The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

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SarathW
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Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by SarathW »

Interesting remarks SB.
I listened to the Dhamma talk again.
He is talking about two types of Samadhi.
Jhana and Jhana Samapatti at the counter 5.40
Perhaps @Lal can reply to this question.
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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StormBorn
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Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by StormBorn »

SarathW wrote: Mon Oct 01, 2018 9:09 am
Translated: “..Ānāpānassati, when used (bhāvitā) and used frequently (bahulīkatā), completes (paripūreti) four types of Satipatthāna. Cattāro satipaṭṭhāna, when used and used frequently, completes Sapta Bojjanga. Sapta Bojjanga when used and used frequently, completes the full release (Nibbāna or Arahanthood)”.
:goodpost:
Al least Lal succeeded in arguing with himself and disproving his own statement :rofl:
“Greater in battle than the man who would conquer a thousand-thousand men, is he who would conquer just one—himself.”
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StormBorn
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Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by StormBorn »

@Lal
Since you always criticise opposing views of other members as “useless comments,” can you make your posts avoid of your repetitive naggings and braggings, please? :smile:
Lal wrote: Mon Oct 01, 2018 8:55 amAND keep quoting Sankrit texts which the Buddha specifically banned in the Vinaya Pitaka. A bhikkhu will be breaking Vinaya rules when they do that, and they keep doing that even after showing the evidence.
Now, can you please provide the Vinaya reference for where the Buddha banned the Sankrit texts?
Lal wrote: Mon Oct 01, 2018 8:55 amBreath meditation was practiced by yōgis even at the time of the Buddha. He learned it from two yogis (Alara Kalama and Uddaka Rama Putta) and rejected it,
Also, please provide the Sutta/Vinaya reference for where the Buddha learned breath meditation from Alara Kalama and Uddaka Rama Putta?

Thank you.
SarathW wrote: Mon Oct 01, 2018 11:10 am Interesting remarks SB.
I listened to the Dhamma talk again.
He is talking about two types of Samadhi.
Jhana and Jhana Samapatti at the counter 5.40
Perhaps @Lal can reply to this question.
As usual Waharaka Thero trying to reinvent the wheel. If you just refer to SN 36.11 and AN 10.72 which I referred to earlier regarding “sounds” and “speech” in first jhana, Buddha used “paṭhamassa jhānassa saddo kaṇṭako” and “paṭhamaṃ jhānaṃ samāpannassa vācā paṭippassaddhā hoti.” Therefore, jhana and jhana samapatti both refer to the same.

If you need further reading, please check “4.3.2.4. Giving Up the Hindrances” and “4.3.2.5. First Absorption” sections of DN 2.

This kind of word twisting monks might say, “Even while preaching to you now, I’m in ‘saññāvedayitanirodha’, but it's a wee different from ‘saññāvedayitanirodhasamāpattiyā’.” :tongue:

Saññāvedayitanirodhasamāpattiyā also mentioned in AN 10.72.
“Greater in battle than the man who would conquer a thousand-thousand men, is he who would conquer just one—himself.”
Lal
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Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by Lal »

SarathW wrote:Ven. Says:
If a person listen to the Dhamma with attention, he is in the first Jhana.
He specially mention the word Savitakka, and Savikara. (Please compare this to Vitakka and Vikara)
At this moment his mind is free from (temporary) attachment, aversion.
Hence he possess Piti and Sukha.

http://www.waharaka.com/deshana/listen. ... d=CD087-11
I don’t know why SarathW keep twisting Waharaka Theor’s desanas.

He NEVER says “If a person listen to the Dhamma with attention, he is in the first Jhana.”
Getting to jhana is not that easy.
Do you know that making such irresponsible statements is really bad kamma?

You also need to know the difference between jhana and jhana samapatti.

A jhana can be disturbed. But one in jhana samapatti cannot be disturbed, because for one in any kind of samapatti (jhana samapatti or phala samapatti,) manodvara citta vithi run non-stop. In nirodha samapatti there are no citta vithi.

But in just jhana, there are pancadvara citta vithi running in between manodvara jhana citta vithi. That is why one in a jhana can hear sounds. And such a sound is a “thorn” since that could take one out of the jhana.

There is a lot to learn!

