What is Nirvana - A post from FB

[dwai]

6.3 Overview of the Lord Buddha’s Teachings

On one occasion, our Lord Buddha was staying at Sisapavana in the city of Kosambi. He picked up some leaves of the Pterocarpus tree and said to the venerable Monks, “Compare the number of leaves that I have in my hand to the number of leaves remaining on the tree, which do you reckon is greater?”

The venerable monks answered, “The number of leaves remaining on the tree is greater, Most Exalted One.”

The Lord Buddha said, “Monks, the knowledge that I possess can be compared to the number of leaves remaining on the tree and yet I did not teach it to you. Do you know why?

The reason is such knowledge is not useful… It is not conducive to the attainment of Enlightenment… It cannot lead to Nibbana… Therefore, I did not teach it to you. What I do teach you is about Dukkha, Dukkhasamudaya, Dukkhanirodha, and Dukkhanirodhagaminipatipada.

I have taught you these things because they are useful to your attainment of Enlightenment and Nibbana. Therefore, all of you should endeavor to know these things For yourselves.”

From this saying of the Lord Buddha we learn that the Dhamma is about Dukkha, Dukkhasamudaya, Dukkhanirodha, Dukkhanirodhagaminipatipada. In other words, the Dhamma is about the Four Noble Truths. Before the Lord Buddha’s attainment of Complete Nibbana, He talked about the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Sangha, the Magga, and other practices. The Dhamma here includes the Four Noble Truths while the Magga and other practices are Dukkhanirodhagaminipatipada which is part of the Four Noble Truths. The Magga and other practices are called the Noble Eightfold Path.

The term “Ariyasac” comes from the word “Ariya” and the word “Sac”. Ariya means sublime whereas Sac means the truth. Therefore, “Ariyasac” means the sublime Truth. Details about “Ariyasac” are as follows:

6.3.1 Details about “Ariyasacca”

6.3.1 Details about “Ariyasacca” has four parts and these include Dukkha or Suffering, Dukkhasamudaya or the Cause of Suffering, Dukkhanirodha or the Cessation of Suffering, and Dukkhanirodhagaminipatipada or the Path leading to the Cessation of Suffering. 1. Dukkhaariyasac means the sublime truth about suffering.
Dukkha means a condition which is difficult to sustain. Such is the condition of all things and all living beings because everything and every being undergo birth and death in accordance with its own make-up and this condition is not subject to control.

There are twelve categories of Dukkha. These include Jatidukkha, Jaradukkha, Byadhidukkha, Maranadukkha, Sokadukkha, Paridevadukkha, Domanassadukkha, Upayasadukkha, Dukkhadukkha, Appiyehisampayogadukkha, and Piyehivippayogadukkha, and Yampicchamnalabhatitampidukkha. These twelve categories of Dukkha can be summarized as “Upadanakhandha-5”

Which means the suffering that comes from attachment to the Five Aggregates. 1. Jatidukkha means the suffering that comes from birth.
2. Jaradukkha means the suffering that comes from aging.
3. Byadhidukkha means the suffering that comes from sickness.
4. Maranadukkha means the suffering that comes from death.
5. Sokadukkha means the suffering that comes from grief.
6. Paridevadukkha means the suffering that comes from longing for someone or something.

7. Dukkhadukkha means the suffering that comes from physical discomfort. 8. Domanassadukkha means the suffering that comes from worries. 9. Upayasadukkha means the suffering that comes from vengefulness. 10. Appiyehisampayogadukkha means the suffering that comes from encountering what one hates. 11. Piyehivippayogadukkha means the suffering that comes from being separated from what one loves. 12. Yampicchamnalabhatitampidukkha means the suffering that comes from disappointment.

These twelve categories of Dukkha can be summarized as “Upadanakhandha-5” which means the suffering that comes from attachment to the Five Aggregates or Khandha-5. Such suffering comes from the fact that human beings and other living beings are made up of the Five Aggregates which include corporeality or Rupa, feeling or Vedana, perception or Sanna, mental formations or Sankhara, and consciousness or Vinnana. These Five Aggregates are contaminated with defilements. Defilements are the cause of Upadana or attachment.

