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Achieving Enlightenment in this Lifetime?
What would be required to achieve Enlightenment (in the Nirvanic sense) in this lifetime?
Would one have to become a monk/nun, and devote one's life to meditation and practice?
What would one have to do, specifically, to reach Nirvana?
Would one have to become a monk/nun, and devote one's life to meditation and practice?
What would one have to do, specifically, to reach Nirvana?
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Comments
These teachings should all be understood: The Four Noble Truths, The Noble Eightfold Path (including the precepts and how abstention from the unskillful helps cultivate the skillful), Dukkha, Karma, Dependent Origination, Impermanence, Non-Self or Selflessness, Nirvana, Rebirth, Samsara; rebirth need not be taken in the literal sense, it can be viewed metaphorically.
Part 2: You don't have to become a monk/nun to attain stream-entry is all I can speak to from experience, but I do believe it would be possible to make further progress as well. It's just very difficult to do so amidst the attachments of the householder life. The monastic life is custom-tailored toward the goal; the monk has very few possessions, can't handle money, doesn't concern himself with watching TV or playing games, must get his food once a day and so is always aware of the necessities of life, etc., and most importantly has a ton of time and relative solitude to meditate.
And BTW the "Buddhism in two words" of "Practice mindfulness" that sukhita came up with in your other thread was mentioned by a monk in the BBC special "The Life of Buddha".
1. Listen to Dhamma (Lord Buddha's Teaching)
2. Think over it (yoniso manasikara)
not essential to get into the first level namely, the Right View
this is the starting point
in Buddha's Teaching this is called Stream-enter
it is not essential up to the first three levels namely, stream enter, once-returner and non-returner
of course
but with understanding of Lord Buddha's Teaching
there are other type of meditation which are lead to different levels of concentration of mind namely, First Jhana, second jhana ets. upto eight jhana
but being a monk and non would be easier because worldly responsibilites are less with them
if I can do it, anyone can.
(I think the Buddha said this. or at least he told us how. Stubbornness prevents us from following through I guess.....)
I was being specific.
as requested.
You've done what?
Practise. Practise. Practise.
And with a grateful mind that you have had the luck/karma to hear that there is such a possibility.
excellent advice from my experience.
And with any luck, you'll see what you can c
:om:
well, I guess 'great Minds think alike'.
See zenndo, it really is that simple. And "Buddhism in Two Words" covers it.
... to letting go?
I love irony!
www.tsegyalgar.org/ysn2010
Of the ego
to find nirvana, we must travel to our motherland and cut off our hands
Hi zendo
What is that you think you need now?
_/\_
It seems like many people speak of how difficult it is doing ‘Buddha's path of Liberation’ as a householder. I would like to put in my 2 cents on that conception (or is it an excuse?) and say that it is far more difficult to fool yourself into thinking that you are making great strides, and are much further along on this path than you actually are, when you have to take your practice out on the road, and road test it in everyday life.
To me the distractions, the annoyances, the temptations, and yes even the suffering of major hardships and setbacks are a good thing. It is a little like lifting spiritual weight to strengthen our resolve. It prevents a lot of our 'pie in the sky ideas, and our made up (easy) accomplishments' from taking a firm hold on our mind.
We don’t want to make accomplishments that blow away with the first firm breeze.
: ^ )
Respectfully,
S9
Minimum requirements for nirvana;
1) Inner harmony
2) Outer harmony
Minimum requirements of enlightenment;
1) Physical brain capacity (neurological health)
2) Education/knowledge of situation
3) Wisdom to manage situation
4) Inner harmony
5) Outer opportunity
Meditate! BEcome aware of the stages of insight if you like maps. There is a danger in knowing about them for sure. But if you are stuck in the dukkha nanas, life can be miserable and you have no idea that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Pick a good time tested technique of insight meditation. I spent many years in the Goenka tradition, but I ultimately made a switch or rather included the noting technique taught by Mahasi Sayadaw. The combination of awareness of all sensations on the body and noting all phenomena was a powerful combination in my experience.
You don't have to become a monk or nun to make fast progress. You DO have to maintain a momentum in the practice though. A continuous practice everyday for some time...I was sitting 2 hours a day, and the occasional long retreat to go deeper is very good idea. And this is what I did.
