Friday, August 30, 2013

Breathing in-and-out can produce Absorption!




The blessed Buddha once explained:
Bhikkhus, the concentration gained by Awareness by Breathing, when trained,
is of great fruit and advantage. And how, Bhikkhus, is this concentration by
Awareness by Breathing developed and cultivated so that it is of great fruit
and advantage? Bhikkhus, when one have gone to the forest, or to the root of
a tree, or to an empty hut, there one sits down cross-legged, having made one's
body and back straight, and set up awareness around the nostrils, then just
plain aware of that breathing in itself one breathes in, and just solely aware
of only that breathing in itself one breathes out...
1: Breathing in long, one knows, notes and understands: I inhale long!
Breathing out long, one knows, notes and understands: I exhale long!
... ... ... (steps 2-15)
One trains thus: Contemplating relinquishment, I will breathe in!
One trains thus: Contemplating relinquishment, I will breathe out!
Therefore, Bhikkhus, if a friend wishes: May I become secluded from all sense
desires, protected from any detrimental mental state, and thereby enter and
dwell in the 1st jhāna, which is directed thought and sustained thinking joined
with Joy and pleasure born of solitude, then this very same concentration by
Awareness by Breathing should be cultivated often & devoted much attention!
Furthermore if such friend should wish: By the stilling & fading of all directed
and sustained thought, may I enter & dwell in the 2nd jhāna, which is a calmed
assurance fixed by solid mental unification and joined with Joy & pleasure now
born of a concentration devoid of any active thinking, then this same method:
Awareness by Breathing should be trained often & devoted sincere attention!
Even further; if one should wish: With the fading away of joy, may I dwell in
composed equanimity, just open, aware and clearly comprehending, still feeling
pleasure in this body, by entering upon and remaining in the 3rd jhāna, about
which the Noble Ones declare: "In aware Equanimity one dwells in pleasure!",
then this very same exercise: Awareness by Breathing should be developed
regularly and dedicated much earnest consideration! Finally if one should wish:
With the leaving all behind of both pleasure and pain, even as with the prior
disappearance of both Joy and sorrow, may I enter and dwell in the 4th jhāna,
which is an entirely silenced state of utter awareness, purified by Equanimity
of neither-pain-nor-pleasure, then this same praxis: Awareness by Breathing
should be repeated daily & thus made a primary priority due to its importance!

Source (edited extract):
The Grouped Sayings of the Buddha. Samyutta Nikāya. [V:316-7]
section 54: Ānāpānasamyutta. Thread 8: The simile of the Lamp!
  Absorption by Breathing!
Have a nice & noble day!
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Friendship is the Greatest! Bhikkhu Samāhita _/\_ ]
http://What-Buddha-Said.net

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Friday, August 23, 2013

How to be a True Buddhist through Observance?


Nikini Poya day is the full-moon of August. Bhikkhus who did not enter the yearly
rains retreat (Vas) early at Esala Poya day (peravas), are allowed to enter the
the rains retreat now in August (pasuvas).  Nikini Poya day celebrates the first ever
Dhammasangayana - The First Buddhist Council where, what the Buddha said, was
agreed upon and recited. This took place at the Sattapanni Rock Cave in Rajagaha
(now Rajgir, India), under the patronage of Mahakassapa Thera and it went on for
seven long months. It established the original authentic Tipitaka: The 3 Baskets
of Sacred Text = The Pali Canon spoken by the historical Buddha and his disciples.


One of the 7 Sattapanni Caves, where the First Buddhist Council was held ~ 483 BC.

On this first Buddhist Council:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Buddhist_Council

Video of the Sattapanni Caves:
http://youtu.be/vNLtLcslKNQ

On such Observance days:
Any Lay Buddhist simply joins the Three Refuges and undertakes
the Five Precepts like this: Newly bathed, shaved, white-clothed,
with clean bare feet, one kneels at a shrine with a Buddha-statue,
and bows first three times, so that feet, hands, elbows, knees and
head touch the floor. Then, with joined palms in front of the heart,
one recite these memorized lines in a loud, calm & steady voice:
As long as this life lasts:
I hereby take refuge in the Buddha.  
I hereby take refuge in the Dhamma.
I hereby take refuge in the Sangha.
I hereby seek shelter in the Buddha for the 2nd time.
I hereby seek shelter in the Dhamma for the 2nd time.
I hereby seek shelter in the Sangha for the 2nd time.
I hereby request protection from the Buddha for the 3rd time.
I hereby request protection from the Dhamma for the 3rd time.
I hereby request protection from the Sangha for the 3rd time.

