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Posted by: Dhammañāṇa

« on: June 12, 2019, 10:02:26 AM »

Insert Dhamma Quote

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As the Buddha said (AN 5.159 PTS: A iii 184 Udayi Sutta: About Udayin), "It's not easy to teach the Dhamma to others, Ananda. The Dhamma should be taught to others only when five qualities are established within the person teaching. Of the five qualities, the fourth was, “The Dhamma should be taught with the thought, 'I will speak not for the purpose of material reward.'"

Much more than the seeking of any kind of material reward, the biggest of all diseases of the mind is that of our ego-desire(s), our ego-conceit and the underlying tendency to manifest that notion of an ego-entity inside us. The strongest defilement of the mind, the biggest inner fire (thapa) is this ego-desire and ego-conceit. The only cure for this, as well as all other desires of the mind, is the Saddhamma. The Dhamma is like medicine, the only cure for the basic disease of the mind.

According to the Buddha, it’s the tendency of the mind to compare itself with others. Even if you say, “I’m worse than that other person,” or, ”I’m equal to that other person,” that’s conceit. There’s an “I” there: the “I‐making, mine‐making, and tendency to conceit.” To overcome this, the Buddha recommend that we develop a sense of disenchantment—nibbida—and that we do it skillfully. He teaches us to get attached to more and more refined states of wellbeing in the mind, and to become disenchanted with everything else.

Getting rid of attachments is not easy, and more refined states of wellbeing are a good place to be attached: states of concentration, states of wellbeing in the mind that don’t have to depend on circumstances outside. That’s a lot better than being attached to the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, and ideas we’re normally attached to. A good time to look at your attachments is when you meditate. When the mind has a sense of ease and wellbeing, you can, you can look at all of the other mistakes you’ve been making, with a much greater sense of fairness, a much greater sense of objectivity, with less sense of being desperate.

One who is well trained in the traditions of the noble ones, or the customs of the noble ones, accumulate Inner wealth — conviction, virtue, a sense of conscience, scrupulousness, breadth of learning, generosity, and discernment— the inner qualities we build within ourselves. Outer wealth—money and material goods—doesn’t have any hard and fast owners. Today it may be ours, tomorrow someone else may take it away. Outer wealth such as having lots of food, lots of clothing, a lot of worldly possessions have their drawbacks. When you learn to see the world through Dhamma, you will learn to say, “No.” to tendencies of the mind. You’re not sucked into those things, and as a result the mind is more independent, has a lot more peace. It can keep its values straight.

The more you live the life of a noble one, the more you will immerse in the culture of the noble ones. Amidst all dangers of gain and honor (laabhasakkara), that voice of restraint inside is going to be your protection. You will begin to learn how to listen to it, to strengthen it, so that restraint in day‐to‐day life will begin to augment the restraint of your meditation.

When you really get a taste of what it’s like to get the mind to settle down, you find how liberating it is. When you see the rewards, you’re more and more willing to let go of the things that you’re normally attached to in favor of the freedom of not being attached. As the Buddha said, “The mind well trained brings happiness.” It needs to be well trained because it’s always doing things, so make sure that what it’s doing is in line with where you want to go.

Quote from: Johann

Good so, Upasaka @Saptha Visuddhi. But there seems to be two problems, one is that "ego-desire", desire for beauty, perfection, is one of the governing principles, a required force toward skillful and liberation, the other that reputatiins will pull unease behind one, the dart is in the back.. Could the solution, at first place, be found in neiter sekha nor asekha, sekha and asekha? In regard of different approaches. As known conceit is to be used to overcome conceit. Maybe a skilled taking, let go, taking next, let go...?

And where, is having taken for a while, to best put it back, whom or what to give reputations, merits made, before?

Quote from: Upasaka

The Buddha describes the sense of “I am” as the underlying cause for the mind’s tendency to proliferate ideas, its tendency to make differentiations, to complicate things, and all the categories and conflicts that come from those complications. You become selective: Where can you make a difference? Where can you not make a difference? Where is your craving helping you in the path? Where is it getting in the way? You must learn how to be selective, how to be skillful in where you direct your wants, where you direct your aspirations.

Both punnabhi sankhara (merits) and apunnabhi sankhara (demerits) that a person has accumulated throughout past samsaaric journey is a hinderance to achiving Nibbana in this very life. But it requires a lengthy explanation to tell why it is so, and how this can be overcome.

Quote from: Johann

First, my person does think that it is a hindrence aside that one with merits could fall into selft-complacency like the foolish son of a rich, second, Upasaka Saptha Visuddhi doesn't like to hold on his merits he could share, or does he . The path is plastered with skillful deed s, not by inaction, resignation or stinginess.

Selective: greedy toward what, aversive toward what? Whats right effort?

Where content and where total avoiding contentment but having persistence arose, Upasaka?

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Posted by: Dhammañāṇa

Posted by: Dhammañāṇa

Posted by: Dhammañāṇa