notes on the Dhamma

Anonymous friend did some research on the phrase "Upasampajja Viharati" (attains, and lives doing [something]). These are his original notes, which I will incorporate into a new book I'm working on.  These are his independent, original comments, whereas the vesion I incorporate into my book will likely modify some of his comments and incorporate some of my own. Friend's notes on researching Upasampajja Viharati" (attains, and lives doing [something]). Upasampajja Viharati Not Used in Jhana/Formless/Animtta/Etc Formula Current conclusion: Upasampajja Viharati is another 'jhana unicorn'-a word or phrase that translators give an entirely new meaning in the context of jhana with no other examples in the suttas having that meaning. An expression that in the vast majority of cases outside of the 8 attainments means 'live having entered', 'keep going what you have developed', 'lives having developed, 'lives having attained', it se...

This is relevant to right speech, right view, and Dhamma teachers who have unusual interpretations of the suttas and self checking that they have integrity, honesty, transparency, and accountability in showing how they interpret the suttas. Excerpt from https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/stephaniemlee/dan-ariely-honesty-study-retraction A Famous Honesty Researcher Is Retracting A Study Over Fake Data Renowned psychologist Dan Ariely literally wrote the book on dishonesty. Now some are questioning whether the scientist himself is being dishonest. A landmark study that endorsed a simple way to curb cheating is going to be retracted nearly a decade later after a group of scientists found that it relied on faked data. According to the 2012 paper, when people signed an honesty declaration at the beginning of a form, rather than the end, they were less likely to lie. A seemingly cheap and effective method to fight fraud, it was adopted by at least one insurance company, tested by...

kāya-sakkhī : body witness kāya-sakkhī, kāyena phusitvā = eyewitness, body witness ✅ kāya-sakkhī = eyewitness, body witness. 'Body' here can be both literal and figurative, sometimes only figurative. ✅ kāyena phusitvā = eyewitness, literally contacted with the 'body'. 'Body' here can be both literal and figurative, sometimes only figurative. ⛔ 4 jhānas are  part  of 8 vimokkhas, part of 8 abhi-bh-āyatanas, part of 9 meditative attainments. They are part of those groups, not equivalent to them. So you can not say because formless attainments are also part of 8 vimokkhas, and formless has a figurative mind only 'body', therefore 4 jhānas must have a formless mind only 'kāya'. That's fallacious. It would be like saying, Australia was a British penal colony where they sent their criminals, and since John Doe is Australian, therefore John Doe is a criminal. Very short article, a simile to help you get a feel for the type of fallacious reasoning Su...

 I use this simile to show the fallacious reasoning Sujato uses to justify translating third jhāna's body as "mind devoid of physical body that personally experiences things". I include a fictional Sujato character in the simile, to make it memorable and easy to connect all the ideas of  3rd jhāna body, nine attainments, this simile,  and Sujato's erroneous understanding of how and when to interpret kāya/body metaphorically. (fictional) Sujato is good friends with Tom Cruise, arguably the most famous actor/celebrity in the world. They frequently socialize with a group of 9 friends (including themselves), visiting the hottest restaurants, night clubs, etc. Tom Cruise and four of the friends are all internationally famous celebrities (5 total). Sujato and the three remaining friends (4 total) are not famous, and would go unrecognized at most places they visit as a group of 9 friends.  Everywhere they travelled as a group of 9, they would get the V.I.P. (Very important ...

  The story takes place in the 9 story apartment complex, called "9 summer parties".   Rupert Kaya lives on the third floor.   Denny is the next door neighbor of Rupert.  Denny is deaf. Cameron lives in the apartment directly across the hall from Rupert. Cameron has a doorbell ringer video camera which is constantly recording video, and a view of not only the entrance to his apartment, but that of his neighbor Rupert.  Frank lives on the fourth floor. He's good friends with Rupert, and often stops by to visit him on the third floor. Between the fourth and fifth floor, is an exercise fitness center, some shops, and other community services for all the residents in the building. The architecture and floor design for the first four floors, compared to floors 5 through 9, are radically different.  And then there is Abby Dahmer who lives in the penthouse, an heiress to a fortune.  Her personality has been described as dry and humorless.  Her ...

  Preston asked Ven. Sunyo why MN 43 and AN 9.37 very conspicuously avoids listing the 4 jhānas, when listing what meditative attainments have the 5 senses of the body shut off, divorced from the mind.  Ven. Sunyo replied: https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/if-jhana-is-total-absorption-without-physical-sensation-why-is-pain-only-abandoned-in-the-fourth-jhana/29410/50 Thanks for the clarification, Preston.  I did indeed overlook the quotes [from the two suttas showing absence of 4 jhānas in list of states that are formless], reading too quickly. But these texts also don’t say that the 5 senses cease only in the formless attainments. They just say the formless attainments “can be known with purified (parisuddhena) mind consciousness released from the five senses”. Where does it say “explicitly” that in the jhanas there are still the five senses, and that they cease only in the formless attainments? To me, that is what you add to it. I belief the key aspect in this stateme...

  What the Buddha said for the second noble truth, that the cause of dukkha (suffering) is "craving", is wrong. SN 56.14 (2. Dukkha-samudayaṃ ariya-saccaṃ) “katamañca, bhikkhave, "and-what, monks, (is) Dukkha-samudayaṃ ariya-saccaṃ? sufferings-origination (as a) noble-truth? yāyaṃ taṇhā ponob-bhavikā whatever craving [which leads to] renewed-existence, nandi-rāga-sahagatā delight-(and)-lust-(together)-with tatra-tatr-ābhi-nandinī, here-and-there-[seeking]-delight seyyathidaṃ — that is - kāma-taṇhā, sensual-pleasures- craving , bhava-taṇhā, existence- craving , vi-bhava-taṇhā. non-existence- craving , idaṃ vuccati, bhikkhave, this (is) called, **********, dukkha-samudayaṃ ariya-saccaṃ. sufferings-origination (as a) noble-truth. Ajahn Brahm points out, that since the pāli word 'kāma' is plural, therefore first jhāna's seclusion from kāma is not about seclusion from craving or sensual desire, but seclusion from the object itself. (full context here for ajahn bra...

 Notice how kāya is used in this sutta, in the two places I have highlighted. Only then [after doing samadhi] does the Realized One’s body become more comfortable. The Buddha and arahants, by definition, do not feel mental pain, only physical pain. So if the Buddha's kāya (physical) body is comfortable, it's not a mental body (nāma-kāya) that became comfortable. By default, when you see kāya in isolation in a meditation context, such as MN 10, MN 119 as prominent examples, it's talking about a physical body (rūpa kāya), not a mental body (nāma-kāya). And it's not talking about a physical body that also includes a mental body, as this sutta SN 47.9 makes clear. SN 47.9 Gilāna: Sick (translation style  SP-FLUENT  by  frankk‍ ) 9. Gilānasutta 9. Sick Evaṃ me sutaṃ— So I have heard. ekaṃ samayaṃ bhagavā vesāliyaṃ viharati veḷuvagāmake. At one time the Buddha was staying near Vesālī, at the little village of Beluva. Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: There...