Now if the description that is clearly set down in the suttas is something you disagree with, that is fine, but please do not use the internet to tell others that there is no straightforward description, because there are dozens. If it was clear there really wouldn't be debates and interpretations ...

The problem is that no one has ever been able to provide a straight-forward definition of enlightenment in all of this movement's history, and no one has recourse to anything in personal meditative experience to know if they are really, finally, achieving the real thing. In other words, without fals...

mjaviem wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 3:49 pm

confusedlayman wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 2:26 pm yes of course only exception is layman attains arhantship before less than 24 hours

Why 24 hs?

Any longer for someone to attain enlightenment outside the Buddhist establishment would be a copyright violation.

I wonder whether there is a single sutta, in the entire canon that was literally spoken by the Buddha from start to finish. Mhm. Me too. And I doubt it. These passed through who knows how many hands and ears. Even the best argued hypotheses held up by textual criticism are pretty nebulous. I mean, ...

The acceptance of this dichotomy between conventional and transcendental language is widespread today, as is the suppositious parallel distinction between conventional and absolute truth, or reality. Therefore some may be surprised to learn that such a distinction (whether with regard to language, ...

Teachers are indispensable. Gotama is said to have had 2 meditation teachers that he held in high esteem. Even in colleges today professors inherit a 'lineage' from their graduate school mentors and pass this on to their students. IMHO folks who say teachers are not needed don't know what they are ...

Like the non-ordained they follow their teachers even if they don't name these "teachers". Teachers are indispensable. Gotama is said to have had 2 meditation teachers that he held in high esteem. Even in colleges today professors inherit a 'lineage' from their graduate school mentors and...

Viachh wrote: ↑Sun Jan 24, 2021 4:00 am Tell physicists that their anthropic principle is easily and naturally explained by the Buddhist law of karma.

Tell Buddhists and non-Buddhists that science neither validates or invalidates their religious cosmologies and to stop co-opting it.

Don't expect sutta to provide what it can't. There is a reason why there are commentaries and teachings by teachers. Why do you think there is so much discussion and dissent here? If the meaning of suttas were obvious there would be no need for discussion and dissent. Indeed they're vague and contr...

I study on more or less daily basis of sutta but I am having trouble with applying You can follow Thai or Burmese meditation masters, although they are thoroughly embedded in the reformation movement. The older Theravada meditation lineages, from my understanding, went extinct with the 19th century...

Don't expect sutta to provide what it can't. There is a reason why there are commentaries and teachings by teachers. Why do you think there is so much discussion and dissent here? If the meaning of suttas were obvious there would be no need for discussion and dissent. Indeed they're vague and contr...

Clearly the mind's state and its contents are continually changing - I'm not suggesting otherwise. I'm suggesting that the bit (aspect?) of the mind which observes need to be stable and unchanging. Have you ever tried stargazing with a pair of hand-held binoculars? It's very difficult! You need to ...

Coëmgenu wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 3:18 pm I certainly don't know what you're saying now. I can't imagine how you would have divined that out of my question.

You're not paying attention to what you are saying.

Are you saying the mendicant is mind observing another thing called mind?

This is too amusing...

Satipatthanasutta wrote:It’s when a mendicant knows mind

Coëmgenu wrote:Do you think they are using

I think my point stands.