A doctrinally comprehensive guide to achieving Nibbana?

Exploring the Dhamma, as understood from the perspective of the ancient Pali commentaries.
dpcalder
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A doctrinally comprehensive guide to achieving Nibbana?

Post by dpcalder »

I am interested in a comprehensive manual, so to speak, that is largely a guide to Vipassana and/or anapanasati and/or satipatthana and all of the steps involved.

Eradicating the five hindrances, successfully achieving moral purification, successfully navigating the jhanas, and so on. Any recommendations?
Inedible
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Re: A doctrinally comprehensive guide to achieving Nibbana?

Post by Inedible »

We can't agree on one here. It sounds like what you need is a good teacher in person. Otherwise you will just have to read everything you can get your hands on, experiment with it, and decide who is right.

However you spell Vissudimagga it is the most famous. There was a related one which only survived in Chinese which is less famous. They know how to spell both of them here.
SarathW
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Re: A doctrinally comprehensive guide to achieving Nibbana?

Post by SarathW »

Buddhism does not have a one fit all doctrine.
Buddha declared his teaching according to the development of each person.
So not knowing where you stand it is not possible for anyone to make a recommendation.
If you do not have a reliable teacher you have to do all the hard work yourself going through the maze.
I have spent almost seven years, 24X7 studying still not seen the end of the mission.
However, I recommend the following for the beginners with my experience.

You realise Dhamma by practicing, not by reading.

This is my standard recommendation for beginners:
a)
Watch the video "A short introduction to Buddism" by Bhikkhu Bodhi



Read Buddhism course. (Take about 12 hours to read and give you a good idea about the teaching)
http://www.urbandharma.org/pdf/PDF_BuddhismCourse/

a) Listen to the ten lecture series by Bhikkhu Bodhi

https://bodhimonastery.org/the-buddhas- ... it-is.html


b)Print a copy of this Dhamma Chart and refer to it while studying Buddhism.
http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=16785


c) Read Buddha’s Teaching by Narada. Start from chapter 15.

http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/buddh ... gsurw6.pdf

d) While you reading texts please listen to the following Dhamma Talk by Joseph Goldstein.
http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/96/talk/6162/

e) Start reading Sutta.
Good starting point would be to read Bikkhu Bodhi’s “In the Buddha’s Word”
Link to the summary:
viewtopic.php?f=25&t=19951

Then read Sutta or listen to Central. Start from Majjhima Nikaya. https://suttacentral.net/mn

f) Last but not least practice what you learn.
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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JamesTheGiant
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Re: A doctrinally comprehensive guide to achieving Nibbana?

Post by JamesTheGiant »

What SarathW listed above is excellent. To that you should add a week or longer retreat under a good teacher to properly learn how to meditate, and then make it a several-times-a-day habit.
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DooDoot
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Re: A doctrinally comprehensive guide to achieving Nibbana?

Post by DooDoot »

MN 19
There is always an official executioner. If you try to take his place, It is like trying to be a master carpenter and cutting wood. If you try to cut wood like a master carpenter, you will only hurt your hand.

https://soundcloud.com/doodoot/paticcasamuppada
https://soundcloud.com/doodoot/anapanasati
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cappuccino
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Re: A doctrinally comprehensive guide to achieving Nibbana?

Post by cappuccino »

dpcalder wrote: Tue Jan 26, 2021 3:04 am Any recommendations?
just understand:

Dependent Arising

:candle:
Last edited by cappuccino on Tue Jan 26, 2021 5:37 am, edited 2 times in total.
SteRo
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Re: A doctrinally comprehensive guide to achieving Nibbana?

Post by SteRo »

dpcalder wrote: Tue Jan 26, 2021 3:04 am I am interested in a comprehensive manual, so to speak, that is largely a guide to Vipassana and/or anapanasati and/or satipatthana and all of the steps involved.