P.S. This desana is a short one (less than 10 minutes) and it involves a lot of deep concepts. Waharaka Thero is discussing not just jhana, but magga phala, samapatti, etc. That could be the confusion. I would encourage SarathW to listen to a lengthy desana on jhana, perhanps the following one:
https://waharaka.com/listen/CD004-03
This is 150 minutes and gives a lot of details.
SarathW
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Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by SarathW »

He NEVER says “If a person listen to the Dhamma with attention, he is in the first Jhana.”
Getting to jhana is not that easy.
At counter 3.40 he clearly mentioned that.
Why are you so hard to protect him?
Do not grasp anything so hard, even Dhamma.
Last edited by SarathW on Mon Oct 01, 2018 8:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
SarathW
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Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by SarathW »

You also need to know the difference between jhana and jhana samapatti.
Perhaps you may be correct.
Please give me a Sutta support.
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
Lal
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Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by Lal »

"You also need to know the difference between jhana and jhana samapatti."

Perhaps you may be correct.
Please give me a Sutta support.
These details on citta vithi, jhana, samapatti, etc are not found in suttas, but in Abbidhamma. You may want to read:
“A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma”, by Bhikkhu Bodhi (2000).

Here is a post from puredhamma.net on a basic citta vithi, jhana, etc. (the post would read better there at the site: "https://puredhamma.net/abhidhamma/essen ... se-inputs/"):

Citta Vithi – Processing of Sense Inputs

1. Thoughts (citta) do not arise as individual citta; see, “Amazingly Fast Time Evolution of a Thought (Citta)“.

They arise in the mind due to sense inputs from the five physical senses (cakku, sōta, ghāna, jivhā, and kāya indriya corresponding respectively to eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body) and also by the mana indriya (located in the brain; see, “Brain – Interface between Mind and Body“).

As we discussed in the post, “What is Mind? How do we Experience the Outside World?“, each of our sense inputs coming in though any one of the five physical senses is received and analyzed by the mind in a “citta vithi” (series of cittā) with 17 cittā. These are called pancadvāra citta vithi. Pancadvara (“panca” + “dvāra” where “panca” is five and “dvāra” is door) means five (physical) doors.
Vithi is pronounced “veethi”; in fact, the actual Pali (and Sinhala) term is veethi (meaning “road”), since like a road, the flow is continuous. But vithi has become the established English word, just like “piti” for the actual word “preethi“. And, citta is pronounced “chiththā”.
When we THINK ABOUT those external sense inputs, that is done via manōdvāra citta vithi, which involve only the brain and the mind (those are not the same). These citta vithi normally have 10-12 cittā in them.
Here we will describe both types of citta vithi.
2. According to citta niyama (or Law of Cittā), a pancadvāra citta vithi proceeds in a standard way for an object with great intensity (atimahantārammana citta vithi). That means the object is of high interest and also the conditions for the object to be grasped are optimum; for example, if it is a visual object, that visual object is of high interest and also the light conditions for seeing that object are good.

The sequence of cittā in a pancadvāra citta vithi is as follows:

Pancadvara Citta Vithi

# IN THE SERIES CITTA TYPE SYMBOL
1 Atīta Bhavanga (Past Bhavanga) AB
2 Bhavanga Calana (Vibrating Bhavanga)
BC
3 Bhavanga Upaccheda (Arrest Bhavanga)
BU
4 Pancadvaravajjana (Sense-door adverting consciousness)
PD
5 Cakku Vinnana (eye-door perceiving consciousness) - for example
CV
6 Sampaticchana (Receiving consciousness)
Sam
7 Santīrana (Investigating consciousness)
San
8 Vottapana (Determining consciousness)
V
9-15 Javana J
16, 17 Tadarammana (Registering consciousness) T

3. When the mind is not dealing with a pancadvāra citta vithi or a manōdvāra citta vithi, it is in a “dormant state” called the bhavanga. Bhavanga (“bhava” + “anga” where “anga” means “a part”), thus represents the particular “bhava” of the living being, in this case a “human bhava“. The conventional English term is “life continuum”, but we will use bhavanga.

The meaning of bhavanga is further explained in, “State of Mind in the Absence of Citta Vithi – Bhavanga“.
The bhavanga state is conventionally represented by the following series as if they are a series of bhavanga citta:
..B B B B B B B B ………….

