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LivingLight
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Into the Stream ~ A Study Guide on the First Stage of Awakening
LivingLight posted a topic in Buddhist Discussion
Has anyone studied any of Thanissaro Bhikkhu's translations of the Pali Canon? I heard on the grape vine he's achieved ''first stage awakening'' though he'd never admit it. Isn't it the case that any true being of any degree of authentic self-realization would be Buddhicly humble? Anyway, I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on this. For me personally being so unawakened the text indicated to me how far I have to go in terms of founding the very basics of beginning the path. #1 ~ Ethics ~ Integrity. Harmlessness to self-other(planet?). One cannot know if another is of (or not of) integrity if one is not first of integrity themselves. To know if another is of integrity one must live with them, to be very near them for numerous months. Otherwise, one cannot know... This is an anecdote from this text that stuck in my mind. The following is a small percentage of the article which I've included below. Sole dominion over the earth, going to heaven, lordship over all worlds: the fruit of stream-entry excels them. — Dhp 178 Introduction The Pali Canon recognizes four levels of Awakening, the first of which is called stream entry. This gains its name from the fact that a person who has attained this level has entered the "stream" flowing inevitably to nibbana. He/she is guaranteed to achieve full awakening within seven lifetimes at most, and in the interim will not be reborn in any of the lower realms. This study guide on stream entry is divided into two parts. The first deals with the practices leading to stream entry; the second, with the experience of stream entry and its results. The practices leading to stream entry are encapsulated in four factors: Association with people of integrity is a factor for stream-entry. Listening to the true Dhamma is a factor for stream-entry. Appropriate attention is a factor for stream-entry. Practice in accordance with the Dhamma is a factor for stream-entry. — SN 55.5 These factors form the framework for the first part of this study guide. The Canon's treatment of these factors touches on questions of interest to all meditators, regardless of whether their practice aims all the way to Awakening: How can you recognize a trustworthy teacher? How can you tell the true Dhamma from counterfeit Dhamma? What are the rewards that come from listening to the Dhamma? Which questions should you ask yourself in the course of the practice? What kind of practice qualifies as being in accordance with the Dhamma? What kind of qualities do you need to develop to benefit most from your practice? For your practice to lead to Awakening, you must develop reliable standards for answering these questions. The Buddha offers some preliminary guidance on developing these standards in his instructions to the brahman teenager, Kapadika Bharadvaja. https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/study/into_the_stream.html -
I heard recently that a certain tradition comprised of deep practioners have a hundred signs of the timing of their upcoming physical death. This would be advantegous to the being whom knows how important such inevitable moment in time is spiritually speaking. The anecdote surrounding their approach is that knowing one is about to die one gives Everything they blong away. Including their clothes. The nugget here in my view is that our attachments don't end at the very clothes that we wear. Attachments go with us which is why they apparently do this. Furthermore "going out" in such kind giving must also be mertiful. Thoughts? Confirmations? Contrasts?
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Into the Stream ~ A Study Guide on the First Stage of Awakening
LivingLight replied to LivingLight's topic in Buddhist Discussion
Juicy. I look forward to responding soon. Thanks and metta to all who do and do not read this 🕉️ -
"Hey! Now when the intermediate state of living arises before me, I will abandon laziness, for which there is no time in this life Unwavering, enter the path of learning, reflecting, and meditating and taking perceptual experience and [the nature of consciousness] as the path I will actualize the Three Bodies of enlightenment! This once that I have obtained the human body is not the time to stay on the path of distractions." I ''love'' this. Has anyone else studied (and applied) these teachings? Who cares to study these teachings? Who has found the discipline to actually apply them (not me)? It is said that if one wants to know what's going to happen upon their transmigration (physical death) process - What happens when you fall asleep each night? Many seem to think they're advanced. Seem to think they're mighty practitioners. Many seem to have ''awoken'' as ''black magicians''. But who can consciously astral project by their will now? https://glorian.org/learn/scriptures/buddhist/root-verses-of-the-six-betweens
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Into the Stream ~ A Study Guide on the First Stage of Awakening
LivingLight replied to LivingLight's topic in Buddhist Discussion
Thank you for this. Indeed, true Dharma cannot come with a price tag. Why is it that so much ''truth'' these days comes with a cost? -
Into the Stream ~ A Study Guide on the First Stage of Awakening
LivingLight replied to LivingLight's topic in Buddhist Discussion
In my ignorance and humiliated state of continued suffering, I realize that observable facts are the basis of any claim. The nature of one's suffering can be observed. Through observation, we can achieve comprehension. Lastly, elimination (annihilation) is possible. Who is the one that eliminates that which might be the cause of error? Different religions speak to this in different capacities, all of which I find interesting to study. -
Into the Stream ~ A Study Guide on the First Stage of Awakening
LivingLight replied to LivingLight's topic in Buddhist Discussion
Yes, and the ego generates suffering. -
Into the Stream ~ A Study Guide on the First Stage of Awakening
LivingLight replied to LivingLight's topic in Buddhist Discussion
If a part of oneself is engaged in ongoing harm upon self-other, wouldn't this part then hypothetically need ''annihilation''? Ethics always seem to be foundational within any genuine religion. If we define ego as that which is impure, that which can commit error then wouldn't it be fair to say that needs to be eliminated? -
I attempted to find the way, and did a search to no avail. Thank you.
