British cult classic comedy: "Bedazzled"

Bedazzled | Peter Cook | Dudley Moore | Raquel Welch | UK cult classic film

(Retro TV) July 1, 2022. Bedazzled: Stanley Moon (Moore) is infatuated with Wimpy Burger co-worker Margaret Spencer (Eleanor Bron), the statuesque waitress who works with him in London. He meets George Spiggott (a.k.a. the devil) and sells him his soul for seven wishes, which Stanley uses to try and make Margaret his own first as an intellectual, then as a rock star, then as a wealthy industrialist.

As each wish fails, being outwitted by the devil, he becomes more aware of how empty his life had been and how much more he has to live for.

Director: Stanley Donen. Writers: Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Larry Gelbart. Stars: Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Eleanor Bron, Raquel Welch (as the deadly sin "Lillian Lust, the Babe with the Bust").

📽️ Binge-watch more classic movies: youtube.com/playlist... *This film is under non-exclusive license from MVAULT. All rights reserved* RETRO TV (Retrospective Television) We're building this channel for anyone who likes their TV "Old School"! What started out as a tribute to the legendary show "Bonanza" is now evolving into much more! We'll be bringing you the TV hits (and misses) from the 1950's-90's that either viewers or their folks grew up watching on the old "square" TV set from back in the day. #RetroTV #ClassicAction #BedazzledMovie

(Wiki) Bedazzled is a 1967 British comedy (in DeLuxe Color), a fantasy, romantic black comedy film directed and produced by Stanley Donen in Panavision format.

It was written by brilliant British comedian Peter Cook and starred both Cook and his comedy partner Dudley Moore.

It is a comic retelling of the Faust legend, set in the swinging London of the 1960s. The Devil (Cook) offers an unhappy young man (Dudley Moore as a short order cook at Wimpy Burgers, Stanley Moon) seven wishes in return for his soul.

But he twists the spirit of the wishes and only follows the letter of what has been wished for to frustrate the man's hopes. Poor "Faust," tricked by a devil far too smart for him. More

The Seven Factors of Enlightenment (sutra)

Ven. Piyadassi Thera (Wheel Number 001, Buddhist Publication Society) via accesstoinsight.org edited and updated by Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson, Wisdom Quarterly, August 2020

There are Seven Factors of Enlightenment.

The Tipitaka, or the "Three Baskets" of the Buddhist canon, is replete with references to the limbs or factors of enlightenment (bojjhangas).

They were expounded by the Enlightened One on different occasions under different circumstances.

For instance, in the Book of the Kindred Sayings, V (Samyutta Nikaya, Maha Vagga) we find a special section under the title Bojjhanga Samyutta, where the Buddha discourses on the seven factors in diverse ways.

In this section we read a series of three sutras recited by Buddhists since the time of the Buddha as a protection (paritta or pirit) to avert pain, disease, and adversity.

The term bojjhanga is composed of bodhi + anga. Bodh denotes enlightenment — to be exact, insight concerned with the full realization of the Four Noble Truths, namely:

1. the ennobling truth of what is suffering;
2. the ennobling truth of the origin of suffering;
3. the ennobling truth of the end of suffering; and
4. the ennobling truth of the path leading to the end of all suffering.

Anga means factor or limb. Bodhi + anga (bojjhanga), therefore, means the "factors of enlightenment," or the "factors for insight," wisdom.

What are the Seven Factors?

"'Factors of enlightenment! Factors of enlightenment!' it is said, venerable sir. Pray, how far is this term applicable?" asked a Buddhist monk.

The Buddha's succinct reply was, "Bodhaya samvattantiti kho bhikkhu tasma bojjhanga ti vuccanti — They conduce to enlightenment, meditator, that is why they are called so" [Note 1].

The Buddha further says, "Just as, meditators, in a peaked house all rafters go together toward the peak, incline to the peak, join at the peak, and of them all the peak is reckoned chief: Even so, meditators, the meditator who cultivates and persists in cultivating the seven factors of wisdom, goes toward nirvana, inclines toward nirvana, moves toward nirvana" [2].