Become aware of the totality of the experience of being. Become aware of the sensations and mental images of the self as it blips in and out of any experience creating the illusion of duality, that there is a subject experiencing an object. Ultimately there is no subject...the "I" is just being misread as "I" when in fact it really is a sum of mental images and sensations arising and passing away on the body. Very anicca, very anatta, very dukkha.
Practice, practice, practice! Momentum is key. When on a retreat, note/ be aware of all phenomena within the body and mind 24/7 except when sleeping of course.....I mean every moment awake.
You may geto up to the 11th nana, equanimity of formations and drop back down to the lower nanas, cycling and cycling through those stages until you have seen it all enough times to allow the stages to flow naturally. Disembed from these strata of mind..the nanas....eventually insight will mature in the 11th nana and you will experience a blip out.....lots of peaceful soothing bliss, an unbelievably concentrated mind, easy access to jhanas, and you may become aware depending on how good your concentration is, of the cycling through the stages of insight starting at the 4th nana Arising and Passing away, up to fruition again and again. Even learning to call up a fruition/cessation moment whenever you want. Lots more work though to do after the 1st stage of enlightenment. Go for stream entry! Make the resolution....dont crave it...note the craving and move on, doing your practice. Resolutions are powerful things if done with wisdom.
After you get that part done, there's more to do...but it's a pretty cool ride...
ps:no mention of "joy management" tho
Responding to a similar question, the first teacher said "Practice like your hair is on fire!"
The second teacher, responding to a question about how long and how often is a good practice schedule, he said "24 hours a day, 7 days a week"
Now if you take those 2 statements and combine them, you get something quite interesting!
S: "Practice like your hair is on fire!"
Plus
“A good practice schedule, he said "24 hours a day, 7 days a week"
Equals
“Seriously searching for Liberation is not a slow burn.”
I always liked the saying, “Its best to want Liberation, like a man who has been held under water for a long time wants a breath of air.
Urgency is implied.
Of course the next question has to be, "Is this "urgency" something we actually do, or is a symptom that the time of birth (death?) is upon us? Is it even within our power at such a time to say, "No thanks?"
Smiles,
S9
Where you are now... exactly where you are now... is the culmination of things that came before, of every thought and all sense-phenomena you've ever experienced, of the conditioned progression of the aggregates. You could not have ended up anywhere else unless the conditions had been different. Find peace in this fact, and that you have for whatever reasons found your way to Buddhism.
We do not own our actions any more than we own our bodies; our minds. There is no owner. We preserve the illusion of free will, of choice, but we are what we are. We go where the road leads us, but the road is more complex than we've ever known. We are of the flow of change, of the stream, and we are carried forth at the same rate. This is the emptiness concept; what it means.
I once had a friend, a proclaimed "Messianic Jew", who refused to watch entertaining television. He said that everything we see can lead to harm. I thought he was being foolish, but I understand now better than he ever did what that means. It doesn't disturb me at all. That's just the way it is, and it's perfect; it's beautiful. It's Dependent Origination.
The story, our story, continues...
W: Let go the rise of good and bad thoughts in every encounters, and still conducting usual secular activities.
S9: I agree with you in this way. When you finally realize that the thoughts that arise in every situation are just like the weather, and you know that the thoughts are not you, you can let them be what they are, rain thoughts, sunshine thoughts, and even tornado thoughts.
As they used to say in New England, where I grew up, “If you don’t like the weather, just wait. It will change in a minute.” : ^ )
Friendly Regards,
S9
S: We feel so strongly that we have a choice.
S9: I always like this saying, “If you want to make the gods laugh, just make plans.”
; ^ )
S: The opposite reality is abhorrent and unnatural.
S9: But, isn’t that what "acceptance" and/or "letting go" is all about, understanding that we are pretty much hemmed in by circumstances? When we were kids we thought we could be anything we wanted to be, a fireman and the president, with plenty of time to spare. Not!
S: But so too do we fear death and wish to believe in a soul.
S9: Yet so many Buddhist fondly wish to escape the soul, or their own selves as a continuing entity, at least as they have come to know themselves.
Most every form of entertainment is billed as an escape…as in “Escape to the Caribbean.” : ^ ) A really good novel makes you fall into it, and forget yourself for a limited period of time. Even the Christians bill “Surrender to God Will” is a pleasant way out of your previously fallen state, "the new man."
