[raj]

Sir, thank you for the clarification and the prompt reply.

[raj]

I had read in a post (it has been a while, so I cannot recall the post) that when somebody dies, he or she is born in the same area.
I was wondering, if a gandhabba is a mental body, and if a person happens to die in Europe, but has a lot of attachments to his or her home continent ( family, friends, property, etc) then the gandhabba will tend to go to that area where the attachment is, and the mind can travel instantly to that area. Assuming that the person still has time left in the human bhava and has not done any significant kamma to be born in a deva realm or apaya realms.
So even though a person may die in Europe, the next birth can happen in Asia or America (where ever the person had a deep attachment).

[raj]

Hi TripleGemStudent,

Thank you for the links. It is going to keep me busy for the next several days or a week.
The puredhamma site has so much information that it is sometimes difficult to hunt for a specific subject material (I find it hard, may be there a easier for people some who know how and what to look for).
By the way, I am not complaining, I am very grateful for the site.
I am like a starving person who has magically ended up in a great feast due to some good fortune, and has no idea where to start! I found it easier to just listen to enticing Y tube talks.
Now I have realized that there is no need to rush, and it is better when I take it slow and easy.

Metta

[raj]

Hi TripleGemStudent,
Thank you for all the good tips and all the links, on your above comment.
I have realized that I don’t need to read and listen a whole bunch and overload my brain.
It would be better to listen and read less, contemplate on it and absorb it. I was overdoing it and it was being counterproductive.
It is like eating, one can eat fast and end up over eating and get sick with indigestion, on the other hand if one learns to eat slowly and chews properly, one eats less and the body absorbs it, and one can stay very healthy, the same goes with reading and listening too much and not contemplating properly.
It is a bad habit from the previous path I had followed, where too much importance was given to spiritual vibrations. It is true to some extent, but one has to learn to absorb the material, parrot like listening and chanting is not going to help one achieve the goal.
I have started to reduce it, but I am maintaining my quota of listening to suttas and trying to memorize it. I enjoy it and I can feel it is tremendously helping me at this point of life.
I feel very fortunate to be receiving good guidance from the puredhamma forum.
Thank you again and wish you all the best on your spiritual journey.

[raj]

Sir,
I had listened to the 16 “step breath meditation” talk sometime last year, and I was planning on listening to it again. Now that you say it is completely wrong, is there a right version I can listen to? Do you have the 16 steps listed in the Puredhamma site?
I don’t think I am going to be posting anything from anywhere from now on. It is easier to ask a
specific question on a topic and get it answered, rather than going through all this problems.
I wish there was a list of authentic English Dhamma talks on the Puredhamma site.
Thankyou for giving us authentic information on your site.
Another question came to my mind.
When we project metta bhavana to an entity, how does it reach them. I was thinking, may be, that the activity helps the performer more that the one it is performed for. It puts the person giving metta in a proper frame of mind and benefits them to progress on the path.

[raj]

Hi TripleGemStudent,

Thank you for taking the time and effort to the send the above comment, it was very kind on your part to do so.
I am not sure why I enjoy listening to all kinds of dhamma related talks, but if I don’t do that, I may end up spending my time on non dhamma topics (politics, family tv shows ect). I don’t listen to popular entertainment music, and may be it has been over 6 months since I have seen a movie, it has been years, since I have seen a new movies. I used to watch old movies which I like and skip or walk away from certain scenes. I tend to analyze the movie.
Unfortunately I cant meditate for many hours, It is too late for me to ordain as a buddhist monk
(on the other hand I am a perfect candidate for a vedic monk, which I am not interested in), I wanted to stay long term and serve as a vipassana volunteer, that is out of question for the time being.
But I have realized that my comprehension capacity is not up to par, may be and hopefully it will improve with meditation down the road.
I have to be very careful because I have realized that many times I don’t catch the correct context or key points of the talk. I listened to a talk last week and misquoted that the speaker was saying the Gods and demons sometimes enter our body, but he was referring to hungry ghosts and other subtle entities. But I do enjoy listening to the same talks repeatedly, and in the end get most of its contents.
So my point is, I don’t want to give my comments, I feel a satisfaction listening to these talks,
they make a lot of sense to me, but I just wanted to get your perspective.
I am happy and satisfied with my current activities, especially after I have cut down drastically on my listening to politics (I hope I never go back to that!), I enjoy listening to suttas and chants, and I am getting used to Buddobreath and hope to increase and be aware of it all the time.
The good news is I am happy and I hope it is true happiness and not a fools happiness, and hopefully attain stream entry.
Thank you again,
Metta.

[raj]

Hi TripleGemStudent (TGS) and Lang,

Both of you have helped me quite a bit in the past few months with your comments. Sometimes your comments lead me to further investigation and solidify my own convictions.
I was listening to a talk this morning, and there was a point made about trying to figure things out by ourselves (the Buddha is not going to be giving the answer, we have to figure it out) as TGS had commented earlier.
It is a short but a very good talk for those of us who want to use meditation as a tool. I just wanted to share with you and see what you think.110424 Remembering Ajaan Lee \\ Thannissaro Bhikku \\ Dhamma Talk

Thank you,
Metta

[raj]

090106 Ajaan Lee Conciousnesses \\ Thanissaro Bhikku \\ Dhamma Talk

[raj]

I was actually asking about posting the talk by Ajaan Lee. It is 35 minutes talk. I already listened to it twice, and may have to listen a few more times to get a good idea of the whole subject. He talks of 3 types of consciousness. 1) The primary entity which is us 2) Other multitude of creatures such as parasites 3) Gods and demons who may reside in us from time to time. He brings up some interesting points, like when we see or hear or taste, who is actually doing it ? Us or them ? and he goes on to describe how to get free, all the way to liberation.