It is for the reason that we believe Khandha-5 belongs to us that we Experience these twelve categories of Dukkha. Now, if we know to consider the Five Aggregates or Khandha-5 as our temporary home, then when something happens to them we will not experience Dukkha and even if we do, the experience will not be as intense. For example, when we look at our self in the mirror and see the obvious signs of the aging process, we do not become overwrought because we realize that our body is merely our temporary home. Moreover, it does not Belong to us.

1) The Types of Craving or Tanha

There are three different types of craving or Tanha: Kammatanha or craving for sensual pleasures, Bhavatanha or craving for existence, and Vibhavatanha or craving for non-existence. Kammatanha means craving for the five sensual pleasures. These include corporeality, sound, smell, taste, and touch. It goes without saying that most of us would like a good-looking boyfriend or girlfriend. We enjoy beautiful music, lovely scents, delicious food, comfortable furniture, etc.

Bhavatanha: Bhava comes from the Pali words Bhu and Dhatu which mean existence.
Bhavatanha means craving for existence. It means wanting what one is and what one has to last forever. Bhavatanha is caused by Kammatanha. Kammatanha causes one to want to have children, cars, house, etc., and once one has obtained these things one suffers Bhavatanha in that one wants these things to last forever.

Another meaning of Bhavatanha is craving for the sphere of existence. Luang Pu Wat Paknam explained that the sphere of existence here means the Form Sphere which is the dwelling of Form Brahma beings. The Form Sphere consists of sixteen realms. Form Brahma beings crave Rupajhana or Absorptions. Rupajhana has four levels. These include Pathamajhana or the First Absorption, Dutiyajhana or the Second Absorption, Tatiyajhana or the Third Absorption, and Catutathajhana or the Fourth Absorption.

These four absorptions give rise to the kind of happiness that is far superior to the happiness experienced in the Sense Sphere. As a result, attachment to the Rupajhana is far deeper and stronger than attachment to sensual pleasures.
Vibhavatanha means craving for non-existence. It means that whatever a person does not want to be or have, he does not wish it to happen to himself or his loved ones. He does not want himself or his loved ones to age, get sick, or die. Etc.

Another meaning of Vibhavatanha is craving for non-existence. Luang Pu Wat Paknam explained that non-existence here means the Non-Form Sphere. The Non-Form Sphere is the dwelling of Non-Form Brahma beings and consists of four realms. Non-Form Brahma beings crave the different levels of Arupajhana or Non-Form Absorptions Which lead to rebirth in the Non-Form Sphere. The kind of happiness derived from Arupajhana is far superior to that derived from Rupajhana.

Form and Non-Form Brahma beings are of the understanding that they have escaped from suffering, hence, have attained Nibbana. This misunderstanding causes these beings to be stuck where they are.

2) The Relationship between Tanha and Other Defilements
Tanha belongs to the family of defilements called Lobha or greed. Tanha arises out of the power of craving. Raga arises out of the power of pleasure. Nandi arises out of the power of engrossment. Avijja or ignorance is in turn the root cause of Tanha. Tanha, in turn, gives rise to Dosa or anger. One wants something but does not get it, one becomes frustrated.

3. Dukkhanirodhaariyasac
Dukkhanirodhaariyasac means the extinguishment of all craving. The word “Nirodha” means extinguishment. Therefore, Dukkhanirodhaariyasac means “The sublime truth about the cessation of suffering”. “Nirodha” is another name for Nibbana. In the Commentary, it was written, “Asesaviraganirodho: It is the extinguishment of craving. It is another name for Nibbana. In Nibbana, all Tanha is extinguished.

Therefore, Nibbana means the extinguishment of craving. In Nibbana, Tanha or craving is abandoned, given up, released, and detached.
Nibbana is the place where craving is abandoned, given up, released, and detached. Nibbana is called by many names but all of them mean the same thing …”

http://book.dou.us/dhammakaya-book-en.html

[LAOLONG]

[Pilgrim]

6 hours ago, dwai said:

6.3 Overview of the Lord Buddha’s Teachings

On one occasion, our Lord Buddha was staying at Sisapavana in the city of Kosambi. He picked up some leaves of the Pterocarpus tree and said to the venerable Monks, “Compare the number of leaves that I have in my hand to the number of leaves remaining on the tree, which do you reckon is greater?”