The seven factors are:

1. Mindfulness (sati)
2. Keen investigation of the dhamma (dhammavicaya) [3]
3. Energy (viriya)
4. Rapture or happiness (piti)
5. Calm (passaddhi)
6. Concentration (samadhi)
7. Equanimity (upekkha)

One of the discourses on the Seven Factors of Enlightenment may be mentioned here. It begins,

The Great Kassapa Bojjhanga Sutra

"Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was living at Rajagaha [present-day Rajgir, India], at the Bamboo Grove, in the squirrel's feeding ground.

"At that time [the great disciple] Venerable Maha Kassapa, who was living in Pipphali Cave, was sick, stricken with a severe illness. Then the Buddha, rising from his solitude [meditative withdrawal] at eventide, visited Ven. Maha Kassapa, took his seat, and spoke to him in this way:

"Well, Kassapa, how is it with you? Are you bearing up, are you enduring? Do your pains lessen or increase? Are there signs of pains lessening and not increasing?"

"No, venerable sir, I am not bearing up, I am not enduring. The pain is very great. There is a sign not of the pains lessening but of their increasing."

"Kassapa, these Seven Factors of Enlightenment are well expounded by me, cultivated, and much developed by me, and when cultivated and much developed, they conduce to full realization, to perfect wisdom, to nirvana [full liberation]. What are the seven?

"Mindfulness, O Kassapa, is well expounded by me, cultivated, and much developed by me, and when cultivated and much developed, it conduces to full realization, to perfect wisdom, to nirvana.

• "Keen investigation of the dhamma [phenomena and Buddha-Dharma]...
• "Energy...
• "Rapture...
• "Calm...
• "Concentration...
• "Equanimity, O Kassapa, is well expounded by me...

"These Seven Factors of Enlightenment, I say, Kassapa, are well expounded by me, cultivated, and much developed by me, and when cultivated and much developed, they conduce to full realization, to perfect wisdom, to nirvana."

"Truly, Blessed One, they are factors of enlightenment! Truly, O Welcome One, they are factors of enlightenment!" exclaimed Maha Kassapa. Thus spoke the Buddha, and Ven. Maha Kassapa, rejoicing, welcomed the utterances of the Worthy One.

"And Ven. Maha Kassapa [then spontaneously] rose from that [wracking] illness. There and then that ailment of Ven. Maha Kassapa vanished.

— SN 46.14

The power of the human mind

Another discourse, the Maha Cunda Bojjhanga Sutra, of the three mentioned above reveals that once, when the Buddha himself was ill, he asked Ven. Maha Cunda to recite the factors of enlightenment (bojjhanga), and the Buddha's grievous illness spontaneously vanished [4].

How?

The human mind tremendously and profoundly influences and affects the body. If allowed to function viciously and entertain unwholesome and harmful thoughts, the mind can cause a disaster, even kill a being.

But mind also can cure a sick body. When concentrated on right thoughts [motivated by wholesome intentions] with right understanding [right view], the effects the mind can produce are immense.

The mind (heart) not only makes us sick, it also cures us. An optimistic patient has a better chance of recovery than a patient who is worried and unhappy. The recorded instances of "faith healing" include cases in which even organic diseases are cured almost instantaneously.

• —from Ends and Means by Aldous Huxley (London, 1946), p. 259

Buddhism (Buddha-dhamma) is the teaching of enlightenment. One who is keen on attaining enlightenment should first clearly recognize the impediments that block the path to enlightenment. More

WQ hits landmark and gets new editor

Ashley Wells, Xochitl, Seth Auberon, CC Liu, Dhr. Seven, Sheldon S., Wisdom Quarterly

It is in the glorious month of Vesak ("Buddhist Xmas") that we are happy to announce another million views for Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal, the toughest statistical slog since going online. And we have voted in a new editor, Crystal Quintero, for a uniquely Latina, indigenous, and anti-colonial spin to stories we cover -- along with our many contributing writers and meditation efforts with the Dharma Meditation Initiative and Four Noble Truths. YOU, too, can be a contributing writer: send in a story idea, feature, news item, or article, and we'll run it through the grammar-and-style chopper and show it to tens of thousands of readers. (For instructions on where to submit, look up top). Don't be alarmed; as always we feature an eye-grabbing view of nurturing to mark the occasion of yet another statistical landmark.

