I’m wondering about something, which might be a little far fetched. Dawned to me last night.
The suttas beyond doubt. show a huge influence of beliefs (views) in states of future existence combined with mental states and meditative states.
Even the neither/nor state is related to a state of future existence, and those who do not experience full release in this life after cessation are said to end up in some heavenly abode.
Now if we draw this further, we might (perhaps) come to the conclusion that the Hindu Moksha and cessation are easily grasped as the same thing, yet the Buddha pointed out that even the cessation meditative experience is conditioned and impermanent (we agree on that). With that whatever future state will be achieved it’s based on conditions and once those conditions run out (just as fire runs out of fuel) it can’t sustain.
This, seen the right way, opens another escape, being disenchantment and dispassion for any future existence.
At the same time the cessation experience shows something else: when “the all” comes to an end there is peace, the ultimate bliss. This removes fear of non-existence right at that point, since it’s know that peace is achieved right there at parinibbana.
I am aware that this leaves some open questions on self/non-self.
I consider that we agree that the aggregates are subject to change, stressful and non-self.
I also consider that we agree that after the death of an arahant there is no continued existence (contrary to the view of vens. Thanissaro and Maha Bua.
I am also aware that without the aggregates it’s impossible to point to a self (as the Buddha has shown in a couple of examples).
Yet to state that there is a definite answer to the self/no-self question - without creating stress due to wrong view, I’m not sure that’s correct.
Or perhaps, to put it different, someone beyond stream entry knows the answer, yet the question will to arise in such a person anymore.
Or am I stretching things too much here?
[edit] bringing the discussion on ven Maha Bua’s teaching to the spin-off.