I think you meant AN 3.101 and not 3.10. Great vid otherwise!

Thank you very much! I agree with your wise words! The way I see it one of the most sophisticated forms of ignorance that most of us entertain is idealism. We distract ourselves away from the path of true awareness while looking for ideal solutions and principles elsewhere. Instead of trusting our inherent ability to cut through ignorance through the wisdom of awareness we cloud our judgment with fabricated ideas of various forms of idealism. We seek for answers, here and there. Never really being completely satisfied with what we find. Moreover, we notice so many others doing the same thing, but coming up with different idealistic proposals. At the end every one of us seems to be non-the-wiser. Instead the levels of conflict seems to be on the rise every time ideological interests collide. Is that a sign that ideology and idealism is working well for us? For me the path of the Buddha is the only spiritual tradition that I see address this deeply ingrained obstruction head-on. If we understand the deep implications of the principles in the teachings we also know why idealism cannot be the answer to our questions. Not even sunyata can be idolised. If it is it will become unusable for us. Sure, it is completely understandable that we bring in a level of idolisation of the Buddha when we are rather new to the dharma. But that needs to be addressed along our continuous path towards liberation and enlightenment. Not even enlightenment or Buddhahood can be viewed as ideal states. As long as we think that way liberation will be out of reach for us. The point is that idealism is firmly rooted in the primitive thought-system of eternally existing principles and phenomena with self existing properties. But according to Prajnaparamita Sutra no such things or phenomena truly exists. Not even enlightenment nor the Buddha should be viewed as truly existing entities or even principles. No other spiritual tradition dare describe reality this way and thus lack the means to actually lead their followers outside the mind-frame of samsara. Idealism is storytelling. Buddha Dharma is liberation. It’s that simple! Then of cause we have the nihilist that usually claims that nothing matters and we might as well enjoy the ride as long as it lasts. Nothing more to it, for them. But you see, that’s just another form of idealism, escapism. The Buddha clearly pointed out the flaws of that outlook in the teachings of the Four Noble Truths. The path of the Buddha Dharma is called the Middle Way and is the path that steers clear of both extremes of idealism and nihilism. Both are idealism on deeper inspection but are distinguishable in these two superficial ways.

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Thank you so much. 🙏

Thank you Sir.🧐

7:15 so true. I’ve been trying to reduce my wants and focus only on my needs, but then will catch myself doing something unnecessary (eg. tidying up when place is clean enough) without realising I had just caved to the desire for distraction.

Great video as always, but I was confused on one thing. If right view in Buddhism is understanding that there is no “self”, then how can we be free from avijja if we still believe our suffering originates from a self? Is it more that our suffering originates from our wrong view that we are individuals or is acknowledging the self a part of the path of insight?

@TheDhammaHub

9 күн бұрын

The Right View is the understanding of what is necessary to escape suffering in a "confirmed way". We do not understand that there is no self - we understand self as a "conditioned phenomena". We understand that if there is ignorance, there is also self. if there is no ignorance, there is no self. If there is a bit of ignorance, there is a bit of self! But this is besides the point, what really matters is how to escape suffering. Non-self is just a "necessary step" to get there!

Would an accurate metaphor for the practice be like going to rehab, except for EVERYTHING instead of just the one substance? Going through withdrawal until there is no craving left, no matter how long it takes. Or is that too simplified?

@TheDhammaHub

9 күн бұрын

Absolutely! There is a bit more to it but "overcoming sensuality" is exactly like that. But the Dhamma is even a bit more than that but you needs that ""rehab" before you can understand the Dhamma

Thank you for this! Serves as great motivation to keep training 🙏🏻

Thank you for making these videos!!!

Thank you. I have this strong habit of active distraction with my body and mind which I am becoming aware of with the help of others pointing this out. Wanted some clarity on the end of video in which you were describing process of gold purification 3 stages. You mentioned the first 2 stages in which gross material is cleared and then finally the 3rd stage is where samadhi can take place, which to me is where I would be able to meditate with a still mind. What would I engage in for the first 2 steps before meditation to purify out the more gross aspects?

@TheDhammaHub

9 күн бұрын

You could search for the "purifying gold" simile from the Buddha" Should be easy to find but cannot look it up from work rn!

I'm an atheist who wants to live a life that the Buddha would find exemplary. You seem to be convinced that literal rebirth is a reality. Because I don't believe in rebirth, do you think I'm excluded from reaching the state of an arahant before I die?

@TheDhammaHub

20 сағат бұрын

I would suggest to simply postpone your disbelief and cast it aside^^ While the descriptions of the Buddha on rebirth might not make sense right now, they very likely _will_ start making sense if you train according to what he taught otherwise. In any case, as long as you put in the necessary work, you will reap the respective results. It would only be a problem if your believes on rebirth hinder you from putting in the work but I doubt that that is the case.

