Monday, September 16, 2024

šŸ”—šŸ“jhāna and samādhi similes

 

Famous 4 jhāna similes (AN 5.28, DN 2, others)











5th noble right samādhi





AN 6.55 Sona learning to balance vīriya (vigorous striving) and serenity (samatha)

Sona tired of householder and musician's life, wants to become monk.


Still struggling to balance vīriya and samatha



AN 6.55 After Buddha gives him some tips, Arahant Sona is part of single stone mountain, imperturbable to violent storms (of sensory data)




MN 125 samādhi is view from mountain top







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Sunday, September 15, 2024

AN 1.1 - AN 1.11 sensual pleasures

 




 AN 1.1 

1
1
Evaį¹ƒ me sutaį¹ƒ—​
So I have heard.
ekaį¹ƒ samayaį¹ƒ bhagavā sāvatthiyaį¹ƒ viharati jetavane anāthapiį¹‡įøikassa ārāme.
At one time the Buddha was staying near SāvatthÄ« in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiį¹‡įøika’s monastery.
Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:
There the Buddha addressed the monks:
“bhikkhavo”ti.
“monks!”
“Bhadante”ti te bhikkhÅ« bhagavato paccassosuį¹ƒ.
“Venerable sir,” they replied.
Bhagavā etadavoca:
The Buddha said this:
“Nāhaį¹ƒ, bhikkhave, aƱƱaį¹ƒ ekarÅ«pampi samanupassāmi yaį¹ƒ evaį¹ƒ purisassa cittaį¹ƒ pariyādāya tiį¹­į¹­hati yathayidaį¹ƒ, bhikkhave, itthirÅ«paį¹ƒ.
“monks, I do not see a single sight that occupies a man’s mind like the sight of a woman.
ItthirÅ«paį¹ƒ, bhikkhave, purisassa cittaį¹ƒ pariyādāya tiį¹­į¹­hatÄ«”ti.
The sight of a woman occupies a man’s mind.”

...

Itthisaddo, bhikkhave, purisassa cittaį¹ƒ pariyādāya tiį¹­į¹­hatÄ«”ti.
The sound of a woman occupies a man’s mind.”

...

Itthigandho, bhikkhave, purisassa cittaį¹ƒ pariyādāya tiį¹­į¹­hatÄ«”ti.
The smell of a woman occupies a man’s mind.”

...

Itthiraso, bhikkhave, purisassa cittaį¹ƒ pariyādāya tiį¹­į¹­hatÄ«”ti.
The taste of a woman occupies a man’s mind.”

1.5 - AN 1.5 (...touch of a woman)

5
5
“Nāhaį¹ƒ, bhikkhave, aƱƱaį¹ƒ ekaphoį¹­į¹­habbampi samanupassāmi yaį¹ƒ evaį¹ƒ purisassa cittaį¹ƒ pariyādāya tiį¹­į¹­hati yathayidaį¹ƒ, bhikkhave, itthiphoį¹­į¹­habbo.
“monks, I do not see a single touch that occupies a man’s mind like the touch of a woman.
Itthiphoį¹­į¹­habbo, bhikkhave, purisassa cittaį¹ƒ pariyādāya tiį¹­į¹­hatÄ«”ti.
The touch of a woman occupies a man’s mind.”

...

PurisarÅ«paį¹ƒ, bhikkhave, itthiyā cittaį¹ƒ pariyādāya tiį¹­į¹­hatÄ«”ti.
The sight of a man occupies a woman’s mind.”

...

Purisasaddo, bhikkhave, itthiyā cittaį¹ƒ pariyādāya tiį¹­į¹­hatÄ«”ti.
The sound of a man occupies the mind of a woman.”

...

Purisagandho, bhikkhave, itthiyā cittaį¹ƒ pariyādāya tiį¹­į¹­hatÄ«”ti.
The smell of a man occupies the mind of a woman.”

...

Purisaraso, bhikkhave, itthiyā cittaį¹ƒ pariyādāya tiį¹­į¹­hatÄ«”ti.
The taste of a man occupies the mind of a woman.”

