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:wave: .
Indeed. Kindness, generosity, friendliness are their own inherent rewards of exhibiting these qualities to the extent of our capacity. Just as being cynical, a bitter lemon sucker, unkind has its own outcomes or karma . . .
I think I read that in a fortune cookie . . .
:orange: .
I don't think it's meant as a "here is why you should be generous! There are rewards that everyone will like!" but more so as things that naturally happen to one who lives their life in a generous manner. There is a lot that goes into true generosity, it's not as simple as giving clothes away to Goodwill. And the point isn't that one should do so so that people like them.
But if you happen to know any people that operate from a place the rest of us don't, that are generous beyond what society deems acceptably generous (like some of the people who open their homes to the homeless to feed and house them, for free, on their own dollar) you can see that those things listed above come to those generous people automatically. They are generally very humble, very open and loving and compassionate people, and when you are open in that way, all those things come to you. Not that you should be generous in order to obtain those things. It allows more opportunity for people like that to share their openness, their gifts with the world. Not to obtain fame and fortune and high fives.
1
SarahTTime ... space ... joySouth Coast, UKVeteran
Thanks karasti.
Think this is helping me to get to the bottom of why I was led here. Having grown up with a model of the most generous individual I can think of, a man who gave his life in attempt to teach loving kindness/humility/generosity but who was so reviled that he was crucified, it is heartening to hear a suggestion that being a "very humble, very open and loving and compassionate" person does not have to lead to censure as a "loser", as "mentally ill", even as in some way dangerous. Sadly, in the culture in which I have been raised, a materialistic "winner"/conformer culture, I have not seen this happen. I have too regularly seen the loving and compassionate being exploited, used, stigmatised, rejected. But that has also shown me, beyond doubt, that generosity is its own reward. It is possible to "possess all" whilst "having" nothing.
The Blessed Buddha once said:
And even though a disciple of the Noble Ones lives off lumps of alms food and
wears rag-robes, still, because he is endowed with four qualities, then he is freed
from hell, freed from the animal womb, freed from the realm of hungry ghosts,
freed from all the planes of pain and deprivation, the bad and low destinations.
And what are the four? There is the case where the disciple of the Noble Ones is
endowed with verified faith, confidence and conviction in the Awakened Buddha like
this: Worthy, honourable and perfectly self-Enlightened is the Buddha! Fully
consummated in knowledge and behaviour, totally transcended, expert in all these
dimensions, knower of all worlds, unsurpassable trainer of those who can be tamed,
both teacher and guide of gods as well as of humans, blessed, exalted, awakened
and enlightened is the Buddha !!!
He/she is endowed with verified faith, confidence and conviction in the Dhamma like
this: Perfectly formulated is this Buddha-Dhamma, visible right here and now,
immediately effective, timeless, inviting each and everyone to come and see for
themselves, inspect, examine and verify. Leading each and everyone through
progress towards perfection. Directly observable, experiencable and realizable
by each intelligence...
He/she is endowed with verified faith, confidence and conviction in the Noble Sangha
like this: Perfectly training is this Noble Sangha community of the Buddha's Noble
disciples: Training the right way, the true way, the good way, the direct way!
Therefore do these 8 kinds of individuals, the four Noble pairs, deserve both gifts,
grants sacrifice, offerings, hospitality and reverential salutation even with joined
palms, since this Noble Sangha community of the Buddha's Noble disciples, is an
unsurpassable and forever unsurpassed field of merit, in this world, for this world,
to honour, respect, support, give to and protect.
He/she is endowed with long-term clean morality, which are dear to the Noble Ones:
Moral purity that is untorn, unbroken, unspotted, and impeccable, liberating, praised
by the wise, immaculate, and leading to concentration. SN 55.1 http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn55/sn55.001.than.html
For a lay person, there are these five rewards of faith, confidence and conviction
Which five?
1: When truly good people in the world show compassion, they will first show true
compassion to people of faith, confidence and conviction, and not to people lacking
in faith, confidence and conviction...
2: When visiting, they visit people of faith, confidence and conviction, and not people
without faith, confidence and conviction...
3: When accepting gifts, they first accept gifts from people with faith, confidence
and conviction, and not from people lacking faith, confidence and conviction.
4: When teaching the Dhamma, they first teach those with faith, confidence and
conviction, and not those without faith, confidence and conviction .
5: A person of faith, confidence and conviction, on the break-up of the body, right
after death, will arise in a good destination, the heavenly world. For a lay person,
these are the five certain rewards of faith, confidence and conviction. AN 5:38 http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an05/an05.038.than.html
And how is the individual who is released through faith, confidence and conviction?
There is the case where a certain individual does not dwell immersed in those
peaceful states that has transcended all form, but having understood the Dhamma,
some of his mental fermentations are ended, and his faith, confidence and conviction
in the Tathagata is settled, well rooted, and established. This is called an individual,
who is released through faith, confidence and conviction. Regarding this monk, I say
that he has still a task to do. Why is that? Perhaps this Venerable, when staying at
suitable places, associating with admirable friends, while balancing all his mental
abilities, will reach and dwell in the supreme goal of the Noble life for which good men
rightly go forth from home into homelessness, directly realizing it for himself right
here and now. Envisioning this fruit of further effort for this monk, I say that he
still has a task to complete. MN 70 http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.070.than.html
Any female disciple of the Noble Ones who grows by these 5 types of growth grows
a Noble growth, and thereby get a handle on what is essential, and what is excellent.
Which five?
She grows in terms of Faith...
She grows in terms of Morality...
She grows in terms of Learning...
She grows in terms of Generosity...
She grows in terms of Understanding....
Growing by these five types of growth, any female disciple of the Noble Ones grows
a Noble growth, and thereby gets hold on what is really essential, and what indeed is
quite and truly excellent. Growing in faith, morality, learning, generosity, and finally
understanding, a virtuous female lay disciple, such as this, establishes real essence
within herself. SN 37.34 http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/The_Three_Jewels.htm
The 4 Right Efforts avoids, overcomes, develops, & maintains!
The Blessed Buddha once said:
Friends: There are four right efforts: the effort to avoid, the effort to
overcome, the effort to develop, and the effort to maintain...
What, friends, is the effort to avoid? In this case, when perceiving
a form with the eye, a sound with the ear, a smell with the nose, a taste
with the tongue, a touch with the body, a thought of mind, one neither
fixes to the overall appearance, nor to any of this sensation's details...
One strives to avert the arising of evil and detrimental states, such as
greed, urge and longing, by remaining guarding these 6 sense-doors!
One watch and notice the senses, keeping the 6 senses under control ...
This is the effort to avoid!
What, friends, is the effort to overcome? In this case, one does not
accept any thought of sensual lust, ill-will, irritation, or any other evil
and detrimental state that may have arisen! One dispels them, destroys
them, causes them to evaporate right there and then, on the very spot...
This is called the effort to overcome!
What, friends, is the effort to develop? In this case, one develops the
7 links enlightenment, which when bent on solitude, detachment and
ceasing, ends in release, namely: Awareness, Investigation, Energy,
Joy, Tranquillity, Concentration and Equanimity...
This is called the effort to develop!
What, friends, is the effort to maintain? In this case, one keeps the
mind firmly focused on any advantageous object of concentration that
may have arisen, such as the mental image of a skeleton, of a festering
corpse infested by worms, of a swollen, decaying corpse, bluish-black
riddled with pus and maggots dripping out of any hole and opening...
This is called the effort to maintain! These are the four Right Efforts.
Which Meditation Objects induce The State of No-Return?
The Blessed Buddha once said:
Bhikkhus, and Friends, from the cultivation and making much of The idea of a Skeleton;
The idea of a Worm-eaten Corpse; The idea of a Pale Bluish Discoloured Corpse;
The idea of a Cleaved and Cut-up Corpse; The idea of a Bloated and Inflated Corpse;
The thought of Universal Friendliness; The thought of Boundless Pity; The thought of Mutual Joy;
The thought of Imperturbable Equanimity; The training of Aware Breathing-in and Breathing-out;
The notion of Disgust; The inevitable Death; The Dispassion and Dislike with all worldly phenomena;
The fact of inherent Impermanence; The fact of immanent Misery and Pain in all worldly phenomena;
The fact of intrinsic Egolessness; The state of Leaving Behind, of Release, and the state of Ceasing!
One of two effects, one of two fruits may be expected even in this very life: Awakening to Arahatship
or Non-Return... Such training therefore results in a Great Benefit; in a Great Peace from all mental
Bondage, in a Great Thrill, in a Great Pleasure of Living! How, friends, should these ideas be cultivated,
how should these ideas be made much of, so as to reach these 2 fruits?
In this, any Noble Friend trains and cultivates the:
The Awareness ... of No-Self, (see note # below)
The Investigation ... of No-Self,
The Energy ... of No-Self,
The Joy ... of No-Self,
The Tranquillity ... of No-Self,
The Concentration ... of No-Self,
The Equanimity ... of No-Self,
All based on seclusion, based on detachment, based on ceasing, ending in total self-surrender...
If these ideas are thus cultivated, thus made much of, thus joined with the 7 links to Awakening,
one may look for one of these two fruits even in this very life: Realization of Disciple-Buddhahood,
or if there are any remaining substrate of clinging left back, in all cases: The state of No-Return!
# Note:
And any of these other classic meditation objects in the list should be substituted here, so that
all these meditation objects are properly joined and fused with the 7 links to Awakening.
The Buddha on the Universality of Friendliness: Sabbe satta bhavantu sukhi tattha. May all beings become thus Happy!
As I am, so are others... As others are, so am I...
Having thus identified self and others,
Never Harm anyone, nor have any being abused. Sutta Nipata 3.710
"No I haven't seen the cat either ..."
With good will for the entire cosmos, cultivate a limitless heart & mind:
Beaming above, below, & all around, unobstructed, without trace of hostility. Sutta Nipata I, 8
Train yourself in doing good
that lasts and brings happiness.
Cultivate generosity, the life of peace,
and a mind of infinite universal love. Itivuttaka 22
Video on Metta Meditation on Universal Friendliness:
How to cure Depression?
How to be a Real True Buddhist through Observance?
This Esala Poya day is the full-moon of July, which is noteworthy since on this celebrated day:
1: The Blessed Buddha preached his First Sermon: The Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta.
2: The Bodhisatta was conceived in Queen Maya who dreamt a white elephant entered her side.
3: The Blessed Buddha made the Great Withdrawal from the world at the age of 29 years.
4: The Blessed Buddha performed the Twin Miracle (yamaka-patihariya) of dual appearance.
5: The Blessed Buddha explained the Abhi-Dhamma in the Tavatimsa heaven to his mother.
6: The ordination of Prince Arittha at Anuradhapura, under Arahat Mahinda on Sri Lanka.
7: The foundation of the celebrated Mahastupa & enshrinement of relics by King Dutugemunu.
8: The next day the yearly 3 months rains retreat (vassa) of Buddhist Bhikkhus start.
The Buddha performing the Twin Miracle of simultaneously producing water & flames from his body.
On such Uposatha Observance days:
Any Lay Buddhist simply joins the Three Refuges and undertakes
the Five Precepts like this: Newly bathed, shaved, white-clothed,
with clean bare feet, one kneels at a shrine with a Buddha-statue,
and bows first three times, so that feet, hands, elbows, knees and
head touch the floor. Then, with joined palms in front of the heart,
one recite these memorized lines in a loud, calm & steady voice:
As long as this life lasts: I hereby take refuge in the Buddha.
I hereby take refuge in the Dhamma.
I hereby take refuge in the Sangha.
I hereby seek shelter in the Buddha for the 2nd time.
I hereby seek shelter in the Dhamma for the 2nd time.
I hereby seek shelter in the Sangha for the 2nd time.
I request protection from the Buddha for the 3rd time.
I request protection from the Dhamma for the 3rd …
I request protection from the Sangha for the 3rd time.
I will respect these Three Jewels the rest of my life!
I accept to respect & undertake these 5 training rules: I hereby accept the training rule of avoiding all Killing.
I hereby accept the training rule of avoiding all Stealing.
I hereby accept the training rule of avoiding all Sexual Abuse.
I hereby accept the training rule of avoiding all Dishonesty.
I hereby accept the training rule of avoiding all Alcohol & Drugs.
As long as this life lasts, I am thus protected by these 5 precepts...
