Seven signs: I'm now closer to Nirvana

(Buddha's Wisdom) We're closer to Nirvana than we think: 7 signs the Buddha described in Theravada Buddhism's Pali canon.

COMMENTARY

Explained by Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal

The historical Buddha Gautama blissfully reclines into final nirvana (wiki)

 

But what is "nirvana" and why would anyone want it?

It is "the end of all suffering" or dukkha. It is the extinguishing of all greed, hatred, and delusion (craving, aversion, and ignorance) that keep the illusion and suffering going. It is the cooling of these fires (raging flames, smoldering coals, and blinding smoke). It is the highest bliss, the dissolution of all formations, the end of samsara, the incessant "continued wandering on" of rebirth and death.

• Nirvana is the "deathless" (amata, amrita, ambrosia)
• Nirvana is the "unconditioned element" (asankhata dhatu)
• Nirvana is the highest peace, the true refuge (sarana)
• Nirvana is the freedom (vimutti) from all afflictions
• Nirvana is the liberation (moksha) by wisdom
• Nirvana is the summum bonum of Early Buddhism and therefore of the back-to-basics Theravada school

But what is it, this thing with no equal?

In Theravada Abhidhamma texts such as the Vibhanga, where Sanskrit nirvana is called nibbana in Pali, the "unconditioned element" is defined this way:

"What is the unconditioned element (asankhata dhatu)? It is the cessation of passion, the cessation of hatred [aversion], and the cessation of delusion" [Note 12].

The Dhammasangani likewise describes it as that reality which is a sphere of experience unproduced by any cause or condition, according to L.S. Cousins [111].

The Dhammasangani also describes it in numerous other ways, such as the "immeasurable," "superior to everything," as "not past, present, or future" [the Ancient Greek anionic, the "not aeons," the "timeless," the "eternal now"], as "neither arisen nor not-arisen" and as "neither within nor without" [111].

• In Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism, "aeon" is used as a translation of the term kalpa and sometimes maha-kalpa or "great aeon" (Sanskrit महाकल्प). A maha kalpa, which cannot be pinned down to an exact numerical figure, is often said to be 1,334,240,000 years or the life cycle of the world (cakkavāḷa).
• Christianity's idea of "eternal life" comes from a Greek form of aión (αἰών) and the word for life, zōḗ (ζωή) [6], which has been translated to mean [timeless] immortality in the majority of texts, but is argued by some [7, 8, 9] to mean life in the next aeon, the Kingdom of God, or Heaven, instead.
• According to some proponents of Christian universalism, the Greek New Testament scriptures use the word aión (αἰών) to mean "a long period" (or age-long) and the word aiṓnion (αἰώνιον) to mean "during a long period" (or similarly, age-during); thus, there was a time before the aeons, and the aeonian period is finite. After each person's mortal life ends, one is judged worthy or not worthy of aeonian life...
• Another universalist reading, prevalent among Neoplatonists due to its similarity to views expressed in Plato's Timaeus [10], is that the "aeon" does not refer to a time, finite or infinite, but instead a Greek parallel of a Judaic view of distinct natures of time, between the χρόνος (chronos) of the present "age," or עולם הזה ('olam ha-zeh) and the αιώνιος (aionios) of the "age to come," or הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא ('olam ha-ba). More: aeon

Cousins also notes that "suggestively, however, it may be reckoned as nama (name) rather than rupa [form]. This does seem to suggest some element of underlying idealism of the kind which emerges later in the vijñanavada" (the "teaching of consciousness") [111].

Furthermore, for Theravada Buddhism, nibbana is uniquely the ONLY unconditioned element or phenomenon. Theravada argues that nibbana is unitary, that it cannot be divided.

Unlike other Buddhist schools, Theravada does not agree that there are any other unconditioned elements or phenomena, nor that there are different types of nirvana (such as the apratistha or "non-abiding nirvana" invented by Mahayana) [112, 111].

As noted by Thiện Châu, the Theravadans and the Pudgalavadans "remained strictly faithful to the letter of the [Buddha's original] sutras" and thus held that nirvana is the only unconditioned dhamma (phenomenon), while other schools posited various asankhata dhammas, such as the Sarvastivadan view that space (akasha) is unconditioned) [112].

