To Auto, who introduced a brand new phenomenon called "gaslighting" to our community,
and labelled Pulsar as a gaslighter? Thank you for that new christening. I will think about it whether it is more apt than Pulsar.
My Dear Auto, do you think Buddha was gaslighting the fire worshippers when he delivered his
Third Sermon? Excerpt:
Monks, everything is burning.
And what monks are everything that is burning?
The eye, monks is burning, material shapes are burning,
consciousness through the eye is burning (cakkuvinnana ie cognising by the eye, vision or seeing) is burning, impingement on the eye (cakkhusamphassa, or impression on, or contact with, the eye) is burning,
With what is it burning? I say it is burning with the
fire of passion,
with the fire of hatred, with the fire of
stupidity...
How do the good people here interpret this sutta?
Buddha is referring to the stupidity of puthujjana, and how he relates to the sensory objects, via his foolishness, using the metaphor of Fire.
Example:
The rock I see in front of me is not burning, I might hate it for blocking my view of the road ahead. The drums I hear via ear consciousness are not burning. But Pali abhidhamma includes these physical objects as
rupa alongside the mental image, in teachings of dependent origination (Nama-
rupa) and aggregates i.e.
rupa aggregate. For Original Buddha, all factors of the aggregates and DO were only mental.
Therefore things that cause suffering can be altered via mental discipline or meditation.
Just consider: Due to my stupidity I become annoyed with the rock in front of me, for blocking my view.
The rock is not stupid, neither is the rock burning. I am the stupid one, for getting upset with the rock and creating suffering for myself. This basically is due to my lack of wisdom. It is my emotions that are burning.
My eyes are never stupid. They merely reflects things seen, as a pond might reflect the moon. As Ananda relates in the canon, the story of V. Punna helping him gain stream entry, by the realization that rupa is a mental event, SN 22.83.
Fire Sermon is a teaching found in the Salayatana Samyutta SN 35.28 (in addition to Vinaya Mahavagga). It is also found in Khanda Samyutta, phrased differently. SN 22.61 applies the burning to the aggregates.
A clear instance where the Pali canon treats sense bases and aggregates in equal fashion.
Let us consider Salayatana.
- Salayatana is a teaching on how the sense bases "ayatana" of the dull witted operate.
By dull witted I mean the ordinary person, not the Arahant.
- Arahant's sense bases are not on fire. Sensory field of Arahant is free of burning from desire, hatred and stupidity. Hence it is said, Salayatana is absent in the Arahant.
Pulsar is not trying to gaslight the dear people of this community as Auto alleges. My words are down to earth, and I hope understandable. But if you are not a fan of simplicity please do not read my posts. Block me. Tomes of Abhidhamma are plentifully available on the Abhidhamma forum, for those seeking scholasticism.
With love