1.10 - AN 1.10 (...touch of a man)

10
10
“Nāhaį¹ƒ, bhikkhave, aƱƱaį¹ƒ ekaphoį¹­į¹­habbampi samanupassāmi yaį¹ƒ evaį¹ƒ itthiyā cittaį¹ƒ pariyādāya tiį¹­į¹­hati yathayidaį¹ƒ, bhikkhave, purisaphoį¹­į¹­habbo.
“monks, I do not see a single touch that occupies a woman’s mind like the touch of a man.
Purisaphoį¹­į¹­habbo, bhikkhave, itthiyā cittaį¹ƒ pariyādāya tiį¹­į¹­hatÄ«”ti.
The touch of a man occupies a woman’s mind.”



 AN 1.11 (subha-nimitta sign of beauty → kāma šŸ’˜šŸ’ƒ‍)

11
11
“Nāhaį¹ƒ, bhikkhave, aƱƱaį¹ƒ Eka-dhammampi samanupassāmi yena anuppanno vā kāmacchando uppajjati uppanno vā kāmacchando bhiyyobhāvāya vepullāya saį¹ƒvattati yathayidaį¹ƒ, bhikkhave, subhanimittaį¹ƒ.
“monks, I do not see a single Dharma that gives rise to sensual desire, or, when it has arisen, makes it increase and grow like the aspect of beauty.
Subhanimittaį¹ƒ, bhikkhave, ayoniso manasi karoto anuppanno ceva kāmacchando uppajjati uppanno ca kāmacchando bhiyyobhāvāya vepullāya saį¹ƒvattatÄ«”ti.
When you attend improperly to the aspect of beauty, sensual desire arises, and once arisen it increases and grows.”



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Part 2 of stepsister "jhāna"

 
In Part 1 of stepsister Jhāna, 
we described the simile of (correct Buddha's) jhāna as the glass slipper.

In a just world,
we would all live happily ever after, so to speak.
The correct translation and interpretation of the Buddha's 4 jhānas becomes the norm,
because discerning Buddhists see that the glass slipper just doesn't fit 
on Ajahn Brahm or Visuddhimagga's big clumsy feet.
If the slipper don't fit, 
you must acquit. (the unjust prosecution of Cinderella)

Unfortunately in the real world, this is common practice:



If the slipper don't fit,
counterfeit.
Hide the Buddha's slipper and create a fake slipper.
As long as you're charismatic, convincingly intelligent, and popular,
they'll believe your story.


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Saturday, September 14, 2024

SN 47 anthology, illustrated

SN 47.6 A hawk and a quail



  “Once upon a time, monks, a hawk suddenly swooped down and grabbed a quail.
And as the quail was being carried off he wailed:
‘I’m so unlucky, so unfortunate, to have roamed out of my territory into the domain of others.
If today I’d roamed within my own territory, the domain of my fathers, this hawk wouldn’t have been able to beat me by fighting.’
‘So, quail, what is your own territory, the domain of your fathers?’

‘It’s a ploughed field covered with clods of earth.’
Because of her own strength, the hawk was not daunted or intimidated. She released the quail, saying:
‘Go now, quail. But even there you won’t escape me!’

 Then the quail went to a ploughed field covered with clods of earth. He climbed up a big clod, and standing there, he said to the hawk:



‘Come get me, hawk! Come get me, hawk!’
Because of her own strength, the hawk was not daunted or intimidated. She folded her wings and suddenly swooped down on the quail.
When the quail knew that the hawk was nearly there, he slipped under that clod.
And the hawk crashed chest-first right there.
That’s what happens when you roam out of your territory into the domain of others.


 So, monks, don’t roam out of your own territory into the domain of others.
If you roam out of your own territory into the domain of others, Māra will find a vulnerability and get hold of you.
And what is not a monk’s own territory but the domain of others?

It’s the five kinds of sensual stimulation.
What five?
Sights known by the eye that are likable, desirable, agreeable, pleasant, sensual, and arousing.
Sounds known by the ear …
Smells known by the nose …
Tastes known by the tongue …
Touches known by the body that are likable, desirable, agreeable, pleasant, sensual, and arousing.
This is not a monk’s own territory but the domain of others.


  You should roam inside your own territory, the domain of your fathers.
If you roam inside your own territory, the domain of your fathers, Māra won’t find a vulnerability or get hold of you.
And what is a monk’s own territory, the domain of the fathers?

It’s the four kinds of remembering and applying Dharma.
Which Four?
It’s when …
He lives continuously seeing the body as a body [as it truly is]. 
He lives continuously seeing sensations as sensations [as it truly is]. 
He lives continuously seeing a mind as a mind [as it truly is]. 
He lives continuously seeing ☸Dharma as ☸Dharma [as it truly is]. 
[in each of the 4 ways of remembering]: 
he is ardent šŸ¹, he has lucid discerning šŸ‘, he remembers šŸ˜ [to apply relevant ☸Dharma]. 
he should remove greed and distress regarding the world. 