In yer face. Don't try to shame me about my breasts. It's life, it's art, it's just a body:

The Seven Treasures of the Noble

Soma Thera (Buddhist Publication Society); Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson (eds.) Wisdom Quarterly

(theinteriorgallery.com)

The treasures (dhana) of the noble disciples [enlightened, accomplished] of the Buddha are not precious stones and pearls, silver and gold, or fields and houses.

Nor are the noble treasures connected with the power and glory of earthly sovereignty. These are the seven treasures of the noble:

Confidence,* virtue, a sense of circumspection-and-dread
[of wrongdoing], learning, generosity, and right understanding.

Not poor is the person endowed with these,

Not empty is a life of worthy things.

Therefore should one who is in understanding fixed
[one who has entered the first stage of enlightenment]

Be diligent striving to gain [more] confidence,

Virtue, clarity, and vision of the Truth,

Mindful of the Dharma of the Enlightened One who understood.

 

(Buddha-eyefetch-com)

On a certain occasion Ugga, the chief minister of the king of Kosala, came to the Buddha, saluted him, sat respectfully to one side, and said: "Wonderful, venerable sir, marvelous, venerable sir, is the amount of riches, wealth, and possessions of Migara Rohaneyya!"

 

"What is the extent of his vast treasures, his vast wealth, Ugga?"

 

"Of gold alone he has 100,000. What should one say of silver?"
 

"Ugga, I do not deny that there is treasure of that kind. But, Ugga, such treasure is the common victim of fire, water, kings, robbers, and greedy heirs. There are seven kinds of treasure that are not the common victim of fire, water, kings, robbers, and greedy heirs. What are the seven?

"The treasure of confidence, virtue, circumspection-and-dread

[about wrongdoing], learning, generosity,

and of right understanding,

These are the seven treasures the noble have.

Confidence, virtue, the sense of shame and fear,

Learning, bounty, and understanding right.

Not poor is the woman or man with this great wealth,

Unloseable in the world of devas and humans.

Therefore should one who is in understanding fixed

Be diligent working to gain confidence,

Virtue, clarity, and vision of the truth,

Mindful of the Dharma of the one who understood.

In order to gain these treasures of the noble, a person would be devoted to the Dharma (Doctrine) of the Buddha. Therefore, persons of old said:

“Except the Doctrine of the Perfectly Enlightened One,

There is no father and no mother here.

The Doctrine is your guide and support

And in the Doctrine is your shelter true,

So hear the Doctrine, on the Doctrine reflect

And spurning other things, live up to it.”

I. Confidence (Saddhā)

A noble disciple is confident: trusts in the enlightenment of the "Perfect One" (Tathāgata): Thus, indeed, is the Blessed One: He is an arhat, fully enlightened, endowed with wisdom and perfect conduct, sublime, knower of the worlds, a guide for those wishing to be taught, a teacher of devas and human beings, liberated and blessed.

Confidence, according to a great Buddhist writer, is the entrance to the ocean of the Buddha’s Dharma, and insight-knowledge is the ship in which a person travels on that ocean.

Says the Buddha, "In three places, Ānanda, should you establish, fix, and make firm your friends, companions, and kith and kin, who think they ought to hear the Dharma. What three places? In wise confidence concerning the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha should you establish them, fix them, and make them firm.

"There may be change, Ānanda, in the four great elements [the characteristics of materiality called] earth, water, fire, and air. But the noble disciple who is endowed with wise confidence [because of stream entry] concerning the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha cannot change.

