Category: Bhāvanā 修行
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Gesar, Caesar, Czar: Uncovering the Hidden Lineage of the World-King Archetype
By Bhante Mudita Throughout history, myth and fact often intertwine, leaving behind traces of archetypal patterns hidden in language, legend, and titles. One fascinating thread connects Gesar of Tibet, Julius Caesar of Rome, and the Czars of Russia—hinting at a shared, hidden lineage of the “world-king” archetype that spans millennia. “Gesar, Caesar, Czar: three names,…
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Beyond the Layers of the Matrix: From Material World to Nibbāna-dhātu
By Bhante Mudita Introduction: The Gate of Sincerity The ancient Chinese saying 「人以至诚 皆能通神」 teaches: “Through utmost sincerity, one can commune with the divine.” This is not a simple moral maxim but a profound metaphysical truth. Zhìchéng (至诚), “supreme sincerity,” refers not only to honesty in speech or purity of conduct, but to the full…
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Apples, Gravity, and the End of Death
Order Theory, Aging and Death, and Gautama Buddha’s Solution This essay advances a unifying lens: life is order—the ongoing creation and maintenance of structured patterns of matter, energy, and information against entropy. Aging is the gradual erosion of that order; death is its collapse. As Newton explained a falling apple by discovering a law (gravity),…
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From Chaos to Order: Life, Intelligence, Emotion, and Liberation
The universe is a dynamic interplay between chaos and order. Life emerges as organized systems resisting entropy, while aging and death mark the inevitable loss of order. Evolution reflects the progressive emergence of complexity from chaos. Emotions are high-energy, chaotic forces, while intelligence and reason impose order. This article critically examines these principles, drawing from…
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Life as Order: A Critical Analysis of Aging, Death, and Liberation
Life can be understood as the manifestation of order—organized, self-sustaining systems that resist the natural drift toward chaos. Aging and death represent the progressive loss of this order, observable in biological, cognitive, and spiritual dimensions. This article critically examines life as order, explores aging and death as the unfolding of universal law, and situates Gautama…
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My Mind to Me a Kingdom Is
My mind to me a kingdom is;Such present joys therein I find,That it excels all other blissThat earth affords or grows by kindThough much I want, that most would have,Yet still my mind forbids to crave. I see how plenty suffers oft,And hasty climbers soon do fall;I see that those who are aloftMishaps doth threaten…
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LBP-304A Visualization – Mind as a Gateway
Foundations of Inner Seeing through Science and Yogic Tradition To introduce students to the scientific, psychological, and foundational yogic aspects of visualization, preparing their mind-body system for deeper internal practices. 12 Modules Module 1 – What is Visualization? Module 2 – Science of Mental Imagery Module 3 – Mind-Body Connection Module 4 – Relaxation &…
