WEBVTT 00:02.225 --> 00:03.146 Good evening, everyone. 00:03.186 --> 00:06.812 Welcome to our live broadcast. 00:10.477 --> 00:15.805 Those of you following along on the meditation server may notice that it has changed. 00:21.393 --> 00:28.063 We're now using the new server, the new platform, new server to new platform to 00:29.478 --> 00:46.747 So great appreciation for the people who've worked on this, Sebastian and Martin, Doug, and anybody else who submitted issues and has been commenting or helping out with it. 00:49.191 --> 00:49.832 Looks great. 00:52.833 --> 00:57.442 And I'm sure there's going to be some difficulty transitioning. 00:58.724 --> 00:59.726 But that's always good. 00:59.806 --> 01:02.692 It's always good to shake things up. 01:05.217 --> 01:06.960 So we don't get too complacent. 01:19.715 --> 01:23.500 If you do have issues with the new site, there is a way to post. 01:23.540 --> 01:25.723 You have to find the source on GitHub. 01:27.245 --> 01:32.152 So maybe I can post or someone can post a link to that. 01:34.575 --> 01:37.499 Anyway, let's get on with it. 01:37.519 --> 01:38.981 Tonight we have a broadcast. 01:40.624 --> 01:46.752 Tonight we have meditators here. 01:48.200 --> 01:50.723 Sorry, we have two meditators. 02:00.214 --> 02:03.698 From America, I think. 02:06.101 --> 02:10.266 So we'll be trying to focus as much as possible on meditation teachings. 02:10.326 --> 02:11.828 Tonight's teaching is, I think, 02:13.445 --> 02:25.071 quite pertinent, something for all of us to keep in mind, why we do the things we do, why we devote ourselves to meditation. 02:25.091 --> 02:31.065 And when we devote ourselves to meditation, how we 02:34.387 --> 02:42.984 cultivate the encouragement and the motivation to continue meditating? 02:43.646 --> 02:45.269 What is it that you rely upon? 02:48.495 --> 02:54.808 What do you rely upon to give you motivation to make yourself a better person? 03:00.003 --> 03:01.364 And the Buddha gives us three. 03:01.444 --> 03:04.227 This is a fairly well-known list of three. 03:04.247 --> 03:06.750 Adipatthaya. 03:07.610 --> 03:25.808 Adipatthaya is a lord or Bhikkhu Bodhi translated here as authority, but it's usually used to refer to somebody, a person who is president or 03:26.868 --> 03:31.675 the number one authority, the top of the totem pole. 03:35.059 --> 03:42.049 But here it's being used specifically in the sense of authority, or I thought chief might be a good translation. 03:46.135 --> 03:54.867 It's something that overlooks, that lords over your actions, directing them. 03:57.074 --> 04:24.313 something that you always have to be aware of whatever you do so in a worldly sense this is like the law or the government you want to drive down the street you can't just drive however you want you have to keep in mind that there is authorities there are 04:28.276 --> 04:44.291 Those beings and institutions that will punish you, that will get in the way of you doing things however you want and have an enforcing of certain rules and regulations. 04:45.434 --> 04:46.977 So we have to keep that in mind. 04:51.479 --> 04:59.647 In the Dhamma, the Buddha recognizes three authorities or chiefs, maybe authority is a better word. 05:01.649 --> 05:17.925 The three things we always have in the back of our mind and that are useful to have in the back of our minds to remind us and to keep us on the path, keep us going in the right direction. 05:22.158 --> 05:23.560 These are the three Adipataya. 05:23.580 --> 05:29.650 And the first one is Atadipataya, taking oneself as authority. 05:29.670 --> 05:35.339 Here is the Lord, Director. 05:38.344 --> 05:39.185 Let's say authority. 05:40.107 --> 05:42.530 Stick with that. 05:42.550 --> 05:46.697 Number two, Lokadipataya, taking the world as authority. 05:49.985 --> 05:54.387 And number three, Dhamma Deepataya, taking the Dhamma as authority. 05:57.884 --> 05:58.527 The self, 05:59.890 --> 06:02.333 the world, and the Dhamma. 06:02.553 --> 06:13.484 These are the three good sources of motivation and direction that keep us on the path, keep us heading in the right direction. 06:14.786 --> 06:15.046 Why? 06:15.086 --> 06:19.330 Because the self is always aware of what you're doing. 06:20.852 --> 06:23.995 We don't recognize a self in Buddhism, but what we mean is yourself. 06:25.577 --> 06:26.758 You always know what you're doing. 06:29.337 --> 06:37.587 My Dhamma teacher, we took these basic Dhamma studies in Thailand and he was kind of a funny monk. 06:39.950 --> 06:49.622 But he was teaching all the new monks and he was supposed to give us lessons to help us pass the exam and he just gave us one day. 06:50.282 --> 06:56.610 We all got together in the classroom and we had a one, two hour session or something like that and that was it for the whole course. 06:58.987 --> 07:02.693 But during this, he was talking about morality. 07:03.634 --> 07:10.966 And he said, suppose in the evening, I go and take a salad. 07:10.986 --> 07:18.278 And I look around and make sure no one sees me. 07:21.160 --> 07:23.483 Because, of course, in Thailand, it's interesting. 07:24.244 --> 07:28.750 Monks can be very obsessed with the fact they can't eat in the evening. 07:28.830 --> 07:32.896 So it's very difficult for many of them not to eat in the evening. 07:33.477 --> 07:43.270 I think Asian society, especially, there's sort of an emphasis on the evening meal more than the West, I think. 07:44.819 --> 07:49.223 And he says, so I take out this salad, and I look around, and no one's there. 07:49.243 --> 07:59.594 And I eat the salad in the privacy of my room, and then I tie it up in a plastic bag and stick it at the bottom of the garbage can. 08:02.177 --> 08:03.978 And he says, is anyone going to know? 08:04.018 --> 08:08.503 And they were saying, oh, well, you know, angels might know. 08:08.523 --> 08:10.945 He said, it doesn't matter who knows. 08:11.025 --> 08:11.586 You know. 08:15.042 --> 08:15.944 You know what you do. 08:18.949 --> 08:26.783 No matter how much you pretend or try to hide the bad things that you do. 08:30.389 --> 08:34.035 In the verse, at the end of the Sutta, the Buddha gives three verses. 08:34.135 --> 08:40.206 So the first one is, Nati loke roho nama, papakamang pakubato. 08:42.143 --> 08:48.633 And there is no privacy. 08:49.334 --> 08:54.822 There's indeed no privacy for one who does evil deeds. 08:55.062 --> 08:58.087 The self knows. 09:00.050 --> 09:05.738 The self knows you, man. 09:06.798 --> 09:08.220 Poisa, poison the man. 09:08.320 --> 09:12.285 It's like talking, hey man, the self knows you. 09:16.932 --> 09:21.217 Whether you are true or whether you're living a lie, you know. 09:22.519 --> 09:23.180 You can't hide it. 09:27.065 --> 09:32.232 And so the Buddha describes this, taking yourself as authority. 