How to balance an attitude of "effortless non-striving" with proper posture?

It would be possible for me to give a reply in the Theravada perspective hoping it might add value.

  (1) the tongue pressed against the pallet,

  (2) the teeth lightly touching,

    with clenched teeth and the tongue pressing on the palate

Vitakka Saṇṭhāna Sutta & Maha Saccaka Sutta

Maha Saccaka Sutta further mentions:

    I thought thus, Aggi,vessana,

    ‘Suppose, with my teeth clenched and my tongue pressed against my palate, I beat down the mind with mind.’

    So, Aggi,vessana, I with my teeth clenched and my tongue pressed against my palate, I beat down the
    mind with mind.

    While I, Aggi,vessana, was subduing, restraining and beating down my mind, with teeth clenched and my tongue pressed against my palate, sweat poured from my armpits.

    Just like as a strong man, Aggi,vessana holding a weaker man by the head or by the shoulders, were to restrain, subdue, attack him, even so, when I, Aggi,vessana, with my teeth clenched, and my tongue pressed against my palate, sweat poured from my armpits.

    But although tireless energy was aroused in me, and undistracted mindfulness was established, my body was overstrained and ill at ease because I was exhausted by the painful striving.

    But such painful feeling that arose in me did not invade my mind and remain.

    I thought thus, Aggi,vessana,

    ‘Suppose I practise the breathingless meditation.’
    So I stopped my in-breaths and out-breaths
    through my mouth and nose.

    While I did so, there was a loud sound of winds coming out from my ear-holes, just like a loud sound
    of winds from a smith’s bellows.

    Even so, Aggi,vessana, when I stopped my in-breaths and out-breaths, there was a loud sound of
    winds coming out from my ear-holes.

    But although tireless energy was aroused in me, and undistracted mindfulness was established, my
    body was overstrained and ill at ease because I was exhausted by the painful striving.

    But such painful feeling that arose in me did not invade my mind and remain.

    I thought thus, Aggi,vessana,

    ‘Suppose I practise further the breathingless meditation.’
    So I stopped my in-breaths and out-breaths through my mouth, nose and ears.

    While I did so, violent winds cut through my head, just as if a strong man were splitting my head open
    with a sharp sword.

    Even so, Aggi,vessana, when I stopped my in-breaths and out-breaths, there was a loud sound of
    winds coming out from my ear-holes.

    But although tireless energy was aroused in me, and undistracted mindfulness was established, my
    body was overstrained and ill at ease because I was exhausted by the painful striving.

    But such painful feeling that arose in me did not invade my mind and remain.

    I thought thus, Aggi,vessana,

    ‘Suppose I practise further the breathingless meditation.’
    So I stopped my in-breaths and out-breaths through my mouth, nose and ears.
    While I did so, there were violent pains in my head, just as if a strong man were tightening a
    tough leather strap around my head as a headband.

    Even so, Aggi,vessana, when I stopped my in-breaths and out-breaths, there were violent pains in my
    head.

    But although tireless energy was aroused in me, and undistracted mindfulness was established, my
    body was overstrained and ill at ease because I was exhausted by the painful striving.

    But such painful feeling that arose in me did not invade my mind and remain.

    I thought thus, Aggi,vessana,

    ‘Suppose I practise further the breathingless meditation.’ So I stopped
    my in-breaths and out-breaths through my mouth, nose and ears.

    While I did so, violent winds carved up my belly,
    just as if a skilled butcher or his apprentice were to
    carve up an ox’s belly with a sharp butcher’s knife.

    Even so, Aggi,vessana, when I stopped my in-breaths and out-breaths, violent winds carved up my
    belly.

    But although tireless energy was aroused in me, and undistracted mindfulness was established, my
    body was overstrained and ill at ease because I was exhausted by the painful striving.

    But such painful feeling that arose in me did not invade my mind and remain.

    I thought thus, Aggi,vessana,

    ‘Suppose I practise further the breathingless meditation.’

    So I stopped my in-breaths and out-breaths through my mouth, nose and ears.

    While I did so, there was a violent burning in my body, just as if two men were to seize a weaker man
    by both arms, might set him on fire and roast him over a pit of burning coal.

    Even so, Aggi,vessana, when I stopped my in-breaths and out-breaths through my mouth, nose and
    ears, there was a violent burning in my body.

    But although tireless energy was aroused in me, and undistracted mindfulness was established, my
    body was overstrained and ill at ease because I was exhausted by the painful striving.

    But such painful feeling that arose in me did not invade my mind and remain.

This is method is used to subdue, restrain, attack the (bad) mind with the (good) mind or beat down the mind with mind. In a Theravada perspective this should be used as a last resort to get rid of distracting or unwholesome thoughts.

In a personal perspective I have found when Piti, a blissful feeling which might lead to bodily vibration, gets excessive it might help to resort to the above for a short duration. The rolled tongue seam to make a short circuit which might seem to defuse the vibrations. Even so you should just be mindful or arising and passing even in this state to effortlessly move to Passaddhi. (Ekā,dasaka) Cetanā’karaṇīya Sutta and (Dasaka) Cetanā’karaṇīya Sutta implies such transition of transcending Piti should be effortless or not forced.

  (3) gaze directed 4 finger lengths beyond the tip of the nose

The rationale is to:

Prevent you from getting sleepy
Develop a basic level of concentration

Perhaps as you become a more accomplished meditator you can drop this.

    Now, the eyes. Should we leave them open or should we close them? Many people believe that they must close their eyes that they cannot meditate with open eyes. If you are serious about what you are doing and have a sufficiently strong mind it is not difficult to practice with the eyes left open. Begin with the eyes open. Open them with the determination to gaze toward the tip of the nose. This is not at all impossible. It just takes a little effort to do so. Gaze at the tip of the nose so that the eyes will not get involved in other things. When we close our eyes we tend to be sleepy, so be careful about closing the eyes. Also, when the eyes are closed they become warm and dry. Mediating with the eyes open will help us to stay awake and will keep the eyes cool and comfortable. Further, this will help the mind to be concentrated; it will aid the development of samadhi. As samadhi (concentration) develops about half way, the eyes will close naturally by themselves. The eyelids will relax and drop shut on their own. There is nothing to worry about. The complete technique is to begin with the eyes open. Gaze at the nose tip until samadhi develops, then the eyes will close on their own. That takes care of the eyes. (46)

    Practicing with the eyes open and gazing at the tip of the nose is automatically a noticeable level of concentration. If we establish all of the mind upon gazing at the tip of the nose, we will not see anything else. If we can do this, it will be a certain type of samadhi. We will profit from having this much concentration right from the start. Merely look at the nose without seeing anything else. If all of the mind, all of its interest, is set on looking at the nose, then nothing else will be seen. This samadhi is not insignificant. Therefore you ought to try to start with open eyes. (47)

    Please observe that this is something anyone can do. We are intent upon gazing at the nose, at feeling the nose, and at the same time we feel the body breathing. Both can be done. It may seem that both are being done at exactly the same moment, but they are not. There is not anything unnatural or supernatural about it. Because of the mind’s great speed it is possible for the eyes to be gazing at the tip of the nose while being aware of breathing in and breathing out. You can see this for yourself. (48)

Source: Anapanasati: Mindfulness of Breathing: Unveiling the Secrets of Life: a Manual for Serious Beginners by Ven Buddhadasa Bhikkhu or similar passage is found in Anapanasati: Mindfulness of Breathing by the same author

  I find that when I try to incorporate these three elements of posture into my practice I quickly store up tension in my jaw and throughout my face in general. Additionally, keeping the gaze correctly placed is a full-time task that tends to excite the vital energies rather than relax the body.

Above pratice perhaps can lead to stress and tension in the body, though vital energy will arise and mindfulness is established: "But although tireless energy was aroused in me, and undistracted mindfulness was established, my
body was overstrained and ill at ease because I was exhausted by the painful striving". You should be relaxed body and mind to get positive results in Buddhist meditation.

  How can I balance keeping a correct posture while maintaining a relaxed attitude of effortless non-striving?

You have to relax both body and mind. Tensions manifest as a tightness around the head or heart. Be mindful of the arising and passing of sensations in these areas. Your posture should be comfortable, relaxed and balanced, i.e., straight body. Also whatever posture you are in should be effortless, i.e., you should not be trying too hard to be in the posture. More on this see my other posts: How does one do mindfulness of breathing with relaxation?, Having trouble meditating long sessions (Physical pain), Losing awareness, what to do, when you can't meditate?, How does one calm one's bodily fabrications?

Also you the book you mentioned is the only guide practicing without a teacher may be dangerous in case you miss interpret and instruction or do not know how to handle complications. So you can try joining a formal course or finding a teacher. Some helpful site: http://dhamma.org, http://internationalmeditationcentre.org, World Buddist Directory


What is kriyacitta according to various Buddhist schools?

Kriya citta is functional consciousness, meaning it performs a function without being karmically potent. In an arahant, it replaces kusala citta. An arahant does not create karma so their seemingly wholesome mind states are called kriya (functional).

Specifically, there are eight types of sahetuka-kāmāvacara-kriyā-citta - functional consciousness in the sensual sphere which have wholesome roots (non-greed, non-anger, non-delusion) and nine sahetuka-kriyā--jhāna-citta corresponding to the nine jhāna which also have wholesome roots. All of these arise only in arahants.

There are three additional ahetuka-kriyā-citta (rootless functional consciousness), one of which is the smile producing consciousness that occurs only to arahants. The other two are the adverting consciousnesses present in every mind process.


Due to coming together of what does the dream arise?

A dream consciousness is a mental consciousness arising in dependence upon a mental sense power. While an eye-consciousness apprehends shape and color (which is form), a dream consciousness apprehends a phenomena source. A dream consciousness and its objects simultaneously arise from a seed left in one's mental continuum.
In his commentary to Lorig, Geshe Jamphel Gyaltsen said:

The blue in the dream is form included in the category of 'phenomena
source'. We have the form source, related to the eye consciousness,
etc. The phenomena source is the source for mental consciousness only.
The blue in the dream is included in that category.
The only source taken in the sleeping state is the phenomena source
and therefore more subtle. Between dream and deep sleep, in the dream
you still have many different manifestations of the phenomena source,
whereas in deep sleep you don't have these manifestation.