Eradicating the five hindrances, successfully achieving moral purification, successfully navigating the jhanas, and so on. Any recommendations?
The doctrine being the tipitaka there is no doctrinal guide. You have to find commentaries that meet your conditions.
Cleared. αδόξαστος.
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confusedlayman
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Re: A doctrinally comprehensive guide to achieving Nibbana?

Post by confusedlayman »

dpcalder wrote: Tue Jan 26, 2021 3:04 am I am interested in a comprehensive manual, so to speak, that is largely a guide to Vipassana and/or anapanasati and/or satipatthana and all of the steps involved.

Eradicating the five hindrances, successfully achieving moral purification, successfully navigating the jhanas, and so on. Any recommendations?
everything ends
I may be slow learner but im at least learning...
Inedible
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Re: A doctrinally comprehensive guide to achieving Nibbana?

Post by Inedible »

Looks like I have to use google myself to get that answer. Visuddhimagga and Vimuttimagga.
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Dhammanando
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Re: A doctrinally comprehensive guide to achieving Nibbana?

Post by Dhammanando »

dpcalder wrote: Tue Jan 26, 2021 3:04 am Any recommendations?
Ñānamoli's translation of the Visuddhimagga.
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/aut ... index.html

Soma Thera's translation of the Vitakkasanthāna Sutta and its commentary.
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/aut ... el021.html

Soma Thera's translation of the Satipatthana Sutta and its commentary.
https://tinyurl.com/yygml98n

Bhikkhu Bodhi's translation of the Sāmaññaphala Sutta and its commentary.
https://tinyurl.com/y2e5deum
Yena yena hi maññanti,
tato taṃ hoti aññathā.


In whatever way they conceive it,
It turns out otherwise.
(Sn. 588)
coconut
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Re: A doctrinally comprehensive guide to achieving Nibbana?

Post by coconut »

dpcalder wrote: Tue Jan 26, 2021 3:04 am I am interested in a comprehensive manual, so to speak, that is largely a guide to Vipassana and/or anapanasati and/or satipatthana and all of the steps involved.

Eradicating the five hindrances, successfully achieving moral purification, successfully navigating the jhanas, and so on. Any recommendations?
The trick is to know what to do next and in current moment.

You can memorize an entire manual but if you don't know what to do next, or in the current moment, you're in trouble.

The training begins with right view and proper attention (yoniso manasikara).
“I say, bhikkhus, that ignorance has a nutriment; it is not without nutriment. And what is the nutriment for ignorance? It should be said: the five hindrances. The five hindrances, too, I say, have a nutriment; they are not without nutriment. And what is the nutriment for the five hindrances? It should be said: the three kinds of misconduct. The three kinds of misconduct, too, I say, have a nutriment; they are not without nutriment. And what is the nutriment for the three kinds of misconduct? It should be said: non-restraint of the sense faculties. Non-restraint of the sense faculties, too, I say, has a nutriment; it is not without nutriment. And what is the nutriment for non-restraint of the sense faculties? It should be said: lack of mindfulness and clear comprehension. Lack of mindfulness and clear comprehension, too, I say, has a nutriment; it is not without nutriment. And what is the nutriment for lack of mindfulness and clear comprehension? It should be said: careless attention. Careless attention, too, I say, has a nutriment; it is not without nutriment. And what is the nutriment for careless attention? It should be said: lack of faith. Lack of faith, too, I say, has a nutriment; it is not without nutriment. And what is the nutriment for lack of faith? It should be said: not hearing the good Dhamma. Not hearing the good Dhamma, too, I say, has a nutriment; it is not without nutriment. And what is the nutriment for not hearing the good Dhamma? It should be said: not associating with good persons.
https://suttacentral.net/an10.61/en/bodhi

