Are there any detail exposition of Consciousness without surface (viññanam anidassanam)?

Bhikkhu Thanissaro was definitely wrong is explaining viññanam anidassanam is beyond the six sense media because SN 35.23 says there can be nothing experienceable beyond the six sense media.

Since Nibbana, in Ud 8.1, is described as a sense object (ayatana), how can Nibbana be an object of sense media but viññanam anidassanam is not an object of media?

Also, DN 11 says in viññanam anidassanam the four physical elements "have no footing" (rather than "cease without remainder") therefore viññanam anidassanam is not something completely disconnected from the four physical elements.

Also, viññanam anidassanam is certainly not a consciousness of arising of Dhammacakka, The Eye of Wisdom, because the Dhammacakka is described in many suttas (such as SN 56.11 & SN 35.74) relating to the Four Noble Truths and Three Characteristics.

In the two suttas where viññanam anidassanam is mentioned, namely, DN 11 and MN 49, no listener of the Buddha gains enlightenment. This shows viññanam anidassanam is not the arising of the Dhamma Eye nor related to Buddhism at all.

DN 11 and MN 49 are both suttas of Buddhist propaganda spoken against or mocking Brahmanism (and probably not spoken by the Buddha himself). The verse about 'viññanam anidassanam' is spoken to Brahmins & Brahma gods, who don't believe in the Buddha. The Buddha's reply is related to the Brahmnanistic doctrines, using Brahmanistic terminology. For example, MN 49 says:

  Consciousness that is invisible, infinite, radiant all round—that’s what is not within the scope of experience based on earth, water,
  fire, air, creatures, gods, the Creator, Brahmā [1st jhana], the gods
  of streaming radiance [2nd jhana], the gods replete with glory [3rd
  jhana], the gods of abundant fruit [4th jhana], the Overlord and the
  All.

Now, MN 49 says viññanam anidassanam is not within the scope of experience of 'The All' yet SN 35.23 says anything not included within 'The All' is beyond range of experience. This apparent contradiction is explained simply by distinguishing that 'The All' in MN 49 is the Brahmanistic meaning of 'The All' where as SN 35.23 is the Buddha's debunking or redefining of 'The All' for Buddhist purposes.

It is important to know that certain pre-Buddhist Brahmanistic terms, such as 'The All' and 'nama-rupa' can have dual & different meanings in the suttas, namely, the original Brahmanistic meaning & the revised Buddhist meaning. For example, the Brahmanistic meaning of nama-rupa is 'name-form' where as the Buddhist meaning of 'nama-rupa' is 'mentality-materiality'. Thus in suttas directed to Brahmnins (example SN 7.6; DN 11; MN 49 and DN 15), nama-rupa retains its Brahmanistic meaning. Similarly, in MN 49, the term 'The All' retains its Brahmanistic meaning (rather than is the Buddhist meaning found in SN 35.23).

That the famous Western scholars such as Thanissaro, Bodhi, Sujato, etc, do not distinguish two meanings of nama-rupa and cling to the literal Brahmanistic meaning of 'name-form'.

This said, the monk Sujato provides his opinion at: 'Nibbana is not viññāṇa. Really, it just isn’t.', which is contrary to Thanissaro's ideas. In short, Sujato's view appears to be viññanam anidassanam is an immaterial jhana (although I personally may not agree).

While I have not examined the matter in depth (given it is an unimportant teaching), my initial impression is viññanam anidassanam is merely a teaching to Brahmins challenging them to abandon their existing ideas & doctrines. In short, it is later-day Buddhist propaganda typical of the dodgy suttas found in the Digha Nikaya. Most scholars accept the Digha Nikaya was compiled for the purpose of converting Brahmans to Buddhism.


Is what is taught under the term "Radical Buddhism" consistent with Buddhist values?

According to my understanding (in Theravada tradition) and with the context of your question (Violence in the context of "radical Buddhism"), there is no room for any form of violence. Buddhist teaching does not encourage violence by any means even in solving human conflicts and social problems.

For example in Dhammapada there are several verses discourage the violence acts.

Verse 129:

  All are afraid of the stick, all fear death. Putting oneself in another's place, one should not beat or kill others.

Verse 130:

  All are afraid of the stick, all hold their lives dear. Putting oneself in another's place, one should not beat or kill others.

Verse 131:

  He who seeks his own happiness by oppressing others, who also desire to have happiness, will not find happiness in his next existence.

Verse 132:

  He who seeks his own happiness by not oppressing others, who also desire to have happiness, will find happiness in his next existence

In fact Buddha teach that the sensual desire is the main cause for creating dispute and violence.

Ref:
http://www.tipitaka.net/tipitaka/dhp/verseload.php?verse=129
http://blogs.dickinson.edu/buddhistethics/files/2010/12/Deegalle.pdf


Anatta is used in an adjectival sense, as a characteristic of something (all things including nibbana, in fact). So it doesn't have anything to do directly with a philosophy that "there is no self". This doesn't by any means suggest that the Buddha encouraged belief in a self. The best refutation of such an idea that I know of is in the Alagaddupama Sutta (MN 22):

  23.“Bhikkhus, you may well cling to that doctrine of self that would not arouse sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair in one who
  clings to it.262 "" But do you see any such doctrine of self,
  bhikkhus?”—“No, venerable sir.”—“Good, bhikkhus. I too do not see any
  doctrine of self that would not arouse sorrow, lamentation, pain,
  grief, and despair in one who clings to it.

  ...

  25.“Bhikkhus, there being a self, would there be for me what belongs to a self?” —“Yes, venerable sir.”—“Or, there being what belongs
  to a self, would there be for me a self?”—“Yes, venerable
  sir.”—“Bhikkhus, since a self and what belongs to a self are not
  apprehended as true and established, then this standpoint for views,
  namely, ‘That which is the self is the world; after death I shall be
  permanent, everlasting, eternal, not subject to change; I shall endure
  as long as eternity’—would it not be an utterly and completely foolish
  teaching?”

  “What else could it be, venerable sir, but an utterly and completely
  foolish teaching?”

  (Bodhi, Trans)

So what does anatta mean, then? According to the Visuddhimagga, it means specifically that the item in question has no core (asāraka), as per the third stage of insight knowledge:

  ‘Materiality, whether past, future, or present, is impermanent in the sense of destruction, painful in the sense of terror, not-self in the sense of having no core,’ is knowledge of comprehension.

  Path of Purification, XX.6

The explanation of having no core means having none of the four kinds of self:

Sāmi attā - controlling self
Nivāsī attā - continuous self
Kāraka attā - active agent self
Vedaka attā - experiencing self

These four types of self are explained in the Mahasi Sayadaw's discourse on the anatta-lakkhana-sutta. Briefly, according to the Visuddhimagga:

  In the sense of having no core because of the absence of any core of
  self conceived as a self, an abider, a doer, an experiencer, one who
  is his own master; for what is impermanent is painful (S III 82), and
  it is impossible to escape the impermanence, or the rise and fall and
  oppression, of self, so how could it have the state of a doer, and so
  on? Hence it is said, “Bhikkhus, were materiality self, it would not
  lead to affliction” (S III 66), and so on. So this is also not-self in
  the sense of having no core.

  -- Path of Purification XX.16

The Visuddhimagga goes on to give five characteristics of the five aggregates that make them each non-self (the entire list of 40 characteristics is worth reading, but the rest have to do with the other two main characteristics):

  as alien because of inability to have mastery exercised over them, and
  because of intractability;
  as empty because of their emptiness of the lastingness, beauty,
  pleasure and self that are conceived about them;
  as vain  because of
  their emptiness, or because of their triviality; for what is trivial
  is called “vain” in the world;
  as void because devoid of the state of
  being an owner, abider, doer, experiencer, director; as not-self
  because of itself having no owner, etc.
  as not-self because of itself having no owner, etc.;

  -- Path of Purification XX.19

Practically speaking, what does all this mean? Not a whole lot, since the point is not to understand intellectually the concept of non-self, but rather to experience it. From a point of view of experience, non-self is understood through observing that the five aggregates (i.e. the aspects of experience) conform to the explanations above. This understandling comes naturally through objective observation of the four foundations of mindfulness, so it's not really something to ponder over or doubt about.


What does,'I establish mindfulness in front of me' mean?

Ven. Bodhi's translation of AN 3.63:

I collect some grass or leaves that I find there into a pile and then
sit down. Having folded my legs crosswise and straightened my body, I
establish mindfulness in front of me.

Ven. Sujato's translation of AN 3.63:

I gather up some grass or leaves into a pile, and sit down
cross-legged, with my body straight, and establish mindfulness right
there.

Piya Tan's translation of AN 3.63:

There I gather some grass or leaves together into one place and sit
down there cross-legged, keeping mindfulness before me.

Original Pali:

So yadeva tattha honti tiṇāni vā paṇṇāni vā tāni ekajjhaṃ saṅgharitvā
nisīdāmi pallaṅkaṃ ābhujitvā ujuṃ kāyaṃ paṇidhāya parimukhaṃ satiṃ
upaṭṭhapetvā.

Meaning of parimukha from PTS Pali-English dictionary:

Parimukha，（adj．） [pari+mukha] facing，in front； only as nt．adv．°ṁ in
front，before，in phrase parimukhaṁ satiṁ upaṭṭhapeti “set up his memory
in front” （i．e．of the object of thought），to set one’s mindfulness
alert Vin．I，24； D．II，291； M．I，56，421； S．I，170； A．III，92； It．80；
Ps．I，176 （expld）； Pug．68； DA．I，210．

I would say this means "establish mindfulness at the foreground of my mind" or "establish mindfulness as my main focus or main activity".


Enlightened beings are not bothered by pain. But if you try to sit through severe back pain, it could lead to further complications. The body requires lying down to recover from back problems. So it's the sensible thing to do. When the Buddha is resting, he usually resides in the Jhanas. Even when the Buddha is not resting, it is said that he enters the Jhanas between every sentence he speaks.


How can someone integrate the Buddhist philosophy on life's purpose into daily life?

