Why is birth included in descriptions of dukkha?

A discussion on all aspects of Theravāda Buddhism
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chownah
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Re: Why is birth included in descriptions of dukkha?

Post by chownah »

Next you will probably think you deserve half of the prize money!
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TheNoBSBuddhist
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Re: Why is birth included in descriptions of dukkha?

Post by TheNoBSBuddhist »

I'm agreeable to sharing.....

:broke:

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:namaste:

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



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‘Absit invidia verbo’ - may ill-will be absent from the word. And mindful of that, if I don't respond, this may be why....
vinasp
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Re: Why is birth included in descriptions of dukkha?

Post by vinasp »

Hi everyone,

Part of SN 55.40 - Nandiya

".... then Nandiya the Sakyan approached the Blessed One ....."
"Venerable sir, when the four factors of stream-entry are completely and totally nonexistent in a noble disciple, would that noble disciple be one who dwells negligently?"
"Nandiya, I say that one in whom the four factors of stream-entry are completely and totally absent is 'an outsider, one who stands in the faction of worldlings.'358 ...................." [BB CDB page 1826-7]

Note 358. As at SN 48.18

Regards, Vincent.
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Re: Why is birth included in descriptions of dukkha?

Post by Denisa »

Spiny Norman wrote:If we have no memory of being born, then why is it included in descriptions of dukkha?
Having no memory now is not a reason for that experience (birth) not to be dukkha. According to the below quote (source) baby was aware of his situation at that moment.
Why does a newly born baby immediately cry after birth?

Because doctors handle them roughly. Babies born with midwives rarely cry.
///...///
The baby was floating in a warm, dark, peaceful environment and felt surrounded by the comfort of mom's presence every second of the past 9 mos.

Suddenly, after a long and sometimes stressful journey, he is squeezed out into this loud, cold, bright totally overstimulating environment where oxygen races into his lungs, he feels gravity for the first time and then has something poked in his nose and mouth and is handled by strangers and suddenly does not feel mom all around him anymore.

They DO NOT smack newborns at birth anymore.

THAT SAID.....
Many babies who are waterbirthed or born gently with midwives do not cry or cry very little after birth. It's a very different experience than the traditional model of American hospital birth.
I have some memories of me lying on the floor on a mat looking at the ceiling. I remember the furniture around me, the colours, entrances, and also my parents coming to me when I cried. According to my explanation my parents were surprised because we left that place when I was two months old, I haven't even started mini-pushups.

Something funny: When I gave birth to my first child, he was crying like hell. I thought he must be thinking: "Oh no... not again! How many years I have to suffer this time!" I was laughing and the staff thought it was purely due to happiness.
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Re: Why is birth included in descriptions of dukkha?

Post by Spiny Norman »

chownah wrote:The doctrine of moment to moment rebirth is sooooo wonderful; all these questions and quandaries just disappear!
chownah
According to that interpretation it's self-view which ages and dies - but isn't the death of self-view supposed to be the goal of practice? :tongue:
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Re: Why is birth included in descriptions of dukkha?

Post by Spiny Norman »

vinasp wrote: Puthujjana:lit.'one of the many folk', 'worldling', ordinary man, is any layman or monk who is still possessed of all the ten fetters ...."
I still don't understand why Buddha didn't teach clearly and unambiguously to all these people. Why make the "true" teaching so obscure that it could only be understood by an advanced minority?
And presumably modern Buddhists who say they understand the true teaching regard themselves as part of this advanced minority?
Buddha save me from new-agers!
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Mkoll
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Re: Why is birth included in descriptions of dukkha?

Post by Mkoll »

Spiny Norman wrote:Why make the "true" teaching so obscure that it could only be understood by an advanced minority?
He didn't.
I have taught the Dhamma, Ānanda, without making a distinction between inside and outside. The Tathagata has no closed fist of a teacher in regard to the teachings.

-SN 47.9
Anyway, the Dhamma is to be seen via practice, not intellectual reasoning
This Dhamma that I have attained is deep, hard to see, hard to realize, peaceful, refined, beyond the scope of conjecture, subtle, to-be-experienced by the wise.

-SN 6.1
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
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Re: Why is birth included in descriptions of dukkha?

Post by Spiny Norman »

chownah wrote:A possible answer to the sixty four million dollar question: Could it be that ordinary people have mental constructions of birth, old age, and death......and that because people cling to those views they suffer a lot of dukkha......and that the best way to reach those people is to create a teaching which can be understood in the ordinary way by ordinary people and which also contains the elements needed for people who view experience in a less worldly way. Sort of like with residue and without residue, if you know what I mean.
chownah
I can see that ageing and death might have been included in dukkha descriptions because they are obvious examples of suffering which most people can relate to. Though to me birth isn't an obvious example because generally people can't remember the event. And yet birth is also included as a specific nidana in DO.... :thinking:
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Re: Why is birth included in descriptions of dukkha?