When the mind is in the bhavanga state, we do not “feel” anything. Just like an eye cannot see itself, the mind cannot “see” its own state. This is the “dormant state” in between sense inputs. When one is in deep sleep or unconscious, one is fully in the bhavanga state.
Conventionally, it is said that bhavanga citta flow unceasingly, until the mind is diverted to an object of interest, whether through one of the five physical senses (cakku, sōta, ghāna, jivhā, or kāya indriya) or an “active thought” that originates in the “mana indriya” in the brain.
As we will see later, the mind is in the bhavanga (B) state most of the time even if the mind feels like very active. Even during watching a movie, the mind is mostly in the bhavanga state (in between various types of manōdvāra and pancadvāra citta vithi) , even though we feel like our brains are stressed to the limit with the sights and sounds from the movie.

4. We can represent the pancadvāra citta vithi in the above Table as follows:

B B B B B “AB BC BU PD CV Sam San V J J J J J J J T T” BT BT BT BT…..

It must be noted that this is the strongest citta vithi. There are many variations WITHIN this citta vithi where some do not have T or even J citta. Different types of pancadvāra citta vithi are discussed in detail in “A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma”, by Bhikkhu Bodhi (2000).

In the above case, the bhavanga is temporarily changed to BT due to the strong sense input. For details, see, “State of Mind in the Absence of Citta Vithi – Bhavanga“.
In the above example, we took a “cakku viññāna” event, i.e., what happens when a picture is presented to the mind via the “eye indriya” and the mind investigating that picture.
First the “mind needs to be released from the “bhavanga state”, and that takes three thought moments of AB (atita bhavanga), BC (bhavanga calana), BU (bhavanga upacceda). Here “atita” (or “atheetha“) means “past”, “calana” (or “chalana“) means “move” or “vibrate”, and “upacceda” (or “upachchéda“) means “stopped”.
Then the mind looks at the “five physical senses or pancadvāra (PD)” and determines through which of the five sense inputs it is coming through, and then picks the relevant door, which in the present case we assumed to be cakku viññāna (CV).
Then it investigates what that “picture” is, with the Sampaticcana (Sam) citta, decides what type (like, dislike, etc) with the Santirana (San) citta, and determines what actions to take with the Vottapana (V) citta.
The all important 7 javana citta arise based on that determination made with the Vottapana citta (V). This is where potent kamma are done by the mind.
In the last two Tadārammana (T) cittā, the mind takes in the “flavor” or the “essence” of the sense object, and then falls back to the bhavanga state at the termination of the pancadvāra citta vithi. Only the very strong (mahantārammana) citta vithi have them, and it is those strong impressions that are “recorded in memory”.

The Simile of Tasting a Mango

1. A pancadvāra citta vithi is the procedure by which the mind experiences an external object (sight, sound, taste, etc). In the commentaries to the Tipitaka, what happens in a pancadvāra citta vithi is compared to the case of a man who is sleeping under a mango tree, awakened by the falling of a mango, investigates it and decides to enjoy (experience) the taste of the mango.

2. Suppose a weary traveler is asleep at the foot of a mango tree. This state of being asleep is analogous to the bhavanga state. Now a ripe mango drops to the ground near the traveler. This event is similar to the striking of a visible object of very great intensity at the “eye door”.

3. The falling of the mango awakens the traveler and causes him to raise his head. This event is similar to the appearance of the visible object at the eye door causing the bhavanga to vibrate twice and become arrested; now he is not asleep anymore.

The traveler opens his eyes and looks around to enquire what the disturbance was. This is similar to the pancadvāravajjana (PD) citta adverting the mind towards the sense object.

4. The traveler sees the fallen mango. This is analogous to the eye-consciousness seeing the object (CV). Now the man picks up the mango, which is similar to the sampaticchana (Sam) citta receiving the cakku viññāna. By the way, sampaticcana comes from “san“+”paticca“; you can contemplate on this to get the basic idea; see, “What is “San”?”.

Then the man inspects the mango to see whether it is suitable for eating. This is similar to the santirana citta (“san” + “tirana” or “theerana“, where “theerana” means “decide on whether the sense object is good or bad”) investigating the sense object.
Then the man decides that the mango is good and edible. This is similar to the votthapana (“votta” + “pana” meaning “deciding on what to do” or in Sinhala, “pana denava” or “energize”). Vottapana is pronounced “voththapana”. If it was a rotten mango, one would decide to throw it away.
Most Pali terms can be understood well if one understands Sinhala. As I have mentioned before, it is the Sinhala language that is close to Pali and not Sanskrit.

5. The man bites the mango seven times eating and enjoying the taste. This is similar to the occurrence of seven javana cittā enjoying the taste of the sense object. These are really the “actions corresponding to the decision made with the vottapana citta“; if the mango was bad, here the mind will generate appropriate javana citta to throw the mango. We will discuss such complex processes later.