The essence of dukkha (suffering) is clash, conflict, discord, disharmony - of some kind, whether inner conflict in one person's mind or outer conflict between persons or groups of people.
The opposite of that is happiness, whose essence is peace and harmony.
A lay person could make meaningful contribution to society and make progress towards liberation from samsara by dedicating his or her life to reducing the causes of suffering and creating causes of happiness.
Specifically, reducing, preventing, reconciling inner and outer conflicts and helping with implementation of behaviors that lead to peace and harmony.
For example, a professional peacemaker/negotiator in armed conflicts is someone who resolves external conflicts. Resolving external conflicts he or she removes causes of suffering. Making peace he or she creates causes of happiness.
You can come up with more ideas like this. A psychologist reduces suffering that happens due to inner conflicts. A teacher reduces suffering that happens due to ignorance and confusion.
Various professions work in different areas and have different level of influence: some work at individual level and some work with large groups of people.
The important thing to realize is what I started my answer with. As long as your job is reducing causes of suffering such as conflicts, clashes, greed, hatred, confusion, ignorance - you will both make a nice contribution to society and make progress on the Path.


What to do when it itching (according to suttas and your own experience)?

What would an arahant do when itch arises?

I’m not an arahant but I think an arahant would be just mindful of it without scratching it.

What do the suttas tell us to do in situations similar to this one?

I don’t think there is any suttas that talk about itch but in SN 35.127, the Buddha said we should guard the six sense doors.

  "It has been said, sire, by the Exalted One...: 'Come, monks, guard the doors of your sense-faculties. Seeing an object with the eye, do not seize hold of either its general appearance or its details. Because anyone dwelling with the eye-faculty uncontrolled could be overwhelmed by cupidity and dejection, evil and unwholesome states of mind, therefore practice to control the eye-faculty, guard it and gain control over it. [Similarly with ear, nose, tongue, body (touch), mind.] That is how these young monks... can practice the holy life... to the end of their days.'"

So I think you should just be mindful of it and not think about scratching it.

What do you do when itch arises (apart from recognizing the itch as not-self and impermanent, and the scratching as unsatisfying in the long term and impermanent as a solution)?

I just try to be mindful of the itch. I know that the itch is impermanent so I just try to be mindful of it without scratching. I scratch it if I’m not in a sitting meditation session but you should not scratch it during your sitting meditation session.

Or am I overthinking the situation, and should I be aware of the feeling, seeing the three characteristic in it, and just scratch?

Just try to be mindful of it until it cease. You don’t need to note “impermanent” or “not self” because when the itch cease then you will know that it is impermanence.


"Not experiencing the effects of actions you did not do" as a characteristic of karma

Same situation can have many results from many causes.

For the example: eyes have 34 elements that are formed from 4 kinds of difference causes (kamma, consciousness, temperature, and nutrient).

Another example: pathavi-dhatu, that is arise by temperature in eyes, also depend on the other co arising elements, same time arising causes, too.


Music is allowed for those observing the five precepts. This is the most basic practice. The five precepts:

I undertake the precept to refrain from destroying living creatures.
I undertake the precept to refrain from taking that which is not given.
I undertake the precept to refrain from sexual misconduct.
I undertake the precept to refrain from incorrect speech.
I undertake the precept to refrain from intoxicating drinks and drugs which lead to carelessness.

Music is not allowed for those observing the eight precepts (those observing uposatha) and ten precepts (for novice monks and full monks).
A livelihood in music is allowed by the following:

"Monks, a lay follower should not engage in five types of business.
Which five? Business in weapons, business in human beings, business in
meat, business in intoxicants, and business in poison.
"These are the five types of business that a lay follower should not
engage in." - AN 5.177

Music in some sense provides pleasure and maybe even intoxication, but the type of intoxication that is more controllable than alcohol or recreational drugs.
Many things can provide pleasure like food, sex, good thoughts, pleasant sights and sounds. The Middle Way of Buddhism prescribes limits on these for lay persons by way of the five precepts and lay person Right Livelihood.
The point is, do all forms of music make the lay person heedless? I don't think so. I know of people who consume alcohol and get intoxicated while dancing to trance music. That definitely makes a lay person heedless.
But a lay person listening to other types of music, like pop or classical or country, may not become uncontrollably heedless.
However, it is still a type of pleasant sensation. And for a lay person, all pleasant sensations should be experienced in moderation, in accordance with the five precepts and Right Livelihood.
Personally, I think if you use music to uplift a negative or depressed mind - it's even a skillful use of music for laypersons.
For serious practitioners, uplifting the mind using mindfulness of breathing (anapanasati) is better (as prescribed in the Vesali Sutta).


Is Buddhist lifestyle harmless to living beings?

Buddhism focuses on our intentions, and therefore intentional killing is adviced against.

Obviously, the consequences of our actions may sometimes lead to harm despite our good intentions. In buddhism we are - arguably - primarily accountable for the latter, our intentions, even though consequences also matter.

Also, see this answer written not long ago:

Selling an animal to butcher will break first precept?


Is Mind in Buddhism connected to Brain (the physical organ)?

There is a nice analysis in this article here. But basically, the Buddha said:

  This body of mine, made of material form, consisting of the four great elements, procreated by a mother and father, and built up out of boiled rice and porridge, is subject to impermanence, to being worn and rubbed away, to dissolution and disintegration, and this consciousness of mine is supported by it and bound up with it.

My comment: mind is an informational phenomena. The information is made of relations that are passed from one carrier (not necessarily human or even a sentient being!) to another, through various media. In case of a sentient being, body is one of such temporary carriers of the information. When information is embodied in a living organism, it is known as mind.


Is there a way to help us remember our previous life?

The Visuddhimagga provides a pretty comprehensive explanation of how one obtains this and all the other psychic powers mentioned by the Buddha. Briefly, the method is as follows:

Obtain the four rūpa-jhānas
Exit the fourth jhāna and remember the last thing one did before one sat down.
remember the last thing before the thing remembered in the last step. If at any time, one is unable to remember a given experience, one should revert to step one, and after leaving the fourth jhāna attempt to continue where one left off.
repeat step 3 until one is able to remember the first moment of conception.
Attempt to remember the last moment before conception (i.e. the death moment).

At this point, the Visuddhimagga says:

  25. But the mentality-materiality in the previous existence has ceased without
  remainder and another has arisen, and consequently that instance is, as it were,
  shut away in darkness, and it is hard for one of little understanding to see it. Still
  he should not give up the task, thinking, “I am unable to remove the rebirth-linking and make the mentality-materiality that occurred at the death moment
  my object.” On the contrary, he should again and again attain that same basic
  jhāna, and each time he emerges he should advert to that instance.

  26. Just as when a strong man is felling a big tree for the purpose of making
  the peak of a gable, but is unable to fell the big tree with an axe blade blunted by
  lopping the branches and foliage, still he does not give up the task; on the
  contrary, he goes to a smithy and has his axe sharpened, after which he returns
  and continues chopping the tree; and when the axe again gets blunt, he does as
  before and continues chopping it; and as he goes on chopping it in this way, the
  tree falls at length, because each time there is no need to chop again what has
  already been chopped and what has not yet been chopped gets chopped; so too,
  when he emerges from the basic jhāna, instead of adverting to what he has
  already adverted to, he should advert only to the rebirth-linking, and at length
  he removes the rebirth-linking and makes the mentality-materiality that occurred
  at the death moment his object. And this meaning should also be illustrated by
  means of the wood cutter and the hair-cutter as well.

  Path of Purification (XIII.25-26)

I know a man who undertook this practice without really mastering the four jhānas, and he claims to have remembered bits and pieces of what he thinks was a past life. Not really reliable, but interesting nonetheless. Maybe you can let us know how it goes!


Does not keeping a promise violate the precept on lying? What if I promised myself?

In order to answer this sort of question, you have to be clear on what the precepts are and what they are not. They are a set of intentional statements of will to keep a finite set of basic moral precepts. They are not an all-encompassing treatise on morality.

So, the fourth precept, as Sankha Kulathantille says in his answer, relates to a specific type of speech; it does not include all types of wrong speech, it only refers to speech that is intended to deceive another person, as per the Cunda Sutta (AN 10.176) for example:

  There is the case where a certain person engages in false speech. When he has been called to a town meeting, a group meeting, a gathering of his relatives, his guild, or of the royalty [i.e., a royal court proceeding], if he is asked as a witness, 'Come & tell, good man, what you know': If he doesn't know, he says, 'I know.' If he does know, he says, 'I don't know.' If he hasn't seen, he says, 'I have seen.' If he has seen, he says, 'I haven't seen.' Thus he consciously tells lies for his own sake, for the sake of another, or for the sake of a certain reward.

  http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an10/an10.176.than.html

Therefore, your premise,

  if you promise something to someone and don't keep it, it is equivalent to lying.

is not in accordance with a strict Buddhist understanding of lying, since there need not be at any time during the change of heart an intention to deceive.

As to whether breaking a promise is wrong, Thanissaro has a discussion of this in his BMC:

  The Mahavagga (III.14.1-14) imposes a dukkata on the act of making a promise with pure intentions but later breaking it. Since the texts make no mention of any circumstances beyond one's control that would exempt one from that penalty, a bhikkhu should be very careful of how he states his plans for the future. A special instance of breaking a promise -- accepting an invitation to a meal but then not going -- is treated under Pacittiya 33.

Interestingly, the Mahavagga passage in question does use the word for lying (musāvādā):

  Nanu mayā, moghapurisa, anekapariyāyena musāvādo garahito, musāvādā veramaṇī pasatthā?

  "Has not falsehood been reproved, and abstinence from falsehood been praised by me in many ways?"

But the Buddha only charges him with a dukkata rather than a pacittiya (which would be the case in a true lie), so a distinction is clearly made.

So, first point to make:

Breaking a promise is wrong, but outright lying is worse. Breaking a promise does not, therefore, break the first precept as it is understood in Theravada Buddhism.

Now, on to your question :)

"Lying to oneself" would literally mean knowing something to be false and yet telling yourself that it is true, with the intention that you should believe it to be true. Psychologically, it is certainly possible that over time you could come to convince yourself of something, but only if you let yourself believe it to be true, in which case you would no longer simultaneously know it to be false. This sort of self-deception goes on all the time in our world, of course, but is it lying?

First of all, the five precepts all require physical or verbal acts to be broken; morality in its conventional form always refers only to physical and mental commissions or omissions; mental immorality is considered a lapse of concentration, not morality. (I don't have a reference for this, but if I can find one, I'll pass it along). So you'd have to actually tell yourself out loud, knowing that what you were saying is false, intending to make yourself believe something to be true. I guess that is theoretically possible, but in most cases I think it would be difficult to convince yourself that you were seriously capable of such deception.