Then, one keeps and protects these sacred vows better than one's own
eyes & children!, since they protect you & all other beings much better
than any army! They are the highest offer one can give in & to this world!
This is the very start on the path towards Nibbana -the Deathless Element-
This is the Noble Way to Peace, to Freedom, to Bliss, initiated by Morality,
developed further by Dhamma-Study and fulfilled by training of Meditation...
Queen Maya who dreamt a white elephant entered her side when the Bodhisatta was conceived.
Today indeed is Pooya or Uposatha or observance day, where any lay Buddhist
normally keeps the Eight Precepts from sunrise until the next dawn...
If any wish an official recognition by the Bhikkhu-Sangha, they may simply
forward the lines starting with "I..." signed with name, date, town & country
to me or join here. A public list of this new Saddhamma-Sangha is here!
The Blessed Buddha once pointed out some fine future fruits:
I: The release of mind by universal friendliness developed linked with
the 7 links to Enlightenment, has the beautiful liberation as culmination!
II: The release of mind by compassionate pity developed all joined with
the 7 links to Enlightenment, has the infinitude of space, as culmination!
This is the 1st formless absorption.
III: The release of mind by altruistic & mutual joy developed all linked
with the 7 links to Enlightenment, has the infinitude of consciousness,
as ultimate culmination... This is the 2nd formless absorption.
IV: The release of mind by imperturbable equanimity developed combined
with the 7 links to Enlightenment, has the sphere of nothingness, as the
absolute culmination... This is the 3rd formless absorption.
So do these 4 divine & infinite states of friendliness, pity, mutual joy and
equanimity, when cultivated together with the 7 links to Enlightenment:
Awareness, Investigation, Energy, Joy, Tranquillity, Concentration and
Equanimity, lead to entry and absorption into these 4 sublime formless
mental dimensions of supra-mundane consciousness...
I feel this post exemplifies the idea of Dharma as experiential or soft/internal science. It is internally verifiable. To our best ability and comprehension we follow the Buddhist path. What begins to happen is an improvement of our chronic inability to cope and come to terms with dukkha.
People often ask about which part of dharma we should engage with. Everything we can as soon as possible. Before death preferably. Well that is my plan.
I: There is the Cluster of Clinging to Material Form (Rupa):
Form or materiality is composed of these 4 Primary Elements:
1: Solidity based microscopically on the force of extension.
2: Fluidity based microscopically on the force of cohesion.
3: Heat based microscopically on the property of vibration.
4: Motion based microscopically on the property of energy.
From these 4 can be derived all other formed phenomena...
Form (Rupa) in Buddhism is a quality, but not a substance...
Whatever there are of formed things, whether past, present
or future, internal or external, fine or gross, high or low,
far or near, all these belong to this form group. Desire, lust
craving and clinging to that, is the cluster of clinging to form!
II: There is the Cluster of Clinging to Mental Feeling (Vedana):
There are these five kinds of Feeling:
1: Bodily pleasant feeling and 2: Bodily painful feeling.
3: Mentally glad feeling and 4: Mentally sad feeling. And finally:
5: Indifferent feeling = Neither painful, pleasant, sad, nor glad.
Feeling is born as effect of eye contact, or ear contact, or nose
contact, or tongue contact, or body contact, or mental contact...
Whatever there is of feeling, whether past, present or future,
internal or external, fine or gross, high or low, far or near, all
that belongs to this feeling group. Desire, lust, craving for, and
clinging to these reactions, is the cluster of clinging to feeling!
III: There is the Cluster of Clinging to Mental Perception (Sañña):
There are these six kinds of Perception:
1: Visual perception of form and color. 2: Auditory perception of sound.
3: Olfactory perception of smell. 4: Gustatory perception of taste.
5: Tactile perception of touch. 6: Mental perception of ideas and states.
Whatever there is of perception, whether past, present or future,
internal or external, fine or gross, high or low, far or near, all that
belongs to this perception group. Desire, lust, craving for and clinging to
these perceived experiences, is the cluster of clinging to perception!
IV: There is the Cluster of Clinging to Mental Construction (Sankhara):
There are six kinds of mental construction dealing with visual objects,
or hearable objects, or smellable, or tastable, or touchable objects, or
thinkable objects. Whatever there is of mental construction, whether past,
present or future, internal or external, fine or gross, high or low, far or
near, all that belongs to this mental construction group. Desire, craving for
and clinging to these objectives, is the cluster of clinging to construction!
Wanting to see some special form is the mental construction of intention...
V: There is the Cluster of Clinging to Consciousness (Viññana):
There are six kinds of consciousness:
1: The Visual Consciousness of seeing. 2: The Auditory Consciousness of hearing.
3: Olfactory Consciousness of smelling. 4: Gustatory Consciousness of tasting.
5: Tactile Consciousness of touching. 6: The Mental Consciousness of thinking.
Whatever there is of consciousness, whether past, present or future, internal
or external, fine or gross, high or low, far or near, all that belongs to this very
consciousness group. Desire, craving for and clinging to this aware recognition,
is the cluster of clinging to consciousness!
The Blessed Buddha said:
Recluses and priests, who knows the causation, the ceasing, and the way leading
to the ceasing of these five clusters of clinging, who are practicing for disgust
towards these, for their fading away and dissolution, they are practicing well!
They are later released and well liberated through this very non-clinging...
Those who are well liberated are consummate ones, completed ones...
There is no way of describing such utterly perfected ones...
There is nothing in this or any Universe apart from these 5 Clusters of Clinging...
"The first blue bead stands for “breathe.” The second, red, cues her to reflect on her "thoughts",
yellow makes her consider "emotions" etc.. Reminders to “take a mindful breath, and to be a little more stable.”
"Students practised breathing, “body scans”, and learned to “surf the wave” of difficult emotions,
like anger or anxiety, "
“Tai-Chi: There are 415 kids in a gym,” says principal Hugh Blackman, “and you can hear a pin drop.”
"You have to start with teachers,”
"The 'Mind-Up' program is Mindfulness training to teachers, including classroom “brain-breaks” 3 times daily."
"The response was overwhelmingly positive... "
"Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto concluded that, when it comes to warding off
a relapse into major depression, mindfulness is as effective as medication.."
"A 2013 paper found that 10- and 11-year-olds, who participated in an eight-week program were better
able to ignore distractions. Another found that 12-to-16-year-old students had fewer symptoms of
stress and depression."
Naqvi finds in times of stress it helps her understand “it’s okay, everyone feels the same way.
Taking a deep breath makes you feel more confident, and ready for what you’re about to do.”
Anapanasati breathing meditation guided and explained:
As streaming audio
1: The undepressed mind is not perturbed by any sadness, therefore it is unperturbed..
2: The unexcited mind is not perturbed by any agitation, therefore it is unperturbed..
3: The unattracted mind is not perturbed by any desire, therefore it is unperturbed..
4: The unopposed mind is not perturbed by any anger, therefore it is unperturbed..
5: The self-reliant mind is not perturbed by other's opinions, therefore it is unperturbed..
6: The uninvolved mind is not perturbed by any annoyance, therefore it is unperturbed..
7: The released mind is not perturbed by any sensual lust, therefore it is unperturbed..
8: The detached mind is not perturbed by any clinging, therefore it is unperturbed..
9: The unhindered mind is not perturbed by any obstruction, therefore it is unperturbed.
10: The unified mind is not perturbed by any diverse variety, therefore it is unperturbed..
11: The mind reinforced by faith is not perturbed by any doubt, therefore it is unperturbed..
12: The enthusiastic keen mind is not perturbed by any laziness, therefore it is unperturbed..
13: The acutely aware mind is not perturbed by any negligence, therefore it is unperturbed..
14: The concentrated mind is not perturbed by any distraction, therefore it is unperturbed..
15: The understanding mind is not perturbed by any confusion, therefore it is unperturbed..
16: The illuminated mind is not perturbed by any dark blind ignorance, thus it is unperturbed..
These sixteen roots of success lead to the obtaining of super-human power and to the
fearlessness of one enjoying the success of supra-human force... Source: Sariputta, in: The Path of Discrimination: Patidasambhidamagga II 206
Sabbe satta, sabbe pana,
sabbe bhuta ca kevala,
sabbe bhadrani passantu.
Ma kañci papamagama.
May all creatures, all living things,
all beings without any exception,
experience good happiness only!
May they not fall into any harm. Anguttara Nikaya 4.67
Solitude is happiness for one, who is content,
who has heard the Dhamma and clearly sees.
Non-violence is happiness in this world:
Harmlessness towards all living beings. Udana 10
HARMLESS
The one, who has left violence,
who never harm any being,
whether they are trembling or still,
who never kill, nor causes to kill,
such one, harmless, is a Holy One. Dhammapada 405
One should often contemplate the inevitable fact of DEATH! Why actually doing this?
Because this inevitably makes one approach Nibbana – The only Deathless Destination - ...
Neglecting thinking about death makes one accumulate future rebirths, and thereby also
future rounds of ageing, decay, sickness and inevitable death! This is thus only Suffering!
Considering death is therefore quite advantageous, but initially not exactly pleasant…
Death contemplation gradually induces full fearlessness for death and all other anxieties.
Neglecting death is therefore detrimental, though more dull & pleasant as if anesthetized …
This fact remains: One looses ALL again & again at the moment of death including this body…
Death itself is painless and should not be feared. It is life itself that is painful and dreadful
and therefore should be feared! The only way to escape life-death-cycle is not to be (re)-born…
Only this is Peace ! Only this is Freedom from all future suffering! Only this is END of all pain...
Only this cessation of Samsara is - in itself - irreversibly lasting Happiness !
As the Buddha Gotama said: Nibbanam paranam sukham...
Nibbana is the Highest Bliss! Dhammapada 203/204
"Transient alas ! are all component things,
Subject are they to birth-and then decay;
Having gained birth to death the life-flux swings;
Bliss truly dawns when unrest dies away!"
The Blessed Buddha once said: Sabbadanam dhammadanam jinati
sabbarasam dhammaraso jinati
sabbaratim dhammarati jinati
tanhakkhayo sabbadukkham jinati.
THE SUPREME GIFT
The gift of Dhamma surpasses all other gifts.
The taste of Truth excels every other taste.
The joy of Understanding exceeds any other joy.
The elimination of Craving overcomes, quenches &
triumphs over all pain, all sorrow, and all suffering ... Dhammapada 354
Be understanding to your perceived enemies.
Be loyal to all your good friends.
Be strong enough to face the changing world each day.
Be weak enough to know you cannot do everything alone.
Be generous to those who need your help.
Be frugal with that you need yourself.
Be wise enough to know, that you do not know everything.
Be foolish enough to believe in the unknown miracle.
Be willing to share your joys, resources and riches.
Be willing to share and bear the sorrows of others.
Be a leader, when you see the path others may have missed.
Be a follower, when you are shrouded by the mists of uncertainty.
Be the first to congratulate an opponent, who succeeds.
Be the last to criticize a colleague, who fails.
Be sure where your next step will fall, so that you will not tumble.
Be sure of your final destination, in case you are going the wrong way.
Be loving to those, who love you, and also towards those who don't...
Be friendly to those, who do not love you since then they may change. Above all: Be AWARE!
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
edited July 2014
Be understanding to your perceived enemies.... Be wise enough to know, that you do not know everything.....Be the first to congratulate an opponent, who succeeds.
Be the last to criticize a colleague, who fails....Be loving to those, who love you, and also towards those who don't...
Be friendly to those, who do not love you since then they may change.
Above all: Be AWARE!
>
I should pin this as a reminder to some members..... :rolleyes: .
The Blessed Buddha once said:
Overwhelmed and obsessed by desire, anger, & confusion, one aims at one's
own ruin, others' ruin, and at the ruin of both! One thereby suffers much
mental pain and frustration... If, however, desire, anger, and confusion are
eliminated, then one aims neither at one's own ruin, nor at others' ruin, nor
at the ruining of both, and one therefore neither suffers any mental pain
nor any frustration at all! Hence is Nibbana realizable right here and now
in this very lifetime, immediate, inviting, intriguing, and intelligible to each
intelligence! Exactly in so far as anyone has made real the complete ceasing
of all greed, hate, and ignorance, just in so far, to exactly that very degree,
is Nibbana realizable right here and now in this very life, immediate, instant,
inviting, interesting, and intelligible to each and every intelligent being...