This is a monk’s own territory, the domain of the fathers.” 



SN 47.7 A monkey


 “monks, in the Himalayas there are regions that are rugged and impassable. In some such regions, neither monkeys nor humans can go,
while in others, monkeys can go but not humans.
There are also level, pleasant places where both monkeys and humans can go.
There hunters lay snares of tar on the monkey trails to catch the monkeys.


  The monkeys who are not foolhardy and reckless see the tar and avoid it from afar.
But a foolish and reckless monkey goes up to the tar and grabs it with a hand.
He gets stuck there.
Thinking to free his hand, he grabs it with his other hand.
He gets stuck there.
Thinking to free both hands, he grabs it with a foot.
He gets stuck there.
Thinking to free both hands and foot, he grabs it with his other foot.
He gets stuck there.
Thinking to free both hands and feet, he grabs it with his snout.
He gets stuck there.




And so the monkey, trapped at five points, just lies there screeching. He’d meet with tragedy and disaster, and the hunter can do what he wants with him.
The hunter spears him, pries him off that tarred block of wood, and goes wherever he wants.
That’s what happens when you roam out of your territory into the domain of others.


 So, monks, don’t roam out of your own territory into the domain of others.
If you roam out of your own territory into the domain of others, Māra will catch you and get hold of you.
And what is not a monk’s own territory but the domain of others?

It’s the five kinds of sensual stimulation.
What five?
Sights known by the eye that are likable, desirable, agreeable, pleasant, sensual, and arousing.
Sounds known by the ear …
Smells known by the nose …
Tastes known by the tongue …
Touches known by the body that are likable, desirable, agreeable, pleasant, sensual, and arousing.
This is not a monk’s own territory but the domain of others.


 You should roam inside your own territory, the domain of your fathers.
If you roam inside your own territory, the domain of your fathers, Māra won’t catch you or get hold of you.
And what is a monk’s own territory, the domain of the fathers?

It’s the four kinds of remembering and applying Dharma.
Which Four?
It’s when …
He lives continuously seeing the body as a body [as it truly is]. 
He lives continuously seeing sensations as sensations [as it truly is]. 
He lives continuously seeing a mind as a mind [as it truly is]. 
He lives continuously seeing ☸Dharma as ☸Dharma [as it truly is]. 
[in each of the 4 ways of remembering]: 
he is ardent šŸ¹, he has lucid discerning šŸ‘, he remembers šŸ˜ [to apply relevant ☸Dharma]. 
he should remove greed and distress regarding the world. 

This is a monk’s own territory, the domain of the fathers.” 


SN 47.8 cooks


 “monks, suppose a foolish, incompetent, unskillful cook was to serve a ruler or their minister with an excessive variety of curries:
superbly sour, bitter, pungent, and sweet; hot and mild, and salty and bland.



  But that cook didn’t follow the signs of his master [signaling what he liked and disliked].
‘Today my master preferred this sauce, or he reached for it, or he took a lot of it, or he praised it.
Today my master preferred the sour or bitter or pungent or sweet or hot or mild or salty sauce. Or he preferred the bland sauce, or he reached for the bland one, or he took a lot of it, or he praised it.’


 That foolish, incompetent, unskillful cook doesn’t get presented with clothes, wages, or bonuses.
Why is that?
Because they don’t follow the signs of their master [signaling what he liked and disliked].




In the same way, a foolish, incompetent, unskillful monk lives by seeing the body as a body truly is—ardent, lucidly-discerning, and remembering and applying Dharma, rid of desire and aversion for the world.
As they live seeing the body as a body truly is, their mind doesn’t enter undistractible-lucidity, and their corruptions aren’t given up.
But they don’t follow the signs [that lead to mental activity removing unskillful Dharmas].
They live seeing sensations as sensations truly are …
mind …
Dharmas—ardent, lucidly-discerning, and remembering and applying Dharma, rid of desire and aversion for the world.
As they live seeing Dharma as ☸Dharma truly is, the mind doesn’t enter undistractible-lucidity, and the corruptions aren’t given up.
But they don’t  follow the signs [that lead to mental activity removing unskillful Dharmas].