I will hereby respect these Three Jewels the rest of my life!
I accept to respect & undertake these 5 training rules: 
I hereby accept the training rule of avoiding all Killing.
I hereby accept the training rule of avoiding all Stealing.
I hereby accept the training rule of avoiding all Sexual Abuse.
I hereby accept the training rule of avoiding all Dishonesty.
I hereby accept the training rule of avoiding all Alcohol & Drugs.

As long as this life lasts, I am thus protected by these 5 precepts...
Then, one keeps and protects these sacred vows better than one's
own eyes & children!, since they protect you & all other beings much
better than any army! They are the highest offer one can give in & to
this world! So is  the start towards Nibbāna: the Deathless Element!
This is the Noble Way to Peace, to Freedom, to Ease, to Happiness,
initiated by Morality, developed further by Dhamma-Study and
fulfilled by training of Meditation...

Today indeed is Pooya or Uposatha or observance day, where any lay
Buddhist normally keeps the Eight Precepts from sunrise until the
next dawn... If any wish an official recognition by the Bhikkhu-Sangha,
they may simply forward the lines starting with "I hereby ..." signed with
name, date, town & country to me or join here.
A public list of this new Saddhamma-Sangha is set up here!
The New Noble Community of Disciples: The Saddhamma Sangha:      
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/sangha/Saddhamma_Sangha.htm

Can quite advantageously be Joined Here:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/sangha/Sangha_Entry.htm
May your journey hereby be light, swift and sweet. Never give up !!
For Details on Uposatha Observance Days:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/uposatha.html



This huge cave hall was built to house the Sixth Buddhist Council convened in 1955
to recite the Pāli Tipitaka and authenticate the texts. On the 2,500th Anniversary
of the Buddha’s final passing away (Parinibbāna), 2,500 monks assembled from the
Theravāda Buddhist countries. Venerable Mahāsi Sayādaw performed the central
role as Chief Questioner (Pucchaka), which was fulfilled by Venerable Mahākassapa
in the First Council, held three months after the Buddha’s passing away. To house
this great hall, an artificial hill was constructed by voluntary workers at Kaba-Aye
in Rangoon, Burma. This great hall is still used to hold the examinations in the Tipitaka.
The Buddhist Poya Uposatha Observance Day Calendar for 2013 is here:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/various/Poya.Uposatha.Observance_days.2013.htm
True Buddhists Respect the Poya Days!
Have a nice & noble day!
signature.picBowing_Bhikkhu 
Friendship is the Greatest! Bhikkhu Samāhita _/\_ ]
http://What-Buddha-Said.net

Monday, August 19, 2013

What is the Concentration Ability (Samâdhi Indriya)?


Concentration is the ability to focus all mental factors on 1 object!
Concentration (samādhi) is a mental ability & power when steady...
Concentration is a Link to Awakening & a Factor on the Noble Way.
Concentration is non-distraction, non-scatter, and non-diffusion...
Concentration is collecting together, unifying, focusing, condensing!
Making mental release the object the Noble Disciple gains Samādhi,
achieves one-pointedness, & enters fixed unified mental absorption!
The Definition of these 4 subtle Mental Jhāna Absorptions:
Having eliminated the 5 mental hindrances, mental defects that
obstruct understanding, quite secluded from all sensual-desires,
protected from any detrimental mental state, one enters & dwells
in the 1st jhāna; full of joy & pleasure born of solitude, joined with
directed & sustained thought.
With the stilling of directed and sustained thought, one enters and
dwells in the 2nd jhāna, calmed assurance & unification of mind with
joy & pleasure now born of concentration, devoid of any thinking!
With the fading away of joy, in equanimity, clearly comprehending,
one enters upon & remains in the 3rd jhāna, still feeling pleasure in
the body, about which the Noble Ones declare: In aware equanimity
one dwells in Happiness...
With the leaving behind of both pleasure & pain, and with the prior
cessation of both joy and sorrow, one enters and dwells in the 4th
jhāna mental absorption, which is an entirely stilled mental state of
awareness, purified by the equanimity of neither-pain-nor-pleasure!