More common, I'd say, would be the simple intention to cultivate a belief in what is false; rather than trying to deceive yourself, per se, you simply want to cultivate a distorted belief; e.g. believing that a loved one is still alive, because it's too difficult to acknowledge they are dead. The difference here is there is no breach of trust; you are accepting that something is a lie, but deciding to believe it anyway.

A similar situation would be in the case of hypnosis, where a hypnotist tells the patient to imagine themselves in certain situations, or helps them convince themselves they were never afraid of something, etc., e.g. "You have never been afraid of spiders." The patient allows the hypnotist to make them believe something that is false; the hypnotist cannot be considered guilty of lying to the patient, as the patient knows it is false but simply wants to change their belief.

In short, lying to yourself, while it may be damaging, can't be considered truly lying, since it doesn't involve a breach of trust or an act of deceptive communication. Self-deception is voluntary and occurs after the 'lie' has already been told.


What motivates a fully awakened person in a loving relationship?

Remark: This is not (yet?) a full answer, but more an extended comment.

For one impression of how might a loving relation be revered see  "A.IV. 55 Nakulapitá und Nakulamátá" ; although the couple is not called arahants they are mentioned as "top on lay disciples" (see "A I.24")  "The foremost of my laymen ...(...) ... who are intimate is the householder Nakula’s father.”
So there's no right-out disregard of being a loving couple.

Next it might be interesting a story about the (later) arahant (Maha) Kassapa about the problem of being married and having a desire for ascetic life at the same time. Hellmuth Hecker has compiled a story about this which I found some time ago at the access-to-insight site (I think) . Here is a part of that text on the biographic tale about Kassapa:

  (...) Like the two chief disciples, Sariputta and Maha Moggallana, Maha
  Kassapa too descended from the brahmin caste, and again like them, he
  was older than the Buddha. He was born in the Magadha country, in the
  village Mahatittha, as the son of the brahmin Kapila and his wife
  Su-manadevi.

  (This account of Maha Kassapa's early life is taken from the commentary to the Samyutta Nikaya.)

  He was called Pipphali. His father owned sixteen villages over which he ruled like a
  little king, so Pipphali grew up in the midst of wealth and luxury.
  Yet already in his young years there was in him the wish to leave the
  worldly life behind, and hence he did not want to marry. When his
  parents repeatedly urged him to take a wife, he told them that he
  would look after them as long as they live, but that after their
  deaths he wanted to become an ascetic. Yet they insisted again and
  again that he take a wife, so to comfort his mother he finally agreed
  to marry -- on the condition that a girl could be found who conformed
  to his idea of perfection. For that purpose he shaped a golden statue
  of a beautiful woman, had it bedecked with fine garments and
  orna-ments, and showed it to his parents, saying: "If you can find a
  woman like this for me, I shall remain in the home life."

  His parents approached eight brahmins, showered them with rich gifts,
  and asked them to take the image with them and travel around in search
  of a human likeness of it. The brahmins thought: "Let us first go to
  the Madda country, which is, as it were, a gold mine of beautiful
  women." There they found at Sagala a girl whose beauty equaled that of
  the image. She was Bhadda Kapilani, a wealthy brahmin's daughter, aged
  sixteen, four years younger than Pipphali Kassapa.

  Her parents agreed to the marriage proposal, and the brahmins returned to
  tell of their success.

  Yet Bhadda Kapilani also did not wish to marry, as it was her wish,
  too, to live a religious life as a female
  ascetic. Such identity between her aspiration and Pipphali Kassapa's
  may well point to a kammic bond and affinity between them in the past,
  maturing in their present life and leading to a decisive meeting
  between them and a still more decisive separation later on.

  When Pipphali heard that what he had thought most unlikely had actually
  occurred, he was -- unhappy and sent the following letter to the girl:
  "Bhadda, please marry someone else of equal status and live a happy
  home life with him. As for myself, I shall become an ascetic. Please
  do not have regrets."
  Bhadda Kapilani, like-minded as she was,
  independently sent him a similar letter.
  But their parents,
  suspecting such an exchange would take place, had both letters
  intercepted on the way and replaced by letters of welcome. So Bhadda
  was taken to Magadha and the young couple were married. However, in
  accordance with their ascetic yearning, both agreed to maintain a life
  of celibacy. To give expression to their resolve, they would lay a
  garland of flowers between them before they went to bed, determined
  not to yield to sensual desire. This young wealthy couple lived thus
  happily and in comfort for many years. As long as Pipphali's parents
  lived, they did not even have to look after the estate's farms. But
  when his parents died, they took charge of the large property.
  (...)

Now,  further after the death of Pipphali's parents, Pipphali and also Baddha took the yellow robe and left home, but walked together. Then this happened:

  (...) When walking on, Kassapa went ahead while Bhadda followed behind
  him.    Considering this, Kassapa thought: "Now, this Bhadda Kapilani
  follows    me close behind, and she is a woman of great beauty. Some
  people -    could easily think, 'Though they are ascetics, they still
  cannot live    without each other! It is unseemly what they are
  doing.' If they spoil    their minds by such wrong thoughts or even
  spread false rumors, they    will cause harm to themselves." So he
  thought it better that they    separate. When they reached a
  crossroads Kassapa said: "Bhadda, you    take one of these roads, and
  I shall go the other way." She said: "It    is true, for ascetics a
  woman is an obstacle. People might think and    speak badly about us.
  So please go your own way, and we shall now    part."
  She then
  respectfully circumambulated him thrice, saluted him    at his feet,
  and with folded hands she spoke: "Our close companionship    and
  friendship that had lasted for an unfathomable past comes to    an
  end today. Please take the path to the right and I shall take the
  other road." Thus they parted and went their individual ways, seeking
  the high goal of Arahatship, final deliverance from suffering.
  It is
  said that the earth, shaken by the power of their virtue, quaked and
  trembled.

From: MAHA KASSAPA: FATHER OF THE SANGHA by Hellmuth Hecker
Revised and enlarged translation from the German by Nyanaponika Thera

Translated and adapted from //Wissen und Wandel// XXI, 6 (1975)
Wheel Publication No. 345
Copyright 1987, 1995 Buddhist Publication Society
                      BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
                      KANDY              Sri Lanka

So here we find something like "platonic love" between ascetics but in this instance much deeper, Hecker proposes the expression "karmic bond" for something which we might assume as an exotic example for a very deep arrangement of love over an already long chain of rebirthes...


Several thoughts...

Mahayana is not a homomorphous teaching. It's a bunch of different schools, the only common theme of which is attempting to express The Truth in whatever crazy language that the recipient can understand. So you will see some Mahayana schools speaking about Eternal Buddha, or about Buddha Law, or about "True I", or a number of other topics that have some meaning for someone, and can turn into practice that will increasingly approximate "It", until they hopefully break through. All these different metaphors approach the truth in one way or another, they all have some sense in one way, and are false in another way. That's just the way with language unfortunately - any conceptual construct is always limited and onesided.

Another thought. Eternalism is a bad translation imho. I think a better term would be "transcendental substantionalism", as in, assuming that there is some magic substance or essence separate from the aggregates that lives on from one life to another.

If we assume, in modern terms, that material world, the world of energy transformation, and the world of information - are three ways to see the same world, and that as material forms arise and perish, energy and information transforms and fluctuates -- we can see that energy/information does not really "die" but it's not like it is "eternal" either. Then we can see how all these different metaphors were trying to point us to this truth, using whatever expressive means at their disposal, in the absence of better language we have today, like "information". Again, this is just yet another explanation, limited and onesided in its own way.

So when Lotus Sutra or Nirvana Sutra is speaking about Eternal Buddha - they just mean the Dharmakaya -- meaning, the information about Dharma latent in the world and spread around in little pieces, both as formal Dharma, as well as other sorts of hints and wisdoms. When this information accumulates in a single being in sufficient amount, and manifests itself as their way of living, we call that being a (Nirmanakaya) Buddha, and for the sake of explaining the nature of the phenomena we may employ the language of this being a reincarnation/manifestation of Eternal Buddha, and this can be useful to some people and confusing to others - but as long as we know what we are talking about, we will not be confused.

Can we call Dharmakaya eternal? Well in one sense, sure, it is not destroyed by individual deaths, and because it has its roots in the very nature of things, after all it's a teaching about how things work, it's inevitably "built-in" and is being discovered piecemeal by people in all times, even if formal Teaching is lost. In another sense, it's just a bunch of fragments, plus a potential to discover more fragments, so it's not even a "thing" to speak about, just a principle.


Buddhism doesn't have the concept of sin. It's more of a concept of unskillful or unwholesome action (Akusala Kamma). There is no God to please. There is no "thing" that needs to be done to gain approval. What there is, is bad karma and that the person will experience that karma and the worsening spiral of those problems until they let go of the attachment that caused them to enter that karmic state in the first place.

In my humble view, the best way to help someone caught in a difficult situation is to talk through the boundaries of the box they find themselves in. It's not the killing that's the problem. It's the "why" they killed that's the problem. Until the seed is removed, the plant can grow back again and again.

They are the ones who have to break out of the box, but most don't realize they're in the box to begin with. Listening, compassion, time: Almost always the best medicine for tough karma.


How to develop compassion while avoiding attachment?

I am personally not aware of any direct advice the Buddha gave about developing compassion without attachment since the majority of the Buddha's teachings are about developing non-attachment & the minority of teachings are about developing compassion. In general, the compassion teachings are generally related to cultivating non-harming, non-hatred & non-cruelty and also about teaching the dhamma to others. In other words, the compassion teachings are generally not about how to help others in more worldly or mundane ways.

The teachings of the Buddha are generally separated as: (1) teachings for monks; and (2) teachings for laypeople. The teachings for monks focus on non-attachment where as the teachings for laypeople rarely mention non-attachment.

In general, the Buddha encouraged laypeople to do good so they develop personal pride or self-respect in relation to their good actions (eg. Anana Sutta & Samajivina Sutta).

For example, in With Brahma (Itivuttaka 4.7) and in the Sigalovada Sutta, the Buddha discusses the compassionate role & duties of parents & family members but does not mention non-attachment. In the Piyajatika Sutta, the Buddha says to a man his grief towards his dead son comes from his love but does not teach non-attachment.