  That foolish, incompetent, unskillful monk doesn’t get pleasureful meditations in this very life, nor do they get remembrance and application of Dharma and lucid-discerning.
Why is that?
Because they don’t  follow the signs of their mind  [that lead to mental activity removing unskillful Dharmas].
[Instead of following profitable signs that lead to skillful Dharmas, they followed bad signs that led to an increase in unskillful Dharmas.]

 Suppose an astute, competent, skillful cook was to serve a ruler or their minister with an excessive variety of curries:
superbly sour, bitter, pungent, and sweet; hot and mild, and salty and bland.


 And that cook got their master’s hint:
‘Today my master preferred this sauce, or he reached for it, or he took a lot of it, or he praised it.
Today my master preferred the sour or bitter or pungent or sweet or hot or mild or salty sauce. Or he preferred the bland sauce, or he reached for the bland one, or he took a lot of it, or he praised it.’



  That astute, competent, skillful cook gets presented with clothes, wages, and bonuses.
Why is that?
Because they followed the signs of their master [signaling what he liked and disliked].



In the same way, an astute, competent, skillful monk lives by seeing the body as a body truly is—ardent, lucidly-discerning, and remembering and applying Dharma, rid of desire and aversion for the world.
As they live seeing the body as a body truly is, their mind enters undistractible-lucidity, and their corruptions are given up.
Because they followed the signs [that led to mental activity removing unskillful Dharmas and powering up the skillful Dharmas that launch them into jhāna].
They live seeing sensations as sensations truly are …
mind …
Dharmas—ardent, lucidly-discerning, and remembering and applying Dharma, rid of desire and aversion for the world.
As they live seeing Dharma as ☸Dharma truly is, their mind enters undistractible-lucidity, and their corruptions are given up.
Because they followed the signs [that led to mental activity removing unskillful Dharmas and powered up the skillful Dharmas that launched them into jhāna].


 That astute, competent, skillful monk gets pleasureful meditations [which characterize the 4 jhānas]  in this very life, and they get remembering and application of Dharma and lucid-discerning.
Why is that?
Because they followed their mind’s signs [which signal the type of mental activity that remove unskillful Dharmas and power up the skillful Dharmas that launch them into jhāna].
[And they recognized the bad signs with wise attention and actively ignored them].


SN 47.19 Acrobat



 At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Sumbhas, near the town of the Sumbhas called Sedaka.
There the Buddha addressed the monks:
“Once upon a time, monks, an acrobat set up his bamboo pole and said to his apprentice Medakathālikā:
‘Come now, dear Medakathālikā, climb up the bamboo pole and stand on my shoulders.’
‘Yes, teacher,’ she replied. She climbed up the bamboo pole and stood on her teacher’s shoulders.
Then the acrobat said to Medakathālikā:
‘You look after me, dear Medakathālikā, and I’ll look after you.
That’s how, guarding and looking after each other, we’ll display our skill, collect our fee, and get down safely from the bamboo pole.’
When he said this, Medakathālikā said to her teacher:
‘That’s not how it is, teacher!
You should look after yourself, and I’ll look after myself.
That’s how, guarding and looking after ourselves, we’ll display our skill, collect our fee, and get down safely from the bamboo pole.’


 That’s the correct procedure,” said the Buddha. “It’s just as Medakathālikā said to her teacher.
Thinking ‘I’ll look after myself,’ you should cultivate remembering and applying Dharma.
Thinking ‘I’ll look after others,’ you should cultivate remembering and applying Dharma.
Looking after yourself, you look after others; and looking after others, you look after yourself.


 And how do you look after others by looking after yourself?
By development, cultivation, and practice of meditation.

And how do you look after yourself by looking after others?
By acceptance, harmlessness, friendliness, and kindness.

Thinking ‘I’ll look after myself,’ you should cultivate remembering and applying Dharma.
Thinking ‘I’ll look after others,’ you should cultivate remembering and applying Dharma.
Looking after yourself, you look after others; and looking after others, you look after yourself.”


SN 47.20 the most beautiful lady in the world


The Buddha was staying in the land of the Sumbhas, 
near the town Sedaka.
There the Buddha addressed the monks:

“monks, suppose that word spread quickly around town that 
‘Larissa, the most beautiful lady in the world is coming!
Her beauty is unparalleled, with a personality and temperament to match.
A large crowd would gather.
Larissa would dance and sing in a most thrilling way.


On hearing that ‘Larissa, the most beautiful lady in the world is singing!
She's dancing!’ 
an even larger crowd would gather.

