notes on the Dhamma

  Dilgo Khyentse on Malicious Criticism of Dharma Traditions Dharma Talk Malicious criticism of other traditions of dharma, in particular, is a major cause of the dharma as a whole declining and being corrupted. View all traditions and views as non-contradictory, and as true expressions of the Buddha’s teachings. – Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche from the book "The Heart of Compassion: The Thirty-seven Verses on the Practice of a Bodhisattva" frankk: level 1 lucid24-frankk · just now Views like the one in the OP are the reason for the decline of True Dharma. The lack of critical thinking, the lack of discernment, the gullible following gurus with wrong view are the cause. AlexCoventry · 11 hr. ago It's worth noting that the Rinpoche  reconfirmed  Ösel  Tendzin  as Trungpa's successor, leading to one of the most disastrous sex scandals in US Buddhist history (Tendzin knowingly infected his students with AIDS, by having sex with them, including one alleged rape.) Perhaps ...

  Re: Walking meditation Edit Delete Report Quote Post   by  frank k  »  Wed Oct 26, 2022 2:06 am Mangaka  wrote:  ↑ Sun Oct 16, 2022 10:42 pm Hello everybody, does anyone here know, what is the proper way for practice of walking meditation? Should one be aware of steps itself (like contact of the feet with floor) or it's right to focus on meditation object like breath, mettā or foulness of the body? Or are both methods right? see AN 3.16 https://lucid24.org/an/an03/an03-v01/index.html#s16 The Buddha says do sitting or walking meditation, all the time. He doesn't tell you how to allocate how much to do each, so it's an individual choice. Other suttas mention all four postures (standing, lying down). So it's not about the posture, or whether you use a chair to sit. It's the same set of meditation techniques in any posture. All the weirdly specific walking meditation techniques they teach in modern times, didn't come from the Buddha. As long as what they...

The Buddha's similes are often remarkably apt. Besides giving us very rich detail about what those states may feel like experientially, the similes often tells us what those states are NOT. For example, if you have a wrong definition and understanding of sati, "mindfulness", the simile will make the error very clear. In AN 7.67, "mindfulness" is the wise gatekeeper that allows friends to enter the fortress and enemies removed. If "mindfulness" was a non judgmental, choiceless awareness gatekeeper who only observed without reacting, he would just let anyone waltz through the gate. That is not a wise gate keeper. So clearly that can not be a correct definition of "mindfulness" (sati).  Similarly, MN 19 gives us a great first jhāna simile, of a cowherd monitoring a herd of cows.  Prior to first jhāna, the cowherd is kept busy, poking the cows, keeping them in the proper areas and keeping them from wandering into forbidden areas.  This represents...

  3.1.1.7.8 - optimal eating strategy for yogi Most important part of all, your motivation and attitude while eating * memorize the STED formula for eating from  AN 3.16 . “...eating not for play, intoxication, … only to sustain body and nutrition to support spiritual practice…” * recite formula before you eat * recite it at least once while you’re eating it, preferably with every refill or new dish you eat or drink * recite it at least once after you’re done with your meal * When you recite the eating formula, use vitakka, vicāra, upekkha. If you recite mindlessly, not pondering the meaning of what you’re saying, that’s just vitakka, thinking at a superficial level. You only thought about what you’re reciting to the extent that you know you memorized something correctly and recited it correctly. Using Vicāra means you ponder the meaning of what you’re reciting. Using upekkha means your vicāra and Dharma investigation, that pondering is powered by jhāna samādhi, so you not onl...

Re: What's wrong with Orthodox Theravāda or being a Fundamentalist Post by frank k » Thu Oct 20, 2022 4:31 am PeaceLover wrote: ↑ Tue Oct 18, 2022 9:07 am... ...I have trouble understanding why anyone would consider "orthodoxy" or "fundamentalisms" as something in a negative lens? I'd appreciate if anyone could shed some light into my confusion! Thank you in advance... Nothing wrong with the two terms, going by the dictionary. The real problem is when people have incoherent, inconsistent, or obviously wrong interpretations of the teachings and then that become the 'traditional' or generally accepted "truth" of the religion. A couple of examples of problems with "orthodox" Theravada 1. https://notesonthedhamma.blogspot.com/2 ... -1072.html 2. viewtopic.php?p=676259#p676259 fundamentalist: a person who believes in the strict, literal interpretation of scripture in a religion. "religious fundamentalists" adjective relat...