Not all mental consciousnesses have a phenomena source as their object of observation. For instance, the divine ear is a clairvoyance that is a mental consciousness apprehending sound, which is form.
Furthermore, in his commentary to Purbuchok’s 'Explanation of the Presentation of Objects and Object-Possessors as well as Awarenesses and Knowers', Geshe Tenzin Tenphel says:

The first, [a mental non-conceptual wrong consciousness] is, for
example, a dream consciousness that clearly sees as blue the blue of a
dream. This subject is a mental consciousness, a non-conceptual
consciousness, and a wrong consciousness.
• it is a wrong consciousness because of being a consciousness that
apprehends its object, a form which is a phenomenon source, as blue,
whereas it does not exist as blue.

In other words, dream-blue is not actual blue. It is not form but phenomena source. Thus, 'seeing blue' in a dream is the function of a mental consciousness and one is not actually seeing.


According to Dr. Robert Thurman:

  The mudra “is a sacred gesture symbolically expressing inner wisdom,
  or, in tantra, a female consort for yogic practices that harness
  sexual energies to the path.  Some of the main gestures we see in
  Tibetan images are abhaya, the gesture of fearlessness, the right
  hand held in from with open palm raised up: dana, the gesture of
  giving, the right hand held open and downward;
  dharmacakrapravartana, the teaching gesture, each hand held with thumb and index fingers touching and the other three fingers upraised,
  the two hands touching each other in front of the heart center;
  dhyāna, contemplation gesture, either one or both hands held flat in the lap; trisharana,  the Triple Refuge gesture, similar to the
  teaching gesture, with the emphasis on the three upraised fingers,
  representing the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha; tarjanī, threatening
  gesture, with either hand held forward in a fist, the index and little
  fingers raised up; varada, boon-granting gesture, just like the
  giving gesture; and vitarka,  analytic or fine discernment gesture,
  like a one-handed teaching gesture, one hand held up with thumb and
  index finger forming a circle, the other three fingers raised up.” 1

Abhaya Mudra:

Courtesy of Acerca de Ernest Cappa

Dana Mudra:

Courtesy of Angela Wheeler on Ink me

The righthand is in the dana mudra gesture.

Dharmacakrapravartana Mudra:

Courtesy of Acerca de Ernest Cappa

Dhyāna Mudra:

Courtesy of eric_m #dhyanamudra - Instagram

Tarjanī Mudra:

Courtesy of erinhosfield #tarjanimudra - Instagram

Varada Mudra:

Courtesy of buddhabe #vitarka

Right hand in varada mudra.

Vitarka Mudra:

Courtesy of buddhabe #vitarka

Mandala: The Architecture of Enlightenment by Leidy and Thurman pg 168


The middle path is not that which is in between two paths, rather it is usually a different path that does not take extreme viewpoints.

One definition of the middle path comes in the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta where the Buddha defines the middle path in terms of practice. Here, one takes neither the path of enjoying sensual pleasures in a nihilistic and hedonistic way, nor self-mortification through extreme asceticism. Instead, comes the Noble Eightfold Path, which really isn't about allowing or prohibiting sensual pleasures but covers much more.

Another definition of the middle path comes in the Acela Sutta  where the Buddha defines the middle path in terms of philosophy. Here, one neither takes viewpoints of eternalism (there is an eternal self) nor annihilationism (there is no self at all and no existence), but rather takes a very different viewpoint, which is of dependent origination.

This idea is also similar to what is described as false dilemma in western philosophy, where you think that the solution must either be black or white, and nothing else. In reality, there could be more solutions than simply two extreme viewpoints. Wikipedia has the example of "either you are for, or against us". In reality, you could take other stands.

For e.g. in your example, you think you have two choices - either not defend yourself and take the bullet, or defend yourself and maybe even kill the attacker. But there could be a different solution, e.g. you could try to negotiate with the attacker and try to convince him that he could do better than to commit murder. In this way, you could actually help your attacker by providing him with the means to reform and improve himself.

And by the way, the Buddha doesn't teach that there is no self. A self definitely exists. It is just that the self is not permanent or absolute, and arises due to the inter-working of the senses, sensation, perception, mental formations and consciousness. Anatta means "not self" (not "no self") as in "all phenomena is not self". This again lies in the middle path (of dependent origination), rather than taking the extreme views (there is an eternal self vs. there is absolutely no self and no existence). I discuss this also in another answer.

The mistaken view is that because there is no self, it is ok to allow the attacker to kill you without any other alternatives. This is based on the extreme view of annihilationism, which is mentioned above.


It's available for download here at Scribd.com.

But it looks like one must buy a subscription in order to read their books.


Is this a grave mistake in DN22 translation?

Even assuming attha.m could be equated to attā, it could not mean "the not taking as self", because gama here means"the going", so it would mean something like "the going to self of pain and sadness".
Also atthaṅgama is a common enough word to leave very little doubt over its meaning:

“yato kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu channaṃ phassāyatanānaṃ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca..."
"iti rūpassa samudayo, iti rūpassa atthaṅgamo..."
“santāvuso, sattā sabbaso rūpasaññānaṃ samatikkamā paṭighasaññānaṃ atthaṅgamā..."
"ye hi keci, bhikkhave, samaṇā vā brāhmaṇā vā imāsaṃ dvinnaṃ diṭṭhīnaṃ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca..."
“puna caparaṃ, brāhmaṇa, bhikkhu sukhassa ca pahānā dukkhassa ca pahānā pubbeva somanassadomanassānaṃ atthaṅgamā adukkhamasukhaṃ upekkhāsatipārisuddhiṃ catutthaṃ jhānaṃ upasampajja viharati."
"yo tassā nirodho vūpasamo atthaṅgamo..."

The entire PED section on Attha 2 is of interest:

Attha2 (nt.) [Vedic asta, of uncertain etym.] home, primarily as place of rest & shelter, but in P. phraseology abstracted from the "going home", i. e. setting of the sun, as disappearance going out of existence, annihilation, extinction Only in acc. and as ˚ -- in foll phrases: atthangacchati to disappear, to go out of existence, to vanish Dh 226 (= vināsaŋ natthibhāvaŋ gacchati DhA iii.324), 384 ( parikkhayaŋ gacchati); pp. atthangata gone home, gone to rest, gone, disappeared; of the sun (= set): J i.175 (atthangate suriye at sunset); PvA 55 (id.) 216 (anatthangate s. before sunset) fig. Sn 472 (atthagata). 475 (id.) 1075 (= niruddha ucchinṇa vinaṭṭha anupādi -- sesāya nibbāna -- dhātuyā nibbuta); It 58; Dhs 1038; Vbh 195 -- atthagatatta (nt. abstr.) disappearance SnA 409. -- atthangama (atthagama passim) annihilation, disappearance opposed to samudaya (coming into existence) and synonymous with nirodha (destruction) D i.34, 37, 183; S iv.327; A iii.326; Ps ii.4, 6, 39; Pug 52; Dhs 165 265, 501, 579; Vbh 105. -- atthagamana (nt.) setting (of the sun) J i.101 (suriyass' atthagamanā at sunset DA i.95 (= ogamana). -- attha -- gāmin, in phrase udayɔ atthagāmin leading to birth and death (of paññā): see udaya. -- atthaŋ paleti = atthangacchati (fig.) Sn 1074 (= atthangameti nirujjhati Nd2 28). -- Also atthamita (pp. of i) set (of the sun) in phrase anatthamite suriye before sunset (with anatthangamite as v. l. at both pass. DhA i.86; iii.127. -- Cp. also abbhattha.

So no, that part of their translations seems fine.


Where is ignorance, and why does it not end with death?

Ignorance includes self-view. Similarly, "death", being the idea "a being" or "a person" dies, is also a self-view. Since "death" is a self-view, the idea/mental construct of "death" cannot end ignorance.

When there is no self-view, there is no ignorance and there is also no idea of "death", as follows:

  Bhikkhu, ‘I am’ is a conceiving; ‘I am this’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall
  be’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall not be’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall be
  possessed of form’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall be formless’ is a
  conceiving; ‘I shall be percipient’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall be
  non-percipient’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall be
  neither-percipient-nor-non-percipient’ is a conceiving. Conceiving is
  a disease, conceiving is a tumour, conceiving is a dart. By overcoming
  all conceivings, bhikkhu, one is called a sage at peace. And the sage
  at peace is not born, does not age, does not die....

  https://suttacentral.net/mn140/en/bodhi

Therefore, the 'Deathless' can end ignorance but 'death' cannot end ignorance.


There's a book by K. Jamanadas "Tirupati Balaji was a Buddhist Shrine", whose preface starts with,

  [This book] has potential credibility to create
  controversies unknown to historical writing and the Hindu common folks who flock to worship Tirupati Balaji
  as one of the supreme deities. It is also a new challenge to indologist at a time when politically imbued
  scholars are engaged to wash out their hands by proving and disproving claims of Hindus and the Muslims
  against each other as they did over the issue of Ayodhya Shrines.

Its conclusion is that

  The image of Lord Venkatesvara was not sculptured by the artist as an image of Vishnu, but that of
  Avalokitesvara, sometimes in the reign of Kalabhras, after the period of Mamulanur, and before the period of
  Silappadhikaran, around 3rd to 5th century A.D.


Is the term " mind " another way of describing awareness?

"Awareness" is a very poor or inaccurate word to use in relation to Buddhism, despite the fact that so many Buddhists use it. This is because, in English, "awareness" has many meanings, such as:
(i) mere sense awareness; e.g. He was aware of the sight of the plane in the sky
(ii) knowledge; e.g. He is aware that drugs are dangerous.

1. Having knowledge or discernment of something: was aware of the difference between the two versions; became aware that the music had
stopped.
2. Attentive and well informed: "Most scientists are thoughtful, liberal-minded and socially aware people" (Armand Marie Leroi).
3. Archaic Vigilant; watchful.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/awareness

In Buddhism, there are different words for the different types of mentality (nama), such as:

consciousness ('vinnana'); that which 'experiences' sense objects via the sense organs

'citta' ('mind-heart'); that which generates emotions (greed, anger, love, etc) & thoughts

'mano' ('intellect'); that which makes decisions, generates intentions, develops wisdom

Therefore, to answer the original question, feeling, thinking, studying, etc, have consciousness ('vinnana') as the common factor.
Buddhism defines the composition of a human life into five aggregates, namely:
(i) body;
(ii) feelings (pleasant & unpleasant sensations);
(iii) perceptions (labels);
(iv) mental forming (emotions, thoughts, images, etc) &
(v) consciousness.
It is consciousness that allows each aggregate, including consciousness itself, to be experienced or known. Thus the common factor, in terms of 'experience', is consciousness.
However, if we take a scientific approach, in terms of how these different mental functions exist, we would say the common factor is the brain or neurology.


