Dhamma Wheel

Everyone, I'm wondering if generosity has gratitude as its cause.....any thoughts on this? My immediate thought is that if one has gratitude then a gift might be offered out of generosity if gratitude does indeed stimulate generosity. I'm still trying to get at the idea of suffering leading to grat...

Another useful distinction in my opinion is between doubt and skepticism. The former is a result of genuine lack of knowledge or understanding, while the later is a general attitude based on attachment to certain beliefs. Doubt is the main driver behind inquiry until certainty is reached. Skepticism...

Just because he had some backpain doesn't mean that he was just like everyone else, an ordinary human. Of course it does not, nor it means there is nothing human about him, which is the point i was trying to make. He is a category of his own, he is unlike anyone else. I thought he is beyond categor...

It's an odd idea that the Buddha would teach his family etc. the Dhamma out of gratitude for the worldly things they have done for him. That's making the Dhamma a trade. A more likely explanation is that the Buddha sees himself as the teacher of the world, the Supreme Teacher; in one sense, a fathe...

I re-read the entire excerpt which you brought about cunda and I can not find even a hint of the buddha expressing gratitude in any way. If it is in the maha-cattarisaka sutta then please bring it and show us what it says that makes the cunda sutta relevant. chownah The gratitude can be seen throug...

I don't see the relevance....can you explain it? chownah If you read it keeping in mind the Maha-cattarisaka Sutta, the Buddha's message to Cunda seem to be more inline with "right view with effluents" than "right view without effluents". If we agree that gratitude is compatible with "right view wi...

Buddhism is not "escapism" to me. I have the greatest sympathy for those who do not discern an escape. The point is: your focus on the mind being "here" when one is on his death bed as a measure of wisdom seem to be flawed at best according to the video i shared. Her mind became more present when s...

Say you are on your deathbed like Anandapindhika. Your focus should be what is right in front of you("here") and not wishing to be anywhere else which is dukkha. You achieve a measure of peace. Same with time. You don't have the yearning for a better "time". There is literally nowhere else to go an...

Sentinel queried my use of the word " perception ", which I agree is a poor term in this context. As I said earlier, this is about the development of a very deep understanding: I think this the crux of the matter. Our journey towards this deep understanding requires "seeing danger" based on our nat...

Pain is either there or not there. It doesn't follow you. Your location doesn't change since it is always here. Can you be anywhere else other than here? But of course your have apparently 'moved' by convention from position a to b. What have you achieved by reducing all locations to "here" if i ma...

The following can be also relevant: Then the Blessed One spoke to the Venerable Ananda, saying: "It may come to pass, Ananda, that someone will cause remorse to Cunda the metalworker, saying: 'It is no gain to you, friend Cunda, but a loss, that it was from you the Tathagata took his last alms meal,...

It's right there in the definition of right view with effluents: "And what is the right view with effluents, siding with merit, resulting in acquisitions? ' There is what is given, what is offered, what is sacrificed . There are fruits & results of good & bad actions . There is this world & the nex...

In summary, the Noble Eightfold Path is not for puthujjana. While Buddhist puthujjana imagine they are following the Noble Eightfold Path, including 'fondling with meditation', generally they are not. Maybe the first three stages of enlightenment who still need the path have perfected the right gra...

Perhaps "perception" is not a good term, but I couldn't think of a better one. What I meant is that this internal/external dichotomy is just something we imagine. :heart: Mike Is it? The body, or this bag of skin, seem to have some kind of unity. For example, if i experience pain in my hand, the pa...

Just saw this in an article on the Tesla (the company): Most observers appreciate the company’s efforts in the energy sector Here the appreciation means that most observers understand that it made alot of efforts....not that they have gratitude to tesla for those efforts. chownah Hello chownah, My ...