BUDDHISM IN KERALA

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Clinging to Wrong Views is Catastrophic!

Clinging to Wrong Views is Catastrophic!

The Buddha often emphasized wrong view as thee most detrimental:
When one has imagined, assumed, constructed, approved of and authorized
Wrong Views & opinions, then one is relying that, which is unstable & unsafe!
Clinging to these long cherished wrong views, are not easily relinquished...
One adheres to these persuasions having chosen them from among many
hypothetical ideas, laying down one assumption, just to take up a another
new fancy theory! A purified man, however, does indeed not form any view
about anything anywhere! He is not involved..! Having cut out all deceptions
illusions and conceits, where could such a clear-sighted man ever be driven?
An involved person, however, engages easily in disputes about opposed ideas,
but how can one ever dispute with one, who is not involved? He has neither
taken up, nor laid down anything, but has shaken off having any view at all!
Sutta-Nipāta 784-787 Edited excerpt.

More on how to abandon Wrong Views:
Leaving_Wrong_View, What is Right View? , The_Sun, Certain_Rightness

Have a nice & noble day!

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

Unwavering Faith induces assured Confidence!

Unwavering Faith induces assured Confidence!

The blessed Buddha once noted:
Knowing, Friends, evil covetousness and wicked greed to be mental pollutions,
the Bhikkhu leaves them, rejects them, eliminates them and eradicates them...
Knowing hating ill will to be a mental pollution, he leaves all hostile ill will.
Knowing aversive anger to be a mental pollution, he rejects all anger.
Knowing vicious revenge to be a mental pollution, he avoids revenge.
Knowing contempt to be a mental pollution, he releases contempt.
Knowing tyranny to be a mental pollution, he abandons tyranny.
Knowing green envy to be a mental pollution, he deserts envy.
Knowing self-conceit to be a mental pollution, he quits conceit.
Knowing hypocrisy to be a mental pollution, he dodges hypocrisy.
Knowing negligence to be a mental pollution, he stops negligence.
Knowing puffed pride to be a mental pollution, he cuts out pride.
Knowing jealousy to be a mental pollution, he withdraws jealousy.
Knowing obstinacy to be a mental pollution, he gives up obstinacy.
Knowing vain vanity to be a mental pollution, he relinquishes vanity.
Knowing cheating fraud to be a mental pollution, he eschews fraud.
Knowing arrogance to be a mental pollution, he renounces arrogance.

When the Bhikkhu has eliminated all these polluting mental defilements,
he then gains unwavering Faith, unshakable Confidence and absolutely
immovable and imperturbable Conviction in the blessed Buddha thus:
Worthy, honourable and perfectly self-Enlightened is the Buddha!
Fully consummated in knowledge and behaviour, totally transcended,
expert in all dimensions, knower of all worlds, unsurpassable trainer
of those who can be tamed, both teacher and guide of gods as well
as humans, blessed, exalted, awakened & enlightened is the Buddha!

He gains unwavering Faith, Confidence & Conviction in the Dhamma
thus: Perfectly formulated is the 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 & realizable by each intelligence!

He gains unwavering Faith, Confidence and Conviction in the Sangha
thus: Perfectly training is this Noble Sangha community of Buddha's
Noble disciples: Training the right way, the true way, the good way,
the direct way! Therefore do these 8 kinds of individuals, these four
Noble pairs, deserve both gifts, self-sacrifice, offerings, hospitality
and reverential salutation even with joined palms, since this Noble
Sangha community of the Buddha's Noble disciples, is indeed an
unsurpassable and forever unsurpassed field of merit, in this world,
for this world, to honour, support, award, respect, and protect!

When he has given up, left and eliminated these mental pollutions
he knows: I am convinced by steady unwavering Faith & Confidence
in the Buddha... in the Dhamma... in the Sangha... He therefore gains
enthusiasm for the goal, gains inspiration from the Dhamma, & gains
the gladness connected with this true Dhamma! When gladdened, a
rapturous joy is born in him; being joyous in mind, his body becomes
tranquil; his body being tranquil, he feels happiness; and the mind of
him, who is happy becomes concentrated into full intense absorption!

