Full Vie
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Hi Lennart and DC,

I think that was very well put, Lennart, and
MN I is a good citation. It is after all about "The Root of all
things". As you say, the Buddha is pointing out that even Nibbaana is a
concept. In this respect I return to the Kaccaanagotta sutta (SN I I,
17) - the world depends upon dualities. So in this way nibbaana depends
upon its opposite saṃsāra. So if one tries to "inflect" nibbaana (by
adding case endings - to Nibbaana - nibbaanaṃ, in Nibbaana, nibbaanasmin,
etc. it immediately become a conceptual object - outside of oneself, i.
e. creating an "outside" and "inside" duality which also is mind-made -
and thus not what the Buddha meant. Nibbaana is beyond the range of
thought, something to be experienced.

There
is a whole school of Buddhism which takes this to its logical
conclusion in practice - Chan - discouraging any intellectualizing -
it makes this statement - sa.msaara is nirvaa.na repeatedly.

In
the Dhatuuvibhanga Sutta (MN 140, MN I I I, 246) there is something
similar.

Yattha .thita.m ma~n~nussavaa nappavattanti. Ma~n~nussave kho pana
appavattamaane muni santoti vuccatii'ti iti kho paneta.m vutta.m. Ki~nceta.m
pa.ticca vutta.m: asmiiti bhikkhu ma~n~nitameta.m. Ayamahamasmiiti.
Ma~n~nitameta.m. Bhavissanti ma~n~nitameta.m. Na bhavissanti ma~n~nitameta.m.
Ruupii bhavissanti ma~n~nitameta.m. Aruupii bhavissanti ma~n~nitameta.m. Sa~n~nii
bhavissanti ma~n~nitameta.m. Asa~n~nii bhavissanti ma~n~nitameta.m.
Nevasa~n~niināsa~n~nii bhavissanti ma~n~nitameta.m. Ma~n~nita.m bhikkhu rogo,
ma~n~nita.m ga.n.do, ma~n~nita.m salla.m. Sabbama~n~nitaana.m tveva bhikkhu,
samatikkamaa muni santoti vuccati. Muni kho pana bhikkhu, santo na
jaayati na jiiyati na miiyati na kuppati na vihesati. Tampissa bhikkhu
natthi. Yena jaayetha, ajaayamaano kiṃ jiiyissati, ajiiyamāno kiṃ miiyissati,
amiiyamāno kiṃ kuppissati. Akuppamaano kissa vihessati. 'Yattha .thiitaṃ
ma~n~nussavaa nappavattanti. Ma~n~nussave kho pana nappavattamaane muni
santoti vuccatii'ti iti ya.m ta.m vutta.m, idameta.m pa.ticca vutta.m. Ima.m
kho me tva.m bhikkhu, sa"nkhittena cha dhaatuvibha"ngaṃ dhaarehiiti.

Translation:



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Abiding in peace, the outflows of thought are at a
standstill. When the outflows of thought are not flowing, the sage is
said to be at peace. What is this in reference to? ‘I am,’ monk, is a
conception. ‘I am this,’ is a conception. ‘I will be,’ is a conceiving. ‘I will
not be,’ is a conceiving. ‘I will possess form,’ is an imagining. ‘I will be
formless,’ is an imagining. ‘I will be conscious,’ is a conceptualization as is
‘I will be unconscious’ and ‘I will be neither percipient or impercipient.’ Monk, conceiving is an illness, a swelling a
dart. But with the transcending of all conceivings, a sage is said to be at peace.
Now a sage at peace is not born, does not grow old, does not die, is not
agitated, he will not lead a life. He has
nothing by which he might be born, and not being born, what will grow old? not
growing old, what will die and not dying what will be disturbed? For he who is
not disturbed, what life is there to lead? It was
in regards to this that it was said, ‘Abiding in this state of mind, the outflows
of thought are at a
standstill. When the outflows of thought are not flowing, the sage is said to
be at peace.’
You should bear in mind this classification of the six elements.”


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This
is about the nine ma~n~nitaani which are themselves opposites (except for
the first one). When they have been transcended, there is peace. It is
not of course that nibbaana does not exist. It is that we must not think
of it in that way (as "existing" or "not existing") because as soon as
we do, the tides of conceiving sweep over us and the duality of saṃsāra
enters. So, conceiving of nibbaana, "creates" sa.msaara (or better put,
conceiving of sa.msaara creates nibbaana, because that's how it usually
happens - we suffer and we wish for an end of suffering) because of
the dualistic nature of the mind.



Mettaa

Bryan


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