Phew! I think I'm still accepted in the Theravada tradition

A discussion on all aspects of Theravāda Buddhism
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BrokenBones
Posts: 1784
Joined: Sat Nov 10, 2018 10:20 am

Phew! I think I'm still accepted in the Theravada tradition

Post by BrokenBones »

I often disagree with Bhikkhu Sujato's take on jhana but I find myself agreeing wholeheartedly with the following...

https://scdd.sfo2.cdn.digitaloceanspace ... f1d3df.pdf

If a monk of standing dares such thoughts and still remains in the tradition then I think I might just scrape in.
sunnat
Posts: 1431
Joined: Tue Apr 02, 2019 5:08 am

Post by sunnat »

"The mind-moment is nothing but a concept – and not a very good one." - not quite. Anything but a mind-moment is nothing but a hypothesis, theory, inference, deduction. All that can truly be known by an individual is based on sensory (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind) input and that is delivered along the neural network in rapid discrete packages, mind-moments. It is through those mind-moments that time is experienced and cognized. Seeing this is 'activating' anicca. It's not a stretch to see that for a Buddha, or an Arhat, this is seen clearly : 'changing while it stands'.
BrokenBones
Posts: 1784
Joined: Sat Nov 10, 2018 10:20 am

Re:

Post by BrokenBones »

sunnat wrote: Tue Apr 20, 2021 3:39 am "The mind-moment is nothing but a concept – and not a very good one." - not quite. Anything but a mind-moment is nothing but a hypothesis, theory, inference, deduction. All that can truly be known by an individual is based on sensory (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind) input and that is delivered along the neural network in rapid discrete packages, mind-moments. It is through those mind-moments that time is experienced and cognized. Seeing this is 'activating' anicca. It's not a stretch to see that for a Buddha, or an Arhat, this is seen clearly : 'changing while it stands'.
Bit dry for my taste... I prefer Hans Christian Andersen myself.

'Activating anicca'... doesn't that imply that anicca was previously inactive... now that's a fairy story.
sunnat
Posts: 1431
Joined: Tue Apr 02, 2019 5:08 am

Post by sunnat »

Roughly how it works is that it takes about three photons of light to hit a receptor on the retina of the eye for that receptor to fire off a discrete signal to pass along the nerve.

These signals reach a neuron which acts like a filter. Unless about seven discrete packets hit it within a set very short time the info is not passed on.

So, it takes about 21 photons to cause a signal to get through.

1 lumen is about 1000000000000000.00 photons per second.

A standard light bulb of 60 watts emits about 900 x 1000000000000000.photons per second.

Electricity is delivered at about 50 hz which makes the filament appear to be a continuous source of light. If it was delivered at one hz an ordinary person would see the flicker of arising and passing of the light.

If ones mind was empty, awakened, one would perceive a much faster rate of arising and passing.

The mind receives packets of data from all the senses in discrete packets of information and sorts it out at such a phenomenal rate that the mind busy with conjecturing about arising and passing is basically blind.
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