Seven Factors of Awakening: Ordinary or Altered Consciousness?

[@peterharvey845]

In the order of the factors that came up on the screen, you had energy after piti/joy/rapture. It comes before it.

[@DougsDharma]

Ooops, that would indeed be a mistake, thanks for pointing it out, Peter.

[@DougsDharma]

I've pinned your comment to the top. KZbin doesn't allow me to edit videos so at least this will be some indication to those who watch that there was an error.

[@peterharvey845]

@@DougsDharma OK Doug. Sa~n~naa does not always do what one expects- it is dukkha! :-)

[@marcijlo]

Thank you Doug for your videos, I did a mindfulness meditation listening to Joseph Goldstein for the first time. It's the start to a long journey of awakening.

[@DougsDharma]

That's great Marci, Joseph Goldstein is wonderful. Thanks for your comment!

[@sormpheng7752]

Greeting from a Buddhist monk in Cambodia🔴🔵

[@DougsDharma]

Wonderful to have you here SM Eng! 🙏

[@blackhunk2265]

Mano Buddhay. Can I have a your contact number for what's up and telegram? Or email address

[@sormpheng7752]

@@blackhunk2265 I don't use any social media. I only have a KZbin account.

[@nge1556]

Thank you, Doug, you're doing the Dharma's work 🙏🏼

[@DougsDharma]

You're very welcome! 🙏

[@vegemate639]

This is great. Seven factors of enlightenment is directly related to 8 Middle Path and 4 Noble Truth. Pali Cannon across Theravada Buddhist practices have clearly and consistently documented exact teachings of Buddha. Not sure why you refer to sutta and paritta as "early" and later. It is true that Buddhist teachings would be, have been interpreted according to the understanding of the interpreter just like any other teaching. So it is very important for people to read and understand dhamma from a teacher who has right understanding of dhamma and then read it by oneself. Buddha said, as the world gets closer to ruins, there will be those who call themselves "teachers of dhamma". So being mindful to spend time on right practice is vital. We have been so busy with other things while dhamma practice that leads to alignment, relief as a "alternative remedy when sick"...

[@griffingrinnell1582]

I've just begun epxeirence a spiritual awakening. It's kinda insane. And youbste right about the five hindrances. Once I got over all of my own self doubts, it started to flood in. I've seen buddha 4 times now, and I've seen my effort in spreadg love and the dharma sprout in other people. There are no accidents l, nothing is left to chance.

[@DougsDharma]

All the best on your journey!

[@sidstovell2177]

This excellent talk was just what I needed. A reminder of the Seven Factors.. Thank you, Doug. 7 am in southwestern Mexico.

[@DougsDharma]

That’s great Sid, Mexico is a beautiful country with lovely people. I always love visiting there. 🙏

[@aliciamontero7061]

Maybe energy could be something like enthusiasm? In the Mahayana tradition one of the six paramitas is often translated as enthusiastic effort. Enthusiasm means actually full of divine energy, the energy of the supreme greek god, Zeus. Enthusiasm involves, I think, energy and it can be felt as joy.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks Alicia, yes it is the same term in Pāli for early Buddhism, and Sanskrit for the Mahāyāna: viriya/vīrya. I wouldn't say "divine energy", since that would not be appropriate in early Buddhism, but it could definitely be considered "enthusiasm". It's what gives us the impetus to continue on the path.

[@blackhunk2265]

Hi Alicia! Mano Buddhay! To you and to all in your family. I am a biginner of vipassana meditation practice and this is my PhD subject. Want to communicate same.like.minded persons to get inputs. Can I have your cell phone number ? Mine is [phone] whatsup and telegram.

[@autodidacticasaurus]

Regarding your second interpretation: The canon (e.g. in MN 141) points out that energy is a result of effort as in Right Effort. My current hypothesis is that after you've established (right?) mindfulness then this combined with (right?) effort in the investigation of states leads to that energy meant by the 7FA. Then as a result, you get joy since you've overcome the 5H (I gather this latter part is a common interpretation.) Have you ever heard of an interpretation in this general direction?

[@DougsDharma]

Sure, that's possible. I think these are supposed to be very rough indicators with lots of potential interpretations.

[@mac582]

Doug I promise you I’ll support your patreon when I finish Univeristy!

[@DougsDharma]

🙂Thanks so much! Meanwhile enjoy your time there, university is a great opportunity to learn!

[@MikeTooleK9S]

buddhism mean: ancient people realized if you are GOOD and CRITICAL, you will be HAPPY AND WELL. We read that stuff on wikipedia as teens are like, "this is weak shit", but then we realize 90s kids are like from some kind of mutant laboratory. humans among the animals

[@DougsDharma]

Freebie mini-course at the Online Dharma Institute: onlinedharma.org!

