In the theravada abidhamma, which I'm studying using Bikkhu Bodhi's excellent translation/commentary of the Abhidhammata Sangaha, there is a section which describes the 5 jhanas (slightly different than the sutta tradition). They are:
- Initial application, sustained application, joy, happiness, one-pointedness
- Sustained application, joy, happiness, one-pointedness
- Joy, happiness, one-pointedness
- Happiness, one-pointedness
- Equanimity, one-pointedness
Note: initial application is sometimes translated directed thought and sustained application as evaluation, but I believe bikkhu bodhi is right to translate it as initial and sustained application (see wikipedia - vitarka-vicara)
As you can see, there is an extra level of detail at jhanas 1 and 2, where initial application fades and sustained application still remains. This got me thinking - what exactly is the difference between the two?
As it turns out, initial application is what's used when you actively turn your mind toward the object, that is when you expend mental energy to focus, as a beginner meditator must do over and over. Sustained application however can exist (as we see in the 2nd jhana) without initial application, it simply glides along on its own momentum. This is that experience of effortless focus where the mind "naturally" adheres to its object.
And this sheds light on why there seems to be a learning curve for samadhi, it's because a beginner makes use of initial application to focus, costing energy, and they have to keep returning to the object of the focus when the mind wanders. But for an experienced meditator, one can go past initial application to sustained application, and enter a much more effortless samadhi.
I hope this post is interesting and helpful to all who study and practice the dhamma.
Tv Ab Kv 18.8 Abhidhamma claims you can not hear sounds in jhฤna, but their logic is fallacious
excerpt:
- The first argument has two parts:
1a.ย hearing sounds is not possible, because you also can not see, smell, touch, taste objects in jhana.
1b. hearing sounds and the mind being singular (focused on jhana factors) would involve two parallel processes, which is impossible, since jhana is singular.
- The second argument is referring to AN 10.72 with sounds being thorns in first jhana. Ab passage claims this is impossible for sound to be a thorn in first jhana, since the other thorns mentioned in AN 10.72, such as vitakka as a thorn for second jhana, would mean it's possible to be in second jhana and peform vitakka (thinking verbally, linguistically).
First, I'll show the Abhidhamma passage, then I'll demonstrate the fallacy of their arguments.
I would prefer that the replies not condemn the Abhidhamma; I am not seeking such here.
I am aware that certain Theravada reformers think it to be spurious and contradicted by the Sutta Pitaka. But I have also read that it is an amazing but difficult to understand collection of works that traditionally occupied the role that Tantras hold in Vajrayanic Buddhism - secret but advanced teachings that only the prepared can fully understand. So, what are your thoughts?
Kฤya is by default rลซpa-kฤya physical body in canonical Abhidhamma Sati-'paแนญแนญhฤna: and supramundane first jhana is done with satipatthana concurrently!
I'm looking for any kind of reference in the time of Buddha where a person has killed or intended to kill another person who has already committed atrocities towards others and plans to continue doing so.
In such a case, what is the Buddha's view (or general view from laws of karma) if you kill someone to stop that someone from hurting many more people? You're killing one individual because of your greater compassion towards the many people whom that individual is going to cause great harm. Will you suffer the same karmic consequence as that individual?
The Buddha taught the Abhidhamma in Tusita Heaven
Lay people study the Abhidhamma as well as monks.
In Rangon your taxi driver or your waiter could know entire swaths of the Patthana by heart. Ledi Sayadaw trained even fishermen and hunter-gatherers to memorize large sections of the Abhidhamma-Pitaka.
The difference between Suttanta and Abhidhamma is that in the Suttanta the Lord Buddha uses conventional language to help people understand Dhamma (sammuti-sacca).
We use sammuti-sacca basically every minute of every day including the majority of communication on this subreddit. There is nothing wrong with it, per se.
The Abhidhamma exists to help us understand paramattha-sacca, which is the ultimate truth of Dhammas. Our universe exists exclusively of Dhammas: citta, cetasika, rupa and Nibanna. This is ultimately all there is and all there ever has been and all there ever will be. This system is deductive and concise. It is pure logic. There is absolutely no contradiction to the Suttanta at all, just a few words that have a more profound meaning.
Does it explain "everything?" This is debatable and ultimately a semantic quibble.
Abhidhamma exists in order that we may overcome false view (miccha ditthi) by seeing ultimate reality (yathabhutanana).
If you do not have a teacher, imho, your best place to begin Abhidhamma studies is The Process of Consciousness and Matter, by Venerable Rewata Dhamma, followed by the Abhidhammathasangaha.
