Pulsar wrote: ↑Wed Jun 12, 2019 3:00 pmMy impression is that
Gotama was not a puthujjana on the night before enlightenment
Thank you Pulsar but there appears to be no evidence SN 12.10 & SN 12.65 are about the night before enlightenment.
Also, these suttas do appear to say Gotama was a
putthujjana when he
used "yonismanasikara". The suttas say: "
Monks, before my Awakening, when I was just an unawakened Bodhisatta... From my appropriate attention there came the breakthrough of discernment: 'Aging & death exist when birth exists "...
It seems apparent all that SN 12.10 & SN 12.65 say about "yoniso manasikara" is it was used by the puthujjana Gotama to make a breakthrough/
abhisamayo (to stream-entry).
SN 13.1, which is about stream-entry, uses the word "
abhisametāvi", which might be similar to "
abhisamayo" in SN 12.10 & SN 12.65.
Pulsar wrote: ↑Wed Jun 12, 2019 3:00 pm As for the procedure of his enlightenment, and how exactly it took place, the excerpt below from AN 4.77 has an answer.
Bhikkhus. there are these for inconceivable matters, that one should not try to conceive; One who tries to conceive them would reap either madness or frustration. What four?
1. The Range of the Buddhas is an inconceivable matter that one should not try to conceive; one who tries to conceive it would reap reap madness or frustration.
Thanks Pulsar but AN 4.77 does not appear relevant. Thank you for your contributions to this topic.
santa100 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 12, 2019 1:18 pmWhile it's true yoniso manisakara is one of the main themes of practice, one should be careful when putting it like the way above for it might give the false impression that it's the only necessary and sufficient element for the entire Path.
Thank you Santa100. The above point sounds reasonable, particularly when considering SN 45.55 says yoniso manasikara is the "forerunner" of the Path, comparing it to the "dawn" that
precedes (pubbaṅgamaṃ) & is the
preliminary sign (pubbanimittaṃ) of the rising (udayato) of "sun":
SN 45.55 wrote:Mendicants, the dawn is the forerunner and precursor of the sunrise.
Sūriyassa, bhikkhave, udayato etaṃ
pubbaṅgamaṃ etaṃ
pubbanimittaṃ, yadidaṃ—aruṇuggaṃ;
In the same way accomplishment in proper attention is the forerunner and precursor of the noble eightfold path for a mendicant.
evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno ariyassa aṭṭhaṅgikassa maggassa uppādāya etaṃ pubbaṅgamaṃ etaṃ pubbanimittaṃ, yadidaṃ—yonisomanasikārasampadā.
A mendicant accomplished in proper attention can expect to develop and cultivate the noble eightfold path.
Yonisomanasikārasampannassetaṃ, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno pāṭikaṅkhaṃ—ariyaṃ aṭṭhaṅgikaṃ maggaṃ bhāvessati, ariyaṃ aṭṭhaṅgikaṃ maggaṃ bahulīkarissati.
https://suttacentral.net/sn45.55/en/sujato