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Re: Do arahants discard vipaka/suffering?

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 1:52 am
by retrofuturist
Greetings Tilt,
tiltbillings wrote:While the old kamma and conditioning plays itself out
retrofuturist wrote:Disagree, but already done to death. I believe our point of difference lies in different understandings of the English word "conditioning" and the Pali word "sankhara" as they pertain to experience.
tiltbillings wrote:I have no idea what your position on this is.
Well, I have tried to relate it to you using sutta terminology, which is my chosen frame of reference.

However, since that has failed, perhaps pages 44-45 of A Comprehensive Manual Of Abhidhamma might give you some idea as to how, within the Mahavihara Theravada tradition, consciousness might "function" (to use your terminology) in an unconditioned/unformed sense (i.e. without sankhara as its necessary foundation, i.e. without itself being sankhata, formed), without this notion of "old kamma and conditioning play[ing] itself out".

If you do not have a hard-copy, here is an online copy - http://books.google.com.au/books?id=hxo ... &q&f=false" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The "guide" part states...
"The remaining three types of consciousness among the ahetukas are not kammic results. They belong to the category called kiriya, rendered here as "functional" to indicate that they perform tasks which do not have any kammic potency. Such type consciousness are neither causal kamma nor the result of kamma. Within this category, three types of consciousness are rootless.
In brief they are listed as...

- five-sense-door adverting consciousness (pancadvaravajjanacitta)
- mind-door adverting consciousness (manodvaravajjanacitta)
- smile-producing consciousness (hasituppadacitta)

To be clear, I'm not advocating this tract of commentarial Abhidhamma.... merely presenting it to you as an opportunity for you to see how vinnana might "function" after the cessation of sankhara (formations), without the need for anything to be "obliterated" or "kill[ed] off".

Metta,
Retro. :)

Re: Do arahants discard vipaka/suffering?

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 2:36 am
by Nyana
retrofuturist wrote:some idea as to how consciousness might "function" ... i.e. without sankhara as its foundation
I think that there are numerous sutta references to the awakened mind which explain what is not the foundation of an arahant's experience. Firstly, by way of training: The seen is merely the seen (diṭṭhamatta). The heard is merely the heard (sutamatta). The sensed is merely the sensed (mutamatta). The known is merely the known (viññātamatta). Ud 1.10 Bāhiya Sutta:
  • ‘The seen will be merely the seen, the heard will be merely the heard, the sensed will be merely the sensed, the known will be merely the known.’ This is how you should train, Bāhiya.

    When, Bāhiya, for you the seen will be merely the seen, the heard will be merely the heard, the sensed will be merely the sensed, the known will be merely the known, then Bāhiya, you will not be that. When, Bāhiya, you are not that, then Bāhiya, you will not be there. When, Bāhiya, you are not there, then Bāhiya, you will be neither here nor beyond nor between-the-two. Just this is the end of unsatisfactoriness.
Secondly, the absence of specific fabrication (abhisaṅkharoti) or volitional intention (abhisañcetayati) towards either existence or non-existence. MN 140 Dhātuvibhaṅga Sutta:
  • One does not form any specific fabrication or volitional intention towards either existence or non-existence. Not forming any specific fabrication or volitional intention towards either existence or non-existence, he does not cling to anything in this world. Not clinging, he is not excited. Unexcited, he personally attains complete nibbāna. He discerns that, ‘Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, done is what had to be done, there is nothing further here.’
Cf. Ven. Ñāṇananda, Nibbāna Sermon 04:
  • What is called the cessation of consciousness has a deeper sense here. It means the cessation of the specifically prepared consciousness, abhisaṅkhata viññāṇa. An arahant's experience of the cessation of consciousness is at the same time the experience of the cessation of name-and-form.
And Nibbāna Sermon 06:
  • The more one sees preparations (saṅkhāras) as preparations, ignorance is dispelled, and the more one dispels ignorance, the preparations lose their significance as preparations. Then one sees the nature of preparations with wisdom as signless, desireless, and void. So much so that, in effect, preparations cease to be preparations.... The relation of saṅkhāras to ignorance is somewhat similar to the relation a drama has to its back-stage preparations. It seems, then, that from the standpoint of Dhamma the entire saṃsāra is a product of specifically prepared intentions, even like the drama with its back-stage preparations....

