The 5 stages of Buddhist life

A discussion on all aspects of Theravāda Buddhism
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Lombardi4
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The 5 stages of Buddhist life

Post by Lombardi4 »

As far as my understanding extends, there are 5 stages of Buddhist life. When one has all of them - one is complete.

1. Learning
2. Contemplation
3. Practice
4. Realization (attainment)
5. Teaching


Would you agree with that? Do you think I've missed anything?
perkele
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Re: The 5 stages of Buddhist life

Post by perkele »

When one has all of them - one is complete.
Would you agree with that?
No.
Do you think I've missed anything?
The whole point of letting go.

It seems like you are looking for a career plan.
My philosophy is simple: saying 'yes' to the positive and 'no' to the negative; because the positive is so much better than the negative.
You might want to consider overthinking your philosophy.
1. Oh: There is dukkha. Understood...
2. Oh: There it is rooted. Pull it out...
3. Oh: There dukkha disappears. I see...
4. Oh: That's the way to go. Let's take it.

Maybe consider teaching by example while abandoning your plans. I would assume that journey in that way to be much lighter, and lighter, and lighter... step by step.

Your good influence will teach at any "stage" that you practice. Even if it is full of dukkha. Don't say 'no' to dukkha.

All the best.

:anjali:
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TheNoBSBuddhist
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Re: The 5 stages of Buddhist life

Post by TheNoBSBuddhist »

Stephen K wrote:As far as my understanding extends, there are 5 stages of Buddhist life. When one has all of them - one is complete.

1. Learning
2. Contemplation
3. Practice
4. Realization (attainment)
5. Teaching


Would you agree with that? Do you think I've missed anything?
Friend, are you referencing any particular work or lesson, or are these of your own 'creation'...?

Where did you get these 'milestones'?

And why in this order, particularly?

:namaste:
:namaste:

You will not be punished FOR your 'emotions'; you will be punished BY your 'emotions'.



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Pay attention, simplify, and (Meditation instruction in a nutshell) "Mind - the Gap."
‘Absit invidia verbo’ - may ill-will be absent from the word. And mindful of that, if I don't respond, this may be why....
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waterchan
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Re: The 5 stages of Buddhist life

Post by waterchan »

Obviously you don't understand how REAL Buddhists resolve their differences on a Buddhist forum.

1. Teaching.
2. Teaching.
3. Teaching.
4. Teaching.
5. Teaching.
quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur
(Anything in Latin sounds profound.)
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TheNoBSBuddhist
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Re: The 5 stages of Buddhist life

Post by TheNoBSBuddhist »

waterchan wrote:Obviously you don't understand how REAL Buddhists resolve their differences on a Buddhist forum.

1. Teaching.
2. Teaching.
3. Teaching.
4. Teaching.
5. Teaching.
I am so :pig: ignorant, i would never be so presumptuous as to think I could even warrant such a description....

:namaste:
:namaste:

You will not be punished FOR your 'emotions'; you will be punished BY your 'emotions'.



Image

Pay attention, simplify, and (Meditation instruction in a nutshell) "Mind - the Gap."
‘Absit invidia verbo’ - may ill-will be absent from the word. And mindful of that, if I don't respond, this may be why....
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waterchan
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Re: The 5 stages of Buddhist life

Post by waterchan »

^ I'm not referring to you or anyone in particular. It was a joke, and a smiley would have been a dead giveaway.
quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur
(Anything in Latin sounds profound.)
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TheNoBSBuddhist
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Re: The 5 stages of Buddhist life

Post by TheNoBSBuddhist »

(That'll teach me..... :tongue: )
:namaste:

You will not be punished FOR your 'emotions'; you will be punished BY your 'emotions'.



Image

Pay attention, simplify, and (Meditation instruction in a nutshell) "Mind - the Gap."
‘Absit invidia verbo’ - may ill-will be absent from the word. And mindful of that, if I don't respond, this may be why....
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waterchan
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Re: The 5 stages of Buddhist life

Post by waterchan »

:lol:

No worries, I have gotten in trouble more than a few times for attempting deadpan humor over the Internet.
quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur
(Anything in Latin sounds profound.)
Reductor
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Re: The 5 stages of Buddhist life

Post by Reductor »

Stephen K wrote:As far as my understanding extends, there are 5 stages of Buddhist life. When one has all of them - one is complete.

1. Learning
2. Contemplation
3. Practice
4. Realization (attainment)
5. Teaching


Would you agree with that? Do you think I've missed anything?

I think that's a pretty decent order. I'd take it and tweek it a bit, to suit my own opinion. So maybe:

1. Learning
2. Contemplation
3. Practice
4. Discuss with Dhamma Friends (sincere people who also develop all these steps - esp. practice).
5. Realize.