At Varanasi in the Deer Park at Isipatana, they once asked Sariputta:
Ignorance, ignorance, it is said, what now, friend, is this ignorance,
and in what way is one immersed in such ignorance?
Here, friend, the uninstructed ordinary person does not understand
as it really is: The arising, the ceasing, the satisfaction, the danger,
nor the escape, nor the way leading to escape, neither in the case of
form, nor of in the case of feeling, nor of in the case of perception,
nor of in the case of mental construction, nor of in the case of this
consciousness. This, friends, is called ignorance, and in this way is
one indeed still immersed in the fatal blindness of ignorance...
First: Ignorance is not seeing and not knowing the 4 Noble Truths fully!
The near and proximate cause is the 5 mental hindrances:
Ignorance comes into being caused by the 5 mental hindrances!
That is right here and now:
Ignorance grows up caused by desire and lust...
Ignorance arises caused by aversion and ill-will...
Ignorance emerges caused by lethargy and laziness...
Ignorance appears caused by restlessness and regret...
Ignorance comes into being caused by doubt and uncertainty...
All these 5 factors will obscure, obstruct and distort the 4 Noble Truths!
So also will these 5 mental hindrances block the manifold and profound
implications and wide-ranging consequences of these 4 Noble Truths!
The remote and subtle cause is fermentation ~ assuming and supposing:
Conditioned by mental fermentation (asava) does ignorance emerge:
That is multi-factorially, on the long-term, as a hidden latent tendency:
Ignorance is caused by the mental fermentation linked with sense-desire.
Ignorance is caused by the mental fermentation associated with views.
Ignorance is caused by the mental fermentation coupled with becoming.
Ignorance is caused by the mental fermentation joined with ignorance itself!
The often unseen emotional causal component of ignorance is neutral feeling:
Ignorance is caused by a feeling of neutral indifference, since this absence
of both pleasure and pain promotes neglect by disabling interest and examination,
which then logically results in not knowing the specifics of the object = ignorance...
Thus the unaware mind will automatically disregard all objects, that does neither
arouses any pleasure, nor burns with any pain... This default discarding inevitably
causes ignorance as the object is not offered any attention, or examination..
Ignorance thus grows in a fatal positively self-enhancing feedback-loop!
The Blessed Buddha said:
Bhikkhus, a beginning of ignorance cannot be pointed out in this way:
Before this point in time, there was no ignorance, afterward it came.
But, Bhikkhus, it can be pointed out in this way:
Caused by this, ignorance comes to be. Bhikkhus, I tell you, ignorance too
has a causing condition! What is the causing condition of ignorance?
The five mental hindrances is the reply... Source: AN X 61, AN X 62
What is ignorance, what is the origin of ignorance, what is the ceasing of
ignorance, and what is the way leading to the ceasing of ignorance?
Not knowing about suffering, not knowing about the origin of suffering,
not knowing about the ceasing of suffering, not knowing about the way
leading to the ceasing of suffering, this is called ignorance!
With the arising of the mental fermentations, ignorance also arises.
With the ceasing of the mental fermentations, ignorance also ceases!
The way leading to the ceasing of ignorance is just this Noble 8-fold Way:
That is; Right view, right motivation, right speech, right action,
right livelihood, right effort and right concentration. Source: MN 9
personDon't believe everything you thinkThe liminal spaceVeteran
At first I was wondering if "ignorance" was referring to little i ignorance, like not knowing the capital of Paraguay or big I ignorance, as in of self, because the 5 hindrances just seemed like saying someone is lazy and stupid.
Then when he quoted no beginning point and pointed out the feedback loop I was like "well that's a fine predicament we've gotten ourselves into" and some of my own ignorance about my situation was reduced.
Friendliness means Goodwill
Friendliness means Kindness
Friendliness means Helpfulness
Friendliness means Assistance
Friendliness means Support
Friendliness means Benevolence
Friendliness means Concern
Friendliness means Care
Friendliness means Compassion
Friendliness means Cooperation
Friendliness means Mutual Aid
Friendliness means Mutual Advantage
Friendliness means Symbiosis
Friendliness means Sympathy
Friendliness means Basic Trust
The Blessed Buddha once said:
A friend who always lends a hand,
a friend both in sorrow and joy,
a friend who offers good counsel,
a friend who sympathizes too.
These are the four kinds of true friends:
one who is wise, having understood,
will always cherish and serve such friends
just as a mother tends her only child. DN III 188
As a mother even with her life protects her only child,
so let one cultivate immeasurable loving-kindness towards
all living beings.
Bhikkhus, whatever kinds of worldly merit there are,
all are not worth one sixteenth part of the release of mind by
universal friendliness; in shining, glowing and beaming radiance
the release of mind by infinite & endless friendliness far excels &
even surpasses them all. Itivuttaka 27
He who does not strike nor makes
others strike, who robs not nor makes
others rob, sharing love with all that live,
finds enmity with none. Itivuttaka 22
Thus he who both day and night
takes delight in harmlessness
sharing love with all that live,
finds enmity with none. SN I 208
When one with a mind of love
feels compassion for the entire world --
above, below and across,
unlimited everywhere. Jataka 37
I am a friend of the footless,
I am a friend of the bipeds;
I am a friend of those with four feet,
I am a friend of the many-footed.
May not the footless harm me,
may not the bipeds harm me,
may not those with four feet harm me,
and may not those with many feet harm me. AN II 72
Among tigers, lions, leopards & bears I lived on the wood.
No one was frightened of me, nor did I fear anyone.
Uplifted by such universal friendliness I enjoyed the forest.
Finding great solace in silent solitude. Suvanna-sama Jataka 540
I am a friend and helper to all,
I am sympathetic to all living beings.
I develop a mind full of love
and takes always delight in harmlessness.
I gladden my mind, fill it with joy,
and make it immovable and unshakable.
I develop the divine states of mind
not cultivated by simple men. Theragatha. 648-9
I used to blaze one up in friendliness j/k. Seriously there is innate friendliness in most of us. The trick is to figure out how to cultivate friendliness to be more healing.
Worthy, honourable & perfectly self-Enlightened is the Buddha!
Consummated in knowledge and behaviour, totally transcended, expert in
all dimensions, knower of all worlds, unsurpassable trainer of those who
can be tamed, both teacher & guide of gods as well as of humans, blessed,
exalted, awakened and enlightened is the Buddha!
Perfectly formulated is this Buddha-Dhamma, visible right here and now,
immediately effective, timeless, inviting each & everyone to come and see
for themselves, inspect, examine and verify! Leading each and everyone
through progress towards perfection. Directly observable, experiencable
and realizable by each intelligence...
Perfectly training is the Noble Sangha community of Buddha's disciples.
Training the right way, the true way, the good way, and the direct way!
Therefore do these eight kinds of individuals, the 4 Noble pairs, deserve
both gifts, self-sacrifice, offerings, hospitality and reverential salutation
with joined palms, since this Noble Sangha community of Noble disciples,
is an unsurpassable and forever unsurpassed field of merit, in and for this
world, to support, worship, respect, protect, give to and gain from ...
The Blessed Buddha once said:
Bhikkhus, these Four Foundations of Awareness, when firmly established
by development and cultivation, are both Noble and Liberating! They lead
any one out into the complete elimination of all Suffering. What four?
Here, Bhikkhus, a Bhikkhu lives and dwells, aware and clearly comprehending,
while continuously contemplating and reflecting upon:
1: The Body merely as a decaying and ownerless formation..
2: The Feelings just as conditioned responses fading away..
3: The Mind only as a set of ingrained and habituated moods..
4: Any Phenomenon simply as a mentally constructed appearance..
Thereby removing any yearning, urge, envy and frustration rooted in this world..
These Four Foundations of Awareness, Bhikkhus, when firmly established by
such development and cultivation, are both Noble and Releasing! They guide
one to the Exit, to the Escape by an absolute destruction of all Suffering!
"We all want to help one another, Human Beings are like that. We want to live by each other's happiness, not each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another." -Charlie Chaplin.
Truer words never spoken imo.
EDIT - Seriously though @Samahita your thread's title caught me off guard, haha. I saw it and thought "Balls! this guy has brass balls!"
1
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
edited July 2014
@Zayl, Not an entirely appropriate thing to say to a Theravada Monk.....
Just being honest with the guy, I'm sure he can handle a little off-color humor? To me a show of respect is a bit of a ribbing and trusting that they can deal with it.
Regardless, getting off topic. I apologize if I caused offense.
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federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
It's not a question of whether they can handle the humour or not. It's whether the line is an appropriate one to say to a Monk, at all. The onus is not on him to find the humour. The onus is on you to consider your words, and how suitable they are.
So how do we do with friends who are not loyal to us. Or is my expectation too high?
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federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
edited July 2014
The Buddha, as ever, advises that those who are not loyal, one can class a fools. You know what they say: Fool me once, more fool you. Fool me twice, more fool me. Do not leave yourself open to being vulnerable and hurt by the actions of people you believed were friends, but have demonstrated they are something else. By all means give people an opportunity to redeem themselves - but don't be a doormat. Do not put up with behaviour you secretly view as unacceptable, and grin and bear it. Compassion is one thing. being a danged fool is something else entirely.
The 3 Kinds of Feeling are:
1: Pleasant Feeling that is agreeable, delightful and likable.
2: Painful Feeling that is disagreeable, repulsive and distressing.
3: Neutral Feeling that is an indifferent neither pleasure, nor pain.
The 5 Kinds of Feeling are:
1: Pleasant Bodily Feeling that is agreeable and arisen in the body.
2: Painful Bodily Feeling that is disagreeable and arisen in the body.
3: Pleasant Mental Feeling that is agreeable and arisen in the mind.
4: Painful Mental Feeling that is disagreeable and arisen in the mind.
5: Neutral Feeling that is an indifferent neither pleasure, nor pain.
The 6 Kinds of Feeling are:
1: Feeling that is arisen from visual eye contact.
2: Feeling that is arisen from auditory ear contact.
3: Feeling that is arisen from olfactory nose contact.
4: Feeling that is arisen from gustatory tongue contact.
5: Feeling that is arisen from tactile skin and body contact.
6: Feeling that is arisen from mental mind and ideational contact.
The cause of Feeling is Momentary Sense Contact:
Ceasing of this momentary contact instantly ceases the feeling!
The resulting effect of Feeling is Craving, if the mind is untrained...
Noble Awareness of arising feeling can prevent the arising of craving.
All early Buddhist training of mind control aims at this crucial purpose:
To break the automatic emergence of craving, when feeling arises!
If the feeling is pleasant arises craving towards the object...
Pleasant feeling is therefore the cause of desire, lust and greed!
If the feeling is painful arises craving away from the object...
Painful feeling is therefore the cause of aversion, anger and hate!
If the feeling is neutral arises craving for neglect of the object...
Neutral feeling is therefore the cause of ignorance, and confusion!
Since ignorance, greed and hate are the three roots of all Evil and
their absence are the three roots of all Freedom it verily confirms:
Every state and all experienced phenomena converges on this Feeling...
The Blessed Buddha once said:
Just as dawn is the forerunner and the precursor of the rising of the Sun,
exactly so is good and Noble friendship for any disciple the forerunner and
the precursor of the mental emergence of the Seven Links to Awakening!
When a Bhikkhu has a good and Noble friend, it is to be expected that he will
develop and cultivate these 7 Links to Awakening. And how does a Bhikkhu who
has a good & Noble friend develop & cultivate these 7 Links to Awakening?
Here, friends, this Bhikkhu trains, develops, deepens, reinforces and refines:
1: The Awareness Link to Awakening: sati-sambojjhanga.
2: The Investigation Link to Awakening: dhammavicaya-sambojjhanga.
3: The Energy Link to Awakening: viriya-sambojjhanga.
4: The Joy Link to Awakening: piti-sambojjhanga.
5: The Tranquillity Link to Awakening: passaddhi-sambojjhanga.
6: The Concentration Link to Awakening: samadhi-sambojjhanga.
7: The Equanimity Link to Awakening: upekkha-sambojjhanga.
based upon seclusion, disillusion, ceasing of craving, and culminating in release!
It is in exactly in this way that any Bhikkhu, who has a good and Noble Friend,
truly trains, grows, intensifies, reinforces & refines the 7 Links to Awakening...
May I be happy, may I sustain my happiness by living without trace of enmity.