The Entrance:
As long as a Bhikkhu does not perceive the disappearance of the 5
hindrances
in himself, he feels as if in debt, in sickness, in bonds, in
slavery, on a desert journey. But when he perceives disappearance
of the five hindrances in himself, it is as if he were freed from debt,
from sickness, from bonds, slavery, & from the desert dangers...
And when he knows that these 5 mental hindrances have left him,
then gladness arises in him, from gladness comes joy, from the joy
in his mind, his body is tranquillised! With a calm body he delights in
happiness, & with this happiness his mind is concentrated into focus.
Thus secluded from sense-desires, isolated from detrimental states,
he enters and remains in the 1st jhāna, which is of directed thought
& sustained evaluation, born of seclusion, filled with pleasure & joy.
And with this pleasure and joy born of seclusion, he so permeates,
drenches, fills & pervades his whole body that there is not even a
single spot in his entire body that is unsoftened by this pleasure &
joy born of seclusion...
The Similes:
As, your majesty, all rafters there are in a house with a ridge roof,
they all lead to the ridgepole, incline towards the ridgepole, lean on
the ridgepole & this ridge beam is termed their peak summit, even &
exactly just so, your Majesty, whatever advantageous mental states
there are, all of these are headed by concentration, incline towards
concentration, lean on concentration, is based on concentration ...
As, your majesty, a king might enter battle with an army of 4 parts,
and the whole army, the elephants, horses, chariots & foot-soldiers
would be headed by him, incline towards him, lean on him, and tend
towards him, would follow after just him, even exactly so is indeed
this unique concentration the chief, the captain, the commander, &
the conductor of the orchestra of mental states.. Miln. 38


The Explanation:
It is concentration in that it places & anchors the mind evenly on 1
same single object, it settles & collects mind rightly together there.
Its characteristic is absence of wandering, dispersal & distraction.
Its function is joining & binding together of co-arised mental states
as water does for bath-powder.  Its manifestation is calming down,
tranquillization, stilling, ceasing and peace. Its proximate cause is
especially happiness. It should be seen as fixed steadiness of mind,
like the steadiness of candle-flames in absence of perturbing wind!
Vism. XIV 139


On how to attain the Jhāna  absorptions:http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Details_of_the_Jhana_Absorptions.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Requisites_for_Jhana_Absorption.htm

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/The_Concentration_Ability.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/What_is_Right_Concentration.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Feeding_Concentration.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Concentration_Samadhi.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/g_m/jhaana.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Jhana_Absorption.htm 
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Samma-Samadhi.htm


Condensing, Collecting, Convening & Converging is Concentration!
Have a nice & noble day!
signature.picBowing_Bhikkhu 
Friendship is the Greatest! Bhikkhu Samāhita _/\_ ]
http://What-Buddha-Said.net

What are the 40 Classic Meditation Objects?


The Buddha taught 40 principal meditation objects = kammatthāna:
Kammatthāna literally means: Place of work, basis of action leading
to the various degrees of mental meditational absorption jhāna:.

These 40 meditation subjects are:
I. Ten kasina exercises: Kasina = 'Entirety'. All 4 jhānas possible:
1: Earth kasina, 2: Water kasina, 3: Fire kasina, 4: Wind kasina,
5: Blue kasina, 6: Yellow kasina, 7: Red kasina, 8: White kasina,
9: Light or consciousness kasina, 10: Space kasina.

II. Ten perceptions of disgust: asubha-sañña: 1st jhāna possible:
A swollen & bloated corpse, a bluish livid corpse, a rotting corpse,
a cut-up & split corpse, a gnawed corpse, a hacked corpse, a spread
scattered corpse, a bloody corpse, a corpse of maggots, a skeleton.

III. Ten contemplations, remembrances or recollections anussati::
1: On the Buddha, 2: The Dhamma, 3: Noble Sangha community,
4: Morality, 5: Generosity, 6: Heavenly divine beings, 7: Death,
8: Body, 9: In-and-out-breathing All 4 jhānas possible!, 10: Peace.
IV. Four divine abodes or infinite states brahma-vihāra:
1: All-embracing friendliness = mettā, 2: Pity = karunā,
3: Mutual joy = muditā, 4: Equanimity = upekkhā:.

V. Four formless spheres arūpāyatana: based on the 4th jhāna:
1: The infinitude of space, 2: The infinitude of consciousness,
3: Empty nothingness, 4: Neither-perception-nor-non-perception.

VI. Perception of the disgust of food. āhāre patikkūla-saññā:
VII. Defining Analysis of the four elements dhātu-vavatthāna:.
More details on these 40 precious objects:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/l/DPPN/wtb/b_f/bhaavanaa.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/libraryibrary/DPPN/wtb/g_m/kasina.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/a/asubha.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/a/anussati.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/b/buddha.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/b_f/dhamma.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/s_t/sangha.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/b_f/caaga.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/s_t/siila.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/b_f/deva.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/g_m/marana.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/g_m/kaaya_gata_sati.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/a/anapana_sati.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/u_v/upasamaanussati.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/b_f/brahma_vihaara.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/g_m/jhaana.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/wtb/b_f/dhaatu_vavatthaana.htm
The 40 Classic Meditation Objects!
Have a nice & noble day!
signature.picBowing_Bhikkhu 
Friendship is the Greatest! Bhikkhu Samāhita _/\_ ]
http://What-Buddha-Said.net

Why and Why not?