Faith is the seeding initiator of the Noble Way!

Passing it on to the next generation!

Source:
Majjhima Nikāya MN 7 Vatthupama Sutta: The Simile of the Cloth!
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.007.nypo.html

Have a nice & noble day!

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

Avoiding all Controversies allows inner Peace!

Avoiding all Controversies allows inner Peace!

The brahmin Māgan diya asked the Buddha about how to find inner peace:
Mental purity is neither caused by particular views, nor by learning, nor by
knowledge, nor even by perfect morality. Neither by absence of right view,
missing learning, lack of knowledge, or tainted morality, not by that either!
Discarding all these oppositions, detached, calmed, independent, one stops
longing for any form of existence... Whoever thinks himself equal, superior,
or inferior, he will dispute on that account! But the imperturbable one does
not enter any self-deceit! Since for such one, there is no I-Me-Self or Ego
how much less can there then ever be any equal, inferior or superior I-Ego!
Leaving home, wandering homeless, not making acquaintances in any village,
free from desire for sensual pleasures, showing no preferences, such sage
will never engage in any controversy. One who really knows does not become
proud because of any particular view, learning, thought, or experience, for
he is not tied to, influenced by, or led by any of these momentary illusions..
He is completely released through his understanding. But those who cling to
certain experiences and particular views wander about causing controversy!
Sutta-Nipāta 839-842-844-846-847 Edited excerpt.

Commentary:
This true speech made Māgan diya and his wife never-returners (Anāgāmins).

More on selfless impersonality, ego-lessness, the No-Self fact (Anattā):
Ego-Projection, Who_or_what_is_the_Agent, Anatta No Self, The Egoless,
I-dentification, The Anatta Doctrine, No_Agent_is_Inside, We_Are_Not,
Empty_of_What, Neither_Agent_nor_Actor, Experiencing_Egolessness,
The_Smoke_of_Self, Input_'I'-dentification, No-Agent_but_Dependence,
Anti-EGO-Tool, Non-'I'-dentification, Uprooting_Egoism, Prison_of_Pride,
Mistaken_Reference, Solo_Self-Deception, Invisible_Impersonlatity,
Empty_of_What?, Who_is_the_Creator, Not_Who_but_What,
Self-less_Anatta, No_Being_No_Person, Deed_without_Doer.

Have a nice & noble day!

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

Faith initiates the Noble path to Nibbâna!

Faith initiates the Noble path to Nibbâna!

Faith is the Seed, the Initiator, and thud the Source of the Beginning.
Faith is the Hand that takes up all the advantageous mental states.
Faith is the Wealth above all, since it brings real and lasting Happiness.
Faith is the Jump, since it enables beings to cross the flood of pain.
Faith is the Purifier, since it cleans contaminating pollutions of the mind.

Have a nice & noble day!

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

Monday, August 15, 2011

How are there Fourteen Links to Awakening?

How are there Fourteen Links to Awakening?

The Blessed Buddha once said:
There is awareness of all internal states, & awareness of all external states.
Both kinds of awareness are leading to Enlightenment (sati-sambojjhanga).
There is investigation of both all internal states, and of all external states.
Both these investigations are links to Enlightenment (vicaya-sambojjhanga).
There is energy of body (strength), and energy of the mind (enthusiasm).
Both kinds of energy are leading to Enlightenment (viriya-sambojjhanga).
There is joy associated with thinking, and there is joy without any thinking.
Both kinds of joy are links leading to Enlightenment (pīti-sambojjhanga).
There is tranquillity of the body, and there is tranquillity of the mind.
Both these calms are links to Enlightenment (passaddhi-sambojjhanga).
There is concentration during thinking and concentration without thinking.
Both concentrations are links to Enlightenment (samādhi-sambojjhanga).
There is equanimity both regarding internal states and external states.
Both these kinds are links to Enlightenment (upekkhā-sambojjhanga).
This can only a Buddha, or a true disciple of a Buddha see, and explain...