Dependent Origination: causes vs conditions?

The Pali word for 'cause' is 'hetu', which means direct cause, such as oxygen & hydrogen are the cause of water. An example of the use of 'hetu' is SN 22.82, which says the four elements of earth, wind, fire & water are the cause of the physical body aggregate:

The four great elements, bhikkhu, are the cause and condition for the manifestation of the form aggregate.
Cattāro kho, bhikkhu, mahābhūtā hetu, cattāro mahābhūtā paccayo rūpakkhandhassa paññāpanāya.
SN 22.82

SN 12.2 uses the word 'paccaya', which means "resting on, falling back on, foundational". For example, AN 10.61 says ignorance has no preceding cause (hetu) yet also says the five hindrances are a condition (paccaya) for the maintenance of ignorance. AN 10.61 clearly shows the words 'cause' ('hetu') and 'condition' ('paccaya') are not synonymous because the five hindrances are not the cause of ignorance. If the five hindrances were the cause of ignorance then when the five hindrances are absent during the 1st jhana or even lesser concentration, full enlightenment would occur via the absence of ignorance.
SN 12.23 uses the word 'upanisā', which appears to be from 'upa' ('close') and 'nissaya' ('support'). It appears 'upanisā' and 'paccaya' are synonymous.
In summary, ignorance is obviously not the cause of the three sankhara (breathing, thought and perception & feeling) in Dependent Origination because the three sankhara continue to exist in a Buddha. Similarly , the three sankhara are not the cause of consciousness because a Buddha remains consciousness depsite having no ignorance; just as consciousness is not the cause of nama-rupa because consciousness cannot cause the existence of 'rupa' ('physical matter').
In Dependent Origination, ignorance is merely something the pollutes or taints the sankhara, consciousness, mind-body, sense bases & sense contact. However, it can be said ignorance causes (hetu) craving, attachment, ego-becoming, ego-birth, ego-death, dukkha and any other unwholesome mental state.
In conclusion, it appears paccaya (condition) is a general and flexible word that can accommodate both a condition and a cause. This appears why the words 'paccaya' and 'upanisā' are used in Dependent Origination rather than the rigid 'hetu' ('cause').


Any praise of shred-paramis by the Sublime Budddha?

How long do $500 shoes last? Do they make you look smart or stupid for buying them? Clothing is a communication. People dress to their personal desires and look for those in the people they put around them. So if you dress a certain way you project. People who want a friend or sucker or someone to complement them in some way. That's the issue of clothing. You are your environment and the people you surround yourself with. I dress like a regular person on the poor side. I have honestly and Carring and supporting friendships that have an intimate understanding of each other. Before I was a Buddhist I was flamboyant and attracted drama and suffering. Cause and affect are the same you see. Clothes make the man but the man picks the cloths. Find the middle way.


Why Buddha said "if you want to remove small/light codes from Vinaya"?

If the Buddha had totally approved the removal of certain rules then the Buddha would have explicitly mentioned which ones.

In the 1st Council the monks could not decide what extent was minor rules, so ultimately decided to keep all the rules with the fault of not clarifying being with Ven. Ananda when the Buddha mentioned this.


Devas are buddhist celestial beings. They don't have to mean aliens. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deva_(Buddhism)


Are there any strict Soto Zen teachers online that I could listen to?

Soto Zen Dharma talks: http://livestream.com/SFZC

Shunryū Suzuki
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4867F3D9F795268A


You can try reading:

THE TRUE POWER OF KANNI MEDITATION －The Essential Guide to Anapanassati & Vipassana
Anapanasati: Mindfulness with Breathing - Unveiling the Secrets of Life
Mindfulness of Breathing and Four Elements Meditation
Right Mindfulness: Memory & Ardency on the Buddhist Path

Breath meditation is covered in Ānâpāna,sati Sutta which you can directly read.


Who or what decides that someone has enlightened himself?

Only you can decide for yourself that you are truly enlightened.

Why: Because enlightenment is overcoming any and all ideals and dogma you impose upon yourself, including the need for enlightenment.


The Ariyas are "breast born" sons and daughters of the Buddha and they sometimes address each other as elder brother or sister as a mark of respect, according to their accomplishments.

Given that it is a council of Arahants, would it even occur to them to notice  that there is a distinction, even in terms of class or sex amongst them, and that distinction is marked enough to make a separate representative body, which participation somehow adds or detracts something on the authority of the council?

The council of Arahants would look more suspicious if it was thought that some of those distinctions were relevant and recorded.

The patimokkha is different, in that, later it was made up of ariyas and putthujannas and the rules of the women were slightly different and more than the men.


You might want to study the Structural Defferential. It is a map of the process of abstraction of our nervous system. It was created by Alfred Korzybski, a pioneer in the field of General Semantics.

The basic awareness you're mentioned in your question refers to the silent levels of awareness. This experience of direct awareness of the whole is also called Gestalt.

In Buddha's spiritual path one tries to see and stop the process of "I" making and "mine" making in his mind. That's what I know theoretically.


How to be kind when you don't like people or the world?

What really matters is whether you follow the noble eightfold path and you understand the four noble truths.


Use the body scan emotional release technique.

Be calmly aware.

Don't desire to get rid of it.

Don't try to put it into thoughts (don't try to understand whatever situation this problem arose from). If your mind continues to try to figure it out, just notice that too. Realize that you are NOT your thoughts or emotions. You are the Mastermind, the Overseer, the Watcher. You are Him that sees all!

Just be with your pain and notice how it ever so slightly changes from one place to another, from one color to another, from one feeling to another.

JUST FEEL.

Don't force anything to happen, just FEEL what is.

Eventually, the energies will dissipate on their own and transform themselves into their positive counterparts.

These instructions are ample and I can confidently overcome leftover emotions from rejection, remaining hatred after argument, and even tiredness by using this practice. All these instructions are one step: totally accepting, almost-curious awareness. If it helps, you can prepare yourself by labelling the emotions or freely writing/journalling about them until you are ready to give them up--sometimes with extremely powerful emotions you HAVE to do that as preparation.

Also, don't be so ready to give them up. There is much to learn from great suffering.

Also, this practice is definitely a Buddhist practice of the highest standard (Vipassana) with infinite room to grow and you will be doing The Most Important Thing, carrying on your cultivation throughout your life and even beyond death.


How long to leave a body undisturbed after death?

The site urbandharma.org mentions that the body should be kept for about 3 days.

  Immediately following signs of physical death, Buddhists believe that it is best to keep the body in a peaceful state. Traditionally, the body is taken to the home and for a period of 3 days or so, the body is not touched and extensive prayers are said. This facilitates the process of the person’s consciousness letting go of its prior body and life and all of its attachments and more easily moving to the next.

http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma8/health.html

The exact number of days may vary from tradition to tradition.


Can we own a bird pet which will in a cage?

So may I know if it's allowed or not?

It's a Buddhist practice, in some countries, to buy caged birds (or sometimes other animals, like fish), in order to liberate them (i.e. to set them free, let them go).

I guess the purpose is to acquire merit, and that an idea behind it is that birds want their freedom.

An "unintended consequence" (of buying birds) is that people trap birds in order to sell them.

For this reason you might (or might not) want to refrain from buying birds, according to the same logic as being vegetarian (i.e. not buying meat in order to not encourage other people to kill animals): as you probably know, different schools of Buddhism hold different views on this subject.

IMO birds are a special category of the topic of, more generally, pet animals. Perhaps some people would keep fish (thinking that fish don't object to being kept); or "domesticated" animals like dogs, cats, cows, chickens, horses...

Buying dogs, incidentally, provides a financial incentive to breeders of dogs (i.e. it causes people to breed dogs). Some people suggest that you shouldn't buy a dog from a breeder, but instead "rescue" a dog from a shelter. When you rescue a dog, by the way, that's to keep the dog rather than to free it -- it appears that a pet dog would prefer to stay with its owner than to have to face the world alone.

Apparently there's an "unintended consequence" of getting dogs from a shelter: I read recently that some shelters are rich (from the donations they receive) and so buy puppies from breeders in order to have more to rescue! A way to avoid that, if it matters, might be to rescue an older dog (not a puppy).

It may be relevant to mention that animals in captivity sometimes live longer than in the wild -- they may be "safer", better fed, better cared for.

And isn't it same as slavery?

I don't know what goes on in the mind of a bird: I suppose they're not aware of slavery as a state-of-self, but are aware of a cage as a barrier-to-liberty.

"Slavery" (as a type of human relationship) would exist in the mind of the "owner".

From a human point of view, a good thing about not being a slave is that you can choose your master or boss (i.e. choose who you work for). If you don't like your current boss, you're at liberty to look for another.

Dogs seem to me more able and willing to communicate than birds. Pet dogs often have an opportunity to escape, and choose not to. The "leash" is often seen as being, and used, only for the dog's safety -- to protect the dog's safety rather than to protect the owner's ownership of the dog. I'm not sure that I see a pet dog as a slave: more of a friend, partner, or family member. OTOH some dogs are kept chained or caged: and it's easier to see them as "slaves".

I guess some people see a pet (dog or bird) as being like a friend or a kind of friend, or like a young child, rather than only like a slave.

Having (and looking after) a bird is a responsibility, which some people would prefer to avoid or to not seek -- if it's true that possessions are a burden, that (being burdensome) may be even more true of live animals -- but maybe that (whether it's seen as a burden or a blessing) depends on the attitude of the person.


The will to do something would probably be equivalent to the term cetana, which means intention or an act of will. The term itself doesn't have any particular positive or negative connotation, as you can have a cetana that is good just as easily as a cetana to do something bad.

Most significantly, the cetana formed with an act is what determines the kind of karma that is produced, as is explained in AN 6.063 where the Buddha said:

  Intention, I tell you, is kamma. Intending, one does kamma by way of
  body, speech, & intellect.


Do monks have big ups and downs in their life?

Take a look at Ajahn Lee's autobiography, page 16 and onward.

