[Tien]

Lvalio said “And Lal added that who could understand the mechanism would be at least someone who held the State of Sotapanna”, this is the first time I heard of this, although I’ve read almost all the posts on this site (included forum posts).

I heard Lal said about the story of an elder monk who excel in Dhamma knowledges. He often teaches Dhamma to other Ariyas, but he himself hasn’t attained Sotapanna yet.

So understanding mechanism of how things work is very helpful, but it has little to do with actual Panna (understanding of Tilakkhana, Satara Ariyasacca). The Buddha even said that the mechanism of Kamma is on of the 4 “Unthinkable” (Acinteyya) and will lead to madness if one pursues. But understand the general schemes of Kamma, Rebirth, Loka is very helpful to grow Panna too.

[Tien]

Thanks for the sutta, I haven’t seen it. As usual, I always looking for a dual language interpretation to the suttas I come across, here is it for this sutta: https://suttacentral.net/dn20/en/sujato (enable dual English-Pali display in the Gear icon).

I want to add something maybe helpful.
I remember read a sutta, which I don’t remember its name. In this sutta, a deva is immerse in sense pleasures, playing with 1000 maidens, suddenly, 500 maidens vanish. Using his Divine Eyes, he roams the worlds and found that all of them have been rebirth in the Niraya. After witnessing this, fear and anxiety overcome him, thinking that he too, will end up in Niraya. Then he thinks about asking the Buddha for a solution to end the fear and sufferings.

[Tien]

Hi y not,

Is this the book you mentioned? (here). Thank for your mention to the book, I found places in the book were mentioned by you. But it’s lack concrete evidences from both Tipitaka and sciences. The number of “world systems” (10^102) which a single Sata-Sahashri brahma governs is too much, exceeds the number of particles in the observable universe itself, if this is true it will mean a Buddha Sansana governs the whole universe and more, not just 1000 star systems, but I need more research though.

[Tien]

Hi Lal,

You said: “I checked that link and the maximum lifetime shown there seems to 200 billion years. Did I miss the higher numbers somehow?”

I was the one that misreading, sorry all for the misinformation. I looked at the number 700 000 M and was somehow mistakenly rounded it up to 1 BB.

[Tien]

Oops. Why my initial post disappear after my edit it?
I hope it can be recovered because I wrote quite long. Sorry if I was being spammy.

[Tien]

Hi all,

I believe I’m a panna-dominant person, I never believe in anything unless I can experience or logical derive it by myself, I love astrophysics so much that when I was 11 or 12 I learn almost anything relate to physics and the universe. But when the first time I read about Theravada, I was impress by the Buddha, and the more I read about his teachings I cannot turn my head back, it’s so logical and practical, transcend all of my current knowledges, all of my biggest questions about life answered in Dhamma, but there is something that block my progress, that the wrong interpretations of Tilakkhana, after know about this site, my progress was skyrocket. So let me share my own process to derive about why I know that the rebirth process must be true despite never have any of the experiences regard to abhinna.

Everything that exist is due to causes. When a being die, unless he’s an Arahant, then there must be some form of force to have cause him to reappear due to his past abhisankhara. Then the rebirth process must be true. Then, the variety of beings or how their behaviors are decided is due to their kamma. I just thought simple like this, and I was able to be sure that the rebirth process must be true, no need for any evidences or experiences.

I know that it takes people a hard time to comprehend some Dhamma concepts due to their current gati and the level of kilesa in their mind.

So, just continue to keep an open mind, never stop learning and comprehending pure Dhamma, apply real world examples to clarify the concept that you’re trying to learn, practice Satipathanna diligently, your mind will be clearer day by day and you will able to know that the rebirth process or any concepts of the Buddha Dhamma must be the truth, because they are perfectly inter-consistent, they support each other, so be sure to revisit old post once awhile.

[Tien]

@Yeos

Don’t wait until next rebirths, don’t refuge in probability: time of death is uncertain, time of severe illnesses is uncertain, future is uncertain, state of attainment is uncertain, next lives are uncertain. Maybe in the very next rebirth, or even in the near future, some past strong kamma vipaka will take over and prevent you from hearing true Dhamma, or unable to finish the Path.

So you should take the chance of this life, of knowing true Dhamma to make haste, strive diligently and ensure the Path (attain Arahant stage , or at least Sotapanna stage).

[Tien]

Hi Yeos,

1. At the moment of conception between egg and sperm, if there is a suitable gandhabba that descended, then a sentient life is formed.