The venerable monks answered, “The number of leaves remaining on the tree is greater, Most Exalted One.”

The Lord Buddha said, “Monks, the knowledge that I possess can be compared to the number of leaves remaining on the tree and yet I did not teach it to you. Do you know why?

The reason is such knowledge is not useful… It is not conducive to the attainment of Enlightenment… It cannot lead to Nibbana… Therefore, I did not teach it to you. What I do teach you is about Dukkha, Dukkhasamudaya, Dukkhanirodha, and Dukkhanirodhagaminipatipada.

I have taught you these things because they are useful to your attainment of Enlightenment and Nibbana. Therefore, all of you should endeavor to know these things For yourselves.”

From this saying of the Lord Buddha we learn that the Dhamma is about Dukkha, Dukkhasamudaya, Dukkhanirodha, Dukkhanirodhagaminipatipada. In other words, the Dhamma is about the Four Noble Truths. Before the Lord Buddha’s attainment of Complete Nibbana, He talked about the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Sangha, the Magga, and other practices. The Dhamma here includes the Four Noble Truths while the Magga and other practices are Dukkhanirodhagaminipatipada which is part of the Four Noble Truths. The Magga and other practices are called the Noble Eightfold Path.

The term “Ariyasac” comes from the word “Ariya” and the word “Sac”. Ariya means sublime whereas Sac means the truth. Therefore, “Ariyasac” means the sublime Truth. Details about “Ariyasac” are as follows:

6.3.1 Details about “Ariyasacca”

6.3.1 Details about “Ariyasacca” has four parts and these include Dukkha or Suffering, Dukkhasamudaya or the Cause of Suffering, Dukkhanirodha or the Cessation of Suffering, and Dukkhanirodhagaminipatipada or the Path leading to the Cessation of Suffering. 1. Dukkhaariyasac means the sublime truth about suffering.
Dukkha means a condition which is difficult to sustain. Such is the condition of all things and all living beings because everything and every being undergo birth and death in accordance with its own make-up and this condition is not subject to control.

There are twelve categories of Dukkha. These include Jatidukkha, Jaradukkha, Byadhidukkha, Maranadukkha, Sokadukkha, Paridevadukkha, Domanassadukkha, Upayasadukkha, Dukkhadukkha, Appiyehisampayogadukkha, and Piyehivippayogadukkha, and Yampicchamnalabhatitampidukkha. These twelve categories of Dukkha can be summarized as “Upadanakhandha-5”

Which means the suffering that comes from attachment to the Five Aggregates. 1. Jatidukkha means the suffering that comes from birth.
2. Jaradukkha means the suffering that comes from aging.
3. Byadhidukkha means the suffering that comes from sickness.
4. Maranadukkha means the suffering that comes from death.
5. Sokadukkha means the suffering that comes from grief.
6. Paridevadukkha means the suffering that comes from longing for someone or something.

7. Dukkhadukkha means the suffering that comes from physical discomfort. 8. Domanassadukkha means the suffering that comes from worries. 9. Upayasadukkha means the suffering that comes from vengefulness. 10. Appiyehisampayogadukkha means the suffering that comes from encountering what one hates. 11. Piyehivippayogadukkha means the suffering that comes from being separated from what one loves. 12. Yampicchamnalabhatitampidukkha means the suffering that comes from disappointment.

These twelve categories of Dukkha can be summarized as “Upadanakhandha-5” which means the suffering that comes from attachment to the Five Aggregates or Khandha-5. Such suffering comes from the fact that human beings and other living beings are made up of the Five Aggregates which include corporeality or Rupa, feeling or Vedana, perception or Sanna, mental formations or Sankhara, and consciousness or Vinnana. These Five Aggregates are contaminated with defilements. Defilements are the cause of Upadana or attachment.

It is for the reason that we believe Khandha-5 belongs to us that we Experience these twelve categories of Dukkha. Now, if we know to consider the Five Aggregates or Khandha-5 as our temporary home, then when something happens to them we will not experience Dukkha and even if we do, the experience will not be as intense. For example, when we look at our self in the mirror and see the obvious signs of the aging process, we do not become overwrought because we realize that our body is merely our temporary home. Moreover, it does not Belong to us.