His practice slackens, he grows disillusioned with being a monk, and he begins an obsessive debate within himself about whether to disrobe or not:

  But looking at the state of my meditation, I could see that my practice had
  grown slack. I was becoming more and more interested in worldly matters. ...

  One day I went up to a hollow space at the top of the chedi and sat in
  meditation. The theme of my meditation was, 'Should I stay or should I
  disrobe?' Something inside me said, 'I'd rather disrobe.'

  ... 'The people in the Great Metropolis aren't deva-sons or deva-daughters or
  anything. They're people and I'm a person, so why can't I make myself be like
  them?'

  I questioned myself back and forth like this for several days running until I
  finally decided to call a halt. If I was going to disrobe, I'd have to make
  preparations. Other people, before disrobing, got prepared by having clothes
  made and so forth, but I was going to do it differently. I was going to leave
  the monkhood in my mind first to see what it would be like.

  So late in the quiet of a moonlit night, I climbed up to sit inside the chedi
  and asked myself, 'If I disrobe, what will I do?' I came up with the following
  story.

    If I disrobe, I'll have to apply for a job as a clerk in the Phen Phaag Snuff and
    Stomach Medicine Company. I had a friend who had disrobed and gotten a job
    there, earning 20 baht a month, so it made sense for me to apply for a job there too.
    I'd set my mind on being honest and hard-working so that my employer would be
    satisfied with my work. I was determined that wherever I lived, I'd have to act in
    such a way that the people I lived with would think highly of me.

    As it turned out, the drug company finally hired me at 20 baht a month, the
    same salary as my friend. I made up my mind to budget my salary so as to have
    money left over at the end of each month, so I rented a room in the flats owned by
    Phraya Phakdi in the PratuuNam (Watergate) section of town. The rent was four
    baht a month. Water, electricity, clothing, and food would add up to another eleven
    baht, leaving me with an extra five baht at the end of each month. ...

I won't paste it all, as this goes on and on for several pages in insane detail as he imagined what might happen if he disrobed. I think the amount of detail is indicative of how much he wanted to disrobe right then and return to lay life.

But he concludes:

  Finally I decided to call a halt. My wife wasn't what I had hoped for, my earnings
  weren't what I had hoped for, my children weren't what I had hoped for, so I left my
  wife, was reordained and returned to the contemplative life.


Why I find it difficult to breathe when meditating, a lack of oxygen in my head? And how to overcome it?

This could happen if you change your breathing pattern hence cutting off oxygen. As long as you breathe naturally there will be no issues.

In meditation, you are not support to hold your breath but to test your lungs you could try hold your breath for 10 seconds. If you cough or get any discomfort then it is best to get in touch with a doctor.


Does Buddhism have a notion of providence leading unbelievers?

Buddhists do not believe in a creator God nor in his or her divine providence. Buddhists believe in the law of cause and effect. When someone encounters the Buddhadharma it is because the causes of such a meeting are established and manifest.

There is no notion of divine providence and it is held that the law of karma is sufficient and necessary to explain how people encounter the Buddhadharma. Hope this answers your question.


Is there any way to decipher sensations in the body during Vipassana?

You are not supposed to relate any physical sensation (or feeling) to any sankhara for a good reason. Because in vipassana you are practicing to see the reality as it is. This is the keystone of vipassana, to see the reality as it is, in order to discover three characteristics of all phenomenon (i.e. anicca, anatta, dukkha). Trying to find the corresponding sankhara to every feeling and sensation distracts you from this and if you insist on doing it, after a while you will find yourself playing a mental game and you'll be running in the opposite direction of vipassana's purpose.

Moreover, I think quite different sankharas can create the same physical feelings. Also many a times a neutral feeling may arise because of physical conditions (how you sit, temperature, what you ate, etc.) so it's literally impossible to find an exact sankhara for each and every sensation.
Of course, on the other hand, if you're doing vipassana and memories arises, they should not be oppressed but simply you should let them come, observe them and calmly come back to the object of meditation.

As you progress your reactions in real life will show you how you've progressed and which sankharas has been eliminated and which ones still remains.


If one has doubt about the loss of a fetter, is that in itself proof that it has not been lost?

Yes.


How to differentiate between natural vs artificial breathing pattern during meditation?

If your aim is vipassana then what forced the breath? If the breath is forced or not forced that is what is and can just be witnessed mindfuly as it happens. If the breath was seemingly controlled by you, were you in control if you couldn't even tell when you were forcing it or not?

If you just keep watching mindfully then you will see everything is rising and falling constantly while being forced  by nobody.

This tripped me up in the beginning. I was told to let it go because if I was controlling it or not, ultimately I wasn't in control anyway.

  In whatever way objects come, do not try to change them. Whatever comes is the buddha-dharma, not objects at all.  Even if you try to control what comes, it cannot be controlled. -Dogen


Did the Buddha give any advice on how to manage economy?

There is good discussion in this article, this article and this article. You can read those for much advice.

For canonical advice:

The Sigalovada Sutta states:

  The wise endowed with virtue Shine forth like a burning fire,
  Gathering wealth as bees do honey And heaping it up like an ant hill.
  Once wealth is accumulated, Family and household life may follow. By
  dividing wealth into four parts, True friendships are bound; One part
  should be enjoyed; Two parts invested in business; And the fourth set
  aside Against future misfortunes."

The Dighajanu Sutta states:

  "And what does it mean to maintain one's livelihood in tune? There is
  the case where a lay person, knowing the income and outflow of his
  wealth, maintains a livelihood in tune, neither a spendthrift nor a
  penny-pincher, [thinking], 'Thus will my income exceed my outflow, and
  my outflow will not exceed my income.' Just as when a weigher or his
  apprentice, when holding the scales, knows, 'It has tipped down so
  much or has tipped up so much,' in the same way, the lay person,
  knowing the income and outflow of his wealth, maintains a livelihood
  in tune, neither a spendthrift nor a penny-pincher, [thinking], 'Thus
  will my income exceed my outflow, and my outflow will not exceed my
  income.'

  "These are the four drains on one's store of wealth: debauchery in
  sex; debauchery in drink; debauchery in gambling; and evil friendship,
  evil companionship, evil camaraderie. Just as if there were a great
  reservoir with four inlets and four drains, and a man were to close
  the inlets and open the drains, and the sky were not to pour down
  proper showers, the depletion of that great reservoir could be
  expected, not its increase.

The Adiya Sutta discusses the 5 benefits obtained from one's wealth. The fifth is charity.

And don't forget that income should come from Right Livelihood, as stated in the Vanijja Sutta:

  "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.


Is an 'Existential Crisis' a necessary condition to start on the path of Dhamma?

AN 3.38 describes Gotama having an existential crisis.

  Even though I was endowed with such fortune, such total refinement, the thought occurred to me: 'When an untaught, run-of-the-mill person,
  himself subject to death, not beyond death, sees another who is dead,
  he is horrified, humiliated, & disgusted, oblivious to himself that he
  too is subject to death, not beyond death. And if I — who am subject
  to death, not beyond death — were to be horrified, humiliated, &
  disgusted on seeing another person who is dead, that would not be
  fitting for me.' As I noticed this, the living person's intoxication
  with life entirely dropped away.

Also, the traditional biography of Sariputta & Mogallana shows them having an existential crisis:

  Now at Rajagaha there was an annual event called the Hilltop Festival. Seats were arranged for both youths and they sat together to
  witness the celebrations. When there was occasion for laughter, they
  laughed; when the spectacles were exciting, they became excited; and
  they paid their fees for the extra shows. In this manner they enjoyed
  the festival for a second day; but on the third day their
  understanding was awakened and they could no longer laugh or get
  excited, nor did they feel inclined to pay for extra shows as they had
  done on the first days. Each of them had the same thought: "What is
  there to look at here? Before these people have reached a hundred
  years they will all have come to death. What we ought to do is to seek
  for a teaching of deliverance."

  It was with such thoughts in mind that they took their seats at the festival. Then Kolita said to Upatissa: "How is this, my dear
  Upatissa? You are not as happy and joyous as you were on the other
  days. You seem now to be in a discontented mood, What is on your
  mind?"

  "My dear Kolita, to look at these things here is of no benefit at all. it is utterly worthless! I ought to seek a teaching of
  deliverance for myself. That, my Kolita, is what I was thinking,
  seated here. But you, Kolita, seem to be discontented, too."

  And Kolita replied: "Just as you have said, I also feel." When he knew that his friend had the same inclinations, Upatissa said: "That
  was a good thought of ours. But for those who seek a teaching of
  deliverance there is only one thing to do: to leave home and become
  ascetics. But under whom shall we live the ascetic life?


Why is 'dukkha' included in one of the three marks of existence?

The teachings of the Buddha are not metaphysics. They do not describe the ontology or nature of things.
The teachings of the Buddha serve one purpose only - freedom from suffering. It's purpose is soteriological, not ontological.
In "Anicca Vata Sankhara", Ven. Bodhi comments:

The most important fact to understand about sankharas, as
conditioned formations, is that they are all impermanent:
"Impermanent, alas, are formations." They are impermanent not only in
the sense that in their gross manifestations they will eventually come
to an end, but even more pointedly because at the subtle, subliminal
level they are constantly undergoing rise and fall, forever coming
into being and then, in a split second, breaking up and perishing:
"Their very nature is to arise and vanish." For this reason the
Buddha declares that all sankharas are suffering (sabbe sankhara
dukkha) — suffering, however, not because they are all actually
painful and stressful, but because they are stamped with the mark of
transience. "Having arisen they then cease," and because they all
cease they cannot provide stable happiness and security.

First we have the first noble truth that tells us that there is suffering or dukkha. This is explained in this answer.
Next, we see - sabbe sankhara anicca.
This mark of existence states that all conditioned and compounded things (both mental and physical) are impermanent.
So what? What is the connection to you?
Next, we see - sabbe sankhara dukkha.
This mark of existence states that because all conditioned and compounded things (both mental and physical) are impermanent, therefore they are a source of suffering or unsatisfactoriness, because "they cannot provide stable happiness and security." They are connected in this way.
These two marks of existence are there to show the connection from all conditioned and compounded things to the first noble truth of dukkha. In particular, they show the connection of the impermanence of the five aggregates (which are conditioned and compounded) to dukkha.
It's not there to explain the nature of reality. It's there as part of the narrative to explain the four noble truths.
The three marks of existence are mainly about YOUR existence. The marks of existence of a chair or table is unimportant.


