If you wanted to get to Nibbana ASAP how would you go about

[sundara]

If you wanted to get to Nibbana, how would you go about it, for a beginner, what texts would you read, from the net, because I'm so confused. I need a road map of the terrain to realize nibbana. I'd appreciate it friends.

[David N. Snyder]

The Wings to Awakening is often described as a roadmap to Nibbana. It is the 37 factors of enlightenment.

Master those and Nibbana should be inevitable.

Which texts? I would start with the Nikayas, as much as you can. The five Nikayas are several volumes and several thousand pages. Bhikkhu Bodhi has an anthology, In the Buddha's Words, if you don't have time to read the whole Sutta Pitaka or the whole Tipitaka.

[Jechbi]

Hi sundara,

I think your sense of urgency is inspiring, but asap? To be honest, step one is probably to slow down. If you make it in seven more lifetimes, you're doing great!

Step two is probably to put the notion of "getting to" Nibbana out of your mind completely. My understanding is that you can't think of it in those terms. Don't fixate on some imagined goal.

Step three is probably to shift your attention away from longing for the future and put it on this very moment, right now. Every time you start longing for some imagined Nibbana in the future, regard it as a gentle alarm bell to remind you to bring your attention back to the task at hand, whatever that might be.

For good reading, here's a link to the resource David recommended: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... index.html

Just my 2 cents. Others may have better advice. Thanks for your efforts!

[sundara]

What texts do you recommend me to read from the web site, what the Buddha Taught? That's a good web site with juicy texts.

[rowyourboat]

Dear Sundara

First when you feel strong energy like this it means that you see the importance of this goal, have purpose and faith. It will take you far. However it needs to be tempered to a more sustained flow of energy towards the goal. It is important to know that too much energy can just lead to frustration. Compared to laziness it is a good sign, but nevertheless take care ...! The Buddha said that this is a gradual path, and it is. The mind cannot be forced into nibbana- the brain cells take time to adapt to the changes -so be kind to them!

Set up a daily practice of meditation- you will get nowhere without this- this is the most important thing you can do to reach the goal
review and contemplate your precepts- keep them. This will take you far.
Simplify your life a bit to give you space to practice and be mindful
Read and get to know the dhamma- seek out teachers who maybe able to guide you -find good ones-discuss-this develops the road map and right view

Get down to the work of developing samatha and vipassana.

Samatha- find any instructions you can -ajhan brahms book is likely to be good -mindfulness bliss and beyond-mindfulness in plain english by Bhanthe Gunerathana even though is not completely samatha, is also good. There maybe many others.

Vipassana- stick to this and you cannot veer off far

The Buddha has said that samatha and vipassana are like the two wheels of the chariot of the noble eightfold path.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... gress.html

with metta

RYB

[DontKnow]

If you wanted to get to Nibbana, how would you go about it, for a beginner, what texts would you read, from the net, because I'm so confused. I need a road map of the terrain to realize nibbana. I'd appreciate it friends.

Hi sundara

If you want to get there ASAP then forget about nibbana, forget about a path and road map

Be always beginner. Once you are professional then it is hard to change profession.

Twentieth century true arhat Ajaan Dune Atulo (Lunag Po) said about nibbana:

"There's nothing that will attain, and nothing that won't attain."

How can you attain (or not attain) it then?

My 2 cents

Metta

[Individual]

Not sure if it's accurate to describe Nibbana as a place or condition.

[Dugu]

Noble Eight-Fold Path..

if you want it asap, run instead of walk.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

When you see, just know that you see it. When you hear, just know that you hear it. When you cognise something, just know that you know it.

The above advice was given to Bāhiya Dārucīriya, the disciple who gained Arahantship quicker than any other disciple of the Buddha. The same advice was given to Mālukyaputta, a bhikkhu who went forth at the age of eighty, who asked for instructions in brief.

To attain nibbāna In This Very Life practise insight meditation diligently.

[Guy]

Hi Sundara,

I have been thinking a lot about ordaining lately. Even though I am making a small amount of progress on the path as a layman I believe it would be more conducive if I ordained.

