Search found 815 matches

by Spiny O'Norman
Thu Mar 29, 2012 10:13 am
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: "The Deathless" (amata)
Replies: 423
Views: 93457

Re: "The Deathless" (amata)

retrofuturist wrote:Greetings,
Aloka wrote:No, not thoughts, lol !
Nippapanca is cool. 8-)

Metta,
Retro. :)
Though you seem to have plenty of thoughts yourself. ;)
by Spiny O'Norman
Thu Mar 29, 2012 10:10 am
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: "The Deathless" (amata)
Replies: 423
Views: 93457

Re: "The Deathless" (amata)

So are we any closer to establishing what amata is referring to? Death (and even aging-and-death) is equated with dukkha throughout the suttas. This makes amata freedom from dukkha. :namaste: But if aging and death are dukkha, then to be completely free from dukkha we need to free from aging and de...
by Spiny O'Norman
Thu Mar 29, 2012 10:02 am
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: "The Deathless" (amata)
Replies: 423
Views: 93457

Re: "The Deathless" (amata)

Aloka wrote:
Spiny O'Norman wrote:
Thoughts?

Spiny
No, not thoughts, lol ! Amata refers to freedom from the conditioned existence of greed, hatred and delusion, birth and death. = Nibbana, deathlessness.

:)
That's one opinion... ;)
by Spiny O'Norman
Wed Mar 28, 2012 9:16 am
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: "The Deathless" (amata)
Replies: 423
Views: 93457

Re: "The Deathless" (amata)

retrofuturist wrote:Any thoughts on "not-deathness"?
It doesn't work for me. ;)

So are we any closer to establishing what amata is referring to?

The options seem to be:
1. Nibbana
2. Pari-nibbana
3. Both Nibbana and Pari-nibbana.

Thoughts?

Spiny
by Spiny O'Norman
Wed Mar 28, 2012 9:10 am
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Atheism is an Unskillful False Dhamma
Replies: 407
Views: 55499

Re: Atheism is an Unskillful False Dhamma

He taught differently to different people depending on where they were at and he used the words, beliefs, mythology, and rituals of his time as teaching methods depending on the worldview of the audience. That doesn't necessarily imply endorsement of them as fact. So do you think the Buddha taught ...
by Spiny O'Norman
Tue Mar 27, 2012 2:22 pm
Forum: General Theravāda Meditation
Topic: The thought that stops......
Replies: 26
Views: 8095

Re: The thought that stops......

kirk5a wrote:Wow. Are we getting mislead by those who claim we should simply observe thoughts as they arise?

Or by those who claim that jhana is unecessary? ;)

Spiny
by Spiny O'Norman
Tue Mar 27, 2012 2:02 pm
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: the great rebirth debate
Replies: 7539
Views: 1327018

Re: the great rebirth debate

This question suggests a belief in a "permanent self" or entity that transmigrates from one lifetime to another...a belief in eternalism. Paticcasamuppada (dependent origination) describes something else entirely as explained by Ven. Buddhadasa. If you think that the traditional understan...
by Spiny O'Norman
Tue Mar 27, 2012 1:54 pm
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Atheism is an Unskillful False Dhamma
Replies: 407
Views: 55499

Re: Atheism is an Unskillful False Dhamma

vinasp wrote: The process through which we come to believe something is rather obscure.
I agree, but it seems to me the process through which we come to disbelieve is also rather obscure.

Spiny
by Spiny O'Norman
Tue Mar 27, 2012 1:45 pm
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Atheism is an Unskillful False Dhamma
Replies: 407
Views: 55499

Re: Atheism is an Unskillful False Dhamma

Annihalation means simply annihalation. I guess it means nothing usually identified as "me" continuing on in some form or other after this body dies, other than as food for words. No continuation of any of the aggregates in some form or another, no force of becoming or kamma creating a ne...
by Spiny O'Norman
Tue Mar 27, 2012 1:42 pm
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Atheism is an Unskillful False Dhamma
Replies: 407
Views: 55499

Re: Atheism is an Unskillful False Dhamma

"Thus an instructed disciple of the noble ones reflects in this way: 'I am now being chewed up by [aggregates]. But in the past I was also chewed up by [aggregates] in the same way I am now being chewed up by present [aggregates]. And if I delight in future [aggregates], then in the future I w...
by Spiny O'Norman
Tue Mar 27, 2012 1:31 pm
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Atheism is an Unskillful False Dhamma
Replies: 407
Views: 55499

Re: Atheism is an Unskillful False Dhamma

However, I do not think that passages where the Buddha talks about devas, to people who already believe in them, constitutes "affirming the existence of" such devas. So are you saying the Buddha didn't himself believe in devas but taught about them anyway? Or that he knew they didn't exis...
by Spiny O'Norman
Tue Mar 27, 2012 11:28 am
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Batchelor's "Confessions of a Buddhist Atheist"
Replies: 67
Views: 15985

Re: Batchelor's "Confessions of a Buddhist Atheist"

LonesomeYogurt wrote: Batchelor comes off as very arrogant and almost "Only I know the true way"-ish in his books and it irks me to no end.
That isn't how he comes across to me. My impression is of an ex-monk with some interesting ideas who needs to earn a living by writing books.

Spiny
by Spiny O'Norman
Tue Mar 27, 2012 11:24 am
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: "The Deathless" (amata)
Replies: 423
Views: 93457

Re: "The Deathless" (amata)

Is there something problematic with "inclines his mind to the property [dhatu] of deathlessness" ? If this is pointing to Nibbana, cessation of the taints, then I wonder if there is an equivalence between amata and nirodha ( cessation )? I'm thinking of particularly of cessation in the co...
by Spiny O'Norman
Mon Mar 26, 2012 10:11 am
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Batchelor's "Confessions of a Buddhist Atheist"
Replies: 67
Views: 15985

Re: Batchelor's "Confessions of a Buddhist Atheist"

I enjoyed the book and find Stephens ideas interesting, but I don't regard him as an authority on the Pali Canon - which to be fair he doesn't claim to be.

Spiny
by Spiny O'Norman
Mon Mar 26, 2012 10:01 am
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Atheism is an Unskillful False Dhamma
Replies: 407
Views: 55499

Re: Atheism is an Unskillful False Dhamma

"Ananda, there are eight reasons, eight causes for the appearance of a great earthquake. This great earth is established on water, the water on the wind, the wind on space." [ DN 16.3.13 Walshe 1987 ] So it seems that the Buddha thought that the earth was flat. I don't see how you've draw...