Proper attention means focusing on your mind, how thoughts, perceptions, and feelings arise, persist, and pass and how they develop into suffering. When you can calm them and prevent them from arising, you will overcome the 5 hindrances.
And how is a mendicant skilled in the ways of their own mind? Suppose there was a woman or man who was young, youthful, and fond of adornments, and they check their own reflection in a clean bright mirror or a clear bowl of water. If they see any dirt or blemish there, they’d try to remove it. But if they don’t see any dirt or blemish there, they’re happy with that, as they’ve got all they wished for: ‘How fortunate that I’m clean!’ In the same way, checking is very helpful for a mendicant’s skillful qualities. ‘Am I often covetous or not? Am I often malicious or not? Am I often overcome with dullness and drowsiness or not? Am I often restless or not? Am I often doubtful or not? Am I often irritable or not? Am I often corrupted in mind or not? Am I often disturbed in body or not? Am I often energetic or not? Am I often immersed in samādhi or not?’

Suppose that, upon checking, a mendicant knows this: ‘I am often covetous, malicious, overcome with dullness and drowsiness, restless, doubtful, irritable, defiled in mind, disturbed in body, lazy, and not immersed in samādhi.’ In order to give up those bad, unskillful qualities, they should apply outstanding enthusiasm, effort, zeal, vigor, perseverance, mindfulness, and situational awareness. Suppose your clothes or head were on fire. In order to extinguish it, you’d apply outstanding enthusiasm, effort, zeal, vigor, perseverance, mindfulness, and situational awareness. In the same way, in order to give up those bad, unskillful qualities, that mendicant should apply outstanding enthusiasm …
https://suttacentral.net/an10.51/en/sujato
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Ceisiwr
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Re: A doctrinally comprehensive guide to achieving Nibbana?

Post by Ceisiwr »

dpcalder wrote: Tue Jan 26, 2021 3:04 am I am interested in a comprehensive manual, so to speak, that is largely a guide to Vipassana and/or anapanasati and/or satipatthana and all of the steps involved.

Eradicating the five hindrances, successfully achieving moral purification, successfully navigating the jhanas, and so on. Any recommendations?
As this is the classical forum the Visuddhimagga and Vimuttimagga. In terms of mindfulness of breathing I would refer to both, as well as the Paṭisambhidāmagga.
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
sphairos
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Re: A doctrinally comprehensive guide to achieving Nibbana?

Post by sphairos »

ven. Anālayo books:

Satipaṭṭhāna, the Direct Path to Realization, Birmingham: Windhorse, 2003

Mindfulness of Breathing: A Practice Guide and Translations, Cambridge: Windhorse, 2019.

Satipaṭṭhāna Meditation: A Practice Guide, Cambridge: Windhorse, 2018

Mindfulness in Early Buddhism, Characteristics and Functions, Cambridge: Windhorse, 2020.
How good and wonderful are your days,
How true are your ways?
dpcalder
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Re: A doctrinally comprehensive guide to achieving Nibbana?

Post by dpcalder »

Inedible wrote: Tue Jan 26, 2021 3:51 am We can't agree on one here. It sounds like what you need is a good teacher in person. Otherwise you will just have to read everything you can get your hands on, experiment with it, and decide who is right.

However you spell Vissudimagga it is the most famous. There was a related one which only survived in Chinese which is less famous. They know how to spell both of them here.
Isn't there controversy over whether Vissudimagga is scriptural though?
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Ceisiwr
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Re: A doctrinally comprehensive guide to achieving Nibbana?

Post by Ceisiwr »

dpcalder wrote: Wed Jan 27, 2021 11:42 am
Inedible wrote: Tue Jan 26, 2021 3:51 am We can't agree on one here. It sounds like what you need is a good teacher in person. Otherwise you will just have to read everything you can get your hands on, experiment with it, and decide who is right.

However you spell Vissudimagga it is the most famous. There was a related one which only survived in Chinese which is less famous. They know how to spell both of them here.
Isn't there controversy over whether Vissudimagga is scriptural though?
Any position you take on the Dhamma will be criticised by someone. Personally I think the Vimuttimagga & Visuddhimagga gets some things right, like meditation. Some other things I disagree with them on. Tbh i would think it rather extreme if someone thought that everything in the Vim. & Vism. is wrong.
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
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