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Into the Stream ~ A Study Guide on the First Stage of Awakening
LivingLight replied to LivingLight's topic in Buddhist Discussion
Are we human, or are we animals with intellect? Does a human have virtue, where-as animals with intellect have vice? -
This image is loosely related in that it suggests in an abstract fashion the way in which the hands could be said to be intimately related to the mind. I understand mind doesn't necessarily correlate to the brain and that there are many levels of mind. However I still find the image interesting.
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Like him, dislike him, or be neutral.. The teaching of Samael Aun Wor has been appreciated by many and criticized by an equal sum it appears. In my view, if something/someone one is drawn to generates authentic Gnosis than why bother with the face/mask/book-cover? With that said, here is a snippet from a transcribed lecture from SAW on "Mental Representations". __ It is necessary to profoundly comprehend all the processes of the mind, all the reactions, and the psychological surplus which it accumulates, etc. Only in such a way does the ardent flame of intelligence sprout within us... Well my dear friends, we have been studying the distinct aspects of the mind, and afterwards we will continue, going deeper into the practical field of love, of interesting facts in the elimination of the psychological aggregates. This is very difficult. Nevertheless, this is not all, there is something else we must watch for. I am referring emphatically to mental representations. For in the world of the senses there are difficult representations such as they are, the objects that surround us, remorse, etc. but representations of the mind also exist. In the mind there are many representations that we must take into account. Let us suppose we have the representation of a friend for whom we have much esteem in our mind. Somebody very important talks to us about that friend, and all kinds of gossiping and slander arise. We hear all this gossiping. Then, in fact, the image we have of our friend, the representation, becomes altered. Now we do not see her as the kind person whom we saw before, full of harmony, etc. Now this image in our understanding is the appearance that others have given it; possibly that of the bandit, that of the robber, that of the false friend, etc. At night, perhaps we dream of that friend. Now we will in no way dream with harmony; we see that she attacks us, we see that we attack her, we dream she uses a weapon against us, etc. The image of our friend is completely altered: a representation has been altered. It can be that those who had talked about our friend judged him incorrectly, consciously or unconsciously slandered him, etc., but the representation of the mind remains altered. This is very serious because this representation, in fact, coverts itself into a demon which comes to hinder our esoteric advancement. It is a demon that gets in our way, a demon which is an obstacle to our profound inner development. This is, then, a serious error: to give an ear to gossip, to slander, to murmuring, to the "they say that," etc. Obviously, in our mind there are thousands of representations that can be altered if we take part in negative conversations, if we give an ear to slander, if we hear that ‘they say that,' etc. Due to all of these and other things, it is not advisable to give an ear to the negative words of people; to do so is a serious error. Moreover, not only do our psychological aggregates constitute a burden that we carry inside, but so do the living representations of our psychological defects. Therefore, we must not forget this matter about the representation of our understanding. Walkers of the path, for giving an ear to negative conversations, for being in huddles where only negative phrases can be heard, you usually deform many representations of understanding; and these, in the world of the mind, consist of real demons which form and create obstacles or a series of impassable obstacles for the awakening of the Consciousness. In this way, we can cite the case of many Gnostic students who, at night, usually have innumerable dreams of a negative type, sometimes they dream they kill another person, etc. It is a most serious matter to carry such enemies inside oneself, in one's own mind. Obviously, the most recommendable thing for our negative representations is to appeal to the annular serpentine power, to invoke Devi Kundalini Shakti so she will destroy these negative representations. Messages from the Being Unquestionably, we must not have such representations, negative or positive, within our minds. The mind should create certain serene attitudes that are at the disposition of the Being, but for that to happen, we need the human personality to become passive. A passive personality is a receptive personality, it receives the messages that come from the higher parts of the Being. Unquestionably, such messages go through the higher centers of the Being before entering the mind. This is the advantage of having a passive personality. The mind, disgracefully, is found to be