Thursday, June 30, 2005

What is the Heart, metaphorically speaking?

Q: What is the Heart, metaphorically speaking?

A: Subjectivity, while the Citta doesn't know.

Aasavas - Outflows - Proliferation.

Aasavas - Outflows - Proliferation.


The Citta doesn't realise that it is constantly generating an output stream of
proliferating thoughts, triggered by & in turn triggering off memories, so as to
maintain a perception of what it believes it's true self to be.


This outflow can be seen as four sub groups of proliferation, each of which
maintains or establishes a sense of identity of it's own.


The Proliferation of Views is probably the easiest to understand in this
context. Views & opinions being very strong forms of identity & attachment,
anything from politics to cooking recipes.


The other three being perhaps a little more subtle. First, lets take the most
basic form from which the others arise, namely Delusion. This is characterised
by a dullness, no doubt caused by the dissipative wear & tear of the other three types of Proliferation. The Citta, unknowingly, then jumps to the wrong conclusion & assumes this dullness to be a basic quality of itself & promptly identifies with it. Thus, in turn, becoming the cause for the other three types.


The Aasava of Becoming is often misleadingly given a philosophical
interpretation. But in fact is a real motivating force in it's own right. Nothing
less than the compulsive desire for existence and the corresponding terror of
annihilation.


Lastly, but by no means least, the Aasava of Sense Desires. This essentially includes every thing that impinges on the six sense bases. But it's most important and powerful form is the drive for sexual procreation: the topic of a whole article on its own.

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Friday, June 24, 2005

The Citta is always here & now

The Citta is always here & now

At the dissolution of the body, the Citta does not travel through Space/Time searching for a new rebirth that will match it's last moment of consciousness in the Kandhas.

What happens instead is that the appropriate rebirth arises within the Citta, in accordance with the last state of consciousness within the Kandhas of the
previous life.

Friday, June 17, 2005

I think, therefore I am . . .

I think, therefore I am a jump to a conclusion, a proliferation of assumptions, a stream of subjective feelings, a lack of awareness of any of this.
I think, therefore I am aware of this, an objective fading observation.
I think, therefore I am . . .

But who is it that knows?

How far can I go with this practice?

Q: How far can I go with this practice?
A: A bit further each time you return to it!

Got a block? Keep going back to it!

Monday, June 13, 2005

Kamma & Rebirth

Kamma & Rebirth
K = habits > compulsions > obsessions; accumulating tendencies.
Starts off as a successful solution to a real problem: ends up as a rebirth
conditioning factor. A jumped to conclusion & resulting assumptions (unspoken & unquestioned) proliferating all the while, both for good & bad actions.

Rising to the occasion

Rising to the Occasion.

A very general principle in Buddhism is Dependant Origination.

On the night of his Enlightenment the Buddha investigated a variation of the
formal Dependant Origination formula in which Consciousness doubled back on
itself from Avija ignorance/delusion. (See Nyanamoli's "Life of the Buddha").

He saw that these two factors where mutually suportive or conditioning. His
breakthrough was just in this simple realisation, this was the factor of Wisdom, previously missing, but now resulting in the total release from the Kammic predicament: it meant the end of Avija & the World as we know it.

Bava=becoming; accumulating tendencies; the room or environment

Kilesas arise in the heart according to the state of the heart, & in turn
condition the following state of the heart, having arisen therein. Hence the
concepts of Anicca & Kammic accumulations as well as the difficulty of breaking free of delusion & the need for Kammic windows of opportunity in doing this.

Kammic windows of opportunity arise when Kilesas are temporarily
dormant. This can be after emerging/withdrawing from Jhana or in the small
hours of the night after awakening bright & alert from a deep refreshing
sleep. Investigating dhammas at such times can be very useful
This is also handy for the Samana because, for example lust/cupidity & greed
conditions in general, he can intentionally bring up hatred for that condition.
Thereby changing the state of the heart to a condition which is completely
hostile to any greed type Kilesas: though at the same time, cultivating unskillful states due to an implied 'self view', necessary for any hatred to arise.
However, since this is done consciously, the Samana can cease the effort as soon as the desired result has been obtained.

Thus, for Greed types, hatred can be a powerful precision-tool, though for
Hate types, such a strategy would be disastrous, these people need to develop
Metta.

Special Delivery

Special Delivery
Dhamma is such a powerful force on the heart that the motive behind it's
propagation has to be utterly pure. If the expounding Samana is an Arahant then there is no problem. But if he is less than that then his motive must be totally free of any Kilesa based self referencing. Even teaching for the benefit of the listener is not pure enough. The only motive that will work is the honest desire to further develop the Samana's own practice in some way. He has to identify an opportunity and go for it.

Saturday, June 11, 2005

Subjectivity,Proliferation and Wrong conclusions

Subjectivity > Proliferation > Wrong conclusions & assumptions
Proliferation > Subjectivity > Wrong conclusions & assumptions
Objectivity > Anicca > Right conclusions & assumptions
Anicca > Objectivity > Right conclusions & assumptions
Wrong conclusions & assumptions includes the view that the self is a detached observer.
Right conclusions & assumptions includes everything above.