Saturday, December 31, 2011

Instant Karma!

Doing Good gets pleasure. Doing evil gets Pain!



Doing evil, bad or wrong actions, returns in resultant pain, while doing good,
right
and kind actions echoes back as pleasure. Usually there is a long delay
between action and resultant karmic effect. Though in rare & strong cases
the
effect returns immediately. This 'behavioural echo' may be designated:
Instant karma. Some illustrative examples are given below: Click links to see:

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/Pics/Instant.karma.in.action.1.gif
Folly parents made him do this. Cat does not resist since it knows and likes the boy.
Therefore it stays dry! Kamma in action!

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/Pics/cat.kamma.retort.gif

This cat also likes the boy, but teaches him a lesson about not to let own anger
drip
on others... Kamma in action!

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/Pics/instant.karma.gun-recoil-fail.gif
This foolish woman is using a far too large gun: A Desert Eagle using
.50 Action Express bullets, which can kill an elephant or rhino in one shot,
but has a forceful recoil. Her intention with the gun is motivated by hate.
She experiences that from the Kammic ‘echo’! Kamma in action!

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/Pics/instant.karma.cat.sprong.gif

This cat has killed too many mice, eaten far too much, got fat, and thus totally
misses
an otherwise easy jump. Kamma in action!

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/Pics/instant.kamma.thief.seagull.gif

This guy was a human thief in his prior life. Note how he also now approaches slowly,
looks
around, and retires quickly. He knows what he is doing from earlier since seagulls
cannot
be trained! Next rebirth destination for him: Stealing insect or lower. Kamma in action!

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/Pics/dog.good.kamma.gif

This boy does good and gets fun!

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/Pics/interspecies.friendship.gif

This boy also does good and also gets fun!

More on the mechanics of Kamma = Intentional Action (Sanskrit=Karma):
Invariable Fact, Unintentional Action, Kamma_is_intention, Buddha_on_Kamma,
Effect_of_Action_(kamma)_is_Delayed, Good_Action_dilutes_Evil_Kamma,

Kamma_leading_to_Wealth_or_Poverty, The_Mirror, Intention_is_Kamma,

Kamma_leading_to_Health_&_Sickness, Impossible, Kamma_and_Rebirth,
Good_Action_enhances_other_Good_Kamma, Inevitable_Consequences,

Kamma_leading_to_short_&_long_life, Action_Determines, Asymmetry,

Kamma_leading_to_Stupidity_or_Intelligence, Kamma_and_Fruit,

Kamma_leading_to_Power_or_Disrespect, Kamma_is_improvable,

Kamma_leading_to_Low_or_High_Birth , Rebirth_and_Kamma,

Kamma_leading_to_Beauty_&_Ugliness, The_5_Destinations,
Evil_Kamma_enhances_other_Evil_Kamma, Creating_Future,

Have a nice & noble day!


Friendship is the Greatest!
Bhikkhu Samāhita _/\_ ]
http://What-Buddha-Said.net

What causes ignorance?

What are the Causes of Lack of Vision & Wisdom?



A prince named fearless once asked the Blessed Buddha:
Venerable Sir, what is the conditioning cause for lack of vision & wisdom?
Prince, when mind is obsessed, overwhelmed, & dominated by sense-desire,
or when mind is beset by evil-will, plagued, enraged & conquered by anger,
or when mind is retarded, dimmed, detained & diluted by lethargic laziness,
or when mind is agitated, troubled & tyrannized by restlessness & regret,
or when mind is perplexed, confused & bewildered by doubt & uncertainty,
and one does not understand any safe escape from any of these present
mental hindrances, at that moment, one can neither see, nor understand
anything of what is advantageous, neither for oneself, nor for others,
nor both for oneself & others! These mental hindrances are therefore
the
conditioning causes for lack of vision and wisdom! It is in exactly
this
way, that ignorance arises from a cause, and not without a cause...
What is this Dhamma explanation called, Sir?
These are called the mental hindrances, prince.
Surely and unquestionably they are mental hindrances. Blessed One!
One overcome by even a single mental hindrance would not know and see
things
as they really are, not to speak of one overcome by all these
5 mental hindrances...

