Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for How to survive Buddhism ? Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha

I see one aspect of your question is practice of rites and rituals much like other religions. This is also important for Buddhism to be socially and culturally integrated, but this does not give you liberation.

Secular Buddhists strip Buddhism of some of the aspects which cannot be conventionally seen (e,g, other realms, life after death) and perhaps some of the aspects not in line with western culture (e.g. respect to the Triple Gem). Accepting and dismissing things beyond your comprehension is a mistake, so would be accepting things which you cannot empirically verify. Until you know something at an experiential level it is best to set them aside.

There were many Buddhist sites in India which perhaps became sites for other religions.

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Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for What is meaning of Buddha and how he called Buddha?

Definition of Buddha based on Pali Dictionary is here. The Wikipedia entry is here.

Buddha means one who understood or awakened. This understanding / awakening is based on intelligence gained.

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Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for Consciousness and Name-Form

Taṇhā (craving) and upādāna (clining) creates saṅkhāra (fabrication) to experience the karmic result of what you craved for. To experience past fabrications when they materialise in the present a particular viññāṇa (consciousness) should arise, e.g. fabrication to experience pleasant taste now due to past conditioning you need tongue consciousness hence also a tongue and tasty food. Since viññāṇa cannot arise on its own, i.e., there cannot be tongue consciousness without an tongue, arises nāmarūpa (name form) with saḷāyatana (sense bases / faculty) so the particular experience can be felt. Since particular experience does not arise without phassa (contact) this should happen giving arise to Vedanā (feeling) so that the Karmic experience is completed. Avijjā (ignorance), i.e., not knowing the 4 Noble Truths, what make you react with craving and clinging hence creating fabrications and consciousness. Also the experience any residue of fabrication, Jāti (birth) must happen and if so Jarāmaraṇa (old age and death) follows.

In other words, past fabrication to experience creates the experience, to which contact, faculty, consciousness should be in place, and for faculties to be in place a live being with a body and mind needs to be in place.

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Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for Emotional Release: Images Versus Dry Body Awareness

Your metal experiences (thoughts, memories, emotions, etc) create sensations. You should use it to reduce your unwholesome roots.

...

Latent tendencies

LATENT TENDENCIES ARISING THROUGH THE MIND. Bhikshus, dependent on mind and mind-objects, eye-consciousness arises.

When the three meet, there is contact. Dependent on contact, there is what is felt as pleasant, or as painful, or as neither pleasant nor painful.

When one is touched by a pleasant feeling, one delights in it, welcomes it, remains attached to it. Thus one’s latent tendency of lust (rāgânusaya) lies latent.

When one is touched by a painful feeling, one sorrows, grieves, laments, beats one’s breast and falls into confusion. Thus one’s latent tendency of aversion (paṭighânusaya) lies latent.

When one is touched by a feeling that is neither pleasant nor painful, one does not understand it as it really is, the arising, the passing away, the gratification, the danger, and the escape with regards to that feeling. Thus one’s latent tendency of ignorance (avijjā’nusaya) lies latent.

Bhikshus, that one could make an end of suffering here and now, without abandoning lust for pleasurable feelings, without removing aversion towards painful feelings, without uprooting ignorance towards feelings that are neither pleasant nor painful this is impossible.

...

Abandoning the latent tendencies

ABANDONING LATENT TENDENCIES ARISING THROUGH THE MIND.

...

Bhikshus, that one could make an end of suffering here and now, having abandoned lust for pleasurable feelings, having removed aversion towards painful feelings, having uprooted ignorance towards feelings that are neither pleasant nor painful this is possible.

...

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Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for In Buddhist meditation is it thought that comes first or the dream images

The mental image (Nimitta) as per some teachers appear as a bright radiant light. You have to bring your attention to a particular stimuli and retain the attention on the chosen stimuli by continuously bringing your mind to the chosen stimuli. At some point you might get the Nimitta. This does not happen for everyone and every time.

If you are doing the above as Vipassana you have to look at sensation (or phenomena that is know and felt) and continuously keeping your mind on it. Then you will see the arising and passing of sensations, which perhaps you can consider the Nimitta.

Also see: Nimitta: The radiant and blissful sign [How to enjoy and benefit from your meditation] and Nimitta and Anuvyañjana: Signs and Details [Sense-restraint & wise attention: how to master the senses] by Piya Tan

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Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for Is the term " mind " another way of describing awareness?