"That is to say, it is impossible for one [who has reached stream entry, which is the first stage of enlightenment] to be reborn in hells, or as an animal, or where unhappy spirits dwell." More

Dalai Lama: Power of Forgiveness (video)

Dalai Lama; C.K.S. (pranaworld.net); Ashley Wells, Dhr. Seven, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

(University of Limerick, Ireland) The Dalai Lama on the Power of Forgiveness

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, the XIVth Dalai Lama visited the University of Limerick for a special address on the theme of forgiveness on in the spring of 2011. This address was part of an event including music presented by the Ritual Chant Programme at the Irish World Academy, University of Limerick, featuring the children's choir selected from the Irish Chamber Orchestra Youth Chorus. The event was being organized in conjunction with Children in Crossfire established by Richard Moore, a long time friend of this Dalai Lama.
 

Did the Buddha forgive?

Was the Buddha willing to forgive?

Forgiveness is one of the Ten Perfections in Buddhism. It is called khanti and is often translated as forbearance or patience. "Forbearance is the highest virtue" (Dhammapada V. 184), it is often said in Buddhism.

"There are two kinds of wise people. What two? One who sees one's transgression as a transgression, and one who rightly pardons [forgives] another who has confessed a transgression. These two are indeed wise."

— AN 2.21

"It is a cause of growth in the Doctrine and Discipline of the noble ones when, seeing a transgression as such, one makes amends in accordance with the Dharma and exercises restraint in the future."

— DN 2

• Purity of Heart (by Ven. Thanissaro, accesstoinsight.org)

What did the Buddha say about forgiveness?

Jetavan, DhammaWheel.com, edited by Wisdom Quarterly

"Meditators, even if bandits were to take you apart, limb from limb, with a two-handled saw, anyone among you who would allow the heart to be overcome with anger about that would not be following my Teaching. Even then train yourselves: 'Our minds/hearts will be unaffected and we will say no unskillful words. We will remain sympathetic, with a heart/mind of goodwill, fostering no inner hate. We will continue to pervade these people with a mind suffused with loving kindness. Beginning with them, we will continue pervading the world in all directions with a mind suffused with loving kindness -- grown exalted, expansive, boundless, immeasurable, freed of hostility, freed of ill will.' That is how you should train yourselves" -- "The Simile of the Saw" (Kakacupama Sutra).
 

The Seven Levels of Forgiveness

“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.”
- The Buddha

Here, I give you forgiveness, and you, too.

In order to feel free, happy, and satisfied, we need to constantly forgive and forget [grudges we may be holding]. We need not only extend our love to everyone else, particularly people who hurt us, but also show love to ourselves.
 

Forgiveness, from the point of view of self toward self and others, is a wise thing to do. (Forgiveness is for giving.) It frees us as we free others from anger and resentment. If we do not release it, it will keep enemies as we keep burning up from the inside.

 

“It is in forgiving that we are forgiven, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned.”
- [Catholic] Saint Francis of Assisi

Good St. Francis (ireland-calling.com)

The energy of anger and resentment is extremely dirty and dense. It can contaminate and clog our auras and our chakras. The effects are not only emotional disorders -- manifesting as bitterness, sadness, and dissatisfaction -- but also physical ailments that show up in the long run.

Problems like high blood pressure, kidney ailments, arthritis, asthma, and even cancer are examples of physical ailments that are caused or accompanied by an accumulation of negative lower emotional energies like anger and resentment (partly because of the way we treat ourselves to deal with such feelings not realizing that we can let them go).

• VIDEO: Ancient Heart of Forgiveness (Jack Kornfield)
• VIDEO: 12 Principles of Forgiveness (Jack Kornfield)
• The Psychology of Forgiveness

Therefore, for the sake of our health and well being and maybe even for others, we need to educate ourselves in the skill and practice of being able to forgive and continue living and loving.

 

Based on Master Choa Kok Sui’s teachings, forgiveness is practiced by different people based on their level of maturity. It can range from Level 0 to Level 7. Which level are you? Reach Level 7 and see your life fill with constant joy, happiness, calmness, stillness, and inner peace! More

“Anger and hatred bind people together! When you hate someone, it creates an 'energy link' with the person. You become chained to the person and your soul becomes entangled with that person. If you want to be free, you must forgive people.”