More on these 5 Mental Hindrances (Nīvaranas):
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_5_Mental_Hindrances.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Feeding_the_Hindrances.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Starving_the_Hindrances.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_Fire_of_Sense-Desire.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Colourful_but_Muddy.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Anger_and_Irritation.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Lethargy_and_Laziness.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Restlessness_and_Regret.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Doubt_and_Uncertainty.htm



Source (edited extract):
The Grouped Sayings of the Buddha. Samyutta Nikāya.
Book [V:127] section 46: The Links. 56: To Abhaya...

Have a nice & noble day!


Friendship is the Greatest!
Bhikkhu Samāhita _/\_ ]
http://What-Buddha-Said.net

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Naturally Radiant!

The 5 Impurities block the Lucidity of Mind:

The Blessed Buddha once said:
There are five impurities of gold impaired by which it becomes neither pliant
nor wieldy, it lacks radiance, is weak & easily broken and cannot be formed...
What are these five impurities? They are: Iron, copper, tin, lead and silver.
But if the gold has been purified from these five impurities, then it will indeed
be pliant and wieldy, radiant and firm, and can be formed well. Whatever kind
of jewellery one wishes to make from it, be it a diadem, earrings, a necklace or
a golden chain, it will easily serve that purpose well.
Similarly, there are five impurities of the mind impaired by which the mind is
neither pliant nor wieldy, it lacks radiant lucidity and stability, and cannot
concentrate well upon the eradication of the mental fermentations (āsava).
What are these five impurities? They are:

1: Sense-Desire,
2
: Evil-Will,
3: Lethargy and Laziness,
4: Restlessness and Regret,
5: Doubt and Uncertainty...

But if the mind is freed of these five mental hindrances, then it will be plastic,
flexible
, and wieldy, will be of radiant lucidity and firm calm stability, and will
concentrate well upon the elimination of the mental fermentations. Whatever
supra-human state realizable by these higher mental abilities one may pursue,
one will in each case be able to directly experience it, as an eye-witness...


Buddha said: The mind is naturally radiant, but veiled by mental hindrance!

More on these 5 Mental Hindrances (Nīvaranas):
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_5_Mental_Hindrances.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Feeding_the_Hindrances.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Starving_the_Hindrances.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/How_5_Become_10.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_Canal.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Naturally_Radiant.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Suitable_Substitution.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/Canon/Sutta/AN/AN.I.3-4.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/Canon/Sutta/AN/AN.I.3-4c.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_Fire_of_Sense-Desire.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Colourful_but_Muddy.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Anger_and_Irritation.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Lethargy_and_Laziness.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Restlessness_and_Regret.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Doubt_and_Uncertainty.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_Causes_of_Ignorance.htm

Comments:
The 4 mental fermentations are wrong, false & hidden assumptions associated with:
1: Sense-desire (kāmāsava). Ex: "Sensing is only & always pleasant. Pain exists not!"
2: Desiring becoming into new existence (bhavāsava): Ex: "All life is good, Death exists not!"
3: Wrong views (ditthāsava): Ex: "I am better, know better & what I think is thus never wrong!"
4: Ignorance (avijjāsava): Ex: "Suffering, craving, ending craving & the Noble Way exists not!"

For Details on the 3 Mental Fermentations (āsava) please see:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/a/aasava.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/The_Proximate_Cause.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Cause_of_Ignorance.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_Three_Fermentations.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Freed_from_Fermentation.htm

Source (edited extract):
The Numerical Sayings of the Buddha. Anguttara Nikāya.
The Book of Fives 23: Four deeds of Merit... [III: 16-7]

Have a nice & noble day!


Friendship is the Greatest!
Bhikkhu Samāhita _/\_ ]
http://What-Buddha-Said.net

Naturally Radiant!