In SN 42.12, the Buddha eventually refers to a man who uses his wealth to help his family without being attached to it, "seeing the danger in it, understanding the escape" but does not go into any details. That said, "seeing the danger & understanding the escape" are a stock teaching for monks in the suttas, where the "danger" (ādīnava) is attachment & the "escape" (nissaraṇa) is the non-attachment of the eightfold path.

Therefore, I think non-attachment can be developed by comprehending the danger or suffering of attachment. As the Buddha taught about the 1st noble truth: "This suffering (of attaching to the five aggregates) is to be comprehended".

In the Udayi Sutta, it is mentioned teaching others with compassion & without harming oneself.

In the Attavagga in the Dhammapada, it is again mentioned doing good without hurting oneself.

The Attavagga holds the principle that each individual must help themself. The Maggavagga has the phrase: " You yourselves must strive; the Buddhas only point the way".

These accord with the practise of equanimity (upeka), where it is reflected each individual is the owner of their actions.

Compassion (karuna) is one of the 4 brahma vihara, which also include metta, mudita & equanimity (upeka). Here, helping others (compassion) is balanced with the understanding (upeka) that we try to help others to help themselves; thus ultimately, others are responsible for their lives.

This old booklet may be helpful for you:

http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/4sublime_states.pdf
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/nyanaponika/wheel006.html


Why are there so many fire incidents happening around the world?

Cosmic order is governed by the 5 Niyama Dhamma:

utu-niyāma “the constraint of the seasons”, i.e. in certain regions of the earth at certain periods the flowering and fruiting of trees all at one time (ekappahāreneva), the blowing or ceasing of wind, the degree of the heat of the sun, the amount of rain-fall, some flowers like the lotuses opening during the day and closing at night and so on;

bīja-niyāma “the constraint of seeds or germs”, i.e. a seed producing its own kind as barley seed produces barley;

kammaniyāma “the constraint of kamma”, i.e. good actions produce good results and bad actions produce bad results. This constraint is said to be epitomised by [Dhammapada] verse 127 which explains that the consequences of actions are inescapable;

citta-niyāma “the constraint of mind”, i.e. the order of the process of mind-activities as the preceding thought-moment causing and conditioning the succeeding one in a cause and effect relation;

dhamma-niyāma “the constraint of dhammas”, i.e. such events like the quaking of the ten thousand world-systems at the Bodhisatta’s conception in his mother’s womb and at his birth. At the end of the discussion Sumaṅgalavilāsinī passage the Commentary says that dhammaniyāma explains the term dhammatā in the text of the Mahāpadāna Sutta (D ii.12) (Cf. S 12.20 for a discussion of the use of the word dhammaniyamatā in the suttas)

Bush and forest fires generally happen due to dry weather which is utu-niyāma.


How can one define luxurious beds and seats in the eighth precept?

It's an interesting question; for lay people, I've never been able to well-define this one. I usually translate it as "don't get attached to the pleasure of lying down or sleeping." But, we should probably go with the Buddha's words for monastics in the Brahmajala Sutta:

  "Or he might say: 'Whereas some recluses and brahmins, while living on food offered by the faithful, enjoy the use of high and luxurious beds and seats, such as: spacious couches; thrones with animal figures carved on the supports; long-haired coverlets; multi-colored patchwork coverlets; white woollen coverlets; woollen coverlets embroidered with flowers; quilts stuffed with cotton; woollen coverlets embroidered with animal figures; woollen coverlets with hair on both sides or on one side; bedspreads embroidered with gems; silk coverlets; dance-hall carpets; elephant, horse or chariot rugs; rugs of antelope-skins; choice spreads made of kadali-deer hides; spreads with red awnings overhead; couches with red cushions for the head and feet — the recluse Gotama abstains from the use of such high and luxurious beds and seats.'

  http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.01.0.bodh.html

I would venture to guess that modern spring beds of all kinds could arguably be included in this list.


Does any sutta talk about the right conditions for teaching the Dhamma?

Part Three: The 16 Dealing with Teaching Dhamma
57. I will not teach Dhamma to a person with an umbrella in his hand who is not ill: a training to be observed.

I will not teach Dhamma to a person with a staff in his hand who is not ill: a training to be observed.
I will not teach Dhamma to a person with a knife in his hand who is not ill: a training to be observed.
I will not teach Dhamma to a person with a weapon in his hand who is not ill: a training to be observed.
[62.] I will not teach Dhamma to a person wearing non-leather [leather] footwear who is not ill: a training to be observed.
I will not teach Dhamma to a person in a vehicle who is not ill: a training to be observed.
I will not teach Dhamma to a person lying down who is not ill: a training to be observed.
I will not teach Dhamma to a person who sits clasping his knees and who is not ill: a training to be observed.
I will not teach Dhamma to a person wearing headgear who is not ill: a training to be observed.
I will not teach Dhamma to a person whose head is covered (with a robe or scarf) and who is not ill: a training to be observed.
Sitting on the ground, I will not teach Dhamma to a person sitting on a seat who is not ill: a training to be observed.
Sitting on a low seat, I will not teach Dhamma to a person sitting on a high seat who is not ill: a training to be observed.
Standing, I will not teach Dhamma to a person sitting who is not ill: a training to be observed.
Walking behind, I will not teach Dhamma to a person walking ahead who is not ill: a training to be observed.
Walking beside a path, I will not teach Dhamma to a person walking on the path who is not ill: a training to be observed.

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/vin/sv/bhikkhu-pati.html


Inferiority because of failure in meditation

as i see it in OP based solely on content of his post.

  The faculty of conviction - seems to appear
  The faculty of persistence - seems to appear
  The faculty of mindfulness - seems to appear
  The faculty of concentration - self reported weak
  The faculty of discernment - seems to appear

Indriya-vibhanga Sutta: Analysis of the Mental Faculties

On concentration:

  "And what is the faculty of concentration?  There is the case where a
  monk, a disciple of the noble ones, making it his object to let go,
  attains concentration, attains singleness of mind.

So it has attainment of singleness of mind as property of mind.

So how to develope it:
https://suttacentral.net/en/ma42

  At that time, the Venerable Ānanda rose from his seat of repose in the
  afternoon and went to Buddha. He bowed his head at his feet and then
  withdrew to sit at one side. He said: “World Honored One, what is the
  meaning of this: ‘to keep precepts’?”

  The World Honored One replied: “Ānanda, the meaning of keeping the
  precepts is to bring about non-regret. Ānanda, if someone were to keep
  the precepts, he would readily attain non-regret.”

https://suttacentral.net/en/an10.2

  (1)–(2) “Bhikkhus, for a virtuous person, one whose behavior is
  virtuous, no volition need be exerted: ‘Let non-regret arise in me.’
  It is natural that non-regret arises in a virtuous person, one whose
  behavior is virtuous.

  (3) “For one without regret no volition need be exerted: ‘Let joy
  arise in me.’ It is natural that joy arises in one without regret.

  (4) “For one who is joyful no volition need be exerted: ‘Let rapture
  arise in me.’ It is natural that rapture arises in one who is joyful.

  (5) “For one with a rapturous mind no volition need be exerted: ‘Let
  my body be tranquil.’ It is natural that the body of one with a
  rapturous mind is tranquil.

  (6) “For one tranquil in body no volition need be exerted: ‘Let me
  feel pleasure.’ It is natural that one tranquil in body feels
  pleasure.

  (7) “For one feeling pleasure no volition need be exerted: ‘Let my
  mind be concentrated.’ It is natural that the mind of one feeling
  pleasure is concentrated.

Later again from Meanings Sutta but it fit here more in this post:

  Again, he asked: “World Honored One, what is the meaning of this:
  ‘concentration’?”

  The World Honored One replied: “Ānanda, the meaning of concentration
  is to bring about seeing according to reality and knowing according to
  reality. Ānanda, if someone were to be concentrated, he would readily
  attain the seeing that is according to reality and the knowing that is
  according to reality.”

Else?

For developing  of non-distractiveness association with people collected in mind, avoiding restless people and mindfulness of arising and ceasing of phenomena in general according to Buddhagosa s commentary

I think this is it for your concentration problem OP, dont think i have to state the seemingly obvious in regards to your leaks:)

In regards to feeling inferior,

  there is no competition in search for peace

i heard that

Also this

Sarakaani Sutta:

  "Take the case of another man. He is not even endowed with unwavering
  devotion to the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Sangha. He is not joyous and
  swift in wisdom and has not gained release. But perhaps he has these
  things: the faculty of faith, of energy, of mindfulness, of
  concentration, of wisdom. And the things proclaimed by the Tathaagata
  are moderately approved by him with insight. That man does not go to
  the realm of hungry ghosts, to the downfall, to the evil way, to
  states of woe.

  "Take the case of another man. He is not even endowed with unwavering
  devotion to the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Sangha. He is not joyous and
  swift in wisdom and has not gained release. But he has just these
  things: the faculty of faith, of energy, of mindfulness, of
  concentration, of wisdom. Yet if he has merely faith, merely affection
  for the Tathaagata, that man, too, does not go to... states of woe.

On Vi:

When training Satipatthana it is not the objective to get well-concentrated, the concentration comes in succession and has its role and appropriate function. IE it also is involved as a causal condition for people attaching to certain states and that hinders progress.

Sati as a factor of Enlightenment, translated as mindfuless has function of remembering or keeping in mind, re-cognizing. Mindfulness of physical and mental states arising of and within a body is a single theme for the mind, which will develope concentration faculty no problem.

It seems to me that you could try paying more attention to arising and passing of states of "disliking", "wanting/liking", "sadness/despair", "judging/evaluating", "doubting" and "thinking/wondering" as well as "knowing", knowing ie when your concentration is low you can know it as "my concentration is weak", then maybe "disliking?;)" or "wanting" for it to be better or "evaluating" that it makes you a bad meditator, should note that your are thinking at this point and see where it goes from there. You see it will keep you within the theme of mindfulness of the body, conditioning victory.


Help trying to find a sutta speaking of the pleasures of the householder

There is one reference for this in Dhammapada 155 - 156:

Verse 155: They, who in youth have neither led the life of Purity nor
have acquired wealth, waste away in dejection like decrepit herons on
a drying pond deplete of fish.
Verse 156: They, who in youth have neither led the Life of Purity nor
have acquired wealth, lie helplessly like arrows that have lost
momentum, moaning and sighing after the past.

