RE: Re: [dsg] Re: Off to mind-made abstract land of paramattha dhammas
>Suk: I believe that unless the accumulated understanding of the samathakind is already very high, for example at the level where one sees the dustiness of the household life,....S: ...the dust just being the kilesa.......>Suk: vipassana bhavana will happen more often and any tendency to develop kusala of other kinds will lessen. This is because as understanding grows the confidence related to the Path also grows, meaning all conditioned dhammas become object of the development of understanding.....S: I don't think we can generalise like this. It depends on conditioned accumulations. For some when they hear about dhammas as anatta, it makes sense and there is keen investigation and development of understanding of dhammas. For others, it makes very little sense, but there may be accumulations to understand about kusala and akusala, about the value of metta when it arises, for example, but no understanding of such dhammas as anatta.This is why the Buddha stressed the different accumulations....>On the other hand, the understanding and confidence related to samatha bhavana, although this does not diminish, will not however take priority over vipassana....S: As Tam B pointed out, it's not a matter of choice or selection or giving of priority even now. It depends what is conditioned and whenever any kusala arises there is samvara sila - guarding of the sense doors.I think that what you are stressing, however, is that the more understanding there is of realities, the more confidence there is that such (vipassana) understanding is the "one way", the only right path leading to the realization of nibbana and eradication of defilements.MettaSarah======
- Hi Jon,
> J: I think that's pretty much how the discussion went. Not sure if I used the word 'survival', but if I did I think I would now prefer to say 'means of subsistence'.p: Yes, I think "survival" was my rendering of what you had said, which was probably "means of subsistence".
> J: Just to supplement a little, I remember it being explained that for a monk, his livelihood is the going on his alms round.p: Yes, that makes sense.