[raj]

Sometime back I was thinking that our body has so many cells (living entities) and are all living with us, in our body (billions of them) as if we are the king and they are the subjects. Then I thought it too complicated and waste of time, I have better things to think about.
Then a few days back I heard a talk by Thanissaro Bhikku (the Bhante is actually reading a talk given by Ajaan Lee). It is a talk about several consciousness taking shelter of our body, some help us and some give us trouble.
I was not sure if I should bring up the subject on this thread and if it would be helpful (in the progress of the noble 8 fold path) to discuss these issues.

[raj]

I heard the above talk again because it had been a while, and I heard the bhante in the end of the talk, referring to anicca as impermanence.
Those of us who have the good fortune to have access to puredhamma.net know anicca has nothing to do with impermanence.

But there is a lot one can learn from the talk.One Who Lives By The Dhamma

[raj]

This is just an additional perspective to the above comment.
A little while ago, somebody made a phone call and talked to my wife, and I was an indirect subject to the conversation. After the call was over, my wife talked to me about it, the conversation was over, but there was an ongoing conversation going on in my head. All the parties were in the minds picture, but no only that, the mind jumps to the past and drags in that scene. It is an ongoing chatter.
Then I went for my daily walk, and as I was walking I started doing Buddho breath. When I was doing the Buddho breath, I experienced my mind slowing down and not only that I was sending metta to all the people involved, and my mind was not dragging other older stories.
I was experiencing some joy.
I have seen with experience that it is easier to contemplate on Dhamma topics in this state of mind.
Now I would prefer to be in that state instead of my mind jumping all over like a monkey to different subjects. So it is all an individual taste and choice.
I think I was actively putting the Buddha’s teachings into practice.
I heard a talk by Bhikku Yuttadhammo about five types of people the Buddha describes. I have heard it several times over the past few years, it is about putting the teachings into practice.
I hope others will hear and benefit from it.

One Who Lives By The Dhamma [Edited by SengKiat 15Oct2021]

For some reason, the whole link did not get copied, but if one clicks on these red letters, it brings up the talk.

Metta

[raj]

I was just sharing what works for me. Every individual is different.
In my personal experience, being aware of the breath slows down the jumping nature of the mind.
When I get up in the morning and engage in Buddho breath, the mind is focused and it is easier to meditate. If not, as soon as I get up the mind will start thinking of things to do, and then it will start jumping all over the place, and I will be thinking of something I did 50 years ago, which has nothing to do with the present moment.
I am able to concentrate on a subject matter when there is breath awareness even on day to day activities.
Regarding Buddho, it is a spiritual anchor. Part of the mind is aware of the Buddha and the mind will tend to act with kusala mula instead of the akusala (where lust, anger, greed, envy, hatred and other bad qualities will have an influence over the mind).
Each individual has to see what works best, and it also depends on what one wants to achieve in life.
I am a retired old man, I can afford to do Buddho meditation when I get up, on the other hand
a younger person with lot of goals to achieve, will start planning the day even before getting off the bed. But the same person can do Buddho breath on the weekend if he/she wants to be a little relaxed.

[raj]

Hi TripleGemStudent,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

I heard about Buddho breath several years back from a fellow vipassana student who mentioned that monks use this technique and I did not bother to try it, because Goenkaji discourages the use of words and mantras.
I heard the bhante’s talk several months back, and was occasionally doing it, then I heard another talk on the same subject some nights back, and to my surprise my mind was contemplating on the talk and I was doing Buddho breath even without making an effort when I woke up the next day. I sat for my meditation and continued doing it. During the day I had to make a conscious effort to stay on Buddho breath.
After reading your comment this morning and contemplating on it, I came to a wonderful realization!
This Buddho breath meditation is a great tool!
My mind is like a monkey with supersonic wings jumping from one thought to another, and I realized it has an on/off button (which is the Buddho breath meditation). I have the power to lock this monkey in a cage !
In the vipassana retreats,(when we were not meditating and were walking or doing some activities) we were trained to watch the breath and some sensations in the body. It does help stopping the mind from wandering, but I find the Buddho breath to be a far superior technique!
At this moment it is working great, and I hope it continues to do so. I have learnt not to take anything for granted in life!
The other subject matters you have discussed is also thought provoking and helpful.
Thanks again.

With Metta.

[raj]

I did not want to ask this question in the Goenka vipassana thread, because Mr. Goenka discourages the use of mantras.
Yesterday I was listening to a talk by Thanissaro Bhikku, and he mentions the chanting of Buddho.
In a another talk he was mentioning of the technique of concentrating on the syllable Bhu in the inbreath and dho in the outbreath. In yesterdays talk he said the monks when involved in strenuous physical activities, such as construction duties, would find energy by concentrating on Buddho breath meditation during their chores and would be able to work long hours.
What does Buddho mean? Is it a plural of Buddha, and is there a mention of such breathing technique in the Tripitika?
I tried it this morning during my meditation (1hour duration) and it seemed to help. It is a positive thought as opposed to negative vaci shankara. My mind was switching between breath, body sensations and thoughts of the Buddha and buddha chants (namo tasso bhagavato, iti pisso bhagava, buddham saranam gacchami etc).
Some time back, I had heard a lecture by Bhikku Bodhi, on techniques of meditations (metta bhavana, Buddhanusatti (thinking of the qualities of the Buddha and his form), Kayanusati (the disgusting contents and the nature of the body), and marananusati (the temporary nature of the body and its eventual death).

[Author]

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