May all beings be happy & successful: May they be of full of joy, all beings
that breathe & have life, whether they are weak or strong, tiny or huge,
visible or invisible, near or far away, born or to be born, let all beings enjoy
safety, content ease and a serene bliss!
Let no one deceive another, let no one be harsh in speech, let no one by anger
or hatred wish bad for his neighbour. Even as a mother, at the risk of her life,
guards and protects her only child, so with a boundless heart of compassion,
I venerate all living beings by permeating this entire universe with sympathy,
above, beneath and all around, without limit, immeasurable and endless!
In this very fine way I cultivate an infinite goodwill toward this whole world.
Standing or walking, sitting or lying down, during all my waking hours I will
always treasure and dwell in this thought, knowing that this way of caring
is the most Noble in this entire universe!
Thus shall I, by stilling pointless discussions and controversies, and by acting
blamelessly, be gifted with tranquillity and true insight into what is profound.
Thus shall I subdue the urge for sense-pleasure, and never again know rebirth.
May this also inspire and thereby cause all other sentient beings to fulfil the
conditions leading swiftly to Nibbana, which is the only lasting happiness!
May all sentient beings be thus liberated & fully released from all suffering.
May all sentient beings thus escape the dangers of ageing, disease, & death.
Friendliness is the Greatest! Yeah... :-)
May all Critters Buzzing be Happy :-)
Video: ‘My’ Reptile and amphibian hermit friends:
The Buddha on Goodwill (Metta):
"May all my legless friends be happy. May all my two-legged friends be happy.
May all my four-legged friends be happy. May all my many-legged friends be happy."
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
By all means wish them a good, long, healthy, and safe life - but 'happiness' is not a guarantee, in that it is not a good idea to anthropomorphise non-human creatures...
This is just my opinion so far, & i don't mean any offence to anyone....The truth of dukkha is it's what we need no matter when we get it, as it's a chance to learn....The truth of the origin of dukkha is some are built in as default such as death/dukkha jealousy/dukkha etc, & most are just coincidences accidents or caused by other people's unawareness..The truth of the cessation of dukkha is there is no cessation to dukkha there's only how we see dukkha that can ever change, so do we learn from dukkha or do we blame dukkha for how we're turning out....The truth to the path leading to the cessation of dukkha is mindful distraction mindful meditation, & emotions & feelings control practice & a good few months....That in my opinion is the only way to change your own view of how you see your own dukkha moments, & your view of them will change because you will gain a logical neutral thinking mind....Once aware the 8 fold path can easily be followed with little effort, & soon becomes clear to the individual that the 8 fold path is obviously the best path to follow for the individual, simply because it feels the best to do/be....I'm just having a go, & just trying to help someone.
A deity once spoke this verse to the Blessed One:
Life inevitably ceases, short is the span of life.
No safe shelter exists for one prone to ageing..
Seeing this danger of certain death, one should
do meritorious deeds, which brings happiness...
The Exalted Buddha responded:
Life inevitably ceases, short is the span of life.
No safe shelter exists for one prone to ageing..
Seeing this danger of certain Death, one should
drop the fleshy bait of this evanescent world!
The Buddha once said about Nibbana: The Uncreated Dimension:
That, truly, is peace, this is the absolute supreme, namely, the end of
every kammic formation, the final stilling of all mental construction,
the letting go and leaving behind of any substrate for rebirth and all
fuel for becoming, the fading away of all craving, & the relinquishing
of all forms of clinging, silencing, stilling, ceasing, Nibbana.... AN 3:32
Enraptured, ensnared and obsessed with greed, lust, urge & desire,
enraged with hate, fuming with anger, stirred by ill will & irritation,
blinded by ignorance, agitated by confusion, and fooled by delusion,
overwhelmed, with mind entangled, one aims at own ruin, at the ruin
of others, at the ruin of both, & one experiences frustration & pain!
But if lust, hate, and ignorance are eliminated, one aims neither at
own ruin, nor at the ruin of others, nor at the ruin of both, and one
experiences neither mental frustration, nor any pain, nor any grief!
Thus is Nibbana immediate, visible in this life, inviting, captivating,
fascinating & comprehensible to any intelligent & wise being. AN 3:55
The elimination of all Greed, the stilling of all Hate, the eradication
of all Confusion: This quenching, indeed, is the true Nibbana. SN 38:1
FREED
For him, who has completed this journey.
For him, who is untouched by any pain or sorrow.
For him, who is in every-way wholly freed.
For him, who has broken all chains.
For such one, no Suffering is ever Possible! Dhammapada 90
Comments
:wave: .
Indeed. Kindness, generosity, friendliness are their own inherent rewards of exhibiting these qualities to the extent of our capacity. Just as being cynical, a bitter lemon sucker, unkind has its own outcomes or karma . . .
I think I read that in a fortune cookie . . .
:orange: .
Giving Dhamma-Sharing-Power :-) _/_
Urgent Battery Bank Thermal Runaway Request!
http://what-buddha-said.net/various/Battery_Meltdown_Request.htm
I don't think it's meant as a "here is why you should be generous! There are rewards that everyone will like!" but more so as things that naturally happen to one who lives their life in a generous manner. There is a lot that goes into true generosity, it's not as simple as giving clothes away to Goodwill. And the point isn't that one should do so so that people like them.
But if you happen to know any people that operate from a place the rest of us don't, that are generous beyond what society deems acceptably generous (like some of the people who open their homes to the homeless to feed and house them, for free, on their own dollar) you can see that those things listed above come to those generous people automatically. They are generally very humble, very open and loving and compassionate people, and when you are open in that way, all those things come to you. Not that you should be generous in order to obtain those things. It allows more opportunity for people like that to share their openness, their gifts with the world. Not to obtain fame and fortune and high fives.
Thanks karasti.
Think this is helping me to get to the bottom of why I was led here. Having grown up with a model of the most generous individual I can think of, a man who gave his life in attempt to teach loving kindness/humility/generosity but who was so reviled that he was crucified, it is heartening to hear a suggestion that being a "very humble, very open and loving and compassionate" person does not have to lead to censure as a "loser", as "mentally ill", even as in some way dangerous. Sadly, in the culture in which I have been raised, a materialistic "winner"/conformer culture, I have not seen this happen. I have too regularly seen the loving and compassionate being exploited, used, stigmatised, rejected. But that has also shown me, beyond doubt, that generosity is its own reward. It is possible to "possess all" whilst "having" nothing.
Yours in peace - Sarah
Friends:
What did the Buddha say about Faith (Saddhâ)?
The Blessed Buddha once said:
And even though a disciple of the Noble Ones lives off lumps of alms food and
wears rag-robes, still, because he is endowed with four qualities, then he is freed
from hell, freed from the animal womb, freed from the realm of hungry ghosts,
freed from all the planes of pain and deprivation, the bad and low destinations.
And what are the four? There is the case where the disciple of the Noble Ones is
endowed with verified faith, confidence and conviction in the Awakened Buddha like
this: Worthy, honourable and perfectly self-Enlightened is the Buddha! Fully
consummated in knowledge and behaviour, totally transcended, expert in all these
dimensions, knower of all worlds, unsurpassable trainer of those who can be tamed,
both teacher and guide of gods as well as of humans, blessed, exalted, awakened
and enlightened is the Buddha !!!
He/she is endowed with verified faith, confidence and conviction in the Dhamma like
this: Perfectly formulated is this Buddha-Dhamma, visible right here and now,
immediately effective, timeless, inviting each and everyone to come and see for
themselves, inspect, examine and verify. Leading each and everyone through
progress towards perfection. Directly observable, experiencable and realizable
by each intelligence...
He/she is endowed with verified faith, confidence and conviction in the Noble Sangha
like this: Perfectly training is this Noble Sangha community of the Buddha's Noble
disciples: Training the right way, the true way, the good way, the direct way!
Therefore do these 8 kinds of individuals, the four Noble pairs, deserve both gifts,
grants sacrifice, offerings, hospitality and reverential salutation even with joined
palms, since this Noble Sangha community of the Buddha's Noble disciples, is an
unsurpassable and forever unsurpassed field of merit, in this world, for this world,
to honour, respect, support, give to and protect.
He/she is endowed with long-term clean morality, which are dear to the Noble Ones:
Moral purity that is untorn, unbroken, unspotted, and impeccable, liberating, praised
by the wise, immaculate, and leading to concentration. SN 55.1
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn55/sn55.001.than.html
For a lay person, there are these five rewards of faith, confidence and conviction
Which five?
1: When truly good people in the world show compassion, they will first show true
compassion to people of faith, confidence and conviction, and not to people lacking
in faith, confidence and conviction...
2: When visiting, they visit people of faith, confidence and conviction, and not people
without faith, confidence and conviction...
3: When accepting gifts, they first accept gifts from people with faith, confidence
and conviction, and not from people lacking faith, confidence and conviction.
4: When teaching the Dhamma, they first teach those with faith, confidence and
conviction, and not those without faith, confidence and conviction .
5: A person of faith, confidence and conviction, on the break-up of the body, right
after death, will arise in a good destination, the heavenly world. For a lay person,
these are the five certain rewards of faith, confidence and conviction. AN 5:38
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an05/an05.038.than.html
And how is the individual who is released through faith, confidence and conviction?
There is the case where a certain individual does not dwell immersed in those
peaceful states that has transcended all form, but having understood the Dhamma,
some of his mental fermentations are ended, and his faith, confidence and conviction
in the Tathagata is settled, well rooted, and established. This is called an individual,
who is released through faith, confidence and conviction. Regarding this monk, I say
that he has still a task to do. Why is that? Perhaps this Venerable, when staying at
suitable places, associating with admirable friends, while balancing all his mental
abilities, will reach and dwell in the supreme goal of the Noble life for which good men
rightly go forth from home into homelessness, directly realizing it for himself right
here and now. Envisioning this fruit of further effort for this monk, I say that he
still has a task to complete. MN 70
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.070.than.html
Any female disciple of the Noble Ones who grows by these 5 types of growth grows
a Noble growth, and thereby get a handle on what is essential, and what is excellent.
Which five?
She grows in terms of Faith...
She grows in terms of Morality...
She grows in terms of Learning...
She grows in terms of Generosity...
She grows in terms of Understanding....
Growing by these five types of growth, any female disciple of the Noble Ones grows
a Noble growth, and thereby gets hold on what is really essential, and what indeed is
quite and truly excellent. Growing in faith, morality, learning, generosity, and finally
understanding, a virtuous female lay disciple, such as this, establishes real essence
within herself. SN 37.34
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/The_Three_Jewels.htm
For fine further Faith (Saddha) please see:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Going_Forth_Faith.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Outstanding_Faith.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Unwavering_Faith.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Analysis_of_Faith.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Power_of_Faith.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Faith_Summary.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Highest_Faith.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Fruitful_Faith.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Leaping_Faith.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Mutual_Faith.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Dual_Faith.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Fine_Faith.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Rich_Faith.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Lay_Faith.htm
Faith is the Seed!
What did the Buddha say about Faith (Saddhâ)?
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/The_Buddha_on_Faith.htm
Friends:
The 4 Right Efforts avoids, overcomes, develops, & maintains!
The Blessed Buddha once said:
Friends: There are four right efforts: the effort to avoid, the effort to
overcome, the effort to develop, and the effort to maintain...
What, friends, is the effort to avoid? In this case, when perceiving
a form with the eye, a sound with the ear, a smell with the nose, a taste
with the tongue, a touch with the body, a thought of mind, one neither
fixes to the overall appearance, nor to any of this sensation's details...
One strives to avert the arising of evil and detrimental states, such as
greed, urge and longing, by remaining guarding these 6 sense-doors!
One watch and notice the senses, keeping the 6 senses under control ...
This is the effort to avoid!
What, friends, is the effort to overcome? In this case, one does not
accept any thought of sensual lust, ill-will, irritation, or any other evil
and detrimental state that may have arisen! One dispels them, destroys
them, causes them to evaporate right there and then, on the very spot...
This is called the effort to overcome!
What, friends, is the effort to develop? In this case, one develops the
7 links enlightenment, which when bent on solitude, detachment and
ceasing, ends in release, namely: Awareness, Investigation, Energy,
Joy, Tranquillity, Concentration and Equanimity...
This is called the effort to develop!
What, friends, is the effort to maintain? In this case, one keeps the
mind firmly focused on any advantageous object of concentration that
may have arisen, such as the mental image of a skeleton, of a festering
corpse infested by worms, of a swollen, decaying corpse, bluish-black
riddled with pus and maggots dripping out of any hole and opening...