Medieval Theravada exegesis

The fifth century Theravada scholar-monk and exegete Buddhaghosa says in The Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga): "It is called nibbana (extinction) because it has gone away from (nikkhanta), has escaped from (nissata), is dissociated from craving, which has acquired in common usage the name ‘fastening (vana)’ because, by ensuring successive becoming, craving serves as a joining together, a binding together, a lacing together, of the four kinds of generation, five destinies, seven stations of consciousness, and nine abodes of being" [Note 13]. More

Who's really enlightened? (Doug's Dharma)

What is an 'enlightened' person?

Blissful, effervescent yogi as a result of persistent effort and letting go (yogatailor.com)

   

When I began, it wasn't easy then a breakthrough

In Buddhism a fully enlightened (bodhi) or awakened, a non-deluded or fully realized person is called an arhat (Pali, arahant). What does it mean?

It is the purification of view (ditthi), not personality. A person may continue to have his or her quirks, preferences, habits, and so on. The miraculous transformation that brings one from ordinary personhood into the Sangha of the Noble Ones (the Community of the Aryans) may not be visible at all to the casual observer. The Buddha said a person should not judge except after looking for a long time, reserving judgment and observing the person's character. It is not omniscience, not all-knowing awareness, not perfect perfection, not enlightened social views.

This is Buddhist "sainthood," but Buddhist saints are not like the saints of any other tradition. What is a "saint" to the world? It is someone who has temporarily suppressed the defilements and therefore appears "saintly" (moral, kind, wise, immaculate, and so on, often possessing mystic or magic powers to "prove" it. These things are all brought about by the jhanas, samadhi, and are very special but not necessary for full enlightenment.

It has a very precise meaning. Let us begin where we are -- in a state of delusion. We live in an illusion in the sense of not understanding what is actually there in front of us. What do we see? We see permanence, stability, solidity. We see enduring satisfaction, happiness, and fulfillment.

We see a self, identify with it, and imagine ourselves owners. An arhat is a spiritual practitioner who has realized four stages of attainment. The implications of the term vary based on the respective schools and traditions. The oldest surviving Buddhist school links these developmental stages to the dropping away of the ten bonds or "fetters" (samyojana). These are distinct from the Five Hindrances (nivarana), "taints" (asavas, cankers, inflows, outflows, biases), and defilements (kilesas).

1. personality-belief or the wrong view that there is, ultimately speaking, a self
2. pernicious skeptical doubt about the path
3. clinging to the belief that enlightenment can be gained by the practice of mere rules and rituals
4. sensuous craving or strong five-sense strand desire
5. ill-will or aversion
6. craving for fine-material existence
7. craving for immaterial existence
8. conceit, the subtle, persistent habit of conceiving in terms of self
9. restlessness
10. ignorance

The Buddha gave very exact meanings for each of these impediments as well as the stages of Buddhist sanctity as these ten bonds are uprooted and cut off. How this is accomplished is also not a matter of speculation. The Buddha laid out the path, and as one progresses one has a vision of what is path and not-path.
  
There is no entering upon the first stage of enlightenment without an experiential grasp of not-self or egolessness. This is the hardest thing. And it is on account of it that the Buddha did not recognize "saints" in traditions outside the Dharma he made known. Indeed, there were very great beings with great attainments in concentration, wisdom, and mystical powers -- yet they were not free, liberated, emancipated from the cycle of rebirth and suffering. They were, at best, only temporarily sojourning in exalted heavens to fall again after staggering lifespans.

In many Christian schools today, "saint" simply means someone in heaven or guaranteed to be reborn in heaven. There are relatively few, while we comfort ourselves that every nice person ends up among the elect. The sad fact is that this is simply a comforting belief we cling to because the truth, and our associated views, are too much to bear.

1. Meditators free of the first three bonds are stream-enterers or stream-winners -- capable of being reborn a maximum of seven more times, guaranteed to become arhats.
2. Those who have in addition abandoned the grosser forms of the fourth and fifth as well are called once-returners, who might return to (be reborn in) this world, the lowest good rebirth within the Sensual Sphere, no more than once.
3. Those who are fully freed from the first five "lower" fetters (binding beings to the Sensual Sphere) are non-returners, who do not return to (are not reborn in) this sphere.
4. Those who are freed from all ten bonds are called arhats, that is, worthy ones, perfected ones, "holy" (whole, with integrity, integrated, wholesome) or accomplished ones.