1) The Types of Craving or Tanha

There are three different types of craving or Tanha: Kammatanha or craving for sensual pleasures, Bhavatanha or craving for existence, and Vibhavatanha or craving for non-existence. Kammatanha means craving for the five sensual pleasures. These include corporeality, sound, smell, taste, and touch. It goes without saying that most of us would like a good-looking boyfriend or girlfriend. We enjoy beautiful music, lovely scents, delicious food, comfortable furniture, etc.

Bhavatanha: Bhava comes from the Pali words Bhu and Dhatu which mean existence.
Bhavatanha means craving for existence. It means wanting what one is and what one has to last forever. Bhavatanha is caused by Kammatanha. Kammatanha causes one to want to have children, cars, house, etc., and once one has obtained these things one suffers Bhavatanha in that one wants these things to last forever.

Another meaning of Bhavatanha is craving for the sphere of existence. Luang Pu Wat Paknam explained that the sphere of existence here means the Form Sphere which is the dwelling of Form Brahma beings. The Form Sphere consists of sixteen realms. Form Brahma beings crave Rupajhana or Absorptions. Rupajhana has four levels. These include Pathamajhana or the First Absorption, Dutiyajhana or the Second Absorption, Tatiyajhana or the Third Absorption, and Catutathajhana or the Fourth Absorption.

These four absorptions give rise to the kind of happiness that is far superior to the happiness experienced in the Sense Sphere. As a result, attachment to the Rupajhana is far deeper and stronger than attachment to sensual pleasures.
Vibhavatanha means craving for non-existence. It means that whatever a person does not want to be or have, he does not wish it to happen to himself or his loved ones. He does not want himself or his loved ones to age, get sick, or die. Etc.

Another meaning of Vibhavatanha is craving for non-existence. Luang Pu Wat Paknam explained that non-existence here means the Non-Form Sphere. The Non-Form Sphere is the dwelling of Non-Form Brahma beings and consists of four realms. Non-Form Brahma beings crave the different levels of Arupajhana or Non-Form Absorptions Which lead to rebirth in the Non-Form Sphere. The kind of happiness derived from Arupajhana is far superior to that derived from Rupajhana.

Form and Non-Form Brahma beings are of the understanding that they have escaped from suffering, hence, have attained Nibbana. This misunderstanding causes these beings to be stuck where they are.

2) The Relationship between Tanha and Other Defilements
Tanha belongs to the family of defilements called Lobha or greed. Tanha arises out of the power of craving. Raga arises out of the power of pleasure. Nandi arises out of the power of engrossment. Avijja or ignorance is in turn the root cause of Tanha. Tanha, in turn, gives rise to Dosa or anger. One wants something but does not get it, one becomes frustrated.

3. Dukkhanirodhaariyasac
Dukkhanirodhaariyasac means the extinguishment of all craving. The word “Nirodha” means extinguishment. Therefore, Dukkhanirodhaariyasac means “The sublime truth about the cessation of suffering”. “Nirodha” is another name for Nibbana. In the Commentary, it was written, “Asesaviraganirodho: It is the extinguishment of craving. It is another name for Nibbana. In Nibbana, all Tanha is extinguished.

Therefore, Nibbana means the extinguishment of craving. In Nibbana, Tanha or craving is abandoned, given up, released, and detached.
Nibbana is the place where craving is abandoned, given up, released, and detached. Nibbana is called by many names but all of them mean the same thing …”

http://book.dou.us/dhammakaya-book-en.html

Great Sharing clearly explained.

[Pilgrim]

4 hours ago, LAOLONG said:

Somebody hand that boy a sandwich 🥪 please!

[dwai]

42 minutes ago, Pilgrim said:

Great Sharing clearly explained.

Clearly shows that there is no need to clamor for a rainbow body. Or a need to know “everything”...get rid of the craving and kaboom! — nibbana! 

[Pilgrim]

1 hour ago, dwai said:

Clearly shows that there is no need to clamor for a rainbow body. Or a need to know “everything”...get rid of the craving and kaboom! — nibbana! 

The confusing thing to me is why there are so many different Buddha’s cited?

 

Just what is that anyway religion run wild?

 

Seriously was not THIS THE BUDDHA? 

 

Was this not the one who started Buddhism?

