The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

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Lal
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Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by Lal »

As I mentioned in the last post, Mahā Satipatthāna Sutta (DN 22) just describes in more detail the Ānapānasati bhavana that is in the Ānapānasati Sutta (MN 118).
- So, instead of discussing the Ānapānasati Sutta we will discuss the Mahā Satipatthāna Sutta.

Mahā Satipatthāna Sutta – Structure

1. Even the Mahā Satipatthāna Sutta is highly abbreviated, as many deep suttas are. There are three ways of presenting Dhamma: uddēsa, niddēsa, patiniddēsa.

(Here is a website that provides Pāli and English translations of the sutta side-by-side:[html]https://www.tipitaka.org/stp-pali-eng-parallel.shtml[/html] Of course, the English translations are in the usual "word-by-word" format, but one can see the comparison. It is not the fault of those who took their time with good intentions to write those posts; that is how this sutta and others have been interpreted for more than thousand years).

- Most suttas don’t have the very brief summary, or uddēsa, but the Mahā Satipatthāna sutta has it in the very beginning; see the above link.
- Then in the main body of the sutta, the concepts are outlined. In a verbal discourse (called a dēsanā), the concepts are described in detail and with examples. This is what I will be doing in these series of posts, i.e., to describe the concepts in detail.

2. The Mahā Satipatthāna Sutta (DN 22) starts with a verse in uddēsa (or uddeso) starts with, “Ekāyano ayaṃ, bhikkhave, maggō sattānaṃ visuddhiyā, sokaparidevanaṃ samatikkamāya, dukkhadomanassanaṃ atthangamāya, nāyassa adhigamāya, nibbānassa sacchikiriyāya, yadidaṃ cattāro satipaṭṭhāna

- The translation of that is, “This is one guaranteed way, bhikkhus, for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the extinguishing of suffering and grief, the noble way for gaining wisdom, for the realization of nibbāna: that is to say, the fourfold establishing of moral mindset”.
- That means the sutta has ALL the instructions necessary to proceed from the beginning (who is not familiar with the basic teachings of the Buddha) all the way to the Arahanthood.
- Even though we will not be able to go into details, I hope to provide the framework necessary. 

3. The next phrase is, “Katame cattāro? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu kāye kāyānupassi viharati ātāpī sampajānō, satimā vineyya lōke abhijjhā dōmanassam.  Vedanāsu vedanānupassi viharati ātāpī sampajānō, satimā vineyya lōke abhijjhā dōmanassam. Citte cittänupassī viharati ātāpī sampajānō, satimā vineyya lōke abhijjhā dōmanassam. Dhammesu dhammānupassi viharati ātāpī sampajānō, satimā vineyya lōke abhijjhā dōmanassam

- Of course, ,“Katame cattāro?”  is, “Which four? (cattaro pronounced, “chaththarō”).
- And then it lists the four: kāyānupassanā, vēdanānupassanā, cittānupassanā, and dhammānupassanā. Notice that the phrase, “ātāpī sampajānō, satimā vineyya lōke abhijjhā dōmanassam” appears after each of the four.
- This indicates the critical importance of this phrase. This is a the beginning of the purification process, by laying out the foundation.  

4. We will discuss “kāye kāyānupassi viharati” etc in subsequent posts, but let us look at that all important common phrase, “ātāpī sampajānō, satimā vineyya lōke abhijjhā dōmanassam“. This needs to be evaluated in two parts: “ātāpī sampajānō” AND “satimā vineyya lōke abhijjhā dōmanassam”.

- “Tāpa” (pronounced “thāpa”) means heat; when we get really stressful we feel a “fire”  in the heart. When it gets really bad, people say, “I could feel my heart burn” when an especially poignant news comes through.
- And “ātāpi” is to remove that “fire” from the heart and the stress from the mind, and calm the mind. This is the “cooling down”, “niveema“, “nivana“or early stages of Nibbāna.
- When one cultivates Satipatthāna, one would not feel that “burning up” even upon hearing tragic news. One will be able to “handle things” appropriately without taking drastic actions on the “spur-of-the-moment”.
- Sampajāna comes from “san” + “pajāna” or sorting out “san” the things that makes a mind stressful; see, “What is “San”?“. The worst forms of “san” are the one’s that we instinctively know to be immoral: killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and getting intoxicated.
- Sampajāna is closely related to “sampādēta” as in the Buddha’s last words: “..appamadēna sampādēta” or “..make haste and sort out san“. Here sampādēta is “san”+”pādēta” or again sort out “san”.
- When one has done “sampādēta” one becomes “sampajannō”: One knows what is right and what is wrong automatically; it has become a habit.

5. Therefore, “ātāpī sampajānō” means “remove the fire or heat from one’s mind by being aware of the ‘san‘ or “immoral tendencies”. They also go by the names “kilesa” and “asōbhana cētasika“.

- We will discuss this in detail, since it is critically important to understand this "initial cooling down" of one's mind.
- Many people get depressed and even commit suicide, because they had not understood this basic idea of how a mind gets "heated up" due to stress associated with dasa akusala (a big part of which comes from miccha ditthi or wrong views).
- Micchā ditthi were discussed in " Wrong Views (Miccā Ditthi) – A Simpler Analysis"  Oct 24, 2018 (p.43) and "Ten Types of Miccha Ditthi",  Two posts on Nov 16, 2018  (p. 48).
- When one starts making progress, one could start to avoid tendencies for extreme sense pleasures as well.

6. Then we have, “satimā vineyya lōke abhijjhā dōmanassam“.  This is a highly condensed statement about the nature of this world. It needs to be analyzed as “sati mā  vineyya lōke abhijjhā dōmanassam“, i.e., satimā is really two words: sati and mā.

- The root cause of all suffering is extreme greed or “abhijjā  ” (which comes from “abhi” + “icchā ” or strong craving or attachment). When that is not attained (which happens sooner or later), one gets depressed, this is dōmanassa.  It is important to remember that one does acts of hate with a dōmanassa mindset, because one is upset and deflated and angry.
- “Vineyya lōke” refers to this world where we are “bound to each other” via debt to each other; see, “Kamma, Debt, and Meditation“.
And “satimā” comes from “sati” + “ma“, where “ma” means removal, but not the removal of sati. It combines “sati” with the rest of the phrase, “vineyya lōke abhijjhā dōmanassam”. 
- Thus “sati ma vineyya lōke abhijjhā dōmanassam” means establishing moral mindset and moral conduct in order to be free from the debt-ridden world and to be relieved from abhijjā  and dōmanassa. This is the key to “cooling down”; see, “Living Dhamma” for details.

7. Thus the verse, “ātāpī sampajānō, satimā vineyya lōke abhijjhā dōmanassam“, mean “get rid of the fire or heat in the mind by being aware of kilesa or defilements and by removing extreme greed (abhijjā ) that leads to a depressed mind (dōmanassa) through discipline (vineyya)”.