Then the man gathers the remnants of the fruit and the juice sticking on the teeth with his tongue and swallows twice. This is similar to the two tadārammana (T) cittā following the javanas.
Task completed, the man falls back to sleep. This is similar to the resumption of the bhavanga state.

6. However, according to the Tipitaka, each pancadvāra citta vithi is immediately followed by three manōdvāra citta vithi. The javana cittā in those three citta vithi become increasingly strong, and it is javana cittā of the last manōdvāra citta vithi that instructs the brain to get the body to act (and initiate speech).

We will discuss this in detail in the future posts. But the complete sequence of a thought process initiated by a pancadvāra citta vithi takes three more manōdvāra citta vithi to be completed. In fact, when one gets “absorbed” (for example, keeps looking at an attractive picture), one may be generating millions of such “one plus three processes” with the mind falling back to the bhavanga state repeatedly in between.
It will be easier to visualize this process by understanding what happens when we look at an object, for example, in scientific terms; see, “Citta and Cetasika – How Vinnana (Consciousness) Arises” (especially starting with #4 of that post).
Now let us look at a typical manōdvāra citta vithi.

Manodvara Citta Vithi

# IN THE SERIES CITTA TYPE SYMBOL
1 Bhavanga Calana (Vibrating Bhavanga)
BC
2 Bhavanga Upaccheda (Arrest Bhavanga)
BU
3 Manodvaravajjana (Mind-door adverting consciousness)
MD
4-10 Javana J
11, 12 Tadarammana (Registering consciousness) T

1. We can represent the manōdvāra citta vithi in the above Table as follows:

B B B B B “BC BU MD J J J J J J J T T” B B B B B…..

Here it takes only two thought moments to be released from the “bhavanga state”: BC (bhavanga calana), BU (bhavanga upacceda).
The mind already knows the ārammana (thought object).
The 7 javana citta arise, and then the citta vithi ends with the two Tadārammana (T) cittā.
Just like in the case of a pancadvāra citta vithi, here also we considered an object with high intensity as an example. We will discuss the variations when handling signals of lower intensities as the need arises. However, this discussion is sufficient to get an idea about how the two types of citta vithi function in the cognitive processes.

2. Now we can write the complete sequence of citta for a sense event initiated by a pancadvāra citta vithi as:

B B B B B “AB BC BU PD CV Sam San V J J J J J J J T TBC BU MD J J J J J J J T TBC BU MD J J J J J J J T TBC BU MD J J J J J J J T T ” B B B B B…..

As mentioned above the initial pancadvāra citta vithi is followed by three manōdvāra citta vithi.

3. On the other hand, manōdvāra citta vithi can arise just by themselves.

Furthermore, even though the length of a manōdvāra citta vithi is normally 10-12 cittā for average people, a single manōdvāra citta vithi can have many javana cittā while in a jhāna.
In a jhāna, such long manōdvāra citta vithi are interrupted by pancadvāra citta vithi that arise in between. This is why one could hear external sounds while in a jhāna.

4. But in a jhāna samāpatti, a single manōdvāra citta vithi goes on uninterrupted for long times, with javana citta arising unceasingly :

B B B B B “BC BU MD J J J J J J J J J J J ………..

Thus there is no way to get back to the bhavanga state, or for a pancadvāra citta vithi or another manōdvāra citta vithi to arise, and one becomes unaware of what happens in the outside world. Before getting into the samāpatti, one makes a determination on how long to stay in the samāpatti.
This is why the real power of javana citta can be truly displayed by people who can get into jhāna samāpatti.
This can be visualized crudely as follows: Suppose one is trying to light an oil lamp (oil-soaked wick) with the light of a matchstick. If one is not holding the lighted matchstick steady and the light moves in and out of the vicinity of the wick, it will not light. But if one can hold the light steady, it will light up quickly.

That is probably a too crude an analogy. A better one may be given for those who are familiar with lasers. One can drill holes in a metal plate using a laser beam. But if the laser beam is not held steady, it will not get the metal spot to heat up and evaporate. Being in a jhāna samāpatti is like holding a laser beam quite steady on one spot for long times.

It is important to realize that a citta vithi always starts with an external sense input due to a past kamma, i.e., due to a kamma vipaka; see, “Avyākata Paticca Samuppāda for Vipāka Viññāna“.