If you take Namarupa according to the Skandha classification the following falls under Nama (mind)

• feelings
• perceptions
• mental formations
• consciousness.

You know or are aware due to consciousness but there other 3 items which form the mind. Also awareness is the fucntion of consciousness and not consciousness itself. So awareness is not mind.

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Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for Philosophy.. About self

Any thought patterns about self which you cling leads to craving and misery. So you should eliminate clinging to ideas and view about self, including mis identification of the 5 aggregates and 6 sense bases as self. [Tanhā Jālinī Sutta]

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Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for The Buddha and his belief

The Buddha will not hold the view that the 5 aggregates or 6 sense bases is self hence free from identity views. The right understanding of Anatta is non self or not self or nothing worthy of identifying as self, etc. and not "no self" like posted in many places in the internet. The implication of this is 5 aggregates or 6 sense bases as whole or in part is not self than there is no one there which leads to logical fallacies like "I am not here because there is no self" or "There is no Buddha because there is no self". The reasoning should be in the line of "my eye is not self". In the context of the 6 sense bases see Cha Chakka Sutta which explain this clearly.

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Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for Vipassana Bhavana

You focus should be in

• arising and passed away of
• sensations, (pleasant, unpleasant and neither pleasant nor unpleasant)
• while maintaining utmost equanimity to the sensations,
• and conditioning that follows, if you react to the sensations.

For more details see my answer here.

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Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for What is a belief as per the buddhism?

What I believe is what I look up to, everyday.

What you believe in may just be your perception and not reality. Whatever you should be able to verify at the experiential level then you should look up to it. Since you know it from experience no external person needs to convince you of it.

Every belief originates me.

Many thoughts gives arise to self notion which intern aversion or craving based on your evaluation. [Tanhā Jālinī Sutta] To be more precise you crave to the sensations based on your evaluation. This conditions your future.

Then am I a phenomena in itself?

You are sum total of past conditioning including that of your past conditioning ue to yourself notion.

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Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for Why mind is all set to achieve something unknown during meditation?

There is craving and intention. You should have intention but not craving. Enlightened people had intention but not craving to achieve their goal.

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Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for "Guard the sense doors"- What does this mean, and what is it's application?

With each contact your perceive the experience a pleasant, unpleasant or neutral feeling arises which you also perceive as either favorable, unfavorable and neutral. Guarding the sense door is you are aware of the sensation that arose and the perception that arose. Ideally you should be equanimous towards this experience, i.e., not attached or averse to the sensation and stimuli and also realise the evaluation you have given and feed the perception. If not (i.e. you react with craving, aversion or ignorance) fabrications form. In which case you have be be aware of the fabrications also. These manifest as physical feeling in the body having the characteristics of the 6 elements and the metal component has the content 50 cetasikas (52 - 2 = 50 as feeling and perceptions are also cetasikas).

Also note the initial experience even if you are have a bodily aspect which you have the characteristics of the elements. The sensation is 3 folds are present unpleasant or neutral, etc. For more details on this see Satipatthana related Suttas and literature.

The framework to durage your senses is outlined in the Cha Chakka Sutta through there are more comprehensive dispositions also in other Suttas.

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Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for When the obstacles are abandoned does one experience dharma everywhere?

At point of cessation what you understand is Dependent Arising in some form of the other. The main systematised whay this is described is:

• Four Noble Truths
• Dependent Origination
• Conditional Relations

Also see Dependent Arising by Piya Tan and The Conditionality of Life by Nina van Gorkom.

Some teachers emphasise on the three marks of existence though from my learning these are necessary but not sufficient realisations, i.e., if you have seen the 1st glimpse of Nirvana you have also seen the three marks of existence but having seen it does not necessarily mean you have seen Nirvana. Necessary and sufficient condition being understanding of 4 Noble Truths, Dependent Arising or / and Conditional Relations at the experiential level through at this point you will have the knowledge of the three marks of existence also.

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Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for Can good and evil live in harmony?

In buddhism you perceive everyhit experience in 2 opposites may it be hot or cold, long or short, good or evil, etc. as simply:

• favorable or
• unfavorable or
• do not care

If you perceive something favorable you get a good feeling about it and get attached and if unfavorable you get a bad feeling about it and get averse.

What ever experience you should keep a balanced mind and use each experience to eradicate the unwholesome roots. See: Pahāna Sutta. The bipolar evaluation something as favorable and unfavorable always result in either craving or aversion hence result in misery. Also may result in Sensory Desire and Ill Will.