Why do some gain Nibbãna, while most do not?

Sakka, the king of the 33 Gods, once asked the Blessed Buddha:
Venerable Sir, what is the cause & reason, why some beings here do not
attain Nibbāna in this very life? And what is the cause and reason, why
some beings here do indeed attain Nibbāna in this very life?
Knowing this being's addiction to divine delight the Buddha answered:
There are, King of the thirty-three Devas, forms experiencable by the eye,
sounds experiencable by the ear, smells experiencable by the nose, touches
experiencable by the body, and mental phenomena experiencable by the
mind, that all are attractive, charming, agreeable, pleasing, tempting, and
tantalizing. If a bhikkhu hunts for delight in them, welcomes them, and
remains holding on to them, his mind becomes addicted to them and clings
to them. Any being mentally dominated by clinging cannot attain Nibbāna! This is the cause & reason, King of the Devas, why many & most beings here
do not attain Nibbāna in this very life... Again: There are, King of the Gods,
forms experiencable by the eye, sounds experiencable by the ear, smells
experiencable by the nose, touches experiencable by the body, and mental
phenomena experiencable by the mind, that all are attractive, charming,
agreeable, pleasing, enticing, tempting and tantalizing.  If a wise Bhikkhu
avoids seeking any delight in them, does not welcome them, and does not
remain holding on to them, then his mind doesn't become addicted to them,
Any being mentally wholly freed of clinging can indeed attain Nibbāna! 
This is the cause and reason, King of the Devas, why some beings here can
attain Nibbāna in this very life, while most neither can, nor will....


king Sakka and a few of his hundreds of dear nymphs...
Source:
The Grouped Sayings by the Buddha. Samyutta Nikāya. Book IV 102
The 6 senses section 35. Thread on Sakka's Question: 118.
http://www.pariyatti.com/book.cgi?prod_id=948507
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/samyutta/index.html

Have a nice & noble day!
signature.picBowing_Bhikkhu 
Friendship is the Greatest! Bhikkhu Samāhita _/\_ ]
http://What-Buddha-Said.net

Pain & frustration is there, but concealed by the hope for pleasure:



Buddha once said: Dukkhānupassanam bhāvento sukhasaññam pajahati...When developing the contemplation of Suffering (dukkha),
one gradually overcomes the false perception of pleasure...

If there were no satisfaction to be found in the world, beings would not be
attached to the world .... If there were no misery  to be found in the world,
beings would not be repelled by the world ....
If there were no escape from the world, beings could not escape from
this world .... AN 111, 102

The stage of Viewing:Each time one changes posture of the body, one should note, that this was
caused by bodily pain...
Each time one changes plan or search, one should know, that this was caused
by mental frustration...
Every time one has headache, toothache, any illness or sickness, one should see:
Painful is any body...
Every time one is disappointed, separated, or depressed, then one should note:
Any mind incurs grief...
To see & realize everyday misery, by not dismissing or neglecting it, is a very
advantageous teacher!


The stage of Comprehending:
Having seen & realized that both bodily & mental pain afflict us every minute, one may
understand, that this 'obvious pain' & suffering (dukkha-dukkha) is a common & inevitable
part of any existence.. When the body decays & grows old, & when the momentary pleasure,
joy or happiness fades away, one may realize the rise & inevitable fall of all conditioned
constructions and thereby comprehend that suffering is an unambiguous part of any
conditioned formation... This  hidden suffering is called 'suffering due to constructedness'
(sankhara-dukkha): All constructions will fall apart... Finally, there is the fact of impermanence,
which implies, that all found forms of worldly joy, satisfaction, pleasure and whatever kind of
happiness, will never last and thus quickly be lost... This causes a frustration, which is called
'suffering due to change' (viparināma-dukkha)... Gradually comprehending the abundance of
these 3 kinds of suffering makes one realize: All phenomena - even pleasant feeling - are nothing,
but one massed up heap of suffering!



The stage of Gaining Insight:
This ultra realism squeezes one out of the cocoon quite well camouflaged by common comfort...
The knowledge of inevitable Dissolution  of all phenomena and states arises (bhanga-ñāna)!
The knowledge of any appearance is a true Terror  arises (bhayatupatthāna-ñāna)!
The knowledge of the Danger  inherent in any form of dependent existence arises (ādinava-ñāna)!
The knowledge of the Disgust  with all things & states in any world arises (nibbidā-ñāna)!