- In the first stage, one needs to focus on abstaining from immoral activities or dasa akusala; see, "Dasa Kusala and Dasa Akusala – Fundamentals in Buddha Dhamma Nov 21, 2018 (p. 50) and "Dasa Kusala and Dasa Akusala – Fundamentals in Buddha Dhamma – Continued Nov 22, 2018 (p. 50).
 - As one makes progress, one can start also on abstaining from extreme sense pleasures that may not hurt others. By that time, it will start becoming clear HOW and WHY extreme sense pleasures also lead to “fire or heat in the mind”.
- Therefore, the phrase, “ātāpī sampajānō, satimā vineyya lōke abhijjhā dōmanassam” is the key to both Satipatthāna and ānāpāna bhāvanā.
- The rest of the Satipatthāna sutta is on the details on how to go about achieving these goals.

8. This “cooling down” is done in four ways:  kāyānupassanā, vēdanānupassanā, cittānupassanā, and dhammānupassanā.

- These are somewhat sequential, in the sense that one needs to start with taking care of major sources of abhijjā and dōmanassa with kāyānupassanā. This is basically the same as sila or moral conduct. One needs to be aware that one’s actions and speech need to be moral, i.e., to abstain from dasa akusala as much as possible.
- Once that has been accomplished to a certain extent, moral conduct will be increasingly automatic; one will “feel” when one is about to do something wrong; one will become “sensitized”. But initially, it takes an effort to pause and think of the consequences.
- With the mind clear of the worst hindrances, then it will be easier to learn Dhamma with dhammānupassanā, be easier not to REACT to feelings (vēdanānupassanā) but to take time and evaluate consequences, and to automatically be aware of immoral thoughts that come to the mind (cittānupassanā).
- Thus it is gradual process. Each advance helps with gaining confidence in one’s actions, helps not to just react to feelings, helps to think with a clear head, which in turn helps with the understanding process.

9. The process of comprehension of anicca, dukkha, anatta starts with kāyānupassanā but all four can be cultivated simultaneously. It is said that if one totally focuses, Arahanthood can be attained in seven days. If one makes a less commitment, either Arahant or at least the Anāgāmi stage can be attained within seven years according to the Buddha.

- Getting started on this process is described in detail in the section, “Living Dhamma“ at puredhamma.net.

10. The phrase “ātāpī sampajānō, satimā vineyya lōke abhijjhā dōmanassam” has been analyzed by dividing into four components connected to viriya indriya, paññā indriya, sati indriya, and samādhi indriya in the “Lak­kha­ṇa­hā­ravi­bhaṅga” of the Nettiprakarana (or p. 50 of the Nettiprakana (Sri Lanka Buddha Jayanthi edition):

“..Tasmātiha tvaṃ bhikkhu kāye kāyānupassī viharāhi ātāpī sampajānō satimā vineyya l­ōke abhij­jhā­dō­manas­saṃ”. “Ātāpī”ti vīriyindriyaṃ, “sampajānō”ti paññindriyaṃ, “satimā”ti satindriyaṃ, “vineyya lō­ke abhij­jhā­dō­manas­san”ti samādhindriyaṃ, evaṃ kāye kāyānupassinō viharato cattārō satipaṭṭhānā bhāva­nā­pāri­pūriṃ gacchanti.”.

- Here “ātāpī” is viriya indriya, sampajānō is paññā indriya, satimā is sati indriya, and “vineyya lō­ke abhij­jhā­do­manas­san” is samādhi indriya.
- One sorts out “san” with paññā, keep midfulness with sati,  and make an effort (viriya) to stay away from “bad san” or dasa akusala, thus getting the mind to be free of abhijjā and dōmanassa and thus get to samādhi. And that should be done whenever possible, not only in formal meditation. Then one will be in samādhi all the time.

11. Finally, kāyānupassanā basically tackles dasa akusala done with actions and speech (moving body parts), as we will see in the next section. The harder part comes with those done directly by the mind, especially micchā ditthi.

- There are two levels of micchā ditthi: One is the 10 types of micchā ditthi removed via the mundane Path. Deeper removal comes with the grasping of anicca, dukkha, anatta.
- Thus we can see the critical role of the paññā indriya (wisdom). One can start on all four types of anupassanā, but especially cittānupassanā and dhammānupassanābegin to be cultivated when one becomes good in kāyānupassanā.
- The key is to get started with kāyānupassanā and make the effort (viriya). Then wisdom (paññā) will grow together with mindfulness (sati), and one will automatically get into other three anupassanā with increasing levels of samādhi.
sentinel
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Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by sentinel »

The point is how one define kayanupassana !
It is not about sila or moral , but contemplation of arising and vanishing in relation to the five sense base versus sense object .
You always gain by giving
Lal
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Joined: Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:39 am

Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by Lal »

James Tan wrote:
The point is how one define kayanupassana !
It is not about sila or moral , but contemplation of arising and vanishing in relation to the five sense base versus sense object .
Contemplation of arising or vanishing of what?
sentinel
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Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2017 1:26 pm

Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by sentinel »

Lal wrote: Mon Jan 28, 2019 6:16 pm
Contemplation of arising or vanishing of what?
When the eye in contact with an object , eye consciousness arises , and that consciousness ceases immediately .
You always gain by giving
Lal
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Joined: Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:39 am

Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by Lal »

When the eye in contact with an object , eye consciousness arises , and that consciousness ceases immediately .
So??? That happens with or without doing Kayanupassana.
Lal
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Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by Lal »

It seems to be a good idea to get into some very fundamental ideas of Buddha Dhamma. Without grasping these key ideas, one cannot make any progress.

How a Mind Can Be Purified with Satipatthāna - Fundamentals

1. One synonym for Nibbāna is "cooled state", which means the mind is "permanently cooled down". There can be no anger, greed, or ignorance can arise such a mind.

- However, we start at a more basic state. When we start doing real Ānāpāna/Satipatthāna, we will start feeling a PERMANENT relief from our stressed minds.
- On the other hand, "breath meditation" provides only a temporary relief.

2. We discussed how our thoughts can affect our minds in the previous post,"Breath Meditation Is Addictive and Harmful in the Long Run", Jan 15, 2019, (p. 64).

- When angry thoughts arise, one's whole body becomes hot and agitated; blood pressure goes up; face becomes dark, because the blood becomes dark.
- On the other hand, when one has compassionate thoughts in one's mind, one's mind feels joyful and it shows up in the face too.

3. Some people are more prone to generating angry thoughts; others are more like to generate compassionate thoughts. In other words, some people have "angry gati" while other have "compassionate gati". Previously we discussed that there are a wide variation of gati ranging from very bad to very good.
See at least the introductory post:"The Law of Attraction, Habits, Character (Gati), and Cravings (Asavas)", Oct 25, 2018 (p.43).

- Of course, these gati do not show up all the time. Even a person with "angry gati" must be provoked for such angry thoughts to arise.
- In Buddha Dhamma's language, a person with "angry gati" has "anger hiding in the mind" waiting for a trigger to come to the surface. These are called "anusaya" or "kilesa" (hidden defilements).

Therefore,
4. We can take an analogy to clarify this. Anusaya can be compared to dirt at the bottom of a glass of water. If the glass is not disturbed, the dirt will settle at the bottom, and the water may look clean at the top.