 

Where does all the other Buddha of this and that come from?  Very confusing.

[doc benway]

43 minutes ago, Pilgrim said:

The confusing thing to me is why there are so many different Buddha’s cited?

 

Just what is that anyway religion run wild?

 

Seriously was not THIS THE BUDDHA? 

 

Was this not the one who started Buddhism?

 

Where does all the other Buddha of this and that come from?  Very confusing.

 

It’s actually quite simple, Buddha is awake. All beings are fundamentally Buddha, only their realization is obscured. Many beings awaken in the three times. They manifest in response to the needs of sentient beings.

[Fa Xin]

2 hours ago, steve said:

They manifest in response to the needs of sentient beings.

 

Agreed, and an important point.  Especially in the current times that we live in.  There's always a balance.

[mrpasserby]

6 hours ago, Pilgrim said:

For example, when we look at our self in the mirror and see the obvious signs of the aging process, we do not become overwrought because we realize that our body is merely our temporary home. Moreover, it does not Belong to us.

We each understand different parts of the elephant. I read the verses and came away with: This statement clearly shows that we were given a temporary body so that we could choose weather or not to create within ourselves our own permanent functional spirit body. 

[freeform]

13 hours ago, dwai said:

Clearly shows that there is no need to clamor for a rainbow body. Or a need to know “everything”...get rid of the craving and kaboom! — nibbana! 

 

That wasn’t my interpretation

 

My interpretation was that it’s pointing out the pitfalls along each step of the process... (Not that the processes are unnecessary)... That each new Jhanna has its own ‘draw’, it’s own propensity for craving. This is what my Burmese teachers talk about also. That a taste of awakening can be just as perilous as being stuck in samsara.

 

You have to achieve something to get rid of your craving for it. It’s not a case of deciding ‘I don’t crave anything - so I’m done’. At least not how I’m being taught.

 

Regarding the ‘need to know everything’ - I’m not sure it’s a need - it’s just a side effect of walking the path.

 

“Whoever

Knows one’s own former lives,

Sees both the heavens and states of woe,

Has attained the end of birth, 

Is a sage, perfected in the higher knowledges, 

And has perfected all perfections,

I call him a Brahmin.”

[freeform]

1 minute ago, freeform said:

You have to achieve something to get rid of your craving for it. It’s not a case of deciding ‘I don’t crave anything - so I’m done’. At least not how I’m being taught.

 

You can’t say that someone who’s never had a taste of power is free of the craving for power...

 

You can’t say that someone who’s not yet had a taste of their sexuality is free of sexual craving...

 

Each stage of craving must be overcome as you get to it - so you can move past it to the next stage... continuing your way along the path.

[Miffymog]

9 hours ago, freeform said:

 

That wasn’t my interpretation

 

My interpretation was that it’s pointing out the pitfalls along each step of the process... (Not that the processes are unnecessary)... That each new Jhanna has its own ‘draw’, it’s own propensity for craving. This is what my Burmese teachers talk about also. That a taste of awakening can be just as perilous as being stuck in samsara.

 

You have to achieve something to get rid of your craving for it. It’s not a case of deciding ‘I don’t crave anything - so I’m done’. At least not how I’m being taught.

 

Regarding the ‘need to know everything’ - I’m not sure it’s a need - it’s just a side effect of walking the path.

 

“Whoever

Knows one’s own former lives,

Sees both the heavens and states of woe,

Has attained the end of birth, 

Is a sage, perfected in the higher knowledges, 

And has perfected all perfections,

I call him a Brahmin.”

 

And my interpretation was that maybe the Buddha had reached the jana where he did know everything - so perhaps such people do exist 🙂

[dwai]

everyone who wants to “achieve” something, always argues the same way

 

Happy mother’s day to all. May the Divine Mother light your way 🙏🏾

[Pilgrim]

14 hours ago, steve said:

 

It’s actually quite simple, Buddha is awake. All beings are fundamentally Buddha, only their realization is obscured. Many beings awaken in the three times. They manifest in response to the needs of sentient beings.

Thank you, but not quite what I was asking.

 

Lets see if I can pose the Questions so they are better understood? and ask for assistance with it.

 

@Apech

 

#1. Was Siddhartha From his own realizations the founder of Buddhism? 

