Higher Mind Art – Abhidhamma Explorations
Keys to the Abhidhamma System
To be, or to be notSuch question is indeed a knotTo find an answer we must seek,What's on life's bottom, What's on life's peakBut not easy 'tis to go such placeFor in common life's spaceEverything is not deep, nor highCommon people just get byBut where to find then lofty heightsWhere to find what oceans depth… Continue reading Being or Being Not
As choices become more consistent and as the mind grows in its capacities of making intelligent kammical calculations that are in alignment with those choices, individuality reaches its peak. Ultimately the mind will then seek to know, what the worthiest of goals to aspire to is. Hence it sets out to study life with an… Continue reading Dhamma Niyāma – The Law of Holiness
Many a one would like to increase his own power of attraction, that is, his own capacity to attract whatever he may happen to like. Yet, he does not know how such an end could be pursued intelligently. By repeatedly wanting things, no doubt a certain power builds up and by repeatedly wanting a thing… Continue reading How to develop right attraction?
The fool and the wise often are equally simple natured beings. The main difference therein is, that the fool unconsciously yields to laws which he neither perceives, nor understands. While the wise consciously cooperates with laws he perceives, because he knows, not cooperating with them produces suffering. But what are the laws the wise understands,… Continue reading The Fool and the Wise
Bīja literally means 'seed', in the sense of 'germ of life'. Thus this law called Bīja Niyāma, is essentially the law that governs the growth of organic life, from the smallest germ to the birth and growth of higher beings. When some small particle of matter, surrounded by a medium of water which is neither… Continue reading Bīja Niyama – The Law of Organic Life
Here I want to show, higher meditation experiences usually will only occur, when at least part of some higher Dhamma knowledge has become intuitive. Below I give one example of a successful meditation; and in regards to it, I want to invite the reader to look if he can not find proves of an intuitive… Continue reading Physiology of the Pathway to Heaven
Utu Niyama - The Law of Physical Nature The Buddha declared, that an absolute beginning of things can not be found. Yet in regard to the phenomenal world, whether on a grand scale or in the very tiny things, all things are understood to possess these two sides of a spectrum, one being the beginning… Continue reading Utu Niyāma – The Law of Physical Nature
Hetu Paccaya, often translated as root condition, is too describe the condition of an inner establishment of mental or material phenomena. There is a twofold classification of roots or inner establishments. The first one is along the line of capabilities. The second one is along the line of wholesome and unwholesome. The first root, is… Continue reading Hetu Paccaya – Condition of Inner Establishments
A concept is a synthesis of mind-objects (bits of information) arrived at through mental processing. Through processing the objects of the 5 senses, as well as through learning, the mind evolves concepts about the world which enters through the senses. These concepts once anchored in him (lit. 'taken in'- tadārammaṇa) will bind him to that… Continue reading Concepts 2
Our Body transforms food into energy,... that energy travels through the body along certain channels (the bloodvessels for the most part). Apart from that, there are certain centres in the body where many nerve-ends come together. These nerve-ends are in direct contact with what is now called the sub-conscious mind...which is in turn in contact… Continue reading Connected Understanding
Anger Anger is life resisting life. It is when life is identified with what it is not, that it resists its own flow. But as lives vision of life becomes more complete, life learns to flow with life in an unobstructed manner. Anger is a form of resistance of the higher part of ourselves,...an awareness… Continue reading Anger, Desire and Delusion
EmotionEmotions are the first stirrings of a latent mind seeking manifestation For doing work with/ for collaborating with some of the good forces of this universe,...big or small...we’d better try to learn about their nature and what they can do for us... Here only some example of how such understanding might look when seen from… Continue reading Conditions of Emotions using the Abhidhamma method
If we want to learn how to transcend unwholesome states of mind, we need to make a start in understanding those little understood inner forces that we experience as undesirable emotions. It is only through true understanding, that we may transcend the ignorance which is at the root of all unwholesome emotions. Here only two… Continue reading Unwholesome Emotion
For a Buddhist practitioner, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the law of kamma, is one of the essential things to aim at. So, here a small elucidation of this very fundamental law along the line of Abhidhamma. Some Explanations on the Workings of Kamma Suppose, for example a good meditator, attains samadhi, and picks up… Continue reading Kamma, Meditation and Rebirth
It is usually the lack of capacity of an organism and the higher faculties to respond to higher ideas and positive (or attractive) sense-impressions, that will lead a person to rebirth in the lower realms of existence. Ghosts will be held in the sense-sphere realm due to a certain desire related to that sphere…they will… Continue reading Insight into Rebirth Conditions leading to the lower Realms of Existence
You find yourself being dissatisfied with your life…not doing what you would like to do…doing what you don't really like to do… Getting a handle on the situation you might want to analyse it during a more clear moment of your day, in order that you might find a solution to it (as for most… Continue reading Dissatisfaction
Once a person has acquired an understanding of natural laws and the natural sequence of those laws, he will have to order each item of importance under the functionings of those laws. That is, how anything that he would like to understand properly, is working out or is functioning under the governance of each of… Continue reading Application of the Knowledge of the 5 Niyamas
Bīja Niyama is the law of organic life. Bīja literally means 'seed', in the sense of 'germ of life'. Thus, Bīja Niyama, is essentially the law that governs the growth of life...from plant growth to the birth and growth of higher beings. All the immutable facts of life, prove the existence of the law that… Continue reading Bīja Niyāma (2)- The Law of Organic Life
For gaining a clearer understanding about the mental process, we might consider about it in the light of human development and its relation to the higher faculties. Example: A person receives an impression from outside...A strong person oppresses a weaker one... First level of development...The third person receives the impression, and after that his mind… Continue reading The Mental process in Human Development
