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Hi Lal,
The source is The Truth Taught by All the Buddhas – Bhikkhu Revata
Not sure whether you guys can view it via the link above. A full version copy can be purchased at $0.00 though.
Pages 56, 57, 81, 118 are some of the references that might be of interest to fellow readers.
From page 118:
“The Buddha instructs us next to stand somewhere, develop concentration, and then start walking with close eyes. Wherever one goes, there is sound. It impinges on one’s ear-door and mind-door. Ear-door mental process and mind-door mental process arise. One’s eyes are closed, but one sees one’s whole body as just very small sub-atomic particles arising and perishing very rapidly. When the sound impinges on the ear and mind-doors, one sees the mental processes arising and perishing very rapidly. Then one does not see one’s body; one sees only ultimate mentality and materiality arising and perishing very rapidly all the time. If one walks for an hour, one sees only this. If one pays attention to external persons, one sees nothing other than this. The Buddha instructs us to reflect at that time that there is no man, there is no woman, there is no deva, there is no brahmā, there is no permanent en tity, there is no permanent soul, there is only ultimate mentality and materiality. One understands what the Buddha meant. One agrees with the Buddha that no such things exist. There is only ultimate mentality and materiality.”
I encountered the same issue. Nowadays I just post once without editing. Because once I go back and edit my post (within minutes) and re-post it, the post will be lost. Also, if you try to copy the whole message and save it somewhere, thinking of using it later if the post is lost, it won’t work.
Hi Embodied,
I have heard of some monks who place small quantity of water in their mouths to deter them from talking!
Hi Lal,
This is the same as a lineage that places very strong emphasis on concentration. I seriously have my doubts over this kind of practice. If concentration alone can remove defilements, then there is absolutely no need for a Buddha to appear. The ancient yogis are more than qualified for this job. Moreover, the lineage heavily relies on materials from Visuddhimagga. My intent is not to discredit them. But to let fellow practitioners know there are such teachings out there and let them decide for themselves what is the right teachings of the Buddha.
I quote some text from the author:
“These days, even in predominantly Buddhist countries, there are many learned Buddhist scholars who maintain that it is not possible to discern rūpa kalāpas and mental processes, and base and object. In saying so, they are not lying, in the sense that what they assert is true from their point of view. From their standpoint, such discernment is impossible. This view of theirs proliferates because they hold fast to well-known teachers and lineages that at some point have introduced the idea that concentration is not necessary for realising the Four Noble Truths. Teachers like these fail to encourage their disciples to develop concentration. Herein lies the fault. They go on to replace the First and Second Noble Truths with their own interpretations and so do not teach them as the Buddha taught them. In such circumstances, it is indeed impossible to discern ultimate truth. In order to see the Four Noble Truths as they really are, one must heed the admonition of the Buddha: ‘Bhikkhus, develop concentration. One who is concentrated knows and sees the Four Noble Truths as they really are.’ The First Noble Truth is ultimate mentality and ultimate materiality. Ultimate materiality is of twenty-eight kinds, eighteen of which are real and the objects of vipassanā.”
Seriously, the first Noble Truth is all about ultimate materiality and mentality? How does discerning these 2 things help to get rid of greed, hatred, and delusion? There are many accounts in the sutta that mentioned followers of the Buddha attained Sotāpanna just by listening to discourses. I don’t think there is any mention in the sutta of people attaining Sotāpanna by developing concentration and discerning the 4 elements and their derivatives in order to gather unshakable faith.
The author further explains:
“If one discerns four elements systematically, one will see an improvement in one’s concentration. When concentration improves, the body disappears. One sees just a block of four elements; one’s whole body becomes just a block of four elements. One does not see a face, a hand, or a leg. At this point the perception of being, satta-saññā, disappears. This means the meditator has attained right view to a certain extent. If one continues discerning these twelve characteristics in that block of four elements, concentration further improves, and the body will emit light – beginning with grey light, which gradually becomes white, until finally the whole body becomes a block of bright light. That block of bright light is actually just a group of rūpa kalāpas. It has not been broken down into small particles, so the meditator sees them as a group; and because there is colour in every kalāpa, they are perceived as a block of bright light. Now one needs to continue discerning four elements in that block of bright light in order to break it down into very tiny particles. If one continues discerning four elements in that block of bright light, it will finally break down into very small particles, which might be called sub-atomic particles. Some meditators may encounter difficulty when they try to break the block of bright light down into very small sub-atomic particles. In that case, they are instructed to see the space element (ākāsadhātu). The space element functions as a sort of border line; it is the space between rūpa kalāpas. When the meditator looks at the space element, the block of light will dissolve, and the meditator will then see very tiny particles. The Buddha said that this whole world is made up of very tiny sub-atomic particles. If the block of light dissolves while one is practising together with many other practitioners, one can discern four elements in those who are sitting nearby or far away, and one will see everyone be come nothing more than small particles. One does not see man or woman or anything else; everything becomes the same – just very tiny particles which are arising and perishing very rapidly all the time. If one discerns four elements in the floor or the cushion on which one is sitting or a Buddha statue or any other object, everything becomes very small particles. Everything becomes the same.”
