Sam Vara wrote: ↑Mon Nov 19, 2018 8:50 am
User1249x wrote: ↑Mon Nov 19, 2018 8:04 am
For me it is of little importance but i realize that the bottom tier of the learned contingent can be persuasive and appear impressive to new people whilst being prone to follow ideas which are rejected by the top tier of learned contingent. Like Devadatta was able to impress and persuade the Prince to kill his father.
Interesting typology. How does one decide which "contingent" members are placed in? I would have thought that only someone in the top tier of the learned contingent would be able to differentiate between ideas that should and should not be rejected. Is that where you place yourself?
One makes an educated guess and decides according to ability. Even people in the top half are not immune from following wrong ideas but they are less likely to follow the more obviously flawed ideas. Only the very top percentile will be in general alignment on major issues and points of controversy but i don't have data to tell you where the cutoff is.
Take Dhamma as an example;
beginners with low natural ability
beginners with high natural ability
As these people spend hundred hours studying Tipitaka and meditating they become more advanced
As these people spend thousand hours studying Tipitaka and meditating they become more advanced
As these people spend ten thousand hours studying Tipitaka and meditating they become more advanced
As people attain the Path they become Sotapannas
As people attain the Second Path they become Sakidagamis
As people attain the Third Path they become Anagamis
As people attain the Fourth Path they become Arahants
Obviously the Ariya will be in general alignment and find themselves at the top whereas the puthujjana who has spent 1000 hours will have wrong view but can appear very impressive to other puthujjana.
Is that where you place yourself?
I don't think i have to answer this question. It is also irrelevant because It is not a matter of where one places oneself, it is a matter of where one actually is. A puthujjana might think Ariyans have wrong view and place himself higher than them but as it actually is he is not even their equal.