How to know the Truth? If your only sphere of knowledge is the sensory world,...It does not make much sense to concern yourself with as to whether something is ultimately true, rather your best judgment can only be as to whether something makes sense or not. If it does not make much sense, leave it… Continue reading Ways of Knowing the Truth
In the ancient world, the wise man was often called the knower of the gods. The gods signifying hidden entities which were believed to be the controlling agents of the world. Entities which were accessible only to those who were initiated into their mysteries. In modern times too, there are wise people investigating hidden entities,… Continue reading The Inner Science
An overriding theme of all mystical and contemplative traditions is, the question: "By knowing what, one may come to know all ?"... for the answering of which, systems have been developed, aiding the practice delineated in the scriptures of the respective tradition. 'The Paṭṭhāna' is the system of Synthesis, that is, once a person has… Continue reading The Patthāna
Good begets good, bad begets bad. Most people, at the very least have heard such saying. Yet, although there may be situations in life where it is quite obvious what is good and what is bad, many times in life we may come across situations in which it is difficult to decide which road or… Continue reading The Problem of Good and Evil
Intention is the minds direction. As the mind has learned to give meanings to the objects surrounding it, and based on that made evaluations along the line of 'good' and 'bad', it begins to make consistent choices. This is how kamma gets accumulated. When the mind makes a certain decision in one direction or another,… Continue reading Intention and Kamma
The 4 Elements The four elements were known to most cultures of the past (although in some cultures there were 5). To get any handle on matter, making it an object of the conscious mind in order to diminish its hidden influence over that mind, one has to somewhat learn to classify it. Only in… Continue reading Teachings on Matter
As a person grows in purity, slowly an understanding of the difference between body and mind begins to develop. Hence, the mind becoming purified, perceives itself as an entity apart from the body. This in turn naturally leads to the question of the condition of the mind after the death of its physical encasement. This… Continue reading Bhumis – Planes of Existence
Does it sometimes happen to you, that you have a great idea or a good thought in general, or perhaps even an answer to a question that was for long in your mind, but it sort of evaporates before it is really finished...? Right Thinking is one of the factors of the Buddhist noble eightfold… Continue reading Short Thoughts and Unclear Thinking
By learning to comprehend different relations between mind and matter (as shown in the post on the Paṭṭhāna conditions), as consciousness grows ever grander and more-encompassing, it may slowly come into a position to gain insight into the laws governing the entirety of phenomenal existence. And those are the Niyāma of which the Buddhist System… Continue reading Pañca Niyama – Laws of Existence
“To understand means, to understand all,...to understand only in part, means to not understand at all” 'The Paṭṭhāna', traditionally regarded as the quintessence of the Buddha's wisdom and as the surest proof of his omniscience, is a system which, in mathematical order, seeks to expand the comprehension of matter, mind and consciousness delineated in the… Continue reading Summary of Patthāna Conditions
The bhavanga is one key concept of Buddhist thought. Usually translated as life-continuum, it is more literally ‘that wherein one’s life is rooted’. It is in fact referring to the same phenomenon that in modern times is called the subconscious mind. In other places I sometimes used the word "life-stuff" (especially in relation to the… Continue reading Bhavanga to Samadhi
Most people never have enough time, rarely have a good time and in general time seems be something that works usually against them. A person working on a spiritual path can not get around the problem of time…acquiring more control over ones life means also acquiring more control over time… For getting a handle on… Continue reading Time
This is just a brief sketch of how our mind and attitude is conditioning the reality that we are experiencing. Showing the connection between two very fundamental laws of existence, the law of attraction and the law of kamma. By allowing ones mind to remain stuck on the surface of things...the mind takes on the… Continue reading Kamma and The Law of Attraction
CONCEPTS & HIGHER TRUTHS A concept is a synthesis of information arrived at through mental processing. Through processing the objects of the 5 senses, man evolves concepts in regard to the world in which he finds himself...These concepts once anchored in him (lit. 'taken in'- tadarammana) will bind him to that particular sphere of existence.… Continue reading Concepts
"When I the starry courses know, And Nature's wise instruction seek, With light of power my soul shall glow, As when with spirits spirits speak." Since ancient times, there have been methods for attaining knowledge, designed to help man to understand the universe and himself. Systems such as Astrology, Alchemy, Kabaala, I Ching should not… Continue reading Ancient Methods of attaining Knowledge ‐ Abhidhamma and Astrology
Concepts and Ultimate truth Phenomena are ever only phenomena, words and concepts are ever only words and concepts. But if we possess a word or concept, which has for us a significant relation to a certain phenomenon, we may be able to gain a certain amount of power over that named phenomenon. If a person… Continue reading Paramattha- On Ultimate Truth
The Mental Body is one key concept of some of the esoteric tradition brought to the west*, which will prove very valuable an idea for anyone who wants to study the mind. Here I just want to give a few considerations of my own understanding, to give this valuable knowledge out to the reader of… Continue reading Consciousness and Conscious Experience
Although systems like the Abhidhamma might have had infinitely more relevance...were infinitely more valuable and important before the advent of the commonality of books...still even today many people find them valuable for their understanding of life and mind...and in many ways often they are the source and inspiration of many of the modern books... In… Continue reading Understanding Patthāna
Using your mind Just repeating something that was said before,... are you using your mind?...If you make a calculator that only shows the input as output..who would buy it? ...Yet, even the most simple calculator seem to have a more functional mind than many a man of the crowd... Reading a book....are you really using… Continue reading 4 Using the Mind
Higher Mind Art - Abhidhamma Explorations 