notes on the Dhamma

  Is “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop” in the Bible? https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-terms/where-did-the-saying-an-idle-mind-is-the-devils-workshop-come-from.html While this exact phrase is not in the Bible, there are a number of passages that reflect this truth. However, one personal paraphrased version of the Bible, The Living Bible (TLB), authored by Kenneth N. Taylor and published in 1971, does contain this phrase verbatim. A paraphrased Bible is more of a commentary on the text of Scripture than an accurate translation of what the text says. What does the bible actually say? https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%2016%3A27-29&version=TLB Proverbs 16:27  Idle hands are the devil’s workshop;  idle lips are his mouthpiece,  literally, “A worthless man devises mischief;  and in his lips there is a scorching fire.” Comparison of that verse and Buddha's right effort Right effort involves the mind, thoughts, speech, physical act...

 FITD = foot in the door technique  I've been using this technique for decades, it's great. Why do most new years' resolutions fail? (where people commit to behavioral changes to improve themself in some way for the new year) Because they challenge themself with something too difficult (for their current ability and energy level). The more difficult something is, the more willpower, energy, determination, grit, etc., required to meet the challenge every single day. Faced with that constant resistance, most people give up after a week or two. How does the FITD (foot in the door) technique work? You commit, make a resolution to do something very easy to do every day, (or every hour, every week, etc.). Once you got your foot in the door, and it becomes a habit, it becomes part of your lifestyle, part of you, part of your personality. And because you're doing it every day, you get better with more practice. And as you get better, you naturally are stronger and want to chal...

From a recent discussion on sutta central: Is it possible to attain Ajahn Brahm’s jhanas without either 1)keeping the precepts or 2)seeing danger in sensual pleasures? Darayavaush asked on suttacentral: Is it possible to attain Ajahn Brahm’s jhanas without either  1)keeping the precepts or  2)seeing danger in sensual pleasures? ... (and later in the thread)...     I also wonder what Vens @Brahmali and @Sunyo think about this matter. Because for me it seems that you can enter Aj. Brahm’s jhanas  without fulfilling either of the two mentioned conditions.  But if it is so, then what Aj. Brahm teaches simply can’t be jhanas (at least right jhanas)   and hence can’t lead to any meaningful liberation. Ajahn Brahmali responded: You have to live a generally ethical life, but you can make occasional mistakes.  Is this what you mean?  At the time of entering a jhāna, however, your mind has to be completely pure and thus ethical. And yes, you ha...

  Expanding on the cat cow exercise from my post 5 years ago: https://notesonthedhamma.blogspot.com/2019/04/flying-cat-cow-principles.html That treats the spine like it only has two dimension, curving forward or backwards. The cat cow tornado expands this principle into three dimensions Video Examples  Frank's Cat Cow Tornado details The 2 video clips, both super short, about 15 seconds long, gives you the general idea. What makes it a tornado, is you vary the shape, size, speed of the circles, such that every single vertebrae will get some stretch depending on how you shape the spine. So rather than following the fixed spinal curvature of those two sample videos, you would play with the variables,  sense which vertebrae get the most benefit for which shape. How many repetitions should you do? As many as you need each day to see improvement in your spinal fluidity. If you're doing it right, you should be more and more frictionless every day. Someone stiff feels like they ...

this is some advice I gave to a friend, but monastics, 8 preceptor yogis will also find beneficial. I can sit full lotus on these comfortably even. a private email I sent to my friend, who is a serious meditator and keeps brahmacariya.   this is the stool I've been using for a few years as my main computer chair https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072Y2MRY2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I like it a lot. only 35$! for the ottoman storage cubes, https://www.amazon.com/s?k=ottoman+with+storage+cube&i=garden&crid=1VPC78Q2SJFFK&sprefix=ottoman+with+storage+15x%2Cgarden%2C209&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_24 we got ours from temu from various random chinese vendors so I don't know which is the best one on amazon. THe ones I use are 15x15x15 cubes. don't get anything shorter height and smaller seats than that. 17" high is a more comfortable leg height for me, but prices can go up much higher when you have ottomans with 2" wooden legs. that...

full context from this thread: https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/ajahn-brahmavamsos-dark-jhana/17987/22 Ven. Brahmali wrote 1. But, you know, it does matter what the jhānas are.  2. If you get them wrong, you won’t fulfil the [noble eightfold] path.  It’s as simple as that.  3. From a practical perspective, however,  all you need to do is continue the deepening of your meditative stillness and bliss.  4. If you keep going, this is bound to eventually lead to the jhānas … and beyond! Frankk comment I actually agree with his statement (1) + (2), but the problem is, his definition of "jhāna" is not the Buddha's. The Ajahn Brahm school redefinition of Jhāna requires formless samādhi,  significantly more difficult than the Buddha's four jhānas where there is bodily awareness, verbal thought in first jhāna, and subverbal mental processing and vipassana WHILE in all 4 jhānas.  And by redefining the kāma (sensuality) in first jhāna formula as "bodily awaren...

   short video clip https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Z5oLFSN6Ulc more stories here Mudita (rejoicing in skillful Dharmas) 🔗📝 collection of notes on 'mudita' (rejoicing in skillful Dharmas)

Internal      Goldcraft  3.1  – Searching for the Anuruddha threshold          Goldcraft  3.1.1  – proper way to eat: Eat for need, not for greed              Goldcraft  3.1.1.1  – sutta passages on eating              Goldcraft  3.1.1.5  – From Ajahn Mun biography              Goldcraft  3.1.1.5.1  –arahant advice on proper way to eat              Goldcraft  3.1.1.5.2  –Even near death, one meal a day and walking almsround              Goldcraft  3.1.1.5.3  –{compassion for animals being eaten}              Goldcraft  3.1.1.7  – eating misc.                  Goldcraft  3.1.1.7.8  - optimal eating strategy for yogi          Goldcraft  3.1.2  – proper way to sleep          Goldcraft  3.1.3  – proper way to chant, as part of integral samādhi External AN 6.19 Paṭhama-maraṇa-s-sati: rememberfulness of Death (illustrated) SN 35....

  excerpt from cdpatton essay: https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/sa-skara-as-a-member-of-dependent-origination-in-non-theravadin-sources/37046 Saṃskāra as a Member of Dependent Origination in Non-Theravādin Sources Essays Dec 8 12h cdpatton 5d This essay is essentially for information purposes.  There is a lack of awareness of Buddhist teachings outside of the Theravāda tradition given that most people interested in EBT studies are either Theravāda practitioners or scholars who deal mainly with Pali language texts and perhaps some Sanskrit. There is, however, a huge cross section of Buddhist materials preserved in Chinese translation that reveals what the rest of the Buddhist world thought about various subjects.  This essay is about one particular, narrow subject:  How saṃskāra (P.  saṅkhāra) was understood in the context of dependent origination outside of Theravāda sources. The sheer volume and diversity of Buddhist texts that are extant in Chinese makes i...