Citta Vithi for Attainment of Magga Phala

B B B “BC BU MD P U A G Pa Fr Fr” B B B

B B B “BC BU MD U A G Pa Fr Fr Fr” B B B

First is the magga phala citta vithi for a normal person; the second is for one with “higher wisdom”.

B, BC, BU, MD are as discussed above.

Then it goes through the Parikamma (P), Upacara (U), Anuloma (A), Gotrabu (G), Path (magga) (Pa), and Fruit (phala) (Fr).
As you can see, there is no connection to jhāna. In particular, the magga phala citta vithi does not go through a jhāna citta. Also, the Gotrabu (change of lineage) citta for magga phala is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than that in the case of a jhāna citta vithi. Change of lineage here is to become an Ariya or a Noble Person.

Citta Vithi for Attainment of Jhāna

B B B “BC BU MD P U A G Jh” B B B

B B B “BC BU MD U A G Jh” B B B

First is the jhāna citta vithi for a normal person; the second is for one with “higher wisdom”.

B, BC, BU, MD, P, U, A, G are as discussed above.
Then it goes through a Jhāna (Jh) citta.
Lal
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Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by Lal »

Critical Role of Memories - Nāmagotta

1. Here we will discuss the critical importance of our memories (or memory records), called nāmagotta in Pali.

- Let us take person X. If someone shows X an apple, he will say, “that is an apple, and I know how it smells and tastes”. Suppose X loses all memory right after that. Now, will X be able to identify that as an apple? Of course not.
- This is another amazing thing about the mind. It can search one’s previous experiences with a given object (in this case an apple), and remember what an apple looks like, smells, tastes like, etc, i.e., all the distinguishing properties of an apple. And it can do that in a billionth of a second!
- However, if one has not seen an apple in one's entire life, one would not recognize that it is a fruit with a taste of "an apple". One has to have a " saññā" based on one's prior familiarity with an apple (having seen and tasted them). This is what was discussed in a previous posting on saññā.

2. Think carefully about the following: If X loses all memories, he will not know what to do with a plate of food put in front of him; he would not identify that as a pizza, a sandwich, etc.

- If he is at work when the memory loss happens, X will not know how to go home, or even what is meant by “home” and that he is supposed to go home at a certain time.
- If he gets urge to go to the bathroom, X will not know that he is supposed to do in the bathroom or where the bathroom is.
You can think about zillions of things that we take for granted every day, that X will not be able to do. In fact, X will not be able to function at all!

3. Our memories are not "stored" in the brain. They are out there in space. They are said to be in the "mind plane" or "nama loka".

- However, just like we need eyes to see or ears to hear, we need a part of the brain called "mana indriya" to recall or extract those memories from the mind plane.
- If the memories are in the brain, one would not be able to recall memories from past lives. We recall that the Buddha was able to recall memories from past lives going back to billions of years.

4. This is why a little baby of a few months of age does not recognize anything and does not have any control over “bathroom functions”.

- A baby’s brain is not developed and thus cannot make contact with the mano loka, where memories are; see, “Namagotta, Bhava, Kamma Beeja, and Mano Loka (Mind Plane)” and “Recent Evidence for Unbroken Memory Records (HSAM)“.
- This is why a baby is TOTALLY dependent on parents until about an year old, until the brain is developed to some extent.

5. In the beginning of the “ “Mahā­māluk­ya Sutta (MN 64)“, the Buddha points out this fact that sakkāya ditthi cannot arise in a new-born baby, exactly because what we discussed above: there is no way to trigger the hidden anusaya in that baby.

- To quote the above translation: “For a young tender infant lying prone does not even have the notion ‘identity,’ so how could identity view (sakkāya ditthi) arise in him? “
-The Pāli verse is: “Daharassa hi, mālukyaputta, kumārassa mandassa uttāna­seyya­kassa sakkāyotipi na hoti, kuto panassa uppajjissati sakkāyadiṭṭhi? “.

6. Now, suppose that person X, who has lost all his memories, takes a bite of the apple. Of course, he will taste the sweetness, but he will not be able to IDENTIFY that as “apple taste”.

- That is because the “saññā” or recognition of something comes from the memory of previous experiences. If memory is lost, “ saññā” of a given object is lost too. You may want to review my earlier post on saññā.
- Furthermore, X may not even generate a liking or the desire to take another bite, unless he is hungry.
- This also proves that the CRAVING for the taste of apple was not in the apple.Cravings are associated with one’s anusaya. And those anusaya cannot come to the surface as āsava, unless one’s memories are intact.