Later schools developed different goals, such as the bodhisattva ideal -- the idea that vowing to strive to be a teaching buddha was not only possible but preferable to the goal the historical Buddha encouraged and taught the way to, that of the arhat who reaches safety (the stream) in this very life. Becoming a stream winner (one who has glimpsed nirvana) means that for the first time in this beginningless samsara one has put a limit on suffering. With no more than seven lives to undergo, which can mean millions of years of suffering (i.e., being disappointed) in delightful sensual and fine-material (even a few immaterial) "heavens" before nirvana. The Buddha was an arhat.

In the Early Buddhist schools

Bodhisattva Simpson (Concerning Art)

A range of views on the relative "perfection" of arhats existed among early Buddhist schools. In general, the Mahāsāṃghika branch -- such as the Ekavyāvahārikas, Lokottaravādins,^[9] Bahuśrutīyas,^[10] Prajñaptivādins, and Caitika^[11] schools -- advocated the transcendental and supermundane nature of buddhas and bodhisattvas, and the fallibility of arhats.^[12] The Caitikas, for example, advocated the ideal "career" choice of the bodhisattva (bodhisattva-yāna) over that of the arhat (śrāvaka-yāna) and viewed arhats as fallible and still subject to ignorance.^[13]
   
According to A.K. Warder, the Sarvāstivādins held the same position as the Mahāsāṃghika branch regarding arhats, considering them imperfect and fallible.^[14]
  
The Kāśyapīya school also held the doctrine that arhats were fallible and imperfect, similar to the view of the Sarvāstivādins and the various Mahāsāṃghika sects.^[15] Moreover, the Kāśyapīyas believed that arhats have not fully eliminated desires, that their "perfection" is incomplete, and that it is possible for them to relapse.^[16]

  

How the word is derived

Guru Homer (livejournal.com)

The exact etymology and interpretation of Sanskrit words such as arhat remains disputed. In the Theravada tradition, and in early PTS publications, the word is interpreted to mean "worthy one."
  
This has been challenged by more recent research. Comparing ancient Indian forms arahanta and arihanta^[2] in Pali and early Jain Prakrit languages results in the alternative etymology "foe-destroyer" or "vanquisher of enemies."
  
This corresponds to the Jain definition.^[3] The latter challenges the assumption that the root of the word is Pali araha (Sanskrit, arha). Richard Gombrich has proposed an etymology of ari + hanta, bringing the root meaning closer to jina (an epithet commonly used for both the Buddha and Mahavira, the leaders of the Jains and Buddhists.^[4]

  

Arhat was translated into East Asian languages phonetically as a transliterated term, exemplified in the Chinese āluóhàn, often shortened to simply lohan. However, the Tibetan term was translated by meaning from Sanskrit as dgra bcom pa, which translates as, "one who has destroyed the foes of afflictions."^[5] This Tibetan translation of the meaning conforms with the Jain definition as well.

  

Arhat occurs as arhattā in the Rigveda^[6] and as the first offer of salutation in the main Jain prayer, the Namokar Mantra. Based on a possible Sanskrit etymology, Arhant can be translated as deathless since hant in Sanskrit means "death or killing" and ar is often used for negation, implying "cannot be killed" or "beyond death" or "deathless."

• Buddhist Podcast, June 10, 2025; Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit Arhat (Buddhism), 7/11/12

Beautiful Buddhist courtesan Ambapali

Āmrapālī (also known as "Ambapālikaka," "Ambapali," or "Amra") was a celebrated nagarvadhu (royal courtesan) of the Republic of Vaishali (located in present-day state of Bihar, India) in ancient proto-India around 500 BC [1, 2, 3].

Ambapali also won the title of rajnartaki (court dancer) [4]. Following the Buddha's Teachings, or Buddha-Dharma, she became an arahant, a fully enlightened disciple.

She is mentioned in the ancient Pali language texts and Buddhist traditions (āgama sutras), particularly in conjunction with the Buddha staying at her mango (amba) grove, Ambapali-vana, which she later donated to the Sangha (Monastic Order), where the Buddha taught the famous Ambapalika Sutra [5, 6, 7, 8].

The legend of Ambapali originated in the Buddhist Rebirth (Jataka) Tales some 1,500 years ago.

