notes on the Dhamma

Excerpt from an old post of mine . 2nd story, the video game addict When I was a kid, I loved video games. My mom was always complaining and preventing me from playing video games to my heart's content (maybe only satisfying 30-50% of the length of time I desired), resulting in building an even greater uncontrollable desire to play once I moved out and went to college, where I could play all I wanted as an independent adult.  You better believe countless hours were wasted. When I was 25, I finally had an awakening. After playing one of the Nintendo Mario adventure games to it's conclusion, I reflected on my experience. This game was the state of the art, one of the masterpieces and critically acclaimed video game experiences of all time. Just to pick an even number, let's say it took 100 hours to complete. While it offered great joy in the realm of sensual pleasures via the stimulating visuals, sounds, music, interactive tactile control and immersive experience in a stunnin...

  SN 12.63 pāḷi + english One of the interesting details of that sutta, bad enough you get bitten whatever posture, whatever terrain, whatever time, but the Buddha specifies a flayed, skinless cow. Even more painful! Kathañca, bhikkhave, phassāhāro daṭṭhabbo? And how should you regard contact as fuel? Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, gāvī niccammā kuṭṭañce nissāya tiṭṭheyya. Suppose there was a flayed cow . Ye kuṭṭanissitā pāṇā te naṁ khādeyyuṁ. If she stands by a wall, the creatures on the wall bite her. Rukkhañce nissāya tiṭṭheyya, ye rukkhanissitā pāṇā te naṁ khādeyyuṁ. If she stands under a tree, the creatures in the tree bite her. Udakañce nissāya tiṭṭheyya, ye udakanissitā pāṇā te naṁ khādeyyuṁ. If she stands in some water, the creatures in the water bite her. Ākāsañce nissāya tiṭṭheyya, ye ākāsanissitā pāṇā te naṁ khādeyyuṁ. If she stands in the open, the creatures in the open bite her. Yaṁ yadeva hi sā, bhikkhave, gāvī niccammā nissāya tiṭṭheyya, ye tannissitā pāṇā te naṁ khādeyyuṁ. ...

SN 12.63 pāḷi + english RDA = recommended daily allowance The Buddha compares the constant flow of viññāna (consciousness) arising at the 6 sense faculties, like getting stabbed by 300 spears every day. But if one can see how consciousness acts like a nutriment that feeds our suffering, one sees the relationship between viññāna and nāma rūpa ("name" of mental activity and material form). And when one clearly understands that, then one becomes an arahant.

  SN 12.63 pāḷi + english The passage in SN 12.63 helps clarify one of the 7 similes for sensual pleasure in MN 54, which uses the same simile of pit of hot coals. §10.4  – (pit of glowing coals deeper than a man’s height) Seyyathāpi, gahapati, aṅgārakāsu sādhikaporisā, pūrā aṅgārānaṃ vītaccikānaṃ vītadhūmānaṃ. “Suppose there was a pit of glowing coals deeper than a man’s height, full of glowing coals that neither flamed nor smoked. “假设有一个深达一人多高的火坑，里面充满了没有火焰也没有烟的炽热炭火。 Atha puriso āgaccheyya jīvitukāmo amaritukāmo sukhakāmo dukkhapaṭikkūlo. Then a person would come along who wants to live and doesn’t want to die, who wants to be happy and recoils from pain. 然后一个人走过来，他想活，不想死，他想快乐，回避痛苦。 Tamenaṃ dve balavanto purisā nānābāhāsu gahetvā aṅgārakāsuṃ upakaḍḍheyyuṃ. Then two strong men would grab them by the arms and drag them towards the pit of glowing coals. 然后两个强壮的男人抓住他的手臂，把他拖向那个炽热的炭火坑。 Taṃ kiṃ maññasi, gahapati, What do you think, householder? 你认为呢，居士？ api nu so puriso iticiticeva ...

SN 16.13 Pañca khome, kassapa, okkamaniyā dhammā saddhammassa sammosāya antaradhānāya saṃvattanti. There are five detrimental things that lead to the decline and disappearance of the true Dharma. Katame pañca? What five? Idha, kassapa, bhikkhū bhikkhuniyo upāsakā upāsikāyo satthari agāravā viharanti appatissā, dhamme agāravā viharanti appatissā, saṅghe agāravā viharanti appatissā, sikkhāya agāravā viharanti appatissā, samādhismiṃ agāravā viharanti appatissā— It’s when the monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen lack respect and reverence for the Teacher, The Dharma, the Saṅgha, the training, and undistractible-lucidity. ime kho, kassapa, pañca okkamaniyā dhammā saddhammassa sammosāya antaradhānāya saṃvattanti. These five detrimental things lead to the decline and disappearance of the true Dharma. Early Buddhism Meditation Preservation Society

People often study,  almost exclusively, Sati-'paṭṭhāna 🐘Sutta (MN 10, DN 22), told by authorities that it's one of the most, if not the most important sutta on meditation and "mindfulness". They're wrong, very wrong. There is over reliance in modern times on that one sutta for the subject of Sati-'paṭṭhāna. MN 10 can be useful and interesting as additional supplemental material on the subject, but what you really should use as your basis and foundation on Sati-'paṭṭhāna, is the first 10 suttas of SN 47, as the Theras (elder keepers of Dhamma) intended. If you repeatedly study these 10 suttas, as was designed in the oral tradition, you're going to get a much more comprehensive and holistic understanding of "Mindfulness meditation" (sati), how it integrates with jhāna and 7 awakening factors, how all the noble 8 factors and 7 awakening factors are to be done all the time. Provided you read a correct translation. If you read Sujato's for e...

 Not content to redefine (verbal, linguistic, mental talk) "thinking" as "not thinking", and (physical) body, as mental body devoid of physical, to account for noble silence being second jhāna rather than first, and Nigantha (founder of Jain religion) being able to do first jhāna  (if Sujato's fraudulent interpretation of jhāna were true, Nigantha would not claim he can do first jhāna) Sujato essentially redefines vāca (vocalized speech), as non-vocalized mental talk. This is what happens when you redefine basic words in the Buddhist dictionary,  or any dictionary for that matter. You have to start redefining a bunch of other basic fundamental concepts and terms to fit your warped version of "reality". I quote Sujato's disingenuous and fraudulent translation notes for SN 41.6 today, 2026 april 5. which match his notes for MN 44 which share the same passage.   “The verbal process ceases first, then physical, then mental.” The verbal process ceases i...