7. With his memories lost, X’s vēdanā and saññā will be pretty close to “uncontaminated” pabhassara citta. He will experience a taste (without identifying it as taste of apple). But he will not generate any craving for eating more, unless he is really hungry.

- But of course, he has not attained the Arahant stage. His anusaya will be with him, just as new born baby will have all its anusaya with it.
- If X lost his memory due to brain damage, his anusaya will not resurface until next birth if the brain is permanently damaged.

8. This is why a new-born baby (within a year or so from birth) has a very limited capability for perceptions (saññā): the brain has not developed to be able to process all the information that comes through the sense faculties.

- Therefore, a new-born baby’s brain does not have the ability to transfer anything useful to the hadaya vatthu (base of the mind) for it to identify objects or match each with the set of anusaya and to generate cravings or dislikes for that sense input.
- A baby’s hidden anusaya will not show up until its brain develops. The brain function attains the full capacity around 7 years of age according to the Buddha.
- It is important to know what is meant by anusaya and āsava:“Gathi (Gati), Anusaya, and Āsava”. The role of the brain is discussed at: “Brain – Interface between Mind and Body“.
- Therefore, if the "mana indriya" in the brain is damaged, one will not be able to recall memories from the mind plane. This is the same as one being not able to see if one's eyes are damaged.

9. In fact, this has really happened to a person and his story is detailed in the book, “Patient H.M. : A Story of Memory, Madness, and Family Secrets” by Luke Dittrich.

- Part of patient H.M’s brain (about a cubic centimeter) was removed for treating a different problem (to stop seizures), and he lost his memories.
It is clear that the surgeons had inadvertently removed part of the brain of patient H.M. that contained the mana indirya.
- With more studies in the future, we may be able to identify the location of the mana indirya in the brain. But from the details of the operation of patient H.M, it is clear that it is either the hippocampus or an adjoining part of the brain.

10. These days, there are many “philosopher-types” (such as Ekhart Tolle or even Buddhist teachers), who say “forget the past and live in the moment”. I know of some "Buddhists" who forcefully try to forget about EVERYTHING. I hope you see why this is nonsense. It may sound grand -- like those Zen sayings -- but has no essence.

- One CANNOT forget the past AND live in the present. What the Buddha said is to live the present moment mindfully, making sure not to make bad decisions — that one may have made in the past.
- We should only discard (or stop) thoughts that involve greed, hate, and ignorance. Not all thoughts. That is the real Anapanasati meditation.
- The Buddha had the perfect memory. He could remember things in previous lives as far back as he wished. Often he would give accounts of what had happened in past lives and teach people how to learn lessons from the past.

11. We can get a good idea of how the mind of an Arahant works by thinking about the experiences of X who has lost all his memories. The only difference is that in the case of X, all his anusaya are intact, but they cannot be “triggered”.

- For an Arahant, it is the other way around. He/she will have perfect memory.
- For an Arahant, all gati and āsava/anusaya have been removed via cultivating paññā (wisdom or Tilakkhana or the real nature of this world).
- But an Arahant will have all his memories intact. In fact, if he has developed abhiññā powers, he will be able to recall memories not only from this life but many, many lives in the past.

12. Most of our cravings are associated with our past habits and desires (called gati). Each person has a set that is unique to him/her, AND that set of habits/cravings will change over time.

- All gati and āsava/anusaya arise or — are with oneself — because of the inability to get rid of defilements due to ignorance of the real nature of this world: anicca, dukkha, anatta.

- When one is on the Path, one will gradually get rid of “bad gati” and cultivate “good gati“. Then , at some point one will be able to comprehend the anicca nature and one’s paññā will grow and one’s anusaya will be PERMANENTLY removed in four stages of Nibbāna.
- Practically, this is achieved by following the 8 steps: Samma Ditthi (learning and comprehending true Dhamma), Samma Sankappa (thinking along those good Dhamma), Samma Vaca (speaking accordingly), etc and one WILL get to Samma Samadhi. Then that will lead to Samma Ñana (wisdom), and Samma Vimutti (Nibbana).
- One should just understand the meanings of those key Pāli terms like saññā, viññāna, nimitta, etc. It does not make sense to translate those terms to English, because no single English word will convey the same meaning as a Pāli word.
- That is NOT memorization. One should comprehend what is MEANT by a Pāli word, not memorize it.
Last edited by Lal on Thu Oct 04, 2018 11:21 am, edited 3 times in total.
SarathW
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Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by SarathW »

@Lal
It is much helpful if you can give a short answer to a question instead of copy and paste a long post from another link.
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
Lal
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Joined: Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:39 am

Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by Lal »

@Lal
It is much helpful if you can give a short answer to a question instead of copy and paste a long post from another link.
This post was not in response to a question.