Monday, December 26, 2011

Aloof is Equanimity

Regarding all Phenomena with aloof Equanimity!

When one has understood constructions by seeing the three characteristics in
them and their voidness, then one can leave both terror & delight by becoming
indifferent and neutral to all states, taking them neither to be 'I' nor 'mine'!
One becomes like a man who has recently divorced his wife: The man who was
married
to a lovely, gorgeous, & charming wife & so deeply in love with her as to
be unable to bear separation from her for a moment. He would be disturbed &
displeased
to see her standing, talking & laughing with another man, and would
be very unhappy, but later, when he found out that woman's faults, and he
divorced her, he would no more take her as 'mine'; and thereafter, even
though he saw her doing whatever it might be, with whomsoever it might be,
he would neither be disturbed, nor displeased, but only neutral & indifferent!
So too with the meditating disciple who wants to get free from all phenomena:
He recognizes all constructions as impermanent, and void of pleasure and self,
thus seeing that nothing is in reality 'I' or 'mine'. He therefore abandons both
terror and delight, and becomes indifferent & neutral towards all phenomena...
Vism 656


Divorced from Possessiveness, Egoism, Clinging and Frustration!

More On Equanimity (Upekkhā):
Even is Equanimity, The 7 Links to Awakening, Serene Equanimity and Beyond,
Imperturbable Equanimity, Unshakable Equanimity, Equanimity Upekkha,
Feeding Equanimity, Empty Equanimity, High_and_Alert, What_is_Wrong,
Safe_Medicine, Serene_Equanimity



Equanimity describes the unattached awareness of one's experience as a result
of
perceiving the impermanence of momentary reality. It is a peace of mind and
dwelling
in even calmness that cannot be shaken by any grade of both fortunate
and unfortunate circumstance. It is a concept promoted by several religions...!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equanimity

Have a nice & noble day!


Friendship is the Greatest!
Bhikkhu Samāhita _/\_ ]
http://What-Buddha-Said.net


Cause and Effect....

Cause Entails Effect: Be mindful in all you do!



There are some fundamental tenets. One is the universal regime of cause
and
effect. The second is the idea of interdependence of all phenomena.
The third is in understanding that there is a certain dependence in origination
itself
, that is that which originates, changes, disappears and disintegrates.
This idea is inbuilt in origination. The 4th is the impermanence of conditioned
things
and absence of inherent existence of the cognizer and the cognized.
The fifth is the suffering that follows from mistaken perceptions in the
permanence
of reality. In our social as well as individual lives, we have to
encounter
suffering caused by false apprehensions of reality and happiness.
Buddhism does not believe in mortifying the flesh; it does not believe in ignoring
the demands of life, or the potential for expanding knowledge about the universe;
it does not deny that knowledge can help to reduce suffering or improve
conditions of living. It has therefore no distaste for science or technology.
On the contrary, it believes that skillful use of science and technology can
improve the quality of our lives. But since technology involves the choice of
goals
, nature of the goals, as well as the motivation that prompts the choice
and pursuit of goals become very important. If they ignore or violate any of
the
beliefs that listed above, they are bound to increase individual and social
suffering, and not welfare. Hence what we believe will contribute to our pleasure
sometimes
could turn out to be the cause of aggravated suffering.
To the Buddhist, ethics and morality are not extraneous to the realm of cause and
effect. They are not commandments of one who is the creator, and who functions
above the realm of cause and effect. Nor have their observance to be induced by
a system of reward and punishment.
The belief that actions take place in the realm of cause and effect has turned
Buddhism away from the need to look for an external source of authority or
reward and punishment administered by an external authority. Actions have
their
inescapable consequences as they are guided by the law of cause & effect.
Thus my motivations and actions will have their effects on me and the social and
even natural environment in which I live. I cannot overlook this effect, and
therefore, the responsibility to see that my conduct to what creates a conducive
effect on me as well as my social and natural environment.
Advances in science and technology are not based on an analysis of motives,
or
the impact and chain-reactions that these are likely to cause on the psyche
and environment. The negative consequences of this absence of mindfulness have
now
been brought to our attention. What do we do?
Persist in the mindless pursuit of individual power and material possessions,
unconcerned with its consequences -- in other words running the risk of a
suicide of the species?
The answer lies within us, within our minds. To a believer in Buddha Dharma it is
this mindfulness which is the basis on which to choose the path that leads to
freedom and fulfillment. Among the most powerful enemies of mindfulness are
desire, greed and the ego, the desire to promote one's ego at the cost of others
or society or the environment. The answer that Buddha Dhamma clearly gives is
mindfulness
even to protect mindfulness itself, and the ethics and morality that
mindfulness makes imperative in a world governed by cause and effect.