 

#2. Did the Buddhist writings start with Siddahartha / Gautama Buddha? 

 

#3. Did all of the Sutras like the Diamond Sutra and the Lotus Sutras come from further deeper knowledge of Siddhartha/ Gautama Buddha? 

 

What DWAI shared is very good and the answer in those writing to the monk I believe say it all when it comes to what is needed.

 

The other sutras appear to me to as an attempt at making more leaves of his tree available.

 

Siddhartha's explanation that the vast content of his knowledge is not helpful.  IE. all the leaves he was not holding in his hand.

 

So Question #4. If as illustrated above was the helpful stuff Siddhartha taught as practical ways and means to Nibbana, where do the sutras fit in did he even teach these things? Are they records of his talks to those who perhaps had achieved Nibbana? And therefore were ready for more?

 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2019 by Pilgrim

[Fa Xin]

Quote

Yampicchamnalabhatitampidukkha

 

Say that ten times fast

[Spotless]

We create dams 

We repair dams

We perfect dams

 

They are the summation of our tensions - karma

 

Grace in a critical mass finds us no longer in these tensions of willfulness 

 

The dams fall away enmasse

 

—

 

The deconstruction of dams in doing is the construction of diverters and or new dams. The construction of Pride - one who knows.

 

—

 

To gain all knowledge is to know nothing.

 

 

 

 

 

[ilumairen]

Just now, Spotless said:

We create dams 

We repair dams

We perfect dams

 

They are the summation of our tensions - karma

 

Grace in a critical mass finds us no longer in these tensions of willfulness 

 

The dams fall away enmasse

 

This actually points towards something I was contemplating while responding to a post in a different thread (your thread, I believe).

 

Someone posed the idea of "detriment" in regard to practice and it led me to consideration of what I called "critical mass"  - the point at which the damn will/ does inevitably break. In this scenario, "detriment" would serve as catalyst. 

 

[Spotless]

The repetition of moving to Self and moving to noise in Practice and “after practice” finds noise both more bearable and less bearable.

 

Dirty dishes sit in piles stashed in futures and pasts - in tensions of what to do and not do.

 

Self is not in this tension

 

Right practice is movement to Self not from tension.

Edited May 12, 2019 by Spotless

[dwai]

1 hour ago, Pilgrim said:

Thank you, but not quite what I was asking.

 

Lets see if I can pose the Questions so they are better understood? and ask for assistance with it.

 

@Apech

 

#1. Was Siddhartha From his own realizations the founder of Buddhism? 

 

#2. Did the Buddhist writings start with Siddahartha / Gautama Buddha? 

 

#3. Did all of the Sutras like the Diamond Sutra and the Lotus Sutras come from further deeper knowledge of Siddhartha/ Gautama Buddha? 

 

What DWAI shared is very good and the answer in those writing to the monk I believe say it all when it comes to what is needed.

 

The other sutras appear to me to as an attempt at making more leaves of his tree available.

 

Siddhartha's explanation that the vast content of his knowledge is not helpful.  IE. all the leaves he was not holding in his hand.

 

So Question #4. If as illustrated above was the helpful stuff Siddhartha taught as practical ways and means to Nibbana, where do the sutras fit in did he even teach these things? Are they records of his talks to those who perhaps had achieved Nibbana? And therefore were ready for more?

 

 

 

The pāli suttas are supposed to be the most literal documentation of the Buddha’s teachings. We have to understand the nuances and subtleties in the words used therein.

 

This is my understanding, so please take with a grain of salt. 

 

There is more than one way to the proverbial mountain top. Some take the route of devotion, others action, yet others take the path of mind and life force control and some take the direct path (in Buddhism it is called Zen). 

 

PS: i would categorize Dzogchen in the Direct Path category too. In Daoist system, Lao Tzu’s methodless method as taught in the daodejing is another one, imho. In the Hindu tradition these are Advaita Vedanta and Kashmir Shaivism (though this tends to be more ornate). 

 

IMHO the direct path is the last stage of the process (which might take several lifetimes even). 

 

The various sutras illustrate the various paths to the top, just as the different “yānas” are categorized similarly.