Majjhima Nikaya 152 Indriyabhāvana Sutta

(i) What does "repelled/disgusted" mean literally?

The commentary, translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi, says:

  Although the sekha has already entered upon the way to final deliverance, he is still prone to subtle states of liking, aversion, and dull indifference in regard to sense objects. He experiences these, however, as impediments to his progress, and thus becomes repelled, humiliated, and disgusted by them.

The Pali words used are aṭṭīyati harāyati jigucchati.

  (ii) Isn't everyone capable to perceive the good in the bad and the bad in the good? Why did the Buddha made such a distinction?

This is an interesting subject. Based on the abhidhamma it seems some states are to an extent intrinsically "attractive" and others are intrinsically "repulsive". How intrinsic these qualities are, I'm not sure. This sutta seems to affirm that they are intrinsic but an arahant is able to change their reactions to such experiences. These reactions would be for example reflex reactions to bad smells or tastes involving physical reactivity and mental association with smells of the past. They would not involve partiality, as an arahant does not like or dislike in the mental sense. The arahant could still perceive a bad smell as disgusting, or a beautiful flower as attractive, even though they didn't like or dislike either.

It seems to be this freedom from partiality that allows arahants to "play" with their reactions in ways that beings with mental partialities cannot. An ordinary worldling is bound by attachments both positive and negative that force them to see attractive objects as attractive and unattractive objects as unattractive.


What chapter of the Abhidharmartha Pradipika talks about infinite universes?

It is in ...

AN 3.80.
The Path of Purification, Six Recollection, Recollection into
Buddha's Value.(Visuddhimagga ChaAnussatiNiddesa
BuddhanussatiKatha).
AbhidhammatthaVibhavini 5th Chapter.
etc.

Abhidhanappadipika is a Glossary explanation.


Who are the Buddhas on the Wheel of Life?

@konrad01 got it pretty close, the Buddhas symbolize various ways Dharma is presented in each of the six realms, expressed so as to match mental disposition of the realm's beings. If you look carefully, on most depictions of Bhava-Chakra the Buddha in each realm holds a different object in his hands. That is the key.

in Hell realm Buddha holds a cup of water, because for Hell beings the point of Dharma is to Escape from Suffering. This is the only seed of positive thinking that exists in their otherwise 100% negative mind.
in Animal realm Buddha holds a book, because for Animals the point of Dharma is to acquire Wisdom (and through wisdom, control and power -- which is what they secretly crave despite their laziness and inertia).
in Preta realm Buddha holds treasury, because for Preta mind everything looks very desirable from a distance but once they get it they realize that it is empty, so Dharma for them is the best hope to finally get something of Real Value that won't turn out to be yet another lie.
in Human realm Buddha holds the begging bowl, which stands for compassion and generosity. Because in Human realm the main feature of mind is obsession with quasi-valuable (such as the "I"), developing compassion/generosity is the best way to liberate mind from egoistic tendencies and obsessions, something required for Enlightenment.
in Asura realm Buddha holds vajra I think, or some kind of sharp weapon, symbolizing Perfection of Excellence. Because Asuras are very sharp and competitive, they are incurable perfectionists, so Dharma is presented to them as a way to perfect their excellence, until they eventually realize that the highest perfection is to transcend their perfectionism and thus attain liberation.
in Heaven realm Buddha holds flower as symbol of impermanence. Because life in Heaven is so perfect, the only potential problem Gods have is entropy finally kicking in. Impermanence is presented to Gods to remind them of their vulnerability/susceptibility and Dharma is presented as ultimate Protection from Impermanence.


Is there any God or Satan in Buddhism? Is there any heaven or hell in Buddhism?

There are 31 planes of existence according to Buddhism.

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sagga/loka.html


Otherwise, what is the use of observing my legs' sensation, when I am fighting with anger, frustration, love, etc.?

When you are angry the distribution of the sensations through the body may take one form. When in love another. There will be places where sensations are more intense, but nevertheless there is sensations throughout.

So why not just focus on ...
Why is it necessary to scan entire body in Vipassana?

You have to understand the full sphere of experience. You have to understand all sensations in the body. If you move from more gross or intense sensations to another, you will never understand the more subtle sensations. You have to come to a state where you experience any sensation in the body, always, and though the body. This is how you will know the whole sphere of experiences is unsatisfactory.

touch

Throughout your body - skin

mind

head and around the heart
Also keep in mind. When something happens in the mind also bodily sensations arise. When something happens in the body metal sensations arise.


How can I keep from feeling dishearted while trying to live mindfully

Thoughts are generally wholesome and unwholesome, so yes, everything might be a tool for achieving your happiness. Just be mindful that this is a wholesome thought when it arises.

In the same way, achieving bliss cannot be done without utilising Self in the "desirous" (but not thrisna here) way to let go of Selfishness. In a way that confidence should trump doubt. Such is the way.

Also, what does it actually mean right mindfulness:

  "One is mindful to abandon wrong view & to enter & remain in right
  view: This is one's right mindfulness...

  "One is mindful to abandon wrong resolve & to enter & remain in right
  resolve: This is one's right mindfulness...

  "One is mindful to abandon wrong speech & to enter & remain in right
  speech: This is one's right mindfulness...

  "One is mindful to abandon wrong action & to enter & remain in right
  action: This is one's right mindfulness...

  "One is mindful to abandon wrong livelihood & to enter & remain in
  right livelihood: This is one's right mindfulness..."

From Right Mindfulness: samma sati

You are simply aware of the body and breath in order to recollect you to keep the right view and refrain from cultivating the wrong view. It is a "reminder" that is always available at hand (breath). It also calms the mind giving clarity.

You also probably try too hard since Middle way should mean Right effort as described above. It should bring joy and peace. I agree, it is not easy to keep balance but you know when you find it.


By acknowledging your anxious mood as a truth (dhamma). Don't push it away, don't try to change anything, don't blame or criticize yourself. It is a truth and therefore has the 3 characteristics of reality, namely anicca (it has beginning, middle and end), dukkha (it obviously doesn't satisfy you), anatta (you cannot control it; it arises due to certain conditions/habits/situations). Why should it be different?
As for how to actually deal with fear/anxiety, you could listen to this talk from Ajahn Jayasaro. He describes how fear/anxiety works. It has both a physical and a mental aspect. Fear builds up using a feedback loop. If there is a fearful thought, a reaction in the body follows, you become worried about your bodily reaction with your mind, which then causes more tension in the body ... You can break that cycle by staying with the body and watching the feelings/sensations there (more detailed in the video).
Being at peace means to be at peace with whatever arises, not getting things or mind states that are peaceful and dependent on external causes. Peace means you're never at war with yourself :)


Buddhist Perspective on Value, Sentiment, Attraction?

The following gives an in depth explanation of the Jhanas and how at higher levels
Here is a very short excerpt from a long presentation
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/gunaratana/wheel351.html

  By reflecting upon the second jhana as more tranquil and sublime than
  the first, the meditator ends his attachment to the first jhana and
  engages in renewed striving with the aim of reaching the higher stage.
  He directs his mind to his meditation subject — which must be one
  capable of inducing the higher jhanas such as a kasina or the breath —
  and resolves to overcome applied and sustained thought. When his
  practice comes to maturity the two kinds of thought subside and the
  second jhana arises. In the second jhana only three of the original
  five jhana factors remain — rapture, happiness, and one-pointedness.
  Moreover, with the elimination of the two grosser factors these have
  acquired a subtler and more peaceful tone.[17]

  Besides the main jhana factors, the canonical formula includes several
  other states in its description of the second jhana. "Internal
  confidence" (ajjhattamsampasadanam), conveys the twofold meaning of
  faith and tranquillity. In the first jhana the meditator's faith
  lacked full clarity and serenity due to "the disturbance created by
  applied and sustained thought, like water ruffled by ripples and
  wavelets" (Vism. 157; PP.163). But when applied and sustained thought
  subside, the mind becomes very peaceful and the meditator's faith
  acquires fuller confidence.


There is a difference between conceptual understanding of Emptiness, and experiential realization of Emptiness. The first is at best a simile, a model, leading to the second. In worst case the first can even be an obstacle to the second.

Because of its nature, experiential realization of Emptiness may have demotivating effect. It certainly also has liberating effect, but there is demotivating effect as well. Which is pretty expected, considering that it cuts off the root of desire.

So, if the person has not developed strong Sila (ethics, altruism, compassion) and strong Samadhi (here, mental discipline, control over one's mental/emotional state) premature realization of Emptiness may make person either somewhat unhinged or else rather meek, depending on disposition.


Why does 'thoughts' and 'memories' not part of aggregates?

It's all included, it's just a slightly different structure.
Latent memories just sitting there are included in "samskara" (what's incorrectly translated as "choices" in your copy).
Active memories you are going over now are included either in "perception" (as associations to whatever you perceive)
Or in "form" if, for example, you are visualizing a piece of memory, creating forms in front of your mind's eye.
The way mental stuff is organized in Buddhism is a bit more technical than in our civilization. So instead of calling bunch of different things "thoughts", Buddhism gets more specific and classifies things according to how they work.
Thinking is going through a chain of associations, so each thought is a (mental) form, then it goes through perception (supported by latent memories), which finds next association, which then becomes the new form etc.


Per the List of Abbreviations, "AA" might be "Manorathapūranī, Anguttara Commentary, 2 vols. (S.H.B.)."

This catalog claims that:

The editions are mostly Print books (English or Pali)
There are some eBooks in Pali from the PTS

I don't know that (I doubt whether, but I haven't searched) there's an edition free online.

Google Books shows a limited preview of e.g. the Pali eBooks (e.g. here).


because with a worldling justice is being served from a defiled mind, the intentions can't ever be completely pure and so justice will eventually not be just

i think the most Buddhist advice would be to refrain from rendering justice as much as possible, the law of kamma will in due course take care of that anyway

in response to the comment below

  If anyone gives those bhikkhunis a blow with his hand, with a clod,
  with a stick, or with a knife in your presence, you should abandon any
  desires and any thoughts based on the household life. And herein you
  should train thus: 'My mind will be unaffected, and I shall utter no
  evil words; I shall abide compassionate for his welfare, with a mind
  of loving-kindness, without inner hate.'