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Dying with Clarity
A Spiritual Guide to Meeting Death with a Mind Untouched by Delusion By Bhante Mudita Introduction This guide is for Buddhist practitioners walking the Noble Path who wish not only to live with wisdom, but also to die with lucidity—free from the fog of sedation, the dullness of drugs, and the confusion of clinging. It…
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LBP-204: Sammāsati — Right Mindfulness
Exploring the Multidimensional Path of Awakening & Transforming the Subconscious探索多维存在与潜意识转化的正念之道 This course dives deeply into the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Satipaṭṭhāna) as the Buddha’s path to liberation, with special emphasis on Kāyagatāsati — Mindfulness Directed to the Body as the entry point into multidimensional reality and as the key method for transforming habitual thought patterns…
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Transcending the Four Nutriments (Āhāra): A Path to Liberation
超越四種食：通往解脫之道 在佛陀對世间存在的深刻解析中，指出有四種世间食（āhāra）——即支撐世间生命與輪迴的養分。這些不僅僅是物質的飲食，更涵蓋了維繫眾生在生死流轉中的整體系統。在《相應部12相應63經〈子肉譬喻經〉（Puttamaṃsa Sutta, SN 12.63）》中，佛陀說明了透視這四種世间食之過患（ādīnava），能引發对世界的厭離（nibbidā）與离世间欲（virāga），並導向从世界中解脫（vimutti）。本文將一一觀察此四食，並說明修行者應如何以正見對待與超越它們，邁向涅槃界（Nibbāna-dhātu）。 一、團食（Kabalinkārāhāra）——物質飲食 「諸比丘，若人知我所知之欲樂過患，決不會連想也不想欲樂。」—《增支部9集41經》 團食是最顯而易見的飲食方式。雖是維持身命所需，但若執著於味道、口感與享受，便成為貪愛（taṇhā）的根源。對於解脫道的行者而言，飲食的目的不在於娛樂與裝飾，而是為了支持修行、延續色身以修道。 在《中部2經〈一切漏經〉（Sabbāsava Sutta, MN 2）》中，佛陀教導：「不為娛樂，不為醉心，不為增肥，不為莊飾，但為此身得以住立…」 🔹 解脫之道的對治方式：我們不需斷絕飲食，而是斷除對飲食的貪愛。透過身至念（kāyagatāsati）的修習，觀照吃的過程，將食物視為「燃料」，而非享受，使身心不被五欲束縛。如此，色身成為修行道器，而非貪欲之源。 二、觸食（Phassāhāra）——感官接觸 一切經驗皆從觸（phassa）而生——即根、境與識三者接觸。由觸生受，由受引貪。佛陀將觸食比喻為一隻被剝皮的牛，隨時受六根六塵之蟲所咬（SN 12.63），無處可逃。 當今世界處處充滿感官刺激，人們不斷地「餵養」自己對世间聲色香味觸思想的渴求。然而，每一次感官的接觸，若無智慧照見，皆成為世间轮回新生之因。 🔹 解脫之道的對治方式：我們並不逃避感官，而是以正念守護根門（indriya-saṃvara）。藉由四念住中的受隨觀（vedanānupassanā），能看見世间觸的生滅與無常，不再被受左右，令世间之貪瞋熄滅。 如佛言：「世间觸滅則受滅，受滅則愛滅……」（相應部12相應2經） 三、意思食（Manosañcetanāhāra）——意志與思惟 意志（cetanā）是業的核心，是驅動一切世间行為、投生與存在的根本。佛陀說：「比丘們，我說意是業」（AN 6.63）。我們每日的思想、意圖、計畫、慾望——皆在不斷餵養此世间來生之因。 這種看不見的食物，比色身所需更微細，卻更深刻地延續世间之生死輪轉。 🔹 解脫之道的對治方式：不是壓抑意志，而是淨化它。透過正思惟（sammā-saṅkappa）的修習，發展出離世间、無瞋無害之念。當定力成熟，心靜如止水，妄想止息，意志不再狂奔于世间法之中。 四、魂食（Viññāṇāhāra）——識于世间之依止與維繫 最深奧的食，是心于世间轮回之魂本身。当心于世间轮回之时，点燃魂火。而心和魂甚至物质之载魄统称为識，而識演化成灵体。这也是世尊教導魂識如火，需依燃料而住；而其燃料，就是名色（nāma-rūpa）。識緣名色，名色緣識——這是世间生死之輪的核心結構。 在《子肉譬喻經》中，佛陀說魂識猶如惡疥病者，不斷靠取世间境為樂，但其實只是暫時止癢罷了。 🔹 解脫之道的對治方式：終極之道，是令魂識離於一切世间所緣。這是定學的核心：心遠離世间之五欲，住於內在光明寂靜。當慧觀成熟，能直觀魂的無常與虛妄，最終，魂不再被点燃而在世间生起。 當一切「世间所緣」皆不取，魂識不再有依處，如《阿毘達摩》所言：無因魂不生。 此時，即為魂滅、名色滅、生滅、老死滅——世界灭而涅槃界現。 修行的總結：非棄絕，而是止息 四食不是要強行「放棄」，而是要止息依賴。只要有世间食，就有世间生；只要有世间生，就有世间苦。修行的究竟目的，在徹底超越「世间餵養」的結構。 阿羅漢是怎樣的人？他是「截斷了世间食物之流，不再燃起世间新生之魂火」，不再需要任何世间支撐，因他的心Citta已住於涅槃界。 禪修觀省：每日自問四食是否還在餵養生死？ 讓我們銘記： 「魂之滅，是世间愛之滅；世间愛之滅，是世间苦的止息。」——止世间食即止世间輪迴，止世间輪迴即得超越世间之涅槃。 願眾生不再執著于世间食，願眾生以正念與智慧為導，止世间食即止世间苦，入涅槃界即入安穩之地。 In the Buddha’s profound analysis of existence, he identifies four kinds of āhāra—nutriments or…
Gautama Dhamma 