09:33.562 --> 09:34.543 You think of yourself. 09:36.085 --> 09:37.427 I can't hide from myself. 09:37.527 --> 09:39.049 And you think about yourself. 09:39.550 --> 09:47.299 I didn't come here to be lazy and to sit around just to eat and sleep. 09:52.286 --> 09:53.567 I have a goal. 09:55.870 --> 10:01.898 And I have a reason to practice. 10:08.240 --> 10:27.126 He says, I am surrounded by birth, old age, sickness and death, sorrow, lamentation and despair, suffering and pain. 10:28.658 --> 10:35.938 Surrounded and overwhelmed by suffering. 10:37.843 --> 10:43.960 Immersed in suffering, afflicted by suffering. 10:43.980 --> 10:44.642 I have this 10:46.040 --> 10:49.264 Problem, I have a reason for what I'm doing. 10:49.304 --> 10:52.787 These problems are not going to go away on their own. 10:53.688 --> 10:54.610 You think about yourself. 10:54.690 --> 10:56.051 It's the best reason to practice. 10:56.071 --> 10:56.832 Why are you doing this? 10:56.852 --> 10:58.354 You're not doing it for me. 10:59.735 --> 11:01.097 You make the world a better place. 11:02.098 --> 11:03.159 You're doing it for yourself. 11:04.480 --> 11:08.605 That perhaps an ending to this entire mass of suffering can be discerned. 11:15.048 --> 11:16.109 You think about yourself. 11:17.231 --> 11:18.032 What is proper? 11:18.092 --> 11:22.237 Wouldn't it be proper for me to seek out these things that I've left behind? 11:22.277 --> 11:44.346 And in this way, thinking about oneself, one arouses energy, establishes mindfulness, cultivates tranquility of body, tranquility of concentration of mind. 11:47.279 --> 11:53.329 and then abandons unwholesomes and develops the wholesome, abandons what is blameworthy and develops what is blameless. 11:54.351 --> 12:05.490 The practice of insight meditation is supported by this, supported by a reflection on your own mortality. 12:06.584 --> 12:19.162 and your own immorality, and the importance of cultivating goodness for yourself, for the overcoming of suffering, and for the attainment of peace and happiness. 12:22.347 --> 12:23.689 That's the first adipatthaya. 12:26.072 --> 12:31.280 Lokadipatthaya, number two, is you also think of the world. 12:32.642 --> 12:34.785 And this is where it gets into angels. 12:39.018 --> 12:50.194 There are things, well, there are people who can, their angels and their ascetics and Brahmins who have psychic potency and the divine eye who know the minds of others. 12:51.095 --> 12:55.621 Putting aside that, people will know. 12:56.703 --> 12:59.527 People will know you when you talk, when you act. 13:03.532 --> 13:07.658 If you're not a meditator, if you don't have a mind, if you aren't cultivating mindfulness, 13:09.072 --> 13:09.935 There's a difference. 13:11.220 --> 13:14.391 You can fake it, but faking it only gets you so far. 13:16.981 --> 13:19.791 You don't have the clarity of mind. 13:21.070 --> 13:28.061 if you're not intent on cultivating mindfulness, it's going to affect your relationships with other people. 13:28.722 --> 13:29.904 You're going to get angry. 13:29.924 --> 13:34.872 You're going to be greedy and stingy and jealous, conceited and arrogant. 13:36.014 --> 13:39.038 All of these things will come out in your relationships with others. 13:40.240 --> 13:41.663 The world will censure you. 13:41.703 --> 13:48.293 The world will punish you in so many ways. 13:57.250 --> 13:58.191 And they will know you. 13:58.972 --> 13:59.933 Look at this person. 13:59.953 --> 14:00.754 I know they've come. 14:01.015 --> 14:08.564 It's talking about monks specifically, but they will know you if you will get your reputation based on your mind. 14:14.831 --> 14:21.199 And so we think of our relationship with the world, our role in the world, our place in the world. 14:23.035 --> 14:36.351 And it reminds us of the importance of having a pure mind, as the potential for suffering is great, the potential for stress and conflict if we're not mindful, if we don't cultivate clarity of mind. 14:41.718 --> 14:43.380 So that's the second adipataya. 14:43.540 --> 14:52.992 And because of that, thinking of that, then when it arouses energy, cultivates mindfulness, the body is tranquil, and the mind becomes focused. 14:54.389 --> 15:08.780 And through the practice of insight, based on this motivation, one abandons the unwholesome and develops the wholesome. 15:08.800 --> 15:12.769 And the third, adipataya, dhammadipataya, you know, 15:14.622 --> 15:18.870 putting aside the importance to oneself, putting aside the importance to another. 15:20.072 --> 15:22.657 One thinks of the Dhamma itself, the teaching itself. 15:22.778 --> 15:25.643 One remembers how pure the teaching is. 15:27.727 --> 15:32.817 This teaching that we have is not something you find every day. 15:34.720 --> 15:46.595 One of the greatest motivations for a meditator is the study of the Buddha's teaching and the confidence and the appreciation of how pure and how profound it is. 15:48.617 --> 16:03.816 And through appreciating how pure and how profound the Dhamma is, how great it is, how directly visible, how immediate, how open it is, how accessible it is, that you can experience if you practice on your own. 16:07.711 --> 16:11.975 And having this Dhamma, what am I wasting my time for? 16:15.158 --> 16:20.303 Why wouldn't I cultivate great things, better myself? 16:22.325 --> 16:24.808 And using the Dhamma as a base one. 16:27.751 --> 16:37.060 One motivates oneself, cultivates energy, establish mindfulness, tranquilizes the body, concentrates the mind. 16:38.710 --> 16:46.147 And taking the Dhamma as authority in this way, one abandons the unwholesome and cultivates the wholesome. 16:49.434 --> 16:50.897 These are the three authorities. 16:52.177 --> 16:53.219 So here's a reflection. 16:53.259 --> 16:59.329 If we were talking about reflections yesterday, this is an example of a reflection that you can do. 16:59.589 --> 17:00.310 It's a metta. 17:00.330 --> 17:01.272 It's M-E-T-T-A. 17:01.312 --> 17:02.233 It's not meditating. 17:02.293 --> 17:17.678 It's not part of the meditation, but you back off and you think about these things and they give you encouragement and motivation and they straighten you out and put you on the right path, keep you from straying because you think about the consequences of straying. 17:17.658 --> 17:41.202 consequences from your own point of view how you're going to be have shame and guilt consequences on how the world is going to look at you and the simple consequence that it's not according to the Dhamma this Dhamma is the right is the truth it's wrong greed is wrong anger is wrong delusion is wrong 17:42.869 --> 17:46.813 Getting involved in them is just not that anyone has to say it's wrong. 17:46.893 --> 17:47.614 It's just the truth. 