Search found 198 matches
- Thu Sep 16, 2010 4:09 pm
- Forum: General Theravāda discussion
- Topic: Confusion about Karma and Reincarnation
- Replies: 34
- Views: 4504
Re: Confusion about Karma and Reincarnation
Also, it's not correct to say that all the religious morality systems are alike. There are some important distinctions. For example, my Christian friends have no problem with the butchering of animals because they believe it is sanctioned by the Bible. Most religious beliefs are for morality; that'...
- Thu Sep 16, 2010 3:08 pm
- Forum: General Theravāda discussion
- Topic: Confusion about Karma and Reincarnation
- Replies: 34
- Views: 4504
Re: Confusion about Karma and Reincarnation
Therefore anatta has no bearing on the question "should we believe in post-mortem rebirth?" Should we believe in post-mortem rebirth??? Super mundane practice has very little or no place for beliefs. Beliefs are for morality and the mundane cultivations. Thus, Buddhists "beliefs" and Hindu/christia...
- Wed Sep 15, 2010 5:31 pm
- Forum: General Theravāda discussion
- Topic: Confusion about Karma and Reincarnation
- Replies: 34
- Views: 4504
Re: Confusion about Karma and Reincarnation
After all, Buddhism does teach that beings (or mindstreams or individuated dependent origination processes or whatever term we prefer) re-arise in the various realms. ..... Just thinking back on the stuff that confused me when I first encountered it, perhaps it would be helpful to clarify as follow...
- Tue Sep 14, 2010 5:19 pm
- Forum: General Theravāda discussion
- Topic: Confusion about Karma and Reincarnation
- Replies: 34
- Views: 4504
Re: Confusion about Karma and Reincarnation
That souls are reborn from lesser forms of life into higher forms of life until they become human beings and have a chance at escaping the cycle of rebirth and reach Nirvana Not sure what you are talking about. Buddhism is about anatta and the concept of a soul does not fit in there. IMO it is best...
- Fri Aug 27, 2010 8:41 am
- Forum: General Theravāda discussion
- Topic: Big square of rebirth in small round Xs
- Replies: 56
- Views: 8928
Re: Big square of rebirth in small round Xs
There is no need to quote suttas and the "History of Buddhist Philosophy" to state a simple fact that physical pain is pain. When the Buddha stuck his leg on a stone he would have felt pain. He had a nerves system. Point is, there is a difference between phyiscal pain and the associated mental suffe...
- Tue Aug 24, 2010 4:23 pm
- Forum: General Theravāda discussion
- Topic: Big square of rebirth in small round Xs
- Replies: 56
- Views: 8928
Re: Big square of rebirth in small round Xs
But pain is pain. Pain is dukkha and it is out of total control. Pain is only physical if you remove the mental suffering associated with it. That will not make life suffering in itself. Did the Buddha lead a miserable life after enlightenment or did he dwell in peace born from relinquishment? Pain...
- Thu Aug 19, 2010 6:10 pm
- Forum: General Theravāda discussion
- Topic: About nibbana
- Replies: 71
- Views: 9465
Re: About nibbana
What was new was the realization that the mind could shut down completely, so that there was no experience (feeling or perception) of anything at all. Upon reflection, this told me that it was possible to bring the mind to utter cessation... How is deep sleep different to this experience? ... thoug...
- Thu Aug 19, 2010 1:50 pm
- Forum: General Theravāda discussion
- Topic: About nibbana
- Replies: 71
- Views: 9465
Re: About nibbana
Even in the Visuddhimagga the cessation attainment (nirodhasamāpatti), a.k.a. the cessation of apperception and feeling (saññāvedayitanirodha), while nominally mentioned as similar to nibbāna in a couple of passages, nevertheless is not the same as nibbāna. Visuddhimagga 23.52: As to the question: ...
- Thu Aug 19, 2010 1:38 pm
- Forum: General Theravāda discussion
- Topic: About nibbana
- Replies: 71
- Views: 9465
Re: About nibbana
Hi Sunrise, could you give us a page reference or a short quote, since I can't find what you are referring to in Ajahn Brahm's book... Mike Hey Mike. I don't have the book with me right now as I gave it to a friend. But it is there when he is describing Nibbana after describing in detail all the fo...
- Thu Aug 19, 2010 9:19 am
- Forum: General Theravāda discussion
- Topic: Three Things a Buddha Cannot Do?
- Replies: 103
- Views: 16263
Re: Three Things a Buddha Cannot Do?
Frankly, it's as simple as thatPeterB wrote:Semantics.
He died.
We have a description of that event.

- Thu Aug 19, 2010 9:15 am
- Forum: General Theravāda discussion
- Topic: Experience (of?) Nibbana
- Replies: 83
- Views: 13684
Re: Experience (of?) Nibbana
One who has attained the fruition of stream entry has abandoned identity view (sakkāyadiṭṭhi), i.e. self-view (attānudiṭṭhi), but still hasn't abandoned craving for existence (bhavataṇhā), which includes craving for a high birth, i.e. desire for form existence (rūparāga). Thanks Geoff. Can you plea...
- Thu Aug 19, 2010 9:09 am
- Forum: General Theravāda discussion
- Topic: About nibbana
- Replies: 71
- Views: 9465
Re: About nibbana
There is a meditative accomplishment beyond neither-perception-nor-non-perception, which is sañña-vedayita-nirodha/the cessation of perception and feeling. In which apparently, consciousness stops occurring and everything stops for a little while. I believe that this does, supposedly, bring a perso...
- Thu Aug 19, 2010 6:03 am
- Forum: General Theravāda discussion
- Topic: Three Things a Buddha Cannot Do?
- Replies: 103
- Views: 16263
Re: Three Things a Buddha Cannot Do?
Maybe this will help: "There are these four unconjecturables that are not to be conjectured about, that would bring madness & vexation to anyone who conjectured about them. Which four? The Buddha-range of the Buddhas "The jhana-range of a person in jhana... "The [precise working out of the] results ...
- Thu Aug 19, 2010 6:01 am
- Forum: General Theravāda discussion
- Topic: About nibbana
- Replies: 71
- Views: 9465
Re: About nibbana
What do you mean by "cessation of feeling?"Kenshou wrote:Really? Anagami or arahant due to simply the sphere of nothingness? Are you sure he didn't mean the cessation of perception and feeling?
If you aren't mistaken, then Ajahn Brahm most likely is.

- Thu Aug 19, 2010 5:46 am
- Forum: General Theravāda discussion
- Topic: Experience (of?) Nibbana
- Replies: 83
- Views: 13684
Re: Experience (of?) Nibbana
The "right view required for liberation" is the "right view without effluents" as it directs the mind towards the super-mundane practice of letting go while "right view with effluents" directs the mind towards Dhana and moral conduct while still encouraging effluents. My opinion is that the right vi...