- Master Choa Kok Sui

The Seven Factors of Enlightenment (talks)

Addie deHilster (Foothills Mindfulness Meditation & Discussion Meetup); Wisdom Quarterly

Addie deHilster, La Crescenta

There are some topics we've been discussing recently, like this segment of a talk by Martin Aylward.

• Dharmaseed.org/teacher/200/talk

It's entitled "No Wrong Experience," which addresses embodied attention and how to mindfully investigate what's arising moment by moment.

.

This week, there was also a brief overview of the teaching called the Seven Factors of Enlightenment. These are ordinary, innate qualities (we all have them) we develop and keep in balance through practice:

1. mindfulness
2. investigation
3. energy
4. joy
5. tranquility
6. concentration
7. equanimity.

The way to liberation? Bojjhangas.

Jack Kornfield from Spirit Rock has an excellent article on the subject of enlightenment factors:

• jackkornfield.com

With an emphasis on their ordinariness and also good is this by Gil Fronsdal:

• insightmeditationcenter.org

What does the term bodhi -- as in Bodhi Tree -- mean, "awakening" or "enlightenment"? It's the same thing! Whatever our aspiration for practice might be, these seven factors are wonderful, accessible qualities to cultivate. More

Seven weeks after enlightenment

Crystal Quintero and CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly; Buddhanet.net (e-learning)

Prayer flags flutter over Boudha stupa (reliquary), Nepal (Amiraelwakil/flickr)

(Part I) 18. Seven Weeks After Enlightenment (porlandnonsequitur)

.

1. Under the Bodhi Tree

During the first week after enlightenment, the Buddha sat under the bodhi (enlightenment, awakening) tree experiencing the bliss and happiness of complete freedom and final peace. He was liberated from all disturbing thoughts, calm and full of joy.

2. Gazing at the Tree

Woodland spirits (foxintree.com)

During the second week, out of thanks and gratitude to the tree that had sheltered him during his quest for supreme enlightenment, the Buddha stood without moving his eyes as he meditated on the bodhi tree.

Following this example, it is the custom of Buddhists to pay respect to not only the original bodhi tree (which centuries later was destroyed by Muslim religious extremists), but also to the descendants of the bodhi tree that still thrive today, particularly on a giant island just off the southern tip of India, which is the location of the oldest documented tree.

• World's oldest tree: Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, the sacred fig (Ficus religiosa) located in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka: A sapling from the original Bodhi tree in India, under which the Buddha became enlightened was planted in 288 BCE and is the oldest living human-planted tree in the world with a documented planting date (rmtrr.org).

3. The Golden Bridge

Climbing a golden bridge (Vitaliy Raskalov/Krulwich wonders/npr.org)

 
In the third week the Buddha saw through his mind’s eye that the devas [fairies, sylphs, dryads, gandharvas] in the vicinity were not sure whether or not he had attained enlightenment. To prove his enlightenment the Buddha created a golden bridge in the air and walked up and down it in meditation for seven days.

4. The Jewelled Chamber

Triple Gem (thailand-amulets.net)

In the fourth week he created a beautiful jewelled chamber and sitting inside it meditated on what was later known as the "Detailed Teaching" (Abhidharma).

His mind and body were so purified that an aura of six colored rays came out of his body -- blue, yellow, red, white, orange, and a mixture of these five.
 

Today these six colors make up the popular Buddhist flag.

Buddha flags in HK (m.gin/flickr.com)

Each color represented one noble quality of the Buddha: yellow for holiness, white for purity, blue for confidence, red for wisdom and orange for desirelessness. The mixed color represented all these noble qualities.

5. Three Girls

Distractions (dhammawheel.com)

During the fifth week while meditating under a banyan tree, three very charming girls called Taṇhā, Arati, and Raga [Craving, Boredom, and Passion, Mara's three "daughters"] came to disturb his meditation. They "danced" in a most seductive and charming manner and did everything to tempt the Buddha to watch their dance and lead him astray. But he continued to meditate undisturbed. Before long they tired and left him in peace.

