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by Goofaholix
Wed Apr 10, 2024 8:22 pm
Forum: Samatha Bhāvana
Topic: Is it true that in meditation we cannot make any body movements?
Replies: 4
Views: 43

Re: Is it true that in meditation we cannot make any body movements?

Generally you can move the body if you need to but you need to understand why you are moving. You shouldn't just move out of impulse, rather reflect on what is prompting you to move, reflect on whether its really necessary or whether there is an alternative, then slowly move mindfully, then reflect ...
by Goofaholix
Wed Apr 10, 2024 8:06 pm
Forum: Samatha Bhāvana
Topic: Do we need to make an effort to control or should we not try to control our breathing during meditation?
Replies: 15
Views: 349

Re: Do we need to make an effort to control or should we not try to control our breathing during meditation?

mjaviem wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2024 12:48 pm Stilling the waters of perception. It's not about airflow control.
That's an important point, when you consider its about perception not airflow the idea of controlling the breath makes less sense.
by Goofaholix
Wed Apr 10, 2024 5:29 am
Forum: Samatha Bhāvana
Topic: Do we need to make an effort to control or should we not try to control our breathing during meditation?
Replies: 15
Views: 349

Re: Do we need to make an effort to control or should we not try to control our breathing during meditation?

Suddh wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2024 4:57 am Note also that deciding to calm bodily fabrication - which is the in and out breath - explicitly requires controlling the breath.
I would suggest calming bodily fabrication means letting go of controlling and allowing the breath to become naturally calm, controlling agitates rather than calms.
by Goofaholix
Wed Apr 10, 2024 5:24 am
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Aryan and Dravidian, Vedic and Sramana
Replies: 6
Views: 265

Re: Aryan and Dravidian, Vedic and Sramana

Are you saying the Aryan contribution is mainly just superficial naming? No, more cultural. Why would the Buddha use this convention if there was no connection? Nobility is a general concept, it isn't owned by one religion. I would disagree, since he also uses a cosmology that is partly aligned wit...
by Goofaholix
Tue Apr 09, 2024 9:07 am
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: Is the nature of the mind is ignorance?
Replies: 25
Views: 505

Re: Is the nature of the mind is ignorance?

SarathW wrote: Tue Apr 09, 2024 6:45 am
Ignorance and defilement are two different things.
https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/kilesa
by Goofaholix
Tue Apr 09, 2024 5:27 am
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: Is the nature of the mind is ignorance?
Replies: 25
Views: 505

Re: Is the nature of the mind is ignorance?

Ignorance is a defilement, if the minds nature was ignorance then there would be no possibility for it to be defiled by ignorance as a separate factor and there would be no possibility of freedom from it.
by Goofaholix
Tue Apr 09, 2024 5:17 am
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Aryan and Dravidian, Vedic and Sramana
Replies: 6
Views: 265

Re: Aryan and Dravidian, Vedic and Sramana

The Buddha was teaching the Eightfold path and taught the Ariya way, but was following the sramana tradition which likely has origins with the Dravidian Indus Valley and the yogic tradition. So can we see the Buddha Dhamma as a merging of these two great traditions? What's the other one? If you mea...
by Goofaholix
Tue Apr 09, 2024 5:03 am
Forum: Samatha Bhāvana
Topic: Do we need to make an effort to control or should we not try to control our breathing during meditation?
Replies: 15
Views: 349

Re: Do we need to make an effort to control or should we not try to control our breathing during meditation?

Some people say, in meditation we need to make an effort to make our breathing subtle, deep and slow, while others say we shouldn't try to control our breathing, we should just observe it. What is your opinion on this? The breath is naturally subtle when you aren't undergoing physical activity or t...
by Goofaholix
Sat Mar 30, 2024 12:17 am
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: What is this knowledge for?
Replies: 37
Views: 878

Re: What is this knowledge for?

Unless you're planning to compete in the Buddhist Trivial Pursuit championships accumulating knowledge is a waste of time except where there is a practical application. Look for practical applications for the knowledge that you already have, if you can't see any then maybe accumulate a different kin...
by Goofaholix
Fri Mar 22, 2024 10:10 pm
Forum: Ordination and Monastic Life
Topic: How do I become a nun?
Replies: 20
Views: 697

Re: How do I become a nun?

As you are in Greece and are fluent in english you've got easy access to any monastery in the EU, I'm not sure about the UK. I'd recommend that you arrange to stay in a monastery in Europe for a couple of weeks to see how you like it. Here is a page of contacts in the Ajahn Chah tradition https://fo...
by Goofaholix
Wed Mar 20, 2024 9:40 pm
Forum: Vipassanā / Satipaṭṭhāna Bhāvana
Topic: Is sati discernment?
Replies: 13
Views: 431

Re: Is sati discernment?

Sati is very interested interested in noticing unwholesome habits and learning to let go of them or replacing them with wholesome.
by Goofaholix
Mon Mar 18, 2024 9:46 pm
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: Decipher this to me with early teaching proof
Replies: 10
Views: 298

Re: Decipher this to me with early teaching proof

Why? where did you get this information?

While these factors can help with what you've said nothing is certain and is dependent on past kamma and bad habits also.
by Goofaholix
Mon Mar 18, 2024 3:09 am
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: "If we owned our body, it would obey our every command"
Replies: 88
Views: 1916

Re: "If we owned our body, it would obey our every command"

I think the issue here is the word "owned". We own car and no matter how well we look after it we can't prevent it from deteriorating or breaking down, our body is like this. The problem is that we not only believe we own the body in the way we own a car we identify the body as me, which i...
by Goofaholix
Mon Mar 18, 2024 2:54 am
Forum: General Theravāda Meditation
Topic: breath concentration
Replies: 6
Views: 373

Re: breath concentration

PS.: And yes! I forgot to add I would like to come back as soon as possible to my nimitta, to concentrating on my nimitta and to this kind of effortless meditation. I enjoyed it very much. In meditation, as in life I struggle very much with anxiety of being insufficient and the effortless meditatio...
by Goofaholix
Sat Mar 09, 2024 7:05 am
Forum: General Theravāda Meditation
Topic: Some Advice With Sitting Posture
Replies: 3
Views: 442

Re: Some Advice With Sitting Posture

If you are only experiencing the pain in the shoulder when meditating on a bench and it disappears soon after you get up then it's unlikely that it is causing you damage. It doesn't need to interfere with your focus just make it the primary object, see if you can notice the tension you are creating ...