The author further said:
“Whether one regards mountains, trees, flowers, living things, or non-living things, everything becomes the same – nothing more than tiny particles that constantly arise and perish. When this happens, one will agree with the Buddha and cease to disagree with or doubt Him. Sometimes we are inclined to disagree with the Buddha. Here we see men, here we see women; why then did the Buddha say there are no men, there are no women? There are! Why did the Buddha say that men and women do not really exist, and that there is only ultimate reality? We think this way sometimes. However, with the attainment of concentration and insight, one sees for oneself that there are no men, no women, no trees, no mountains, no Buddha images; instead, there are only very small particles. When one sees this, one will agree with the Buddha. These are not my words. The Buddha Himself says, ‘I do not argue with the world; it is the world that argues with me.’ The world dares to argue with the Buddha because the world is blind. Only when people arrive at a true un derstanding will they no longer dare to argue with the Bud dha. The Buddha is the One Who knew what lies beyond the scope of the naked eye. If one develops concentration and then practises four elements meditation systematically, one will know and will see what the Buddha taught.”
A Sotāpanna or Sakadagami who still has attachment for his loved ones, will either return as a deva or human. If return as human, might become a family member of their loved ones. e.g grandson or granddaughter of so-and-so. If this person did not at least attain Sotāpanna, and that he has exhausted his human bhava, and he has grasped a bad nimitta during the last moments of death, because he still has strong attachment for this loved ones, most probably he will come back as a pet or pest, or even as a hungry ghost loitering in the house waiting for his loved ones to transfer merits to him. One can be very well-learned in Dhamma, but at the end of the day, how much liberation one can attain is still determined by how much defilements one has removed. If a person who learns Dhamma but does not put it into practice, then Dhamma to him is just another worldly knowledge (can even be dangerous for him if he becomes haughty due to wrong view). For someone who is seriously on the path, one should be prepared to mentally detach oneself from his loved ones. I recalled a bhante relating a story of his fellow monk who has ordained not long before his mother visited him. The mother, who still has strong attachment for his son, called the bhante by his name. The bhante told his mother, “lay follower, please address me as bhante”. The mother could not take it and cried so sadly. It might appear very cruel to even treat someone who has given birth to us this way. But no choice. The risk in staying in sansara is too much and the stakes are too high. We should not defer our spiritual practice for anyone’s sake. But that does not imply we should drop our responsibilities to take care of our loved ones if we are obligated to.
Hi y not,
A person with no wrong view would not even be attached to their loved ones during his last moments. This person who still has attachment for his loved ones during his last moments must be someone who still has wrong view. How can this person who still has attachment for his loved ones liberate himself from Kama Loka? Bonds of kinship are harder than metal ones.
“One of my followers would not cast spells,
Or interpret dreams,
Nor would they practice astrology,
Prognosticate animal sounds,
Practice fertility magic,
Or [earn money] as a healer.”Not sure what is meant by thickening the gandhabba. These are worldly things. Which means if one were to cling to them, it will only make one more deluded.
Brahmajala Sutta says:
21. “Or he might say: ‘Whereas some recluses and brahmins, while living on the food offered by the faithful, earn their living by a wrong means of livelihood, by such debased arts as:[4] prophesying long life, prosperity etc., or the reverse, from the marks on a person’s limbs, hands, feet etc; divining by means of omens and signs; making auguries on the basis of thunderbolts and celestial portents; interpreting ominous dreams; telling fortunes from marks on the body; making auguries from the marks on cloth gnawed by mice; offering fire oblations; offering oblations from a ladle; offering oblations of husks, rice powder, rice grains, ghee, and oil to the gods; offering oblations from the mouth; offering blood-sacrifices to the gods; making predictions based on the fingertips; determining whether the site for a proposed house or garden is propitious or not; making predictions for officers of state; the knowledge of charms to lay demons in a cemetery; the knowledge of charms to cure one possessed by ghosts; the knowledge of charms to be pronounced by one living in an earthen house; the snake craft (for curing snake bites and charming snakes); the poison craft (for neutralizing or making poison); the scorpion craft and rat craft (for curing scorpion stings and rat bites, respectively); the bird craft and crow craft (for understanding the cries of birds and crows); foretelling the number of years that a man has to live; the knowledge of charms to give protection from arrows; reciting charms to understand the language of animals — the recluse Gotama abstains from such wrong means of livelihood, from such debased arts.’