- If there is a lot of dirt at the bottom of the glass, only a slight disturbance can make the dirt come up and make the water dirty. But if it is only a little bit, most minor disturbances may not make the water dirty.
- Just like that, the more anusaya (or corresponding defilements) one has, it will be easier for them to come to the surface. If one has "very angry gati", that person would be easy to be angered.

5. On the other hand, if there is no dirt at the bottom of the glass, no matter what kind of disturbance it is, the water will remain pure.

- The mind of an Arahant is like that. He/she can live totally unaffected surrounded by the world’s most tempting sense objects.
- We have a long way to get to the Arahant stage. But we can start getting rid of these "bad gati" or "anusaya" or "defilements" by cultivating the correct  Ānāpāna/Satipatthāna.
- When one's mind becomes purified, it will be hard to make that person agitated or depressed. One will have a relatively calm mindset even under normally stressful conditions.

6. Even though a glass of water has dirt in it, if the water is left undisturbed for a while, the dirt gets settled at the bottom and the water becomes relatively clear.

- That is what happens with "breath meditation". One focuses one's mind on a neutral thought object for a while and all "agitations" subside. But they do not go away.
- Breath meditation appears to provide a lot of relief. In particular, if one goes to a retreat and spends several days with one's mind removed from "enticing" AND "angry" thoughts, one feels a high sense calmness.
- However, when one comes back and gets into the usual "rat race", with all kinds of enticing and aggravating inputs from the environment, all those anusaya" come back to the surface!

7. In real Ānāpāna/Satipatthāna, those anusaya or "hidden defilements" will be REMOVED gradually. The procedure involves the following:

- Get rid of bad thoughts (such as anger) that may arise due to whatever reasons.
- Let any "good thoughts" that may arise (such as compassion or just thoughts about dhamma concepts) to continue.
- Deliberately contemplate on Dhamma concepts like dasa akusala, gati, anusaya, kilesa, kamma, kamma vipaka, Noble Truths, Noble Eightfold Path, Paticca Samuppada, etc.
- We will see in upcoming posts, how those "three components" are taken into account in the four types of Satipatthāna: kāyānupassanā, vedanānupassanā, cittānupassanā, and dhammānupassanā.

8. If a bad thought comes to the mind, one must think about the bad consequences of keeping such thoughts in one's mind and forcefully remove them. For example, if someone says something to make one angry, one could count to ten in one's mind (or just walk away) and not retaliate.

- This is hard to do first. But with practice, one can see the benefits and one will be motivated to continue.
- The nice thing is that the more one trains, the easier it becomes to control one's impulsive reactions.

9. In order to get rid of any bad habit (which are related to gati), it will be VERY HELPFUL to see the bad consequences of such bad habits.

- A smoker needs to convince himself that smoking can lead to various health problems, including cancer. That will be an incentive to get rid of smoking.
- Taking drugs is even worse, one could die with many health problems if one becomes addicted to drugs.
Even eating too much is a bad habit. One should look at the statistics that clearly show the bad health consequences of over-eating.

10. Learning Dhamma is like learning the bad consequences of bad habits. When one is engaged in immoral activities, one will have bad consequences of those actions, speech, and thoughts in two ways:

- Even if one is making a lot money doing immoral things, one WILL have a stressed mind even in this life.
- The more important consequences may realize in future lives. Highly immoral activities lead to births in the four bad realms (animal realm is one).
- Therefore, it is essential to learn true Buddha Dhamma, where one can begin to understand kamma and kamma vipaka.

11. Another way to say this is that one needs to see the difference between "dhamma" and "adhamma". Dhamma are the "good, moral deeds" and adhamma are the "bad immoral deeds".

- Note that dhamma here is different from the Buddha Dhamma, even though they are related. Adhamma are opposite of dhamma.
- As we have discussed before, adhamma lead to a stressed mind and dhamma lead to a calm mind at the very basic level.
- At the next level, strong adhamma or "highly immoral deeds" have very bad consequences in the future, especially in future lives (rebirths in the lowest 4 realms). On the other hand, strong dhamma or "highly moral deeds" lead to good rebirths in the higher realms.
- I have discussed them previously. It would be beneficial to review them.
"Pathama Niraya Sagga Sutta (AN 10.210): Causes for Rebirth in Good and Bad Realms", Nov 19, 2018 (p. 49) AND Tue Nov 20, 2018 (p. 50), and "How the Buddha Described the Chance of Rebirth in the Human Realm", Wed Oct 31, 2018 (p.43).
"Dasa Kusala and Dasa Akusala – Fundamentals in Buddha Dhamma", Nov 21, 2018 (p. 50)
"Dasa Kusala and Dasa Akusala – Fundamentals in Buddha Dhamma – Continued" Nov 22, 2018 (p. 50)

Therefore, to put it another way, cultivating Ānāpāna/Satipatthāna is to cultivate dhamma, to avoid adhamma, and to learn the key fundamentals of Buddha Dhamma: dasa akusala, gati, anusaya, kilesa, kamma, kamma vipaka, Noble Truths, Four Noble Eightfold Path, Paticca Samuppada, etc.
- This has to be done whenever possible, not just sitting in formal meditation.
- A formal meditation session can be helpful too. There one can contemplate on these key concepts. Some people may be surprised that one could get to a much better samadhi that way. But it will take time.
- This is not breath meditation (which is like taking a pain killer tablet to provide quick relief from pain due to a major ailment), but like undertaking a thorough treatment that will lead to overcoming that root cause of pain which will lead to a permanent solution.
sentinel
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Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by sentinel »

Lal wrote: Tue Jan 29, 2019 4:52 pm
When the eye in contact with an object , eye consciousness arises , and that consciousness ceases immediately .
So??? That happens with or without doing Kayanupassana.
The problem is you may define kayanupassana incorrectly .
You always gain by giving
Lal
Posts: 949
Joined: Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:39 am

Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by Lal »

The deeper meaning of "sati" is not understood by most people today, and thus not been explained in current English texts.

What is Sati in Satipatthāna? - Two Meanings of Sati

These days only the mundane meanings of "sati" is used.

Double Meanings of Words - Unique In Pāli with Deeper "Dhamma Meanings"

1. Many Pāli words have "double meanings". As we will see below, that happens in other languages too.

- However, the situation is unique in Pāli in the context of Buddha Dhamma, because some Pāli words have deeper meanings that are just to do with Buddha Dhamma.
- An example that we have already discussed is viññāna. The mundane meanings is "consciousness", but the deeper meaning is "defiled consciousness". One must know both meanings so that one can see in which context it is used in a given situation.
- Therefore, unlike in other languages, one must have a deeper knowledge of Buddha Dhamma to see the deeper meanings of words like viññāna and sati.

2. One key problem with English translations that we have today arises because most translators try to use dictionary translations, where a given Pāli word may not list all possible meanings, especially the deeper meanings.

- For example, in most Pāli dictionaries, "sati" is given the following two meanings: mindfulness and attention.
- However, there is another deeper meaning that is only approximated by "mindfulness'" as we discuss below. The key is to figure out "mindful of what?".
- But let us first see why this is not a big problem in English (or any other language).

Double Meanings in English versus Pāli

3. In English  novels or any other "mundane text", two different meanings are commonly used even in the same paragraph of a document.

