May I find the right opening within the confinement that he is talking about. 🙏🙏🙏

The clarity of Ajahn Nyanamoli's teaching is second to no-one. Thank you for posting this teaching. It has helped me greatly.

"Good luck with that one!" Thank you so so very much for all these teachings shared with us for free! You really have inspired in me a will to take on the path that I have felt (but did not associate it with the Buddha's teachings) in my younger days.

• An7.51 "Bhikkhus, I will teach you a Dhamma exposition on union and disengagement...A man, bhikkhus, attends internally to his masculine faculty, his masculine comportment, his masculine appearance, his masculine aspect, his masculine desire, his masculine voice, his masculine ornamentation. He becomes excited by these and takes delight in them. Excited by them, taking delight in them, he attends externally to [a woman’s] feminine faculty, her feminine comportment, her feminine appearance, her feminine aspect, her feminine desire, her feminine voice, her feminine ornamentation. He becomes excited by these and takes delight in them. Excited by them, taking delight in them, he desires union externally, and he also desires the pleasure and joy that arise on account of such union. Beings who are delighted with their masculinity enter upon union with women. It is in this way that a man does not transcend his masculinity. This is how union comes about. And how does disengagement come about? A man, bhikkhus, does not attend internally to his masculine faculty … his masculine ornamentation. He does not become excited by these or take delight in them. Not excited by them, not taking delight in them, he does not attend externally to [a woman’s] feminine faculty … her feminine ornamentation. He does not become excited by these or take delight in them. Not excited by them, not taking delight in them, he does not desire union externally, nor does he desire the pleasure and joy that arise on account of such union. Beings who are not delighted with their masculinity become disengaged from women. It is in this way that a man transcends his masculinity. “This is how disengagement comes about. An9.42 Confinement: "This was said, friend, by the young deva Pañcālacaṇḍa: “‘The sage, the withdrawn chief bull, the Buddha who awakened to jhāna, the One of Broad Wisdom has found the opening amid confinement.’ “What, friend, has the Blessed One spoken of as confinement and what as the achievement of an opening in the midst of confinement?” “The Blessed One, friend, has spoken of these five objects of sensual pleasure as confinement..."

Going against the grain of existence will either grind one down to the point of returning to the default direction, or finely polish in the unshakable wisdom crucial to utilizing the immutable nature of conditioned reality against itself by shattering these imposed prisons (internal & external). Hearing the right utterances is foundational to success. Well done bhantes.

Excellent. Thank you Venerable Sirs

That chocolate cake doesn't sound so good anymore after you realize that indulging in it is like laying down the bricks for the walls of your own prison. Thank you, Ajahn.

such valuable and wise teaching. very practical

Thank you, Ajahn, for the teaching This calls to my mind this passage from MN 75: “Māgaṇḍiya, suppose that there was a leper covered with sores & infections, chewed up by worms, picking the scabs off the openings of his wounds with his nails, cauterizing his body over a pit of glowing embers. His friends, companions, & relatives would take him to a doctor. The doctor would concoct medicine for him, and thanks to the medicine he would be cured of his leprosy: well & happy, free, master of himself, going wherever he liked. Then suppose two strong men, having seized hold of him by both arms, were to drag him to a pit of glowing embers. What do you think? Wouldn’t he twist his body this way & that?” “Yes, Master Gotama. Why is that? Because the fire is painful to the touch, very hot & scorching.” “But what do you think, Māgaṇḍiya? Is the fire painful to the touch, very hot & scorching, only now, or was it also that way before?” “Both now & before is it painful to the touch, very hot & scorching, Master Gotama. It’s just that when the man was a leper covered with sores & infections, chewed up by worms, picking the scabs off the openings of his wounds with his nails, his faculties were impaired, which was why, even though the fire was actually painful to the touch, he had the skewed perception of ‘pleasant.’” “In the same way, Māgaṇḍiya, sensualities in the past were painful to the touch, very hot & scorching; sensualities in the future will be painful to the touch, very hot & scorching; sensualities at present are painful to the touch, very hot & scorching; but when beings are not free from passion for sensualities-chewed up by sensual craving, burning with sensual fever-their faculties are impaired, which is why, even though sensualities are actually painful to the touch, they have the skewed perception of ‘pleasant.’ -- I wonder if that perversion you spoke of - taking the "external" as primary - could be said to be the cause of the impairment of the faculties which is referenced in this sutta?

very helpful exposition Venerable... getting the “order of operations “ is key.