My opinion is that those who are truly serious about practicing Dhamma will naturally give ordination consideration if they have no wife/husband, dependants or debts. On the other hand, a self-disciplined lay person can reach Anagami (the 3rd stage of Enlightenment) according to the Suttas.

With Metta,

Guy

[vinasp]

Hi sundara,

Enlightenment is really very simple. It is about seeing that there is no self. Buddhist teachings have become so complicated that they are now more of a hindrance than a help.

Best wishes, Vincent.

[Guy]

Hi Vinasp,

Did the Buddha ever teach that there is no self? Where is this referenced in the Suttas?

I could be wrong, but as far as I am aware the Buddha taught what is not self (the five aggregates), not whether or not there is a self.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn22/sn22.059.than.html

With Metta,

Guy

[vinasp]

Hi Guy,

Did the Buddha teach no-self, or did he just say that there was no self in the five aggregates.

Dhammapada verses 277, 278 and 279.
All mentally constructed things are impermanent (sabbe samkhara anicca).
All mentally constructed things are suffering (sabbe samkhara dukkha).
All things are not-self ( sabbe dhamma anatta).

"Again, Ananda, when asked by the Wanderer : "Is there a self?" had I replied that there is, would my reply be in accordance with the knowledge that all things are not-self?" "Surely not, Lord". PTS Kindred Sayings IV page 282.

The usual teaching method is to point out that nothing in our experience is a self or is related to a self. This is to show that self is just a concept. In fact, a mis-conception. A grammatical mistake, taking an indexical to be an actual thing.

Best wishes, Vincent.

[mikenz66]

Hi Vincent,

Enlightenment is really very simple. It is about seeing that there is no self. Buddhist teachings have become so complicated that they are now more of a hindrance than a help.

I agree that it seems that the key insight is into anatta. Understanding that intellectually is not so difficult, but gaining the actual insight is not a trivial matter.

Metta
Mike

[Karma Dondrup Tashi]

"Just keep watching samsara"?

[Guy]

Thanks Vinasp.

[catmoon]

If you wanted to get to Nibbana, how would you go about it, for a beginner, what texts would you read, from the net, because I'm so confused. I need a road map of the terrain to realize nibbana. I'd appreciate it friends.

If you want to get to Nibbana ASAP you are on the wrong path. The only examples of this I know of were people who completely renounced their lifestyles and went to get instruction from Buddha personally.

[sundara]

What does mental constructs mean or conditioned things mean?

[acinteyyo]

What does mental constructs mean or conditioned things mean?

saṅkhāra - with respect to the quote of vinasp especially point 4 of the link.

Dhammapada verses 277, 278 and 279.
All mentally constructed things are impermanent (sabbe samkhara anicca).
All mentally constructed things are suffering (sabbe samkhara dukkha).
All things are not-self ( sabbe dhamma anatta).

personally I also like Ven. Nanaviras quote on saṅkhāra in his "Notes on Dhamma"

11. Let us now turn to the beginning of the paticcasamuppāda formulation and consider the word sankhāra. The passage from the Cūlavedallasutta quoted in §5 evidently uses sankhāra to mean a thing from which some other thing is inseparable—in other words, a necessary condition. This definition is perfectly simple and quite general, and we shall find that it is all that we need. (If a sankhāra is something upon which something else depends, we can say that the 'something else' is determined by the first thing, i.e. by the sankhāra, which is therefore a 'determination' or a 'determinant'. It will be convenient to use the word determination when we need to translate sankhāra.)

you may also take a look at §5, which uses the Cūlavedallasutta. a little later then (§12) he also says something about the above mentioned fundamental triad.

best wishes, acinteyyo

[catmoon]

What does mental constructs mean or conditioned things mean?

Mental constructs are thing made by the mind. That is a wide category.

On the surface we find beliefs, memories, and models of how things are.

Looking deeper we find that the self is largely composed of mental constructs. All of what you believe about yourself is, well, beliefs, and they are mental constructs. It's interesting to look at what is left of the self after removing the many layers of constructs overlying it.

But its more than beliefs. If I show you two different stones, it's likely you will prefer one over the other. Why?

Conditioned things are much simpler. A conditioned thing is something that cannot arise without some pre-existing condition. It's actually quite hard to think of something that isn't conditioned.