by Lama Doboom Tulku, Times of India, Dec 21, 2011


Causes, good as bad, inevitably spread as effects, like rings in water!

More on Causality: Dependent_Causation
Caused by What, The_Proximate_Cause,
Proximate_Causes, Bound_to_Be,


Have a nice & noble day!


Friendship is the Greatest!
Bhikkhu Samāhita _/\_ ]
http://What-Buddha-Said.net

Welcome Back, Sakyamuni

Welcome Back, Sakyamuni


The Times of India
SONAL SRIVASTAVA Dec 5, 2011, 12.14PM IST

The first-ever Buddhist Festival Of Performing Arts concluded in New Delhi recently. Director General ICCR, Suresh K Goel speaks to Sonal Srivastava on Buddhism in South Asia.

Why did the Indian Council For Cultural Relations (ICCR) hold the First Buddhist Festival of Performing Arts recently?

Buddhism travelled from India to South East Asian countries through different routes. A lot of trade took place through the Silk Route; part of the silk route was also used by the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Hiuen-Tsang. Interestingly, there are a lot of cultural similarities in the countries where Buddhism is a prominent religion. For instance, in Singapore and China, there are very colourful lion and dragon dances. In India also, there are similar dances in Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh. The hand gestures in these dances are similar.

I realised that Buddhism, wherever it travelled from India, also carried cultural influences with it. Music and dance are inspired by spiritual and cultural beliefs, and if there is a common belief in Buddhism, there will be similarities. Gradually, Buddhism evolved from being a philosophy and became a cultural phenomenon as well. So, what better way than to explore this idea through a festival of performing arts, and that too, in the country where Buddhism was born?

What are the factors driving Buddhist revival? Celebrity interest?
Celebrities make for an interesting headline, nothing more. The countries in which there is an upsurge of interest in Buddhism, are actually places where it has always been present.

Buddhism talks about tolerance, peace and mutual understanding; it is against conflict. In the sixth century, it rebelled against prevalent hard-line ritualism. It had a soft structure that helped accommodate people from different cultural backgrounds into its fold. Today, people are looking for peaceful existence within society. Buddhism has always been a strong force. In some countries, Buddhism has become a part of the social structure, so any threat to Buddhism really meant threat to society.

Why did the Chinese reportedly object to the Buddhist meet?
Chinese objections were because of the presence of the Dalai Lama. I don’t think that culture can create any kind of friction – on the contrary, it can only strengthen relationship between two people. We were not dealing with the Buddhist congregation, so we didn’t face any difficulties.

The Chinese are investing in the Nalanda project. Do you think it’s their attempt to impact spirituality in the region?
The Nalanda Project is a multilateral one in which ASEAN countries have a stake. India is piloting the project. Buddhism has a shared history and culture, especially among countries where it is still prominent. Most Buddhist pilgrimage sites are in India. We should recognise the importance of Buddhism as a link between India and South East Asian and East Asian countries, and work on promoting the knowledge which Buddhism offers, without getting into a trap of trying to influence each other. Buddhism has a very special place in India because it was born here. It’s like a building block of relationships at an international level.