Namo buddhaya 🙏

Ajahn One of the thing that I struggle with is with delusion, where my mind always wants to fill its time with entertainment or work. I understand at least at superfluous level that I must endure when such desires arise. But are there any contemplation that we can do when such desires are not present? For example when we have liability to lust contemplation of asubha is recommended while if we are liable to aversion, anxiety metta practice is recommended. Is there similar practice for delusion?

For the edited transcript: t.me/HillsideHermitage/191

I wish the audio was cleaner. Not because of sensual desires to please my ears, but just because it's very difficult to hear the words and get the message 😊

🙏🙏🙏

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Can we try to get rid of thoughts of lust without trying to get rid of the feeling. Like in vittakkasanthana sutta. If you start getting sexual imagery of women. I can bring my attention or thoughts to something more wholesome, like the breath or non-sensual sense objects that don’t discernibly affect the arisen sensuality. Or would that be trying to reject the feeling. Or is it only rejecting the feeling if you turn your mind to a thought that increases clinging (rejecting or pulling in) the arisen sensuality. As the breath is neutral, using that as a peripheral anchor would be a thought, but does not push away lust, nor does it pull in lust. But asubha during sexual thoughts/feelings would push/pull as it’s related. Essentially, it’s ok to redirect thought to another thought if the substitutes aren’t increasing sensuality? So even if I pick a non-sensual thought, i need to discern whether or not it is pushing or pulling via the context of which I am in.

Whatever you resist persist! acknowledge and accept and welcome with love and kindness in hospitality even your worst of enemies and for it is in the acknowledgment and acceptance of them that permits a higher vibration that has the ability to transform even the worst of your enemies into your friend. Do not resist temptation but accept it for what it is if it is lust then accept your lust and let it remain as a fire that refines you. As your mind is conditioned to acceptance in love, this is when temptation leaves you, when you willfully. Acknowledge and accept it in love.as your lustful caterpillar transforms into the butterfly of respect and regard for others and chastity fot yourself.

Thank you Bhante for the valuable informations. I have a question: what are the signs that someone is overly intending their discernment or experience? What are the signs that Someone is properly attending their experience? I think that I try to discern it but doubt regarding if I’m recognizing and properly attending.

Nothing is retaining even for letting it go. Holding it always due suffering, even trying to hold a happy moment of sensuality. Can I say, developing Discerning is an improvement of continuous contemplating of this ultimate truth Ajhan?

da li se kod vas može napraviti vipassana retreat?

This talk reminds me of paticcasamuppada. Is it more correct to think of ps as heaps similar to the aggregates that are present at once and not successive in time?

Ajahn, I have a question that keeps on torturing me. It is based on what you talk about in this video. You say the pleasure is not in the external counterpart , it’s not in the external object, males in my case. Ok, but deferent beings/counterparts/males create deferent extent of pleasures . With one man, for example, u experience no pleasure at all. (I am not even talking about sex per se, just being around them ) With another- lots of pleasure on your body/mind . Ok, little pleasure and lots of pleasure are on the level of the body/mind. But different males cause different effects. There’s a definite connection there. Is it a delusion? I am attracted to the one who is creating more pleasure on my body/mind, makes sense. How to detach from this delusion? How to explain different levels of pleasure with different beings/males? Is the connection of a particular being causing a particular effect on the body a misperception?

Ajahn, is having a desire to lift weights and exercise everyday wholesome, if it’s not rooted in delighting in masculinity or attraction of the counterpart? In other words I have this desire to keep this body/form in healthy shape.

is the google drive going to be updated ? 👁️🙏👁️ dont always have access to youtube in this Wat ...but i can make google drive more easily accessible ? anumodana sadu 🙏🙏🙏 if not what are the other links again

First Jhana is sufficient for arhantship 🙏🙏🙏

Bhante What is the Pali term that you translate as "thoughts" What is the Pali term that you translate as "designations" Thank you

Нектар

The reason why the external aspect of being one with the opposite sex is important it is because we were made in the image of God both male and female both masculine and feminine and to the glory of God is the unity of both the masculine and The Feminine as is portrayed in the yin and yang, both the male and female who represent this image produce this same image, by becoming fruitful and multiplying this image, again to the glory of God!