One of the greatest things about meditation is that it shows us we can actually step right out of this "head world," (AKA ego self).
S: All things that are a part of our "sense world" can be the conditions for change within our own minds.
S9: Yes, perhaps, but who is the master? Most people pretty much admit that their mind kicks them around a good bit. It is so badly programmed by the time we realize that good programming may be even needed. (AKA Skillful Means)
S: Where you are now... exactly where you are now... is the culmination of things that came before, of every thought and all sense-phenomena you've ever experienced, of the conditioned progression of the aggregates. You could not have ended up anywhere else unless the conditions had been different. Find peace in this fact, and that you have for whatever reasons found your way to Buddhism.
S9: What originally brings you (anyone) to Buddhism, may not be what in fact, given time and hard knocks, you end up getting. That is a good thing, because what we originally want is able to grow with our understanding, and perhaps our maturity.
A good deal of our growth, in fact, is based squarely on our disappointments. When we get what we thought we wanted and needed, it simply isn’t so great as we thought it might be, or even if it is...we realize that it is only a temporary fix, (a roller coaster ride). : ^ (
S: We do not own our actions any more than we own our bodies; our minds. There is no owner. We preserve the illusion of free will, of choice, but we are what we are.
S9: Yes, but what exactly is that. I think if we knew this from the beginning, a good deal of our floundering around could have been avoided.
S: We go where the road leads us, but the road is more complex than we've ever known. We are of the flow of change, of the stream, and we are carried forth at the same rate. This is the emptiness concept; what it means.
S9: Quite so. This is a dream complete with scenery and characters that we wrongfully identify with. Waking up to this fact doesn’t change the dream any, not really. But, who in their right mind takes a dream so seriously that they continue to suffer from it…that is unless they are still sleeping?
Buddhism acts like an Alarm Clock. But, so many of us prefer to hit the snooze button.
; ^ )
Warm Regards,
S9
S: I'm not sure if that's meant to be an argumentative reply or not. Everything you said I agree with, it's just that I was speaking of the deeper level that has nothing to do with our perceptions or wants.
S9: Actually, I thought I was in good part agreeing with much of what you said. But, I thought I was discussing these ideas with you, and not arguing. If it seemed too aggressive on my part that certainly wasn’t my intention.
: ^ )
What I believed that I was adding, to what you said here, was how I notice these things in my everyday lives and thoughts, along with some further questioning of these very same ideas. There is probably no idea of mine that I consider too sacred I cannot question it.
I revisit and question all of my own ideas repeatedly, and often. I find this very beneficial to me for staying receptive. I guess I was just thinking out loud with you.
S: Maybe too deep.
S9: Gee, I sure hope not. : ^ (
But, heaven knows I have had plenty of help in the past with see things more deeply. We all have our little blind spots. This is not the first time this has happened in my life. ; ^ )
Perhaps you would be so kind as to point out where you believe that I missed some of your points. Friends helping friends, should be the highest purpose on this forum, IMO.
: ^ )
Respectfully,
S9
Life goes on...
Yes indeed, although the roads may at times seem diverse, and the scenery uniquely different at times, we are all actually traveling in the same direction. Our road is our individual mind.
But if you don’t mind, I would like to add this little tidbit of personal insight.
I don’t believe that our minds, even if they somehow could be finally united into a super-computer of some kind, are our final destination. Like any good rocket traveling beyond the earth’s pull, this fuel source (mind) may at some point be jettisoned, may prove to be unnecessary.
What we are familiar with as thought, and identify with constantly calling it “my mind,” is merely a dream, dreaming multiple dreams simultaneously.
Buddha woke up, and so can we.
Warm Regards,
S9
Do I need Windows 7.0 to run enlightenment? I only have XP.
:bigclap:
when you are at Window 7.0 you are awaken:p (stream winning)
why not use that P (panna=wisdom) in XP to eXit? (arahnt):p
Wonderful 57 Posts by Wilfred Within 5 days:):):)
with respect to Wilfred,
i do not know how i did overlook the above advice the day it had been posted (05-06-2010, 08:47 AM#38)
the date, time, and the number itself confirmed the truth in it
thanks for the help, the problem is solved:D
with respect,
upekka
do not hang PLEASE but contemplate on words;)