-For example, the word right is used in two different contexts in the same sentence: These are right directions; make a right turn at the first traffic light.
- Following are more examples:
rose: My favorite flower is a rose./He quickly rose from his seat.
type: He can type over 100 words per minute. /That dress is really not her type.
(Read more at “Words with Multiple Meanings“: [html]https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/for- ... nings.html[/html]).

4. The unique situation in Pāli is that words like "sati" have unique meanings that can be understood ONLY in terms of fundamental concepts.

- In order to comprehend the deeper meaning of some key words, they must first be explained by someone who KNOWS that deeper meaning.
- It has nothing to do with one's intelligence. If one has not heard that meaning from a Buddha or a true disciple of a Buddha, one can NEVER figure that out by oneself.
- Since "sati" is a key Pāli word that really must be understood in the context of Ānapāna/Satipatthāna, we should spend some time on it.

Mundane Meaning of Sati - Attention

5. From the "mundane meanings" in #2 above, perhaps "attention" is the best. When we are engaged in a certain task, we need to keep our attention on that task.

- For example, one needs to keep one's attention on traffic while driving or paying one's attention to a teacher who is teaching a new concept.
- Another example is keeping one's attention on a certain "thought object", whether it is something one is looking at, listening to,studying, etc.

6. Now let us take some examples to see why "attention" and even "mindful" will not give the deeper meaning in the context of Ānapāna/Satipatthāna.

- Suppose a suicide bomber is assembling a bomb that he intends to use to kill many people. He must be paying careful attention to what he is doing and that is the mundane meaning of sati there.
- Even the term "mindful" can be used to describe the mindset of the suicide bomber while assembling the bomb. He must be mindful of his task. If he makes even a slight mistake, he may trigger the bomb right there.
- Therefore, that bomb maker must have attention and be mindful of his task. Obviously, he is not engaged in Satipatthāna.

7. We can see this in many other "mundane" examples too.

- A surgeon doing a complicated operation must pay total attention to the task; he must be mindful of what he doing.
- Same applies basically anyone doing any critical mundane task: driving, studying, a nuclear scientist designing a nuclear bomb that can kill millions of people, an engineer designing a critical component for a spaceship, etc.
- That is not the essential "sati" that one must have in order to cultivate  Ānapāna/Satipatthāna, even though one must ALSO pay attention and be mindful.

8. However, breath meditation only requires the mundane meanings: one must be paying total attention to the breath and one must be mindful of that task.

- For one to engage in true Ānapāna/Satipatthāna, one must have a special "mindset" IN ADDITION to paying attention. That is be aware of the moral/immoral implications of one's thoughts, speech, and actions.
- As we will see below, that true Ānapāna/Satipatthāna involves also speech and bodily actions. The Iriyāpatapabba section in Satipatthāna is ALL ABOUT bodily actions. That cannot be done by sitting down and focusing on breath. We will discuss that later in detail.
- In order really understand "sati", we need to look at the ultimate goal of a Buddhist.

One Needs to be Mindful of the Goal in Buddha Dhamma

9. The ultimate goal is the Arahanthood, or Nibbāna. That is defiled as, "rāgakkhayō Nibbānam, dōsakkhayō Nibbānam, mōhakkhayō Nibbānam", or "completely removing greed, anger, and ignorance from one's mind".

- We don't need to start there, but one starts on the Path by gradually removing those three defilements from one's mind.
One definition of Nibbāna is "cooling down (of the mind)". That "cooling down" can be experienced even at the beginning to some extent.

10. One's mind is ALWAYS burdened with thoughts associated with greed or anger together with ignorance WHEN one is attracted to a sense input (that is enticing OR repulsive).

- Therefore, one needs to be aware of such DEFILED thoughts, speech, and actions and stop them as they arise. That is the key to true Ānapāna/Satipatthāna.
- That particular mindset is "sati".

Deeper Meaning of Sati Involves a Unique Mindset

11. Therefore, the meaning of "sati" in the context of Ānapāna/Satipatthāna has a more specialized meaning. A suicide bomber making a bomb, or even a student deeply concentrating on learning a subject, will not have that sati.

- This "deeper sati" is a "good mental factor" (a sōbhana cetasika). The sati cetasika is cultivated by learning Dhamma and eventually comprehending Tilakkhana.
- This "sati" is VERY DIFFERENT from the mundane meanings. In the very basic version it means "having a mindset to stay away from dasa akusala", which is what one does when one follows the Eightfold Path.
- In short, one's attention would be focused NOT on an immoral or even a mundane task, but on getting rid of "immoral thoughts, speech, and actions" AND on cultivating "moral thoughts, speech, and actions".

12. However, we can see that the mundane meanings of "maintaining attention" or "being mindful" must ALSO be there during Ānapāna/Satipatthāna.

- One must keep the attention (sati) on “good things”  and remove attention away (asati) from “bad things”  too, while keeping the "sati mindset".
- By the way, there is no "asati" cetasika or a "bad mental factor"; it has only the mundane meaning. Asati just means keeping the mind ways away from bad thoughts that involve greed, anger, ignorance.
- Asati just means "not being focused on a given thought object".

13. I hope one can clearly see why just paying attention or being mindful is not enough to cultivate Ānapāna/Satipatthāna.

- One must understand that "cooling down of the mind" has its origins in staying away from dasa akusala AND also actively engaged in moral deeds, speech, and thoughts.
- In particular, it is essential to understand the importance of cultivating moral vaci sankhāra (conscious thoughts and speech); see,
"Connection Between Sankhāra and Viññāna", Dec 29, 2018 (p. 57).
"Vinnana and Sankhara – Connection to Paticca Samuppāda", Jan 01, 2019 (P. 57).
[html]viewtopic.php?f=46&t=26749&start=840[/html]

14. When that is done consistently (consistently keeping the mind on good things and off of bad things), over time it leads to Samma Sati , and then to Samma Samādhi, completing the Noble Eightfold Path.

- But one needs to know what is good and what is bad to be focused on. What is bad is dasa akusala and what is good is dasa kusala, i.e., staying away from dasa akusala.
- When one makes progress on the Path and starts comprehending Tilakkhana (anicca, dukkha, anattta), one's sati will grow much more, and that will be lead better samādhi too.

The Goal Is Not To Remove All Thoughts From the Mind

15. I also need to mention a common mistake some people make. They think they need to get rid of ALL thoughts that come to the mind.

- When one is engaged in Ānapāna/Satipatthāna, one's goals are two fold: get rid of bad thoughts that come to the mind AND cultivate good thoughts that come to the mind.
- Ānapāna/Satipatthāna involves both "āna"  or "assāsa" (taking in good things) and "āpāna" or "passāsa" (discarding bad things); see my recent posts.

16. Another way to say this is that one needs to see the difference between "dhamma" and "adhamma". Dhamma are the "good, moral deeds" and adhamma are the "bad immoral deeds".