This is called the effort to maintain! These are the four Right Efforts.
Source: Anguttara Nikaya. The Numerical Sayings: AN 4:14
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/Canon/Sutta/AN/Index.Numerical.htm
More on Right Effort (Samma-Vayama):
http://what-buddha-said.net/drops/What_is_Right_Effort.htm
http://what-buddha-said.net/drops/III/Energetic_Effort.htm
http://what-buddha-said.net/drops/IV/The_River_of_Energetic_Effort.htm
Clever Avoidance...
The 4 Right Efforts avoids, overcomes, develops, & maintains!
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Avoiding_Effort.htm
Friends:
Which Meditation Objects induce The State of No-Return?
The Blessed Buddha once said:
Bhikkhus, and Friends, from the cultivation and making much of The idea of a Skeleton;
The idea of a Worm-eaten Corpse; The idea of a Pale Bluish Discoloured Corpse;
The idea of a Cleaved and Cut-up Corpse; The idea of a Bloated and Inflated Corpse;
The thought of Universal Friendliness; The thought of Boundless Pity; The thought of Mutual Joy;
The thought of Imperturbable Equanimity; The training of Aware Breathing-in and Breathing-out;
The notion of Disgust; The inevitable Death; The Dispassion and Dislike with all worldly phenomena;
The fact of inherent Impermanence; The fact of immanent Misery and Pain in all worldly phenomena;
The fact of intrinsic Egolessness; The state of Leaving Behind, of Release, and the state of Ceasing!
One of two effects, one of two fruits may be expected even in this very life: Awakening to Arahatship
or Non-Return... Such training therefore results in a Great Benefit; in a Great Peace from all mental
Bondage, in a Great Thrill, in a Great Pleasure of Living! How, friends, should these ideas be cultivated,
how should these ideas be made much of, so as to reach these 2 fruits?
In this, any Noble Friend trains and cultivates the:
The Awareness ... of No-Self, (see note # below)
The Investigation ... of No-Self,
The Energy ... of No-Self,
The Joy ... of No-Self,
The Tranquillity ... of No-Self,
The Concentration ... of No-Self,
The Equanimity ... of No-Self,
All based on seclusion, based on detachment, based on ceasing, ending in total self-surrender...
If these ideas are thus cultivated, thus made much of, thus joined with the 7 links to Awakening,
one may look for one of these two fruits even in this very life: Realization of Disciple-Buddhahood,
or if there are any remaining substrate of clinging left back, in all cases: The state of No-Return!
# Note:
And any of these other classic meditation objects in the list should be substituted here, so that
all these meditation objects are properly joined and fused with the 7 links to Awakening.
The Non-Returner (Anagami) is a Noble Disciple (ariya-puggala) on the 3rd stage of holiness:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/a/anagami.htm
Source:
Samyutta Nikaya V, Maha Vagga: Great Benefits: The state of No-Return! Anagami
The Non-Returner...
Which Meditation Objects induces The State of No-Return?
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Great_No-Return.htm
Friends:
Universal is Genuine Goodwill for all Beings!
The Buddha on the Universality of Friendliness:
Sabbe satta bhavantu sukhi tattha.
May all beings become thus Happy!
As I am, so are others... As others are, so am I...
Having thus identified self and others,
Never Harm anyone, nor have any being abused.
Sutta Nipata 3.710
"No I haven't seen the cat either ..."
With good will for the entire cosmos, cultivate a limitless heart & mind:
Beaming above, below, & all around, unobstructed, without trace of hostility.
Sutta Nipata I, 8
Train yourself in doing good
that lasts and brings happiness.
Cultivate generosity, the life of peace,
and a mind of infinite universal love.
Itivuttaka 22
Video on Metta Meditation on Universal Friendliness:
How to cure Depression?
More on Friendliness (Metta):
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Hey_Friend.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Mothers_Love.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Loving-Kindness.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Across_Borders.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Goodness_Galore.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Cosmic_Goodness.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Unbounded_Mind.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Evaporated_Enemy.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/The_11_Advantages.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Metta_Means_Most.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Friendship_is_Universal.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Release_of_Resentment.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/May_all_Beings_Be_Happy.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Advantageous_is_Friendship.htm
Mighty is Metta :-) _/_
May all beings be soo Happy!
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Mighty_Metta.htm
Friends
How to be a Real True Buddhist through Observance?
This Esala Poya day is the full-moon of July, which is noteworthy since on this celebrated day:
1: The Blessed Buddha preached his First Sermon: The Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta.
2: The Bodhisatta was conceived in Queen Maya who dreamt a white elephant entered her side.
3: The Blessed Buddha made the Great Withdrawal from the world at the age of 29 years.
4: The Blessed Buddha performed the Twin Miracle (yamaka-patihariya) of dual appearance.
5: The Blessed Buddha explained the Abhi-Dhamma in the Tavatimsa heaven to his mother.
6: The ordination of Prince Arittha at Anuradhapura, under Arahat Mahinda on Sri Lanka.
7: The foundation of the celebrated Mahastupa & enshrinement of relics by King Dutugemunu.
8: The next day the yearly 3 months rains retreat (vassa) of Buddhist Bhikkhus start.
The Buddha performing the Twin Miracle of simultaneously producing water & flames from his body.
On such Uposatha Observance days:
Any Lay Buddhist simply joins the Three Refuges and undertakes
the Five Precepts like this: Newly bathed, shaved, white-clothed,
with clean bare feet, one kneels at a shrine with a Buddha-statue,
and bows first three times, so that feet, hands, elbows, knees and
head touch the floor. Then, with joined palms in front of the heart,
one recite these memorized lines in a loud, calm & steady voice:
As long as this life lasts:
I hereby take refuge in the Buddha.
I hereby take refuge in the Dhamma.
I hereby take refuge in the Sangha.
I hereby seek shelter in the Buddha for the 2nd time.
I hereby seek shelter in the Dhamma for the 2nd time.
I hereby seek shelter in the Sangha for the 2nd time.
I request protection from the Buddha for the 3rd time.
I request protection from the Dhamma for the 3rd …
I request protection from the Sangha for the 3rd time.
I will respect these Three Jewels the rest of my life!
I accept to respect & undertake these 5 training rules:
I hereby accept the training rule of avoiding all Killing.
I hereby accept the training rule of avoiding all Stealing.
I hereby accept the training rule of avoiding all Sexual Abuse.
I hereby accept the training rule of avoiding all Dishonesty.
I hereby accept the training rule of avoiding all Alcohol & Drugs.
As long as this life lasts, I am thus protected by these 5 precepts...
Then, one keeps and protects these sacred vows better than one's own
eyes & children!, since they protect you & all other beings much better
than any army! They are the highest offer one can give in & to this world!
This is the very start on the path towards Nibbana -the Deathless Element-
This is the Noble Way to Peace, to Freedom, to Bliss, initiated by Morality,
developed further by Dhamma-Study and fulfilled by training of Meditation...
Queen Maya who dreamt a white elephant entered her side when the Bodhisatta was conceived.
Today indeed is Pooya or Uposatha or observance day, where any lay Buddhist
normally keeps the Eight Precepts from sunrise until the next dawn...
If any wish an official recognition by the Bhikkhu-Sangha, they may simply
forward the lines starting with "I..." signed with name, date, town & country
to me or join here. A public list of this new Saddhamma-Sangha is here!
The New Noble Community of Disciples: The Saddhamma Sangha:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/sangha/Saddhamma_Sangha.htm
Can quite advantageously be Joined Here:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/sangha/Sangha_Entry.htm
May your journey hereby be eased, light, swift and sweet. Never give up !!!
Bhikkhu Samahita: what.buddha.said@gmail.com
For Details on Uposatha Observance Days
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/uposatha.html
Today Esala Full-Moon Poya day!
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Esala_Poya_Day.htm
Friends:
Formless is the Fruit of the 4 Infinite States:
The Blessed Buddha once pointed out some fine future fruits:
I: The release of mind by universal friendliness developed linked with
the 7 links to Enlightenment, has the beautiful liberation as culmination!
II: The release of mind by compassionate pity developed all joined with
the 7 links to Enlightenment, has the infinitude of space, as culmination!
This is the 1st formless absorption.
III: The release of mind by altruistic & mutual joy developed all linked
with the 7 links to Enlightenment, has the infinitude of consciousness,
as ultimate culmination... This is the 2nd formless absorption.
IV: The release of mind by imperturbable equanimity developed combined
with the 7 links to Enlightenment, has the sphere of nothingness, as the
absolute culmination... This is the 3rd formless absorption.
So do these 4 divine & infinite states of friendliness, pity, mutual joy and
equanimity, when cultivated together with the 7 links to Enlightenment:
Awareness, Investigation, Energy, Joy, Tranquillity, Concentration and
Equanimity, lead to entry and absorption into these 4 sublime formless
mental dimensions of supra-mundane consciousness...
Final Entry after much meditation...
More on the infinitely divine states (Brahma-Viharas):
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Infinite_Friendliness.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Endless_Pity.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Rejoicing_Bliss_is_Mudita.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Equanimity_Upekkha.htm
From Delight in Diversity to Unification in Oneness...
Source:
The Grouped Sayings of the Buddha. Samyutta Nikaya. Book V 115-21
Section 46: On The Enlightenment Factors. Linked with Friendliness: 54.
http://www.pariyatti.com/book.cgi?prod_id=948507
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/samyutta/index.html
Have a nice and noble day!
Friendship is the Greatest!
Bhikkhu Samahita _/_ Sri Lanka
http://What-Buddha-Said.net
Four Fine Formless Fruits!
From Delight in Diversity to Unification in Oneness...
http://what-buddha-said.net/drops/II/The_Formless_Dimensions.htm
I feel this post exemplifies the idea of Dharma as experiential or soft/internal science. It is internally verifiable. To our best ability and comprehension we follow the Buddhist path. What begins to happen is an improvement of our chronic inability to cope and come to terms with dukkha.
People often ask about which part of dharma we should engage with. Everything we can as soon as possible. Before death preferably. Well that is my plan.
Friends:
What are the 5 Primary Categories of Being?
I: There is the Cluster of Clinging to Material Form (Rupa):
Form or materiality is composed of these 4 Primary Elements:
1: Solidity based microscopically on the force of extension.
2: Fluidity based microscopically on the force of cohesion.
3: Heat based microscopically on the property of vibration.
4: Motion based microscopically on the property of energy.
From these 4 can be derived all other formed phenomena...
Form (Rupa) in Buddhism is a quality, but not a substance...
Whatever there are of formed things, whether past, present
or future, internal or external, fine or gross, high or low,
far or near, all these belong to this form group. Desire, lust
craving and clinging to that, is the cluster of clinging to form!
II: There is the Cluster of Clinging to Mental Feeling (Vedana):
There are these five kinds of Feeling:
1: Bodily pleasant feeling and 2: Bodily painful feeling.
3: Mentally glad feeling and 4: Mentally sad feeling. And finally:
5: Indifferent feeling = Neither painful, pleasant, sad, nor glad.
Feeling is born as effect of eye contact, or ear contact, or nose
contact, or tongue contact, or body contact, or mental contact...
Whatever there is of feeling, whether past, present or future,
internal or external, fine or gross, high or low, far or near, all
that belongs to this feeling group. Desire, lust, craving for, and
clinging to these reactions, is the cluster of clinging to feeling!
III: There is the Cluster of Clinging to Mental Perception (Sañña):
There are these six kinds of Perception:
1: Visual perception of form and color. 2: Auditory perception of sound.
3: Olfactory perception of smell. 4: Gustatory perception of taste.
5: Tactile perception of touch. 6: Mental perception of ideas and states.
Whatever there is of perception, whether past, present or future,
internal or external, fine or gross, high or low, far or near, all that
belongs to this perception group. Desire, lust, craving for and clinging to
these perceived experiences, is the cluster of clinging to perception!
IV: There is the Cluster of Clinging to Mental Construction (Sankhara):
There are six kinds of mental construction dealing with visual objects,
or hearable objects, or smellable, or tastable, or touchable objects, or
thinkable objects. Whatever there is of mental construction, whether past,
present or future, internal or external, fine or gross, high or low, far or
near, all that belongs to this mental construction group. Desire, craving for
and clinging to these objectives, is the cluster of clinging to construction!
