Thanks for sharing your opinion…....After I see the word called
the rainbow body attainment in your topics,I have some doubt that
there is no such word in Buddha Scripture.
When we say a person is enlighented , a person must encounter
the situation that all the sensation , memory, consciousness and
transition of mind totally disappear or stop inside the body for a
few minute.Some buddhism beginner compare this situation with
sleeping mind.This is not actually sleeping state. This is called
knowledge of magga. Magga means knowing of Nibbana. After a few
minute, a person will feel the fruit of magga called Phala. The
knowledge of magga will eliminate or remove the degree of
defilments in the body and mind because knowing of magga is
attached to Nibbana.
How can we check a person is enlighened or not ?
A person can change his mind to Phala mind state or can stay with
Phala mind state for a few hours or days depending on his
wishes.
If a person cannot change his mind to Phala mind state or cannot
stay with Phala mind state for a few hours or days on his wishes,
we can decide he has not attained the enlighenment.
At Buddha times, when the Buddha was free, he always stayed with
Phala mind.
We found different kind of Phala in Buddha scripture. I will
describe it as far as I know
At Buddha times, when the Buddhas sometimes encountered the
headache, he used the one kind of Phala to remove or to relief the
sensation of headache.
If Buddha had wishes to stay for infinite years, he could use
one kind of Phala to extend the Buddha life to infinite years.But
when Buddha reach to 80 years old, he did not use one kind of Phala
any more to go to Nibbana.
Sometimes , Buddha and Arahart used one kind of Phala ,fourth
jhana and fourth Arupa to stop or disappear all the sensation ,
memory, consciousness and transition of mind for seven days to
cling to Nibbana. There is no air breath in the nose for 7 days.The
body acted like statue.It is similar with a person is dead for 7
days.After 7 days, all the sensation , memory, consciousness and
transition of mind start working.
There are the different kind of Phala.
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References:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/maha….18
18. Attainment of Fruition [go up]
While he is thus engaged in noticing, his insight knowledge will
gradually grow, and soon will again reach the stage of equanimity
about formations. If his power of concentration is still short of
perfection, only the equanimity about formations will go on
repeating itself. But if his concentration has reached perfection,
then, in the case of one who does the insight practice of noticing
with a view of attaining only to the first path and fruition, the
fruition consciousness of the first path alone reaches cessation of
formations by way of the attainment of fruition.46 This occurs in
precisely the same way as the path and fruition consciousness that
occurred earlier in the consciousness-sequence belonging to the
initial attainment of the first path. The only difference here is
the capacity of the fruition attainment to last long.
One should also set one’s mind resolutely upon the further
tasks: to be able to repeat the achievement of fruition attainment,
to achieve it rapidly, and, at the time of achievement, to abide in
it a long time, say for six, ten, fifteen or thirty minutes, or for
an hour or more.
In one who applies himself to achieving the attainment of
fruition, knowledge of arising and passing away will arise at the
beginning. Advancing from there in the due sequence, soon the
knowledge of equanimity about formations is reached. But when skill
in the practice has been acquired, the knowledge of equanimity
about formations will arise quickly even after four or five acts of
noticing. If the power of concentration has reached perfection, the
fruition consciousness will repeatedly become absorbed in cessation
by way of fruition attainment. The mind can thus reach absorption
even while one is walking up and down, or while taking a meal, and
the fruition attainment can remain for any length of time resolved
upon. During the fruition attainment, the mind will abide only in
the cessation of formations and will not be aware of anything
else.
When the meditator has thus become skilled in achieving the
fruition attainment, he should resolutely set his mind upon the
task of attaining to the higher paths and fruitions. What should
now be done by one who has set himself that task? Just as before,
he should carry out the practice of noticing (anything occurring)
at the six sense doors.
Hence, the meditator should notice any bodily and mental process
that becomes evident to him at the six sense doors. While he is
thus engaged, he will see, at the stage of knowledge of arising and
passing away, that the first objects consisting of formations
appear to him rather coarse, and that his mind is not well
concentrated. The development of insight belonging to the higher
paths is, in fact, not as easy as that of insight belonging to the
fruition attainment already achieved by the meditator. It is in
fact somewhat difficult, due to the fact that insight has to be
developed anew. It is, however, not so very difficult as it was at
the first time when beginning the practice. In a single day, or
even in a single hour, he can gain the knowledge of equanimity
about formations. This statement is made here, basing it on the
experience usually gained by persons of the present day who had to
be given guidance from the start and who did not possess
particularly strong intelligence. Here it is applied, by inference,
to similar types of persons in general.
But although equanimity about formations has been attained, if
the spiritual faculties47 have not yet reached full maturity, it
just goes on repeating itself. Though he who has won (one of the
lower) fruitions may be able to enter into it several times within
one hour, yet if his spiritual faculties are immature, he cannot
attain the next higher path within as much as one day, two, three,
or more days. He abides merely in equanimity about formations. If,
however, he then directs his mind to reach the fruition already
attained, he will reach it perhaps in two or three minutes.
When, however, the spiritual faculties are mature, one who
carries out the practice of insight for attaining to a higher path
will find that immediately after equanimity about formations has
reached its culmination, the higher path and fruition arise in the
same way as before (i.e., as at the time of the first path and
fruition), that is to say, it is preceded by the stages of
adaptation and maturity. After the fruition, the stages of
reviewing, etc., that follow are also the same as before.
Anything else concerning the method of practice for insight and
the progress of knowledge right up to arahantship can be understood
in precisely the same way as described. Hence there is no need to
elaborate it any further.
Hi Softital,
Thanks for the sharing.
First off, I have no doubt that what you have quoted and posted
is true. I am merely presenting from an alternative angle.
What you have posted is in the form of process. Read from the
outside perspective, the descriptions appears to be effortful.
However, it all really leads up to the realisations and
'deconditioning' towards effortlessness.
What is it that exert effort? It is 'self'. If meditation is
done with a goal in mind...it will result in effort. The meditator
will fail to reach the intended result. This is because the 'self'
will be generated during the meditation. This analogy is like a
snake trying to bite it own tail.
Do you meditate often? Did you notice this as well? Remember
Buddha's teaching of 'no-self'?
The cessation of thoughts and sensation cannot be willed or
intended. It is the result of a correct application of practices.
However, it can be temporarily achieved by a kind of concentration
or absorption during meditation.
Anyway, thanks for the interesting sharing. I hope you don't get
offended. These are just my opinions and experiences.
regards