How did Buddhism influence Indian and Chinese societies?
In the beginning, Buddhism remained centred in India; slowly, a lot of Hindu influence began to creep into Buddhism. Buddhism came about as a rebellion to the brahminical cult, but there was a slow absorption of Hinduism in Buddhism. There is an ‘Indianness’ to all religions that thrive in the country and it pervades all religions, no matter where they come from. Even Christianity in India is different from Christianity in other countries.

Buddhism is a strong phenomenon in Chinese society. There was a period when Buddhist monasteries were attacked, but later there was a resurgence. Today, a lot of original source material on Buddhism is available in China.

Maha Bodhi Society seeks steps to stop their encroachment

Maha Bodhi Society seeks steps to stop their encroachment

Members of the district Maha Bodhi Society and the All-India Lay Buddhists’ Organisation staged a demonstration near the office of the district Collector on Wednesday demanding that all Buddhist sites in North Andhra districts be developed into tourist centres for the benefit of devotees.

In a memorandum submitted to Collector Luv Agarwal, they sought measures to preserve the sanctity of the sites and prevent their encroachment.
Rich heritage

The rich cultural heritage and archaeological wealth of the Buddhist sites should be protected from misuse by anti-social elements and immoral traffickers, who had been spoiling the sanctity of the pilgrim places in the absence of watch and ward staff, they said.

Prayer halls need to be constructed at the sites to enable visiting devotees to pray and meditate and enjoy spiritual bliss and serenity, they said.

Bojjannakonda near Anakapalle, which is an ancient Buddhist site, should be renamed as ‘Buddhunikonda’ as the name was given in 1908 as per GO No. 791 on the basis of a popular misconception.

Historical domes and stupas at the site were being damaged by tremors caused by bomb blasting by those carrying on rock quarrying within the 2 km radius of the site.

A team of geophysicists from Andhra University, which visited the site and studied the reported damage at the request of the Archaeology Department, also confirmed damages to certain structures in the form of cracks.

District Maha Bodhi Society president G. Babulu and secretary B.V.G. Gautam were of the view that establishment of a ‘Site Museum’ for preserving and displaying archaeological finds and antiquities such as caskets should be done on an urgent basis. A ‘Buddha Vihara’ for international devotees should be set up at Appu Ghar in M.V.P. Colony.

Encroachment of the sites at Bojjannakonda, Thotlakonda, Bavikonda, and Bouddharamam should be checked. A survey should be ordered and fresh demarcations be made, they demanded. They also alleged that seven acres of land on the Bheemunipatnam road at the Buddhist sites had been encroached and warned of legal action if steps were not taken to restore the same.
Funds needed

Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) conservation assistant A. Venkateshwara Rao told The Hindu that funds were required for appointing watch and ward staff. Eight home guards, who were earlier employed for the protection of the sites, could not be continued due to paucity of funds. Several proposals for development of Buddhist sites near Anakapalle, including arrangement of ticket sale for raising resources too, were waiting approval. There are about 12 sites in the North Andhra districts and 136 monuments in the State under the control of the ASI.

Experts see Buddha history under mound




The Telegraph

PIYUSH KUMAR TRIPATHI

Patna, Dec. 1: Archaeologists seem to have discovered one more missing link in the journey of Gautam Buddha from Patliputra to Bodhgaya.

A team of historians and archaeologists of Bihar Virasat Vikas Samiti, a registered society working under the state art, culture and youth affairs department, recently spotted a mound at Nadauna village in Masaurhi sub-division of Patna district, which it believes is atop a Buddhist stupa that dates back to the 3rd century BC.

Based on their findings, the archaeologists have reac-hed to the conclusion that Nadauna was frequented by Buddha during his journey between Patliputra (capital of erstwhile Magadh) and Bodhgaya. They also believe that the buried stupa might have been built to embody relics of Buddha kept inside it.

