… One of the instructive ironies of the sutta is the way in which its two main concerns come into conflict toward the end: Kings and brahmans become so intent on gaining possession of the Buddha’s relics that they forget his teachings and almost come to war. We know from Buddhist history that devotional Buddhism has threatened the practice in other ways as well …
… But in the past I was also chewed up by form in the same way I am now being chewed up by present form. And if I delight in future form, then in the future I will be chewed up by form in the same way I am now being chewed up by present form.’ Having reflected in this way, he becomes indifferent to …
… The consciousness of living beings hindered by ignorance & fettered by craving is established in/tuned to a middling property. Thus there is the production of renewed becoming in the future.
“If there were no kamma ripening in the formless-property, would formless-becoming be discerned?”
Ven. Ānanda: “No, lord.”
The Buddha: “Thus kamma is the field, consciousness the seed, and craving the moisture. The …
… in any of these ways, he may be given full Acceptance. None of the texts discuss the case where he does fail and yet is given the full Acceptance. Apparently, the Acceptance would still be valid, and yet the bhikkhus giving it would each incur a dukkaṭa.
The validity of the assembly
The quorum for full Acceptance in the middle Ganges valley is ten …
… So tonight, I’d like to look into the different ways in which discernment, or right view, and right mindfulness work to develop the perfection of persistence.
Persistence is directed by discernment in four ways:
• The first way is seeing the distinction between what is skillful and what’s unskillful.
• The second way is giving you the motivation to want to put forth effort …
… For example, the gratification that comes from being generous is moving in one way, the gratification that comes from maintaining the precepts is moving in another way, the feelings of gratification that come from the different forms of goodness are moving in their own separate ways. This is called finding gratification in skillfulness.
But all of these feelings of gratification converge in the practice …
… This image
would have special resonances with the Buddha’s teaching on the
middle way. It also adds meaning to the term
samaṇa—monk or contemplative—which the texts
frequently mention as being derived from sama. The
word sāmañña—“evenness,” the quality of being in
tune—also means the quality of being a contemplative: The true
contemplative is always in tune with what is …
… Ye keci pāṇa-bhūtatthi
tasā vā thāvarā vā anavasesā,
Whatever beings there may be, weak or strong, without exception,
Dīghā vā ye mahantā vā
majjhimā rassakā aṇuka-thūlā,
long, large, middling, short, subtle, blatant,
Diṭṭhā vā ye ca adiṭṭhā
ye ca dūre vasanti avidūre,
seen & unseen, living near & far,
Bhūtā vā sambhavesī vā
sabbe sattā bhavantu sukhitattā.
born & seeking birth: May all beings be …
… Resembling a ball of sealing wax,
set in a hollow,
with a bubble in the middle
and bathed with tears,
eye secretions are born there too:
The parts of the eye
are rolled all together
in various ways.’
Plucking out her lovely eye,
with mind unattached
she felt no regret.
‘Here, take this eye. It’s yours.’
Straightaway she gave it to him.
Straightaway …
… I have yet to hear anyone extol drinking as a way to health, wealth, and happiness. If people who drink really thought it were good, they probably wouldn’t come back to drinking plain old water or eating plain old food again. Once people get drunk, they start acting rowdy and ugly in ways that people in general don’t admire. Even their own …
… If a strong man were to tip it in any way at all, would water spill out?”
“Yes, lord.”
“In the same way, when anyone has developed & pursued mindfulness immersed in the body, then whichever of the six higher knowledges he turns his mind to know and realize, he can witness them for himself whenever there is an opening.
“Suppose there were a rectangular …
… Others may address you in a timely way or an untimely way. They may address you with what is true or what is false. They may address you in an affectionate way or a harsh way. They may address you in a beneficial way or an unbeneficial way. They may address you with a mind of goodwill or with inner hate. In any event …
… In terms of habits and practices, each side can be very insistent that the way they draw inferences about the world is “scientific”—as they define the term—and that they know for a fact what ways of behavior are actually valid in the context of their worlds.
From the Buddha’s point of view, though, all these ways of clinging are suffering. And …
… In terms of habits and practices, each side can be very insistent that the way they draw inferences about the world is “scientific”—as they define the term—and that they know for a fact what ways of behavior are actually valid in the context of their worlds.
From the Buddha’s point of view, though, all these ways of clinging are suffering. And …
… In this way a monk is a person with admirable virtue. Thus he is of admirable virtue.
And how is a monk a person with admirable qualities? There is the case where a monk lives engaged in developing of the seven (sets of) qualities that are wings to awakening. In this way a monk is a person with admirable qualities. Thus he is of …
… The opinion of the majority, if in accord with the Dhamma and Vinaya, is then considered decisive. (As 5)
If a bhikkhu admits to an offense only after being interrogated in a formal meeting, the Community should carry out a further-punishment transaction against him, rescinding it only when he has mended his ways. (As 6)
If, in the course of a dispute, both …
… AN 7:60 illustrates this point with seven ways that a person harms him/herself when angry, bringing on results that an enemy would wish: He/she becomes ugly, sleeps badly, mistakes profit for loss and loss for profit, loses wealth, loses his/her reputation, loses friends, and acts in such a way that–after death–he/she reappears in a bad rebirth.
44 …
… Resembling a ball of sealing wax,
set in a hollow,
with a bubble in the middle
and bathed with tears,
eye secretions are born there too:
The parts of the eye
are rolled all together
in various ways.’
Plucking out her lovely eye,
with mind unattached
she felt no regret.
‘Here, take this eye. It’s yours.’
Straightaway she gave it to him.
Straightaway …
… For what reason? (Thinking,) “May it not become creased in the middle.” If (the corners) were made even, then when folded up it would have a crease in the middle. Being creased constantly, it would become weak. That is said to be the purpose of the prohibition. So in whatever way it is not creased tomorrow in the place it is creased today, in …
… The way leading to sickliness makes people sickly,
the way leading to health makes people healthy. The way leading
to ugliness makes people ugly, the way leading to beauty makes
people beautiful. The way leading to lack of influence makes
people uninfluential, the way leading to influence makes people
influential. The way leading to poverty makes people poor, the
way leading to wealth makes …
DN 16 Mahā Parinibbāna Sutta | The Great Total Unbinding Discourse
… One of the instructive ironies of the sutta is the way in which its two main concerns come into conflict toward the end: Kings and brahmans become so intent on gaining possession of the Buddha’s relics that they forget his teachings and almost come to war. We know from Buddhist history that devotional Buddhism has threatened the practice in other ways as well …
Readings on Self & Not-self | Selves & Not-self
… But in the past I was also chewed up by form in the same way I am now being chewed up by present form. And if I delight in future form, then in the future I will be chewed up by form in the same way I am now being chewed up by present form.’ Having reflected in this way, he becomes indifferent to …
Worlds & Their Cessation : The Buddha’s Strategic View of the Cosmos
… In terms of habits and practices, each side can be very insistent that the way they draw inferences about the world is “scientific”—as they define the term—and that they know for a fact what ways of behavior are actually valid in the context of their worlds. From the Buddha’s point of view, though, all these ways of clinging are suffering. And …
