I want to see what's actually there..how?

OK so, keep the precepts, meditate, learn the dhamma. So, that’s not the answer I’m looking for right now.

Lets say there is a man or a woman who lives life believing that the five hinderences don’t confuse one’s perception but they do (that’s my conviction).

So the Buddha (or another teacher) comes along and makes the blind man or woman see that the world is full of magic, incredibly badly behaved Individuals, so for the good, so for the neutral: a veritable cesspit of nature.

Someone sees a top hat and when they look again its a baseball cap. Their perception won’t allow him to see what’s actually there because their brain will not stop filtering. Pretty please provide some suttas, advice or shortcuts for a fool. Thank you :sweat_smile:

No need to think so much. When you’re breathing in, just know “I’m breathing in” and when you’re breathing out, just know “I’m breathing out.” In that way you see what’s actually there. :grin:

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Then after you’re developed in your one-pointedness of mind, watch the five aggregates:

Rupa or form: the sensation of air, felt at the skin of the nostrils.
Vedana or Feeling: notice pleasantness, unpleasantness or neutral feelings, of the ‘breath’.
Sanna or Perception: identifying thought, of inhalation or exhalation, or one of the five hindrances
Sankhara or mental fabrications: intentions - to observe a certain aspect of phenomena, intention to inhale/exhale (voluntarily…), more complex mental fabrications (thought, emotions, etc).
Vinnana/consciousness, referring to the multiple consciousnesses that arise at each of the six sense doors, one after the next! This would be consciousness of breathing, but specifically at the skin door.

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…monks develop concentration, (for one whose mind is concentrated) knows things as they truly are…

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In my experience, and no, I’m not claiming any “attainments,” it happens by itself. You’re actually seeing reality right now, but your pesky brain is conceptualizing it. Sometimes that conceptualizing will stop of its own accord. Trying to make it happen won’t make it happen.

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On a totally unrelated topic @yodha @sujato @Brahmali. If this is a road to power, do I need to cultivate perception to fade away? Right view yeah, but?

Is it ot ask about time dilation?

That’s a bit deep venerable. Without chit chat do you have anything for someone who can’t “concentrate” but sees a mirrage of things as the May bee, have been or should be?

Re reading your post helped. A snip of this, then a snap of that, just as my brain filtered it.

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Lol we’ll do your mean that ‘your thinking’ is always proliferating about the maybees or could bees of the past and future? I find graphic imagery better than just conceptually thinking of things like death and dukkha, I have a lot of asubha images than can often help flip the perception from one of being interested to being…mortified! Let us know if you’re interested

I notice you dispensed with the chit chat in your first reply. Asubha… Well I might have to pass for now and yes the proliferation got pretty bad last night. I wish I had a question bhante.

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You’re doing fine. Just breathe! You’ll be ok

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That’s always the way to go. Thanks Bhante @Khemarato.bhikkhu for reminding us. If my mind starts getting busy, bringing it back to the in and the out breaths is every time the best support. Even at the times when it’s hard and it’s like reaching for a swinging rope it’s still the best way to start calming the mind. :smile:

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If I understand you correctly @Vattha you want to experience something different than regular daily living so that your faith may be verified.

This is something that I’ve myself worked hard towards for a long time, over a decade.

The conclusion I’ve come to through my own experience is that two variables or “doors” must be met or “unlocked” no matter what, and without unlocking these two doors at the same time, you will not be able to see this life changing experience.

What are they?

  1. Seclusion from unwholesome states
  2. Seclusion from sensual desire

In order to meet the first requirement, you need to develop the virtue training (Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood), specifically Right Thought. The best way to do this is Brahma Vihara meditation or this guide by Ven Gavesako based on the suttas:

Then once that is done, you need to develop one pointedness which requires overcoming the 5 hindrances.

For this, you need to be mindful of your biggest sensual desires and slowly peg them down over time, there are several exercises for that like 32 parts of the body, and more as explained in the kayagatasati sutta, even culasunnata sutta gets rid of desire to travel. The two largest sensual desires seem to be sex and food for most people.

Then after doing that (overcoming and unlocking the two doors), you will attain an experience you haven’t experienced before. Although, I must note this isn’t enough for a permanent (relatively) attainment like stream entry, which requires Right View to be developed first. But since you just want a new experience to verify your faith, then you could start with what I’ve provided.

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Also @Vattha for your inspiration, here is a story from the Ghandaran fragments regarding the same information

“Once I was an ascetic living in the wilderness. As I entered a village to seek alms, I saw a woman’s corpse, bloated and discolored. I sat down next to it and examined it closely. With total focus and concentration, I contemplated its repulsiveness. Then, even as I was sitting there, its stomach burst open. Hearing that dreadful noise, my concentration was broken. I saw clots of blood and heaps of excrement in its stomach, oozing all around, filthy and revolting, and the small and large intestines, the kidneys, heart, and stomach were being eaten by hundreds of maggots.

“Then I [concentrated] my mind again. While staring at the body outside me, I visualized it as my own: ‘That body is really just like mine, and mine is really just like it: putrid on the inside, filthy, completely disgusting.’

“Then I arose and went back to my ashram. I stopped seeking alms and ate no food. When I finally entered a village to get something to eat, I saw attractive women there, but I cultivated the same perception: ‘All physical bodies are like that corpse: putrid on the inside, filthy, completely disgusting.’ As I meditated in this way, I was freed from passions and fully developed the four infinite sublime states.

“After I died and passed on from that life, I was destined for the Brahma heaven. After passing from the Brahma heaven, I was born in the city of Vārāṇasī. There, as the only son of a rich merchant, I was wealthy, spoiled, handsome, comfortable, popular, and dear to my family. I became extremely rich. But once as I was lying in bed at night after amusing myself all day, I woke with a start and saw my women lying all around me. They were [resting their heads] on their drums, tambourines, and lutes. They were splayed out, fast asleep with their hair all disheveled, snoring and mumbling in their sleep. The beneficial effect from the past manifested itself, and I created a mental image of my chambers as a repulsive cemetery. Then in a panic I cried out: ‘Help me, please! I am besieged, threatened from all sides!’ I leaped out of bed and fled from my palace, and the compassionate gods opened the gate for me. Departing from the city, I came to the bank of a river, and there I saw an ascetic walking around on the other side. I cried out to him these words, which were few but which would have such great effect: ‘Help me, please! I am besieged, threatened from all sides.’

Then the Tathāgata addressed me with words of deathless nectar: ‘Fear not, young man; come here, I am your rescuer.’ At that very instant, I was freed from passions. I cast off my jeweled sandals and swam to the other shore, approaching the compassionate one, the unrivaled Master. Then the compassionate Master, understanding that I was thirsty, taught me the sweet Dharma that reveals the four noble truths.

“Venerable sirs, I saw the Dharma and asked the sage to initiate me, and in his compassionate mercy, Gautama did so. Then at the end of that very night, just as the sun arose, all of my afflictions were eliminated; I was calmed and cooled.”

Thus did Yaśas, a monk and disciple of the Buddha, a master of supernatural powers, explain his own karma on the great Lake Anavatapta.

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Mind sharing the source? I’m curious about this text.

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“The Songs of Lake Anavatapta” Gadharan scroll, British Library which I think is an Apadāna parallel.

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