- As we have discussed before, adhamma lead to a stressed mind and dhamma lead to a calm mind at the very basic level.
- At the next level, strong adhamma or "highly immoral deeds" have very bad consequences in the future, especially in future lives (rebirths in the lowest 4 realms). On the other hand, strong dhamma or "highly moral deeds" lead to good rebirths in the higher realms.
- We discussed dhamma/adhamma in the previous post. I want to mention another aspect of it now.

What are Dhamma and Adhamma?

17. In many suttas, the Buddha has clearly stated that dasa akusala are adhamma, and that staying away from those are dhamma. For example, in the "Dhamma Sutta (AN 10.182)": "katamo ca, bhikkhave, adhammo? Pāṇātipāto … pe … micchādiṭṭhi", i.e., basically dasa akusala.

- There are many suttas where the Buddha describe adhamma as dasa akusala or opposites of the eight factors in the Noble Eightfold Path.
On the other hand, dhamma are dasa kusala and the  eight factors in the Noble Eightfold Path.

18. This act of keeping the mind (sati) on "good things"  and keeping it away (asati) from "bad things"  is the key to Buddhist meditation: Satipatthāna, Anāpānasati.

- Both are based on keeping the mind focused on "good things" and stopping it from focusing on "bad things".
- When that is done consistently, over time it leads to Samma Sati (or consistently keeping the mind on good things), and then to Samma Samādhi, completing the Noble Eightfold Path.
- But one needs to know what is good and what is bad to be focused on. What is bad is dasa akusala and what is good is dasa kusala, i.e., staying away from dasa akusala.

Dhamma Are the Things to “Bear” and Adhamma Are the Things One Should Not “Bear”

19. What is meant by "dhamma" here is "what one bears in the mind" or "the mindset". One thinks, speaks, and acts according to that mindset.

- But as we have seen, what one thinks, speaks, and acts are called sankhāra. And "sankhāra paccayā viññāna" means one's viññāna are based on one's sankhāra.
- Then Paticca Samuppāda leads to "bhava paccayā jāti". Therefore, when one generates "bad sankhāra" one ends up creating "bad jāti" for oneself (both during this life and in future lives).

20. Now, "bad sankhāra" are generated when one bears "bad dhamma". "Good sankhāra" are generated when one bears "good dhamma".

- This is really the basis of Paticca Samuppāda, and its connection to "sati".
- When one gradually gets rid of "bad dhamma" by staying away from dasa akusala, and cultivates "good dhamma" by engaging in moral deeds, one cultivates "sati" via Satipatthāna/Ānapāna.

Sati Included in Five of the 37 Factors of Enlightenment

21. There are "37 Factors of Enlightenment" that the Buddha said are critical to attain Nibbāna, and thus must be cultivated.

- The importance of the word "sati" can be seen clearly, since it appears as 5 of the 37 factors in different forms.
- It is included in the Five Faculties (Panaca Indriya), Five Powers (Panca Bala), Four Factors of Mindfulness (Cattārō Satipatthāna), Seven Factors of Enlightenment (Saptha Bojjanga), and the Eightfold Noble Path (Ariya Atthangika Magga); see, the post "37 Factors of Enlightenment" at:  puredhamma.net: [html]https://puredhamma.net/tables-and-summa ... ghtenment/[/html]
Lal
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Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by Lal »

Iriyāpathapabba (section on postures) is the second subsection in the kāyānupassanā section of the Mahā Satipatthāna Sutta (DN 22): https://legacy.suttacentral.net/pi/dn22.

Satipatthāna - Section on Postures (Iriyāpathapabba)

1. The kāyānupassanā of the Satipatthāna consists of six sections or “pabba“:

Anāpānapabba (section on “ānapāna“)
Iriyāpathapabba (section on postures)
Sampajānapabba (section on habits)
Patikulamanasikārapabba (section on contemplation of body parts)
Dhatumanasikāra (section on contemplation of elements)
Navasivathikapabba (section on contemplation of the decay of a body)

 We have already discussed the first subsection:  ānapāna: "Ānapāna That Can Reduce and Eliminate Mental Stress Permanently", Jan 20, 2019, (p. 65): https://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php? ... &start=960

2. The “Iriyāpathapabba” section of the Kāyānupassanā in the Satipatthāna sutta is all about how to abstain from committing an immoral act while sitting, standing, walking, and in the sleeping position (laying flat).

- We have four postures or“iriya”: sitting, standing, walking, and in the sleeping position (laying flat).
In any posture, we need to be vigilant on what we are about to do or speak. This is the beginning of “satipatthāna”, being “morally mindful” at all times.
- When a thought comes to mind to say something or to do something (whether sitting, standing, walking, or lying down), we need to get into the habit of contemplating their consequences.

3. For example, we may be walking on the street and see someone, whom we do not like, coming our way. If we get the tendency to say something bad, we have enough time to contemplate the bad consequences and stop saying those words.

- We may be lying in bed and getting bored, and may decide to go and see a friend to do some “gossiping” for fun. We have time to think about it and see whether we can use that time more productively.

4. Sometimes we get “nasty e-mails”; someone pointing out an allegedly bad deed that we have done. We get that immediate “tāpa” or “heating up” in our heart because we get so perturbed by that false accusation. We tend to fire up an equally nasty e-mail back to that person.

- But we need to take time and contemplate a better action. Give that person the benefit of the doubt; may be he/she did not do it to aggravate us, or truly was misled.
- Of course, there are people who do such things purposely to aggravate, but even then it is better to ignore it, rather than letting it develop into a worse situation. Learning to keep away from such troublemakers is a habit that we learn to develop. By responding in kind, it will not help quenching the “fires”.
- We will discuss the important term “tāpa” (pronounced "thāpa") in a future post.

5. This is why we needed to figure out the deeper meaning of “sati”; see, "What is Sati in Satipatthana? - Two Meanings of Sati", Feb 02, 2019 (p. 66): viewtopic.php?f=46&t=26749&start=975

When a person stops and contemplates whether an action one is about to take has moral or immoral consequences, and carries out only those actions that have moral consequences, then that person is acting with “sati”, the “good mental factor”.

- That is the “sati” in the MINDSET of a person engaged in Satipatthāna.
- Of course, he will be paying attention to catch any immoral thoughts that may arise in his mind, i.e., he will be paying "attention".
- Therefore, a person engaged in Satipatthāna will be using both types of “sati“ by "being mindful of the consequences".

6. We need to constantly ask ourselves “why am I going to do this? Why am I going to say this?”. If the outcome of that action could hurt us or someone else, we need to think about a different way, or totally abandon it.

- It is sad to see that many people waste their time “walking mindfully” one step at a time, just concentrating on taking each step, or “lifting their arm mindfully” This is the ‘iriyāpathapabba” that is being practiced in most places. How can that procedure lead to a long-lasting peace of mind? Of course, just like doing breath meditation, it can make a person calm for the time being; that is the ONLY benefit.
- And it is not enough to do this in a formal session. This needs to become a habit (a keyword search can be done to find more on habits; developing habits is the key to change those all important “gati”). Buddha Dhamma is all about purifying the mind.

7. If one can do this for a week or so, one should be able to see a change in oneself; a sense of tranquility, a “peace of mind”. Of course some of you may be there already. We will discuss how to take the next step in the next post.

