I think it would be timely if it fits well into the conversation and adds positively to it.
Probably by avoiding demeaning or denegrating some one else’s post and choosing your words mindfully with regards to being constructive.
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When my mind had become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, spotless, rid of taints, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—I extended it toward recollection of past lives. I recollected many kinds of past lives.
Thank you. these are the excerpts for non-returners
Leaving aside Master Gotama, the monks, and the nuns, is there even a single layman disciple of Master Gotama—white-clothed and celibate—who, with the ending of the five lower fetters, is reborn spontaneously, to be extinguished there, not liable to return from that world?” “There are not just one hundred such celibate laymen who are my disciples, Vaccha, or two or three or four or five hundred, but many more than that
Leaving aside Master Gotama, the monks, the nuns, the celibate laymen, and the laymen enjoying sensual pleasures, is there even a single laywoman disciple of Master Gotama—white-clothed and celibate—who, with the ending of the five lower fetters, is reborn spontaneously, to be extinguished there, not liable to return from that world?” “There are not just one hundred such celibate laywomen who are my disciples, Vaccha, or two or three or four or five hundred, but many more than that
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Do you read this as meaning recollection of past lives is the object of Samadhi/Jhana?
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They are MN 73/SA 964/SA2 198.
There is also MN 71. Even though this discourse has no known parallels, Venerable Analayo does have a note regarding it:
Warder 1970/1991: 137 comments that “we ought probably to admit this sūtra as an authentic part of the earliest Tripitaka, but likely to have been suppressed by most Buddhists of later times as offensive to their traditions of the greatness of their teacher”; a brief survey of MN 71 can be found in Anālayo 2008g.
In MN 26/MA 204, the Buddha himself also has to go forth in order to realise perfection in this very life. If the Buddha himself couldn’t realise perfection in this very life without leaving the lay life behind, why does any of his lay follower think that they can?
I disagree. There's no account of a layperson realising perfection in this very life in the early discourses.
Bahiya in Ud 1.10 isn’t counted since he is an ascetic.
The case of Venerable Yasa also doesn’t hold. While the Theravada Vinaya’s Mahakhandaka and Mahisasaka Vinaya’s Pabbajjakhandhaka agree with each other that Venerable Yasa realises perfection before going forth, that’s not the case for the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya’s Pabbajjakhandhaka at all. The Dharmaguptaka version says that the layman Yasa realises stream-entry before going forth; not long after going forth, Venerable Yasa realises perfection.
Considering that the Dharmaguptaka, Mahisasaka, and Theravada schools are usually doctrinally and texually close to one another, especially the Dharmaguptaka and Theravada (this is especially clear by the comparison between the Gandhari Samyukta Agamas of the Senior Collection, which most likely belong to the Dharmaguptaka school, and the Samyutta Nikayas of the Theravada school where it is shown that among all the extant Samyukta Agamas, they are the closest to each other), it is significant that the Dharmaguptaka version departs from both the Mahisasaka and Theravada’s versions regarding Venerable Yasa’s awakening.
Combining the above information with the fact that the majority of the early discourses point to the direction that perfection in this very life can only be realised by those who have gone forth, it is most likely that the Mahisasaka and Theravada Vinayas’ reciters misplace the event of Venerable Yasa’s ordination.
As for what @amimettalove asked; for serenity, I recommend the holy abodes (Brahmavihara) according to AN 10.219/MA 15. I reckon that a heart full of love, compassion, rejoicing, and equanimity will only lead you further on the noble path. As for discernment, I recommend the ten perceptions according to AN 10.56/EA 46.9. When these ten perceptions are cultivated, they lead you to awakening/extinguishment/deathless. “Perceptions” here mean the things that you should contemplate, or meditate on.
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Friendly reminder, afaik D&D is not intended to be a place to discuss, advocate, promote, push for or criticize different practical approaches to what we find in EBTs.
A better way to approach the topic may be to share which aspects of texts inspired and strengthened one’s individual endeavours and exploration of the Dhamma. Of course, that needs to be done in a respectful and civilized way, allowing for differences in views and approaches to be just that, and not cause for discord and suffering!
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I replied to the opening post, thus everyone. I am no moderator. My friendly reminder comes from a place of understanding as a long member of how crazy the discussions can get when people forget that this forum is not intended and supported enough to have discussions about practice.
And I remember the analogy I once read here : would you consider normal to see a mob forming around or at the gates of a temple or monastery in which people start debating, disagreeing and fighting for whose practice is right and wrong?
@Gabriel_L Ah, so you talked about practice’s discussions. Wait, if there is someone who just simply recommends practices that come straight from the early discourses, would that person break D&D’s rules?
Per my understanding of the quoted text, the Buddha describes extending samadhi towards the recollection of past lives. It is not the goal of samadhi in general, but an example of a specific consideration. Perhaps the Buddha was curious. I do not know. The sutta continues with other such extensions. My own practice is much more mundane and I have no interest whatsoever in chasing past lives since I sometimes forget what or where I was ten minutes ago.
One thing is to have a polite, friendly and relaxed conversation about how EBTs may inspire and guide one’s practice, another is to engage in a heated debate or fight over who is right and who is wrong in terms of how to interpret and practice the path found in EBTs.