These crafts are classified as wrong livelihood simply because they are not in-line with the goal. Messing around with these deviant practices will only bring more suffering.
To supplement my earlier post, from SNP 3.12 – Observation of Dualities
“‘That which is regarded as truth by this world together with its gods, its Māras and its Brahmās, in this generation together with its ascetics and priests, its princes and people, that the noble ones, having clearly seen with correct wisdom in accordance with reality, understand to be false’, this is one observation. ‘That which is regarded as false by this world together with its gods, its Māras and its Brahmās, in this generation together with its ascetics and priests, its princes and people, that the noble ones, having clearly seen with correct wisdom in accordance with reality, understand to be true’, this is a second observation. Rightly observing this duality, a monk who meditates diligent, ardent, and resolute may expect one of two results: final knowledge in this very life, or is there is anything left over, non-return.”
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“That which is regarded as pleasure by this world together with its gods, its Māras and its Brahmās, in this generation together with its ascetics and priests, its princes and people, that the noble ones, having clearly seen with correct wisdom in accordance with reality, understand to be suffering’, this is one observation. ‘That which is regarded as suffering by this world together with its gods, its Māras and its Brahmās, in this generation together with its ascetics and priests, its princes and people, that the noble ones, having clearly seen with correct wisdom in accordance with reality, understand to be pleasure’, this is a second observation. Rightly observing this duality, a monk who meditates diligent, ardent, and resolute may expect one of two results: final knowledge in this very life, or is there is anything left over, non-return.”Sights, sounds, tastes, and smells,
Touches, mental phenomena, the lot;
Are wished for, desirable, pleasing,
As long as it is said: “They exist”.
These are agreed by the world
With its gods to be pleasurable,
But when they cease,
That, they agree, is suffering.
The uprooting of identity
Is seen by the noble ones as pleasurable;
But this contradicts
What the whole world sees.
What others see as pleasure,
The noble ones see as suffering;
What others see as suffering,
The noble ones see as pleasure.
See this principle, so hard to understand,
Which confuses the ignorant.
Shrouded in darkness,
Blind, they cannot see.
The good can see as by a light
When the curtain is drawn back.
But beasts who are unskilled in Dhamma,
Do not understand, even when it is right there.
Overcome by desire for new life,
Flowing down the stream of rebirth,
They are reborn in Māra’s realm:
This is not the Teaching of the Buddha.
Who beside the noble ones
Is worthy of waking up to that state?
Fully understanding that state,
One is quenched, without corruptions.I saw someone commmented in a Youtube video. I shall reproduce his comments here:
“I dont understand how cravings or desires are evil. Without cravings or desires there is no purpose in living. In reality cravings like to get a better job,to live a better life,to spend more time with family,to help others are all good. Without desires you will be a person without dreams. Still cannt understand why Buddha told like that.”
When one has been properly exposed to Buddha Dhamma, one can clearly see the ‘problems’ the above commenter has. We can pick up clues of strong javana citta, abhisankhāra, ignorant to Tilakkhana, ignorant to the four noble truths…etc. Sorry to say that this is the mentality of a common-folk, and the mentality of many people of other religions whose teachings are deeply rooted in greed.
Another commenter has much better wisdom:
“Even craving to help others or doing “good” will lead us to suffering. All things in moderation is a simpler way to translate what Buddha meant about “cravings”. The Middle Way neither into the extreme of piousness nor into the complacent.”
The Buddha prohibited the bikkhus from earning a livelihood via astrology, palmistry, geomancy etc. Which implies that astrology is not in line with Buddha Dhamma.
If someone has wrong view, and that he knows he is going to die tomorrow but still has deep hatred for someone, this person might still want to seek revenge before death. Also, this person might still have a strong attachment for someone and yearns to be with them in their last moments. So, death awareness alone can cut both ways. It conveys a sense of urgency to the practitioner to quickly cultivate others things leading to Sotāpanna or higher magga phala. But if cultivated with wrong view, the consequence is disastrous.
