pali lesson: memory technique - acronyms, sati and smrti

Examples of acronyms I use to help memorize new pali vocabulary, and phrases of pali words:

Example #1: the 3 a.m. (akusala mula, raga, dosa, moha)

From AN 3.16, we know that the proper time to sleep and wake up, is typically 10pm - 2am, or 11pm through 3am.

Here's a little mantra (pali = manta) that I like to recite:

At 3 a.m., we wake up to do battle with the 3 a.m. (akusala mula, raga, dosa, moha)

3am 😈🌱= 3 a-kusala mulani = 3 un-skillful roots, The Unholy Trinity

Example #2: 5 ariya bhavita indriya

= 5 ariya bhavita indriya = Noble one's developed faculties, 5 masteries of perception, ariya iddhi superpower.

The acronym "abi" (representing 3 pali words) looks like the english word "ability".

So the 5abi, are like 5 kind of important special abilities

Example #3: It ain't Sammā Samādhi unless it contains A PASS to Nirvana

A PASS = ariya pañca-aṅgika sammā-samādhi = noble five-factored righteous-undistractable-lucidity (title of the sutta AN 5.28)

When you think of SS (Sammā Samādhi), what probably comes to mind first is SS = 4j (four jhānas), as defined in SN 45.8. That's canonical, and it's not wrong, but there are some problems with that definition. (doesn't explicitly say that right samadhi must be used for the sake of realizing nirvana, not for trivial purposes).

Example #4: Sati and Smrti (sanskrit)

Sati is memory

elephant and bodhi tree The elephant never forgets.

SMRTI = You (S)uppose to (M)emorize and (R)ecollect (T)errific (I)deas.
SATI = You (S)uppose to (A)ctualize (T)errific (I)deas
☸Dhamma = those (T)errific (I)deas.

sati remembers ☸Dhamma. Always.

The lesson is:

Use your own imagination and creativity to harness the power of acronyms to help you memorize pali words and phrases.

Comments

Advice to younger meditators on jhāna, sex, porn, masturbation

Someone asked: Is porn considered harmful sexual.activity? I don't have a sex life because I don't have a partner and I don't wish to engage in casual sex so I use porn to quench the biological urge to orgasm. I can't see that's it's harmful because nobody is being forced into it. The actors are all paid well and claim to enjoy it etc. The only harm I can see is that it's so accessible these days on smart devices and so children may access it but I believe that this is the parents responsibility to not allow unsupervised use of devices etc. Views? Frankk response: In another thread, you asked about pleasant sensations and jhāna. I'm guessing you're young, so here's some important advice you won't get from suttas if you're serious about jhāna. (since monastics are already celibate by rule) If you want to attain stable and higher jhānas, celibacy and noble silence to the best of your ability are the feedstock and prerequiste to tha

illustration of Buddha Gotoma where he looks like a human being

Illustration by Bhikkhu Vimalo from a BPS postcard wishing a happy vesak More images where Buddha looks human: https://notesonthedhamma.blogspot.com/2021/02/where-are-buddha-images-and-statues.html Buddha and Arahant images that look like real humans

1min. video: Dalai Lama kissing boy and asking him to suck his tongue

To give more context, this is a public event, * everyone knows cameras are rolling * it's a room full of children * the boy's mom is standing off camera a few feet away watching all of this * the boy initiated contact, he had already had a hug with Dalai Lama earlier and then asked Dalai Lama for another hug which triggered this segment 17 min. video showing what happened before that 1 min. clip and after, with some explanation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT0qey5Ts78 16min talk from Ajahn Acalo with his thoughts on Dalai Lama kissing boy, relevance to Bhikkhu monastic code, sexual predators in religion in general, and how celibate monastics deal with sexual energy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK2m0TcUib0 The child's comments about the incident in a filmed interview later https://www.marca.com/en/lifestyle/world-news/2023/04/18/643eba5d46163ffc078b457c.html The child: It's a great experience It was amazing to meet His Holiness and I think it's a great ex

notes on the Dhamma

Search This Blog