I felt that The SC forum is dominated with non Dhamma topics.
It appears to me many of the members are trying to fix the Buddhism rather than following it.
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What kind of topics would you like to see people discuss?
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In the sense that I think it would be wonderful to see more directly on the Dhamma on the forum I couldnât agree with you more SarathW1!
The forum is what people post on it, if folk want to see more on the Dhamma, they ought to post more on the Dhamma.
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Could the word âdhammaâ be defined first?
The Early Buddhist teaching of the Buddha as in the four main Pali Nikayas (and the Chinese edition of course)
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Buddha Dhamma.
Any member is free to answer questions directed at me.
Please feel free.
Well, to my humble knowledge is there not a standard fixed view among individual practicioners, monks and lay teachers to the meaning of the word - so I need something more âŚ
Then a certain monk went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said to the Blessed One, ââOne who dwells in the Dhamma, one who dwells in the Dhammaâ: thus it is said, lord. To what extent is a bhikkhu one who dwells in the Dhamma?â
"Monk, there is the case where a monk studies the Dhamma: dialogues, narratives of mixed prose and verse, explanations, verses, spontaneous exclamations, quotations, birth stories, amazing events, question & answer sessions.[1] He spends the day in Dhamma-study. He neglects seclusion. He doesnât commit himself to internal tranquillity of awareness. This is called a monk who is keen on study, not one who dwells in the Dhamma.
"Then there is the case where a monk takes the Dhamma as he has heard & studied it and teaches it in full detail to others. He spends the day in Dhamma-description. He neglects seclusion. He doesnât commit himself to internal tranquillity of awareness. This is called a monk who is keen on description, not one who dwells in the Dhamma.
"Then there is the case where a monk takes the Dhamma as he has heard & studied it and recites it in full detail. He spends the day in Dhamma-recitation. He neglects seclusion. He doesnât commit himself to internal tranquillity of awareness. This is called a monk who is keen on recitation, not one who dwells in the Dhamma.
"Then there is the case where a monk takes the Dhamma as he has heard & studied it and thinks about it, evaluates it, and examines it with his intellect. He spends the day in Dhamma-thinking. He neglects seclusion. He doesnât commit himself to internal tranquillity of awareness. This is called a monk who is keen on thinking, not one who dwells in the Dhamma.
"Then there is the case where a monk studies the Dhamma: dialogues, narratives of mixed prose and verse, explanations, verses, spontaneous exclamations, quotations, birth stories, amazing events, question & answer sessions. He doesnât spend the day in Dhamma-study. He doesnât neglect seclusion. He commits himself to internal tranquillity of awareness. This is called a monk who dwells in the Dhamma.
âNow, monk, I have taught you the person who is keen on study, the one who is keen on description, the one who is keen on recitation, the one who is keen on thinking, and the one who dwells in the Dhamma. Whatever a teacher should do â seeking the welfare of his disciples, out of sympathy for them â that have I done for you. Over there are the roots of trees; over there, empty dwellings. Practice jhana, monk. Donât be heedless. Donât later fall into regret. This is our message to you.â
AN 5.73
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In a moment of wildly speculative curiosity, would it be completely off the mark to wonder around the possibility of this being some very loose, embryonic grouping system of the teachings before the Nikayas were formalised?
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Yes, I assume that is true. I think the main point of the discourse, as I understand it, is that whatever those bodies of oral texts might be, and whatever pre-canonical state they were in at the time of this teaching, the Buddha was asserting that the dhamma is something that can be dwelt in, in seclusion, and in a state of tranquility and awareness, subsequent to the study of the texts. So I conclude from this that the dhamma is ultimately not a body of texts, or even a body of doctrines and disciplines that the texts express, but rather a state that can only be realized in seclusion and tranquility by one who does not neglect jhana. All of the readings and discussions and disciplinary practices and concepts and doctrinal distinctions only point to or conduce to the dhamma in this ultimate sense.
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Of course, when we took that quiz on religious orientation, it said I was a Taoist. So maybe I have confused the Dhamma with the Tao! But I at least have this one sutta to hang my reading on.
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Tee-hee. Well, for whatever itâs worth I most heartily agree with your reading in the main, although might place a smidgen more emphasis on the point that the penultimate paragraph of the sutta does seem to indicate that Dhamma study is an important aspect of things; supportive of the development of oneâs ability to âdwell in the Dhammaâ.
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Arenât you trying to âfix Buddhismâ yourself by trying to get others to ask different questions than the ones that they are asking? I think that perhaps you are guilty of the very thing that you accuse others of.
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Could you give me an example?
It was you who started this thread. Thatâs my âexampleâ (and case in point).
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Iâm not really sure this is the best route to go down and boarders on deviating from the community guidelines. Perhaps step away from the personal angle and focus on the positive aspects of the broader, more general point/topic. Thanks.
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Thank you Aminah.
It appears there is some misunderstanding here.
Perhaps, let Bhante explain it to me.
If I am wrong I am quite happy to accept it.
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Clearing up misunderstandings is splendid, and if it leads to a richer, more illuminating discussion of the point at hand, all the more splendid.
At the same time, it would be good if any such clearing up stays within the parameters of the guideline to:
criticize ideas, not people
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