• VIDEO: How Buddhism started: Afghanistan

Early life

I can help it: I was born this way [by past karma]

Ambapali was born around 600-500 BCE, to Mahanama and an unknown mother.

Etymologically, the variants of her name derive from a combination of two Sanskrit words, amra (Pali amba), meaning "mango," and pallawa, meaning "young leaves or sprouts" [9].

It is said that she was spontaneously born at the foot of a mango tree in one of the royal gardens in Vaishali — which resulted in her name [10].

Even as a young maiden, Ambapali was exceptionally beautiful and ethereal. It is said that a feudal lord by the name of Mahanaman was so enchanted by the young Ambapali's beauty that he abandoned his kingdom and moved to Ambara Village, a small hamlet in Vaishali in present-day Muzaffarpur [11].

As a courtesan

I will dance to please the royals.

Vaishali was the capital city of the Licchavi tribe, one of the eight warrior (Pali khattiya, Sanskrit kshatriya) clans that had united to form the Vajjian confederacy [12].

The king was elected by an electoral college consisting of princes and nobles from the kshatriya clans. It was customary that the most beautiful women in the land, rather than marrying one man, dedicated themselves to the pleasure of many [13].

Ambapali grew up to be a lady of extraordinary charm and grace and was talented in many art forms [Geisha-girl style, a well education companion rather than someone simply providing sexual services][13].

Many young nobles desired her company. When King Manudev of Vaishali, saw Ambapali perform a dance in the city, he plotted to "own" her as a possession. He murdered Ambapali's childhood love and would-be-groom, Pushpakumar, on the day of their wedding.

Afterwards he made an official announcement declaring Ambapali as the "bride" of Vaishali — that is, the nagarvadhu ("royal courtesan"). She was also bestowed with the title of Vaishali Janpad Kalayani (Pali janapada kalyani "the belle of the land" of Vaisali), given to the most beautiful and talented girl of the kingdom for a period of seven years.

Ambapali had the right to choose her lovers, but according to the aforementioned custom, she could not be committed to any one man.

After being declared a nagarvadhu [14], her talent and beauty attracted so many men that the glory of Vaishali during this period is often attributed to Ambapali's fame [13]. The price to see Ambapali's art form was 50 karshapanas (Pali kahapanas, Bactrian gold from Afghanistan/Gandhara) per night, and her treasury grew much larger than the treasuries of some kings [13].

Who would objectify and judge kids' beauty?

It is said that Ambapali was declared the "most beautiful" girl at the age of 11 and was later made nagarvadhu. She also is a celebrated rajnartaki (court dancer) in the ancient Vaishali. Ambapali was also proficient in music, dance, hunting, archery, horse handling, and so on. She had great love for classical songs and dance [4, 15].

Legends associated with Ambapali

Ambapali and King Bimbisara

Carving of the Buddha and Ambapali

Stories of her beauty travelled to the ears of famous Buddhist King Bimbisara, ruler of the hostile neighboring kingdom of Magadha, where the Buddha often stays. The king attacked Vaishali and took refuge in Ambapali's house.

King Bimbisara was a good musician. Before long, Ambapali and King Bimbisara fell in love. When she learned his true identity, Ambapali asked King Bimbisara to leave and cease his war. 

King Bimbisara, smitten with love, did as she asked. In the eyes of the people of Vaishali, this incident made him a coward. Later, Ambapali bore him a son named Vimala Kondanna.

Ajatashatru (patricidal Prince Ajatasattu), King Bimbisara's son by Queen Chellana (according to Jain tradition) or Queen Kosala Devi (according to Buddhist tradition), later invaded Vaishali due to a dispute with his brothers.

He was so moved by her beauty that when Ambapali was imprisoned, he burned the whole of Vaishali. Almost everyone died in the massacre, except his beloved Ambapali, but when she saw the condition of her motherland, she renounced her love for him.

Ambapali and the Buddha

(We're not really Ambapali. We just play her in
a Wisdom Quarterly play about her life).

In Buddhist texts, Ambapali is noted as having had the opportunity to serve food to the Buddha during his last visit to Vaishali, shortly before his passing into final nirvana [16].

Ambapali attended his sermon at a nearby grove and was so deeply moved by it that she invited him for a meal at her quarters [17]. In other accounts, it is stated that the Buddha himself took shelter in her mango grove and was visited by Ambapali, who paid her obeisance to him and then extended the invitation [18].

