notes on the Dhamma

4👑☸  →  ASND 🌕🌟   https://lucid24.org/sted/asnd/index.html Forum discussion Re: Meaning of "percipient of light" Dhammapardon  wrote:  ↑ Sun May 28, 2023 10:03 amHello Venerables and friends, It appears often in translation associated with abandoning sloth and drowsiness but there isn't much else said. https://suttacentral.net/dn12/en/thanissaro?reference=none&highlight=false  wrote:Abandoning sloth & drowsiness, he dwells with an awareness devoid of sloth & drowsiness, mindful, alert, percipient of light.Attempting to understand this phrase experientialy and making an educated guess, percipient here usually gets translated from saññī of ālokasaññī (percipient of light). Saññī and saññā probably mean something very similar? Saññā being what one does with phenomena through one of the 5 aggregates (pancakhanda). So likely means someone notices/recognizes the brightness of their immediate surroundings. Similar to leaving a darkened office or bu...

Applying techniques I learned from here: Top memorization techique is worth the investment: mentally create movie with distinct memorable visual, audio, smell, etc.  Things I noticed and memory aids I devised to memorize the 16 main suttas of Snp 5 pārāyana vagga. KN Snp 5.4 Puṇṇaka-māṇava-pucchā: The Questions of Puṇṇaka “Anejaṁ mūla-dassāviṁ, “To the imperturbable, the seer of the root,” 🐘🔑name punnaka looks and sound like Puna (district in Hawaii) So I visualize the setting puna, hawaii, and punnaka is looking at the Buddha, who is standing frozen like a statue (frozen to remember the word imperturbable). The Buddha is frozen, staring (dassa)  at the root (mūla)  of a tree . I visualize a movie of this part just as sutta describes, in same order: Kiṁ nissitā isayo manujā, On what grounds have hermits and men, Khattiyā brāhmaṇā devatānaṁ; warrior-nobles and brahmins Yaññam-akappayiṁsu puthūdha loke, performed so many different sacrifices here in the world to the gods?...

Internal 4👑☸  →  STED  →  EBT    ,     LBT also telephone : game of broken telephone, chinese whispers,  🔗📝 External Why the fuss over LBT and EBT versions of jhāna? Aren't they both 99% Buddha's definition? https://notesonthedhamma.blogspot.com/2023/05/why-fuss-over-lbt-and-ebt-versions-of.html Forum discussion Re: Sutta method and Abhidhamma method Post by frank k » Fri May 26, 2023 1:46 am I appreciate that you took the time to acknowledge and respond, but this doesn't really explain why you think the two types of jhāna vism. and the commentaries talk about are the same as the jhāna and satipatthāna are described in MN 111, MN 125, MN 119. I'm all for people wanting to support their flavor of Buddhism, whether mahāyana, theravada abhidhamma, any other abhidharma, visuddhimagga, as long as they're honest about the real differences between them. If one is going to claim their LBT flavor of Buddhism is the legitimate word of Buddha...

 (from conversation with digital pāḷi dictionary team) jhāna jhāyati I know everyone translates it like what you currently have here: jhāyati 3 pr.   broods; thinks moodily; hangs the head down   [√jhā + ya + ti]   ✓ but I suspect it has a much more general meaning. https://lucid24.org/sted/8aam/8samadhi/wrong/index.html I show all the sutta references where "wrong" types of jhāna can be based on any of the 5 hindrances. I propose the proper meaning should be 'an obsessive singular focus on any positive or negative emotion or mind state.' Also, jhāna need not be calm, if it's not wrong jhana. for example, MN 36 when buddha was trying to hold his breath, or the wrong jhanas of 'brooding' , seeking revenge (jhana based on ill will and harming), tantric sex (jhana based on kama chanda). What's the need for jhana 1? Dhp 372 is referring to the same as jhana 2. jhāna 1 nt.   state of deep meditative calm ; lit. meditating [√jhā + ana]   ✓ grammar exampl...

  Re: The Dhamma Wheel Memorization Challenge Post by frank k » Sat May 20, 2023 10:13 am I now have about 14/16 of Snp 5 memorized, when completed, it's going to be about 30min. of pretty fast chanting. I recently borrowed a book from the library on memorization skills, authored by someone acclaimed as American world champion. I'd read or heard about many of the techniques he talks about before, but I had never seriously practiced any of those methods before since I had nothing very challenging to memorize. Also, the technique is quite challenging in some ways, requiring the mental equivalent, of starting up a moderate physical exercise regime for someone who doesn't like to exercise. Now that I've undertaken memorizing Snp 5, I have a much deeper appreciation of why those techniques are worth investing the time in. It's taken me about a year to memorize Snp 5, I probably spend an average of 40min. a day to gradually add more material a...