• The Buddha's Encounters with Mara the Tempter: Their Representation in Literature and Art (Ananda Guruge)

6. The Mucalinda Tree

Buddha with Mucalinda naga (idewz/flickr)

The Buddha then went and meditated at the foot of a mucalinda tree. It began to rain heavily and a huge king cobra (shapeshifting naga) came out of its den near the tree and coiled its body seven times around the Buddha to keep him warm. And it placed his hood over the Buddha’s head to protect him from the rain. After seven days the rain stopped, and the naga transformed into a young man who paid his respects to the Buddha. The Buddha then said:

Tibetan prayer flags in Nepal, Swayambhunath

"Happy are they who are contented. Happiness is for those who hear and know the truth. Happy are they who have goodwill in this world towards all sentient beings. Happy are they who have freed themselves of attachments and have passed beyond desires for sense-pleasures. The disappearance of the conceit 'I AM' is indeed the highest happiness."

• Deluded "views" as source of misery
• Rocky Mountain Tree-Ring Research

7. The Rajayatana Tree

Many trees figure into the story of the Buddha: He was born under a sal, strived under a banyan, attained under a pipal, meditated under these two, the mucalinda and rajayatana, lived under others, and chose to recline into final nirvana between twin sal trees (WQ/BM).

.

During the seventh week the Buddha meditated under the rajayatana tree. On the fiftieth morning, after seven weeks of fasting, two traveling merchants came by. They were named Tapussa and Bhallika. They offered this awe-inspiring ascetic, the Buddha, rice cakes and honey to break his fast. And the Buddha told them some of what he had discovered during his enlightenment.

Golden Shwedagon stupa (Rohit_saxena)

The two merchants, by pledging to go for guidance in the Buddha and his Dharma (his "teachings"), became the first Buddhist lay followers. There was no monastic order (Sangha), no monks or nuns yet. They asked the Buddha for some sacred keepsake to take with them. The Buddha wiped his head with his right hand and pulled out some hair to give to them.

These sacred "hair relics," called kesa datu, were later reputed to have been enshrined by the merchants on their return home to what is now Burma, in Shwedagon Pagoda in the former capital of Rangoon.

What happened to the original bodhi tree?
Dhr. Seven and Amber Larson, Wisdom Quarterly (SPECULATION)

Bodhi tree, offspring of the original, India

Once the Buddha, being young, failed to rise for an elder ascetic and pay him the customary honors. That elder ascetic thought the Buddha uncouth and complained wanting to know why the younger wandering ascetic would not honor him as was the proper shramanic thing to do. The Buddha later explained that there was no one he could pay homage to as his superior or elder, not even his parents, which brought his father the king much consternation when he returned to Shakya-land. The reason for this is that for him to do so would cause their head to split into seven pieces. This is a common idiom of the day, which seems to mean "completely destroy." The expression comes up, for example, in Sariputra's Lion's Roar, a sutra where his chief male disciple declares his attainments. The Buddha encourages him to pardon a younger monk making false allegations because, should Sariputra fail to, "his head will split into seven pieces." That is, his karma against a fully enlightened elder teacher, Sariputra, will utterly destroy him. The Buddha did not awaken to everything all at once. He learned as he went along, often pondering what would be the best thing to do in a given situation, looking back to what other buddhas had done before him. Therefore, in this scene, he is innocently paying respect to this one tree, honoring it, in a sense paying homage to it. What happened to this tree? It was utterly destroyed by Muslim extremists, who were outraged that people seemed to be engaged in idolatry, which is against their tradition, much as it is against Jewish and Christian traditions. The same may be said of the very land, now known as the state of Bihar, which the Buddha foresaw would always have a time of it.

The Seven Treasures of the Noble

Soma Thera (Buddhist Publication Society), edited for clarity by Wisdom Quarterly

(theinteriorgallery.com)

The treasures (Pali, dhana) of the noble [accomplished, enlightened] disciples of the Buddha are not precious stones and pearls, silver and gold, or fields and houses.