17:48.815 --> 17:50.277 There's no good that comes from them. 17:50.297 --> 17:52.119 The only thing that comes from them is bad. 17:54.121 --> 17:56.463 And so with these three, we cultivate meditation. 18:00.547 --> 18:02.369 So there you go. 18:02.409 --> 18:03.891 That's the Dhamma for tonight. 18:09.196 --> 18:09.957 I'm going to stop there. 18:12.603 --> 18:15.087 For local meditators, this is, you guys can go. 18:15.367 --> 18:16.809 You don't have to stay for the questions. 18:21.496 --> 18:23.018 Drew, are you clear on the rules? 18:23.099 --> 18:24.801 You know the meditator rules that we have? 18:26.644 --> 18:27.205 The eight rules? 18:28.086 --> 18:38.982 Because you don't sleep more than six hours, and only eat in the morning, and no entertainment or communication with the outside world, internet, that kind of stuff. 18:41.746 --> 18:44.590 And number three change is no sexual or romantic activity. 18:49.497 --> 18:49.898 All right. 18:50.659 --> 18:53.543 So yeah, the audio broadcast isn't working yet. 18:53.884 --> 18:54.925 I'm not sure what's wrong. 18:55.606 --> 18:57.409 But we have to transition over. 18:57.509 --> 19:03.197 So that's going to be down for the near future, unfortunately. 19:15.040 --> 19:17.223 Oh, let's take the new site for a spin. 19:17.563 --> 19:18.364 How's it working? 19:20.066 --> 19:24.051 We've got a question-only mode, so we click this button and we only see questions. 19:25.372 --> 19:28.456 I think I can click on the questions and get room. 19:29.998 --> 19:30.619 I can. 19:33.683 --> 19:36.846 Because I'm the admin. 19:36.866 --> 19:40.110 Okay, so YouTube is the only way to listen to the live broadcast for now. 19:40.270 --> 19:41.973 Hopefully we'll have the audio up soon. 19:43.094 --> 19:44.035 I'll have to work on that. 19:46.816 --> 19:47.257 All right. 19:49.099 --> 19:51.041 Robin, you're going to be my questioner. 19:52.523 --> 19:52.863 Sure. 19:53.124 --> 19:54.525 This new site is awesome. 19:54.725 --> 19:59.391 I also have print screens of the questions from our old site, if you have time for those. 19:59.411 --> 20:07.721 ,, I've heard that cohesion element cannot be directly experienced. 20:08.382 --> 20:13.628 But when you feel tension in the belly as it expands, isn't it a sign of things trying to stick together? 20:13.648 --> 20:16.131 Or am I just intellectualizing it? 20:19.013 --> 20:20.135 No, you feel tension. 20:20.515 --> 20:21.757 You don't feel stickiness. 20:22.638 --> 20:24.220 Stickiness creates tension. 20:27.085 --> 20:28.467 But what you feel is the tension. 20:33.374 --> 20:34.175 Apo, dato. 20:34.195 --> 20:35.076 Apo means water. 20:35.717 --> 20:40.304 Dato is the element, the water element. 20:40.324 --> 20:44.129 Water element is a name for the cohesion aspect of matter. 20:45.171 --> 20:46.352 But you don't experience it. 20:46.372 --> 20:48.295 You experience tension instead. 20:52.932 --> 20:55.957 If your hands stick together, you don't feel stickiness even if you think you do. 20:55.977 --> 20:59.383 What you actually feel is a pulling, and pulling is tension. 21:06.174 --> 21:08.798 Are there any beings that will never attain nirvana? 21:10.145 --> 21:11.427 Well, never is a long time. 21:11.487 --> 21:15.011 I mean, in the face of eternity, you can't really say never, can you? 21:15.832 --> 21:19.796 But there's no reassurance that every being is going to attain nirvana. 21:20.577 --> 21:23.701 I don't even know that there's an assurance that there's a limited number of beings. 21:23.981 --> 21:28.827 Beings might be unlimited, infinite, whatever that means. 21:30.489 --> 21:32.812 But this kind of question is just speculative. 21:32.832 --> 21:33.773 I wouldn't worry about it. 21:37.128 --> 21:43.035 I mean, I guess the question, a better question is, well, I don't know. 21:43.315 --> 21:45.658 I guess it is a question, are we all reassured? 21:45.678 --> 21:49.863 It is useful to ask, are we all reassured to attain enlightenment? 21:49.923 --> 21:51.005 And I guess the answer is no. 21:51.906 --> 21:52.927 There's no reassurance. 21:53.167 --> 21:56.932 There's no reason to think that everyone will become enlightened. 21:56.952 --> 21:57.552 We don't work. 21:59.715 --> 22:00.516 No reassurance. 22:01.277 --> 22:02.258 Don't be complacent. 22:07.452 --> 22:13.518 Last year, I spent about a week in pretty deep bliss, which led me to think I had attained stream entry. 22:14.259 --> 22:18.063 Any advice on how not to fall for the trap of thinking you're enlightened when you're not? 22:25.431 --> 22:26.872 Well, don't ever think you're enlightened. 22:28.014 --> 22:29.055 Look at your defilements. 22:29.075 --> 22:31.537 Do you have less greed, less anger, less delusion? 22:31.557 --> 22:32.278 Worry about that. 22:36.241 --> 22:45.073 The only real way to know you're enlightened is, at least a Sotapanna, is that you attain Nibbana. 22:45.274 --> 23:01.877 And if you can attain Nibbana and repeat the experience and be clear that what you're attaining is freedom from suffering, the cessation, but even that, it's very easy for an unenlightened being to think that they're attaining Nibbana and not actually. 23:04.186 --> 23:09.735 I wouldn't ever really think, oh, I've attained stream entry and so on. 23:10.396 --> 23:11.258 You should look at your mind. 23:12.099 --> 23:13.201 Look at the state of your mind. 23:13.561 --> 23:14.523 That's all that's important. 23:20.432 --> 23:24.419 With sincerity, what is the benefit of studying scriptures for you? 23:25.140 --> 23:28.966 How does one cultivate an unknowing mind with intense scripture study? 23:29.487 --> 23:30.008 Thank you. 23:30.983 --> 23:32.725 You don't need an unknowing mind. 23:33.066 --> 23:34.467 That's not what we're cultivating. 23:37.251 --> 23:40.455 I mean, intense scriptural study can get in the way, not for that reason. 23:40.515 --> 23:44.360 It gets in the way because of the habit it creates. 23:44.440 --> 23:50.768 It creates a habit of mental fomentation, mental reflection. 23:51.089 --> 23:56.215 So it creates more thinking, which is potentially problematic unless you can learn to be mindful of it. 23:58.591 --> 24:01.516 There's no reason to do intense scriptural study, I don't think. 24:01.656 --> 24:04.421 Not unless you're, say, a teacher or a monk and you've got the time. 24:05.843 --> 24:14.738 If you've got the time to study as a monk, for example, then it can be good because it gives you more ammunition to teach with. 24:17.743 --> 24:22.911 But I think there's limited benefit to scriptural study. 24:23.549 --> 24:26.473 It's not to say there's no benefit, and certainly there is benefit. 24:26.493 --> 24:27.335 It's a good thing to do. 24:27.996 --> 24:33.384 But anyone who thinks there's great benefit, I think it's easy to overestimate the benefit. 24:34.305 --> 24:36.749 There's not a huge benefit from studying scripture. 