The Buddha consented to her proposal of offering him a meal with silence, as was his custom [17]. On her way back, her chariot came face to face with that of the princely nobles of Vaishali who were also rushing to invite the Buddha to accept their offer of a meal with them.

The Buddha towering in neighboring Kapilavatthu

They berated her by calling her a "mango-woman" and asked her, as a woman of ill repute (a courtesan), to move her vehicle aside and let her social superiors pass on the single lane road.

It is then that she announced that the Buddha had already accepted her invitation and was coming to her house for a meal offering. The princes were upset and offered her gold in return for the privilege of hosting the Buddha, but she refused [18, 19].

The Buddha also turned them down when they asked him to accept their offer, having already committed to Ambapali's charitable donation.

The Buddha recognized her beauty and advised his disciples to be mindful in her presence because they easily become infatuated with her if they did not remain mindful [19]. [The Buddha advised monastics to imagine beautiful members of the other sex to be thought of as daughters or mothers, sons or fathers, so as not to succumb to their physical allure or beyond-physical charm.]

Ambapali received the Buddha with her retinue in her grand residence, which had been specially decorated for the occasion [20]. It was no less than the palace of any king [20], such was the wealth she had amassed.

At the conclusion of the meal offering, she offered to the Buddha and his spiritual community (Sangha) her entire property, including her mango groves, which became the venue for several sutras on mindfulness [20].

Awakened lay Buddhist

Why is the Buddha so famous throughout Asia?

Soon thereafter, she renounced her position as courtesan and court dancer, accepted the Buddhist way, and remained an active supporter of the Buddha's Sangha. She dedicated her life to the service of the poor and the destitute [20].

On growing up, Ambapali's son, Vimala Kondanna, also became a Buddhist monk and a renowned Buddhist elder (thera) [16].For having followed the Buddha's Teachings, the Dharma, she had become a fully enlightened disciple. More

• Ambapālī (Dictionary of Pali Proper Nouns, palikanon.com)
• Amber Larson and Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit

The Disadvantages of Sex Sutra (Snp 4.7)

Who is the ultimate Hollywood sex symbol promoted by the movie industry? Elvis?

.

CONTEXT: Tissa (7) had a friend named Metteyya ("Friend"). Together they visited the Buddha at Jetavana and, having listened to the Teaching, entered the monastic order. Metteyya went into seclusion in the forest with his new teacher. Not long after, he became fully enlightened.

Tall, dark, and handsome bad boy, sex symbol?

Tissa, on the other hand, lived in the city of Sāvatthi. And when his elder brother died, he returned home and was persuaded by his relations to revert to the lay life.

Later, Metteyya, on a journey with the Buddha, passed through the village and visited Tissa. He brought him once more to the Buddha. And the Buddha taught them the "Tissa-Metteyya Sutra," at the end of which Tissa became a stream-winner (sotāpanna, the first stage of enlightenment), later reaching full enlightenment (SN., p.160f; SNA.ii.535f, NidA.184). What did the Buddha say?

To Tissa Metteyya on the Disadvantages of Sex

I feel lust. - That's art. - I thought we were depicting truth and beauty. - Nah, just beauty.

• [Tissa asked:]

Attachment to sexual intercourse:

Sir, what are its disadvantages?

Having heard this Teaching then,

secluded, we will train ourselves.

• [The Buddha replied:]

Attached to sexual intercourse,

forgetful of the Teaching then,

wrong things that person practices,

and does what is ignoble.

• [*Not conducive to enlightenment; noble ones = Aryans = "the enlightened."]

Who formerly fared on alone

But again in sex indulges,

“Low” they call, a common worldling,

like transport that swerves off the track.

That one who had renown and fame —

it now surely diminishes.

Having seen this then train yourselves:

renounce sexual intercourse.

• What are the steps of training in detail?

Overcome by [low lustful] thoughts,

one slow broods, as a beggar does,

and hearing reproach of others,

such a person dejected is.

But for yourselves creating “arms”

of others’ reprimanding words,

so with great entanglement

sinks down into untruthfulness.

Well-known and called “one who is wise,”

who vows and lives the left-home life

but again engages in sex,

will then be called “a fool defiled.”

• There are other enumerations of mental defilements.

