahaparinibbana, Only the Dhamma and Vinaya will be our teachers.
Dear Waisaka
So would you say that when you were in school and refered to your teacher as a teacher, you were actually lying? 😊
In my humble opinion, if the Sutta is your light, use the Sutta. If the whole Tipitakka is your light, use the whole Tipitakka. There is a saying: the more the words, the less the meaning. Only 3 words are necessary: anicca, dukkha, anatta.
May all have a true light in their lives. 🙏
Namo Buddhaya ☸️
Dear Venerable Lal 🙏
Thank you for your quick and concise response. Trust you are well.
Do you mean that any thought without raga, dosa or moha, without wrong views and without wrong actions is mindfulness? So, for example, to spend the whole day thinking about the long, long history of China is being mindful? It does not have to be anything related to the Buddha? Or, at least, it does not have to be related to anicca, dukkha and anatta?
Thank you for taking your time to supervise this forum. 🌸
Namo Buddhaya ☸️
Dear lagrade
In my humble opinion, perhaps it all depends on who has more power: the one side (karma) or the other side (a good-intentioned human). When the Buddha had a backache, no being in the universe could make it go away. When a common person has a sickness, the power of the one who is praying for him is what decides it. So for example, another commoner, no chance… a deva, sickness gone… an aryian, depends.
Thank you for reading 😊
Namo Buddhaya ☸️