In any case, you don't need to read more details if you don't want to.
Lal
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Joined: Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:39 am

Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by Lal »

I see that there are two current discussions on the following topic.

Parimukham- Establishing Mindfulness in Front?

Those who want to just see the meaning of “parimukham” can go straight to #5. But I would recommend reading the whole post to get the full impact.

1. Satipatthana meditation is not just to be practiced in a formal session, even though formal sessions can and should be done. In particular, Dhammānupassana needs to be done in formal sessions, which we will discuss shortly. With that in mind let us look at how the sutta begins (after the uddēsa or the “brief description” section, to which we will get back later):
Kathaṃ ca pana, bhikkhavē, bhikkhu kāyē kāyanupassi viharati?

- Here and many other other places, “ca” is pronounced “cha”.
- Here “viharati” means “to live”. Thus what it says is, “Bhikkhus, what is meant by living with kāyānupassanā of the body (kāyē kāyānupassanā)?”.
- This should make it very clear that the bhāvānā is not just to be practiced in a formal session; one has to “live it”.

2. Now let us look at the next phrase that describes how to prepare for the bhāvānā:
Idha, bhikkhavē, bhikkhu aranna gatō vā rukkhamūla gatō vā sunnāgāra gatō vā nisidati pallankaṃ ābhujitvā, ujuṃ kāyaṃ paṇidhāya, parimukhaṃ satiṃ upaṭṭhapetvā”.

- The conventional translation is something like, “Here a monk, having gone into the forest, or to the foot of a tree, or to an empty room, sits down cross-legged, keeps his body upright and fixes his awareness in the area around the mouth”.
- Of course, this is a good thing to do if one is going to do a formal session, except that one should focus the awareness not “around the mouth” but on the object of contemplation as we will discuss later.

3. I pointed out in the introduction how the sutta (like most other suttā) was apparently designed to convey the above “conventional” meaning while keeping the deeper meaning hidden; see, “Sutta – Introduction”. This is a good example of how this was accomplished. Let us describe the above sentence in detail. However, I may not be able to go into such details for the rest of the sutta, because it will take up too much space.
Continuing with the interpretation of the phrase in #2, “gatō vā” means “get in to” or in the deeper sense, “get into the mindset”.

- Aranna is a forest (or forest monastery). But the hidden meaning comes from “rana” which means “battle” and thus “aranna” means staying away from battles. Thus, “aranna gatō vā” means “get into a calm mindset leaving behind the everyday battles”. In the conventional interpretation is says, “having gone into the forest”. One could go to a secluded or quiet place.
- “rukkha” is “tree” and “mūla” is the “root”; even though the top of a tree sways back and forth with the wind, the tree trunk close to the root is very stable. Thus “rukkhamūla gatō vā” means getting to a stable mindset. In the conventional interpretation is says, “having gone to the foot of a tree”. That is fine too.

4. Next, “sunnāgāra” is an empty building or room. The deeper meaning is that the mind should be empty of greed, hate, and ignorance. One should dispel any such thoughts that comes to the mind.

- Now comes, “nisidati pallaṅkaṃ ābhujitvā”, which is translated as, “sits down cross-legged”. The key word here is, “anka” or literally “number”; in Pāli or Sinhala, “reduce the number” or “palla+anka” means not giving importance. Thus “nisidati pallankaṃ ābhujitvā” means, “being modest” and getting rid of any sense of “superiority”.
- And, “ujuṃ kāyaṃ paṇidhāya” is translated, “keeps his body upright”. In the deeper meaning, it is about being “straightforward” or forthright and honest.
- The post, “kāyānupassanā – Section on Postures (Iriyapathapabba)“, describes how one needs to conduct satipattāna in all four postures (sitting, standing, walking, lying down), AND in numerous sub-postures; Therefore, the idea of “keeping the physical body upright” during satipattāna is a falsehood.