24:41.095 --> 24:45.883 It's much more important to understand them and then to put them into proper practice. 24:46.223 --> 24:52.813 And concern yourself more with proper practice, because that's the most difficult thing, to be able to practice correctly. 24:57.923 --> 25:02.251 Is there going to be a feature where you can see everything on one page instead of the tabs? 25:04.295 --> 25:07.260 Yeah, I was trying to. 25:07.380 --> 25:08.262 I think so. 25:08.282 --> 25:11.047 I was hoping for that as well. 25:13.271 --> 25:15.194 I'm still hoping one day we'll have the circle. 25:19.121 --> 25:20.083 No such luck yet. 25:22.291 --> 25:23.393 Not whatever this works. 25:23.493 --> 25:29.241 I mean, the most important is, you know, we're not supposed to anyone be meditating during the broadcast. 25:29.361 --> 25:33.027 So that's the meditation section, right? 25:35.190 --> 25:38.415 And then you click on this one, and this is for when we're doing the broadcast. 25:38.475 --> 25:41.780 So now we're here. 25:41.800 --> 25:46.287 And the commit tab is just, there's lots of people committed, which is great. 25:47.308 --> 25:49.952 But that's completely personal. 25:51.232 --> 25:53.979 I don't think it's necessary to have everything on one page. 26:00.434 --> 26:05.145 Does playing video games that are violent leave karmic traces in the mind? 26:05.887 --> 26:07.170 These are questions from the other side? 26:07.852 --> 26:08.413 Yes. 26:10.857 --> 26:11.578 Yes. 26:11.818 --> 26:13.080 I mean, not violent. 26:13.120 --> 26:18.267 I've had to answer this question a few times already on this in the recent times. 26:18.908 --> 26:24.536 It's not like it's the same as killing or even violence necessarily. 26:27.059 --> 26:34.570 But there's much more the excitement. 26:34.830 --> 26:40.037 I mean, violent video games are still just puzzle games, I would say. 26:41.502 --> 26:48.312 I used to play, we used to play Doom and Quake. 26:49.714 --> 26:50.556 Quake was awful. 26:50.716 --> 26:57.126 Quake was like, Quake was evil, right? 26:57.766 --> 26:59.749 So was Doom. 26:59.810 --> 27:01.452 I mean, they were pretty awful games. 27:04.739 --> 27:08.704 But it's more like, I mean, you could. 27:08.744 --> 27:21.141 But I don't know that anyone actually, unless you're already quite perverse, I don't think anyone actually plays these games happy about the idea of torturing and killing other living beings. 27:21.902 --> 27:22.883 It's not really the case. 27:22.963 --> 27:25.667 It's more of a sport, right? 27:25.647 --> 27:30.392 I mean, sports are like battle, but you're not hurting anyone. 27:31.073 --> 27:32.215 You're just trying to win. 27:32.275 --> 27:36.239 And with these video games, well, it's just a sport. 27:37.060 --> 27:38.322 No one's actually getting hurt. 27:40.023 --> 27:42.446 Your intention is not that anyone is getting hurt. 27:42.486 --> 27:51.857 And imagine, ask yourself if you knew that this was actually a representation of something you were really doing. 27:53.744 --> 27:56.589 And ask yourself if you'd still do it. 27:57.551 --> 28:00.597 That being said, I mean, it's not clear cut. 28:01.298 --> 28:03.281 It depends on your state of mind, right? 28:04.283 --> 28:09.072 Could there be some cruelty involved or cultivation of cruelty? 28:09.092 --> 28:11.196 I suppose. 28:11.216 --> 28:15.043 I don't think it's as pronounced as people think. 28:16.778 --> 28:22.045 I can't imagine someone becoming more cruel because they play these games. 28:22.406 --> 28:27.413 Desensitized to violence, but that's much more about the seeing it than the doing it, I would think. 28:29.776 --> 28:30.317 Yeah, I don't know. 28:32.280 --> 28:42.955 I mean, the only thing that's clear about it is the attachment to it and the incredible waste of time used to spend hours on these games. 28:47.373 --> 28:55.944 I always have to chime in my two cents and say with the multiplayer games, incredible amounts of greed and anger can come up playing these games. 28:56.264 --> 29:02.792 I have heard these horrible culture. 29:03.473 --> 29:05.996 I've seen examples. 29:06.016 --> 29:13.145 I've seen transcripts of some of the horrible culture that is involved in these online games, right? 29:13.906 --> 29:14.106 Yeah. 29:15.048 --> 29:16.490 I mean, there's good culture, too. 29:16.590 --> 29:18.072 It's just like society. 29:18.132 --> 29:19.895 It's a microcosm of society. 29:20.516 --> 29:26.725 But because people are anonymous, it can be very cruel. 29:26.765 --> 29:29.889 Yeah, it can be very cruel. 29:30.490 --> 29:31.832 Worse than YouTube comment. 29:33.094 --> 29:39.283 Yeah, and the greed for the loot and everything is intense. 29:41.542 --> 29:47.950 Bhante, do you recall which book from the Mahasi Sayadaw talks was regarding the rupa stands? 29:48.210 --> 29:52.395 It's a follow-up question on behalf of a member of our meditation community. 29:52.736 --> 29:53.577 The rupa what? 29:54.338 --> 29:55.199 Rupa stands. 29:55.839 --> 29:56.961 Oh, right. 29:59.884 --> 30:00.085 No. 30:00.445 --> 30:01.727 One of the basics. 30:01.807 --> 30:10.317 I mean, I can... Let me see if I can find it for you right now. 30:48.603 --> 30:49.316 That didn't work. 31:37.237 --> 31:44.452 Yeah, I don't know. 31:44.472 --> 31:45.514 I can look for it for you. 31:46.135 --> 31:46.937 See if I can find it. 31:46.957 --> 31:48.219 I don't want to waste too much time. 31:55.715 --> 31:56.376 More questions? 31:58.685 --> 31:59.907 Yes, Bhante, one moment. 32:01.289 --> 32:12.605 Can we focus Dhamma Talks on practical topics that are applicable to our practice and maybe skip things that lean toward the abstract and metaphysics like angels and heavens and hell, for example? 32:15.008 --> 32:17.031 No, I get to choose what we teach. 32:19.394 --> 32:25.603 That's a criticism of the last two Dhamma Talks, I guess. 32:26.697 --> 32:32.683 Didn't the Buddha spend one third of the nightly watches answering the angels' questions? 32:33.364 --> 32:34.525 Yeah, what's wrong with angels? 32:35.026 --> 32:35.386 I know. 32:36.687 --> 32:40.892 OK, that was a bit, last night was a bit, but I said it was. 32:41.052 --> 32:42.273 I said it was light. 32:42.954 --> 32:43.955 It's interesting, too. 32:44.736 --> 32:46.578 It's interesting to think of the angel realms. 32:47.559 --> 32:50.342 I guess people are so reactionary, I think. 32:52.004 --> 32:56.248 People don't want to hear about these things that require faith, you know, really. 32:57.562 --> 32:58.904 to believe in them or not. 32:58.924 --> 33:04.072 I mean, it's just part of the universe. 33:05.214 --> 33:07.057 Do good deeds, good things happen to you. 33:07.077 --> 33:13.426 I don't know. 33:13.446 --> 33:15.850 I don't know what people expect from these broadcasts. 