Dear Pali-sanghika people,

I am happy that I did follow Dimitry Ivakhnenko's suggestion to give a look
a your exchange point, because I have thus found a place where people
behave in a non-egotistical and gentlemanly manner, with the objective of
helping others in bhaavanaa. And I have already learned a lot through your
exchanges, or got food for thought and meditation.

Please, let me present myself very briefly out of politeness. First, though
my wife (Jacqueline Agnes "Jiivarakkhii") and myself live presently on
Kangaroo Island, our mother language is French, so please excuse my
unclever, awkward or inadequate use of the beautiful English language.
Secondly, we have decided to settle on KI because we love nature, the
sea-shore and open space, and wished for a relatively isolated way of life
after our stimulating but hectic Geneva years. It was not an easy decision
because we were happy with our jobs, friends and families, but it was
finally implemented after years of existential meditation. On KI, we
practice the Dhamma as well as we can, with appamaado (heedfulness) and
dedication.

Now, after a fruitful time of relative and serene isolation, I would be
happy to get good exchange (which I share with Jacqueline) from other
Dhamma-dedicated people, because the Pali-sangha people are like dispersed
islands of light in the midst of the (not very Pacific...) ocean. On a
personal level, I have already got a very stimulating thread for deeper
bhaavanaa and jhaana from Dimitry.

So, now, please could someone help me on the following matters:

1. I share Derek Cameron's interrogation re the A.t.thaka-vaggo and its
precise relation to the Dhamma of the Buddha. Is there an English (or
French... I may dream...) translation of the Niddesa (part. Mahaa-niddesa)
on the Web?

2. In relation to this: we like very much the A.t.tha.ngika Magga, because
we find it a practical and psychologically clever framework for bhaavanaa
and the 4th Noble Truth. On the other hand, before I began studying the
Pali Canon properly, I had the feeling that at sammaa-samaadhi it was as if
we were instructed to stop in mid-air... because then there was the jhaana
problem, to which alas I have found myself rather incompetent and very
slow-moving (only some kind of intellectual understanding, et encore...).

But then I have discovered that, as a matter of fact, very often in the
Canon sammaa-ñaa.na and sammaa-vimutti are taught as some sort of 9th and
10th a.nga. And I must say I feel personally less of staying mid-air with
the added a.nga's of sammaa-ñaa.na (balanced deep knowledge / consciousness
/ wisdom) and sammaa-vimutti (balanced deliverance / emancipation /
liberty).

What would be your opinion on the reason of an A.t.tha.ngika Magga rather
than a "Dasa.ngika Magga"? Simply because it is related to the teaching
practicality or traditionality of having something relating to the four
N.S.W.E. directions plus the medians? Or because everyone can practice the
A.t.tha.ngika Magga, with result good enough to get out of dukkha, but that
sammaa-ñaa.na and sammaa-vimutti are accessible only for those lucky enough
in this life to have the adequate intellectual and spiritual abilities? Or
whatever else?

Thank you for your help.

Mettacittena,

Jivasattha Gabriel


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I I
I Jacqueline "Jîvarakkhî" Bittar I
I Dr Gabriel "Jîvasattha" Bittar, I
I PhD University of Geneva I
I email: bittar@...-sib.ch I
I bittar@... I
I phone +61 8 8553 7442 , fax +61 8 8553 7444 I
I mob. ph. +61 4 2743 5148 I
I I
I Institut Suisse de Bioinformatique I
I Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics I
I http://www.isb-sib.ch/DEA/plan_etudes.html I
I I
I À Bientôt Seayu Lodge, I
I http://kangaroo-island-au.com/seayu_eng.html I
I et http://kangaroo-island-au.com/seayu_fre.html I
I und http://kangaroo-island-au.com/seayu_deu.html I
I I
I Buddhâyatana, buddhayatana@... I
I http://kangaroo-island-au.com/buddhayatana.html I
I I
I 4/5 Warawee road / 34 Falie court I
I PO box 281, American River, Kangaroo Island I
I South Australia 5221 I
I I
I GMT +9h30 (allow for +1h when "summer time" in SA) I
I I
I a'niccâ vata san'khârâ I
I ( a'niccaa vata san'khaaraa ) I
I "impermanent are structural fluxes" I
I "instables sont les flux structurels" I
I Siddhârtha (Siddhaartha) Gautama Buddha I
I I
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