Siska, It is Rp170. But if you start a gossip group there is additional Rp1,700 entry fee. Anthony
--- On Sun, 22/5/11, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote: From: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Zen] Response to Ed To: [email protected] Date: Sunday, 22 May, 2011, 1:51 PM Hi Anthony, Depending on which currency that $0.02 per post is, I think I may start a gossip column here soon :-) Siska From: Anthony Wu <[email protected]> Sender: [email protected] Date: Sun, 22 May 2011 06:33:07 +0800 (SGT) To: <[email protected]> ReplyTo: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Zen] Response to Ed Siska, Talking about sampajana, wild fox zen, tantric sex, Tiger Wood etc are all acceptable as long as you contribute $0.02 per post to be split between Bill and Edgar. Anthony --- On Sat, 21/5/11, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote: From: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Zen] Response to Ed To: [email protected] Date: Saturday, 21 May, 2011, 7:30 PM Hello Daniel, Glad to see your posts in this forum, which give totally different 'flavour' and style from the rest. Some of the suttas you quoted below were my favourites. These suttas provide guidance to our practice. When it comes to awareness that is referred to as buddha nature here in this forum, I think Bahiya Sutta and Mulapariyaya Sutta have more similar descriptions. If I don't mis-understand from your few posts, you practised under Burmese tradition. From what I know, this tradition does not emphasise jhana, if not looking at it more as a hindrance. But you seem to understand it at experience level. Would you mind telling more about your practice? I'm also interested to know more about sampajanna (clear understanding), which I suppose would not have anything to do with thinking or perceiving the experience one has in moment of mindfulness (sati)? When one experiences insight (nyana), what is the mental factor, if any, at that moment? I apologise to all other forum members if this deviates too far from zen. I am too curious today. Let me know if this is not acceptable in this forum. siska From: "empty0grace" <[email protected]> Sender: [email protected] Date: Thu, 19 May 2011 17:13:39 -0000 To: <[email protected]> ReplyTo: [email protected] Subject: [Zen] Response to Ed Hi Ed, You asked me to post something about the essential Theravada teaching. Let me say that I don't consider myself quite able to do this in a full, succinct or balanced way, but here at least is an effort I made. For the record, I am not especially interested in persuading anyone. I do this because you asked me to, and because there is no one else here to speak for the Theravada. In the Pali canon, the Buddha refers to his teaching as the sadhamma, or the good law, often simple the Dhamma for short, or Dharma in Sanskrit. He also clearly states that the measure of any teaching that can be considered to be from him, and authentic, would be the presence of the Four Noble Truths at the core of that teaching. These are, as I am sure you know: The Noble Truth of Suffering The Noble Truth of the cause of suffering The Noble Truth of the End of Suffering The Noble Truth of the Eightfold path that leads to the end of suffering He himself would often state: "Four things, and four things only do I teach: suffering, its cause, its ending and the way." The eightfold path, as I am sure you already know is: Right understanding, right intentions, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. Traditionally these can be divided into three groups: Sila, samadhi and pañña or virtue, concentration and wisdom. The proper cultivation of this path leads the destruction of the three unwholesome roots that are the cause of suffering: greed, hatred and delusion. This is what Theravada, or the Way of the Elders is about, no more and less. I would say that in contrast to Japanese Zen, which seems to have a strongly anti-intellectual style to it, the Buddha's teaching as recorded in the Pali Canon, and practicse in the Way of the Elders, emphasizes having a clear understanding of the teaching as being an essential part of the guidance process. This would be called mundane or unverified right understanding. This includes all of the basics of the teaching: the five aggregates, the three signs of being (anicca, anatta and dukkha), the six sense spheres with their six objects, the reality of the Unconditioned, and co-dependent origination etc. Each limb of the eightfold path is to be understood, so they too are included in right understanding. With time mundane unverified right-understanding become mundane verified right-understanding as insight (vipassana) and understanding (pañña) are developed. Eventually, when the Unconditione is realized, mundane right-understanding become, lokutara or supermundane right-understanding of the Deathless, Nibbana. The Buddha also describes, in the Pali cannon, another way of talking about right understanding as the four aspects of clear comprehension: clear comprehension of the Dhamma, clear comprehension of purpose, clear comprehension of suitability, and clear comprehension of the meditation subject. Clear comprehension is something greatly emphasized by the Buddha in this body