5. Finally, “parimukhaṃ satiṃ upaṭṭhapetvā” is the KEY to Satipatthāna: It is translated literally as “fixes his awareness in the area around the mouth”. What is actually meant is to keep the mind on the main object (called “mukkha nimitta” or the "main focus"), i.e., “Nibbāna” or “cooling down”. “Pari” here means “complete” or “full”.

- I have discussed in a recent post in this forum what is meant by "nimitta".
- Therefore, “parimukhaṃ satiṃ upaṭṭhapetvā” means maintaining one’s focus on the main goal or Nibbāna.
- Thus what is described in that sentence is the required mindset for the meditator, whether he/she is going to be “meditating” in any one of the four postures described in the previous post, not just in a sitting down formal meditation session.

6. Thus the “preparation instructions” in that opening phrase can now be stated something like, “get into a calm and stable mindset that is devoid of greed, hate, and ignorance; keep a modest attitude without any sense of superiority; be forthright and honest, and keep the mind on the main object of cooling down”.

- Such a state of mind needs to be cultivated for all times. That is the key to cooling down on a long-term basis.
- Of course the conventional interpretation can also be used for sitting down, formal, sessions without “fixing awareness in the area around the mouth”. One ALWAYS focuses on cooling down, and becoming an “ātāpi sampajannō“; see, “Satipatthana Sutta – Structure“, and “kāyānupassanā – The Section on Habits (Sampajanapabba)“.
- Thus the idea is for one to become a “firefighter” battling the fires in the mind (“ātāpi sampajannō“), who is always on the lookout not for actual fires, but for those mental events that CAN LEAD TO mental fires in the future. These are basically any immoral acts, speech, or thoughts.

7. There are five sections or “pabba” in the kāyānupassanā. The reason that I described the Iriyāpathapabba (“section on postures”) and the Sampajānapabba (“section on habits”) in the previous posts was to emphasize the point that this bhāvānā cannot be restricted to a formal session. One could say, “How can I be meditating the whole day?”. This question arises only because of the misconceptions we have on what meditation or “bhāvānā” is.

- The Buddha said, “bhāvānāya bahuleekathaya”, or “bhāvānā is what one does all the time”. It is about getting into the habit of developing good habits and getting rid of bad habits.
- One can just make it a “formal session” in order to get into deeper levels of samādhi or jhānas.

8. Buddha Dhamma is not a religion in the sense of providing “salvation” by following certain rules or procedures. The Buddha said the only way to achieve long-lasting happiness is to purify the mind. It starts with avoiding the worst immoral acts of killing, stealing, etc. When one sees the benefits of that one can go a step further and include gossiping, slandering, etc. and so on.

- The more one purifies one’s mind, the true nature of this world will become increasingly clear. One cannot read about it in one essay or even many essays. One has to put it into action. Even though it is good to read about anicca, dukkha, anatta, it is not possible to “get it” until one purifies one’s mind to a certain extent AND experiences the “cooling down” that results from a purified mind; this will be discussed in the Dhammānupassanā.

9. Satipatthāna sutta describes a very methodical way of following the Path prescribed by the Buddha. Initially, one does not even have to worry about whether rebirth is valid or whether there are 31 realms of existence. One just focuses on realizing that there are “internal fires” (ātāpi) that we are not even aware of; see “Satipātthana Sutta – Structure“.

- As one purifies the mind, one can clearly see and FEEL these fires and how they start. When one clears up the “big fires” one is able to see and feel smaller ones; one becomes more “sensitized”. And then one tackles those smaller fires. It is a gradual, step-by-step process. That is why it is called the Path. The higher one climbs on the Path, the more one can “see” and get rid of, and more happier one becomes.
Last edited by Lal on Fri Oct 05, 2018 10:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
SarathW
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Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by SarathW »

I think it is helpful if you can post your answers to the relevant post.
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
Lal
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Joined: Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:39 am

Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by Lal »

I think it is helpful if you can post your answers to the relevant post.
Sorry. This is the forum that I will be mainly posting on.
Ryan95227
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Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by Ryan95227 »

It'd be certainly helpful if you can properly answer what various users have questioned. It seems to be shaking up my belief in puredhamma.
Lal
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Joined: Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:39 am

Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by Lal »

It'd be certainly helpful if you can properly answer what various users have questioned. It seems to be shaking up my belief in puredhamma.
Please list the questions that I have not already answered.
Please do not copy and paste long comments. Just ask the basic questions that have not been answered.

On the other hand, I have asked several questions from those who did not agree with my explanations. Those questions have not been answered.
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