the great Nibbana = annihilation, eternal, or something else thread

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Prasadachitta
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Re: Nibbana vs. annihilation?

Post by Prasadachitta »

Alex123 wrote: As I know, there is no permanent being within a worldling or an Arahant. There is just more dukkha and avijja within 5 aggregates of a worldling than an Arahant. The reason why I was talking about an Arahat/Tathagata was because that "person" was the subject of discussion of "What happens to a fully awakened at Death"?
Hello Alex,
Like the extinguishing of a flame whose fuel has run out and we can not say it has gone this way or that. The flame is a kind of relationship between fuel and oxygen. If the flame is blown out or the fuel runs out how can the relationship continue. I think this is what you are saying and I respect that. I would just stress again that the Buddha identified with Paṭicca-samuppāda and not with aggregates. I dont think the Buddha experienced pain as dukkha but we must agree to disagree there. Your language reads to me like you are asserting the non existence of an existing being after death. Even if you are not I think a greater degree of sensitivity is warranted regarding the effect of your words and how the can be understood.


With Metta

Gabe
"Beautifully taught is the Lord's Dhamma, immediately apparent, timeless, of the nature of a personal invitation, progressive, to be attained by the wise, each for himself." Anguttara Nikaya V.332
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Re: Nihilism / annihilationism misrepresents the Buddha

Post by Individual »

manasikara wrote: Yes, Nibbana must be something OTHER than what we call existence here.
It must be? Why?

Could it not also be that Nibbana is nothing other than what we call existence or that what we call existence is not really existence?
The best things in life aren't things.

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tiltbillings
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Re: Nihilism / annihilationism misrepresents the Buddha

Post by tiltbillings »

Individual wrote: Yes, Nibbana must be something OTHER than what we call existence here.
What is the most basic definition of nibbana given by the Buddha?
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
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Re: Nihilism / annihilationism misrepresents the Buddha

Post by Prasadachitta »

Individual wrote:
manasikara wrote: Yes, Nibbana must be something OTHER than what we call existence here.
It must be? Why?

Could it not also be that Nibbana is nothing other than what we call existence or that what we call existence is not really existence?
I think it could be so :smile:

Gabe
"Beautifully taught is the Lord's Dhamma, immediately apparent, timeless, of the nature of a personal invitation, progressive, to be attained by the wise, each for himself." Anguttara Nikaya V.332
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Re: Nihilism / annihilationism misrepresents the Buddha

Post by Kenshou »

tiltbillings wrote:What is the most basic definition of nibbana given by the Buddha?
Mystical non-dual eternal unity with the transcendental "ground-of-being", right?

No?
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Re: Nihilism / annihilationism misrepresents the Buddha

Post by Individual »

Kenshou wrote:
tiltbillings wrote:What is the most basic definition of nibbana given by the Buddha?
Mystical non-dual eternal unity with the transcendental "ground-of-being", right?

No?
ROFL
The best things in life aren't things.

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Alex123
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Re: Nibbana vs. annihilation?

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retrofuturist wrote:Greetings Alex,

The death of these bhikkhus was noted in the Sutta Pitaka, but it was left for the commentaries to provide the explanations of kammic retribution which you detail above.

I understand it that kamma and vipaka cease to function once ignorance is destroyed and arahantship is attained. Ignorance sustains the notion of "self", which in turn sustains kamma and vipaka. Kamma does not exist outside of the aggregates, so once the burden of the aggregates is laid down, how can they come back and haunt the arahant in the form of vipaka? Just as a snake is not haunted by the skin it has shed, the arahant is not haunted by the kamma he/she has shed.

Metta,
Retro. :)
Do you accept the possibility that kamma done prior to Arhatship may come up for an Arahant?

In any case, where this discussion originated was the fact that even an Arahant or the Buddha can experience physical pain. Not only that, but there are multiple kinds of dukkha, and the Arahat has eliminated only the dukkha due to mental defilements. Dukkha of painful feeling still remains, dukkha of change still remains.

"Whatever is felt is included in suffering." yaṃ kiñci vedayitaṃ taṃ dukkhasmi’nti -SN 36.11(1)

"All formations are stressful." Sabbe saṅkhārā dukkhā’’ti - Dhp 278
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Alex123
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Re: Nibbana vs. annihilation?

Post by Alex123 »

gabrielbranbury wrote: I would just stress again that the Buddha identified with Paṭicca-samuppāda and not with aggregates. I dont think the Buddha experienced pain as dukkha but we must agree to disagree there. Gabe

Paṭicca-samuppāda is nothing but conditional interaction of 5 aggregates. Conditionality cannot be without things (aggregates) that are conditioned.

Buddha doesn't experience pain as mental dukkha, right. But as bodily feeling of pain, kāya dukkha vedanā.
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Re: Nibbana vs. annihilation?

Post by Prasadachitta »

Alex123 wrote:Paṭicca-samuppāda is nothing but conditional interaction of 5 aggregates.
The Buddha honored and respected Paṭicca-samuppāda.
"It would be for the sake of perfecting an unperfected aggregate of knowledge and vision of release that I would dwell in dependence on another priest or contemplative, honoring and respecting him. However, in this world with its devas, Maras, & Brahmas, in this generation with its priests and contemplatives, its royalty and common-folk, I do not see another priest or contemplative more consummate in knowledge and vision of release than I, on whom I could dwell in dependence, honoring and respecting him.