Nor are the noble treasures connected with the power and glory of earthly sovereignty. These are the seven treasures of the noble:

Confidence*, virtue, a sense of circumspection-and-dread

[over wrongdoing],

Learning, generosity, and right understanding.

Not poor is the person endowed with these,

Not empty is a life of worthy things.

Therefore should one who is in understanding fixed

[one who has entered into the first stage of enlightenment]

Be diligent working to gain [more] confidence,

Virtue, clarity, and vision of the truth,

Mindful of the Dharma of the Enlightened One who understood.

(Buddha-eyefetch-com)

On a certain occasion Ugga, the chief minister of the King of Kosala, came to the Buddha, saluted him, sat respectfully to one side, and said: Wonderful, venerable sir, marvellous, venerable sir, is the amount of riches, wealth, and possessions of Migara Rohaneyya.

What is the extent of his vast treasures, his vast wealth, Ugga?

Of gold alone he has 100,000. What should one say of silver?

Ugga, I do not deny that there is treasure of that kind. But, Ugga, such treasure is the common victim of fire, water, kings, robbers, and greedy heirs. But there are seven kinds of treasure that are not the common victim of fire, water, kings, robbers, and greedy heirs. What are the seven?

The treasure of confidence, virtue, circumspection-and-dread

[about wrongdoing], learning, generosity,

and of right understanding,

These are the seven treasures the noble have.

Confidence, virtue, the sense of shame and fear,

Learning, bounty, and understanding right.

Not poor is the woman or man with this great wealth,

Unlosable in the world of gods and men.

Therefore should he who is in understanding fixed,

Be diligent working to gain confidence,

Virtue, clarity, and vision of the truth,

Mindful of the law of him who understood.

In order to gain these treasures of the noble a person would be devoted to the Dharma (doctrine) of the Buddha. Therefore men of old said this:

“Except the doctrine of the Perfectly Enlightened One,

There is no father and no mother here.

The doctrine is your guide and support

And in the doctrine is your shelter true,

So hear the doctrine, on the doctrine reflect

And spurning other things live up to it.”

*I. Confidence (Saddhā)

A noble disciple is confident: trusts in the enlightenment of the "Perfect One" (Tathāgata): Thus indeed is the Blessed One: He is an arhat, fully enlightened, endowed with wisdom and perfect conduct, sublime, knower of the worlds, a guide for those wishing to be taught, a teacher of devas and human beings, liberated and blessed.’

Confidence, according to a great Buddhist writer, is the entrance to the ocean of the Buddha’s Dharma, and insight-knowledge is the ship in which a person travels in that ocean.

Says the Buddha, "In these places, Ānanda, should you establish, fix, and make firm your friends, companions, and kith and kin, who think they ought to hear the Dharma. In what three places? In wise confidence concerning the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha should you establish them, fix them, and make them firm.

"There may be change, Ānanda, in the four great elements [characteristics of materiality called] earth, water, fire, and air. But the noble disciple who is endowed with wise confidence concerning the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha cannot change.

"That is to say, it is impossible for one [who has reached the first stage of enlightenment] to be reborn in hell, or as an animal, or where unhappy spirits dwell." More

Meditation: First Sit to First Jhana

First Sit to First Jhana: A talk by two accomplished meditators

Stephen Snyder & Tina Rasmussen (Summarized from dharmaseed.org)

The Seven Landmarks

1. The Sign (nimitta)
2. Sign increasing, stillness developing
3. Sign solidifying
4. Sign Energizing
5. Sign Moves and Merges with Object
6. Sign Merging
7. First Jhana

The "object of meditation" is the breath. The place we know it is the area between the nostrils and the upper lip, the "Anapana Spot." How? The way we know it is by the movement there.

The first Jhana Factor (vitakka, applied effort) is "consistency of awareness with the object." That means to bring the attention back again, again, and again -- whenever awareness-attention slips or drips from the Anapana Spot. No matter how often we need to bring attention back or how many times it again slips each day. We bring it back. And if possible we do so without judgment, self-criticism, or expressing any anger or frustration about it having slipped.

