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With metta always,
A Repository Of Dharma Material
Complete audio of the talk can be downloaded :
Whiteboard Note :
|
With metta always,
Book Reference: The Buddha and His Teachings –WHAT IS IT THAT IS REBORN?Chapter 29, Page 453 – 454)
Bye! with metta always,
Brother Teoh’s April 2 2019 Tuesday Class Short Notes
Book Reference: The Buddha and His Teachings – HOW REBIRTH TAKES PLACE Chapter 28, Page 446 – 451)
1. At the point of death, the good and bad deeds or thoughts that occurred during a person’s life time or immediately before his death (habitual actions) determines where he will be reborn. This is usually the case unless he has committed one of the 5 heavy kamma or the 5 heinous actions (Garuka Kamma) which are killing one’s parents, hurting a Buddha, causing schism in the sangha community. The very strong good action is being in Jhana. These 5 heavy kamma and such strong mind states override all other actions to determine rebirth destination.
2. Signs/vision of habitual tools used like knife of surgeons or butchers or food for dana may appear to the dying person. These are Kamma Nimitta. He may also see symbols of destiny (Gati Nimitta) like fire, forest, mountains, mother’s womb or celestial mansions, etc.
3. Towards the end, his Bhavanga & mind door consciousness are interrupted & pass away, leaving 5 very weak thought moments to condition & regulate rebirth. After this last thought or death consciousness (Cuti Citta) death occurs. The Wind element of the Body dissipates first, then heat, water and lastly earth. The body finally turns into Dust. The remnant of consciousness then leaves the physical body immediately after the craving force that held it to the bodydissipates.
4. The gender of the new being is determined by kamma.
5. Bro Teoh mused that women with higher average mortality age tend to live longer than men and asked for the possible reasons. The responses are women tend to have higher pain threshold and they experience less stress as they are usually housewife or simple career ladies. They also like to express their displeasure more easily (to reduce their discomfort) because they are more emotional and they also takes less risks thus have fewer worries. They have more love because they can sacrifice for their loved ones.
(Above short notes draft prepared by Sister Yoon Chun)
Brother Teoh’s March 26 2019 Tuesday Class Short Notes. Book Reference: The Buddha and His Teachings – PLANES OF EXISTENCE Chapter 27, Page 435 – 444)
1. There are 31 planes of existence which beings manifest according to their moral and immoral kamma. Of these planes, 4 are states of unhappiness or Kama Dugati and they are:
Hell realm, with endless suffering,
Hungry ghosts (Peta) realm, dominated by greed. Can only receive merits transferred from their relatives (Tirokudda Sutta)
Animal realm, dominated by ignorant.
Asuras or demon realm, dominated by anger.
2. The Happy planes (Kama Sugati) are:
Human Realm with both happiness and pain
6 heavenly realms – abode of devas
(Together with the 4 unhappy planes, they are known as KAMALOKA, sensual realms or planes)
3. Brahma Realms -16 realms of Rupaloka, resided by those who practise jhana
4. Arupaloka (formless) Realms
5. Sis Padmasuri enquired which plane would those taking the Bodhisattva vows be reborn.
Bro Teoh replied that they can be reborn in any realm but they prefer mainly either the human, animal or deva realms.
6. Sis Han asked if it is easier to meditate without form. Logically there is no suffering without form. But devas enjoy life so much that they normally don’t have the conditions to think of cultivating.
7. Sis Adeline shared a little about her experiences during the recent Cameron Highlands Retreat.
8. Bro Teoh commented that the 5th patriarch taught that All Dhammas arise from Self Nature and we have to know how to use our mind (especially our mundane mind) but not be deceived or deluded by it.
(Above draft is by Sister Yoon Chun)
Book Reference: The Buddha and His Teachings – MODES OF BIRTH & DEATH (Chapter 26, Page 432 – 434)
1. Bro Teoh introduced a Mahayana teaching called Sutra on repayment of Kindness (Ullambana Sutra). This sutra relates to Maha Moggallana’s falial piety to rescue her mother who was born in the hunger ghost realm.
According to the Buddha there are 4 types of Kindness which are difficult to repay, viz. kindness by Father, Mother, the Buddha & Dhamma Teachers.
2. Sis Chwee enquired how authentic is this sutra since it is not recorded in the Theravada text. Bro Teoh explained that not all Buddha’s teachings were propagated under the Theravada texts. The Mahayana teachings were mainly from some great beings and Bodhisattvas who received them from other source. One of it is from Tusita heaven when Sakyamuni Buddha was preaching the dhamma to his mother using his transformation body. Fortunately, some teaching were also brought into China by people like the 1st Patriarch of China (Master Bodhidharma) and Kumarajiva and other teachers.
3. Sis Tammy covered this lesson on the modes of death, via:
Reproductive Kamma having exhausted
Expiration of Life Term
Both of the above causes occurring simultaneously
Destructive kamma that causes Sudden Death.
4. Modes of birth are either via egg, womb, water or spontaneous rebirth
(Above prepared by Sister Hooi Yoon Chun)
With metta
Bye! and with metta always,
Brother Teoh’s February 19 2019 Tuesday Class Short Notes
Book Reference: The Buddha and His Teachings – PATICCA SAMUPPADA (Chapter 25, Page 419 – 427)
1. Bro Teoh reviewed the 12 links or dependent origination teaching of the Buddha. Although the text book described it as occurring over 3 life timesbut Bro Teoh emphasised that this 12 links teaching are consistently occurring within every moment of our lives. Birth as described in this 12 links teaching is not physical but mental birth manifesting into speech and actions (transgression). Upon contact, feelings immediately arise. Withoutwisdom it will condition craving and grasping, then becoming, thereby being: “born” i.e. manifesting into transgression. These are all mind-made.
2. For puthujjana, their thinking (sankhara) are based on ignorance (avijja) and they tend to act from memory of past experiences via their views, opinions and mental conditioning. Whereas the ariya (enlightened noble being)having realized wisdom, view the world from their true nature andunderstanding. Their volition, perception and thinking are with wisdom i.e. no evil roots and their 5 aggregates are non-grasping (pure aggregates).
3. Ignorance is not understanding Non-self and the 4 Noble Truths. It is also latent in moral activities.
4. Human birth takes place when the following 3 supporting conditions are present:
a) A physical body (after conception of ovum and sperm) b) a rebirth consciousness c) kammic force (which becomes the life force) that comes from our karmic nature to pump our heart. (Reason why our blood also has this life force energy)
5. Thus with Sati, we can be aware of our whole body where there is blood. Our nerves is spread throughout our body to signal to us when any problem appears in our body. When we have our mindfulness (Sati) developed we can detect these signs quickly and take action to heal ourselves.
6. When the 3 supporting conditions are in place, the being will arise. But at conception the cells only start to subdivide. The being is not formed at this time yet…because No heartbeat. Soon the heart is the first organ to be formed with the life force within. Heartbeat begins by the 3rd week of conception.
According to science the process of conception
leading to fetus development are as follows:
Month 3
Month 4
Month 5
Month 6
7. The Gateway to our nature and the Seat of Consciousness are within our heart area. The feeling or emotion body also resides within this heart.
(Above draft is by Sister Hooi Yoon Chun)