Wanting to see some special form is the mental construction of intention...
V: There is the Cluster of Clinging to Consciousness (Viññana):
There are six kinds of consciousness:
1: The Visual Consciousness of seeing. 2: The Auditory Consciousness of hearing.
3: Olfactory Consciousness of smelling. 4: Gustatory Consciousness of tasting.
5: Tactile Consciousness of touching. 6: The Mental Consciousness of thinking.
Whatever there is of consciousness, whether past, present or future, internal
or external, fine or gross, high or low, far or near, all that belongs to this very
consciousness group. Desire, craving for and clinging to this aware recognition,
is the cluster of clinging to consciousness!
The Blessed Buddha said:
Recluses and priests, who knows the causation, the ceasing, and the way leading
to the ceasing of these five clusters of clinging, who are practicing for disgust
towards these, for their fading away and dissolution, they are practicing well!
They are later released and well liberated through this very non-clinging...
Those who are well liberated are consummate ones, completed ones...
There is no way of describing such utterly perfected ones...
There is nothing in this or any Universe apart from these 5 Clusters of Clinging...
More on these 5 Clusters of Clinging (Khandha):
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Any_Kind.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Not_Yours.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/The_Leash.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Like_Foam.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/House_on_Fire.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Fingernail_of_Soil.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Acquisition_of_Fuel.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Clustered_Truths.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_Burning_Five.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Burden_and_Prison.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Breaking_the_Bonds.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Stilling_of_Clinging.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/g_m/khandha.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_5_Clusters_of_Clinging.htm
If Clinging: How can one ever be Free?
If Not Free: How can one ever be Happy?
Source: The Grouped Sayings by the Buddha. Samyutta Nikaya XXII (56); [III 59-61]
http://www.pariyatti.com/book.cgi?prod_id=948507 A Vast Ocean of True Dhamma Teaching!
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/sutta/samyutta/index.html#Khandha On these Clusters!
Have a nice, noble and relinquished day!
The 5 Clusters!
What are the 5 Clusters of Clinging?
http://what-buddha-said.net/drops/What_are_the_5_Clusters_of_Clinging.htm
Friends:
Cool Canadians Teach Children How to Cope:
http://www.macleans.ca/society/health/bringing-mindfulness-to-the-school-curriculum
"The first blue bead stands for “breathe.” The second, red, cues her to reflect on her "thoughts",
yellow makes her consider "emotions" etc.. Reminders to “take a mindful breath, and to be a little more stable.”
"Students practised breathing, “body scans”, and learned to “surf the wave” of difficult emotions,
like anger or anxiety, "
“Tai-Chi: There are 415 kids in a gym,” says principal Hugh Blackman, “and you can hear a pin drop.”
"You have to start with teachers,”
"The 'Mind-Up' program is Mindfulness training to teachers, including classroom “brain-breaks” 3 times daily."
"The response was overwhelmingly positive... "
"Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto concluded that, when it comes to warding off
a relapse into major depression, mindfulness is as effective as medication.."
"A 2013 paper found that 10- and 11-year-olds, who participated in an eight-week program were better
able to ignore distractions. Another found that 12-to-16-year-old students had fewer symptoms of
stress and depression."
Naqvi finds in times of stress it helps her understand “it’s okay, everyone feels the same way.
Taking a deep breath makes you feel more confident, and ready for what you’re about to do.”
Anapanasati breathing meditation guided and explained:
As streaming audio
As mp3
https://www.dropbox.com/s/b75hbanxcxf01e9/anapanasati.breathing.meditation.mp3
3 Excellent & Complete Meditation Manuals are here:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/pdfs/anapanasati.pdf
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/pdfs/Main_Meditation_Manual.pdf
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/pdfs/PathofPurification2011.pdf
Sound worldwide meditation centers can be found here:
http://www.dhamma.org/en/bycountry
Regarding Asian and Sri Lankan Monasteries and Meditation Centers See:
http://what-buddha-said.net/library/pdfs/Asia_Retreats.pdf
http://what-buddha-said.net/library/pdfs/Forest_Monasteries_Sri_Lanka.pdf
Father and son: Hard-core Thai Tiger version: White Silence...
Where to Start...
Cool Canadians Teach Children How to Cope:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Where_to_Start.htm
How wonderful.
Always knew teachers would come in handy . . .
Friends:
What are the 16 roots of Imperturbable Peace?
1: The undepressed mind is not perturbed by any sadness, therefore it is unperturbed..
2: The unexcited mind is not perturbed by any agitation, therefore it is unperturbed..
3: The unattracted mind is not perturbed by any desire, therefore it is unperturbed..
4: The unopposed mind is not perturbed by any anger, therefore it is unperturbed..
5: The self-reliant mind is not perturbed by other's opinions, therefore it is unperturbed..
6: The uninvolved mind is not perturbed by any annoyance, therefore it is unperturbed..
7: The released mind is not perturbed by any sensual lust, therefore it is unperturbed..
8: The detached mind is not perturbed by any clinging, therefore it is unperturbed..
9: The unhindered mind is not perturbed by any obstruction, therefore it is unperturbed.
10: The unified mind is not perturbed by any diverse variety, therefore it is unperturbed..
11: The mind reinforced by faith is not perturbed by any doubt, therefore it is unperturbed..
12: The enthusiastic keen mind is not perturbed by any laziness, therefore it is unperturbed..
13: The acutely aware mind is not perturbed by any negligence, therefore it is unperturbed..
14: The concentrated mind is not perturbed by any distraction, therefore it is unperturbed..
15: The understanding mind is not perturbed by any confusion, therefore it is unperturbed..
16: The illuminated mind is not perturbed by any dark blind ignorance, thus it is unperturbed..
These sixteen roots of success lead to the obtaining of super-human power and to the
fearlessness of one enjoying the success of supra-human force...
Source: Sariputta, in: The Path of Discrimination: Patidasambhidamagga II 206
More on Supra-human Force (Abhiñña, Iddhi):
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Suprahuman_Force.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Suprahuman_Force_II.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Suprahuman_Force_III.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Suprahuman_Force_IV.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Suprahuman_Force_V.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Suprahuman_Force_VI.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Energy_as_Way_to_Force.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Investigation_as_Way_to_Force.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Immersing_the_Body_in_the_Mind.htm
The most Venerable Sariputta
Unperturbed...
The 16 Supra-Human Roots!
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/The_16_Roots.htm
The internet aware mind is not caught in another's web, so is unperturbed...
Just saying!
The compassionate mind not perturbed by any hatred, therefore it is unperturbed.
Friends:
The Blessed Buddha once said:
Sabbe satta, sabbe pana,
sabbe bhuta ca kevala,
sabbe bhadrani passantu.
Ma kañci papamagama.
May all creatures, all living things,
all beings without any exception,
experience good happiness only!
May they not fall into any harm.
Anguttara Nikaya 4.67
Solitude is happiness for one, who is content,
who has heard the Dhamma and clearly sees.
Non-violence is happiness in this world:
Harmlessness towards all living beings.
Udana 10
HARMLESS
The one, who has left violence,
who never harm any being,
whether they are trembling or still,
who never kill, nor causes to kill,
such one, harmless, is a Holy One.
Dhammapada 405
More on Harmlessness (Ahimsa):
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Blessing_all_Beings_by_Bliss.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Optimal_Observance_I.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Patient_is_Tolerance.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Bon_Benevolence.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Not_Killing.htm
May all Beings be Happy!
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/May_all_be_Happy.htm
"Gardening" comments moved to here.
Friends:
An Advantageous Daily Routine:
One should often contemplate the inevitable fact of DEATH! Why actually doing this?
Because this inevitably makes one approach Nibbana – The only Deathless Destination - ...
Neglecting thinking about death makes one accumulate future rebirths, and thereby also
future rounds of ageing, decay, sickness and inevitable death! This is thus only Suffering!
Considering death is therefore quite advantageous, but initially not exactly pleasant…
Death contemplation gradually induces full fearlessness for death and all other anxieties.
Neglecting death is therefore detrimental, though more dull & pleasant as if anesthetized …
This fact remains: One looses ALL again & again at the moment of death including this body…
Death itself is painless and should not be feared. It is life itself that is painful and dreadful
and therefore should be feared! The only way to escape life-death-cycle is not to be (re)-born…
Only this is Peace ! Only this is Freedom from all future suffering! Only this is END of all pain...
Only this cessation of Samsara is - in itself - irreversibly lasting Happiness !
As the Buddha Gotama said:
Nibbanam paranam sukham...
Nibbana is the Highest Bliss!
Dhammapada 203/204
On daily Death-Contemplation as advised by the Buddha:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Death.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Game_Over.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/The_Problem.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_Deathless.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/The_Unborn_State.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Death_Contemplation.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Desireless_is_Deathless.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_Deathless_Dimension.htm
Stopping the Spin...
About End-Making!
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/End_Making.htm
Kia Ora,
"Transient alas ! are all component things,
Subject are they to birth-and then decay;
Having gained birth to death the life-flux swings;
Bliss truly dawns when unrest dies away!"
Metta Shoshin .
..
Friends:
Regarding the Best Way to Be:
The Blessed Buddha once said:
Sabbadanam dhammadanam jinati
sabbarasam dhammaraso jinati
sabbaratim dhammarati jinati
tanhakkhayo sabbadukkham jinati.
THE SUPREME GIFT
The gift of Dhamma surpasses all other gifts.
The taste of Truth excels every other taste.
The joy of Understanding exceeds any other joy.
The elimination of Craving overcomes, quenches &
triumphs over all pain, all sorrow, and all suffering ...
Dhammapada 354
Be understanding to your perceived enemies.
Be loyal to all your good friends.
Be strong enough to face the changing world each day.
Be weak enough to know you cannot do everything alone.
Be generous to those who need your help.
Be frugal with that you need yourself.
Be wise enough to know, that you do not know everything.
Be foolish enough to believe in the unknown miracle.
Be willing to share your joys, resources and riches.
Be willing to share and bear the sorrows of others.
Be a leader, when you see the path others may have missed.
Be a follower, when you are shrouded by the mists of uncertainty.
Be the first to congratulate an opponent, who succeeds.
Be the last to criticize a colleague, who fails.
Be sure where your next step will fall, so that you will not tumble.
Be sure of your final destination, in case you are going the wrong way.
Be loving to those, who love you, and also towards those who don't...
Be friendly to those, who do not love you since then they may change.
Above all: Be AWARE!
Be Good!
The Best Way to Be :-)
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Be_Good.htm
A precious teaching. Thank you!
Be the last to criticize a colleague, who fails....Be loving to those, who love you, and also towards those who don't...
Be friendly to those, who do not love you since then they may change.
Above all: Be AWARE!
>
I should pin this as a reminder to some members..... :rolleyes: .
Friends:
Realizable here & now in each & every Moment!
The Blessed Buddha once said:
Overwhelmed and obsessed by desire, anger, & confusion, one aims at one's
own ruin, others' ruin, and at the ruin of both! One thereby suffers much
mental pain and frustration... If, however, desire, anger, and confusion are
eliminated, then one aims neither at one's own ruin, nor at others' ruin, nor
at the ruining of both, and one therefore neither suffers any mental pain
nor any frustration at all! Hence is Nibbana realizable right here and now
in this very lifetime, immediate, inviting, intriguing, and intelligible to each
intelligence! Exactly in so far as anyone has made real the complete ceasing
of all greed, hate, and ignorance, just in so far, to exactly that very degree,
is Nibbana realizable right here and now in this very life, immediate, instant,
inviting, interesting, and intelligible to each and every intelligent being...
Follow this Golden Middle Way:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Golden_Middle_Way.htm
Light it up by probing it with a beam of scrutinizing examination!
Source:
Numerical Discourses of the Buddha. Anguttara Nikaya AN 3:55
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/Canon/Sutta/AN/Index.Numerical.htm
Intelligent Invitation!
Who can do it? You can do it!
http://what-buddha-said.net/drops/III/Immediate_and_Inviting.htm
Friends:
Ignorance is the Root of Suffering!
At Varanasi in the Deer Park at Isipatana, they once asked Sariputta:
Ignorance, ignorance, it is said, what now, friend, is this ignorance,
and in what way is one immersed in such ignorance?