  If anyone should give you a blow with his hand, with a clod, with a
  stick, or with a knife, you should abandon any desires and any
  thoughts based on the household life. And herein you should train
  thus: 'My mind will be unaffected, and I shall utter no evil words; I
  shall abide compassionate for his welfare, with a mind of
  loving-kindness, without inner hate.' That is how you should train,
  Phagguna.

Kakacupama sutta (MN 21)

to be sure, bearing no ill-will towards the perpetrator doesn't negate bringing him/her to justice, but the very act of bringing to justice is certainly not dissimilar to taking revenge, because that particular moment occurs after the fact, by the time the victim or the object of the crime is usually out of danger, and deprivation a person of freedom for X amount of time isn't after all an act of compassion or benevolence


What are the positions of the different schools on a primordial mind?

Bhavanga, Pabhassara-cita and Nibbana (Theravadin perspective from Ajahn Mun's Thai forest tradition)

To get from bhavanga, pabhassaara to nibbana and understand how kamma effects are stored in the present and transmigrated to the future we have to explore some terms.

What happens in-between times when we are not thinking, when we are in a dreamless sleep? Is there still the arising and falling of consciousness (citta)?

In this tradition there is the bhavanga-citta which arise after the rebirth-linking consciousness (patisandhi-citta) that form the “life-continuum” in the next existence.

  The 'Visuddhimagga' (XIV, 114) states with regard to the bhavanga-citta:
  When the patisandhi-citta has ceased, then, following on whatever kind of rebirth-consciousness it may be, the same kinds, being the result of the same kamma whatever it may be, occur as bhavanga-cittas with that same object; and again those same kinds. And as long as there is no other kind of arising of consciousness to interrupt the continuity they also go on occurring endlessly in periods of dreamless sleep, etc., like the current of a river.

A bhavanga citta is a vipaka citta (kamma-result), but called bhavanga (literally meaning “factor of life”) because it performs the function of the “life continuum”.

Now we come to the question how is it stored?

Dynamically maintained throughout one life to another is just a postulation with no-doctrinal evidence:

  “.., kamma and vipaka don't get stored into some kind of immutable and centralized "repository", instead they're continuously and dynamically re-inforced or weakened from life to life with the patisandhi citta acting as the "link".”

Now onn how kamma is stored from doctrinal text.

  “Questions about the persistence of latent dispositions and accumulation of karmic potential thus remain: once the cognitive processes are activated, are they transmitted through the six modes of cognitive awareness? If so, why do they not influence these forms of mind? If not, how do they persist from one moment of bhavaṅga-citta to the next without some contiguous conditioning medium? The bhavaṅga-citta does not directly address these persisting questions, adumbrated in the Kathavātthu so many centuries before. Nor, to my knowledge, do subsequent Theravādin Abhidhamma traditions discuss these questions in dhammic terms.”
  - Waldron, William S. Buddhist unconscious: the ālaya-vijñāna in the context of Indian Buddhist thought. London: RoutledgeCurzon, 2003. p.83.

  Rupert Gethin in  'Bhavanga and Rebirth According to the Abhidhamma.' in The Buddhist Forum. Vol III. T. Skorupski and U. Pagel (eds.), London: School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, pp. 11–35.

  “..it does not seem possible on the basis of what is said explicitly in the texts to justify the claim that the bhavanga carries with it all character traits, memories, habitual tendencies, etc." .

From the above it appears that the Theravada Commentators have resisted the temptation to create mechanism for the "transmission" of kamma, in contrast to other traditions.

Briefly, in the tradition of the Yogacara Buddhist they have a concept of store –consciousness  (alaya-vijnana).

We shall now leave the subject of bhavanga, and how kamma is stored in the consciousness and turn elsewhere for help.

Unable to find any doctrinal support, we shall now turn to the people most qualified to speak on the subject, the meditators, who many believed to have experience the ultimate and have spoken on it and I refer to Ajahn Mun of the Thai forest tradition and he spoke of the luminous mind(pabhassara-citta)

I quote from the above link:

  “The mind is something more radiant than anything else can be, but because counterfeits – passing defilements – come and obscure it, it loses its radiance, like the sun when obscured by clouds. Don’t go thinking that the sun goes after the clouds. Instead, the clouds come drifting along and obscure the sun. So meditators, when they know in this manner, should do away with these counterfeits by analyzing them shrewdly... When they develop the mind to the stage of the primal mind, this will mean that all counterfeits are destroyed, or rather, counterfeit things won’t be able to reach into the primal mind, because the bridge making the connection will have been destroyed. Even though the mind may then still have to come into contact with the preoccupations of the world, its contact will be like that of a bead of water rolling over a lotus leaf.” ..from Ven. Ajahn Mun, ‘A Heart Released,’ p 23. Found in Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro, The Island: An Anthology of the Buddha’s Teachings on Nibbāna, pages 212-213.

In the same link above Pabharassa-citta is identified as bhavanga.

  “The Theravadin Angutta Nikaya Atthakatha identifies the luminous mind as the bhavanga, the "ground of becoming" or "latent dynamic continuum", which is the most fundamental level of mental functioning in the Theravada Abhidhammic scheme.[11] Thanissaro Bhikkhu holds that the commentaries' identification of the luminous mind with the bhavanga is problematic, but Peter Harvey finds it to be a plausible interpretation.
  In Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s translation of the Pabhassara Sutta he gives his reason in Note 1.

(I’ll refer to Note 1 to it later).
I do not have access to Peter Harvey’s views. But in the Brahma-nimantanika Sutta(MN49) translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, there is a description of “'Consciousness without surface, endless, radiant all around” and in his Note no. 9 in MN49 he argues that:

  Consciousness without surface (viññanam anidassanam).. for the arahant, nibbana is not an object of consciousness. Instead it is directly known without mediation. Because consciousness without feature is directly known without mediation, there seems good reason to equate the two.

That this consciousness is Nibbana!

But yet in his Note 1(which I promise to come back) in Pabhassara Sutta  he says:

  Another interpretation equates the luminosity of the mind with the "consciousness without feature," described as "luminous" in MN49, but this interpretation also has problems. According to MN 49, that consciousness partakes of nothing in the describable world, not even the "Allness of the All," so how could it possibly be defiled? And, because it is not realized until the goal of the practice is reached, why would the perception of its luminosity be a prerequisite for developing the mind? And again, if "mind" here means consciousness without feature, how could the sutta talk of its development?

Here is Ajahn Sujato's Pabhassara reading that the mind is somehow radiant!

  The beginning of the Sutta has the Buddha (presumably, although it doesn’t actually say so), saying, “This mind is radiant…” The particle “idam”, “this”, functions to limit and specific: This mind, not “the mind” (as in Thanissaro’s translation). As well as the gold/samadhi passages, we might compare to the Upakkilesa Sutta, where the Buddha speaks of how he meditated, then light arose, but because of “defilements” (upakkilesa, the same word as our sutta), the light vanished. The word for light is different (obhasa), but is from the same root with the same basic meaning.

  This is the normal way the Buddha talked about the mind. It is not that it is “naturally” radiant or defiled: it is naturally conditioned. When the conditions for darkness are there, it is dark, when the conditions for light are there, it is light. Our passage, which is unique, without parallels in any early Suttas, syntactically awkward, clearly the subject of editing, can be read as suggesting a different take on things, that the mind is somehow “radiant” even when covered by defilements. Or it can be read in line with the other, more clear suttas.

  In either case, there is no suggestion here that the “radiant mind” be connected with Nibbana. Quite the opposite: the whole point of the sutta is that it can be defiled, so it cannot be Nibbana.

Ajahn Sujato stop short of connecting the "radiant mind" with Nibbana because ..it can be defiled.

The answer is provided by Ajahn Mun’s description:

  “The mind is something more radiant than anything else can be, but because counterfeits – passing defilements – come and obscure it, it loses its radiance, like the sun when obscured by clouds”…. “When they develop the mind to the stage of the primal mind,..”

So in the Pabhassara sutta  when it is said:

  “Luminous, monks, is the mind.[1] And it is defiled by incoming defilements." {I,v,9}

  "Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is freed from incoming defilements." {I,v,10}

  "Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is defiled by incoming defilements. The uninstructed run-of-the-mill person doesn't discern that as it actually is present, which is why I tell you that — for the uninstructed run-of-the-mill person — there is no development of the mind." {I,vi,1}

  "Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is freed from incoming defilements. The well-instructed disciple of the noble ones discerns that as it actually is present, which is why I tell you that — for the well-instructed disciple of the noble ones — there is development of the mind." {I,vi,2}

Both Ajahn Mun and the Buddha are saying the same thing but Ajahn Mun had clarified that the luminous mind has lost it radiance when it is obscured by defilements and that we have to get rid of the defilements to reach the state of the primal mind (why would we want to go back to the primal mind, only if it is inherently luminous).

The Buddha stated very clearly that whether the mind is defiled or not it is still an inherently luminous mind. (inherently - my addition in light of Ajahn Mun's clarification)

Is an inherently luminous mind therefore the same as "consciousness without feature" i.e. Nibbana?

What Ajahn Mun's has said is that the primeval mind is defiled in the way of being obscured by defilements and not as altered ". What is intrinsically bright cannot be defiled by alteration but can be obscured, ...like the clouds covering the sun.

The inherent luminous mind obscured by defilements is therefore bhavanga.

1) So is the true characteristics of Bhavanga, Pabhassara and Nibbana, the same, "consciousness without feature", except that Bhavanga has defilements obscuring its true nature?

2) Or is Bhavanga and Pabhassara the same, both luminous primodial mind, and different from Nibbana?

3) Or is Pabhassara, a luminous primodial mind with Avijja, not the same as Nibbana, pure awakened mind with vijja and Bhavanga just "emanations" of Pabhassara?

The Thai forest tradition of Ajahn Mun seems to adopts the third view.


From a Zen standpoint, the unification of samsara and nirvana cannot be comprehended by the discriminating mind.  Don't worry if you are having problems!  In fact, the more you try to rationalize it, the farther away you will be from truly comprehending it (to paraphrase Seng T'san's Hsin Hsin Ming).