 

Just like in Vedānta, the Māndukya Upanishad is all one needs for liberation, but if one is not ready yet, other 9 main upanishads should be studied. If those don’t work either, study the remaining 108 Upanishads. If that doesn’t work, more work to be done - do raja yoga, karma yoga. Come back after 5/10/15 years (basically when you are led back to the upanishads) to complete your knowledge. 

 

If these paths don’t suit you, do Bhakti yoga. If one can truly surrender completely, one WILL be liberated. 

Edited May 12, 2019 by dwai

[Pilgrim]

5 hours ago, freeform said:

 

You can’t say that someone who’s never had a taste of power is free of the craving for power...

 

You can’t say that someone who’s not yet had a taste of their sexuality is free of sexual craving...

 

Each stage of craving must be overcome as you get to it - so you can move past it to the next stage... continuing your way along the path.

And how does one do this? 

[Pilgrim]

1 hour ago, Fa Xin said:

 

Say that ten times fast

Sorry it came out like this for me when I tried...

 

Spoiler

 

 

[mrpasserby]

The purpose of Nirvana is same as the ultimate goal of everyone's life. The purpose of Nirvana is the ultimate goal in the path which every living or non living thing is pursuing (knowingly or unknowingly). And that is liberation of the cyclic chakra of birth and death.

 

Nirvana is the end of suffering while you're alive, and the end of rebirth after you die. The Buddha said all forms of life are unsatisfactory because of birth, sickness, and old age; eventually you will end up suffering if your alive.

 

The nirvana-in-life marks the life of a monk who has attained complete release from desire and suffering but still has a body, name and life. The nirvana-after-death, also called nirvana-without-substrate, is the complete cessation of everything, including consciousness and rebirth.

 

So this is saying to me that, 'I suffered 70 of intense training/working struggling, multiple partial deaths, many painful initiations=(functional spirit upgrades), literally *fought my way across the abyss. All the while thinking that I was evolving and creating a comfortable spirit self to live in, while all the time I was just going to go back to be a nothing within the milky ocean from whence I can fourth.' 

*the way of sincerity

[Spotless]

2 minutes ago, mrpasserby said:

The purpose of Nirvana is same as the ultimate goal of everyone's life. The purpose of Nirvana is the ultimate goal in the path which every living or non living thing is pursuing (knowingly or unknowingly). And that is liberation of the cyclic chakra of birth and death.

 

Nirvana is the end of suffering while you're alive, and the end of rebirth after you die. The Buddha said all forms of life are unsatisfactory because of birth, sickness, and old age; eventually you will end up suffering if your alive.

 

The nirvana-in-life marks the life of a monk who has attained complete release from desire and suffering but still has a body, name and life. The nirvana-after-death, also called nirvana-without-substrate, is the complete cessation of everything, including consciousness and rebirth.

 

So this is saying to me that, 'I suffered 70 of intense training/working struggling, multiple partial deaths, many painful initiations=(functional spirit upgrades), literally *fought my way across the abyss. All the while thinking that I was evolving and creating a comfortable spirit self to live in, while all the time I was just going to go back to be a nothing within the milky ocean from whence I can fourth.' 

*the way of sincerity

The constraints of grasping (willfulness), the tyranny of desire to the liberation in Light.

 

Nothingness is Divine Essence - Unencumbered Radiant Light.

 

 

[ilumairen]

5 minutes ago, Spotless said:

The constraints of grasping (willfulness), the tyranny of desire to the liberation in Light.

 

Nothingness is Divine Essence - Unencumbered Radiant Light.

 

 

 

Unencumbered radiant light.. sounds like somethingness.. or emptiness.. but not really nothingness. 

 

I used to use that word - nothingness, but it is soo easily understood in a nihilistic context that I walked away from it.

 

Shine on..

[dwai]

 

15 minutes ago, mrpasserby said:

So this is saying to me that, 'I suffered 70 of intense training/working struggling, multiple partial deaths, many painful initiations=(functional spirit upgrades), literally *fought my way across the abyss. All the while thinking that I was evolving and creating a comfortable spirit self to live in, while all the time I was just going to go back to be a nothing within the milky ocean from whence I can fourth.' 

*the way of sincerity

Just the realization that I was always that milky ocean. Only a name and form called <replace with your current identity> seemed to appear out of it...