33:17.993 --> 33:18.955 What do I have to tell you? 33:18.975 --> 33:20.397 There's not much to tell you. 33:23.532 --> 33:25.014 If you don't like it, you can go somewhere else. 33:27.156 --> 33:27.397 That's fine. 33:27.417 --> 33:28.438 Go read the Buddhas. 33:28.458 --> 33:30.961 If you're really interested, go and read the suttas for yourself. 33:37.789 --> 33:40.492 I was meditating this morning after a very vivid dream. 33:41.213 --> 33:48.742 And as the images of the dream appear to me during meditation, I realized that in the dream, there was nothing to claim to, nothing to be attached to. 33:48.782 --> 33:53.387 The experience was just happening, and it didn't matter if it was good or bad. 33:53.671 --> 34:02.320 I was able to experience alertness if there was danger, but not aversion to it, and pleasure if it was pleasure, but not desire, not any wanting. 34:03.041 --> 34:18.177 So my question is, if I experience alertness or pleasure in that sense without any claim to it, any desire or wanting, can you be considered closer to enlightenment when in this case, as it happens in a dream, you are not mindful of it? 34:25.244 --> 34:25.965 I doubt it. 34:26.645 --> 34:35.895 I don't think a dream is really a good example of any positive or beneficial state. 34:36.816 --> 34:43.803 A dream is a sign that the mind is not focused, that the mind has distraction in it. 34:48.067 --> 34:49.849 And there is another question along with it. 34:50.289 --> 34:52.932 Can a person with Down syndrome become enlightened? 34:53.353 --> 34:53.833 Thank you. 34:55.484 --> 34:56.365 I don't know. 34:56.385 --> 35:16.598 I imagine there would be a strong suspicion that they couldn't, because there are certain beings that don't have the requisites, certain humans who don't have the requisites to become enlightened, and someone with Down syndrome might fall in that category. 35:17.159 --> 35:17.579 I don't know. 35:17.780 --> 35:22.487 There's no direct... 35:25.032 --> 35:38.754 labeling or recognizing Down syndrome as one of those people, but it requires a certain clarity of mind. 35:38.774 --> 35:46.045 I mean, I don't have Down syndrome, so I don't know what it's like, but it seems to be fairly oppressive and 35:48.067 --> 35:48.527 I don't know. 35:49.448 --> 35:53.873 I've never really dealt with people with Down syndrome either, so I couldn't say. 35:53.893 --> 35:58.458 I mean, obviously it's something to be fairly skeptical about. 36:04.404 --> 36:09.149 I have a friend who did something not good, and I lost a lot of money because of what she did. 36:09.169 --> 36:14.935 I am angry at her, and I like being angry at her, and I want her to suffer because of what she did to me. 36:15.674 --> 36:23.026 When it arises in meditation, I note the anger, then the liking of the anger, then it all fades away and I'm back to rising and falling. 36:23.907 --> 36:25.871 But I know the anger is still there simmering. 36:26.492 --> 36:30.138 Should I purposely bring it to mind so that I can keep practicing my noting? 36:32.041 --> 36:33.082 The anger is not there. 36:34.104 --> 36:38.431 The anger is, I mean, nothing is always there. 36:39.192 --> 36:40.294 This is what you're trying to see. 36:40.314 --> 36:42.137 You're trying to see that things come and go. 36:43.602 --> 36:47.866 That person who you're angry at isn't always there, doesn't exist. 36:49.227 --> 36:52.551 It's all part of the same realization that we're striving for. 36:53.111 --> 37:02.300 Once you start to see that your anger arises and ceases, the thoughts that you're angry about arise and cease, then you'll see that the person also arises and ceases. 37:02.380 --> 37:03.942 It's a concept in your mind. 37:05.023 --> 37:07.105 And you'll stop obsessing over these things. 37:07.285 --> 37:09.407 You'll start to see that they're meaningless, pointless. 37:10.838 --> 37:12.621 that everything arises and ceases. 37:13.643 --> 37:16.047 So try and see what is there. 37:16.608 --> 37:18.491 When you say it's simmering, well, what does that mean? 37:18.571 --> 37:19.953 Is there a feeling that's there? 37:20.113 --> 37:21.636 If there's a feeling, then note the feeling. 37:23.119 --> 37:24.701 If there's not anger, don't note anger. 37:25.122 --> 37:28.808 And don't go looking, absolutely, because that creates bad habits. 37:28.888 --> 37:31.893 That creates the habit of looking, the habit of instigating. 37:32.294 --> 37:33.015 It's a bad habit. 37:34.295 --> 37:35.597 Try to see what is there. 37:35.938 --> 37:37.420 Don't try to create something. 37:37.500 --> 37:38.882 Don't try to find something. 37:40.064 --> 37:42.268 If it's not present, don't go looking for it. 37:46.154 --> 37:49.339 Are we ever going to be able to add commitments to the new site? 37:50.701 --> 37:54.227 Maybe, if you're really nice. 37:56.333 --> 38:01.387 It seems the three marks of existence are all pointing to accepting things that you cannot control. 38:02.209 --> 38:06.782 Is there an explanation for the calm, silent state that arises from acceptance? 38:18.862 --> 38:22.168 Again, it's not quite, well, it's not quite acceptance. 38:23.430 --> 38:29.020 Although I suppose from, yeah, insofar as you accept that you can't change things, that you're not in control. 38:33.027 --> 38:38.997 I mean, yes, absolutely, because you're not, you're not, you're no longer getting upset about things. 38:40.968 --> 38:43.111 It's because we try to control things. 38:43.211 --> 38:44.854 It's because we try to cling to things. 38:45.575 --> 38:53.126 It's because we try to achieve things, obtain things, that we suffer, that we stress, that we're anxious, worried. 38:55.470 --> 38:57.593 I mean, isn't it obvious? 38:57.693 --> 39:00.777 If you stop stressing, you're calm. 39:01.919 --> 39:02.520 You stop worrying. 39:03.850 --> 39:05.872 judging and reacting. 39:07.073 --> 39:09.856 And of course you're going to become more calm and more peaceful. 39:10.637 --> 39:13.059 But ultimately we're not looking to accept things. 39:14.341 --> 39:16.103 We're looking to reject and let go. 39:16.143 --> 39:22.789 Not reject in terms of dislike, but reject in terms of dismiss, become disinterested in. 39:22.829 --> 39:26.493 So don't focus too much on acceptance. 39:26.573 --> 39:30.137 It becomes problematic because it just makes you calm and peaceful. 39:30.157 --> 39:32.119 It doesn't free you from suffering. 39:34.107 --> 39:38.292 I'm trying to see things to the point where the mind lets go of them and says, enough. 39:39.734 --> 39:41.876 I have no use for this, and it lets go. 39:44.660 --> 40:04.063 So the three marks of existence, the three characteristics of sankharas are for the purpose of cultivating the dispassion and renunciation and the giving up and letting go. 40:09.072 --> 40:13.058 What are the requisites for a human to be eligible to become enlightened? 