Though the archaeologists are considering this mound at Nadauna as a highly significant historical discovery, they also seem apprehensive about further excavation works at the site because of the dense human settlement in the area. The villagers, on the other hand, are ready to extend all possible help for further excavation of the mound, so as to register the name of their village in the history books.

The site was discovered by a group of dedicated archaeologists and historians during a heritage expedition in the Patna-Bodhgaya-Rajgir region while observing heritage awareness week from November 19 to 25.

The first halt of the group was at Bhagvanganj village in Masaurhi where a huge mound, believed to have a Buddhist stupa underneath, was discovered in the 1980s.

During a heritage awareness meeting at Bhagvanganj on November 20, residents of neighbouring Nadauna informed the group about another huge mound at their village. Nadauna and Bhagvanganj villages are situated at a distance of around 1.5km.

Bijoy Kumar Chaudhary, executive director of the Bihar Virasat Vikas Samiti, told The Telegraph: “We went for an exploration of the mound at Nadauna after the locals informed us about it. During the exploration and documentation of the mound, we discovered burnt bricks, a platform-like structure and the spherical shape of the mound similar to that of a stupa. The bricks were measured and their dimensions indicated that they might belong to Kushan times (first century-third century AD). Buddha is believed to have passed through Nadauna village while travelling between Bodhgaya and Patliputra, before and after attaining enlightenment. Also, historical hypothesis is that after Buddha attained nirvana in Kushinagar, a Brahmin named Drone carried his holy ashes in a vessel and distributed at eight different kingdoms and republics. All such factors indicate that the mound at Nadauna might have a stupa underneath it, which would have been built to commemorate the significance of this place.”

B.P. Sinha, a retired deputy superintendent of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), echoed the claim of Bijoy. “The findings during our recent expedition to Nadauna village indicate the presence of a stupa belonging to the Kushan period underneath a mound in the village. I believe that the stupa might have been built to commemorate a part of relics of Buddha kept there, while they were being taken from Kushinagar to Rajgir. During the documentation of the mound, we found bricks measuring 38x24cm were used for building the stupa. The discovery of this stupa is a historical event but the future course of its study through excavations might hit rough waters due to the dense human settlement all around the site. However, all such issues can be resolved if the government is willing to do so.”

Bihar Virasat Vikas Samiti has already initiated steps for underlining the historical significance of this mound. “The excavation work at Nadauna might face the obstacle of dense human settlement but we are preparing a report based on the exploration and documentation of the mound. The report would be sent to the ASI and the state art, culture and youth affairs department, which would look into the matter,” said Bijoy.

The Patna chapter of ASI is ready to scrutinise the findings at Nadauna village. “Though I have not personally visited Nadauna but we will check all existing exploration reports of Masaurhi sub-division prepared by the ASI in order to find out whether it has been earlier discovered or not. Accordingly, a team would be sent to Nadauna to inspect the credibility of the mound and its internal composition. If sufficient evidences support the archaeological significance of this site, then we might recommend to the ASI headquarters to declare it as a centrally protected site and order its further excavation,” said S.K. Manjul, the superintending archaeologist at Patna chapter of ASI.

There are around 150 families in Nadauna. The mound is spread over 16 cottah. The villagers are ready to extend every possible support to the archaeologists. “Most of the land covered by this mound is already free of encroachment. Moreover, we are also ready to extend every possible support for the excavation of the mound. Even if some houses would be required to be demolished during the excavation work, the villagers would not refrain from it,” said Kaushal Kumar Sharma, a resident of Nadauna

Saturday, December 24, 2011

How2 Get Calm Contentment?

What is the Cause of Contentment (Santutthi) ?

The blessed Buddha once said:
Contentment is the highest Treasure!
Dhammapada 204

Please imagine a state, where one always is
Content

If always content, what would, one need, urge for or want? Nothing!


What is the cause of contentment?
Mutual joy with others success is the proximate cause of contentment...
Lack of Mutual joy is therefore the cause of
discontentment




A: When did you last rejoice happily in someone else’s success?
B: When did you last enjoy the calm peace of satisfied contentment?
State-A causes state-B. Therefore: Non-state-A causes non-state-B...!