- When one is at this stage, it will be easier to get into samādhi, even if one is just doing the “breath meditation”. A moral mind is easy to be calmed. Many people do horrible acts on the spur-of-the-moment because they do not have this mindset or habit. Also see, “Possible Outcomes of Meditation – Samadhi, Jhana, Magga Phala": https://puredhamma.net/bhavana-meditati ... gga-phala/

8. Therefore, we can see that this particular subsection of kāyānupassanā (i.e., Iriyāpathapabba (section on postures) basically tackles dasa akusala done with actions and speech (moving body parts).

- In the next post, we will address other aspects of kāyānupassanā.

9. However, it must clear that what the Buddha meant by Ānāpānasati or Satipatthāna is NOT focusing ones mind on the breath. Certainly, one cannot do "breath meditation" in Iriyāpathapabba (in all four postures).

- For those who may say that Ānāpānasati  is different from Satipatthāna, it is very clear from the  Ānāpānassati Sutta (MN 118) that they are NOT different: “..Ānāpānassati, bhikkhave, bhāvitā bahulīkatā cattāro satipaṭṭhāne paripūreti. Cattāro satipaṭṭhānā bhāvitā bahulīkatā satta bojjhaṅge paripūrenti. Satta bojjhaṅgā bhāvitā bahulīkatā vijjāvimuttiṃ paripūrenti.

Translated: “..Ānāpānassati, when used (bhāvitā) and used frequently (bahulīkatā), completes (paripūreti) four types of Satipatthāna. Cattāro satipaṭṭhāna, when used and used frequently, completes Sapta BojjangaSapta Bojjanga when used and used frequently, completes the full release (Nibbāna or Arahanthood)”.
Lal
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Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by Lal »

I should have made the title of the previous as, "Kayānupassanā - Section on Postures (Iriyāpathapabba)", since Iriyāpathapabba is a sub section in Kayānupassanā, which itself is a section of Satipatthāna. We are discussing various sub sections of Kayānupassanā.

This post is really an extension of the section on postures (Iriyāpathapabba) discussed in the previous post, going into finer postures and activities. The key point is ultimately to become “sensitized” to each and every action that we take thus leading to the formation of “good habits”, i.e., to become a ”sampajannō”.

Kayānupassanā- Section on Habits (Sampajānapabba)

1. One cannot start on this section until one has acquired discipline with the “bigger activities”. For example, if one is killing animals for fun, then there is no point in worrying about kicking a dog.

- As one gets some practice with abstaining from major offenses, one will become “sensitized”, i.e., one will start seeing even minor offenses that one is about to make. That is how one "cultivates mindfulness" gradually.

2. The relevant paragraph on the Sampajānapabba in the Mahā Satipatthāna Sutta (DN 22):([html]https://legacy.suttacentral.net/pi/dn22[/html] ) reads:

Puna ca param, bhikkhave, bhikkhu abhikkante patikkante sampajānakāri hōti, ālokité vilokité  sampajānakāri hōti, saminjité pasärite sampajānakāri hōti, sanghātipattacivaradhārane sampajānakāri hōti, asite pite khōyite sāyite sampajānakāri hōti, uccārapassāvakamme sampajānakāri hōti, gate thite nisinne sutte jägarite bhāsite tunhibhäve sampajānakāri hōti”.

Here is the mundane translation, which is word by word ([html]http://www.tipitaka.org/stp-pali-eng-parallel[/html]):

“Again, monks, a monk, while going forward or backward, he does so with constant thorough understanding of impermanence; whether he is looking straight ahead or looking sideways, he does so with constant thorough understanding of impermanence; while he is bending or stretching, he does so with constant thorough understanding of impermanence; whether wearing his robes or carrying his bowl, he does so with constant thorough understanding of impermanence; whether he is eating, drinking, chewing or savoring, he does so with constant thorough understanding of impermanence; while attending to the calls of nature, he does so with constant thorough understanding of impermanence; whether he is walking, standing, sitting, sleeping or waking, speaking or in silence, he does so with constant thorough understanding of impermanence”.

3. Thus many possible “finer posture and actions” can be seen in the above direct translation, which are correct. The point is to be “morally mindful” in each and every such action, and not just to do those acts like a  robot just in a formal setting as most people do.

- I am not sure where “impermanence” came from, apparently as the translation of the word, “sampajānakāri”. But as was explained in a previous post, sampajānō means knowing right from wrong (“san”) via enhanced wisdom;
"Mahā Satipatthāna Sutta – Structure", Jan 25, 2019 (p. 66): [html]viewtopic.php?f=46&p=499408#p499408[/html]

- Thus sampajānakāri means doing something the right way, and  sampajānakāri hōti   means developing a habit to do that.

4. When one goes into finer details on “being morally mindful” of one’s actions, one is not just concerned with killing, stealing, etc. One is also concerned about general welfare, that one should act with civility and be courteous to others: one should be wearing proper clothes appropriate for the occasion, when eating one should not be making inappropriate noises, while walking in a crowded street one should be mindful of the others and not throw one’s refuse on the roadside, etc.

- As I pointed out in the post, “Sutta – Introduction” on Jan 25, 2019 (p. 66)([html]viewtopic.php?f=46&p=499408#p499408[/html]), a sutta gives instructions in the “niddesa” or as a brief description. It needs to be EXPLAINED rather than doing a direct translation. Any sutta was originally delivered over a number of hours, and then summarized in a special way to make it brief and suitable for oral transmission.

5. A case in point is the direct translation of “..uccārapassāvakamme sampajānakārī hoti”, as “while attending to the calls of nature (going to the bathroom), he does so with constant thorough understanding of impermanence!” (from the conventional translation in #2 above).

- What is meant there is to act with decency and not to relieve oneself in an inappropriate place (say, while going on a hike). In all those cases, sampajānakārī hoti means acting with diligence and prudence.

6. There are many other aspects too. For example, if one is about to take a nap in the middle of the day, one should be asking oneself why one needs to take nap. Unless one had engaged in some strenuous activity and really needs to get some rest, it is not a good habit to take unnecessary naps. Then it could become a habit, a bad one.

- We should also develop good habits. While walking on the street, it is good to help out those who need help, and to be courteous to others. A small thing like not spitting in a public place or just dropping trash anywhere one pleases can cause discomfort (and health problems) for others.
- Of course with each minor act we should also make sure it does not pan out to immoral activities. A good example is drinking too much. Drinking alcohol is not an akusala kamma per se (and there is nothing wrong with taking a drink in a social setting), but there is danger in getting really drunk.
- An intoxicated mind can be very dangerous; one could lose any sense of decency, and may get into situations that are immoral and offensive. Both drinking and smoking can be harmful to oneself and also to others.

7. As one develops good habits and gets rid of bad ones, one becomes more and more “sensitized” and catch even minor mistakes. This is what is meant by "patisamvedi"("pati" + "san" "vedi"), i.e., becoming aware of "getting attached to a wrong mindset".

- At the same time, one will start seeing a big improvement in one’s “inside fires”, but one also becomes less prone to be aggravated or offended, and one becomes more forgiving to others.