Again some very good thoughts and a lot of misinterpretation and sutta cherry picking. The 8-ful path is not a sequence, it is a system whoch should be practiced all together. Samdhi is not the cumulation of other practices. Samdahi is absorbtion through anapanasati (AN 4.117-122)(MN 136)(MN 136). Mindfulness/Sati means rembering and is explained in ( (MN 10). It means knowing what you do, when you do it - not rembering the instructions. This makes much more sense, regarding the practice and the suttas. Avijja then is "not knowing what your doing when your doing it". Mind is doing one thing at a time and becomes the concioness it follows. By that it is constantly absorbed into this and that - seeing, hearing, thinking. Sati adds a layer to that stops the mind from being constatly moved by reality. This is not a later interpretation, but a direct practice following from MN 10.

@TheDhammaHub

8 күн бұрын

I have no claimed anywhere that the path is a sequence - quite the contrary, I say time and time again that the Path has to be _cultivated_ as a whole. What I say is that it has a clear start (MN 117) and a clear destination (e.g. MN44). I could throw a number of Suttas at you where it is portrayed exactly like that but I doubt that that would convince you xD What you describe as the practice of mindfulness would be one specific type of remembering something. However, remembering is _not_ confined to a specific task, it is always "memory of X". Mindfulness of death, means "remembering that you might die any moment". Mindfulness of the body would be remembering of dependent origination "through the body". Same for the other countless "types" of mindfulness the Buddha mentioned in the Suttas. There is this type of remembering that the body is doing X while you remember it in the present moment. But why would you say that _exactly this_ is the right kind when countless Suttas mention various different other ways to remember the Dhamma? In a sense, this would be a remembering of the unownability of the body but why would that negate e.g. mindfulness of feelings as a legit vehicle that the Suttas mention nearly as often? How would "not knowing what you are doing while you are doing it" free you from suffering? What would be the liberating aspect of that? Understanding _Right_ mindfulness as "remembering the 4 Noble Truths that one has understood and seen for oneself" clearly _has to_ lead to liberation. But without that connection to craving, suffering, and the Path, any type of mindfulness practice would be incomplete. I am still waiting for an explanation of that cherry-picking that you accuse me of all the time xD Name me a Sutta at random and I can tell you exactly how this understanding of the Dhamma matches to it. It is the opposite of cherry-picking if an interpretation applies basically everywhere^^

@metamurk

8 күн бұрын

Cherry picking is to assemble a "meditation system" without absorbtion concentration out of suttas although there are tons of hints. in the mentioned suttas, especially anapanasati - which is the practice of the early disciples.

@TheDhammaHub

8 күн бұрын

@@metamurk So what you essentially say is "cherry-picking" would be anything that does not align with your way of understanding the Suttas message on absorption?^^ I am sure that you are aware that the Buddha only really started teaching "mindfulness of breathing" after many years as a teacher having already gathered Hundreds if not Thousands of Arahants? In that sense, this kind of practice could not really be as essential as you make it to be. Unless ofc you deny the authenticity of the Suttas that _introduce_ the practice of Anapanasati. According to the Suttas, the Buddha has taught e.g. mindfulness of death and other practices till then as the main vehicle that obviously worked. What puzzles me is that you likely haven't practiced the "style" of practice I describe here while I _have_ practiced absorption style meditation quite "successfully" for years and found them to be a dead end _after_ trying for a long time. After all this time and practice I still could not say with 100% confidence that I would be at ease when confronted with extreme kinds of suffering like "highway robbers sawing you apart limb by limb with a dull saw". That is the reason why I changed my practice in a way that works even in such extreme circumstances. You seem to judge what is presented here on the channel _without_ this kind of experience as a basis for your judgement.

@metamurk

8 күн бұрын

@@TheDhammaHub No- i say you cherry pick because you cherry pick. You pick certain suttas or part of suttas to substantiate an unorthodox interpretation while don't mention other suttas which goes in the other direction - namely that the early disciples practiced concentration on breath as their main practice for several years. And that their is a lot of joy and that this is quite legit. For me that is the exact definition of cherry picking.

@metamurk

8 күн бұрын

@@TheDhammaHub I judge that because I don't see any "meditation practice" at all. Just prereqesites. You tell what is wrong, what is wrong witth "modern" meditation, but not how to practice "according to the suttas". If their would be an alternative. And on the other hand, what you are saying is simply not true - absorbtion, rightly done with some rightly done vipassana in vishudimaggi style - leads to the higher states. I have seen that, my teachers have seen that. Step by step.