Author: KL Lau

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Tuesday Class 14-Feb-2017

Dear All Kalyanamittas,

Below is the drop box link to our last night’s Tuesday class 14.2.2017 recording for sharing by all. The topic discussed was ‘Freeing the mind’ – via using
J. Krishnamurti’s daily quote.

It also includes some acknowledgement for all those who had helped in the setting up of our up and coming website called ‘Bro. Teoh’s Kalyanamittas’ at https://broteoh.com .

Bye! and with metta always,
Teoh

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The Avijja Sutta

This Avijja sutta (AN 10.61) explained clearly the importance of having true noble friends as Kalyanamittas to realise the enlightenment. According to the Buddha, having noble friends as our Kalyanamitta is one of the pre-requisite to become an ariya or an enlightened being.  It also talks about factors that will influence Ignorance. To be free from ignorance is one of the main tasks in our cultivation. Having Dharma/spiritual/noble friends (Kalyanamittas) is a pre-requisite for this task hence the importance of Kalyanamittaship.

There are two sequences discussed in this sutta. Each of the factors in both sequences has its own nutriment. The first sequence is:

  1. The nutriment for ignorance (Avijja) is
  2. The five hindrances (Panca Nivarana) and the nutriment for this is
  3. The three ways of bad conduct (mind, body and speech) and the nutriment for this is
  4. Unrestraint of the sense faculties and nutriment for this is
  5. Lack of mindfulness and clear comprehension (Asati and Asampajanna) and the nutriment   for this is
  6. Unwise consideration (Ayoniso manasikara) and nutriment for this is
  7. Lack of confidence/faith (Asaddha) in the Buddha, Dharma, and the Sangha and nutriment for this is
  8. Not listening to true Dharma and nutriment for this is
  9. Not associating with good Dharma or spiritual friends or Kalyanamittas.

(Note: NOT associating with good Dharma or spiritual friends or Kalyanamittas is the starting nutriment to the wrong path that finally ends up with Ignorance (Avijja) leading to Heedlessness.)

The second sequence is:

  1. True Knowledge (Vijja)leading to enlightenment and the nutriment for this is
  2. The Seven Enlightenment factors (Satta Bojjhanga) and the nutriment for this is
  3. The Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Satipatthana) and the nutriment for this is
  4. The three ways of good conduct(mind, body and speech) and the nutriment for this is
  5. Restraint of the sense faculties and the nutriment for this is
  6. Mindfulness and clear comprehension (Sati and Sampajanna) and nutriment for this is
  7. Wise consideration (Yoniso Manasikara) and nutriment for this is
  8. Confidence/Faith (Saddha) in Buddha, Dharma, and the Sangha and nutriment for this is
  9. Listening to true Dharma and nutriment for this is
  10. Association with good Dharma and spiritual friends (Kalyanamittas).

(Note: Again you can see association with good Dharma or spiritual friends or Kalyanamittas is a pre-requisite needed to arrive at that path that ends in True Knowledge (or Vijja)/enlightenment. That is the reason why the Buddha clearly instructs us via saying to Venerable Ananda: ‘having Dharma/spiritual/noble friends (kalyanamittas) is 100% of the holy life.” Hence developing and promoting true kalyanamittaship among all Buddhist within the Buddhist communities is most important.

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Understanding What Is – JKOnline Daily Quotes

Surely, a man who is understanding life does not want beliefs. A man who loves, has no beliefs, he loves. It is the man who is consumed by the intellect who has beliefs, because intellect is always seeking security, protection; it is always avoiding danger, and therefore it builds ideas, beliefs, ideals,behind which it can take shelter. What would happen if you dealt with violence directly, now? You would be a danger to society; and because the mind foresees the danger, it says, “I will achieve the ideal of nonviolence ten years later“- which is such a fictitious, false process. To understand what is, is more important than to create and follow ideals because ideals are false, and what is is the real. To understand what is requires an enormous capacity, a swift and unprejudiced mind. It is because we don’t want to face and understand what is that we invent the many ways of escape and give them lovely names as the ideal, the belief, God. Surely, it is only when I see the false as the false that my mind is capable of perceiving what is true. A mind that is confused in the false can never find the truth. Therefore, I must understand what is false in my relationships, in my ideas, in the things about me, because to perceive the truth requires the understanding of the false. Without removing thecauses of ignorance, there cannot be enlightenment; and to seek enlightenment when the mind is unenlightened is utterly empty, meaningless. Therefore, I must begin to see the false in my relationships with ideas, with people, with things. When the mind sees that which is false, then that which is true comes into being and then there is ecstasy, there is happiness. – Krishnamurti, J. Krishnamurti, The Book of Life

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Bro. Teoh’s Sunday recording 12-Feb-2017

Dear Kalyanamittas,

Below is the drop box link to our yesterday’s Sunday 6th Patriarch platform sutra Dharma class recording for sharing by all. Please do listen to the following rather good sharing:

1. Platform Sutra’s Dharma on the Dharma  of No Thought, No Mark and No Dwelling;

2. Sister Mindy’s rather good sharing and question leading to my rather good sharing on the ‘Gateway’ to our Nature and some stories of my last spiritual guide/teacher.

40th 6th Patriarch 12 Feb 2017.MP3

Bye! and with metta always,

Bro. Teoh