The Science of Thinking

The Watercooler
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Thanks! I really like this one. I Immediately start wondering if there is some way to use this information to improve my meditation. Maybe not, since meditation is not thinking. However koans come to mind.

Very important to get Drew to take a look at what Gun is doing on the sila and generosity fronts ā€¦

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Thatā€™s a good start!

I hint that a serious beginner would firstly make sure to get Gun to know what to prioritize (as per MN19) - i.e. renunciation, non-ill will / friendliness, non-cruelty / compassion.

In parallel, it is also worth getting both Gun and Drew to acknowledge that - as per MN20 - there will be a point in which they will be more than welcome to go on holidays. Thatā€™s when things will have a chance to get sorted on their own and naturally, and who knows, suffering will finally be ended! :slight_smile:

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Thank you, @Gabriel_L! That video makes a great argument for learning Pali! Apparently, the difficulty of such an undertaking would force my mind into a better comprehension of the Lord Buddhaā€™s teachings. Perhaps that is why the venerable Ajahns, such as Brahm, Brahmali and Sujato are so accomplished in understanding of the EBTs, I mean, aside from their monastic dedication, of course!

:anjal:

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I think this is why the Buddha made his monks memorise the suttas. They would have had to make connections with what they already knew to remember it.

I wonder if this would work if we had to memorise a sutta with an area of the path we have difficulty with!

With metta

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@Mat, that is an excellent point, my friend! That could very well prove to be a most fruitful endeavor on the path!

:anjal:

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I like to read and talk (easy) about Dhamma more than practicing (hard) it.
But I found I learned more by practicing.
The knowledge I gain by reading confirms what I learned by practicing.

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Not only memorize but as well examine and let that shape oneā€™s development of the path as the training progresses through the elements of higher virtue, higher mind and higher wisdom.

I was going through the origin story of the Nissaggiya Pacittiya rule #17 earlier today and found an interesting alternative description of a five-fold ā€œcurriculumā€ - apparently expected to be followed by those joining the early sangha - which consisted of i) recitation (uddesaį¹ƒ), ii) questioning (paripucchaį¹ƒ), iii) higher morality (adhisÄ«laį¹ƒ), iv) higher mind (adhicittaį¹ƒ), and v) higher wisdom (adhipaƱƱaį¹ƒ).

Interestingly, I could not find a reference to his five-fold curriculum in the suttas. While we see in suttas like AN3.89 a threefold training (tisso sikkhā) - training in higher morality (adhisÄ«laį¹ƒ), higher mind (adhicittaį¹ƒ) and higher wisdom (adhipaƱƱaį¹ƒ) - no explicit or implicit reference is there made to the important steps of recitation (uddesaį¹ƒ) and questioning (paripucchaį¹ƒ).