 From a conversation I had with  Digital Pāḷi Dictionary  Team: ariya 1 adj noble; distinguished; of the Buddha ariya 2 masc ethically noble person; person of moral integrity ariya 3 masc awakened being; enlightened one; arahant ariya 4 masc name of a privately enlightened Buddha ariya 5 masc speaker of an Indo-Aryan language ariya 6 adj (abhidhamma) supra-mundane Ariya 2 > So in MN 4 the Buddha (not enlightened then) was an ariya "being of integrity who is not enlightened" correct? Yes  I also checked the commentary which has  tesamahaṃ aññataro ti tesaṃ ahampi eko aññataro. bodhisatto hi gahaṭṭhopi pabbajitopi pari...

  4👑☸  →  EBpedia📚  →  viveka  I've updated my research article on 'viveka' https://lucid24.org/tped/v/viveka/index.html viveka  1  – Viveka      viveka  1.1  - 'Viveka', pre-Buddhist meaning          viveka  1.1.1  – viveka = differentiation      viveka  1.2  - 'Viveka', Sanskrit dictionary      viveka  1.3  – From Digital Pāḷi Dictionary viveka  2  – suttas (alphabetical) justifying different definitions of viveka      viveka  2.1  – ‘seclusion’ doesn’t make sense, ‘discernment’ does      viveka  2.2  – both 'discernment' and 'seclusion' apply together in conjunction      viveka  2.3  – 'seclusion' makes sense here, 'discernment' doesn't viveka  10  – misc. 2 – suttas (alphabetical) justifying different definitions of viveka 2.1 – ‘seclusion’ doesn’t make sense, ‘discernment’ does AN 3.93 sutta title is 'pa-viveka' DN 33...

 rājā = king mogha = fool  maccu = death So maccu-rājā = king of death our protaganist mogha-rājā = king of fools No translator from English to pāḷi has captured this pun in translation. I haven't yet either. Not sure how to do it yet in a way that doesn't become too wordy and possibly divert attention away from the main point of the sutta.  First funny thing: Mogha-rājā's parents or his contemporary brahmin friends gave him that nick name, perhaps ironically Just as someone who's tall, his friends may nickname him 'shorty' just to be ironic/humorous with him. Snp 5.18 notes that  Todeyya-kappā dubhayo, both Todeyya and Kappa, jatukaṇṇī ca paṇḍito; and Jatukaṇṇī the astute, Bhadrāvudho udayo ca, Bhadrāvudha and Udaya, posālo cāpi brāhmaṇo; and the brahmin Posala, Mogharājā  ca medhāvī, Mogharājā the  intelligent , piṅgiyo ca mahāisi. and Piṅgiya the great hermit: medhāvī = masc. intelligent man; wise man; who has good judgment; lit. who has wisdom [√medh + ...

  Examples: KN Snp 5.8 pun on santi? Having both meanings of "there exists" and "peaceful"? KN Snp 5.16 pun: king of fools vs. king of death

  (based on Sujato trans.) KN Snp 5.8 Nanda-māṇava-pucchā: The Questions of Nanda “ Santi loke munayo, “ ’ There are sages in the world.’ (iccāyasmā nando) (said Venerable Nanda,) Janā vadanti tayidaṁ kathaṁsu; People say this, but how is this so? Ñāṇ-ūpapannaṁ no muniṁ vadanti, Is someone called a sage because of their knowledge, Udāhu ve jīviten-ūpapannaṁ”. or because of their way of life?” Sujato translated following correct grammar using meaning 1 of santi (atthi), present tense nominative. atthi 1 pr. (+nom) there is; there exists [√as + ti] ✓ But the use of 'santi' with the meaning 'peaceful' santi 1.1 fem. peace; calm; tranquillity [√sam + ti] ✓ occurs frequently in Snp 5, talking about sages, brahmins, arahants, jhāna meditators,  abiding peacefully. I think the Buddha is making a pun there, and the correct translation incorporating the pun should be: KN Snp 5.8 Nanda-māṇava-pucchā: The Questions of Nanda “ Santi  loke munayo, “ ’There are [peaceful] sages in ...