Then I'd take those five steps and see them as forming a spiral: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (but deeper), 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (still deeper), 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (still more so).... and so on, continuing even past the point of full release - out of compassion for all those who come into contact with you.

What do you think?

EDIT: Oh, I just thought of the simile of the gold smith working gold. He heats it in the crucible until it melts, then blows off impurities before reheating and blowing off more impurities again. He does this again and again, refining the gold until it is of the utmost purity. I take that for my own mind and understanding, heat it, blow off impurities, do it again and again. (sadly, though, there's a long way to go before I've truly become refined)
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Crazy cloud
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Re: The 5 stages of Buddhist life

Post by Crazy cloud »

My way (have only gone one full round (2 years), and have started again, from same point as the original, but now a bit lighter in the body)

1. dhukka, and complete stand still - (I wont do anything, just trust the next inbreath and awreness)
2. meditating, and carful reading and listening
3. meditating and practice
4. starts to feel a bit stiff in the mind, to much accumulated words ..
5. emtying the cup - back to "1"

Best regards :)
If you didn't care
What happened to me
And I didn't care for you

We would zig-zag our way
Through the boredom and pain
Occasionally glancing up through the rain

Wondering which of the
Buggers to blame
And watching for pigs on the wing
- Roger Waters
indian_buddhist
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Re: The 5 stages of Buddhist life

Post by indian_buddhist »

There are different ways to reach the path :- no one manner.

Some may like to follow this way and some other would like to follow that way.

Some are good at Mindfulness (Awareness) and need just a small amount of concentration to know the reality of Anatta and Dependent origination.

Some are good at Concentration and bad at Mindfulness. They are good at focusing of the mind but bad at Wisdom.

Some are good at both and reach the path faster.

Even there are some whose Intellectual faculties are so sharp like a sharp knife that merely studying the literature and without any meditation they reach Stream-enterer stage.

But Morality ( 5 to 8 precepts) are mandatory in all these paths.
Identification with my country is one of my fetters.
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TheNoBSBuddhist
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Re: The 5 stages of Buddhist life

Post by TheNoBSBuddhist »

:offtopic:
waterchan wrote::lol:

No worries, I have gotten in trouble more than a few times for attempting deadpan humor over the Internet.
Huh.... same here, I have gotten in trouble more than a few times for attempting any kind of humour over the Internet...! :hug:

:namaste:



:focus:
:namaste:

You will not be punished FOR your 'emotions'; you will be punished BY your 'emotions'.



Image

Pay attention, simplify, and (Meditation instruction in a nutshell) "Mind - the Gap."
‘Absit invidia verbo’ - may ill-will be absent from the word. And mindful of that, if I don't respond, this may be why....
Lombardi4
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Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2009 2:53 pm

Re: The 5 stages of Buddhist life

Post by Lombardi4 »

TheNoBSBuddhist wrote:
Friend, are you referencing any particular work or lesson, or are these of your own 'creation'...?

Where did you get these 'milestones'?

And why in this order, particularly?

:namaste:
Hi friend,

Not my creation at all. In Buddhism we have the "Three Divisions of the Dhamma" ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_o ... the_Dhamma ) - learning (pariyatti), practice (patipatti), and realization (pativedha). I also remember reading in my early days of Buddhist practice that the four noble truths are to be first, studied (which is learning), then contemplated, and then meditated on (which is practice)*. Also, the Buddha said that only when one teaches the Dhamma one is complete**. So, there.


* "But when people develop their minds and acquire wisdom through study, careful thought and meditation, they will see the Truth." - http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhism/bs-s04.htm

** "One may be a believer, virtuous and learned, but not a teacher of Dhamma, and to that degree one is incomplete. One must remedy this defect by thinking: "How can I be a believer, virtuous, learned and a teacher of Dhamma also?" When one has all these, then one is complete." - A V 10 (found here (look for number 192): http://stefan.gr/buddhism/books/s-dhamm ... wisdom.pdf )
perkele
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Re: The 5 stages of Buddhist life

Post by perkele »

Thank you, Stephan. I would not have thought it to be said by the Buddha that one would be "complete" only by being a teacher. But the sutta extract in Ven. Dhammika's book seems not very complete either. Here is the full translation by Bhikkhu Bodhi: http://suttacentral.net/an10.10/en. The preceding suttas are very similar, all listing "this and this and this" and with these ten qualities the Bhikkhu is complete. I think they all include "confidently teaching the Dhamma to an assembly", but differing in other aspects, and all end with:
"A bhikkhu who possesses these ten qualities is one who inspires confidence in all respects and who is complete in all aspects."


Depicting "being a teacher" as the culmination of the path, and also framing it as the highest stage and the culmination, could be also very misleading.

As waterchan remarked, nowadays we are all "teaching, teaching, teaching" here.
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