    The phrase saṅkhataṃ paṭiccasamuppannaṃ (e.g. M III 299), 'prepared and dependently arisen', suggests that the prepared nature is also due to that contact. What may be called abhisaṅkhata viññāṇa (S III 58), 'specifically prepared consciousness', is that sort of consciousness which gets attached to name-and-form. When one sees a film show, one interprets a scene appearing on the screen according to one's likes and dislikes. It becomes a thing of experience for him. Similarly, by imagining a self in name-and-form, consciousness gets attached to it. It is such a consciousness, which is established on name-and-form, that can be called abhisaṅkhata viññāṇa. Then could there be also a consciousness which does not reflect a name-and-form? Yes, there could be. That is what is known as anidassana viññāṇa, or 'non-manifestative consciousness'.
And thirdly, consciousness which is unestablished (appatiṭṭha viññāṇa). SN 22.53 Upaya Sutta:
  • When that consciousness is unestablished, not increasing, not concocting, it is liberated. Being liberated, it is steady. Being steady, it is content. Being content, he is not excited. Unexcited, he personally attains complete nibbāna. He discerns that, ‘Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, done is what had to be done, there is nothing further here.’
As for the qualm that this last passage refers to the death of an arahant, the phrase: "Unexcited, he personally attains complete nibbāna. He discerns that, 'Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, done is what had to be done, there is nothing further here,'" is the standard paricope referring to the time of awakening, i.e. a statement of the attainment of arahant fruition (e.g. DN 15, MN 105, etc.), and not the time of death of an arahant.

The above passages referring to the cognition of an arahant are succinctly presented in AN 4.24 Kāḷakārāma Sutta:
  • Thus, monks, the Tathāgata does not conceive an [object] seen when seeing what is to be seen. He does not conceive an unseen. He does not conceive a to-be-seen. He does not conceive a seer.

    He does not conceive an [object] heard when hearing what is to be heard. He does not conceive an unheard. He does not conceive a to-be-heard. He does not conceive a hearer.

    He does not conceive an [object] sensed when sensing what is to be sensed. He does not conceive an unsensed. He does not conceive a to-be-sensed. He does not conceive a senser.

    He does not conceive an [object] known when knowing what is to be known. He does not conceive an unknown. He does not conceive a to-be-known. He does not conceive a knower.
Ven. Ñāṇananda considered the Kāḷakārāma Sutta important enough to write a text on it.

All the best,

Geoff

Re: Do arahants discard vipaka/suffering?

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 2:40 am
by retrofuturist
Brilliant.

Thanks Geoff.

:twothumbsup:

Absolutely spot on.

Metta,
Retro. :)

Re: Do arahants discard vipaka/suffering?

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 2:40 am
by tiltbillings
retrofuturist wrote:Greetings Tilt,
tiltbillings wrote:While the old kamma and conditioning plays itself out
retrofuturist wrote:Disagree, but already done to death. I believe our point of difference lies in different understandings of the English word "conditioning" and the Pali word "sankhara" as they pertain to experience.
tiltbillings wrote:I have no idea what your position on this is.
Well, I have tried to relate it to you using sutta terminology, which is my chosen frame of reference.
And as for using the suttas, which is my preference, apparently you do not agree with my understanding, but interestingly, you really have not given a reasoned counter argument to the points I raised other than saying they are not how you understand things.

As for the A Comprehensive Manual Of Abhidhamma, I'll take the suttas.

And for all of this, there are other things to do.

Re: Do arahants discard vipaka/suffering?