If you aren't a Zen student, this is going to sound a lot like the mumbo jumbo the school is famous for.  Apologies in advance!  All the same, putting samsara up against nirvana, and trying to see the distinction, is a product of the small mind.  Likewise, trying to intellectualize how they are the same is to miss what is meant by nirvana (and samsara too for that matter!).  Thinking will get you nowhere.  Only direct insight will show you the place where the boundaries between the two break down.  Emptiness must first be apprehended.  One then looks deeply into that emptiness.  Coming out of profound emptiness, and back to world of form, one directly perceives how the two are not distinct.  This is enlightenment.  And it takes years on the cushion to get there!  It also takes deep faith and trust.  Once that realization is reached, however, you know it just as well as the feeling of the shirt on your back.


This is one of those questions that is complicated by that in the United States the conversation around abortion looks and feels very different than it does from other countries in the world. It is also made complex by the interaction of the ideology and the "situation on the ground," where things are usually quite complicated.
To quote Karma Lekshe Tsomo's excellent article Prolife, Prochoice: Buddhism and Reproductive Ethics:

In Buddhism, a primary guiding principle for ethical decision-making is the relief of suffering. It is clear that both abortion and restrictive abortion laws can cause great suffering for both mother and fetus. […]
In the end, most Buddhists recognize the incongruity that exists between ethical theory and actual practice and, while they do not condone the taking of life, do advocate understanding and compassion toward all living beings, a lovingkindness that is nonjudgmental and respects the right and freedom of human beings to make their own choices.

So to start with, we need separate "pro-life" (in the sense of being opposed to abortion) and "pro-choice" (in the sense of believing the state should restrict it). There are certainly Buddhists who are both pro-choice and anti-choice regardless of whether they are also "pro-life."
It is widely recognized in a variety of sources that, in the traditional Buddhist sources, the ensoulment occurs at conception. Bhikkhu Bodhi mentions in the book In the Buddha's Words that consciousness (or perhaps more precisely viññāṇa) begins "from the moment of conception," though I don't know where precisely in the texts this is defined to be the case.
We see that this translates to a "pro-life" and sometimes "anti-choice" attitude in the Theravada countries. Sri Lanka allows abortion to preserve the life of the woman but not for any other reason. Myanmar is similar. Thailand is slightly more permissive–especially since it allows for health of the mother under some circumstances and includes mental health–while still generally banning it.
In Peter Harvey's An Introduction to Buddhist Ethics we see analysis that indicates that:

It is clear, at the very least, that the great majority of Buddhists agree that abortion is killing a human being, and is an evil that should be avoided, other things being equal. A crucial issue, though, is how evil it is and what 'other things' can come to outweigh this evil, so that abortion comes to be seen as a 'necessary evil' in certain circumstances?

It is important to note that in some cases these laws were only written after contact with European societies (details in links, Peter Harvey indicates as well that, pre-colonial times, Burma/Myanmar "abortion was not liable for punishment"). It is also the case that, even where it is banned, the laws do not appear equivalent to murder.  There's also a great deal of individual variation outside of the state laws, especially in Thailand, where 95% of the population is Buddhist but there's some popular support for more lenient abortion laws.
As far as I can tell, Tibetan Buddhism is similarly strongly opposed to the practice, but there's still some nuance around treating it, with the Dalai Lama saying in an interview with the NYT (from the above BBC article examining Buddhist views on abortion):

Of course, abortion, from a Buddhist viewpoint, is an act of killing and is negative, generally speaking. But it depends on the circumstances.
If the unborn child will be retarded or if the birth will create serious problems for the parent, these are cases where there can be an exception. I think abortion should be approved or disapproved according to each circumstance.

In Japan (and Korea per Harvey) it is much, much less restricted and the Japanese Buddhists are much more accepting of it. This was examined in the book Liquid Life: Abortion and Buddhism and Japan.  It is notable that both US Buddhists and Japanese Buddhists tend to be much less opposed to abortion than other Buddhist groups.
This issue is explored further in Michael G. Barnhart's Buddhism and the Morality of Abortion, which notes that:

However, as Keown points out, (92) the cases dealt with involve women seeking abortions for questionable, perhaps self-serving, reasons including "concealing extramarital affairs, preventing inheritances, and domestic rivalry between co-wives."  In short, if these are the paradigm examples of abortion, then the case is heavily biased against the practice.

In conclusion: We can say that, in general, Buddhism is opposed to abortion and believes that it incurs a significant karmic burden, especially Theravadan and Tibetan practice. Individuals and subgroups, meanwhile, especially in Japan and the United States, fall all along the spectrum with respect to:

The degree of problem.
What factors help to balance and to what extent they balance.
What precisely the state should do about it.

Regardless, the person who has had an abortion should be treated with compassion–not moral judgement–and it should be understood that the decision is pretty much universally a difficult one with a lot of complications and nuances.


What are the differences between meritorious acts and wholesome acts?

When we discuss virtuous living and behaviour according to the Buddha's teaching, two special Pali words are used - kusala and punna. Kusala has come to mean 'karmically wholesome', while punna is taken to mean 'merit'.

Often Buddhists in Sri Lanka use the two words to describe one and the same kind of activity - "meritorious". However it would be good to look at these two words in the context of the Buddha's discourses.

There is a difference in the two words, and have to be taken in the context in which they are used. The Buddha has said, "Accumulate much wholesome actions." He has used the term 'wholesome' in the practice of the Noble eight-fold path, and development of tranquillity and insight.

Merit is the term often used to describe actions that bring about spiritual welfare and contentment. He has discoursed, "Bhikkhus, 'pleasant disposition' is another word for 'merit." That would mean one should engage in meritorious deeds to receive a life of comfort and contentment. He has also said that it is an auspicious event in life to be possessing previously accumulated merits.

There is a view among a few lay people as well as monks today that since merits prolong the process of existence and the round of rebirths, one needs to accumulate only wholesome actions and not merit. One gets into debate about merit and wholesome actions due to non understanding of the reasons for the continuance of the round of rebirths. Round of rebirths occur due to Dependent Origination.

If the continuance of the round of rebirths occurs due to Dependent Origination, the latter must cease for the round of rebirths to cease occurring. The way to make that happen is to follow the Noble Eight-fold Path. To fulfil that process, one needs to association of noble friends, hearing the Doctrine and keep company with righteous people. He would also need a rebirth conducive to fulfil the process of following the Noble Eightfold Path. Now, that is where merit plays its part.

A rebirth in worlds of the Brahmas and Devas becomes a very helpful asset to one who searches for the goal of Nibbana. Such rebirths are the results of merits. So we must understand the true worth of merit. Those who spend the time arguing "We do not need merit but only wholesome deeds" unfortunately may end up getting neither.

Undoubtedly, it would be a wholesome action to have a thorough understanding of Merit and wholesome actions before one would discuss them. Trying to discredit merit can only result in accumulating unwholesome actions. The Buddha has this to say about merit: "If one has enthusiasm to do a meritorious deed, do so over and over again. Develop a desire to do merit. Merit is comfort."
The Buddha's consistently emphatic message is to annihilate desire. However, He exhorts desire for merit because merit is needed to make our lives comfortable and conducive to search the goal of Nibbana. Our birth in this world and all our good achievements are results of accumulated merits.

There are those who may say that in today's world many things need money and therefore even doing merit can be expensive. However that may be, money and merit have no real proportion. Merit is something that does not measure and count with money. Merit is based on a non-aggressive and virtuous mentality.
Merit has its origin in right thinking. It is the right thinking that teaches us the benefit of selfless giving, benefit of merit, that good and bad actions have similar outcomes, there is benefit in taking care of one's parents. To say that one cannot do meritorious actions for want of money would not amount to right thinking.

Observing the five precepts, observing the eight precepts on Poya day, Contemplation of the Buddha, Contemplation of the Dhamma and Contemplation of the Sangha, and meditation on loving kindness do not cost money. In short, we can earn merit even from the dish water we throw away. Thus the talk that merit is costly may be misleading to those who don't have money as well as to those whose wealth is more than they can count.


What exactly did Lord Buddha say about Size of Atom?

As described in Theravada Buddhist texts of the Abhidhamma Pitaka in the Tipitaka, there is no indivisible part of the atom. Every atom is divisible. If anyone divides it infinitely, the ultimate outcome is energy = there is nothing that exists in reality, it's a mirage that we experience because of the four major qualities. And the atom is made out of four major qualities and due to those 4 major qualities, there are another four qualities are generated. The four major qualities can exist in different or equal proportions within the atom. When the proportions changes, the elements change to another element. The four major qualities are:

"patavi" - which gives the quality of roughness to the atom
"aapo"- which gives the quality of flowing (fluidity)
"thejo" - the quality which gives warmth or heat (and this accounts for the coldness too, when the heat decreases we humans feel coldness, so it is both heat and cold)
"waayo" - the quality of expansion.

Then because of those four, another sub qualities being generated:

"warna" - the quality which gives colour to atoms
"ghanda" - which gives smell
"rasa" - which gives the quality of taste
"oja" - the energy that keeps those four main qualities intact (it's like food to the atom).

And the proportions of the four major qualities in atoms are constantly changing, the change can take fraction of second in some materials, sometimes it might take uncountable years to change. And according to Buddhist texts the atom itself appears and disappears very fast and we humans can only see its existence if you don't have developed your mind to understand and see those happenings (just like our human eye see the tv screen or a video as a one motion, it actually contains many frames to make a full video, but we only see it as a one frame with people moving inside it), but Buddha have said this is a mirage we see and it is "non-eternal".

Source: I have read Abhidhamma Pitaka. And I'm a Buddhist.

P.S: if you want to know the what's really happening, my advise is, you have to read it by yourself and understand, rather than reading some English translated text.


There are many well read people in this forum itself who can help clarify aspects of Theravada that you find difficult to understand.

On a side note however, there is not much you need to learn or know about Theravada in order to practise it successfully during your remaining time, as long as you grasp the fundamental principle of Theravada and clearly understand what the path of Theravada Buddhism entails.

My personal suggestion is that you watch and read some of this monk's (Yuttadhammo) essential video series and his book. Here are the links:

The Buddhist TV – In this video series, he explains the core principles of Theravada buddhism and how to incorporate it into all aspects of your life
Introduction to Meditation: How To Meditate – In this video series, he explains what meditation is (the core practise of Theravada Buddhism) and instructions on how to practice it comprehensively
How To Meditate: A Beginner's Guide to Peace – This book is a written version of the video series on meditation, and is more detailed and comprehensive than the corresponding video series.