Disadvantages having seen,

the sage, to start and thereafter,

establishes the left-home life,

now no more resorting to sex.

So train yourselves in solitude,

for that’s the life of noble ones,

not conceiving yourselves as “best” —

having seen indeed nirvana.

• Noble ones (in any of the four stages of enlightenment) have glimpsed nirvana and no longer conceive of themselves as better then, worse than, nor equal to others.

The sage who’s rid of sense-cravings,

and to them is indifferent,

who’s crossed the flood, is envied then,

by those enmeshed in pleasures of sense.

• Some follow the Buddha, while others ordain and practice full-time
• G.P. Malalasekera, Pali Proper Names; Laurence (formerly Ven. Khantipalo) Mills (trans.), Tissametteyya Sutta (Sutta Nipata, 4.7) via suttacentral.net; compiled and edited by Dhr. Seven for Wisdom Quarterly

Ten Mental Defilements and Four Floods

Learn to surf, to "go with the flow," before the waves, before the flood (Sandra Dee/WQ).

Holy cow, the waves are coming to drown us in a flood of force we can't resist.

.

Fat Happy Budai loves to play through danger.

A "flood" (ogha) or taint (asava, lit. "influx") is another kind of defilement, of which there are four.

They are also referred to as "cankers, corruptions, or intoxicating biases" in Buddhism.

A list of four floods (as in DN 16, Pts.M., Vibhanga) exists, namely, the flood of:

1. sense-desire (kāmāsava)
2. [craving for eternal] existence (bhavāsava)
3. [wrong] views (ditthāsava)
4. ignorance (avijjāsava).

If waves are rolling in on us, what should we do? Run from the world or learn to surf?

.

Hey, I gotta get back to intensive surf training.

A list of three, omitting the "flood of views," is possibly older and is more frequent in the basket of discourses (Sutta Pitaka, e.g. in MN 2, MN 9, DN 33; A.III.59, 67; A.VI.63.

In the Vibhanga (Section 17, the Khuddakavatthu Vibhanga) both the threefold and fourfold division are mentioned. In addition to taints (asava), the fourfold division also occurs under the name of "floods" (ogha) and "yokes" (yoga).

Japanese Buddhists warned of tsunamis to come

Through the path of stream-entry -- the first stage of enlightenment (or initial phase of awakening) -- the flood of views is overcome.

Through the path of non-returning -- the third stage of enlightenment -- the third stage enlightenment -- flood of sense-desire (craving for sensual pleasures) is overcome.

Through the path of arhatship, the floods of craving for eternal existence and ignorance are overcome.

Cow-a-Bunga, I got this covered!

The "All the Taints Discourse" (Sabbasava Sutta, MN 2) shows how to overcome the floods, namely, through:

• insight,
• sense-control,
• avoidance,
• wise use of the necessities of life,
• and so on.

For a commentarial exposition, see Atthasālini (Tr. I, p. 63f: II, pp. 475ff).

Who's afraid of a flood, a tainted heart/mind?

Another name for a fully enlightened person or Buddhist arhat is khīnāsava, "one whose floods are overcome," "one whose taints are destroyed," or "one who is canker-free." This is a fully awakened individual.

The state of the arahat (Pali arahant) is frequently called āsavakkhaya, "the destruction of the taints."

Sutras concluding with the attainment of full enlightenment by the listeners often end with the words: "During this utterance, the hearts [minds] of the [hearers] were freed from the floods through clinging no more" (anupādāya āsavehi cittāni vimuccimsū'ti).

What are the Ten Defilements (kilesa)?

The great Theravada commentator Buddhaghosa compiles The Path of Purification.

.

"Defilements" (kilesa) are heart/mind-defiling, unwholesome qualities. According to The Path of Purification (Vis.M. XXII, 49, 65):

"There are ten defilements, thus called because they are themselves defiled, and because they defile the mental factors associated with them. They are:

• (1) greed (lobha),
• (2) hatred (dosa),
• (3) delusion (moha),
• (4) conceit (māna, the habit of self-reference),
• (5) speculative views (ditthi),
• (6) skeptical doubt (vicikicchā),
• (7) mental torpor (thīna),
• (8) restlessness (uddhacca);
• (9) shamelessness (ahirika),
• (10) lack of moral dread (anottappa)."