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 2:55 am
by tiltbillings
Ñāṇa wrote:
retrofuturist wrote:some idea as to how consciousness might "function" ... i.e. without sankhara as its foundation
I think that there are numerous sutta references to the awakened mind which explain what is not the foundation of an arahant's experience. Firstly, by way of training: The seen is merely the seen (diṭṭhamatta). The heard is merely the heard (sutamatta). The sensed is merely the sensed (mutamatta). The known is merely the known (viññātamatta). Ud 1.10 Bāhiya Sutta:
Interestingly, if there were no functioning of the khandhas, there would be no "seen in the seen"; there would be no seen at all, or any of it, which is all the functioning of the khandhas. It is just that the arahant's insight has freed her from indentifying, from establishing herself in terms of the khandhas. Ven Nanananda is not saying anything I have not said, and has not said anything in this missive with which I disagree. (Though I would not want get entangled with the appatiṭṭha viññāṇa business.)

Re: Do arahants discard vipaka/suffering?

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 3:35 am
by Nyana
tiltbillings wrote:Interestingly, if there were no functioning of the khandhas, there would be no "seen in the seen"; there would be no seen at all, or any of it, which is all the functioning of the khandhas. It is just that the arahant's insight has freed her from indentifying, from establishing herself in terms of the khandhas.
Well, I'd suggest that this amounts to measuring and classifying the arahant in terms of the aggregates. Also, the aggregate scheme isn't necessary to account for awakened experience. And as I've previously mentioned, the suttas do not use the aggregate classification when referring to the Buddha or an arahant. They use the faculties classification. The suttas never equate the aggregates with the sense spheres or the faculties. Given the definition of the fabrications aggregate as volitional intention pertaining to the six objects (e.g. SN 22.56 Upādānaparivatta Sutta), there may be good reason for this. MN 140 Dhātuvibhaṅga Sutta:
  • One does not form any specific fabrication or volitional intention towards either existence or non-existence. Not forming any specific fabrication or volitional intention towards either existence or non-existence, he does not cling to anything in this world.
SN 22.79 Khajjanīya Sutta also has some interesting things to say about the aggregates.

All the best,

Geoff

Re: Do arahants discard vipaka/suffering?

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 4:14 am
by tiltbillings
Ñāṇa wrote:
tiltbillings wrote:Interestingly, if there were no functioning of the khandhas, there would be no "seen in the seen"; there would be no seen at all, or any of it, which is all the functioning of the khandhas. It is just that the arahant's insight has freed her from identifying, from establishing herself in terms of the khandhas.
Well, I'd suggest that this amounts to measuring and classifying the arahant in terms of the aggregates.
I'd suggest that it doesn't. The only way that an individual would be measured and classified in terms of the khandhas is if they identify and establish themselves with them. Here someone seems to be in agreement with what I have said: http://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... 40#p126153" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"If one stays obsessed with form, that's what one is measured (limited) by." - SN 22.53. The arahant is not obsessed by the khandhas, thusly is not measured by them, but the living arahant sees, hears, cognizes, which are all functions of the khandhas. Why would it be otherwise?
Also, the aggregate scheme isn't necessary to account for awakened experience.
I did not say they were, but it is an interesting question: http://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... 20#p100997" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... 60#p125953" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Do arahants discard vipaka/suffering?

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 4:29 am
by Nyana
tiltbillings wrote:
Ñāṇa wrote:Also, the aggregate scheme isn't necessary to account for awakened experience.
I did not say they were, but it is an interesting question: http://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... 20#p100997" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This is what I've been saying -- the sutta which defines saupādisesa nibbānadhātu refers to the faculties, not the aggregates. The suttas in the Saṃyuttanikāya which describe the Buddha's experience of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, etc., refer to the faculties, not the aggregates. I'm not interested in hanging my hat on any thesis based on the omission of the aggregate scheme in these contexts, but it's worth noting.

All the best,

Geoff

Re: Do arahants discard vipaka/suffering?

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 4:31 am
by tiltbillings
Ñāṇa wrote:
tiltbillings wrote:
Ñāṇa wrote:Also, the aggregate scheme isn't necessary to account for awakened experience.
I did not say they were, but it is an interesting question: http://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... 20#p100997" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This is what I've been saying -- the sutta which defines saupādisesa nibbānadhātu refers to the faculties, not the aggregates. The suttas in the Saṃyuttanikāya which describe the Buddha's experience of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, etc., refer to the faculties, not the aggregates. I'm not interested in hanging my hat on any thesis based on the omission of the aggregate scheme in these contexts, but it's worth noting.