From my personal experience, watching these video series and reading his book is sufficient to help you understand clearly the core of what the Buddha taught and how to practise it successfully, and thereby it will also set you on the path to the goal of Theravada Buddhism - destruction of the mental defilements and freedom from suffering. In the process, they will also clarify aspects that you find difficult to understand about what the Buddha taught.


Is there a higher alaya in mahamudra that is separate from the lower alaya the vijnana skandha?

Vajrayana is a term used to denote Tantric Buddhist schools.
Practitioners of those schools might have somehow different views.
For example, Gelugpa School is based on teachings of Atisha, who was a legendary teacher of 11th century, famous due to his outstanding practitioner's skills, modest and kind personality, and deep understanding of unity of Buddhist Sutric and Tantric teachings.
Atisha wrote a "Lamrim" ("Steps of the Path"), explaining all the Buddhist theory and practice, including Tantric practice, as a unified system.
Later Tsongkhapa based his larger treatise on Atisha's works.
According to their views, Tantric Buddhism means using specific (Tantric) methods for realization of usual (Sutric) concepts.
So in terms of teachings, there is no essential difference between Tantrayana and "Sutric" Mahayana.
Mahamudra is just practical realization of the wisdom of emptiness, expounded by Mahayana teachers such as Buddha Shakyamuni, Vimalakirti, Nagarjuna etc. In Mahayana, those teachings are classified as "Maha Prajnaparamita" class teachings, i.e. teachings about The Great Perfection of Wisdom. They include "Vimalakirti sutra", "Diamond sutra", "Heart sutra" etc.
Madhyamaka school, stemming from Nagarjuna works, is the most focused on prajna paramita teachings.
The model of Eight consciousnesses, where Alaya vijnana is the eighth, is considered belonging to the Vijnanavada school. See "Lankavatara sutra".
Though there were Buddhist teachers criticizing Vijnanavada views, e.g. Chandrakirti, their criticism actually does not refute Vijnanavada views; only primitive ways to understand Vijnanavada views.
So both Vijnanavada and Madhyamaka views are useful and are studied in some Vajrayana schools.
I don't know any specific interpretations of Alaya vijnana by any Vajrayana teachers which would differ from views of those Mahayana schools.
There are some practitioners who would deny the unity of Sutra and Tantra, and could even claim that "Sutric Buddhism" is inferior, but upon investigation such views never hold water.
Such views actually come from lack of prajna, from absolutization of notions, for example, categorizing Buddhism into different parts and levels. Such categorizations are just concepts, relatively true in particular regards and particular limits, nothing more.
So those people may claim that they represent, for example, Nyingma school views, or even something that goes beyond the limits of Buddhism (Dzogchen), but in fact "Sutric" Buddhism is well aware of limits of words and concepts, and goes beyond them itself.
As far as I know, Padmasambhava, from whose teachings and activities Nyingma school has developed, did not contradict or modify usual Mahayana teachings.
With all that in mind, my answer is:
I don't know of any ideas of "higher alaya separate from the lower alaya".
That would be a strange idea, because the concept of alaya represents the highest level of inseparability and non-conceptualization.
Let's examine your expression, "the lower alaya the vijnana skandha".
Vijnana skandha is a concept that describes the reactive nature of mind.
We can talk about my personal mind, your mind, and minds of other beings. Also, we can notice that all things in the material world exhibit the quality of reactivity. We could generalize and say that all the world has a nature of reactivity, and it goes beyond and in between of sentient beings. In other words, reactivity does not belong only to sentient beings, but it's a nature of everything.
We can see everything as reacting and happening beyond limits of individual minds. Thus the notion of the all-encompassing, universal mind, alaya, can be roughly understood.
But it's just our notion. We take various phenomena, we group them and create notions. That's how our notion of mind appears, for example.
In the direct perception there is no "mind". The mind, or consciousness, is a concept created by dualities like perceived and perceiving.
Trying to liberate our minds from the slavery of absolutized notions, we can try to see our concepts as relative. We can say that in the original perception phenomena just appear; they aren't divided into the perceiving and the perceived.
That original non-divided phenomena can be viewed as the reactive space, and conceptualized as vijnana skandha or Alaya.
But there is no actual "vijnana skandha" or "Alaya" in the original direct perception; those terms are concepts or images we use to understand.
The actual reality isn't grasped by such concepts, or any other concepts; concepts are, in the best case, pointers at the experience.
So we use terms like "vijnana skandha" and "Alaya" in order to get close to the truth, but they never actually encompass it.
It's like using items on your boat in order to point at something in the surrounding ocean; they don't actually exist there in the ocean.
So speaking about some higher alaya or higher vijnana would be like trying to add more things to the things that can't capture the ocean.
Our items on the boat can't capture the ocean, and if we therefore try to add more such things, it's of no benefit.
To get closer to the truth we should instead try to grasp how concepts are relative; how pointers at the reality aren't what they point at.
Then we could understand and use concepts properly, and manifest Mahamudra in practice.


In Buddhism, kamma and its fruits is not a system of universal justice. It simply is cause and effect. An individual's intention is the most important thing in kamma.

If a person has evil intentions and commits evil acts, then he may end up in unhappy destinations. Even if he comes back as a human being, he may be sickly or short-lived or ugly or poor etc. Please read the rest of MN 135 for details. If based on his intentions, he harmed others, then in future, he becomes sickly. If based on his intentions, he was miserly and did not donate to others, then he may become poor in future.

According to MN 135:

  The Blessed One said: "There is the case, student, where a woman or
  man is a killer of living beings, brutal, bloody-handed, given to
  killing & slaying, showing no mercy to living beings. Through having
  adopted & carried out such actions, on the break-up of the body, after
  death, he/she reappears in the plane of deprivation, the bad
  destination, the lower realms, hell. If, on the break-up of the body,
  after death — instead of reappearing in the plane of deprivation, the
  bad destination, the lower realms, hell — he/she comes to the human
  state, then he/she is short-lived wherever reborn. This is the way
  leading to a short life: to be a killer of living beings, brutal,
  bloody-handed, given to killing & slaying, showing no mercy to living
  beings.

  "But then there is the case where a woman or man, having abandoned the
  killing of living beings, abstains from killing living beings, and
  dwells with the rod laid down, the knife laid down, scrupulous,
  merciful, & sympathetic for the welfare of all living beings. Through
  having adopted & carried out such actions, on the break-up of the
  body, after death, he/she reappears in a good destination, in the
  heavenly world. If, on the break-up of the body, after death — instead
  of reappearing in a good destination, in the heavenly world — he/she
  comes to the human state, then he/she is long-lived wherever reborn.
  This is the way leading to a long life: to have abandoned the killing
  of living beings, to abstain from killing living beings, to dwell with
  one's rod laid down, one's knife laid down, scrupulous, merciful, &
  sympathetic for the welfare of all living beings.

  "There is the case where a woman or man is one who harms beings with
  his/her fists, with clods, with sticks, or with knives. Through having
  adopted & carried out such actions, on the break-up of the body, after
  death, he/she reappears in the plane of deprivation... If instead
  he/she comes to the human state, then he/she is sickly wherever
  reborn. This is the way leading to sickliness: to be one who harms
  beings with one's fists, with clods, with sticks, or with knives.

  "But then there is the case where a woman or man is not one who harms
  beings with his/her fists, with clods, with sticks, or with knives.
  Through having adopted & carried out such actions, on the break-up of
  the body, after death, he/she reappears in a good destination... If
  instead he/she comes to the human state, then he/she is healthy
  wherever reborn. This is the way leading to health: not to be one who
  harms beings with one's fists, with clods, with sticks, or with
  knives.

However, not everything we experience is caused by kamma according to SN36.21:

  "There are cases where some feelings arise based on bile... phlegm...
  based on internal winds... based on a combination of bodily humors...
  from the change of the seasons... from uneven care of the body... from
  harsh treatment... from the result of kamma. You yourself should know
  how some feelings arise from the result of kamma. Even the world is
  agreed on how some feelings arise from the result of kamma. So any
  brahmans & contemplatives who are of the doctrine & view that whatever
  an individual feels — pleasure, pain, neither pleasure-nor-pain — is
  entirely caused by what was done before — slip past what they
  themselves know, slip past what is agreed on by the world. Therefore I
  say that those brahmans & contemplatives are wrong."

So it is pointless to assume that if somebody hit you, it must be caused by you hitting someone else in the past. It may not have any kamma-related cause. In the quote above, "harsh treatment" is separated from "result of kamma". So, they are separate causes. "Uneven care of the body" and "change of seasons" are also other separate causes. So, if somebody hit you and it caused pain, then it may well be just "harsh treatment" from someone else.

How to alleviate one's karma is explained in the Lonaphala Sutta or the Discourse of the Salt Crystal.


Conversations may make one feel superior/inferior, good/bad, etc. Your conversation response can be anything within the bounds of right speech (abstaining from lying, from divisive speech, from abusive speech, & from idle chatter). Your mental response should be on account of whatever feeling that arises either pleasant, unpleasant or neutral one should know the sensation as such and that it is impermanent and not worth clinging to.

If he feels a pleasant feeling,

he understands that it is impermanent;
he understands that it is not to be clung to;
he understands that there is no delight in it.

If he feels a painful feeling,

he understands that it is impermanent;
he understands that it is not to be clung to;
he understands that there is no delight in it.

If he feels a neutral feeling,

he understands that it is impermanent;
he understands that it is not to be clung to;
he understands that there is no delight in it.

If he feels a pleasant feeling, he feels it in a detached manner.
If he feels a painful feeling, he feels it in a detached manner.
If he feels a neutral feeling, he feels it in a detached manner.

Dhātu Vibhaṅga Sutta


Walking the path with bad karma presently lingering will make it more difficult to gain wisdom. This is because the guilt you feel from stealing will distract you from your cultivation of concentration and insight. If you find you are having a hard time focusing during your meditation sessions because of this guilt, making amends could help you better progress in your search for enlightenment. If you are just suffering in general because of it, it still may be beneficial.

That being said though, it is not required to clear that karma. Once you attain enlightenment, all your karma is released, and the guilt will no longer remain.

So the answer is, how much is it bothering you? If you feel sad and guilty every day because of what you've done, making amends can relieve you of that. If it is of little concequence to you, don't worry about it and continue the path.