Then Bob, a man who wants to live and doesn’t want to die, comes along.
Bob and Larissa were dear friends as young children. 
Sadly, Larissa moved away.
Fifteen years later Bob is a very eligible bachelor.
Larissa visiting town was no coincidence.

Bob wants to be happy, and he dislikes pain.
Bob is a man who doesn't want to die,
he wants to live the life of his dreams.
They’d say to Bob:
‘Mister, this is a bowl full to the brim with oil. 




You must carry it in between this large crowd and Larissa, 
your childhood friend who is now the most beautiful lady in the world.

And a man with a drawn sword will follow behind you.
Wherever you spill even a drop, 
he’ll chop off your head right there.’





What do you think, monks?
Don't you think Bob wants to steal a glance at Larissa?
Isn't Bob wondering what life would be like to be married to
Larissa, the most beautiful lady in the world?
A most highly skilled singer, dancer, master of the culinary arts;
sharp witted, prudent, great sense of humor, able to converse amiably on any topic;
a financial wizard at managing a splendid lifestyle with her high income profession
while Bob is unemployed and lives a life of leisure; 
yet despite their fun and expensive lifestyle she's fiscally responsible by socking away a good 30% of her gross earnings every month towards retirement;
a handywoman who can fix any household, plumbing, vehicle breakdown;
a gentle soul with a soft patient voice who is  kind to everyone regardless of age, station, good or ill manner;
very forgiving of Bob's many annoying personality traits and habits;
someone who would be a devoted and loyal wife?

The monks replied, "yes sir, Bob would be very tempted."


What do you think, monks?
Despite that extreme temptation, 
do you really think Bob would lose focus of  that bowl of oil?
Would Bob dare get distracted by anything at all, 
lest he spill a drop and get his head chopped off? ”
“No, sir.”


“I made this simile to demonstrate 
how mindfulness immersed in the body is practiced.
‘A bowl of oil filled to the brim’ is a term for 
remembering and applying Dharma while immersed in the perception of the body.

So you should train like this:
‘We will develop remembering and application of Dharma 
while immersed in the perception of the body.
Whatever activity we do internally or 
externally by interacting with the outside world,
our attention retains some awareness of the body,
as an anchor that keeps the mind connected to the Buddha Dharma,
rather than drifting away negligently to non Dharma, as is the worldly norm.

We’ll cultivate this practice, make it our vehicle and our basis, 
keep it up, consolidate it, and properly implement it.’

Monks, that is how you should train.”

frankk note:

The original sutta is pretty bare bones.
I've added some fun and clarifying details that are implied, 
but they are my additions and not part of the actual sutta SN 47.20 Janapadakalyāį¹‡Ä«.






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Buddha and Arahant images that look like real humans

The Buddha







Mahā Moggallāna




Anuruddha




Ānanda?





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Friday, September 13, 2024

sword of samādhi: "It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing!" (comparing various Buddhist meditation systems)

 The dry insight "sword" of samādhi 



That sword is not looking too sharp. 
While the dry insight warrior is armored,
guarding the sense doors diligently mentally noting all the defilements every moment,
that spoon sword is not going to do any damage against the really big monsters and demons.
You could beat very minor demons with the spoon and stun them for a short time, 
and maybe scoop the poop of the bigger monsters,
but you're never going to deal a death blow to the defilements with that thing.



Another dry insight meditator here. 
Weapon of choice is a bamboo spatula instead of shiny serving spoon.
Quiver of arrows have no sharp tips.
Spear has no sharp tip.
You could maybe hurt some mosquitoes with that spatula?

Too much vipassana, not enough samatha,
resulting in toothless, unsharpened, unlethal weapons.
Without enough samatha, insights will be superficial.

 Visuddhi-magga and Ajahn Brahm sword of samādhi:


It's shiny and sharp!

The VRJ and BRJ meditator spends most of the day sitting down, 
sharpening their swords,
polishing and stroking their blades for hours on end,
becoming masters of their domain in samatha.

The problem is, 
 "It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing!"
You can have the sharpest blade, shiniest (nimitta) in the world,
but if you never actually practice using the sword to fight against defilements,
it's not worth much.
Too much time mastering samatha,
not enough time swinging the sword (vipassana/insight).
Swing it, brother swing.