All the best,

Geoff
Alrighty then.

Re: Do arahants discard vipaka/suffering?

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 5:19 am
by Sylvester
retrofuturist wrote:A couple of follow up questions, if you'll oblige...

Does this mean you only believe an arahant transcends dukkha (the final nidana) through "death"?

If so, does this mean either that an arahant does not experience nibbana, or that nibbana and dukkha are either simultaneously present, or alternating?
Hi retro

At risk of sounding like a nit-picker, I don't believe "dukkha" is a nidana per se. A nidana is a relationship described by one of the iddapaccayata formula. Birth and dukkha form one nidana.

Based on what the AN 9s have to say in its listing of Nibbana-Here-&-Now variants, it seems pretty clear that when an Arahant soaks in a Jhana or Nirodha Sammapatti, he/she is personally experiencing Nibbana. This leads me to think that outside of these 9 specifically named experiences, it is not Nibbana.

On the other hand, the objection could be raised that if an Arahant's normal moments are not-Nibbanic, would that not mean the Arahant is still generating tanha which leads to dukkha? Clearly, I think that would be impossible, given my belief that the nidana between vedana and tanha are forever destroyed in an Arahant. The problem is of course the nidana between tanha and upadana. Ven Nanananda posits the upadana in sa-upadisesa nibbana to be clinging, and I think it is a possibility that he could be right and this upadana is in relation to the 5 material indriyas. Iddapaccayata does allow the tanha-upadana nidana to unravel over time, and this could explain why an Arahant in the kāmaloka still makes contact with the kāmā (ie due to the persistance of kāmupadana). Some of the experiences borne of contact with kāmā will be dukkha, to the extent that they are unpleasant kayika vedana. But we do know that because an Arahant has also destroyed the Anusayas, this means that all the cetasika vedanas that trigger the Anusayas are also gone. But, the other 3 clingings described in the DO pericopes are certainly gone, thereby rendering any form of identification by an Arahant with his/her khandhas (experiences of those kāmā) impossible.

Dukkha, in the normal DO sense, includes both the kayika and the cetasika vedanas. The persistance of an Arahant's experience of kayika vedana is inevitable (except in the Jhanas) given his/her 5 indriyas, but his/her transcendance of the cetasika vedanas have removed a huge, huge chunk of dukkha.

Does this make sense?

Re: Do arahants discard vipaka/suffering?

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 5:45 am
by tiltbillings
Sylvester wrote: Based on what the AN 9s have to say in its listing of Nibbana-Here-&-Now variants, it seems pretty clear that when an Arahant soaks in a Jhana or Nirodha Sammapatti, he/she is personally experiencing Nibbana. This leads me to think that outside of these 9 specifically named experiences, it is not Nibbana.
And this raises an interesting question. Is nibbana a meditative experience or set of meditative experiences, or are there meditative experiences that might be associated with the attainment of nibbana, but nibbana itself is the destruction of greed, hatred and delusion, and the arahant as she moves through the world no longer perceives in terms of greed, hatred, and delusion.

Re: Do arahants discard vipaka/suffering?

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 6:15 am
by Sylvester
Ñāṇa wrote:And thirdly, consciousness which is unestablished (appatiṭṭha viññāṇa). SN 22.53 Upaya Sutta:
  • When that consciousness is unestablished, not increasing, not concocting, it is liberated. Being liberated, it is steady. Being steady, it is content. Being content, he is not excited. Unexcited, he personally attains complete nibbāna. He discerns that, ‘Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, done is what had to be done, there is nothing further here.’
As for the qualm that this last passage refers to the death of an arahant, the phrase: "Unexcited, he personally attains complete nibbāna. He discerns that, 'Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, done is what had to be done, there is nothing further here,'" is the standard paricope referring to the time of awakening, i.e. a statement of the attainment of arahant fruition (e.g. DN 15, MN 105, etc.), and not the time of death of an arahant.
Oh Geoff, where does SN 22.53 refer to "appatiṭṭha viññāṇa"?