Moreover, if you are allergic to a flower and if hurts someone, this being good or bad is matter of perception hence resulting is pleasant and unpleasant sensation followed by craving and aversion followed by becoming. So if might be that the perception which may create more misery now and in the future than a person who is getting an allergic reaction. The allergic reaction maybe his Karma or negligence. When you harmonise your mind the notion of good (being favorable) and evil (unfavorable) will not be present but you will be equanimous.

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Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for What is considered consciousness?

Consciousness is simply to know or awareness of contact.

Is it simply the ability to rationalize, analyze and most important concentrate? With or without ego?

What you describe there seems like thinking and pondering. Through thoughts ego arises and always associated with and unwholesome root. Also see: Tanhā Jālinī Sutta

Does consciousness dictate who we are?

Yes and no. Concies does not on its own does nothing to dictate who we are. We are formed due to past conditioning. This is decided by whether we react to the feelings arising from contact with craving, aversion and ignorance. E.g. you touch a soft fabric and think I want this. This creates fabrications and becoming.

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Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for If there is no "I", who or what is controlling my animalistic urges?

Anything part of a being or if you take the the being as a whole this is not self. If you take your eyes this is not self as there are people without eyes. Likewise even the mind cannot be taken as self as you cannot control your mental feelings / emotions and thoughts. So you cannot take this as self.

Even if you take something as an action is it really done by yourself. If so was the volition the self or your body which was instrumental in doing is the self or is the result of the action the self. In each case none of it you can call self.

Sum total of your past Sankhara give result to the arising of the aggregates. The Sankhara of this moment along with what is there not creates the next. So Karma of Sankhara is not self and you cannot control it as if you own it.

Likewise if you analyse there is nothing worthy of call yourself.

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Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for How is it wrong to believe that a self exists, or that it doesn't?

You should not believe or hold a view that:

• there is a self
• there is not self

But whatever you consider as self is not worthy of being called self as:

• you cannot control it to your will
• it is impermanent

Since if you take a being as parts in terms of the 5 aggregates or 6 faculties each part which constitute a being is not self. E.g. the eye is not self, what you see is not self, what you feel is not self, your corporeal body is not self, etc.

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Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for In Buddhas Time Did Kings give Freedom to His Sex Wives(Anttappura Wives)?

One such instance was King Bimbisara giving freedom to Khema to enter the order. Many more may be found in the cemeteries and many may not even be documented!

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Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for Meditation and 'not trying to change anything'

Meditation and 'not trying to change anything'

Yes. You are not trying to do something through you are doing it with a objective relieve your stress.

If you try there is a possibility of subtle craving.

However, in my practice I have found that if I consciously try to relax during a session (muscular tension is an issue with me) it can be a much more fulfilling, refreshing experience. Is this not an example of trying to change something, and therefore 'bad' practice?

If you generate any anger or aversion towards this feeling or any liking towards another state or wanting something else then it is bad. Otherwise it is good. Relaxing means you can:

• meditate for long hours
• concentrate your mind
• and perhaps a basis for Piti and Passaddhi

Also see: What is Mindfulness? What are the 6 Rs?

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Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for Seven 10-day and one 20-day Goenka Course but no "good results"

1st if you crave for these experiences more further away they will be. Once your caving subsides they may suddenly pop up, but this they are also transient and replaced by other experiences.

Also lack of confidence also hinders your progress.

To progress you should

1. Stop caving
2. Build self confidence

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Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for How does big bang happen in terms of Buddhism?

In Buddhism the universe goes through 4 phases from expansion, expanded, contracting and collapsed states. This cycle is infinite hence there is infinite Big Bangs hence the no single point of origin whist the "Big Bang" is not the origin of the universe but start of this world cycle. See: The Big Bang and the Buddha's View of the Universe by Bhante Vimalaramsi. In fact there are many such parallel universes which are at various stages of development. See: Abhidharmartha Pradipika by Amaradasa Rathnapala.

The start of the "Big Bang" is triggered by by lust and craving of beings in Ābhassara Brahma World ending their life span there which causes the lower planes to be formed. As their lust grows then come and inhabit lower realms without the merit to go back.

Finally cosmology does not help eliviate stress in your current exitance and perhaps case more stress through theorising hence unless you make your living as astonomer or cosmologist then this is best left aside. Also see chapter: The Origin of the World of What Buddhists Believe by Venerable K. Sri Dhammananda Maha Thera and Can one practice meditation to gain knowledge about the universe?

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