The result of contemplating Suffering is absence of mental distortion (vipallāsa):
Direct and repeated experience of such disgust gradually detaches mind from its habitual
attachments by disclosing the universal defect of all these deeply cherished objects:
No form, feeling, perception, mental construction or kind of consciousness will ever last!
This violent revulsion break the misconception that the 5 clusters of clinging is a source
of true and lasting pleasure and happiness. This mistaken notion leads otherwise to the
hedonist distortion of perception (sañña-vipallāsa), distortion of thinking (citta-vipallāsa),
and distortion of view (ditthi-vipallāsa), which makes one perceive, think and claim the view:
"This world, this life, all formations & all phenomena are essentially pleasurable!"...
Such distortion makes one run after fleeting pleasure & evanescent happiness in a transient
world, as the thirsty & scorched man runs in hot pursuit for a water mirage fata morgana
in the completely dry desert... Seeing, comprehending and fully understanding this abysmal
futility redirects mind towards the deathless, safe, and lasting peace of Nibbāna...  

 
Pain & frustration afflicts us every minute ...
Have a nice & noble day!
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Friendship is the Greatest! Bhikkhu Samāhita _/\_ ]
http://What-Buddha-Said.net

False perception of permanence arises from conceiving apparent continuity:



Buddha once said: Aniccānupassanam bhāvento niccasaññam pajahati...When developing the contemplation of Impermanence (Anicca),
one gradually overcomes the false perception of permanence...

 
One cannot easily observe the characteristic of Impermanence, since it is obscured and
concealed by apparent continuity: Mind falsely conceives: This is the same as it was before...
One then wrongly perceives all psycho-physical phenomena as existing permanently and not
correctly as a sequence of discrete states ever arising and ceasing...

The stage of Viewing:By training one can observe the solidity, fluidity, heat and motion within ones own body
or externally as changing states by noting their beginning, middle and end.
Example: Noting the beginning, middle and end of the breath coming in or going out!

The stage of Comprehending:One then comprehends this breath, this materiality is not the same from moment to moment.
Nor is any other solidity, fluidity, heat or motion, the same from moment to moment...
Nor is any observing mind, thought or any mental state, the same from moment to moment...
Whether internally or externally: All this is only discrete states arising and ceasing...
Such cannot be lasting happiness... Such cannot be regarded as an essentially same self...
Such change is therefore suffering... Such transience is therefore no-self...


The stage of Gaining Insight:By observing wisely and repeatedly one thus understands, that all formations, all phenomena,
all conditioned constructions inherently are permeated with the 3 characteristics of:
1: Impermanence (Anicca), 2: Suffering (dukkha), and 3: Selflessness (anatta)...
Insight dawns when noting & knowing the Dissolution  of all phenomena (bhanga-ñāna),
which gives rise to noting & knowing the Danger  within all existence (ādinava-ñāna)...
By noting the impermanence of all internal form, feeling, perception, mental construction
and consciousness, one can generalize and extend this observed impermanence to also be
dominant in all external form, feeling, perception, mental construction and consciousness.
One can furthermore infer, that all phenomena in the past was impermanent, and so also
will all phenomena in the future be impermanent. This expands & matures the comprehension.
 
The result of contemplating Impermanence is absence of distortion (vipallāsa):The false perception of permanence actually comes from an -a priori- conceptual notion:
"All phenomena are permanent and endures as the same from moment to moment..."
This distortion of perception (sañña-vipallāsa) - arised from ignorance - then by repetition
then distorts thinking (citta-vipallāsa), which then later solidifies into a distortion of
view (ditthi-vipallāsa): One then perceives, thinks and views: Formations are all lasting!
This false conviction have been reified and reinforced through numberless accounts
of existence, since a indiscernible beginning, and is thus deeply ingrown and imbedded
in mind. However this triple distortion of perception, thinking and viewing can be broken
by repeated reasoned observation of & reflection on the universal aspect of impermanence.
This requires rationally directed attention (yoniso manasikāra) and clear comprehension
(sati-sampajañña)
and leads to knowing and regarding all formations with a pleasant
imperturbable equanimity... (sankhara-upekkhā-ñāna)...

All things break apart! Nothing is thus worth clinging to...
Have a nice & noble day!
signature.picBowing_Bhikkhu 
Friendship is the Greatest! Bhikkhu Samāhita _/\_ ]
http://What-Buddha-Said.net