If you select one little passage from SN 22.53, it does nothing but to obfuscate the context. How about the preceding passage to give this fulsome context -
Rūpadhātuyā ce, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno rāgo pahīno hoti. Rāgassa pahānā vocchijjatārammaṇaṃ patiṭṭhā viññāṇassa na hoti. Vedanādhātuyā ce, bhikkhave… saññādhātuyā ce, bhikkhave… saṅkhāradhātuyā ce, bhikkhave… viññāṇadhātuyā ce, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno rāgo pahīno hoti. Rāgassa pahānā vocchijjatārammaṇaṃ patiṭṭhā viññāṇassa na hoti. Tadappatiṭṭhitaṃ viññāṇaṃ avirūḷhaṃ anabhisaṅkhacca vimuttaṃ. Vimuttattā ṭhitaṃ. Ṭhitattā santusitaṃ. Santusitattā na paritassati. Aparitassaṃ paccattaññeva parinibbāyati. ‘Khīṇā jāti, vusitaṃ brahmacariyaṃ, kataṃ karaṇīyaṃ, nāparaṃ itthattāyā’ti pajānātī”ti.

Bhikkhus, if a bhikkhu has abandoned lust for the form element, with the abandoning of lust, the basis is cut off : there is no support for the establishing of consciousness. If he has abandoned lust for the feeling element ... for the perception element ... for the volitional fomations element ... for the consciousness element, with the abandoning of lust, the basis is cut off : there is no support for the establishing of consciousness.

When that consciousness is unestablished, not coming to growth, nongenerative, it is liberated. By being liberated it is steady; by being steady, it is content; by being content, he is not agitated. Being unagitated, he personally attains Nibbana. He understands .....
Again, the simple verb context of whether consciousness is established or not becomes mysteriously reified into an "unestablished consciousness".

Take a look at SN 12.39 -
Bhikkhus, what one intends, and what one plans, and whatever one has a tendency towards : this becomes a basis for the maintenance of consciousness. Where there is a basis, there is a support for the establishing of consciousness. When consciousness is established and has come to growth, there is descent of name and form ... (continue per the rest of DO sequence)
.....

But, bhikkhus, when one does not intend, and one does not plan, and one does not have a tendency towards anything, no basis exists for the maintenance of consciousness. When there is no basis, there is no support for the establishing of consciousness. When consciousness is unestablished and does not come to growth, there is no descent of name and form... (continue per the rest of DO sequence)
I'm still waiting to see some convincing evidence of this unicorn called the "unestablished consciousness", when all I can see are suttas simply referring to "consciousness not being established" as being nothing more than the condition for the cessation of the descent of name and form. Classical DO - why improve on it by introducing this unicorn?

Re: Do arahants discard vipaka/suffering?

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 6:33 am
by Sylvester
tiltbillings wrote:
Sylvester wrote: Based on what the AN 9s have to say in its listing of Nibbana-Here-&-Now variants, it seems pretty clear that when an Arahant soaks in a Jhana or Nirodha Sammapatti, he/she is personally experiencing Nibbana. This leads me to think that outside of these 9 specifically named experiences, it is not Nibbana.
And this raises an interesting question. Is nibbana a meditative experience or set of meditative experiences, or are there meditative experiences that might be associated with the attainment of nibbana, but nibbana itself is the destruction of greed, hatred and delusion, and the arahant as she moves through the world no longer perceives in terms of greed, hatred, and delusion.
Hi tilt.

I hesitate to answer definitely.

I would certainly agree with your statement that the kammas and mula-kammas of greed, hatred and delusion are extinguished in an Arahant. BUT, a putthujana practising sila could possibly suppress greed and hatred temporarily and a well-instructed putthujana could possibly recollect on DO and thereby suppress illusions about his khandhas at that time (per MN 152). In these cases, something is shared with the Arahant's no-greed, no-hatred and no-delusion. Yet, I've not seen these putthujana experiences being described as Nibbanic.