I believe that the forum moderation sees no issue with the first option, and my understanding is that the place for that is the Watercooler section.
Even so, it is up to individuals to self regulate and avoid crossing the line between personal views and interpretations.
The second option is what D&D is not a place for. And mind that there are forums elsewhere on the internet aimed at fostering that kind of debate!
I understand that now, more than ever, all members of this online community should be aware of the environment we all build up around here. This is for there is a direct link from SuttaCentral to this forum.
Can you imagine someone who has just had a beautiful reading session of suttas and by mistake or intentionally clicks the icon on the top and end up finding himself/herself here, amidst an endless list of fights and arguments over those very suttas? We would be working against our own cause!
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@Gabriel_L Alright. My posts here fit the first type of conversation, at least I think they do.
That would be very bad.
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Open ended posts inviting debate (most successful) are problematic. A request for enumeration would wreak less havoc. Perhaps we could individually adopt some mindful restraint for posts in general.
Personally, I do not mind reading the arguments because they reveal sorrows and anger to which we can all extend metta. In a FB group someone once told me I was a bumbling idiot. After some consideration I posted my whole-hearted agreement.
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Perhaps the most “successful” insight practice is the one you can do consistently? 
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1). Pañña…To understand ‘vipassanā’ means to know what ‘kilesa/defilement’ is, to know what ‘kilesa’ is means to know what your likes and dislikes are, to see how they rellentlessly influence our ‘cottage saṇkharas’ and know how to get rid of them (see six pahatabba sabb’āsava M2), the day to day prevalence of kilesa infecting every facet of our life is a nightmare really- resist, fight (rāga-paṭigha that is)
2). Develop samādhi the āyatana/sense bases using ‘kayāgatasati’ and ‘indria saṃvara’ our body is always there, relatively easy to maintain awareness of especially when doing mundane activities, combined with ‘caṇkamana/walking meditation’ and ‘cittānupassana/knowing mind states’ can produce samādhi that is ‘ciraṭṭhitiko hoti’ long lasting (an 5 pancānga vagga 9) and help kill kilesa whenever they rear their ugly faces.
3). Dāna…Develop cāga/generosity as a general kusala’upaya (skillful means) attitude towards all (except the bodhisattvas) but specifically if possible giving alms to samaṇas as it helps create ‘sapurisa saṃseva/association with the wise.’ Can’t emphasise this enough…'ānanda spiritual companionship is the whole of the holy life(…). If not possible in person then use the net. Knowing someone with more ‘satipañña/mindfulness and wisdom’ than oneself is critical to one’s growth in the sāsana.
4). Sīla…Develop ‘aṭṭhamga sīla’ practice if not according to the traditional lunar calendar then sat/sun with a group of kalyana mittas ideally but if not then all alone.
5). Sutta…Keep reading -dhammasavana/sakkaca- to a minimal and paṭipadā/practice to a maximum.
6). Nirodha…the end
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Feeding two birds with one scone,
message #5 here, I believe is the best set of the Buddha’s instructions for insight, jhana, and liberation:
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Analayo’s books are some of the best EBT based works which touch on meditation practice.
I also really like Buddhadasa’s book on anapanasati.
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I agree. Venerable Anālayo, in the conclusion to his most recent book on Satipaṭṭhāna, has this to say about various insight practices:
“I would also like to put on record my indebtedness to the guidance I received when formerly practising in several Theravāda meditation traditions, in particular those taught by Ajahn Buddhadāsa, Mahāsi Sayādaw, and S.N. Goenka, without which I would not have arrived at the approach presented here. Perhaps even more significant is my indebtedness to Godwin Samararatne for having taught me the appropriate meditative attitude.
In the past I had the good fortune to encounter other practitioners who had attained levels of awakening. These were found among followers of several mainstream vipassanā traditions, such as those taught by Mahāsi Sayādaw, S.N. Goenka, and Pa Auk Sayādaw. Still others did not follow any particular tradition. I do not have any doubt that each of these vipassanā traditions is capable of leading to the breakthrough to stream-entry, just as I do not have the slightest doubt that what I present here has the same potential. Thus what I have described here is not meant to supersede other meditation traditions, but rather intended as offering yet another option for progress on the path. In short, my motivation is to enrich, not to compete.”
Excerpt From
Satipaṭṭhāna Meditation: A Practice Guide
Anālayo
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I read the questions in the OP to a friend who happened to be in the room and he replied, “ Leigh Brassington’s book Right Concentration is good for jhana practice”; I don’t know this book or how it relates to the EBTs, but perhaps others here do?
My thoughts are that seeing past lives is, perhaps, an attainment achieved through meditation rather than a meditation technique for achieving insight. I have often heard it said that the Buddha saw all of his past lives on the night of his enlightenment, but on reviewing his first sermon (SN 56.11) I don’t find strong support there. There are likely to be other sources that I’ve not found; again perhaps someone can help me?
Last week I was on retreat with Ven Anālayo. When asked about the practices of samattha and vipassana he replied that they cannot be separated, and referred us to the suttas on Imperturbability and on Emptiness:
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That sounds right to me, particularly because samatha and vipassana are actually qualities rather than methods. Calm and clarity, two sides of the same coin.
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