totally controlled by very heavy elements, very difficult aggregates which are related to the world of ninety-six laws, also known as the region of Tartarus. The personality is active because it is controlled by aggregates of hate, pride, envy, and horrible lust. In real truth, we are nothing but miserable worms in the mud of the earth. If we achieve the elimination of such heavy psychological elements from our psyche, our human personality turns passive and the mind becomes receptive to the messages that descend from the highest parts of the Being through the higher centers of our psyche. Now you comprehend, my dear friends, the necessity to eliminate those elements which are too heavy. With Devi Kundalini Shakti, in other words, the igneous serpent of our magical powers, we can, in fact, eliminate these heavy elements. It is a triumph, because in this way we can receive the direct messages that come from the highest parts of the Being. Because of this, I say you must work on yourself. A receptive mind should be created, a mind that never projects itself, that is always receiving instead of projecting. Obviously, it would be good to accept positive or negative representations in the distinct depths of understanding; such a mind would only bring the messages that come from the highest part of our fellow men. In so much as we continue giving food to the distinct representations of understanding, it will never be a prodigal mind, a progressive mind. In reality, truly, the mind is conditioned by time and by pain. Analyzing in this way we will see that not only must we eliminate the undesirable psychological aggregates, but we also have a very difficult problem I see for inner illumination, and this is that we carry too many representations, apart from all the inhuman psychological aggregates. If we carefully study the life of dreams, we will find so many vague and incoherent things in them, various subjective and imprecise aspects, so many absurd things, such poor events with no reality. The only motive for their incoherence must invite us to reflection. As a Gnostic, one must have clear concepts and lucid ideas, radical illumination without vagueness, without any kind of subjectivity. Disgracefully, the representations and the diverse aggregates we carry inside ourselves condition the Consciousness in such a way that they keep it in the very disagreeable state of sub-consciousness, even in infra-consciousness. I invite you to reflection, I invite you to comprehend these indispensable things. The Silence of the Mind In the Oriental world much is spoken of in synthesis. For example, Zen or Chan Buddhism only tells us that we must obtain the calmness of the mind, the silence of the mind with the purpose of achieving the eruption of the Illuminating Void [Sunyata, the Emptiness]. We are told that there is true happiness in Satori. In the meditation room we must acquire the calmness of the mind inside, outside, and in the middle. We are told that the mind must get to be like a wall, absolutely still. Well, I found out that in the meditation rooms of Japan, it is difficult to get to Satori. As much as it may take, some minutes in the best of cases, or one or many hours after, the mind returns to being as agitated as it always was. One gets out of this state of happiness to face the world, fortunately, in a spiritual drunkenness, and ready to fight the ego. Of course, the "I" soon intervenes to give him a couple punches and get him out of that state of wanting to achieve its elimination. If we want to be something more than what can be achieved in a Zen or Chan meditation room, we must also have the awakening of the mind, a mind receptive to the infinities that come from beyond the sky of Urania, an illuminated mind. Could this be possible if we permit psychological aggregates to continue existing in our psyche? Could this be possible if we give an ear to gossip that alters the representation we carry in our understanding? Could this be possible, I tell myself and I share it with you as I think out loud, if we continue giving priority to positive or negative representations? H. P. Blavatsky has a phrase in The Voice of the Silence that I liked. It says: Before the gold flame can blaze with serene light, the lamp must be well cared for, safe from every wind; worldly thoughts must drop dead at the temple's door... That phrase of H. P. Blavatsky is portentous, marvelous. I tell you, only in this way is it possible for the mind to become truly calm and remain silent inside, outside, and in the middle; not just temporarily as in a meditation room, but in a continuous manner. When one studies the distinct creases of the mind, one also comprehends that the calmness and total silence of understanding are not possible as long as the mind is occupied by psychological aggregates and representations. One could object, saying that there exist laudable, clear, and magnificent representations. This is supposed to be acceptable, but it is not. We, as a whole, must be Being. Why must we have things that are not of the Being in our mind? I do not see why we must carry intruders in it. I have comprehended that only the Being must be in the mind, that