- There are many posts at puredhamma.net on habits, and how they can lead to sansāric habits and āsāvās; developing good habits and getting rid of bad habits is key to “cooling down” in the short term as well as in the long term.
- Parents, teachers, and friends play key roles in a child’s life, because a child’s mind can be influenced by others in a good or bad ways, and can lead to lifelong habits. If the foundation is set right, then it will be easier for one to become a “sampajannō”, one who is capable of “keeping fires under control”.

8. This is what was meant by being a “sampajannō”, and being able to “quench fires”, i.e., “ātāpi sampajānō”, which was a key phrase in the uddesa (brief description) of the Satipatthāna sutta; see, “Satipatthana Sutta – Structure“ for which the link was given in #4 above.
- By the way, these are the "MENTAL fires" that are discussed in the Adittapariyaya Sutta (SN 35.28) or "The Fire Sermon".
- A mundane translation of that sutta is at, "Adittapariyaya Sutta: The Fire Sermon": [html]https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .than.html[/html].
- As you can see, that translation (or any other English translation) does not convey the real meaning of those "fires".
Trekmentor
Posts: 55
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Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by Trekmentor »

Another foolish monk who had been with this foolish monk once said that this monk was a bull that he had owned during the times of Lord Buddha. More details are found in the video included in the page linked below:

"මීවනපලානේ පචෝරිස් හිමි වහරක අභයරතනාලංකාර හිමිගේ ගව ආත්මභාවයක් ගැන කීම"
"Micchādiṭṭhiṃ micchādiṭṭhīti pajānāti. Sammādiṭṭhiṃ sammādiṭṭhīti pajānāti. Sāssa hoti sammādiṭṭhi."

aDhamma Wheel - aBuddhist forum about the Dhamma of Theravāda Buddhism
imPure Dhamma - A Lunatic's Quest to Ruin Buddha's True Teachings
Lal
Posts: 949
Joined: Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:39 am

Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by Lal »

As we discussed in the post, "Satipatthāna - Section on Postures (Iriyāpathapabba)" ([html]viewtopic.php?f=46&t=26749&start=975[/html]), there are six sections or “pabba“ in the Satipatthāna Sutta.

We have discussed 3 of those sections, including the all important Anāpānapabba (section on “ānapāna“), which many people today misinterpret as "breath meditation".

We will briefly discuss the other three sections in this post:

Patikulamanasikārapabba (section on contemplation of body parts)
Dhatumanasikāra (section on contemplation of elements)
Navasivathikapabba (section on contemplation of the decay of a body)

Other "Kāya" in Kāyānupassanā - The Other Three Sections in Kāyānupassanā

1. There are two meanings to “kāya”: one is “kāya” for the body, and the other “kāya” means “piles” or “aggregates” of anything: rupa, vēdana, saññā, sankhāra, or viññāna.

- “Sabba” means all. Therefore, “sabba kāya” is the same as “pancakkhandha” ; see, “Five Aggregates – Introduction“, and follow-up posts.
- In the Satipatthāna Sutta, one contemplates on the five aggregates via four categories (kāyānupassanā, vēdanānupassanā, cittānupassanā, and dhammānupassanā) and Kāyānupassanā deals mostly with the bodily actions (i.e., regarding kāya). But “kāya” + “anupassanā” rhymes as “kāyānupassanā“; see, “Satipatthāna – Introduction“.

2. We experience pictures, sounds, smells, tastes, touch (which are all different types of rupa), and dhammā (things which we think about).

- Note that dhammā are different from dhamma (without the long “a” at the end) in Buddha Dhamma; the latter dhamma refers to “teachings of the Buddha”.
- Even though “rupa” is commonly used to describe "material objects" (which are really “vanna rupa" or "rupa rupa”),   rupa includes sounds (sadda rupa), smells (gandha rupa), tastes (rasa rupa), and touch (pottabba rupa).
- I will just use the term “rupa” to include sounds, smells, tastes, and touch as well as pictures for the rest of the post.
Dhammā are a type of rupa too; but they are below the suddhashtaka stage and “cannot be seen or touched” : “anidassanan, appatighan, dhammāyatana pariyāpanna rupam“; see, “What are rūpa? – Dhammā are rūpa too!“ at puredhamma.net.

3. Something is a picture or a visual object only when one is seeing it. A moment later it is only a memory, and it is now a “memory of an old picture”. If we visualize a house that we are building, that is also a picture in the memory plane, an “envisioned future picture”.

- In the Anatta Lakkha Sutta (SN 22.59), “all rupa” are described as 11 categories: “Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, yaṃ kiñci rūpaṃ atītā­nāgata­pac­cup­pan­naṃ ajjhattaṃ vā bahiddhā vā oḷārikaṃ vā sukhumaṃ vā hīnaṃ vā paṇītaṃ vā yaṃ dūre santike vā, sabbaṃ rūpaṃ..” . They are: past, present, future, near, far, likeable, distasteful, fine (not strong), coarse (strong), internal, and external. This is explained in the post “Five Aggregates – Introduction“ at puredhamma.net.
- For example, feelings (vēdana) khandha can be any in the 11 categories. Here, near and far means recent or way back in the past. Internal is one’s own and external is feelings of the others; one needs to be aware of other’s feelings in the sense that “if I do this, it could cause a feeling of grief to so and so”, as an example.

4. It is good to contemplate on these concepts and have a good idea how different representations mean the same things: Pancakkhandha is the same as “sabba kāya”, both include “everything in this world”. Please send me a comment if this not clear. Many people think “Kayānupassanā” is just about one’s body, and that is not correct.

- But we don’t think about the “whole world” out there either. We think about a tiny fraction of that “world out there”. AND we get attached to (tanhā) even a smaller fraction.
- Thus even though pancakkhandha (five aggregates)is unimaginably large, the fraction of pancakkhandha that we interact with or think about is very small. And we form attachments (via greed or hate) to even smaller fraction, and this is the pancaupādanakkhandha, the aggregates that we attach to with greed and hate (and ignorance). Upādāna means “drawn to”, and that is what one grasps willingly because one thinks there is happiness in them.

5. For example, we all know about the zillions of stars out there, or about the other planets in our Solar system; but do not generate any greed or hate about them. We only attach to some of the  pictures, sounds, smells, tastes, and touch that we interact with daily, which is indeed a tiny, tiny fraction of the “world out there”. The biggest component of our “pancaupadanakkhandha” is the dhamma aggregate, the things we think about. Let us discuss this a bit more.

- Thus here we are concerned with only a tiny fraction of “sabba kāya“: Only those that lead to greed, hate, or ignorance. This is the same as pancaupādanakkhandha,which is a tiny fraction of pancakkhandha.

6. When we contemplate on this a bit more, we realize that most of pictures, sounds, smells, tastes, and touch we think about belong to the dhammā category; see #2 above.

- A long series of thoughts may start with an “old picture” that is in our memory (say an old friend), and then we start generating more thoughts about that person, and then we get into something altogether different: We may think about the nice neighborhood that person is living in and then start thinking about building a house there. Thus we may end up thinking (generating sankhāra) about something totally different. Thus it now belongs to the dhammā category.
- Later, we need to focus about such thoughts or dhammā in the “cittānupassana” and “dhammānupassana”. What we need to do in “Kāyānupassanā” is to mainly control our speech and actions first. This way we will be able to slowly change our habits (gathi) and start controlling our “automatic actions” that we used to do almost on impulse.