Post by Spiny Norman »

Mkoll wrote:
This Dhamma that I have attained is deep, hard to see, hard to realize, peaceful, refined, beyond the scope of conjecture, subtle, to-be-experienced by the wise.
-SN 6.1
So who here is "wise"? ;)
Buddha save me from new-agers!
vinasp
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Re: Why is birth included in descriptions of dukkha?

Post by vinasp »

Hi everyone,

"He understands thus: 'There is no obsession unabandoned in myself that might so obsess my mind that I cannot know and see things as they actually are.
My mind is well disposed for awakening to the truths.'494
This is the first knowledge attained by him that is noble, supramundane, not shared by ordinary people." [BB MLD page 421, part of MN 48.8]

Regards, Vincent.
befriend
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Re: Why is birth included in descriptions of dukkha?

Post by befriend »

when you realize nibbana you aren't born into any realm you have conquered birth and death, broken the bonds of cyclical existence. birth is suffering because if your born you obviously haven't gone to the other shore which is the highest peace where there is no suffering. it doesn't have anything to do with some negative sensations you experienced while being born.
Take care of mindfulness and mindfulness will take care of you.
vinasp
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Re: Why is birth included in descriptions of dukkha?

Post by vinasp »

Hi everyone,

Why is birth included in descriptions of dukkha?

If we are talking about the four noble truths then birth, old-age and death, are not always included.

There are two lesser known variations on the four noble truths.

In one of these [SN 56.13] the first truth, the truth of suffering, is said to be: "the five aggregates subject to clinging."

And in the other [SN 56.14] the truth of suffering is:"the six internal sense bases."

In each case the other three truths are identical to the standard version.

Which leads to the interesting question: How can "this craving" in the second truth be the "origin of suffering", when that would mean the origin of the six-bases?

Regards, Vincent.
vinasp
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Re: Why is birth included in descriptions of dukkha?

Post by vinasp »

Hi everyone,

"But, on the other hand, monks, if one does not will, nor entertain thought-constructions, nor has proclivities, then this does not become an object for the persistence of the consciousness.
The object not being there, there is no station of consciousness: consciousness not being stationed and not having grown, there is no bending: bending not being, there is no coming or going: there being no coming or going, there is no decease or birth: there being no decease or birth, there is no future birth, old age and death, grief, lamenting, suffering, sorrow, and despair. Such is the cessation of this mass of ill."

Nanananda, Concept and Reality, BPS 1986, page 90.- [cited as K.S. II. 46-47]

This is SN 12.38 - Will, see also SN 12.39 and SN 12.40

This is a difficult passage that will require extensive analysis which is beyond the scope of this thread.

But one thing seems clear, there is a "decease and birth" which ceases in the present, that is the reason why there is no "future birth, old-age and death .."

The terms "decease and birth" are not here used in a literal sense.

One possibility is that, there being no self, there is no self that was born and no self that will die, even now. So there can be no future birth, old-age and death, of that self.

Regards, Vincent.
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ihrjordan
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Re: Why is birth included in descriptions of dukkha?

Post by ihrjordan »

Spiny Norman wrote:If we have no memory of being born, then why is it included in descriptions of dukkha?

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dham ... ukkha.html
Because it is akin to entering a contract. Just because you had the craving to be born again you must abide by the rules of life E.g Old Age, Sickness, Death, Pain, Emotions, Torture etc. etc. if you never would have signed the contract (been born) you would have never had to experience this dukkha... very :tantrum: similar to comcast smh
"Ko imaṃ pathaviṃ vicessati, yamalokañca imaṃ sadevakaṃ.
ko dhammapadaṃ sudesitaṃ, kusalo pupphamiva pacessati"
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Mkoll
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Re: Why is birth included in descriptions of dukkha?

Post by Mkoll »

ihrjordan wrote:
Spiny Norman wrote:If we have no memory of being born, then why is it included in descriptions of dukkha?

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dham ... ukkha.html
Because it is akin to entering a contract. Just because you had the craving to be born again you must abide by the rules of life E.g Old Age, Sickness, Death, Pain, Emotions, Torture etc. etc. if you never would have signed the contract (been born) you would have never had to experience this dukkha... very :tantrum: similar to comcast smh
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Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
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