🔗📝 collection of notes on MN 56

Internal

4👑☸ → MN‍ → MN 56 

● MN 56 - 🔗🔊 40m, Upāli: name of lay follower:
    Nigantha of jains says body action more important determinant of kamma. Buddha says mental. Highlights:
    MN 56¹ - (Jain leader explains 3 types of action: bodily, verbal, mental)
        MN 56^1.1 – (3 types of action distinct from each other)
        MN 56^1.2 - (Jain leader says bodily action is most potent of 3, Buddha is incredulous)
        MN 56^2.2 - (Buddha says mental action is most potent of 3)
        MN 56^6.1 – (Upali affirms Jain leader is right, Buddha is wrong)
        MN 56^6.2 – (Buddha establishes ground rules for fair debate)
        MN 56^6.11 – (Buddha’s example #1 showing Jain contradiction: dying and rebirth caused by mental action instead of physical one)
        MN 56^6.12 – (example #2: accidentally killing bugs, intentional makes it blameworthy)
        MN 56^6.13 – (example #3: evil yogi with psychic power can kill with mind/mano, without bodily karma)
        MN 56^6.14 – (example #4: wilderness of some areas had become that way because of evil mental actions of some hermits)
    MN 56⁷ – (for the 4th time, Buddha points out Upali’s contradiction violates rules of fair debate)
        MN 56^7.1 – (Upali confesses to Buddha: “Sir, you had me at hello, with the first simile.”)
        MN 56^7.2 – (Upali coverts, takes refuge in Buddha)
        MN 56^7.3 – (Buddha advises Upali to consider carefully before converting)
        MN 56^7.4 – (Buddha advises Upali to continue offering support to Jains)
    MN 56⁸ – (Buddha leads Upali to Dharma eye and stream entry with talk on gradual training)
        MN 56^8.1 – (Upali attains stream entry with a sufficient first jhāna, free of 5 hindrances, hearing and thinking while it happened)
    MN 56⁹ – (Jains hear about Upali’s conversion and are shocked)
        MN 56^9.5 – (Upali makes Jains and Jain leader sit in a visitor area for meal, and Upali himself occupies high seat of honor)
        MN 56^9.6 – (Jain leader criticizes Upali for getting converted ‘by magic’, Upali says it would benefit whole world to get converted)
        MN 56^9.7 – (Upali makes simile Comparing Jain doctrine to monkey abuse)
        MN 56^9.21 – (Jain leader, Nātaputta, spews hot blood)

External

MN 56 Sujato rewriting dictionary for jhāna terms for 'thinking'

Other points to be expanded on in an essay in the future:

1. In MN 56 Buddha states 3 types of action (bodily/kāya, verbal, mental), are 3 distinct types of karma. This means Vism. and Sujato capriciously redefining 'kāya' as 'mental' would break the fundamental laws of karma. You can't redefine 'up' as 'down' in the dictionary, 'body', as 'mind', 'bad' as 'good' and expect anyone to understand you. 

2. In Anatta lakkhana sutta, the 11 ways of seeing 5 aggregates as empty, Vism. and Sujato redefining rūpa as 'visual kasina' would break these 11 insights and make them incomplete.

3. JST, Jhāna sandwich theorem, hearing and thinking in first jhāna happens here even though it's not explicitly called 'jhāna'. No stream enterer attains without at least a low quality first jhāna.

4. Note the connection between Jain leader Nigantha, and sutta in SN where he believes 2nd jhāna and beyond are not possible, but first jhāna is within their capability. Compare the Upali the highly renowned disciple of Jain leader and how he attains stream entry.

5. Saddha = earned trust. Look at how Upali converts - it's not through blind faith, but careful examination of the qualities of the Buddha.

 

MN 56 Bob punches Carl in the face - A Primer on why 3 types of actions are distinct (you can't redefine kāya as 'mind'!)