40:14.761 --> 40:20.409 You have to have, there's something called something like that. 40:22.132 --> 40:24.976 Asanka probably knows a little more about this than I do. 40:24.996 --> 40:25.657 I did look it up. 40:26.578 --> 40:32.808 But I think you need the You have to be born with a good mind. 40:33.248 --> 40:34.670 You have to die with a good mind. 40:35.952 --> 40:37.695 To be born as a human with moha, 40:39.194 --> 40:40.576 I think that's what it is. 40:40.636 --> 40:52.093 If the rebirth linking consciousness is with moha, then I think it sets you up for a bad rebirth, something like that. 40:52.113 --> 40:52.734 I don't know. 40:52.754 --> 41:07.817 It's all technical and I can't verify any of it, but I think it's better to just in general know that certain people are clouded by delusion and they're in the category that they're not able to realize the truth. 41:09.974 --> 41:11.097 I would say it's fairly rare. 41:11.157 --> 41:13.744 No, maybe not. 41:15.468 --> 41:20.220 I would say it's those sorts of people who never even think of meditating, most likely. 41:21.635 --> 41:24.280 If anyone thinks to meditate, that's the other thing. 41:25.041 --> 41:26.264 It's not the most important. 41:26.284 --> 41:32.114 Well, it's not something to obsess over whether you can become enlightened or not. 41:32.135 --> 41:38.306 I think a lot of people worry too much about this, worry whether they'll actually be able to become enlightened. 41:38.426 --> 41:40.470 And they waste time worrying. 41:40.450 --> 41:44.035 When, in fact, we're just trying to make our minds better. 41:44.075 --> 41:49.121 We're trying to become better in the mind, heal the mind, cure the mind, purify the mind. 41:50.022 --> 41:50.944 And that's gradual. 41:50.984 --> 41:52.466 That's something you do every moment. 41:53.307 --> 41:54.168 Anyone can do that. 41:55.710 --> 41:57.112 Even animals can do that. 41:57.172 --> 42:01.397 They can't become enlightened, but they can better themselves. 42:03.019 --> 42:04.281 So that's what we're aiming for. 42:05.898 --> 42:07.260 That's where we should put our focus. 42:08.621 --> 42:10.003 Put one foot in front of the other. 42:10.684 --> 42:16.531 Whether you get to the end or not, it's going to depend on how much you put one foot in front of the other. 42:16.611 --> 42:22.578 It's not going to depend on how worried you are about whether you're going to get there, whether you're going to make it. 42:25.462 --> 42:26.463 That just cripples you. 42:28.145 --> 42:30.808 It actually gets in your way, sets up an impediment. 42:39.732 --> 42:41.354 You're all caught up on questions, Fonte. 42:45.358 --> 42:48.362 So when I click on the questions, they put answered on them. 42:48.402 --> 42:48.902 That's great. 42:49.723 --> 42:52.386 You guys really went above and beyond for the server. 42:53.728 --> 42:54.369 Yeah. 42:55.170 --> 42:56.932 One thing we don't have is who's online, right? 42:56.952 --> 42:59.014 We don't have a list of who's online at the top. 43:00.095 --> 43:05.301 That was nice. 43:05.341 --> 43:08.625 It was nice to know how many people were actually tuned in. 43:11.170 --> 43:17.879 Well, at the moment, since you can only hear it on YouTube, you could also see on YouTube how many people are listening. 43:18.860 --> 43:20.322 That's true. 43:20.342 --> 43:22.264 Let's see. 43:22.284 --> 43:22.645 40 viewers. 43:24.207 --> 43:24.507 Nice. 43:26.470 --> 43:29.614 And this certainly seems like it was a very smooth transition, too. 43:29.794 --> 43:30.975 What a super team. 43:32.477 --> 43:36.823 You should mention how far away everyone is from each other that worked on this as well. 43:38.693 --> 43:42.880 Right, we've got, well, two of them are in Germany, aren't they? 43:45.104 --> 43:46.586 Isn't Sebastian also in Germany? 43:47.608 --> 43:48.229 I'm not sure. 43:49.752 --> 43:50.994 But Doug is in Australia. 43:54.660 --> 43:54.760 Yeah. 43:54.780 --> 44:01.191 And basically the three of them, I mean, I did the original site here in Canada, but 44:03.230 --> 44:08.922 And this the app that this is based on the Android app, which will no longer work. 44:08.942 --> 44:12.730 I was supposed to redo the app to turn it into just a notification. 44:12.750 --> 44:14.574 Hey, don't use this anymore. 44:15.636 --> 44:16.839 I didn't do that yet. 44:17.380 --> 44:18.302 Maybe I'll do that tonight. 44:24.138 --> 44:27.363 And there's a testimonials page on this. 44:27.503 --> 44:45.673 So if you've been practicing the meditation that we teach and would like to say some words about it, find the testimonials page in the menu and submit some words. 44:47.881 --> 44:56.337 So newcomers can see the benefits, can hear about the benefits of the practice. 45:04.492 --> 45:05.213 We're all caught up, huh? 45:06.436 --> 45:09.381 I thought we were, but it actually looks like we missed one. 45:09.401 --> 45:11.425 Do you ever do teachings in Toronto? 45:13.750 --> 45:21.651 um rarely i'll do them in mississauga but nobody's invited me to toronto yet 45:38.607 --> 45:39.388 Who's clicking? 45:39.428 --> 45:41.310 Someone else is able to click on the questions. 45:41.370 --> 45:42.111 Is that what that means? 45:42.952 --> 45:44.493 Because I didn't click on those questions. 45:46.816 --> 45:47.757 Yeah, I was wondering about that. 45:47.777 --> 45:50.560 They show as answered as well. 45:50.780 --> 45:52.142 There's a bug or something. 45:52.502 --> 45:56.206 Or else other people are clicking on it. 45:57.247 --> 45:58.188 Yeah. 45:58.208 --> 46:02.073 And when we go to question only mode, there's nothing there now. 46:02.173 --> 46:07.078 So that's kind of a cool feature that everything gets cleared away as you do click answered on it. 46:07.480 --> 46:10.544 And it looks like they're being cleared away without us clicking them. 46:16.011 --> 46:18.294 All right. 46:18.314 --> 46:19.435 OK, we'll work on it. 46:20.256 --> 46:29.067 If you do have issues with the page, please . 46:33.805 --> 46:35.308 I think this is the issues page. 46:35.329 --> 46:45.091 If you go to that page, you have to sign in, sign up. 46:45.111 --> 46:45.592 OK, who else? 46:45.633 --> 46:48.439 Can anyone else click on that question and make an answer? 47:02.122 --> 47:04.666 Robin, are you able to click on that question and make it answered? 47:05.547 --> 47:06.588 No, but it disappeared. 47:06.688 --> 47:12.797 So it seems like maybe someone else does have some admin rights, possibly. 47:13.398 --> 47:14.439 Yeah, it did disappear. 47:14.880 --> 47:15.300 Yeah. 47:15.641 --> 47:21.148 Yeah, I don't have admin rights. 47:24.172 --> 47:25.675 Did you try clicking on that question? 47:26.616 --> 47:27.938 I did, but it didn't go away. 47:27.998 --> 47:31.082 Was it clickable? 