Here, friend, the uninstructed ordinary person does not understand
as it really is: The arising, the ceasing, the satisfaction, the danger,
nor the escape, nor the way leading to escape, neither in the case of
form, nor of in the case of feeling, nor of in the case of perception,
nor of in the case of mental construction, nor of in the case of this
consciousness. This, friends, is called ignorance, and in this way is
one indeed still immersed in the fatal blindness of ignorance...
More on Ignorance (Avijja):
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Ignorance.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/a/avijjaa.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Cause_of_Ignorance.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Because_of_Not_Knowing.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_Causes_of_Ignorance.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Whenever_and_Wherever.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Because_of_Not_Examining.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Indifference_Creates_Ignorance.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/What_is_the_Cause_of_Ignorance.htm
Source:
The Grouped Sayings by the Buddha. Samyutta Nikaya 22:131+5 III 174-6
http://www.pariyatti.com/book.cgi?prod_id=948507
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/samyutta/index.html
What is Ignorance?
Ignorance is the Root of Suffering!
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/What_is_Ignorance.htm
Friends:
What are the Causes of Ignorance?
First: Ignorance is not seeing and not knowing the 4 Noble Truths fully!
The near and proximate cause is the 5 mental hindrances:
Ignorance comes into being caused by the 5 mental hindrances!
That is right here and now:
Ignorance grows up caused by desire and lust...
Ignorance arises caused by aversion and ill-will...
Ignorance emerges caused by lethargy and laziness...
Ignorance appears caused by restlessness and regret...
Ignorance comes into being caused by doubt and uncertainty...
All these 5 factors will obscure, obstruct and distort the 4 Noble Truths!
So also will these 5 mental hindrances block the manifold and profound
implications and wide-ranging consequences of these 4 Noble Truths!
The remote and subtle cause is fermentation ~ assuming and supposing:
Conditioned by mental fermentation (asava) does ignorance emerge:
That is multi-factorially, on the long-term, as a hidden latent tendency:
Ignorance is caused by the mental fermentation linked with sense-desire.
Ignorance is caused by the mental fermentation associated with views.
Ignorance is caused by the mental fermentation coupled with becoming.
Ignorance is caused by the mental fermentation joined with ignorance itself!
The often unseen emotional causal component of ignorance is neutral feeling:
Ignorance is caused by a feeling of neutral indifference, since this absence
of both pleasure and pain promotes neglect by disabling interest and examination,
which then logically results in not knowing the specifics of the object = ignorance...
Thus the unaware mind will automatically disregard all objects, that does neither
arouses any pleasure, nor burns with any pain... This default discarding inevitably
causes ignorance as the object is not offered any attention, or examination..
Ignorance thus grows in a fatal positively self-enhancing feedback-loop!
The Blessed Buddha said:
Bhikkhus, a beginning of ignorance cannot be pointed out in this way:
Before this point in time, there was no ignorance, afterward it came.
But, Bhikkhus, it can be pointed out in this way:
Caused by this, ignorance comes to be. Bhikkhus, I tell you, ignorance too
has a causing condition! What is the causing condition of ignorance?
The five mental hindrances is the reply...
Source: AN X 61, AN X 62
What is ignorance, what is the origin of ignorance, what is the ceasing of
ignorance, and what is the way leading to the ceasing of ignorance?
Not knowing about suffering, not knowing about the origin of suffering,
not knowing about the ceasing of suffering, not knowing about the way
leading to the ceasing of suffering, this is called ignorance!
With the arising of the mental fermentations, ignorance also arises.
With the ceasing of the mental fermentations, ignorance also ceases!
The way leading to the ceasing of ignorance is just this Noble 8-fold Way:
That is; Right view, right motivation, right speech, right action,
right livelihood, right effort and right concentration.
Source: MN 9
More on Ignorance (avijja):
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Ignorance.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/a/avijjaa.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/What_is_Ignorance.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_Causes_of_Ignorance.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Whenever_and_Wherever.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Because_of_Not_Knowing.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Because_of_Not_Examining.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Indifference_Creates_Ignorance.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Indifference_Creates_Ignorance.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/What_is_the_Cause_of_Ignorance.htm
For Details on the Mental Fermentations (asava) please see:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/a/aasava.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/The_Proximate_Cause.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Cause_of_Ignorance.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_Three_Fermentations.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Freed_from_Fermentation.htm
What Causes Ignorance?
http://what-buddha-said.net/drops/II/Cause_of_Ignorance.htm
At first I was wondering if "ignorance" was referring to little i ignorance, like not knowing the capital of Paraguay or big I ignorance, as in of self, because the 5 hindrances just seemed like saying someone is lazy and stupid.
Then when he quoted no beginning point and pointed out the feedback loop I was like "well that's a fine predicament we've gotten ourselves into" and some of my own ignorance about my situation was reduced.
Friends:
Making oneself into a Mighty Friend:
Friendliness means Goodwill
Friendliness means Kindness
Friendliness means Helpfulness
Friendliness means Assistance
Friendliness means Support
Friendliness means Benevolence
Friendliness means Concern
Friendliness means Care
Friendliness means Compassion
Friendliness means Cooperation
Friendliness means Mutual Aid
Friendliness means Mutual Advantage
Friendliness means Symbiosis
Friendliness means Sympathy
Friendliness means Basic Trust
The Blessed Buddha once said:
A friend who always lends a hand,
a friend both in sorrow and joy,
a friend who offers good counsel,
a friend who sympathizes too.
These are the four kinds of true friends:
one who is wise, having understood,
will always cherish and serve such friends
just as a mother tends her only child.
DN III 188
As a mother even with her life protects her only child,
so let one cultivate immeasurable loving-kindness towards
all living beings.
Bhikkhus, whatever kinds of worldly merit there are,
all are not worth one sixteenth part of the release of mind by
universal friendliness; in shining, glowing and beaming radiance
the release of mind by infinite & endless friendliness far excels &
even surpasses them all. Itivuttaka 27
He who does not strike nor makes
others strike, who robs not nor makes
others rob, sharing love with all that live,
finds enmity with none. Itivuttaka 22
Thus he who both day and night
takes delight in harmlessness
sharing love with all that live,
finds enmity with none. SN I 208
When one with a mind of love
feels compassion for the entire world --
above, below and across,
unlimited everywhere. Jataka 37
I am a friend of the footless,
I am a friend of the bipeds;
I am a friend of those with four feet,
I am a friend of the many-footed.
May not the footless harm me,
may not the bipeds harm me,
may not those with four feet harm me,
and may not those with many feet harm me.
AN II 72
Among tigers, lions, leopards & bears I lived on the wood.
No one was frightened of me, nor did I fear anyone.
Uplifted by such universal friendliness I enjoyed the forest.
Finding great solace in silent solitude. Suvanna-sama Jataka 540
I am a friend and helper to all,
I am sympathetic to all living beings.
I develop a mind full of love
and takes always delight in harmlessness.
I gladden my mind, fill it with joy,
and make it immovable and unshakable.
I develop the divine states of mind
not cultivated by simple men. Theragatha. 648-9
On this mighty state of Friendliness (Metta) Friendship:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Symbiotic_Sympathy.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/The-Effective_Saw.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/The_11_Advantages.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Evaporated_Enemy.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Genuine_Goodwill.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Cosmic_Goodness.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Blazing_Goodwill.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Unbounded_Mind.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Goodness_Galore.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Loving-Kindness.htm
Goodwill is always a mutual advantage!
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Blazing_Friendliness.htm
I used to blaze one up in friendliness j/k. Seriously there is innate friendliness in most of us. The trick is to figure out how to cultivate friendliness to be more healing.
Friends:
Faith in the Three Jewels is the Entrance!
Worthy, honourable & perfectly self-Enlightened is the Buddha!
Consummated in knowledge and behaviour, totally transcended, expert in
all dimensions, knower of all worlds, unsurpassable trainer of those who
can be tamed, both teacher & guide of gods as well as of humans, blessed,
exalted, awakened and enlightened is the Buddha!
Perfectly formulated is this Buddha-Dhamma, visible right here and now,
immediately effective, timeless, inviting each & everyone to come and see
for themselves, inspect, examine and verify! Leading each and everyone
through progress towards perfection. Directly observable, experiencable
and realizable by each intelligence...
Perfectly training is the Noble Sangha community of Buddha's disciples.
Training the right way, the true way, the good way, and the direct way!
Therefore do these eight kinds of individuals, the 4 Noble pairs, deserve
both gifts, self-sacrifice, offerings, hospitality and reverential salutation
with joined palms, since this Noble Sangha community of Noble disciples,
is an unsurpassable and forever unsurpassed field of merit, in and for this
world, to support, worship, respect, protect, give to and gain from ...
Buddham saranam gacchami
Dhammam saranam gacchami
Sangham saranam gacchami
I take refuge in the Buddha!
I take refuge in the Dhamma!
I take refuge in the Sangha!
Thereby Honouring:
The Torch-bearer of Mankind!
On How to become a real true Buddhist:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refuge_(Buddhism)
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/sangha/Sangha_Entry.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/sangha/Saddhamma_Sangha.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/sangha/Refuges_and_Precepts.htm
The 3 Jewels: Tiratana!
Honouring the 3 Jewels is the Entrance!
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_Three_Jewels.htm
Friends:
How to be Released into the End of Suffering?
The Blessed Buddha once said:
Bhikkhus, these Four Foundations of Awareness, when firmly established
by development and cultivation, are both Noble and Liberating! They lead
any one out into the complete elimination of all Suffering. What four?
Here, Bhikkhus, a Bhikkhu lives and dwells, aware and clearly comprehending,
while continuously contemplating and reflecting upon:
1: The Body merely as a decaying and ownerless formation..
2: The Feelings just as conditioned responses fading away..
3: The Mind only as a set of ingrained and habituated moods..
4: Any Phenomenon simply as a mentally constructed appearance..
Thereby removing any yearning, urge, envy and frustration rooted in this world..
These Four Foundations of Awareness, Bhikkhus, when firmly established by
such development and cultivation, are both Noble and Releasing! They guide
one to the Exit, to the Escape by an absolute destruction of all Suffering!
Details on the 4 Foundations of Awareness (Sati):
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Sati_Studies.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Causes_of_sati.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Sati_Summary.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Sati_in_Solitude.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Awareness_Sati.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Clear_Comprehension.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Noble_Awareness.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/One_and_only_Way.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Feeding_Awareness.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Awareness_Analysis.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Sati_a_la_Anuruddha.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/What_is_Right_Awareness.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Careful_and_Rational_Attention.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Clear_and_Aware_Comprehension.htm
Source of reference (edited extract):
The Grouped Sayings of the Buddha. Samyutta Nikaya.
Book [V: 166-7] 47 The Foundations of Awareness: 17 Noble...
Noble Awareness ...
Clever Focus on the 4 Great Frames of Reference!
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Noble_Awareness.htm
"We all want to help one another, Human Beings are like that. We want to live by each other's happiness, not each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another." -Charlie Chaplin.
Truer words never spoken imo.
EDIT - Seriously though @Samahita your thread's title caught me off guard, haha. I saw it and thought "Balls! this guy has brass balls!"
@Zayl, Not an entirely appropriate thing to say to a Theravada Monk.....
Just being honest with the guy, I'm sure he can handle a little off-color humor? To me a show of respect is a bit of a ribbing and trusting that they can deal with it.
Regardless, getting off topic. I apologize if I caused offense.
It's not a question of whether they can handle the humour or not. It's whether the line is an appropriate one to say to a Monk, at all. The onus is not on him to find the humour. The onus is on you to consider your words, and how suitable they are.
So how do we do with friends who are not loyal to us. Or is my expectation too high?
The Buddha, as ever, advises that those who are not loyal, one can class a fools. You know what they say: Fool me once, more fool you. Fool me twice, more fool me. Do not leave yourself open to being vulnerable and hurt by the actions of people you believed were friends, but have demonstrated they are something else. By all means give people an opportunity to redeem themselves - but don't be a doormat. Do not put up with behaviour you secretly view as unacceptable, and grin and bear it. Compassion is one thing. being a danged fool is something else entirely.
@federica, Thanks for the word of wisdom.
Friends:
Everything Converges on Feeling (Vedanâ)!
The 3 Kinds of Feeling are:
1: Pleasant Feeling that is agreeable, delightful and likable.
2: Painful Feeling that is disagreeable, repulsive and distressing.
3: Neutral Feeling that is an indifferent neither pleasure, nor pain.
The 5 Kinds of Feeling are:
1: Pleasant Bodily Feeling that is agreeable and arisen in the body.