Comments:
Awareness of all internal mental states is the most important, and highest.
Investigation of all internal mental states is the primary, and most fruitful.
Energy of the mind is the most advantageous, effective, and most enabling.
Joy without any thinking is the most rapturous, ecstatic, and all-pervading.
Tranquillity of the mind is the deepest, most calm, serene, and imperturbable.
Concentration without any thinking is the most one-pointed and absorbed.
Equanimity regarding internal mental states is the best guard and protection.

Sources (edited extracts):
The Grouped Sayings of the Buddha. Samyutta Nikāya.
Book [V: 111] 46: Links. 52: A way of Explaining...

Have a nice & noble day!

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

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Equanimity gives delicate Peace & Happiness!

Equanimity gives delicate Peace & Happiness!

Equanimity (Upekkhā) entails a composed equipoise of solid mental balance!
It is Tatra-majjhattatā = keeping to the moderate middle of all phenomena.
Equanimity balances consciousness so it prevents both all excessiveness and
any deficiency. In equanimity mind is neither attracted by attractive things,
nor repelled by repulsive things. The cause of equanimity is seeing the law of
kamma: All beings are born and created by their kamma, they are owners of
their kamma, inherit their kamma, whatever they do, whether good or bad,
the effects of that will be theirs only, following them like a shadow of past!
The effect of Equanimity is threefold:
Exquisite, relaxed & subtle peace felt as calm happiness is instantly gained.
Equanimity purifies and completes all the 7 crucial Links to Awakening...
Equanimity is the proximate cause of knowledge and vision (ñānadassana)!

On the solidified & imperturbable mental balance of Equanimity (Upekkhā):
Even is Equanimity, The 7 Links to Awakening, Serene Equanimity & Beyond,
Imperturbable Equanimity, Unshakable Equanimity, Equanimity Upekkha,
Feeding Equanimity, Empty Equanimity, High_and_Alert, What_is_Wrong,
Safe_Medicine, Serene_Equanimity, Divorced_Freedom, Tatra-Majjhattatā

Have a nice & noble day!

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

How does the 7 Links to Awakening induce Breakthrough?

How does the 7 Links to Awakening induce Breakthrough?

The Blessed Buddha once said:
And what, bhikkhus, is the way that induce penetration?
It is: The Seven Links to Awakening! What seven?

1: The Awareness Link to Awakening: sati-sambojjhanga.
2: The Investigation Link to Awakening: dhammavicaya-sambojjhanga.
3: The Energy Link to Awakening: viriya-sambojjhanga.
4: The Joy Link to Awakening: pīti-sambojjhanga.
5: The Tranquillity Link to Awakening: passaddhi-sambojjhanga.
6: The Concentration Link to Awakening: samādhi-sambojjhanga.
7: The Equanimity Link to Awakening: upekkhā-sambojjhanga.

Then, the Venerable Udayi asked the Blessed Buddha:
Venerable Sir, how are the Seven Links to Awakening developed & cultivated
so that they lead to, and induce penetration?
Udayi, when a Bhikkhu develops the Seven Links to Awakening supported
by seclusion, disillusion, and ceasing, it culminates in a mental release,
which is vast, exalted, & infinite, without any trace of ill will.
With such exalted mind matured and refined by these 7 Links to Awakening,
he penetrates, smashes and eliminates the mass of greed, that he has never
before penetrated, smashed and eliminated; he penetrates, demolishes and
eradicates the heap of hate, that he has never before penetrated, demolished
and eradicated; and he penetrates, disintegrates & disperses the accumulation
of confusion, that he has never before penetrated, disintegrated & dispersed...
It is, Udayi, when these Seven Links to Awakening are developed & cultivated
in exactly this way, that they lead to the incisive breakthrough of penetration...