47:32.294 --> 47:33.436 It didn't seem to be. 47:33.476 --> 47:41.088 No, I don't think it was me that was able to transfer it over to answered mode. 47:41.909 --> 47:42.731 Oh, Drew did it. 47:44.954 --> 47:45.916 Ah, okay. 47:45.936 --> 47:46.857 No, that's not allowed. 47:48.860 --> 47:55.371 Shouldn't be allowed. 47:55.391 --> 47:55.551 Yeah. 47:57.725 --> 48:04.175 Well, if you can tell, because for me, they're they're highlighting when I have a hover over and they're highlighted in green. 48:05.557 --> 48:07.159 Oh, bond thinks it might have been him. 48:07.179 --> 48:10.724 And that makes sense because he was working with the IT team. 48:11.345 --> 48:12.106 Is he an admin? 48:13.348 --> 48:15.051 Um, maybe. 48:15.091 --> 48:20.258 Okay, so this new question is testing thing. 48:21.260 --> 48:26.247 Does everyone when you hover over it doesn't turn blue and give you a pointer? 48:27.138 --> 48:27.739 Not for me. 48:30.603 --> 48:32.004 Because for me, it's green. 48:32.024 --> 48:33.406 And if I hover over it, it's blue. 48:35.129 --> 48:36.030 Bond has admin. 48:38.052 --> 48:42.038 Yeah, I used to have admin rights a while back on the old site. 48:42.358 --> 48:45.022 And it was actually awful because I always used my phone. 48:45.662 --> 48:54.394 And if I would accidentally press on somebody's comment, like if there was a link on it or something, it would cause it to disappear on the phone. 48:55.387 --> 48:57.733 So that wasn't too advantageous to me. 49:06.357 --> 49:07.700 So Bond has admin rights. 49:09.024 --> 49:10.027 So I can click on them. 49:10.047 --> 49:11.691 If I click on them here, they're both answered. 50:24.082 --> 50:26.645 What do you recommend for meditating on not-self? 50:30.949 --> 50:32.731 Have you read my booklet on how to meditate? 50:32.771 --> 50:34.433 That's the meditation I recommend. 50:40.539 --> 50:43.222 You don't meditate on non-self. 50:43.242 --> 50:44.984 You meditate on the four satipatthana. 50:45.044 --> 50:46.245 Non-self is what you see. 50:47.406 --> 50:50.089 You see that everything that you experience is non-self. 50:55.537 --> 50:57.799 During walking meditation, I had back pain. 51:00.241 --> 51:01.443 My timer went off. 51:04.786 --> 51:07.008 I felt that I could have stood there till I dropped. 51:08.970 --> 51:10.091 I gave up the disliking. 51:18.779 --> 51:25.105 Can I reach giving up the wanting the pain to go away incrementally, or do I stay with it until I learn that it's not worth it and give it up? 51:35.547 --> 51:38.791 Well, disliking can't stay for 15 minutes. 51:39.331 --> 51:42.334 I mean, I'd be impressive if it did. 51:42.374 --> 51:46.980 But I would try to, I mean, it takes some time. 51:47.040 --> 51:50.984 But over time, you should be able to see that the disliking is one thing. 51:51.965 --> 51:53.687 The disliking arises and ceases. 51:53.767 --> 51:56.910 And there's a lot of pain as well. 51:56.990 --> 51:59.293 And there's feelings and thoughts and so on. 52:04.775 --> 52:05.556 But you won't give it up. 52:05.596 --> 52:06.578 It'll keep coming back. 52:07.258 --> 52:10.062 Because we're not trying to force it away or turn it off. 52:10.763 --> 52:11.484 We're trying to see. 52:11.524 --> 52:12.846 And that's what you're doing. 52:13.407 --> 52:14.268 It's actually pretty good. 52:14.308 --> 52:20.617 For 15 minutes, you were able to see and learn a lot and get a real taste of what disliking is all about. 52:20.737 --> 52:28.228 And the fact that you can see that disliking is causing you to suffering is really going to impact your future. 52:28.248 --> 52:29.770 I mean, it changes the way you 52:29.750 --> 52:32.596 Look at anger, at disliking. 52:33.458 --> 52:35.863 You're going to be less inclined to dislike in the future. 52:35.923 --> 52:40.032 So incremental, yeah, in general it's incremental. 52:40.433 --> 52:47.488 You start to ease up, ease up your hold on things and the intensity with which you cling. 52:48.987 --> 52:58.804 And if you do it again and again, eventually you let up, you let up, and you become more objective and more clear until you're able to really see the experiences just as they are. 52:58.844 --> 53:01.249 And that's when the mind lets go. 53:01.289 --> 53:11.046 That's when you no longer see any reason to react, any reason to fuss or fret or worry about the pain or anything. 53:12.983 --> 53:20.172 It takes time, and certainly in cases where the pain is intense, it's not going to be easy. 53:20.212 --> 53:22.535 There's nothing easy about this practice. 53:22.896 --> 53:25.179 It's simple, but not easy. 53:26.981 --> 53:29.725 But just don't expect it to go away or things to get better. 53:29.785 --> 53:42.501 The thing that's going to get better is your reactions, your approach, your point of view of these things. 53:44.000 --> 53:49.099 And be no longer inclined to get angry, no longer concerned about things like pain. 53:51.970 --> 53:54.499 And become much more patient with it, that's the idea. 53:59.018 --> 54:01.102 There actually are a couple of other questions, Bonte. 54:01.122 --> 54:06.611 I think they just hadn't gotten, they didn't have the question marks near them, so they didn't go into question mode. 54:08.314 --> 54:09.816 Do you have a couple of minutes? 54:09.836 --> 54:11.159 Yeah. 54:11.179 --> 54:14.645 A few minutes ago, I took a living rabbit from my cat. 54:14.865 --> 54:15.947 It's probably going to die. 54:16.007 --> 54:20.094 Is it right to just put it somewhere outside away from my cat so it can die? 54:21.196 --> 54:23.119 Yeah, that's reasonable. 54:26.828 --> 54:29.812 Someone brought a wounded bird to Ajahn Tong once. 54:30.092 --> 54:31.654 And this kind of drove it home for me. 54:31.695 --> 54:33.918 He was... 54:34.739 --> 54:35.940 He didn't want to have anything to do with it. 54:36.341 --> 54:37.262 He said, go put it away. 54:38.123 --> 54:40.506 It was almost, go put it somewhere in the... 54:42.028 --> 54:42.569 In nature. 54:42.609 --> 54:47.015 And to me, it was... 54:47.035 --> 54:47.856 It was interesting. 54:47.876 --> 54:54.405 It was really interesting to see his reaction because... You know, it's a... 54:55.567 --> 55:00.655 Dealing with wild animals is a very complicated affair, right? 55:00.675 --> 55:05.563 Dealing with other beings in general and their suffering is a complicated affair. 55:07.506 --> 55:09.269 You certainly don't want to get involved with it. 55:09.349 --> 55:15.499 You only cause more stress and trouble. 55:18.213 --> 55:21.079 better leave the natural world on its own. 55:21.820 --> 55:26.629 Because otherwise you get caught up in it and you try to save all beings and then it's down the rabbit hole. 55:28.814 --> 55:29.735 No pun intended. 55:35.026 --> 55:39.394 Is there anything about the causes of schizophrenia or mental illness in Buddhism? 