Mutual joy can be trained! Result => Calm Content!

How? Please see here:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Mutual_Joy.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Contentment.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Calm_and_Content.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Rejoicing_Bliss_is_Mudita.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Infinitely_Joyous_Consciousness.htm

Enjoy Elevated Rejoice! It cures!
When providing the cause, one gains the effect…

Have a nice & noble day!


Friendship is the Greatest!
Bhikkhu Samāhita _/\_ ]
http://What-Buddha-Said.net

The 4 Steps to Stream-Entry!

The 4 Steps to Stream-Entry to Nibbâna...


The Blessed Buddha once explained:
Here, householder, the Noble Disciple possesses confirmed confidence and
conviction
in the Buddha in exactly his way: Worthy, honourable & perfectly
self-Enlightened is the Buddha! Consummated in knowledge and behaviour,
all transcended, expert in all dimensions, knower of all worlds, unsurpassable
trainer of those who can be tamed, teacher & guide of both gods & humans,
blessed, exalted, awakened & enlightened is the Buddha!
He possesses confirmed confidence in the Dhamma in exactly this way:
Perfectly formulated is this Buddha-Dhamma, visible right here and now,
immediately
effective, timeless, inviting each and everyone to come and see
for themselves, inspect, examine and verify. Leading each and everyone
through
progress towards perfection. Directly observable, experiencable
and
realizable by each intelligence...
He also possesses confirmed confidence in the Noble Sangha in this way:
Perfectly training is this Noble Sangha community of the Buddha's disciples:
Training the right way, the true way, the good way, the direct way!
Therefore do these eight kinds of individuals, the four Noble pairs, deserve
both gifts, self-sacrifice, offerings, hospitality & reverential salutation with
joined palms, since this Noble Sangha community of the Buddha's disciples,
is an unsurpassable & forever unsurpassed Field of Merit, in this world, for
this world, to honour, protect, respect and support ...
He possesses the Pure Morality esteemed by the Noble ones:
Unbroken, untorn, unspotted, unmottled, freeing, praised by the wise,
natural, leading to mental concentration, to absorption...
These are the 4 factors of Stream-Entry that a Noble Disciple possess!

The 4 steps to Stream-entry (sotāpannassa angāni) are therefore obtaining:
1: Unshakable faith in the fact of the perfect Enlightenment of the Buddha.
2: Unshakable faith in the perfect correctness of the true Dhamma.
3: Unshakable faith in the Noble part of the Sangha (monastic+lay).
4: Purified and perfectly unspotted Morality (Sīla).
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/s_t/sotaapannassa_an.htm
Canonical references: SN. LV.1; DN. 33; SN. XLVII.8

Not to confuse with the 4 helpers to Stream-entry (
sotāpattiyanga):
1: Companionship with great men,
2: Hearing the True Dhamma Law,
3: Wise reflection on Cause and Effect,
4: Living in conformity with the Dhamma.
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/s_t/sotaapattiyanga.htm

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Helpers_to_Stream_Entry.htm
Canonical references: SN. LV.5; DN.33

More on the Noble Stream-Entry:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_4_Doors.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/How_to_Enter.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Stream-Enterer.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Stream_Entrance.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Fruits_of_the_Noble_Way.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Links_to_Stream_Entry.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/a/ariya_puggala.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Helpers_to_Stream_Entry.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Entering_the_Stream_Supreme.htm

Source (edited extract):
The Grouped Sayings of the Buddha. Samyutta Nikāya. Book II [69]
section 12:41 The five Fears ...
http://www.pariyatti.com/book.cgi?prod_id=948507
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/samyutta/index.html

Have a nice & noble day!


Friendship is the Greatest!
Bhikkhu Samāhita _/\_ ]
http://What-Buddha-Said.net

The 4 Steps to Stream-Entry!