2: Painful Bodily Feeling that is disagreeable and arisen in the body.
3: Pleasant Mental Feeling that is agreeable and arisen in the mind.
4: Painful Mental Feeling that is disagreeable and arisen in the mind.
5: Neutral Feeling that is an indifferent neither pleasure, nor pain.
The 6 Kinds of Feeling are:
1: Feeling that is arisen from visual eye contact.
2: Feeling that is arisen from auditory ear contact.
3: Feeling that is arisen from olfactory nose contact.
4: Feeling that is arisen from gustatory tongue contact.
5: Feeling that is arisen from tactile skin and body contact.
6: Feeling that is arisen from mental mind and ideational contact.
The cause of Feeling is Momentary Sense Contact:
Ceasing of this momentary contact instantly ceases the feeling!
The resulting effect of Feeling is Craving, if the mind is untrained...
Noble Awareness of arising feeling can prevent the arising of craving.
All early Buddhist training of mind control aims at this crucial purpose:
To break the automatic emergence of craving, when feeling arises!
If the feeling is pleasant arises craving towards the object...
Pleasant feeling is therefore the cause of desire, lust and greed!
If the feeling is painful arises craving away from the object...
Painful feeling is therefore the cause of aversion, anger and hate!
If the feeling is neutral arises craving for neglect of the object...
Neutral feeling is therefore the cause of ignorance, and confusion!
Since ignorance, greed and hate are the three roots of all Evil and
their absence are the three roots of all Freedom it verily confirms:
Every state and all experienced phenomena converges on this Feeling...
On Feeling (Vedana):
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Five_Feelings.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Latent_Feeling.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_108_Feelings.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Emotional_Storm.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Focusing_on_Feeling.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/u_v/vedanaa.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Detached_from_Feeling.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Dependent_on_Contact.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_8_Aspects_of_Feeling.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Bodily_and_Mental_Feeling.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Feeling_Causes_and_Effects.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Three_Basic_Kinds_of_Feeling.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Indifference_Creates_Ignorance.htm
Disabling Runaway Emotion!
All Mental States Converge on Feeling ..
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Analysis_of_Feeling.htm
Monk insulted on Internet. Theist insulted on way to worship. Moslem insulted by America.
Lobster insulted by insulted.
Keep your guards up, but love them at human level.
Friends:
Friendship is seeding the 7 links to Awakening!
The Blessed Buddha once said:
Just as dawn is the forerunner and the precursor of the rising of the Sun,
exactly so is good and Noble friendship for any disciple the forerunner and
the precursor of the mental emergence of the Seven Links to Awakening!
When a Bhikkhu has a good and Noble friend, it is to be expected that he will
develop and cultivate these 7 Links to Awakening. And how does a Bhikkhu who
has a good & Noble friend develop & cultivate these 7 Links to Awakening?
Here, friends, this Bhikkhu trains, develops, deepens, reinforces and refines:
1: The Awareness Link to Awakening: sati-sambojjhanga.
2: The Investigation Link to Awakening: dhammavicaya-sambojjhanga.
3: The Energy Link to Awakening: viriya-sambojjhanga.
4: The Joy Link to Awakening: piti-sambojjhanga.
5: The Tranquillity Link to Awakening: passaddhi-sambojjhanga.
6: The Concentration Link to Awakening: samadhi-sambojjhanga.
7: The Equanimity Link to Awakening: upekkha-sambojjhanga.
based upon seclusion, disillusion, ceasing of craving, and culminating in release!
It is in exactly in this way that any Bhikkhu, who has a good and Noble Friend,
truly trains, grows, intensifies, reinforces & refines the 7 Links to Awakening...
On these 7 Links to Awakening (Sambojjhanga):
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/The_Sun.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/The_Peak.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/The_Clothes.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Rare_Emergence.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Sequential_Seven.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Vast_Penetration.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/The_Seven_Fruits.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Unsurpassable_Seven.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/When_7_becomes_14.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/The_7_Links_to_Awakening.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Leading_to_Enlightenment.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/The_Seven_Links_to_Awakening.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/The_Cause_of_Knowledge_and_Vision.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/The_Meaning_of_the-7_Links_to_Awakening.htm
Source edited extract:
The Grouped Sayings of the Buddha. Samyutta Nikaya.
Book [V: 101] section 46: The Links. 48: The Sun....
How to become One who Shines?
The Sun!
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/The_Sun.htm
Friends:
Some Sequential & Consequential Facts!
Whenever and wherever there is Ignorance of the 4 Noble Truths;
There is also Greed, Voracity, Lust, Desire, Craving and Longing!
Whenever and wherever there is Greed, Lust, Desire, and Craving;
There is also the Hate, Envy, Jealousy, and Fear of Loosing!
Whenever and wherever there is Hate, Envy, Jealousy and fierce Anger;
There is also Conflict, Clash, Opposition, Hostility and raging Violence!
Whenever and wherever there is Conflict, Hostility and Violence;
There is neither Peace, nor Harmony, nor any Relaxed Contentment!
Whenever and wherever there is neither Peace, nor any Harmony;
There is neither Gladness, nor Joy, nor Bliss, nor any Happiness!
Whenever and wherever there is neither Gladness, nor any Happiness;
There is Suffering, Frustration, Misery, Distress and Discomfort!
Whenever and wherever there is Suffering, Frustration, and Misery;
There is neither Concentration, nor any condensed mental Absorption!
Whenever and wherever there is no Well Focused Concentration;
There is no penetration into the real and true Nature of all Phenomena!
Whenever and wherever there is no penetration into the 3 Basic Realities;
There is Ignorance of the 4 Noble Truths, Confusion, Uncertainty & Doubt...
Friends, I tell you: It is in this way, that Ignorance grows more Ignorance!
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/What_is_Ignorance.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/The_3_Ultimate_Facts.htm
http://what-buddha-said.net/drops/V/Dependent_Origination.htm
Whenever and Wherever!
Some Sequential & Consequential Facts!
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Whenever_and_Wherever.htm
Friends:
Maintain this Noble Wish of Sympathy:
May I be happy, may I sustain my happiness by living without trace of enmity.
May all beings be happy & successful: May they be of full of joy, all beings
that breathe & have life, whether they are weak or strong, tiny or huge,
visible or invisible, near or far away, born or to be born, let all beings enjoy
safety, content ease and a serene bliss!
Let no one deceive another, let no one be harsh in speech, let no one by anger
or hatred wish bad for his neighbour. Even as a mother, at the risk of her life,
guards and protects her only child, so with a boundless heart of compassion,
I venerate all living beings by permeating this entire universe with sympathy,
above, beneath and all around, without limit, immeasurable and endless!
In this very fine way I cultivate an infinite goodwill toward this whole world.
Standing or walking, sitting or lying down, during all my waking hours I will
always treasure and dwell in this thought, knowing that this way of caring
is the most Noble in this entire universe!
Thus shall I, by stilling pointless discussions and controversies, and by acting
blamelessly, be gifted with tranquillity and true insight into what is profound.
Thus shall I subdue the urge for sense-pleasure, and never again know rebirth.
May this also inspire and thereby cause all other sentient beings to fulfil the
conditions leading swiftly to Nibbana, which is the only lasting happiness!
May all sentient beings be thus liberated & fully released from all suffering.
May all sentient beings thus escape the dangers of ageing, disease, & death.
Friendliness is the Greatest! Yeah... :-)
More on this blazing Friendliness (Metta):
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Calm_Kindness.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Good_Friendship.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Universal_Friendliness.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Released_by_GoodWill.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Unsurpassable_Radiance.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Infinite_and_Divine_Classic.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/The_Buddha_on_Noble_Frienship.htm
On Biological Symbiosis="Living together with", an advantageous Social Model:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbiosis
http://www.ms-starship.com/sciencenew/symbiosis.htm
Creating a Future Harmony: So that we may sleep with our doors open,
among hanging gardens and dance with the children in our arms! :-)
Let us all be Good in Joy!
Symbiotic is Sympathy!
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Symbiotic_Sympathy.htm
May all Critters Buzzing be Happy :-)
Video: ‘My’ Reptile and amphibian hermit friends:
The Buddha on Goodwill (Metta):
"May all my legless friends be happy. May all my two-legged friends be happy.
May all my four-legged friends be happy. May all my many-legged friends be happy."
Anguttara Nikaya 4.67
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Cosmic_Goodness.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Unbounded_Mind.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Goodness_Galore.htm
By all means wish them a good, long, healthy, and safe life - but 'happiness' is not a guarantee, in that it is not a good idea to anthropomorphise non-human creatures...
This is just my opinion so far, & i don't mean any offence to anyone....The truth of dukkha is it's what we need no matter when we get it, as it's a chance to learn....The truth of the origin of dukkha is some are built in as default such as death/dukkha jealousy/dukkha etc, & most are just coincidences accidents or caused by other people's unawareness..The truth of the cessation of dukkha is there is no cessation to dukkha there's only how we see dukkha that can ever change, so do we learn from dukkha or do we blame dukkha for how we're turning out....The truth to the path leading to the cessation of dukkha is mindful distraction mindful meditation, & emotions & feelings control practice & a good few months....That in my opinion is the only way to change your own view of how you see your own dukkha moments, & your view of them will change because you will gain a logical neutral thinking mind....Once aware the 8 fold path can easily be followed with little effort, & soon becomes clear to the individual that the 8 fold path is obviously the best path to follow for the individual, simply because it feels the best to do/be....I'm just having a go, & just trying to help someone.
Friends:
Reaching Final Peace of Mind:
A deity once spoke this verse to the Blessed One:
Life inevitably ceases, short is the span of life.
No safe shelter exists for one prone to ageing..
Seeing this danger of certain death, one should
do meritorious deeds, which brings happiness...
The Exalted Buddha responded:
Life inevitably ceases, short is the span of life.
No safe shelter exists for one prone to ageing..
Seeing this danger of certain Death, one should
drop the fleshy bait of this evanescent world!
More on this uncreated peace - Nibbana (Sanskrit = Nirvana):
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Peace.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Final_Freedom.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/climax_of_calm.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Reaching_Peace.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_2_Nibbanas.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/What_is_Nibbana.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/The_Proximate_Cause.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Nibbana_or_non-return.htm
Source: The Grouped Sayings of the Buddha. Samyutta Nikaya I 2
http://www.pariyatti.com/book.cgi?prod_id=948507
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/samyutta/index.html
Reaching Pure Peace...
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Reaching_Peace.htm
Friends:
Nibbâna is the Highest Happiness!!!
The Buddha once said about Nibbana: The Uncreated Dimension:
That, truly, is peace, this is the absolute supreme, namely, the end of
every kammic formation, the final stilling of all mental construction,
the letting go and leaving behind of any substrate for rebirth and all
fuel for becoming, the fading away of all craving, & the relinquishing
of all forms of clinging, silencing, stilling, ceasing, Nibbana.... AN 3:32
Enraptured, ensnared and obsessed with greed, lust, urge & desire,
enraged with hate, fuming with anger, stirred by ill will & irritation,
blinded by ignorance, agitated by confusion, and fooled by delusion,
overwhelmed, with mind entangled, one aims at own ruin, at the ruin
of others, at the ruin of both, & one experiences frustration & pain!
But if lust, hate, and ignorance are eliminated, one aims neither at
own ruin, nor at the ruin of others, nor at the ruin of both, and one
experiences neither mental frustration, nor any pain, nor any grief!
Thus is Nibbana immediate, visible in this life, inviting, captivating,
fascinating & comprehensible to any intelligent & wise being. AN 3:55
The elimination of all Greed, the stilling of all Hate, the eradication
of all Confusion: This quenching, indeed, is the true Nibbana. SN 38:1
FREED
For him, who has completed this journey.
For him, who is untouched by any pain or sorrow.
For him, who is in every-way wholly freed.
For him, who has broken all chains.
For such one, no Suffering is ever Possible!
Dhammapada 90
More on this sublime Blissful State called Nibbana:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Peace.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Final_Freedom.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Reaching_Peace.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/climax_of_calm.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Nibbana_Still.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_Uncreated.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_2_Nibbanas.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/The_Stilled_One.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/What_is_Nibbana.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/n_r/nibbaana.htm
Have a nice unconditioned day!
The Uncreated!
True Peace is Absolute & Everlasting!
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Nibbana_True_Peace.htm