is all. But as long as that temple is full of strange elements, things, games, huge cabinets of representations and aggregates, it can be said that there exists a deep sleep in the Consciousness, this is unconsciousness. "A man is known by his dreams," said Plato in one of his books. The day we stop dreaming, the cockroaches we carry in our brain turn into fire. All those absurd incoherencies do not exist, all those morbid, vague, imprecise, tasteless, insubstantial, and odorless states do not have any kind of existence. Joyful is the day in which we stop dreaming, the day in which we no longer dream. When a person dreams no more, he has triumphed. As long as there exist dreams in the mind, as long as he goes to the psychological space to project imprecise, absurd dreams, this indicates to us that we have a mind full of garbage, full of all kinds of rubbish. As I was saying, true illuminates have no dreams. Dreams are for those who are asleep. True illuminates live in the higher worlds, out of the physical body, in a state of intensified wakefulness without ever dreaming. The true illuminate, after the death of his physical body, is awakened in the psychological space. In this way thus, we should reflect on the necessity of getting to the stillness and silence of the mind. Full article here: https://glorian.org/learn/courses-and-lectures/lectures-by-samael-aun-weor/mental-representations
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Wow!!! Check the update from today! https://www.SpaceWeather.com
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I love SpaceWeather.com Earth's magnetic field is reverberating from the impact of a CME on Feb. 26th. Its arrival brought a gust of solar wind blowing faster than 800 km/s (the highest value in years), and triggered a strong G3-class geomagnetic storm. Rocky Raybell photographed the light show from Keller, Washington: "The auroras appeared at 7:15 pm PST," says Raybell. "They were so bright, I was able to capture the red colors with only a 3-second exposure (ISO 3200)." The lights spread across multiple US states including Oregon, Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Idaho, Montana, New Jersey and North Dakota. At maximum, the lights descended as far south as Colorado. "Here are two of my good friends and co-workers witnessing their first ever auroras--in OHIO, of all places!" reports Marybeth Kiczenski, who photographed the display from the edge of Lake Erie: "What a special night!" says Kiczenski. "We were able to see the auroras naked eye, even through the moonlight and light pollution!" Europe experienced a good display, too. "It was aurora madness!" says Ruslan Merzlyakov of Nykøbing Mors, Denmark. "Auroras blew up the sky!" reports Conor McDonald of Doire, Ireland. "And here in Germany it was a mega-event," adds Heiko Ulbricht of Herzogswalde, Saxony.
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Into the Stream ~ A Study Guide on the First Stage of Awakening
LivingLight replied to LivingLight's topic in Buddhist Discussion
Thank you for this. The Theravadan ''forest-tradition'' humans at that time had the capacity to easily dedicate their entire lives to practice. Those teachings were from that time for those people. Today, when we study these teachings, it's tricky given the profound societal differences, isn't it true? -
Into the Stream ~ A Study Guide on the First Stage of Awakening
LivingLight replied to LivingLight's topic in Buddhist Discussion
Greetings, Refuge In Dharma. I appreciate your choice of moniker. They are piercing, deep, subtle, beyond conjecture. Which is ultimately thanks to Gotoma. However I am thankful for clear-conduits like TB. It is real virtuous humans like this that help me see my own potential. Indeed. Conversely, false recognize false. False begets falsehood. Deception begets deception. Etc... What I was eluding to is that a being whom is of any true degree of wakefulness wouldn't go around proclaiming their wakefulness. Instead, their aim is to generate wakefulness in the unawakened. So many ''holy'' people today are in fact the contrary, or worse. By worse I mean sorcerers/black-magis. I appreciate another comment in this thread suggesting that real monks vow to be silent about their attainment. This is a quality I appreciate and understand in the realm of concept. -
Into the Stream ~ A Study Guide on the First Stage of Awakening
LivingLight replied to LivingLight's topic in Buddhist Discussion
As I understand what you're conveying, there is no small amount: There is a LARGE amount. Do you agree that the annihilation of Ego is an ultimate goal of one seeking activating their Buddhata? -
Im looking for a book on Buddhist morals
LivingLight replied to helpfuldemon's topic in Buddhist Discussion
1,759 books are available using the "Buddhist" search term on LibGen -
Greetings. Thanks for the welcome.
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Syncretism, chastity, compassion, temperance, selflessness, contentment, joy-for-others, gratitude, Buddha/Dhamma/Sangha. Lots of chopping wood, lots of spilling water. :-) I've lost a few fingers in this life, I can only imagine how many I've lost in the past!