This is the commentary for it:

The Story of the Son of Mahadhana
While residing at the Migadaya wood, the Buddha uttered Verses (155)
and (156) of this book, with reference to the son of Mahadhana, a rich
man from Baranasi.
The son of Mahadhana did not study while he was young; when he came of
age he married the daughter of a rich man, who, like him, also had no
education. When the parents on both sides died, they inherited eighty
crores from each side and so were very rich. But both of them were
ignorant and knew only how to spend money and not how to keep it or to
make it grow. They just ate and drank and had a good time, squandering
their money. When they had spent all, they sold their fields and
gardens and finally their house. Thus, they became very poor and
helpless; and because they did not know how to earn a living they had
to go begging. One day, the Buddha saw the rich man's son leaning
against a wall of the monastery, taking the leftovers given him by the
samaneras; seeing him, the Buddha smiled.
The Venerable Ananda asked the Buddha why he smiled, and the Buddha
replied, "Ananda, look at this son of a very rich man; he had lived a
useless life, an aimless life of pleasure. If he had learnt to look
after his riches in the first stage of his life he would have been a
top-ranking rich man; or if he had become a bhikkhu, he could have
been an arahat, and his wife could have been an anagami. If he had
learnt to look after his riches in the second stage of his life he
would have been a second rank rich man, or if he had become a bhikkhu
he could have been an anagami, and his wife could have been a
sakadagami. If he had learnt to look after his riches in the third
stage of his life he would have been a third rank rich man, or if he
had become a bhikkhu he could have been a sakadagami, and his wife
could have been a sotapanna. However, because he had done nothing in
all the three stages of his life he had lost all his worldly riches,
he had also lost all opportunities of attaining any of the Maggas and
Phalas."
Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 155: They, who in
youth have neither led the life of Purity nor have acquired wealth,
waste away in dejection like decrepit herons on a drying pond deplete
of fish.
Verse 156: They, who in youth have neither led the Life of
Purity nor have acquired wealth, lie helplessly like arrows that have
lost momentum, moaning and sighing after the past.

In this YouTube video, Ven. Yuttadhammo explains these verses.


The whole point of using words to note is that you are labeling the thing you are meditating on in accordance with what it is. If you are rising up to stand, you aren't actually standing at that time, so it is inappropriate to note it with the word standing, as you want the noting to be simultaneous with the object itself.

Ajahn Yuttadhammo explains some of the principles of the labeling being simultaneous in his section on walking meditation on page 16 of his meditation booklet where he writes:

  One should make the mental note   at the exact moment of each
  movement,  neither before or after the movement.

  If the mental note, "stepping right",  is made before the foot moves ,
  one is noting  something that has not yet occurred. If  one  move s
  the  foot first and then note s,  "stepping right", one is noting
  something in the past. Either way,   this cannot   be   considered
  meditation,   as   there   is   no awareness of reality in either case
  .


It doesn't force things to happen because karma by definition has no self which can force anything.
Karma doesn't really exist as some punishing entity (like a Western God), which is what the word "force" implies in your question.

In Buddhism and Hinduism, the chain of causation that binds beings to the Wheel of Birth and the natural conditions that stem from it, creates a torrent of karma all of which must be satisfied in life after life until samadhi/bodhi can be achieved.

"Conditions" can be anything by the way. A condition can be being in a certain situation, seeing a certain characteristic of a person (e.g. maleness, femaleness), or even "having a body". Oftentimes I believe that karma has an effect that is beyond time, simultaneously immediate, near, and far..


Proper practice with the five hindrances

I have recently posted an answer to a question very similar to yours. In there i write about The Five Hindrances and give references to a book and an audio dhamma talk on the topic. In the book and audio talk a thourough description of the hindrances and their antidotes are given.

You can find the answer here. Maybe it can be of help to you.

  What is the proper way one should incorporate the concept of the five hindrances into the practice?

The hindrances are what blocks one from developing in meditation. When the mind is obscurred by concepts, desires, doubts etc. and therefore not being able to "see clearly" there will be wavering in the mind. When there is wavering in the mind the true nature of phenomena cannot be seen, i.e. the 3 signs of existence.

You mention impermanence yourself and that is one of them. The other two are; dukkha = unsatisfactoriness and anatta = not-self, the impersonal nature of phenomena.

There are different ways to deal with the hindrances. As Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi talks about in the audio dhamma talk one can note the hindrance a couple of times and return to the primary object of meditation e.g. the rising and falling of the abdomen. The hindrance might come back multiple times and with greater intensity. One can then leave the abdomen and instead take the hindrance as a primary meditation object. If that does not work too then one can begin to administer antidotes to the hindrance. See the quote in next section.

Here is a quote on how to overcome the first hindrance which is "Sensual Desire":

  SENSUAL DESIRE

  A. Nourishment of Sensual Desire
  There are beautiful objects; frequently giving unwise attention to them — this is the nourishment for the arising of sensual desire that has not arisen, and the nourishment for the increase and strengthening of sensual desire that has already arisen.

  — SN 46:51

  B. Denourishing of Sensual Desire
  There are impure objects (used for meditation); frequently giving wise attention to them — this is the denourishing of the arising of sensual desire that has not yet arisen, and the denourishing of the increase and strengthening of sensual desire that has already arisen.

  — SN 46:51

  Six things are conducive to the abandonment of sensual desire:

  Learning how to meditate on impure objects;
  Devoting oneself to the meditation on the impure;
  Guarding the sense doors;
  Moderation in eating;
  Noble friendship;
  Suitable conversation.
  — Commentary to the Satipatthana Sutta

  Learning how to meditate about impure objects
  & 2. Devoting oneself to the meditation on the impure
  (a) Impure objects
  In him who is devoted to the meditation about impure objects, repulsion towards beautiful objects is firmly established. This is the result.

  — AN 5:36

  "Impure object" refers, in particular, to the cemetery meditations as given in the Satipatthana Sutta and explained in the Visuddhimagga; but it refers also to the repulsive aspects of sense objects in general.

  (b) The loathsomeness of the body
  Herein, monks, a monk reflects on just this body, confined within the skin and full of manifold impurities from the soles upward and from the top of the hair down: "There is in this body: hair of the head, hair of the body, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, pleura, spleen, lungs, intestines, bowels, stomach, excrement, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, lymph, saliva, mucus, fluid of the joints, urine (and the brain in the skull)."

  — MN 10

  By bones and sinews knit,
  With flesh and tissue smeared,
  And hidden by the skin, the body
  Does not appear as it really is...
  The fool thinks it beautiful,
  His ignorance misguiding him...
  — Sutta Nipata, v.194,199

  (c) Various contemplations
  Sense objects give little enjoyment, but much pain and much despair; the danger in them prevails.

  — MN 14

  The unpleasant overwhelms a thoughtless man in the guise of the pleasant, the disagreeable overwhelms him in the guise of the agreeable, the painful in the guise of pleasure.

  — Udana, 2:8

  Guarding the sense doors
  How does one guard the sense doors? Herein, a monk, having seen a form, does not seize upon its (delusive) appearance as a whole, nor on its details. If his sense of sight were uncontrolled, covetousness, grief and other evil, unwholesome states would flow into him. Therefore he practices for the sake of its control, he watches over the sense of sight, he enters upon its control. Having heard a sound... smelt an odor... tasted a taste... felt a touch... cognized a mental object, he does not seize upon its (delusive) appearance as a whole... he enters upon its control.

  — SN 35:120

  There are forms perceptible by the eye, which are desirable, lovely, pleasing, agreeable, associated with desire, arousing lust. If the monk does not delight in them, is not attached to them, does not welcome them, then in him thus not delighting in them, not being attached to them and not welcoming them, delight (in these forms) ceases; if delight is absent, there is no bondage. There are sounds perceptible by the ear... odors perceptible by the mind... if delight is absent, there is no bondage.

  — SN 35:63

  Moderation in eating
  How is he moderate in eating? Herein a monk takes his food after wise consideration: not for the purpose of enjoyment, of pride, of beautifying the body or adorning it (with muscles); but only for the sake of maintaining and sustaining this body, to avoid harm and to support the holy life, thinking: "Thus I shall destroy the old painful feeling and shall not let a new one rise. Long life will be mine, blamelessness and well-being."

  — MN 2; MN 39

  Noble friendship
  Reference is here, in particular, to such friends who have experience and can be a model and help in overcoming sensual desire, especially in meditating on impurity. But it applies also to noble friendship in general. The same twofold explanation holds true also for the other hindrances, with due alterations.

  The entire holy life, Ananda, is noble friendship, noble companionship, noble association. Of a monk, Ananda, who has a noble friend, a noble companion, a noble associate, it is to be expected that he will cultivate and practice the Noble Eightfold Path.

  — SN 45:2

  Suitable conversation
  Reference is here in particular to conversation about the overcoming of sensual desire, especially about meditating on impurity. But it applies also to every conversation which is suitable to advance one's progress on the path. With due alterations this explanation holds true also for the other hindrances.

  If the mind of a monk is bent on speaking, he (should remember this): "Talk which is low, coarse, worldly, not noble, not salutary, not leading to detachment, not to freedom from passion, not to cessation, not to tranquillity, not to higher knowledge, not to enlightenment, not to Nibbana, namely, talk about kings, robbers and ministers, talk about armies, dangers and war, about food and drink, clothes, couches, garlands, perfumes, relatives, cars, villages, towns, cities, and provinces, about women and wine, gossip of the street and of the well, talk about the ancestors, about various trifles, tales about the origin of the world and the ocean, talk about what happened and what did not happen — such and similar talk I shall not entertain." Thus he is clearly conscious about it.

  But talk about austere life, talk suitable for the unfolding of the mind, talk which is conducive to complete detachment, to freedom from passion, to cessation, tranquillity, higher knowledge, enlightenment and to Nibbana, namely, talk about a life of frugality, about contentedness, solitude, aloofness from society, about rousing one's energy, talk about virtue, concentration, wisdom, deliverance, about the vision and knowledge of deliverance — such talk I shall entertain." Thus he is clearly conscious about it.