"What if I were to dwell in dependence on this very Dhamma to which I have fully awakened, honoring and respecting it?"
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html
With Metta

Gabe
"Beautifully taught is the Lord's Dhamma, immediately apparent, timeless, of the nature of a personal invitation, progressive, to be attained by the wise, each for himself." Anguttara Nikaya V.332
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Re: Nibbana vs. annihilation?

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings Alex,
Alex123 wrote:Do you accept the possibility that kamma done prior to Arhatship may come up for an Arahant?
Only to the extent that ignorance in a "previous life" may be a contributing factor to the presence of "current life" for the arahant (if we are to speak ontologically rather than phenomenologically).
Alex123 wrote:In any case, where this discussion originated was the fact that even an Arahant or the Buddha can experience physical pain. Not only that, but there are multiple kinds of dukkha, and the Arahat has eliminated only the dukkha due to mental defilements. Dukkha of painful feeling still remains, dukkha of change still remains.

"Whatever is felt is included in suffering." yaṃ kiñci vedayitaṃ taṃ dukkhasmi’nti -SN 36.11(1)

"All formations are stressful." Sabbe saṅkhārā dukkhā’’ti - Dhp 278
We're going in circles. If you want to see my perspective on this see: http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.ph ... =60#p92743" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; which you didn't really address because you went off down a 1-life vs 3-life D.O. tangent, which as I pointed out in response, isn't relevant because regardless of the schema used, avijja, sankhara and their dependent relationship are all partitioned in the same temporal region.

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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Re: Nibbana vs. annihilation?

Post by Alex123 »

retrofuturist wrote:Greetings Alex,

So if ignorance ceases, and sankharas cease in turn, what justification is there for saying an arahant experiences dukkha (of the 2nd definiton)?

Metta,
Retro. :)
Just because one has no ignorance that doesn't prevent one from becoming sick and experiencing death like pains, or from being hurt by other people. Buddha was sick. Buddha was also hurt severely when Devadatta tried to kill him by throwing a boulder at Him, which missed and splinter of it broke off and hurt the Buddha causing him to bleed. Just because one has no ignorance doesn't remove the possibility of painful bodily feelings.

Just because one has no ignorance, it doesn't change the fact that all things are anicca. Because things are anicca, they are ultimately dukkha.
Just because one has no ignorance, it doesn't change the fact that illness, aging and perhaps painful death can/will occur.


With metta,

Alex
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Re: Nibbana vs. annihilation?

Post by mikenz66 »

Hi Retro,
retrofuturist wrote:Greetings Mike,

It appears we might be talking at cross-purposes. I was talking of nibbana, not vinnananirodha.

To differentiate the two, I understand nibbana as what the Buddha experienced from the time of his enlightenment to the time of his death (and I shant speculate beyond that). Vinnananirodha was a temporary state, induced through meditation, which acted as a painkiller.

Physical sensations are not dependent upon avijja... hence, the Buddha could still experience them.

Metta,
Retro. :)
Yes, but you keep mentioning an interpretation where after nibbana certain things to do with dependent origination have completely ceased. I'm pointing out (and Ven Nanananda agrees) that many of those passages seem to be talking about a temporary cessation of certain things.

So I'm curious to see a coherent account of what has ceased (permanently) after nibbana and what carries on after the nibbanizing experience.

Mike
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Re: Nibbana vs. annihilation?

Post by Alex123 »

mikenz66 wrote:
So I'm curious to see a coherent account of what has ceased (permanently) after nibbana and what carries on after the nibbanizing experience.

Mike

An Arahant (or 5 khandhas that we call an Arahat) doesn't experience any fetters, and there is no cognition of "I, me, mine". The aggregates are devoid of negative mental qualities. Since there is no craving and consciousness doesn't produce new kamma, at death all these aggregates cease and never re occur (Parinibbana).
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Re: Nihilism / annihilationism misrepresents the Buddha

Post by tiltbillings »

Kenshou wrote:
tiltbillings wrote:What is the most basic definition of nibbana given by the Buddha?
Mystical non-dual eternal unity with the transcendental "ground-of-being", right?

No?
Well, yeah and something completely other.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
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Re: Nibbana vs. annihilation?

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings Mike,
mikenz66 wrote:So I'm curious to see a coherent account of what has ceased (permanently) after nibbana and what carries on after the nibbanizing experience.
As is sometimes pointed out, arahantship (cessation of avijja) doesn't end all consciousness (i.e. the arahant doesn't turn into a deaf and dumb mute)... the sense-bases don't cease to fuction, their ears and eyes don't just suddenly disappear into thin air or fall onto the ground.

What happens is that these things (which are listed in the dependent origination sequence) no longer come to be conditioned by ignorance. What this is saying is that once ignorance ceases, dependent origination no longer provides an explanation for existence because there is no more existence/becoming/being/house-building etc. There is no "origination", and the arahant is not "dependent".

So in terms of "what carries on after the nibbanizing experience" be careful to differentiate that which exists ontologically (i.e. ear, eye, nose) versus what doesn't exist phenomenologically (i.e. consciousness conditioned by ignorance).

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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