of teaching, so much so that he often conjoined it into one word with mindfulness: sati-sampajanna. Sati-sampajanna is translated as mindfulness and clear comprehension. Right mindfulness according to this body of teaching is not just awareness of the object, but awareness accompanied by clear comprehension. The Buddha's teachings on mindfulness are often repeated in the Pali suttas, but the two most comprehensive suttas on this subject are the Satipatthana Sutta, and the Mahasatipatthana Sutta. Both of these are easily locatable on the web if anyone wishes to read them. Also in this category is the Kayagasati Sutta, Discourse on Mindfulness of the Body – "Without mindfulness of the body, I say O Bhikkhus, there is no enlightenment." and the Anapanasati sutta, or Discourse on Mindfulness of Breathing, which is one form of mindfulness of the body, a summary of which is at the beginning of the Satiptthana and Mahasatipatthana sutta. An important part of the basic teaching is also the recognition and ability to work with the five jhana factors, the five controlling faculties and the seven factors of enlightenment. As to samma-samadhi, or right concentration, the Buddha defined this as the cultivation of the four jhanas. He gives two standard descriptions of these. One is by means of mental factors present, and the other is by means of poetic metaphor. On the subject of effort and energy, the Buddha defined right effort as the "four great efforts: "The effort to diminish those unwholesome states presently arisen; to keep from arising those unwholesome states not arisen; to cause to arise those wholesome states not yet arisen, and to strengthen and increase those wholesome states now arisen." I personally love this one very much because of how open and inclusive it is. Maybe I should let the Buddha speak for himself. Here are a few quotes that I garnered from some of the chapters in my book: _________ 4. "Breathing in long, he understands `I breath in long' or breathing out long, he understands `I breathe out long...' 6. "Again, bhikkhus, when walking, a bhikkhu understands; `I am walking'; when standing, he understands; `I am standing'; when sitting, he understands: `I am sitting'' when lying down, he understands: `I am lying down'… 32. "And how does a bhikkhu abide contemplating feelings as feelings? Here when feeling a pleasant feeling, a bhikkhu understands; "I feel a pleasant feeling' when feeling a painful feeling he understands: `I feel a painful feeling.' 36. "Here, there being sensual desire in him, a bhikkhu understands: `There is sensual desire in me'… 42. "Here, there being the enlightenment factor of mindfulness in him, he understand: "there is the enlightenment factor of mindfulness in me…" 44. "And how does a bhikkhu abide contemplating mind objects as mind objects in terms of the Four Noble Truths? Here a bhikkhu understands as it actually is: `this is suffering'; he understands as it actually is: `this is the origin of suffering; he understands as it actually is: `this is the cessation of suffering…'; he understands as it actually is: `this is the path that leads to the end of suffering." Satipathana Sutta Majjhima Nikaya 10 ____________ "With insight let him see, each presently arisen state. Let him know that and be sure of it, invincibly, unshakably." MN 131:3 ____________ " Dependent on the eye and form, eye-consciousness arises; the meeting of the three is contact; with contact as condition there is feeling; with feeling as condition there is craving. Dependent on the ear and sounds, ear- consciousness arises; the meeting of the three is contact; with contact as condition there is feeling; with feeling as condition there is craving. Dependent on the nose and odors, nose- consciousness arises; the meeting of the three is contact; with contact as condition there is feeling; with feeling as condition there is craving. Dependent on the tongue and flavors, tongue-consciousness arises; the meeting of the three is contact; with contact as condition there is feeling; with feeling as condition there is craving. Dependent on the body and tangibles, body-consciousness arises; the meeting of the three is contact; with contact as condition there is feeling; with feeling as condition there is craving. Dependent on the mind and mind-objects, mind-consciousness arises; the meeting of three is contact; with contact as condition there is feeling; with feeling as condition there is craving. ...." Chachaka Sutta: Six Sets of Six; MN 148:8 ______________ "...Now this had been said by the Blessed One: `One who sees dependent origination sees the Dhamma; one whose sees the Dhamma sees dependent origination...' Mahahatthipdopama Sutta: The Greater Discourse on the Elephant's Footprint; MN 28:28; ______________ "Bhikkhus, what do you think? Is material form permanent or impermanent?" - "Impermanent, venerable sir." - "Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness?" - "Suffering, venerable sir." - "Is what is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change, fit to be regarded thus: "This is mine, this I am, this is my self?" - "No, venerable sir." "Bhikkhus, what do you think? Is feeling...Is perception...Are mental formations.... Is consciousness permanent or