  — MN 122

  These things, too, are helpful in conquering sensual desire:

  One-pointedness of mind, of the factors of absorption (jhananga);
  Mindfulness, of the spiritual faculties (indriya);
  Mindfulness, of the factors of enlightenment (bojjhanga).

  -- "The Five Mental Hindrances and Their Conquest" by Ven. Nyanaponika Thera

Lanka


Doubting the quick attainments of the Mahasi Tradition

To help get an understanding  into who, what, where, when and why about Mahasi Sayadaw, I started to read “Practical Vipassana Meditation Exercises, by Mahasi Sayadaw: Part 1, Basic Practice. It was interesting to note that nowhere in that whole document any reference being made to the Scriptures (the Suttas). If there were any, @Uuu, even you would have found out for yourself what I came to know of him and his “meditation instructors”. Be it Mahasi, his ‘instructors, you or any one of us in this Group, we can only be 'DISCIPLES' of the Supreme Buddha. And nothing more. If we follow the scriptures (original Suttas & Vinaya) to the letter, we can be guides to others. In this document Mahasi never defined WHAT a Sotapanna / Stream Entry is, and HOW a Stream Entry occur.

In his reply to the OP How does stream entry occur?
@yuttadhammo (Ven.) answered this clearly, and precisely. He took the Rathavinita Sutta (The only sutta that fully explains the seven purifications) to explain the road to become a Sotapanna. This Sutta explains in full the seven purifications (SAPTHA VISUDDHI) taught by the Buddha. The Ratha-vinita Sutta: Relay Chariots  (MN 24; M.I,145)  To fully explain each of these seven purifications would require a separate OP for each.

I took the Thayodhamma sutta(Abandon three things at a time)......  to explain the skills that should be developed to achieve this supreme task.

The Sotāpanna attains an intuitive grasp of Dhamma (right view) and has complete confidence in the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha) WHEN the Sotapanna  have "opened the eye of the Dhamma" (dhamma chakkhu), because he has realized that whatever arises, will cease. (impermanence). His conviction in the true Dhamma is unshakable. Instead of these three supreme protections - The Three Jewels (Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha) – Mahasi talks about “Four Protections”. This is the first time that I came across such. I have read but a very few suttas. So if someone could refer me to where these “Four Protections” came from I’ll be thankful. The Three Jewels are mentioned in the Dhajagga Sutta. Taking  refuge in the 3 jewels of Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha was recommended by the Buddha as providing protection from afflictions. It is specifically mentioned in the **Dhajagga-paritta ("Banner Protection") - SN 11.3.

@Uuu, please compare Mahasi’s explanation of the nine supreme qualities of the Buddha and my reply to the OP Why worship Buddha?. Mahasi describes Lokavidû as “World Knower”.  I have explained this fifth quality “Lokavidu” to mean ‘knower of the three worlds’ – the Human, the Deva, & the Brahma, and as It is one who understands the origin of all worlds, understands the cessation of all worlds, and understands how to escape from all the three worlds.

I can go on and on and on in comparing Mahasi Sayadaw’s article to the Scriptures, but I do not want to. It should be clear to you by now, that WHERE those who fall into such trappings will go NO-WHERE. Let us now analyze our lives. By not realizing the truth, we have travelled this long and sorrowful cycle of birth and death, with great suffering and pain. Due to ignorance and delusion we perceive self in what is not self. When we are caught up in this delusion, we view, perceive and think erroneously. These wrong views prevail in the world until a very few amongst us accept only the original suttas – the scriptures – and be true to it – be committed to it. The Supremely Enlightened One reveals the true nature ONLY if we commit to the Truth. The Blessed One proclaimed how one can achieve deliverance from ignorance and delusion,  but hardly anyone amongst us will ever get there.

Supreme Buddha explained this WHY with a simile. The Blessed One placed a little soil on the tip of a fingernail, and compared that to all the soil on this great Earth. The soil on the tip of the fingernail is insignificant in comparison to the soil on this great Earth. Even so insignificant, are the beings who reach perfect sanctity, the final liberation from suffering. Here Buddha is referring to Sotapanna Disciples.

A Sotāpanna (Pali) or "He who entered(āpanna) the stream(sota)." ‘stream” is a metaphor for the third of the Four Noble Truths, Noble Eightfold Path. A stream which rigidly flows will not stop until it enters the sea. A Sotapanna has completely entered in to the Eightfold Noble Dhamma Path (has gained the first magga-phala). So he will surely achieve Arhathood within seven births that are born in human and heavenly happy realms and his spiritual development will not descend.

Therefore, it is clear that this is not something that can be accomplished effortlessly. Each individual has to put forth the necessary effort, and work out his own deliverance with mindfulness. A noble disciple, who possesses unflinching energy with firm determination to realize the Four Noble Truths, will be able to work out his deliverance.

Let’s Live Close to the Perfect One, the Tathagata.


The four stages are not related to "reflexively respond forcefully to never allow it to arise again and give rise to suffering". To volitionally not allow defilements to arise is called 'mindfulness & clear comprehension' and also 'sense restraint', as follows:

Thus associating with good persons, becoming full, fills up hearing
the good Dhamma. Hearing the good Dhamma, becoming full, fills up
faith. Faith, becoming full, fills up careful attention. Careful
attention, becoming full, fills up mindfulness & clear
comprehension (satisampajañña). Mindfulness & clear comprehension, becoming full,
fill up restraint of the sense faculties (indriyasaṃvara). Restraint of the sense
faculties, becoming full, fills up the three kinds of good conduct.
The three kinds of good conduct, becoming full, fill up the four
establishments of mindfulness. The four establishments of mindfulness,
becoming full, fill up the seven factors of enlightenment. The seven
factors of enlightenment, becoming full, fill up true knowledge and
liberation (vijjāvimutti). Thus there is nutriment for true knowledge and liberation and in this way they become full.
AN 10.61

The four stages occur due to direct insight or "true knowledge (vijjā) leading to liberation (vimutti)".
Other Pali terms for "direct knowledge", of which there are many, include:

Vipassanā

Yathābhūtañāṇadassana

Sammāñāṇa

"Vipassana" means the mind constantly experiences the impermanence of sense phenomena. When constant impermanence of sense phenomena is experienced, the mind becomes "disenchanted" ("nibbidā") with sense phenomena because it sees nothing (except non-attachment/Nibbana) can provide stable happiness & security. The mind also ends ignorance because it sees the truth of impermanence (aniccam), the truth of lack of happiness (dukkham) and the truth of not-self (anatta). This disenchantment plus its associated "dispassion" ("viraga") and direct seeing of not-self causes craving and conceit to end via direct seeing.
Compare the above, for example, to constantly seeing images of the consequences of war, such as destroyed buildings; dead, burned, injured, raped, thin, sick and homeless people; etc. Merely seeing these images results in a lack of desire towards war. No forceful effort is required to give up enthusiasm for war because the mind sees directly the horrors of war. Vipassana is the same. The mind directly sees the horror of impermanent not-self conditioned sense phenomena and loses desire & identification towards these phenomena.


In "Awareness Itself", we read the advice given by Ajaan Fuang, as recorded by his student Thanissaro Bhikkhu:

  § A young nurse practiced meditation with Ajaan Fuang several days
  running, and finally asked him one day, "Why wasn't today's session as
  good as yesterday's?"

  He answered: "Meditating is like wearing clothes. Today you wear
  white, tomorrow red, yellow, blue, whatever. You have to keep
  changing. You can't wear the same set of clothes all the time. So
  whatever color you're wearing, just be aware of it. Don't get
  depressed or excited about it."

  § A few months later the same nurse was sitting in meditation when a
  sense of peace and clarity in her mind became so intense that she felt
  she would never have a bad mood infiltrate her mind again. But sure
  enough, bad moods eventually came back as before. When she mentioned
  this to Ajaan Fuang, he said, "Looking after the mind is like raising
  a child. There will have to be bad days along with the good. If you
  want only the good, you're in for trouble. So you have to play
  neutral: Don't fall in with the good or the bad."

  § "When the meditation goes well, don't get excited. When it doesn't
  go well, don't get depressed. Simply be observant to see why it's
  good, why it's bad. If you can be observant like this, it won't be
  long before your meditation becomes a skill."

  § A student came to complain to Ajaan Fuang that she had been
  meditating for years, and still hadn't gotten anything out of it. His
  immediate response: "You don't meditate to 'get' anything. You
  meditate to let go."

  § "You should watch visions the same way you watch TV: Just watch it,
  without getting pulled inside the tube."


A Pali word for the view that the outer world is a reflection of one's own life state is 'namati', which means 'inclination' or 'bent'.

The Dependent Origination explains when ignorant sankhara arise & control the mental faculties (nama), the mind (nama) develops an inclination (nati) bent (namati) by those ignorant sankhara.

As a result, the mind will pursue & engage in sense contact (passa), in which it views the external world in an ignorant way, such as viewing evil as 'good', the ugly as 'beautiful', the undesirable as 'desirable', the impermanent as 'permanent', the unsatisfactory as 'satisfactory' & not-self things as 'self', etc.

  Whatever a monk keeps pursuing with his thinking & pondering, that becomes the inclination (nati) of his mind. If a monk keeps pursuing
  thinking imbued with sensuality, abandoning thinking imbued with
  renunciation, his mind is bent (namati) by that thinking imbued with
  sensuality. If a monk keeps pursuing thinking imbued with ill will,
  abandoning thinking imbued with non-ill will, his mind is bent (namati) by
  that thinking imbued with ill will. If a monk keeps pursuing thinking
  imbued with harmfulness, abandoning thinking imbued with harmlessness,
  his mind is bent (namati) by that thinking imbued with harmfulness.