The object is simple, very simple at this stage. It only takes consistent effort. Lights in the distance may come up. We do not pay them any attention. We just stay with the object. Eventually, the lights move closer, something happens, the Sign (nimitta) starts to form. There is continuity in the practice, and stillness develops. The Jhana Factors begin to strengthen.

First, there is the consistency of knowing the object. As the Jhana Factors increase, the Sign will become more prominent in whatever way it presents. And we stay with the object, which is the breath at the Anapana Spot. Ease, joy, bliss begin to overcome the body, and one develops a love affair with the object (the breath). The object remains the same. The Sign is ignored. Eventually, the breath and the Sign merge. They lock.

Only then does the Sign become the object of meditation; there is no other choice since one always stays with the object of meditation, the breath.

At some point, all at once, for unknown reasons, the Sign merges with the breath and stays. At that point the object is still the same. And now we call it the Anapana Nimitta (the "in-and-out-breath sign"). All of this unfolds very naturally. There is only one thing to do: Stay with the object (the breath) again, again, and again. "Access concentration" and the purity of the Jhana Factors are developing. One is able to stay with the object continuously because of that.

Then the Sign is "energized." It is like a light being turned on. It may crackle with energy and become bright. It is getting larger and moving towards the breath -- towards the Anapana Spot -- and locks in all at once. It may pull away, and come back, pull away, and come back. Throughout all of this, the object remains the same. We do NOT turn attention to the Sign. By looking only at the breath, the Sign and breath will merge. Allow it to be present.

By following the breath in this way, the meditator will be "pulled" into the First Jhana. There is no gulf to cross, no Sign to go to, it's there. There is no reason to do anything, nowhere one needs to cross, and no new object to turn to. We only stay with the same object (the breath), keep the continuity, allow it to be present.

As the Jhana Factors increase, one is in the Jhana. There are Five Masteries:

1. Stability of the Jhana
2. Ability to enter it at will
3. Ability to stay in it for as long as the time resolve
4. To exit at will
5. To review the Jhana Factors

This creates stability in meditation, a purification, and by systematically letting go some of the once-helpful Jhana Factors, one makes movement towards the next higher Jhana.

What does the Sign (nimitta) look like? It differs for everyone, appearing perhaps as a tuft of cotton or a brilliant moon emerging from clouds, either with or without color (Photo: cotton ball cloud in Wyoming from farewelltospring.com)

The Sign

What does the Sign look like? It may be smoky, cottony, or bright, disc shaped, and definite. Everyone will has a different experience of it. It is organic, and like a flower opening, there is no pulling it open. One simply allows it. The purity accompanying the practice that allows consistent sitting gives rise to it and advances seeing it.

It is "seen" by the Wisdom Eye, not the physical eyes. So there is no need to "look" for it or to strain to see it. There are different metaphors that one may apply to better understand what is happening. There are Five Hindrances to abandon, to overcome, to simply move through to the calm of the Jhana. We bear in mind that there is a period from first sit to First Jhana that we only get through to find the peace and calm of the serenity on the other side.

One metaphor is that of scuba diving. If one enters the water from the beach, one has to go through the crashing of waves, trying to put on one's flippers. The surf pulls off one's mask. One swallows sand and saltwater. There is nothing to do but get through it to the diving where it is peaceful and serene. It takes skillful effort. In a sense, a universal energy (like the sea) has to help, and one has to allow it. Part of it is pressing on when it seems too tough. Part of it is, rather than resisting, using the surf and rhythm to be pulled in. Otherwise, if one uses only effort, one will become exhausted by that effort and not be able to reach the goal of being in the deep.

Knowing how to deal with the Five Hindrances (pancha nivarana) may become useful. But the overall message is to simply persist with "yin-yang" effort. That means some initiative and some allowing, some allowing and some initiative. Too much of either will not help. It is the balance of the two that brings one through. Y

• Listen to this talk and more: http://www.dharmaseed.org/
• Talk 2 (Rasmussen) covers the "Jhana Factors"
• Read their Jhanas Advice book: