The internal and the external

A discussion on all aspects of Theravāda Buddhism
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mjaviem
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Joined: Wed Dec 16, 2020 5:06 pm

The internal and the external

Post by mjaviem »

In many posts we are discussing about internal things and external things. The way I see it, the internal and the external are well explained in the Sutta Craving AN 4.199 where the currents of craving are explained.

There you can see that the currents of craving related to the internal are those when there is 'I am', 'I am thus', etc. and the currents related to the external are those when there is 'I am because of this', 'I am thus becasue of this', etc.

I think hat when there is 'I am slow runner' this is something related to the internal while when there is 'I am slow runner because of this clumsy body' this is related to the external, in this case the body is considered external. Or for example 'I am lasting because there's something in the universe that can last' is related to the external in this case this something in the universe but 'I am lasting' refers to the internal this something there in the universe is adopted.

EDIT: Or for example 'I am someone important because of all the work I have done' this relates to the external in this case the work and things done but 'I'm important' in this case those things are adopted internally.

EDIT2: Not sure what I mean by adopted. In any case, the external is when craving points out to a reason.
Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammā Sambuddhassa
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