  Dvedhavitakka Sutta

~~~

  Nati (f.) [Sk. nati of nam] bending, bent, inclination S ii.67; iv.59; M i.115.

  Namati [Ved. namati, Idg. nem to bend; also to share out]


Meditation and good deeds vs clarity of mind during death

Ultimately, the moment of death consciousness is all that counts. That consciousness, however, is of course partially conditioned by all the good and bad deeds one has performed in the past, especially since one's life tends to flash before one's eyes just before that last moment, leading one to often cling to this or that memory or idea.

Technically, there are four potential types of karma that determine the nature of the last moment of one's life (Vism XIX.15):

garu-kamma (weighty karma) - if one has killed one's mother or father, for example. These types of karma outweigh any other possible result; one who has performed these at some time in this life cannot help but go to hell in their next existence.
bahula-kamma (frequent karma) - if one has performed a certain karma with great frequency, this will be the next candidate for adherence at the moment of death.
aasanna-kamma (dying karma) - if there is no particular karma that stands out as habitual, the most likely single karma to cause rebirth is karma performed at the moment of death, for example getting angry or upset, crying or clinging to something, or listening to the dhamma or meditating.
kattata-kamma (merely performed karma) - finally, the last karma to lead to rebirth is some karma that comes to mind at the moment of death, even at random.

Of course, besides the first of the four, one's state of mind at the moment of death can potentially nullify all karma and even lead one to not be reborn again. The point is that, regardless of what colours it, it is that last moment that leads to rebirth (or nibbana).

This is exemplified by the interesting story of Queen Mallika (Dhp-A 151), who was a devoted Buddhist who performed great acts of charity and morality, but died remembering a single act of deception towards her husband and therefore went to hell. After spending seven days in hell, she died again and was reborn in heaven due to her good deeds. Perhaps this also suggests that one's rebirth itself isn't as important as one's karma, since it will all generally work its way out in the end.


The VRI definition (Source: The Importance of Vedana and Sampajanna)

  The Buddha, out of his personal experience, found that suffering arises because of the mental habit of craving (tanhatanha). This in itself was not a new discovery, but what was unique to his teaching was that he found a practical way out of suffering. By exploring the depths of his mind, he realized that between external objects and the mental reflex of craving, is a missing link-vedana-the feeling of body sensations.

  Whenever we encounter an object through the five physical senses or the mind, a sensation arises, and based on the sensation, craving arises. If the sensation is pleasant we crave to prolong it; if it is unpleasant we crave to get rid of it. Therefore, the immediate cause for the arising of craving and of suffering is not something outside, but rather the sensations that occur within us. To free ourselves, we must deal with this inner reality.

  Vedana is the meeting ground, the crossroads where mind and body interact, and where our true nature is revealed in a vivid, tangible way. This is wisdom; the thorough understanding that all sensations, all that one calls 'I', all that one is attached to, are arising to pass away. By objectively observing this process, we develop equanimity towards change. We no longer crave for pleasant sensations nor have aversion to unpleasant ones.

  The Buddha called this wisdom sampajanna-the constant thorough understanding of impermanence. By Vipassana one learns to develop the continuity of this understanding. The practice results in a calm, balanced mind in the midst of all the ups and downs of life, and leads to liberation from attachment, craving and suffering. This path is a true art of living that enables one to live a wholesome, creative life. And due to its non-sectarian nature, people from all communities, religions, castes and countries are able to derive great benefit from its application.


Basic dharma theory tells me that it is definitely not possible to perceive both fingers simultaneously

That's kind of an advanced book.

There are no body parts within each of our own bodily experiece, only sensation.

Unless you are a natural you can't see how fast the mind works or see if awareness arises simultaneously in the beginning. It's all a blur until we have practiced long enough.

I guess your being taught to see things as they are in your own experience. While one does this kind of practice one sets concepts aside. Ideally even Dhamma theory could be put aside when one gets the hang of the practice.


Pa Auk Sayadaw treats this topic in Knowing and Seeing, P. 190-196.

According to the Sayadaw, follow the method given for discerning the past, making appropriate changes to see the future, including future lives. He says there are multiple methods and this is one of them.

  How You Discern the Past

  To discern the past, you begin by making an offering of either
  candles, flowers, or incense at a pagoda, or to a Buddha image. You
  should make a wish for the rebirth you desire, for example, to become
  a monk, nun, man, woman, or deva.
    Afterwards, you should go and sit in
  meditation, develop concentration, and discern in turn internal and
  external mentality and materiality. This is neces- sary, because if
  you cannot discern external mentality and materiality, you will have
  great difficulty discern- ing past mentality and materiality. That is
  because the discernment of external mentality and materiality is
  similar to the discernment of past mentality and materiality.  Then you
  should discern the mentality and materiality that occurred at the time
  of making the offering at the pagoda or Buddha image, as if they were
  an external object. When doing this, an image of yourself at the time
  of offering appears. You should discern the four elements in that
  image.  When the image breaks into kalàpas, discern all 190 the types
  of materiality in the six doors, especially the fifty-four types in
  the heart-base. Then you will be able to discern the bhavaïga
  consciousnesses, and the mind- door thought-processes that that arise
  in-between. You should discern those mind-door thought-processes
  backwards and forwards, and find the defilement-round (kilesavañña)
  mind-door thought-process with twenty mental formations, and
  kamma-round (kammavañña) mind-door thought-process
  (manodvàra-vãthi) with thirty- four mental formations.  Let me
  illustrate with a practical example: the case of making an offering of
  candles, flowers, or incense to a Buddha image, and making a wish to
  be reborn to become a monk.  In this case, ignorance is to deludedly
  think that ‘a monk’ is an ultimate reality; craving is the desire and
  longing for life as a monk; and clinging is the attach- ment to life
  as a monk. These three, ignorance, craving, and clinging, are all
  found in the consciousness that makes up the round of defilements
  (kilesa-vañña).  If, instead of making a wish to be reborn to become
  a monk, you had made a wish to be reborn to become a woman, then the
  ignorance would be to deludedly think that ‘a woman’ is an ultimate
  reality; craving would be the desire and longing for life as a woman;
  and clinging the attachment to life as a woman.  In the examples,
  volitional formations (saïkhàra) are the wholesome intentions
  (kusala-cetanà) of the offering, and kamma is their force of kamma.
  Both are found in the consciousnesses that make up the kamma round of
  dependent-origination.  When you are thus able to discern the
  mentality and materiality of the defilement- and kamma-round of the
  recent past, you should go back to the more distant past time previous
  to the offering, and in the same way discern the mentality and
  materiality. Then go back a little further again, and repeat the
  process. In this way, you discern the mentality and materiality of one
  day ago, one week ago, one month ago, one year ago, two years ago,
  three years ago and so on. Eventually you will be able to discern
  right back to the mentality-materiality of the rebirth-linking
  consciousness (pañisandhi-citta) which arose at the conception of
  this life.  By looking for the causes of conception, you go back even
  further, and see either the mentality- materiality of the time near
  death in the previous life, or the object of the near-death
  impulsion-consciousness (maraõàsanna-javana-citta). There are three
  possible objects for the near death impulsion:
  1. Kamma; again having the thoughts that pro- duced a particular good or bad action in the past, for example, an offering.
  2. Kamma sign (kamma-nimitta); for example, a pagoda, a monk, flowers, or an object offered.
  3. Rebirth sign (gati-nimitta); the place where you will be reborn. For a human rebirth it is the future mother’s womb, and is usually red
  like a red carpet.  If you discern the mentality-materiality near
  death, you will also discern the object of the near death
  impulsion, be it kamma, kamma sign, or rebirth sign. This object
  appears because of the force of kamma which produced the
  rebirth-linking consciousness (pañisandhi-citta). When you discern
  this, you are able to discern also the volitional formations and kamma
  that produced the resultant aggre- gates of this life, and the
  preceding ignorance, craving, and clinging. After that, you should
  discern the other mental formations of that kamma- and
  defilement-round.

  How You Discern the Future

  Once the power of this insight-knowledge has been de- veloped by
  discerning the causes and effects through those past lives, you can,
  in the same way, discern the causes and effects in future lives. The
  future you will see, and which may still change, is the result of both
  past and present causes, one of which is the medita- tion you are
  doing. To discern the future, you begin by discerning the present
  materiality-mentality, and then look into the future until the time of
  death in this life. Then either the kamma, kamma sign, or rebirth sign
  will appear, because of the force of a particular kamma you performed
  in this life. You will then be able to discern the rebirth-linking
  mentality-materiality to be produced in the future life.  You must
  discern as many lives into the future as it takes till ignorance
  ceases without remainder. This happens with the attainment of the
  arahant path(arahatta-magga), that is, your own attainment of
  ara- hantship. You should then continue discerning into the future,
  until you see that the five aggregates, mentality- materiality, cease
  without remainder, that is, at the end of the arahant life, at your
  own Parinibbàna. Thus you will have looked into the future, and seen
  the complete cessation of phenomena (dhamma).  Discerning the five
  aggregates of the past, present, and future, and also discerning their
  causal relation, is what I call the fifth method. Having completed the
  fifth method, you can now learn what is called the first method, the
  one taught by the Buddha.  The first method of discerning dependent-
  origination (pañiccasamuppàda) goes over three lives, and in forward
  order. It begins with the causes in the past life, that is, ignorance
  and volitional formations. They cause the results in the present life:
  the rebirth-linking consciousness, mentality-materiality, the six
  sense- bases, contact, and feeling. There are then the causes in this
  life, craving, clinging, and becoming, which cause the results of
  birth, ageing, death, and all forms of suffering in the future life.
  You have to look for ignorance, craving and clinging in the defilement
  round, see how it causes the kamma round, and how the kammic force of
  the kamma round in turn causes the five aggregates of conception.  That
  concludes my brief explanation of how to discern dependent-origination
  according to the fifth and first methods. There are many more details
  which you can learn by practising with a proper teacher.

 The Buddha makes predictions about the future in the suttas and, in one case, if I recall correctly, takes action to prevent a disciple from having a bad rebirth; it is a female disciple who is a weaver or something if I am correct. If anyone knows what I am referring to, please do leave a comment.


Don't try to conceptualize what is happening. Simply stay aware and let-go.

If you have reached to that point, have courage. Obviously you will be afraid, it is the death of ego, a conscious death.

Some wisdom from the Buddha,