impermanent?" - "Impermanent, venerable sir." - "Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness?" - "Suffering, venerable sir." - "Is what is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change, fit to be regarded thus: "This is mine, this I am, this is my self?" - "No, venerable sir." Alagadduupama Sutta: The Simile of the Snake; MN 22:26-29; pp.232-233 _____________ This one is very famous. It is called the fire sermon. "Bhikkhus, all is burning. And what, bhikkhus, is the all that is burning? The eye is burning, forms are burning, eye-consciousness is burning, eye-contact is burning, and whatever feeling arises with eye-contact as condition – whether pleasant or painful or neither-painful –nor-pleasant – that too is burning. Burning with what? Burning with the fire of lust, with the fire of hatred, with the fire of delusion; burning with birth, ageing, and death, with sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair, I say. "The ear is burning ... The nose is burning ... the tongue is burning ... the body is burning ... The mind is burning ... and whatever feeling arises with mind-contact as condition – whether pleasant or painful or neither-painful nor –pleasant that too is burning. Burning with what? Burning with the fire of lust, with the fire of hatred, with the fire of delusion; burning with ageing and death, with sorrow, lamentation. pain, displeasure, and despair, I say." Samyutta Nikaya 35.28 ____________ 10."...Friend Saariputta, it is through seeing cessation, through directly knowing cessation in the eye, in eye-consciousness, and in things cognizable through eye-consciousness, that I regard them thus: `This is not mine, this I am not this is not myself.' It is through seeing cessation, through directly knowing cessation in the ear...in the nose...in the tongue...in the body...in the mind, in mind-consciousness, and in things cognizable through mind-consciousness, that I regard them thus; `this is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.'" Channovaada Sutta: Advice to Channa; MN 114: 10; p. 115 ___________ 7. "Suppose, Magandiya, there was a leper with sores and blisters on his limbs, being devoured by worms, scratching the scabs off the openings of his wounds with his nails, cauterizing his body over a burning charcoal pit; the more he scratches the scabs and cauterizes his body, the fouler, more evil smelling and more infected the openings of his wounds would become, yet he would find a certain measure of satisfaction and enjoyment in scratching the openings of his wounds. So too, Magandiya, beings who are not free form lust for sensual pleasures, who are devoured by craving for sensual pleasures, who burn with fever for sensual pleasures, still indulge in sensual pleasures; the more such beings indulge in sensual pleasures, the more their craving for sensual pleasures increases and the more they are burned by their fever for sensual pleasure; yet they find a certain measure of satisfaction and enjoyment in dependence on the five cords of sensual pleasure... 21. "...And although this body, Magandiya, is a disease, a tumor, a dart, a calamity, and an affliction referring to this body you say: "This is that health, Master Gotama, this is that Nibbana.' Magandiya, you do not have that noble vision by means of which you might know health and see Nibbana." Magandiya Sutta MN 75 ____________ "And what bhikkhus, is the Dhamma for abandoning all through direct knowledge and full understanding? The eye is to be abandoned through direct knowledge and full understanding, forms are to be so abandoned, eye-consciousness is to be so abandoned, eye-contact is to be so abandoned, and whatever feeling arises with eye-contact as a condition-whether pleasant or painful or neither-painful-nor-pleasant – that too is to be abandoned through direct knowledge and full understanding. "The ear is to be abandoned through direct knowledge and full understanding.... The mind is to be abandoned through direct knowledge and full understanding; mental phenomena are to be so abandoned; mind-consciousness is to so abandoned; mind-contact is to be so abandoned, and whatever feeling arises with mind-contact as condition –whether pleasant or painful or neither-painful-nor-pleasant that too is to be abandoned through direct knowledge and full understanding." Samyutta Nikaya 35.25 _____________ "Whatever exists therein of material form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness, he sees those states as impermanent, as suffering, as a disease, as a tumor, as a barb, as a calamity, a an affliction, as alien, as disintegrating, as void, and as not self. He turns his mind away from those states, and directs it toward the deathless element thus: `This is the peaceful, this is sublime, that is, the stilling of all formations, the relinquishing of all attachments, the destruction of craving, dispassion, cessation, Nibbana..." Mahamalunkyaputta Sutta: The Greater Discourse to Malunkya; MN 64:9 _________________ I will close this with something my teacher Taungpulu Sayadaw used to say: Two things must be fully penetrated: mentality and materiality. Two things must be fully developed: mindfulness and concentration. Two things must be fully abandoned: ignorance and craving.