If one goes even deeper than the above 3 mula-kamma, we come to the Anusayas. It is clear that in the Arahants, the Anusayas are also totally gone. But MN 44 does suggest that the pleasures of 1st Jhana cannot trigger raga and raganusaya, which makes AN 9s' characterisation of 1st Jhana as "Nibbana-Here-&-Now-With-a-Sequel" understandable. Likewise for the equanimity of 4th Jhana not triggering avijjanusaya. So, Nibbanic experiences are somewhat accessible to putthujanas, unless one argues that the putthujanas' Jhanas are not in the same class as MN 117's Jhanas, or reject altogether the Commentarial notion that putthujanas can attain Jhanas and restrict Jhanas only to the "8 Pairs".

I wish I have something to say about the Asavas, but that's all I can muster.

Re: Do arahants discard vipaka/suffering?

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 6:46 am
by Nyana
Sylvester wrote:Oh Geoff
I have no time for you bud. Is that not clear? I have zero interest in discussing anything else with you. Your views on virtually every subject are so far out there that they don't even remotely resemble the Buddhadhamma. To point out and clarify each of your interpretive errors in this thread alone would take far more time and effort than I'm willing to invest. You're entirely free to invent your own religion and call it whatever you like, but I'm not interested.

There's a reason why I don't visit Sujato's blog or Brahmavamso's forum or Daniel Ingram's forum: I have no interest in what these people are presenting as "dhamma."

Re: Do arahants discard vipaka/suffering?

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 7:17 am
by Sylvester
Ñāṇa wrote:I have no time for you bud.

No time?

Or is it not really the case of this -
Tatiye ca bhonto samaṇabrāhmaṇā kimāgamma kimārabbha amarāvikkhepikā tattha tattha pañhaṃ puṭṭhā samānā vācāvikkhepaṃ āpajjanti amarāvikkhepaṃ? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco samaṇo vā brāhmaṇo vā ‘idaṃ kusalan’ti yathābhūtaṃ nappajānāti, ‘idaṃ akusalan’ti yathābhūtaṃ nappajānāti. Tassa evaṃ hoti— ‘ahaṃ kho “idaṃ kusalan”ti yathābhūtaṃ nappajānāmi, “idaṃ akusalan”ti yathābhūtaṃ nappajānāmi. Ahañce kho pana “idaṃ kusalan”ti yathābhūtaṃ appajānanto “idaṃ akusalan”ti yathābhūtaṃ appajānanto “idaṃ kusalan”ti vā byākareyyaṃ, “idaṃ akusalan”ti vā byākareyyaṃ; santi hi kho samaṇabrāhmaṇā paṇḍitā nipuṇā kataparappavādā vālavedhirūpā, te bhindantā maññe caranti paññāgatena diṭṭhigatāni, te maṃ tattha samanuyuñjeyyuṃ samanugāheyyuṃ samanubhāseyyuṃ. Ye maṃ tattha samanuyuñjeyyuṃ samanugāheyyuṃ samanubhāseyyuṃ, tesāhaṃ na sampāyeyyaṃ. Yesāhaṃ na sampāyeyyaṃ, so mamassa vighāto. Yo mamassa vighāto, so mamassa antarāyo’ti. Iti so anuyogabhayā anuyogaparijegucchā nevidaṃ kusalanti byākaroti, na panidaṃ akusalanti byākaroti, tattha tattha pañhaṃ puṭṭho samāno vācāvikkhepaṃ āpajjati amarāvikkhepaṃ— ‘evantipi me no; tathātipi me no; aññathātipi me no; notipi me no; no notipi me no’ti. Idaṃ, bhikkhave, tatiyaṃ ṭhānaṃ, yaṃ āgamma yaṃ ārabbha eke samaṇabrāhmaṇā amarāvikkhepikā tattha tattha pañhaṃ puṭṭhā samānā vācāvikkhepaṃ āpajjanti amarāvikkhepaṃ.
You certainly had loads of time to assail me with your PM yesterday...