For 1-3, see "roots" (mūla); 4, see māna; 5, see ditthi; 6-8, see "Five Hindrances" (nīvarana); 9 and 10, see ahirika-anottappa.

The ten are explained in Dhs. 1229f and enumerated in Vibh. XII. No classification of these Ten Defilements is found in the sutras (Sutta Pitaka), though the term occurs quite often in them. For the related term, "impurities" (upakkilesa) different lists are given (Appendix).

• Ven. Nyanaponika, Buddhist Dictionary: Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines, entry: āsava and kilesa (palikanon.com); edited by Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

Arhat Dr. Daniel Ingram on real MAGIC

Dr. Daniel Ingram, Steve Viking Guru; Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Magick, The Occult, and Summoning Demons with [arhat] Daniel Ingram

Science says magic is real (Dr. Dean Radin)

(Guru Viking, Episode 68) Premiered Nov. 13, 2020. In this episode Guru Viking is once again joined by Dr. Daniel Ingram, MD, meditation teacher and author of Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha.

Ingram is best known for his controversial claim to arhatship (full enlightenment), one of the highest levels of enlightenment in Theravada Buddhism (just under nonteaching buddhahood and supreme teaching buddhahood).

Less well known is Ingram’s lifetime of practice in magic and the occult. In this interview he reveals his magical biography and comments on various systems including

• Goetia,
• Enochian,
• Kabbalah,
• Thelema,
• Castaneda,
• Buddhist Magic,
• and more.

Ingram shares his encounters with demons [shapeshifting creatures of Buddhist cosmology], astral entities, mythical beings, and entering into magical combat with angry magicians who had cursed him.

Ingram also critiques the modern mindfulness movement for its suppression of information about the magical aspects (iddhis, Sanskrit siddhis) of its own tradition and gives advice on ethics and the accumulation of psychic powers. … guruviking.com/ep68-daniel...

Audio version of this podcast also available on iTunes and Spotify by searching "Guru Viking Podcast."

TOPICS

• 0:00 - Intro
• 1:59 - Daniel’s view of conscious vs. unconscious magic
• 8:43 - Confessional and purification practices
• 10:38 - The role of penance in confessional practices
• 13:35 - Insight value of confession and purification practices
• 16:40 - Daniel’s magical biography
• 20:18 - Encountering Buddhist magic
• 22:42 - Introduction to Western Occultism
• 24:59 - Unlocking the powers in retreat
• 31:46 - Magic vs. Insight practice
• 38:42 - Black magic in the Dark Night of the Soul
• 42:20 - Seeing demons and ghosts
• 44:16 - What does Daniel mean by "seeing"?
• 46:30 - Encounters with "lower astral nasties"
• 50:19 - Seeing a garuda in in the bedroom
• 51:38 - Has knowledge of the powers been suppressed in Western Buddhism?
• 58:58 - "Waking up light" and the advertising strategies of modern mindfulness teachers
• 1:01:18 - Sinister skillful means
• 1:02:02 - Remarkable stories of the magic of Dipa Ma [plus time travel to see the Buddha]
• 1:04:49 - Daniel’s take on Goetia Magic and conjuring demons
• 1:07:57 - Daniel asks for Steve’s take on Goetia Magic
• 1:08:54 - Daniel on the ethics of Goetia and his own conjurings
• 1:11:32 - Steve clarifies his position on Goetia Magic
• 1:13:07 - Daniel’s take on Enochian Magic
• 1:14:14 - John Dee and the origin of Enochian Magic
• 1:19:01 - Daniel on Kabbalah
• 1:21:40 - How useable are the widely available magical texts?
• 1:26:29 - Daniel’s take on Carlos Castaneda’s system
• 1:30:20 - The key to Buddhist Magic
• 1:35:26 - The downsides of Buddhist Magic
• 1:36:26 - Dungeons and Dragons list of the powers
• 1:41:05- What are Daniel’s natural psychic gifts and siddhis?
• 1:45:56 - Daniel’s dream template
• 1:50:02 - Magical combat, curses, and Daniel under attack
• 1:54:13 - Why did people try to curse Daniel?
• 1:55:56 - What is Daniel’s library of archetypal symbols?
• 1:57:51 - Are powerful people of today magic practitioners?
• 2:03:17 - Is magic consciously used in the corridors of power?
• 2:06:42 - Power accumulation and semen retention

Check out previous interviews with Daniel Ingram: guruviking.com/ep14-daniel..., guruviking.com/ep40-daniel... To find out more about Daniel Ingram, visit: integrateddaniel.info and firekasina.org. For interviews, videos, and more, visit: guruviking.com. Music "Deva Dasi" by Steve James.