 

Correct EBT translation and interpretation of the Buddha's Jhāna

all factors of noble eightfold path and seven awakening factors developed in unison, 
holistically, organically, 
according the Buddha's words.
Samatha and Vipassana yoked evenly.
Now this is a sword of samādhi.





Gāthā

It don't mean a thing,
if it ain't got that swing.
Ekaggatā,
Ekaggatā,
Ekodibhāva.


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Thursday, September 12, 2024

the raft: pāįø·i audio chanting (frankk)

 

1. Memorize šŸ“œ, word for word

The absolute essential, non-negotiable suttas that need to be memorized in their entirety, word for word, that forms the core and heart of EBT.

AN 3.16 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 5.5min: 3 qualities lead to destruction of āsavā's. The Buddha gives a schedule of how you should practice throughout the day, proper way to eat and sleep.
AN 4.14 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 5min, 2min: expand on definition of right-effort 4pd
AN 5.29 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 0.5min: walking meditation. One of the only suttas where the Buddha talks about benefits of health exercise, and how it helps samadhi.
AN 6.29 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 6min: six of the most important meditation subjects (no need to memorize word for word beginning where Udayi gives wrong answer).
KN Kp 2 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 0.5min: five, eight, ten precepts
SN 22.59 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 7min: šŸš«šŸƒ an-atta-lakkana
SN 35.28 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 6min: Āditta Sutta
SN 45.8 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 5min: šŸ‘‘8☸
SN 48.9 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 2.5min: 5indšŸ–️️: slight overlap with šŸ‘‘8☸, but here it explains the raw function and likely pre-Buddhist definition of key words like sati and viriya the Buddha inherited, not found in STED šŸ‘‘8☸
SN 54.2 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 2min; 16šŸŒ¬️šŸ˜¤ combined with 7sb☀️
SN 54.3 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 3min; STED 16šŸŒ¬️šŸ˜¤‍. The Buddha's favored and preeminent meditation topic.
SN 56.13 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 2.5min: STED 4šŸ‘‘☸
SN 56.14 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 2.5min: same as SN 56.13 but replace 5uk with 6aya

Total avg. chanting time at fluent speed: 50min

But there are some redundant passages among these suttas, so actually more like 40 minutes.
If you don't read all the repetions that typically get elided, then we're talking 30-35 minutes.

2. Indispensable key šŸ—️ ideas šŸ“œ

The suttas that contain critical ideas to the heart of EBT, with ideas and some phrases that need to be memorized to form a complete core EBT understanding.

AN 4.126 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 3min: memorize the STED 4bv☮️ 4 Brahma vihāras formula and the 11x5 contemplation of dukkha
AN 4.41 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 5min: memorize the S&SšŸ˜šŸ’­ definition here. It's what 3rd and 4th jhana are doing
AN 6.19 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 8min: marana-sati 1: remember at minimum the key idea from this sutta.
AN 6.20 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 7min, marana-sati 2: remember at minimum the key idea from this sutta. Also that pamojja and piti aspect of 7sb from SN 46.3 is clarified here.
AN 7.61 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 12min, seven ways to stop drowsiness
AN 7.67 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š šŸ° study and memorize the key ideas. This is one of the best suttas in the EBT to help you understand exactly how each of the path factors in 8aam, 7sb, 37bp, interact with each other, what duties they share and overlap. Most Buddhist teachers, even those highly experienced and learned, often have muddled views and gross misunderstandings of what sati/"mindfulness" and other path factors actually mean, because they didn't study suttas like these carefully.
AN 8.63 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 8.5min: 4spšŸ˜, 4bv☮️, 4jšŸŒ• all are part of "3 ways of samadhi" (samādhi in 3 ways), and you can do any combination of those in all four postures. Also see AN 3.63 for explicit tie between 4j and walking. AN 8.63 is like an expanded version of SN 47.3 + SN 47.4.
SN 36.11 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š speech ceasing in first jhana, and breath ceasing in 4th jhana, is key piece of information not in STED 4j.
SN 46.2 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š The nutriments for the 7sb☀️: memorize at least the synopsis, but the sutta is actually very easy to memorize in entirety word for word, because of refrain repetition.
SN 46.3 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 7sb☀️: 37 seconds to recite the synopsis, memorize word for word that part. That is the heart of EBT meditation engine for all 42 of the most popular EBT meditations.
SN 47.4 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š Sālā: (name of village): all 4sp are done simultaneously with jhana samadhi. Also explains the meaning of cryptic 4sp formula

3. Extremely helpful key šŸ—️ ideas šŸ“œ

But you could argue these are not absolutely essential to know. You could still cross over to the island of Nirvana without these, in contrast to previous two sections.