2. This question somewhat relates to Aggana sutta, there is no good translation of this sutta available yet. I think Lal will work on this sutta in the future.

3. Despite advancements in the past 100 years, currently the Quantum Field Theory is standed out and is going to become the new standard of physics, but sciences is still very primitive and limited. They can only describe 5% mass of total matters in the visible universe. In this 5% visible matters, there is a large portion which is currently unknown to sciences. And they are totally unacknowledge the mind, quich is far more important. So I think learn about sciences is nothing bad but don’t let them distract you from the Path to Nibbana.

Marananupassati.

[Tien]

Hi Johnny Lim,

As the Buddha said “cetana ham bhikkhave kamman vadami”, please read “What is Intention in Kamma?“, basically means kamma is intention (cetana). So if one didn’t have any intention to harm but accidentally killed another being then it doesn’t have any power (javana) to bring about vipaka. What make one remorse is just simply one’s avijja (one doesn’t know about the general working mechanics of kammas)

Further more, there is two general rules to calculate the seriousness of the kamma:
1) Which of the dasa akusalas (or kusalas) the intention?
2) Then the strength of the kammā vipākais based on the “level of consciousness” or “qualities” of the living beings affected by that kammā.

The weight of the kamma also depends on how many of the necessary steps were actually completed. Just having an intention is not enough to yield the full impact.

As per my observation and contemplation, most of animals don’t have enough capability to revenge, why is that? because they mostly go with the flow, even if they were killed then their gandhabba will just go out and aimlessly wandering until be pulled toward a worm, or if their bhava kammic energy is exhausted, they will most likely be reborn an animal again. Let alone they were killed by accident which means they had not acknowledge the killer. Of course there are some special cases which their mind were calm down at the moment of death so past good vipakas can come to play, like the frog later become a deva just by listening to the smooth voice of the Buddha. But this kind of advancement is extremely rare.

If we do not take the chance of knowing pure Dhamma and make a determination to get out of Sansara, we will most likely helpless like the animal, I think this is the core of Metta bhavana, to know that every being are on the same boat with us, aimlessly wandering and do not acknowledge the truth of life. So compassion naturally arise and with true & pure intention. So it mostly for oneself that matter, anatta (helpless) is a characteristic of life, so it’s better to get out of the sansara ASAP without let the external environment have a bad affection on our progress toward Nibbana.

[Tien]

Hi y not,

“Is it the case that ‘once a tihetuka, always a tihetuka’ ?

That is, once a tihetuka no future bhava will be either dvihetuka or ahetuka?
(Parallel with the case that when one attains magga phala there is no going back?)”

No, because like we know brahmas have tihetuka birth (by definition), but they are still subjected to rebirth in the Apayas if haven’t attained magga phala yet.

[Tien]

Hi all,

It’s nearly a month now, there are ups and downs, the urge to enjoy sensual pleasures still there but very subtle and hard to catch, but in the recent few days, after taking Lal’s advice, it seems like I’ve made a breakthrough. Everyday I have to ride the bus for 2 hours, and this is the time where most of my formal meditation take place, sometime I close eyes and contemplate on Dhamma concepts, sometimes I take people, animals at the object for contemplating. I can clearly see that each body is making up of various parts
(bones, flesh, …) depends on their kamma vipaka, and nothing to be clung into. I can see and understand the arising of five aggregates, etc.

I hardly craving anything regard of sensuality or entertainments. I always have a calm mind that seems unshakable, I feel like there is nothing that can make me angry or go uncontrolled, even if someone cut my hands, talking bad about me, or if my relatives pass away, etc. All because of my understanding that I’ve learnt. Maybe because I haven’t faced such real events yet to trigger my asavas. It’s hard to tell if I’m now an Anagami or not, but it’s not important anyway, my goal is always Nibbana from the beginning. I’m kind of a perfectionist, it’s rather the whole, or nothing.

When look back to the experience I describe here, I can tell it’s Sakadagami Phala, it’s hard to differentiate between this and Anagami Phala, only later time when you will know for sure. In my case I know I’m not Anagami yet because sometimes I catch some subtle urges to enjoy sensual pleasure, some anusaya resurface, I know there are more hidden asavas in me.

I know what to do next, I will push the anapanasati to its peak, 24/7, no loose. I will read and practice satipathana sections (I haven’t yet). I know these will take me to Nibbana if I practice correctly and maintain firm determination to escape samsara.

Again, there is no going back.

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