[@blackhunk2265]

Doug your video and replies are helpful. I am doing Ana+pan twice a day. Feeling calm. As per your adviced, I am meeting vipassana meditation practitioner for my pH.d. research respondents. respondents.

[@DougsDharma]

Very good I Bhardwaj, much luck with your dissertation!

[@grizzadams2110]

Hi Doug. I think the philosopher is Archimedes

[@DougsDharma]

Yes, exactly Ian. Thanks.

[@blackhunk2265]

Dear All here, have a wonderful Christmas at your place. I am looking for vipassana meditation prwctioners for my pH.d. respondents data collection. I want to prepare questions on Social , health, and Economical benefits.

[@tryftryf1994]

Thank you so much sir. Have a nice day.

[@DougsDharma]

You're very welcome Plastic Pinocchio!

[@vegahimsa3057]

#2 dhammavicaya - the Buddha is referring to "states" within the framework of the Dhamma as explained in the fourth of the satipatthanā.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks yes this is definitely one possible interpretation Veg Ahimsa.

[@vegahimsa3057]

@@DougsDharma within the state of concentrated sati, phenomena are discerned clearly. One could investigate and categorize dhammās in any random salad framework (presumably the Buddha himself had to categorize phenomena into his unique framework if he hasn't earlier learned these from Alara Kalama, Samkhya, etc). If Buddhism means anything at all, it is to investigate and see the Dhamma (all phenomena) as best presented by the teacher. That's what the satipatthanā is: the most skillful framework for investigating and categorising phenomena.

[@vegahimsa3057]

Take the kilesas or five hindrances. Of course we can "investigate states" such as tiredness, anger, emotions, thoughts, visions, etc. The Buddha gave us a short cut, the cheat sheet. Every conceivable dhamma is already categorised along with its antidote (or skillful means of progress). Yes, we can go our own way, but the Buddha's Dhamma is the system he's recommending. Any other way, and we're wasting our time.

[@fairytalejediftj7041]

I think mindfulness in and of itself is a piece of cake compared to concentration. What I find extremely difficult is building that sequence of mindfulnesses (?) without losing the connecting thread.

[@DougsDharma]

Yes, well concentration meditation takes a lot of hours on a regular basis to really achieve. That said, I do think that success in mindfulness and concentration meditation (insofar as we can talk of "success") builds on each other. Each one helps the other.

[@advocatewalia4316]

Amazing channel. Explained in simple language. Thank you. Many blessings. Please talk about kamma. Then, Meditation techniques, specifically janas and how to enter piti. Thanks.

[@DougsDharma]

You're very welcome Advocate Walia. I do have videos on these topics if you search around for them. Though there is always more to say! 🙂

[@advocatewalia4316]

@@DougsDharma Thanks for your reply. Found your karma video. Couldn't find the jhanas one. Please send the link.

[@DougsDharma]

You can find it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYjGgJVnrpWrfc0

[@joelfry4982]

I'm bipolar, and sometimes I really do believe I'm Mara. I think I inadvertently caused the tsunami of 2004. What is your opinion on that?

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks for that Joel. I hope that if you are bipolar you are getting professional help to deal with the symptoms. 🙏

[@ohoaiphuong8262]

thank you ^^

[@DougsDharma]

You're very welcome! 🙏

[@canibaloxide]

Sometimes when I'm in meditation I get a pleasant jolt that runs through me causing my body to jerk. I consider myself to be very much a novice so I don't think this would be related to jhanna or could it?

[@DougsDharma]

Great question, and very difficult to answer since there are a range of opinions on what "counts" as jhāna. All I'd say is that it may be related to the first jhāna.

[@blackhunk2265]

I experience vibrations on my complete face

[@vegahimsa3057]

Samādhi is not concentration. It's unification, literally Sam- = together- + -ādhi = -state of. Sati, dhammavicaya through piti is the first jhana already. Piti (rapture, excitement, orgasm) is where most fall out of jhana before sukkha tranquility.

[@DougsDharma]

Well “concentration” is perhaps the most standard translation of “samādhi”, and I think the word is broad enough to encompass “unification” as one of its connotations.

[@vegahimsa3057]

There's value in sticking to some "standard" translation because as is the plethora of English is confusing enough (the same translators using different English for the same Pali in different contexts, other translators scrambling the English words, etc). But in this case (as in many others) the English is grossly misleading. There's no step one of the factors of enlightenment without concentration (what any English speaker understand by the word "concentration"). Piti is excitement (born of seclusion), which must be tranquilized (born of samādhi). Samādhi is explicitly a state between tranquility and equanimity (third jhana). It's a profound state of calm. Of course it's concentrated, but that's not the defining characteristic.

[@vegahimsa3057]

Long before, during, and after the Buddha, in Vedic and most Indian theology samādhi is "unification with God" or "one with universal consciousness", etc. If we remove god and atta as the Buddha does, what do we have? Not just concentration. The Brahmins were not "concentrated with Atman".