7. We already discussed how we need to be “morally mindful” while we are in any of the four main postures (Iriyapathapabba), and also in any of “sub-postures” or basically any movement (sampajānapabba).

- For example, we see a likeable picture (a person or an item) we need to immediately think about whether it is appropriate to take the action that automatically comes to our mind with our old habits. We may be waiting at the airport for the next flight and see a bar; instead of going there and have a drink, it may be more productive to get on to the internet and read something useful. If one is really tired, it may be more productive to take a nap.
- In another example, someone may come to you and accuse you of doing something wrong. Instead of just retaliating, it may be a good idea to calm down and listen to that person first to see whether you have indeed done something unknowingly to aggravate that person.

8.  Anupassana means “discard according to the principles learned” (“anu” means according to and “passana” means to get rid of). We need to logically think of what would happen if a certain action is taken; if that seems to lead to a “bad ending” we need to discard it.

- Thus “Kāyānupassanā” in the iriyāpatapabba and the sampajānapabba means contemplate on the moral consequences of an act one is about to do and stop doing it if it seems to have bad consequences.

9. Now, there are three sections in the Kāyānupassanā where one specifically contemplate on the physical body. These are: patikulamanasikara pabba, dhatumanasikara pabba, and navasivathika pabba. These sections involve just contemplating on the nature of our physical bodies.

- In the patikulamanasikarapabba the 32 parts of the body are discussed. It is amazing how our perception of a hair in the dinner plate is so different from the admiration we have for our own hair that is attached to our head. The hair in the plate could be one of our own, but still we do not like it.
- A nail on the finger is something we admire, take care and some ladies paint it too. But as soon as it is cut, it becomes something not appealing.

9. What we form a liking for is the “whole complete package” with all 32 parts that are in “good condition”. We get distraught when hair starts greying, or the skin starts sagging.  A beautiful person may become ugly in an instant if the face becomes disfigured due to some mishap.

- The reality is that all the above IS GOING TO HAPPEN to us in the future. As long as there is birth, there is decay and death.

10. The section (pabba) on dhatumanasikara pabba is to contemplate on the fact that all our bodies are composed of just four entities: patavi (solidness), apo (liquidness), tejo(heat or warmth), vayo (wind). Out of the six dhatus, akāsa (space) is there too, but viññāna(consciousness) does not belong to the physical body.

- Ours or anyone’s else’s body, whether beautiful or ugly, is composed on these four things. There is nothing special.

11. The third section (pabba) of the physical body, navasivathika pabba, is to contemplate on what happens to a dead body over the course of many months if left out on the ground to decay (as was commonly done at the time of the Buddha).

- Again, whether it is a body of a homeless person or an emperor, the same decay process will take place, and eventually all body parts will be absorbed to the ground or released to the air.

12. All three of those sections are to help us lose attachments to our physical bodies. The purpose is NOT to get distraught, but to develop wisdom to realize that it is common to us all and will happen.

- A major component of our suffering arises when we eventually realize that we cannot maintain things to our satisfaction. Most people do not like to think about this inevitability. They just want to “whatever it takes” to maintain a beautiful body. The more one does that, the more one will be depressed later.
- Instead what we should do is to try to maintain a healthy body by eating well and sticking to a good exercise program. It is not “eye catching aspect” that matters, but being able to enjoy life to extent possible but not letting it get sick or prematurely decayed.
- Eating healthy foods and exercising regularly will keep the body and the mind in good condition, so that we will have enough time to at least get to the Sotapanna stage of Nibbāna.

13. It is important to remember that in all these “anupassanā“, we need to contemplate on the Three Characteristics of nature (anicca, dukkha, anatta) when we contemplate on the unfruitfulness in attaching to “things and concepts”.

- Also, it is important to examine the potentially “bad outcomes” of immoral and unwise actions as well as of the tiring and stressful attempts to try to maintain things in optimum condition forever. The sooner we realize this, the less stressful it will be.

14. Finally, in those three sections on the body, patikulamanasikara pabba, dhatumanasikara pabba, and navasivathika pabba, we need to contemplate on not only our own body (this is what ajjatta means in these three sections), but also on the bodies of others (this is what bahijja means in these three sections).

- We can not only contemplate on other humans (famous, poor, rich, young, old, etc), but also on animals. It does not matter who or what it is, we all will eventually become dust. But, for many, this realization comes only after going through much effort in vain to keep the body “beautiful” via artificial means; then it could be too late.
- Therefore, ajjatta and bahijja means somewhat different things in these three sections compared to other sections.
Trekmentor
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Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by Trekmentor »

Here's a link to a video that shows this foolish monk explaining ānāpānasati as per his views:

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"Micchādiṭṭhiṃ micchādiṭṭhīti pajānāti. Sammādiṭṭhiṃ sammādiṭṭhīti pajānāti. Sāssa hoti sammādiṭṭhi."

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Saoshun
Posts: 282
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Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by Saoshun »

Trekmentor wrote: Tue Feb 19, 2019 6:23 am Here's a link to a video that shows this foolish monk explaining ānāpānasati as per his views:

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Without proper arguments, you are the one who is making fool of yourself constantly showing your dislike towards what Lal provided here. Your own hatred towards those teachings is just proof you suffer your own ignorance which is reflected on others - if you want to be treated seriously brings any arguments and something to back up your claims or better ways/more effective than anapanasati explained here. I tested this anapanasati and many of people whom I shared which have effects in days that they didn't have in breath meditation in years. Proof is in the pudding. If you know better then share rather blame or attack people without anything to back up yourself. :anjali:

Actually, anyone here didn't any argument than personal dislike (proof of ignorance and potential lack of Nibbana even Stream-entry). If you do not agree with what is explained here - bring alternative rather than making space without filling it with your own "wisdom". Do not say "oh just focus on your breath and everything will be okay" - no, bring something that leads a person to Nibbana or doesn't make fool of yourself. :sage:
Remember… the Buddha had said that everyone living in this world is crazy, by the phrase, “Sabbē prutajjana ummattakā”; excluding the Arahants, everyone else is crazy. Would you get angry if a mad person scolds? Do we get angry for a crazy thing done by a crazy person? Just think about it! :candle:
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Dhammanando
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Re: The teachings of Ven. Waharaka Abhayaratanalankara Thero

Post by Dhammanando »

Saoshun wrote: Tue Feb 19, 2019 10:22 pm Without proper arguments, you are the one who is making fool of yourself constantly showing your dislike towards what Lal provided here.
And when "proper arguments" are offered —as they they have repeatedly been, both here and at Sutta Central— you make a fool of yourself by responding with ill-tempered ad hominem retorts (like here) rather than anything remotely resembling a reasoned rebuttal. Your changed posting style since you converted to this outfit doesn't say much for Waharakaism as a path to dispassion!
Yena yena hi maññanti,
tato taṃ hoti aññathā.


In whatever way they conceive it,
It turns out otherwise.
(Sn. 588)
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