55:44.369 --> 55:59.037 I mean, they don't mention schizophrenia, but there's certainly some implication that one's state of mind when one passes away is going to affect the base mind that one is reborn with, and the brain, and so on. 56:00.046 --> 56:03.009 But I guess schizophrenia has a lot more to do with the brain than the mind. 56:04.310 --> 56:08.414 And the nature of the brain is potentially corrupt. 56:08.955 --> 56:12.338 Not corrupt, but it's not even corrupt, you see. 56:12.358 --> 56:16.603 And that's really the point of these things, is to be able to see the difference between the brain and the mind. 56:17.624 --> 56:21.348 Because if you're hallucinating, well, that's still just experiences. 56:23.270 --> 56:26.793 But the paranoia is something different. 56:27.113 --> 56:28.635 It's not the hallucinations. 56:30.117 --> 56:54.049 being able to separate those two is crucial to be able to experience solutionate hallucinations without without becoming paranoid but um yeah so i think that makes it easier to see how it happens because we don't affect we don't we aren't reborn with this messed up mind we're reborn with the breast messed up brain based on our our 56:54.704 --> 56:56.186 moment of death. 56:56.206 --> 57:03.017 So and also you could argue based on the nine months in the womb that we're mucking around with this new fetus. 57:04.399 --> 57:14.716 So the mind is there getting caught up and excited and putting giving its all to this to this new state. 57:15.838 --> 57:17.961 So if the mind is all messed up at that time, 57:20.202 --> 57:28.575 I wonder if you could argue that that's why alcohol, mothers who drink alcohol have children, get children with potential problems, right? 57:29.657 --> 57:39.553 Could it be that you mess up the mind or you disturb the being and so the mind gets upset? 57:41.396 --> 57:42.598 That's just conjecture, but. 57:44.789 --> 57:49.239 Yeah, I mean, I would say the brain is much more likely the culprit there. 57:49.259 --> 57:52.647 And that's what's being affected by things like schizophrenia. 57:54.251 --> 57:56.195 And that comes from past lives. 57:56.576 --> 58:01.026 You would think it comes from the state of mind when one dies. 58:06.220 --> 58:09.204 When I click on question, it only shows me one question. 58:09.425 --> 58:10.987 Is there a way to show all the questions? 58:11.608 --> 58:15.453 I think that question was from a while ago, so maybe there was only one question submitted at that time. 58:20.020 --> 58:24.286 And then a question about something we talked about within the last couple of days. 58:24.766 --> 58:27.050 What does Buddhism think about transgender people? 58:27.691 --> 58:31.436 Can transgender people reach enlightenment and nirvana? 58:32.037 --> 58:34.320 Are there any texts that talk about transgender people? 58:35.768 --> 58:38.477 There are, yeah, there is some discussion. 58:38.537 --> 58:48.732 They're not allowed to become monks simply because they, wait a second, transgendered as someone who changes their gender, right? 58:50.973 --> 58:53.377 I probably wouldn't be allowed to become a monk. 58:53.457 --> 58:59.428 But becoming a monk, there's lots of restrictions, and it's a fairly conventional state. 59:00.250 --> 59:02.514 Becoming a monk is not reality. 59:02.574 --> 59:04.738 It's just an artifice that the Buddha created. 59:05.479 --> 59:15.377 So he had some fairly stringent artificial requirements that have nothing really to do or don't necessarily have anything to do with reality. 59:17.568 --> 59:26.678 But in terms of reality, as someone who's transgendered, there may be something in the commentaries about it not being possible for them to become enlightened. 59:28.680 --> 59:32.104 But I would say, as I mentioned before, it's probably more difficult. 59:32.564 --> 59:40.293 It's most definitely more difficult because they're going to be much more all other things being equal. 59:41.174 --> 59:46.900 It's going to keep them obsessed with their sexuality, with their gender, with their body. 59:48.230 --> 59:51.874 You know, there's more of an obsession there, in general. 59:52.154 --> 59:53.275 There's the generalization. 59:53.395 --> 01:00:05.408 You know, someone who's transgendered and then just gives it all up and realizes how futile it all is, then certainly they can become enlightened, I would argue. 01:00:09.332 --> 01:00:12.355 How should you treat your relationships with non-meditators? 01:00:16.359 --> 01:00:17.460 That's a good question. 01:00:19.938 --> 01:00:25.047 I mean, you should treat your relationships with everyone mindfully. 01:00:27.250 --> 01:00:36.546 Obviously, if someone's not meditating, it's going to be clear that, and maybe even before it's clear, you can remind yourself that most likely 01:00:37.859 --> 01:00:44.413 they're not going to have the most wholesome mind state and the best of intentions. 01:00:45.335 --> 01:00:51.428 So there's going to be increased problem and difficulty dealing with these people. 01:00:54.254 --> 01:00:58.703 And so you want to spend less time with people who are not meditating if possible. 01:01:01.822 --> 01:01:05.527 But you treat people mindfully and don't think of people as people. 01:01:05.587 --> 01:01:07.069 Deal with people in the present. 01:01:07.810 --> 01:01:08.732 What's happening now? 01:01:08.772 --> 01:01:09.373 What is it? 01:01:09.513 --> 01:01:10.614 What is the situation? 01:01:10.654 --> 01:01:13.819 Deal with things as they arise. 01:01:13.879 --> 01:01:16.062 Deal with the present moment. 01:01:16.723 --> 01:01:18.625 If someone's yelling at you, it's not the person. 01:01:18.686 --> 01:01:19.386 It's the yelling. 01:01:19.487 --> 01:01:20.488 It's the experience. 01:01:25.109 --> 01:01:26.451 Try and stay in the present moment. 01:01:26.851 --> 01:01:30.356 As with everything, it solves a lot of your problems. 01:01:30.737 --> 01:01:31.678 Don't hold grudges. 01:01:31.779 --> 01:01:33.060 Don't have expectations. 01:01:35.243 --> 01:01:36.585 Try and let go of the past. 01:01:36.706 --> 01:01:37.867 Don't worry about the future. 01:01:39.770 --> 01:01:40.912 Those are words to live by. 01:01:40.932 --> 01:01:50.886 And then Bando's asking about posting the livestream link. 01:01:50.906 --> 01:01:53.850 Are you still recording the audio-only portion? 01:01:54.218 --> 01:01:55.219 No, I tried. 01:01:55.279 --> 01:01:56.341 It's not working right now. 01:01:57.302 --> 01:02:14.386 Oh, OK. All right. 01:02:14.766 --> 01:02:15.868 So that's all for tonight. 01:02:15.928 --> 01:02:17.570 Thank you all for tuning in. 01:02:19.633 --> 01:02:23.078 And thanks for bearing with us as we transition to this new site. 01:02:26.450 --> 01:02:28.079 And thanks to all the people who worked on it. 01:02:29.286 --> 01:02:31.881 Thank you, Bhante. 01:02:31.901 --> 01:02:32.726 Good night, everyone. 01:02:33.631 --> 01:02:34.013 Good night.