When you know the Abhidhamma the grabastic self-deceivers will never be able to "pee down your kneck and tell you that it is raining" by calling adhamma dhamma and dhamma adhamma.
I have started studying the Abhidhamma by following Bhikkhu Bodhi's "A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma: The Philosophical Psychology of Buddhism". I love the theory so far and have been reading and rereading parts of it.
My question is what practices would you recommend I do to accompany this increase in my theoretical understanding?
All you could ever want to know about the true nature of the universe and the path are available:
Here.
This is a sword to slay Mara with if there ever was one.
Love kryptonite.
It is your religion and it is indestructible.
It was forged in heaven at degrees of heat you could never imagine.
kryptonite then came down through Sariputta and was filtered to us.
If you see a man with different personality types on the weekend and during the weekday and he speaks bad about kryptonite. it is good; we want to have the gem show us who is real and who has wrong view.
The true litmus test between a Theravadan and a Pajama-Buddhist is this.
Some internet "buddhists" claim that the Abhidhamma does not come from the Buddha himself. I know this is the internet and that there are some extremely crazy people on it that can't follow the five precepts but still like to insult Buddhists and the Ariya Sangha.
That being said, lets take a look at Analayo's studies, for example, which contradict the anonymous, internet guys:
>The Sarvฤstivฤda Vinaya goes further. Its account of the first saแน
gฤซti not only mentions the Abhidharma, but even reports that Mahฤkฤลyapa questioned ฤnanda about the place where the Buddha had taught the Abhidharma. ฤnanda replied that the Buddha taught the Abhidharma at ลrฤvastฤซ.17 The teaching given at that time was that breaches of the five precepts are conducive to rebirth in hell,1 where as keeping the five precepts leads to a heavenly rebirth.
>
>...
>
>The Mahฤgopฤlaka-sutta of th Majjhima-nikฤya describes several detrimental qualities of a monk. One of them is that he fails to approach learned monks to improve his own understanding. These learned monks are qualified in the Mahฤgopฤlaka-sutta as bearing in mind the Dharma, the Vinaya, and the mฤtแนikฤ(s).
https://www.buddhismuskunde.uni-hamburg.de/pdf/5-personen/analayo/dawn-abhidharma.pdf
The Suttas mention the recital of the Mathikas. I don't think there is really much more to say on the topic but if any wants to deny the evidence we can talk about it.
And on a side note, whether or not the failure to follow the five precepts leads to a life in hell, but we should all keep the precepts!
Sadhu
Video Material: http://patthana.net/?page_id=78
Charts: http://patthana.net/?page_id=46
>TBSO (USA), as its name suggest, is of the Theravada tradition. Theravada Buddhism is characterized principally by drawing upon the abhidhamma (higher teaching) for its definition and by its promotion of vipassana or insight meditation. The Theravada tradition is usually considered to be composed of three basic components, the abhidhamma, the teaching for monks and nuns and the teaching for lay people. The two teaching components are derived from the abhidhamma. By design the teachings for lay people is the least difficult to study which is what gives it great practical value. The abhidhamma is a detailed description of the inner workings of mind and consciousness, think of it as providing an exploded view of the mind. The complexity of the abhidhamma is beautiful; it is an imposing work and intellectually demanding when studied thoroughly. The main impetus of Vipassana meditation is not necessarily to achieve calm demeanor but, figuratively speaking, to open a window into what can be thought of as another world; a place from which you can know, e.g., that the sufferings, great and small, of the everyday mundane world can be made more tolerable with proper attentiveness.
https://www.tbsousa.org/v11_10/news/default.html
How lucky we all are! Thank you, Venerable Pannobhasa.
Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!
Westerners who first encounter the Abhidhamma, may (in this day an age) wiki it. The first thing that they discover is that there are differences between different sects. Then they are told that it does not come from the Buddha, then they are told that it is exceedingly boring.
What comes next (if one reads it) is the discovery that "rupa" is composed of the 4 primary elements and not the Periodic table. This cannot be true then!
Or so the story goes, more or less for many people.
This is sad because it robs people of the opportunity to learn about an entire third piece of the Tipitika.
The reason why it is misunderstood, is because, as somebody once said - The Map is NOT the Territory!
If you were a treasure hunter, would you want to memorize a map so that another pirate would go off and get to enjoy all of the treasure that you guided him to?
Therefore, the Abhidhamma should be practiced and learnt in tandem with meditation. That is the sole reason to learn the Abhidhamma. If you learn it without meditating, you are not getting the purpose of the Abhidhamma.