• Real Magic: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Science, and a Guide to the Secret Power of the Universe (Dean Radin PhD)
• Daniel Ingram: "Hardcore Dharma" and claims of attainment, p. 9 (Dhamma Wheel Buddhist Forum)

Meeting of the Dharmas: Ingram & Armstrong

Guru Viking, Daniel Ingram, Delson Armstrong, 2/18/22; Dhr. Seven (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly

Episode 136: Meeting of the Dharmas: Daniel Ingram and Delson Armstrong

(Guru Viking, premiered Feb. 18, 2022) In this episode Guru Viking hosts a dialogue between [arahants or fully enlightened beings] Daniel Ingram and Delson Armstrong.

Dr. Daniel Ingram, MD, is an independent Buddhist writer, author of Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha and co-founder of the Emergent Phenomenology Research Consortium (EPRC).

Delson Armstrong is a spiritual teacher, author of A Mind Without Craving, and the star student of American Burmese Theravada teacher Bhante Vimalaramsi of Annapolis, Missouri.

Dan and Del discuss the similarities and differences between their doctrinal positions and personal experiences of the four-path model of Buddhist enlightenment (the four stages), which ranges from stream entry to arhatship.

In this collegial yet rigorous dialogue, Ingram and Armstrong engage in detailed debate on the differences in their positions that draw on personal experience, Buddhist text examples, and issues of scientific verification.

They also discuss the effect of enlightenment on psychopathy and other personality disorders, reflect on which meditation methods best fit different personality types, and conduct in-depth analysis of the phenomenon of the "cessation of feeling and perception" (nirodha samapatti).

• guruviking.com/podcast...

Also available on YouTube, iTunes, and Spotify by searching "Guru Viking Podcast."

TOPICS

• 00:00 - Intro
• 01:49 - Daniel on stream entry
• 05:03 - Delson on stream entry
• 08:08 - Afterglow of stream entry and Dependent Origination
• 14:34 - Three fetters discussion
• 24:24 - Does stream entry result in moral improvement?
• 28:49 - Can you retrain a sociopath with loving-kindness meditation?
• 30:51 - Does stream entry make sociopaths and psychopaths more dangerous?
• 35:18 - Saints and psychopaths, how can we differentiate?
• 41:03 - Second path and the reduction of craving and aversion
• 47:30 - Second path vs. stream entry, which is more profound?
• 53:13 - Daniel on third path
• 56:18 - Delson on third path
• 59:23 - Daniel’s critique of the traditional third path position
• 01:03:05 - Delson and Daniel dialogue about third path
• 01:10:40 - Is it possible to completely eradicate craving and aversion?
• 01:16:00 - Scientific testing and Bhikkhu Analayo’s critique
• 01:23:39 - Delson on TWIM, the importance of method
• 01:26:18 - What is nirodha samapatti?
• 01:28:08 - Comparing Daniel and Delson’s abilities
• 01:29:33 - How to train for nirodha samapatti
• 01:32:25 - Different personalities and jhana aptitude
• 01:36:43 - Resolution training and balancing enlightenment factors
• 01:38:18 - Steve on Delson’s yoga training and the three humours
• 01:43:40 - More on matching personality types to meditation methods
• 01:53:58 - Arhatship and agency
• 01:56:20 - Agency vs. conceit
• 02:00:21 - Disagreement between Daniel and Delson about outcomes of arhatship
• 02:08:30 - Compassion vs. suffering
• 02:13:01 - Suicide and arhatship
• 02:21:17 - The dusty end of the path...

LINKS

• Daniel Ingram Episode Playlist: youtube.com...
• Delson Armstrong Episode Playlist: youtube.com...
• To find out more about Daniel Ingram, visit: theeprc.org, integrateddaniel.info
• To find out more about Delson Armstrong, visit: suttavada.foundation... and (Bhante Vimalaramsi's) dhammasukha.org
• For more interviews, videos, and more visit: guruviking.com
• Music "Deva Dasi" by Steve James