On Knowledge and Belief

Fascinating concept. What would THAT look like? Long ago I lost my mind, and couldn’t find it any place. I assume the fact that I went looking for it meant that I was not quite ready to abandon it. Hmmmm :thinking::face_with_raised_eyebrow::neutral_face::smirk:

I am pretty sure this is an advanced instruction in the Buddhas gradual method of training. It might be like putting some one in the pilots seat of an aeroplane and telling him fly,fly ,fly. :smile:

But here this sutta might be heartening.

For a person endowed with virtue, consummate in virtue, there is no need for an act of will, ‘May freedom from remorse arise in me.’ It is in the nature of things that freedom from remorse arises in a person endowed with virtue, consummate in virtue.

“For a person free from remorse, there is no need for an act of will, ‘May joy arise in me.’ It is in the nature of things that joy arises in a person free from remorse.

“For a joyful person, there is no need for an act of will, ‘May rapture arise in me.’ It is in the nature of things that rapture arises in a joyful person.

“For a rapturous person, there is no need for an act of will, ‘May my body be serene.’ It is in the nature of things that a rapturous person grows serene in body.

“For a person serene in body, there is no need for an act of will, ‘May I experience pleasure.’ It is in the nature of things that a person serene in body experiences pleasure.

“For a person experiencing pleasure, there is no need for an act of will, ‘May my mind grow concentrated.’ It is in the nature of things that the mind of a person experiencing pleasure grows concentrated.

“For a person whose mind is concentrated, there is no need for an act of will, ‘May I know & see things as they actually are.’ It is in the nature of things that a person whose mind is concentrated knows & sees things as they actually are.

“For a person who knows & sees things as they actually are, there is no need for an act of will, ‘May I feel disenchantment.’ It is in the nature of things that a person who knows & sees things as they actually are feels disenchantment.

“For a person who feels disenchantment, there is no need for an act of will, ‘May I grow dispassionate.’ It is in the nature of things that a person who feels disenchantment grows dispassionate.

“For a dispassionate person, there is no need for an act of will, ‘May I realize the knowledge & vision of release.’ It is in the nature of things that a dispassionate person realizes the knowledge & vision of release.

“In this way, dispassion has knowledge & vision of release as its purpose, knowledge & vision of release as its reward. Disenchantment has dispassion as its purpose, dispassion as its reward. Knowledge & vision of things as they actually are has disenchantment as its purpose, disenchantment as its reward. Concentration has knowledge & vision of things as they actually are as its purpose, knowledge & vision of things as they actually are as its reward. Pleasure has concentration as its purpose, concentration as its reward. Serenity has pleasure as its purpose, pleasure as its reward. Rapture has serenity as its purpose, serenity as its reward. Joy has rapture as its purpose, rapture as its reward. Freedom from remorse has joy as its purpose, joy as its reward. Skillful virtues have freedom from remorse as their purpose, freedom from remorse as their reward.

“In this way, mental qualities lead on to mental qualities, mental qualities bring mental qualities to their consummation, for the sake of going from the near to the Further Shore.”
AN11.2

I read a sutta on how different factors of the Noble eightfold path helps grow each other. Some of the development is unconscious.

This is about attachment to being conscious AFAIK. It’s useful to think what an Arahant can and cannot do in such questions.

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Supramundane knowledge is understanding of phenomena (aggregates, sense bases, etc) which make up mundane experiences like experiencing a tree, lake or waterfall. It doesn’t mean special as from a supramundane sense nothing’s special. But in terms of mundane values it is special.

Supramundane knowledge is developed in two ways, using 1) wise reflection 2) voice of the Buddha or his main disciples 3) vipassana (‘knowledge as it really is’). Vipassana is direct experience of phenomena. All require the underlying factors of enlightenment at play during realisation.

The hang-gliding course I did was pretty much like that. :yum:

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Ahhhh, thank you. If that is the case, I am stiil sitting on the ground in the cockpit staring at the altimeter with…disenchantment?
Sometimes, when I am here in my Sangha with the combined wisdom available, I feel as if I am wandering blindly down a dark passageway without direction and I stumble into a brightly lit room full of monks.

So as I understand Buddhism, an individual is born into material existence with a passion to live. And by maturing spiritually must learn, then acknowledge that it is this very passion to live which causes suffering, and that Buddha described a path to the cessation of suffering. Yet, the act of craving , whether it is chocolate cake…or enlightenment, is to continue one’s suffering.

I have COPD, asthma, and breathing is often difficult for me. During those moments when breathing is the only thing that matters, I try to imagine how it is possible to be dispassionate about this process of respiration so inherent in the joy of living. For the simple act of having restricted oxygen changes the way I feel about living.

I have memorized a story, which may be apocryphal:
A wandering nun, perhaps named Rosie, heard that there was a wise monk meditating in a cave-of course!-at the top of a mountain who could perhaps whisper the secret to enlightenment.
So Rosie the Nun after many days of arduous climbing reached the monk at the top of the mountain.

“Oh dear monk, Rosie asked breathlessly, I have come to learn the secret to enlightenment. Won’t you please share it with me?”

After a certain time in deliberation, the wise old monk said,
" Sure, follow me!" And the monk began the long slow descent down the mountain. Somewhat perplexed, yet still passionate about finding enlightenment, Rosie followed.

After a long trip to the bottom this unusual couple found themselves thirsty at the edge of a lovely spring. The monk said, “Please…you first”.
So Rosie bent down to sip some cool clear water, and as she did so the monk put his hand on the the back of her head and shoved it into the water. After an interminable minute of thrashing about in fear of her life, the monk released her head and she came up for air.

More than a tad miffed, not to mention angered by the monk’s actions, Rosie blurted out “What the heck, you…darn monk. I came to you for the key to enlightenment, and you try to drown me? What is…how is that enlightenment?”

The old monk smiled and said " When you were under water and thrashing about, what was the one thing you wanted more than anything in the world?"

“Why…to breathe of course!” said Rosie.

“Ah”, the monk smiled. “You have found the key.”

My gratitude is is profound. I stand on the shoulders of giants. W/Metta

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Initially it would be as one has never experienced it before, yet, it is a requirement for there to be a change of linkage.
it is a reality…once comprehended…it is permanent…the origination.

Mere words only points. The result is the objective.

Thank you for clarification. Your words lead me to a deeper place. Thank You!

Maybe this one? Titlepage | Into the Stream

Allllrighty then. I didn’t know. But I do now. Thank you!

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When you have the time! It’s rather lengthy but its all the basic teachings concentrated.

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I will be reading that for a long time. There is so much that I do not know, but from which I eagerly drink like a women wandering through a parched desert trying to ignore the shimmering oasis which distracts me. I am grateful for every morsel of knowledge, and all the people who assist me on my path. With Metta, Friend

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