There are only two mistakes a man can make on the path of Nibbana, one is never starting at all and second is not walking till the end.

Again as the Buddha said,

Charaiveti Charaiveti.

Edit: The third point is a fake buddha quote. My bad.
The fourth one is apperently what the Buddha said at the end of every discourse. Meaning, ' go-on go-on'. This has been said by some,  but there is not strong evidential cititation. But feels like right.


Is it possible to exercise Metta to all or is Metta only a mental state only? If so how does one act to remain dispassionate?

"Practise yourself, for heavens sake in little things, thence proceed to greater". Epictetus (Roman Stoic Philosopher)

You have to use wisdom in order to make metta stronger and you have to practise metta formaly and informaly.

With wisdom I mean perceptions you have to reflect upon many many many times:

• No one can escape aging, sickness, death as well as mental and physical suffering

• Everyone is heir of his/her thoughts, actions and emotions. If one acts badly it's because of the causes and conditions that are meeting then and there


The concept of Kamma implies that information is stored in the mind

No, it does not! Information and storage are concepts. Not realities! The issue here is, we make the assumption that for causes to give an effect in the future, something needs to persist in the interim. When you commit a Kamma, the action is done and finished then and there. There's nothing stored. To give an analogy, take a stick and hold it at one end with your left hand and tap at the other end with your right. Your left hand will feel the vibration. But did any molecule travel from right to left? No! It's just that when the molecules at the place you tapped vibrate, the adjacent molecules start vibrating and then the ones next to them and so on. Then we make a concept out of it and call it a wave. But there's no wave in reality! The first molecule vibrated and stopped. It didn't go anywhere.  Similarly, Kamma is also a concept given to describe a certain causes and effect process. There's nothing going from this life to the next or this moment to the next.


Can one gloss the doctrine of karma as the claim that we are only really hurting ourselves?

Frustration and suffering arise from unskillful intentions. That's bad kamma.

DN33:1.11.154: There are deeds that are dark with dark result.

Harmony and happiness arise from skillful intentions. That's good kamma.

DN33:1.11.155: There are deeds that are bright with bright result.

More commonly, the two are mixed and muddied.

DN33:1.11.156: There
are deeds that are dark and bright with dark and bright result.

However, the truly skillful do not accumulate kamma. They let go of kamma instead of piling it up.

DN33:1.11.157: There are neither dark nor bright deeds with neither dark nor bright results, which lead to the end of deeds.

Looking for the limit of faults is chasing the conditioned, the impermanent and the unsatisfactory.
Instead, look for the limitless in love, compassion, rejoicing and equanimity.


Non Buddhist can say Hello to Buddha or Monk?

Then the monks, delighting in & approving of the Blessed One's words, rose from their seats and — bowing down to the Blessed One and circumambulating him, keeping him to their right — went to Ven. Sariputta. On arrival, they exchanged courteous greetings with him. After an exchange of friendly greetings & courtesies, they sat to one side.
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn22/sn22.002.than.html
Perhaps it was a very old tradition to respect the elders and worthy people or even people with power.


Are there different types of enlightenment?

The are the 3 Bodhis: Sammasambuddha, Pacceka-Buddha, Arahath. Then there is Sopadisesa-nibbana and Anupadisesa-nibbana. But I don't think that's what you are asking about when you say different types.

What you need to keep in mind is that same thing can be described in many different ways. To give an analogy, an elephant can be described as 'heavy' by some, 'tall' by some, 'large' by some, 'gracious' by some, 'noisy' by some etc.

One person can say "spreading the light" to which another might say "dispelling the darkness". But they both refer to the same thing.

On the other hand, different teachers and traditions might label different experiences as enlightenment depending on their understanding or misunderstanding. That does not mean there are many types of enlightenments. Otherwise the Buddha would have listed them down under the Third Noble Truth.

  enlightenment as a shift in identity

This is cutting off of identity-view(Sakkayaditti) when one attains Sotapanna. It is also partial liberation from delusion.

  liberation from greed, hatred and delusion;

This is when one attains Arahanthship. So it appears that Jack Kornfield might have gotten confused by the descriptions of different stages of enlightenment and different stages of mental purifications.

  devotion and surrender, being carried by the Buddha’s “grace";

This is not a description of enlightenment in Theravada Buddhism. But it may just mean that if one devoted oneself to the Buddha and submit to the practice of holly life under him, one will attain enlightenment.

  There are many other gates: the gates of compassion, of purity, of
  surrender, of love. There is also what is called the “gateless gate.”

There are only 3 real gates. Others may bring one close to enlightenment, but the meditator still has to attain absolute certainty of either impermanence, suffering or non-self to get to Nibbana. Read here for more details.

  This is enlightenment as love.

This maybe referring to attaining the Jhanas through Metta meditation. But there is more work to be done from there to reach enlightenment.

  This is enlightenment as emptiness

This maybe talking about ākiñcaññāyatana(infinite nothingness), the 7th Jhana or the 3rd Arupajhana. But it's still not enlightenment.

  He expresses enlightenment as fullness.

This maybe talking about the rapture and joy arising in the first jhana or the fruits of Buddhanussati meditation: "When a bhikkhu is devoted to this recollection of the Buddha, he is respectful and deferential towards the Master. He attains fullness of faith, mindfulness, understanding and merit. He has much happiness and gladness." -Visuddhimagga

  Enlightenment as mindfulness.

Mindfulness leads to enlightenment and Arahaths are said to be always mindful. But mindfulness itself is not enlightenment.

  The Dalai Lama personifies enlightenment as compassionate blessing.

Dalai Lama is not Theravada, but he could just mean that enlightened beings are compassionate and a blessing to the world.

  He expressed enlightenment as wisdom.

Wisdom leads to enlightenment. Seeing impermanence, suffering and non-self is wisdom.


If you are worried that your current karmic existence is, or is related to, that of a hungry ghost you should apply the proper antidote. In this case the proper antidote is practicing/developing the first paramita : generosity  Doing such and being aware of your desires and the desires of others can help curb the feeling of constantly searching for some unknown thing.

As for how to know if your efforts are proper, or for good as you say, I'll turn you to the short and sweet lojung saying "Of the two witnesses, hold the principle one.

Try these things and meditate on them, see if they help, I hope they do. Remember, we all exist in this confusion together, you are not alone in this.


SN 22.62: What is meant by "scope of language"?

Clearly the past, present and future (was, is, will be) are all evident and incontestible (i.e., uncorrupted and without defilements). Therefore, this sutta implies that the corruption and defilements arise taking the past, present and future as other than what they are. Indeed, suffering arises when we take the past as the present (remorse or sadness). Or suffering arises when we take the past as the future (craving or aversion). Or suffering arises when we take the past or future as the present (delusion). Mixing up past, present and future is suffering.

Yet if one directly knows what was, is and will be:

  He directly knows water … fire … air … creatures … gods … the Creator … Brahmā … the gods of streaming radiance … the gods replete with glory … the gods of abundant fruit … the Overlord … the dimension of infinite space … the dimension of infinite consciousness … the dimension of nothingness … the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception … the seen … the heard … the thought … the known … oneness … diversity … all … He directly knows extinguishment as extinguishment. But he doesn’t identify with extinguishment, he doesn’t identify regarding extinguishment, he doesn’t identify as extinguishment, he doesn’t identify that ‘extinguishment is mine’, he doesn’t take pleasure in extinguishment. Why is that? Because he has understood that relishing is the root of suffering, and that rebirth comes from continued existence; whoever has come to be gets old and dies. That’s why the Realized One—with the ending, fading away, cessation, giving up, and letting go of all cravings—has awakened to the supreme perfect Awakening, I say
  --MN1


When doing your writing see what feelings you get and does it lead to:

a decrease in unwholesome states and/or increase in wholesome states
an increase in unwholesome states and/or decrease in wholesome states

“What now, bhikshus, haven’t you known me to have taught the Dharma in this way:

THE 2 KINDS OF PLEASANT FEELINGS.

Here, when one feels a certain kind of pleasant feeling, unwholesome states grow in him and wholesome states lessen;
but when one feels another kind of pleasant
feeling, unwholesome states lessen in him and wholesome states grow.

THE 2 KINDS OF PAINFUL FEELINGS.

Here, when one feels a certain kind of painful feeling, unwholesome states grow in him and wholesome states lessen;
but when one feels another kind of painful feeling, unwholesome states lessen in him and wholesome states grow.

THE 2 KINDS OF NEUTRAL FEELINGS.

Here, when one feels a certain kind of neutral feeling, unwholesome states grow in him and wholesome states lessen;
but when one feels another kind of neutral feeling, unwholesome states lessen in him and wholesome states grow.’?”

... [more detail description of the above follows in the Sutta]

Kīṭā,giri Sutta
If what you write increases lust, fantasy/delusion, greed, etc. then this is unwholesome.
Since ou writing is spiritual it might be wholesome if you write is in line with the Dhamma.
One way to discern how unwholesome states arise is as follows:

(1) the latent tendency to lust reinforced by being attached to pleasant feelings;
(2) the latent tendency to aversion reinforced by rejecting painful feelings;
(3) the latent tendency to ignorance reinforced by ignoring neutral feelings;

Pahāna Sutta
Dealing with sensations at a more granular level can be found in: Sal,āyatana Vibhanga Sutta


Intentional or unintentional sexual thoughts

Random thoughts (like random sexual thoughts) don't collect much bad karma. Intentional and deliberate thoughts generate karma. Habitual intentional thoughts accumulate karma.
Now, you are feeling remorse because you had those thoughts.
What you should do is acknowledge that those are random thoughts. Acknowledge that you don't have evil intentions.
And now you should disassociate from those thoughts using mindfulness. Just watch those thoughts as they appear but understand that they are not related to you or anything. Just watch and acknowledge it, then let it go.
Watch this video talk on YouTube on the scientific research done in this area.
From a canonical perspective, the Lonaphala Sutta explains that a trifling evil act has significant consequences for an undeveloped person but hardly any effect for a developed person.
Your remorse is part of that unintended significant consequence. But if you learn to let go, then you would have developed your mind to detach from such trifling negative thoughts.


Mindfulness is leading to anxiety and depersonalisation

Simple answer: It's a phase, it will pass.

Detailed answer: Mindfulness meditation doesn't result in a strictly upward curve in terms of clarity or perceived well being. This is one of the reasons for getting guidance from someone experienced, so that they can give you proper feedback on whether you are making progress or not.

If you don't have a teacher/can't find one, I can give you some tools for self diagnosis, let me know in the comments. But be warned, self diagnosis has its own issues and assuming oneself to be in different stage can cause unnecessary and needless suffering that one can do without by just sticking to regular practice.

http://static.squarespace.com/static/5037f52d84ae1e87f694cfda/t/5055922624acbaa64592c1c3/1347785254496/

refer to rows 2 (possible current stage) and 3.1 (possible reason for worsening symptoms)