  8.8 - 🌄 Sammā Samādhi: right undistractible-lucidity Most often defined as 4 jhānas, such as in  SN 45.8 8.8.1 - j1🌘 First Jhāna 🚫💑 vivicc’eva kāmehi Judiciously-secluded from sensuality, 🚫😠 vivicca a-kusalehi dhammehi Judiciously-secluded from unskillful ☸Dharmas, (V&V💭) sa-vitakkaṃ sa-vicāraṃ with directed-thought and evaluation [of those verbal ☸Dharma thoughts], 😁🙂 viveka-jaṃ pīti-sukhaṃ with [mental] rapture and [physical] pleasure born from judicious-seclusion, 🌘 paṭhamaṃ jhānaṃ upasampajja viharati. he attains and lives in first jhāna.  TOC for details on first Jhāna in book Goldcraft          Goldcraft  4.3.1  j1🌘 First Jhāna              Goldcraft  4.3.1.1  vivicceva kāmehi = judicious-seclusion from sensual pleasures              Goldcraft  4.3.1.1.5  viveka = judicious-seclusion, discriminative separation              Goldcraft  4.3.1.1.6  kāma = desire for sensual pleasure            ...

  In answer to the question I posed in an earlier article that surveyed various commentaries on the meaning of 'pasāda' in second jhāna: pasāda: what does it mean in the second jhāna formula? serenity, confidence/faith, or purity? After more reasearch, I've reached a conclusion I'm satisfied with. 4.3.2 - j2🌗 Second Jhāna Vitakka-vicārānaṃ vūpasamā with the subsiding of directed-thought and evaluation [of those verbal ☸Dharma thoughts], ajjhattaṃ sam-pasādanaṃ with internal purity and self-confidence, 🌄 cetaso ekodi-bhāvaṃ his mind becomes singular in focus. 🚫(V&V💭) a-vitakkaṃ a-vicāraṃ Without directed-thought and evaluation, [mental processing is now subverbal,] 🌄😁🙂 samādhi-jaṃ pīti-sukhaṃ [mental] rapture and [physical] pleasure is born from undistractible-lucidity, 🌗 dutiyaṃ jhānaṃ upasampajja viharati. he attains and lives in second jhāna. 4.3.2.3 – ajjhattaṃ sam-pasādanaṃ = with internal purity and self-confidence 1. pasāda can mean clarity, purity, fo...

  5min video: George Costanza from Seinfeld gives  brilliant explanation of the dramaic increase in samādhi, sati (remembering, memory, "mindfulness")  potential when one keeps 8 precepts, brahmacariya, celibacy, keeping mind free of lust, sexual desire.  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cD2_V_JSWZZT3RnkDvyPcxJYTD1HBFFj/view?usp=sharing

(updated 2022-10-11): I'm working on adding a little explanation for each of the 16 steps. Since step 3 is one you use all time whenever doing breath meditation, and is the key to entering the genuine 4 jhānas as defined by the Buddha in EBT, it's worth studying carefully. 16 – Ānā-pāna-s-sati: breath meditation STED 16🌬️😤 instructions (2022  SP-FLUENT  translation by  frankk‍  ) Here, a monk [0.1] 🏞️ arañña-gato vā [0.1] 🏞️ has gone to the wilderness, or 🌲 rukkha-mūla-gato vā 🌲 to a root of a tree, or 🏕️ suññā-(a)gāra-gato vā 🏕️ to an empty dwelling. [0.2] nisīdati [0.2] They sit down, [0.3] 🧘 pallaṅkaṃ ābhujitvā [0.3] 🧘 bending into a cross leg posture, [0.4] 🏃📐 ujuṃ kāyaṃ paṇidhāya [0.4] 🏃📐 straightening the body. [0.5] 🌬️😤 pari-mukhaṃ satiṃ upaṭṭhapetvā. [0.5] 🌬️😤 They establish remembrance [of ☸Dharma] in front [, making Dharma their main focus]. [0.6] 🐘 So sato-va assasati, [0.6] 🐘 Always remembering [and applying ☸Dharma], he breathes in. S...