AN 5.28 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 10min, similes for 4j jhanas are extremely helpful.
AN 5.57 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 5 Dharma vitakkas to be reflected frequently
AN 6.10 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 13min, know at least the first 3 of 6 topics. #1 is already built in saddha-indriya of 5ind. Dhamma and Sangha anussati are closely related. All 6 topics feed into the 7sb samadhi engine of SN 46.3
AN 9.1 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š the part near the end on 4 core meditations
AN 10.48 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š ten Dharma vitakkas to be reflected frequently
MN 62 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š how to combine 16APS with most of the popular meditations
SN 12.2 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 8.5min, 12ps explanation. Most important part of 12ps, already covered by SN 35.28.
SN 51.12 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 8min: mahap-phala: 6 abhiƱƱa. You could argue the first 2 are optional to memorize, but #4 is the same as satipatthana citta anupassana, and 4-6 are the 3 te-vijja, The Buddha redefining the Brahman's "three vedas" in a way of certifying nirvana realization. And the 4ip are essentially an expansion of developing 4th jhana. AN 6.29 is essentially a commentary on the 4ip šŸŒ•⚡.
SN 54.8 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 9.5min: dipa - 9 meditative attainments, 5šŸ‘‘abi️ lemonade formula
SN 56.11 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 10min (6min if you eliminate deva celebration ending): Dhamma-cakkap-pavattana-sutta: Dhamma-wheel-turning-discourse. No need to memorize word for word parts everything in this sutta, such as the devas celebrating.

4. Customize your raft ☸šŸš£

These suttas don't contain indispensable ideas from earlier sections, they may be redundant, or they may just be an elucidation of ideas already present in the core sutta passages above. But you just happen to really like these suttas and want to memorize part or all of it. Here are some of my favorites.

KN Snp 5.14
SN 8.4 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š 2.5min/1min, Ananda’s instructions on destroying lust
SN 12.63 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š Putta-maį¹ƒsa šŸ‘Ø‍šŸ‘©‍šŸ‘¦šŸ“: son's-flesh: 4 sublime similes of 4 nutriments
SN 22.95 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š Pheį¹‡apiį¹‡įøÅ«pama, A Lump of Foam. Interesting coincidence(?), 95 is 59 transposed SN 22.59 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š šŸš«šŸƒ an-atta-lakkana. Is SN 22.95 a commentary with similes on SN 22.59?
SN 35.247 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š Chap-pāį¹‡ak-opama: šŸšŸŠšŸ¦šŸ•šŸŗšŸ’ 6 animals simile
SN 47.20 - šŸ”—šŸ”Š janapada-kalyāį¹‡Ä« šŸ’ƒšŸ¤·šŸ¤ŗ

The raft ☸šŸš£ simile comes from SN 35.238

SN 35.238 poisonous viper simile

Kullanti kho, bhikkhave,
“‘(The) raft ***, *********’:
ariyass-etaį¹ƒ aį¹­į¹­h-aį¹…gikassa maggassa adhi-vacanaį¹ƒ,
[represents] (The) Noble Eight-fold Path, (as a) figure-of-speech.
seyyathidaį¹ƒ— ...
(it is) as-follows - ...
Tassa hatthehi ca pādehi ca vāyāmoti kho, bhikkhave,
“‘(with)-hands and feet **, Making-effort ***, ********* ’:
vÄ«riy-ārambhass-etaį¹ƒ adhi-vacanaį¹ƒ.
[represents] vigor & vitality's-arousal, (as a) figure-of-speech.


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šŸ”—šŸ“ The Raft ☸šŸš£

Internal

4šŸ‘‘☸ → The Raft ☸šŸš£‍




External


What's on your Raft ☸šŸš£? Which sutta passages absolutely critical to core of Buddhism?


How do I find the Dhamma in the next life?



Let's play a game: Russian doll, ditch the books, cel phone, paper and pencil


AN 10.60 Girimananda and the Raft šŸš£, director’s cut


The right way of chanting, this will change your life and improve your Dharma absorption efficiency a hundredfold.

continued here:






Audio šŸ”Š  for pāįø·i chanting of raft suttas

the raft: pāįø·i audio chanting (frankk)


Misc.


If your daily chanting practice is done properly, it should be joyful and fun, like this:





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