Dharma Treasure Community

OK thanks that makes sense in the context of the TMI system as so called dry insight practice would preclude the development of the 8th path factor into the four jhanas.

Its not the immediate conclusion I drew from the lack of so called ‘dark night’ descriptions though. It seemed strange that the Buddha did not highlight a possible danger for…[Read more]

The problem is the teaching on kamma and rebirth is so fundamental to the teaching’s of the Buddha its impossible to either remove it or reformulate it, so that doesn’t offend modern sensibilities, without completely distorting and /or reducing the Dhamma to an ancient treatment for modern neurosis.

For a in-depth and rigorous discussion on why…[Read more]

Appropriate attention (yoniso mansikara) is the ability to frame your understanding of experience in the right terms. Views about whether there is a self or if there is no-self fall under category of inappropriate attention because they do not lead to the ending of the fetter of views. Appropriate attention is seeing and practicing in terms of the…[Read more]

When you see with discernment,
‘All fabrications are inconstant’ —
you grow disenchanted with stress.
This is the path
to purity.

When you see with discernment,
‘All fabrications are stressful’ —
you grow disenchanted with stress.
This is the path
to purity.

When you see with discernment,
‘All phenomena are not-self’ —
you grow disen…[Read more]

Thank you Maria.

Thank you Andre. Very good points to consider. The activity of labelling/conceiving then becomes part of metacognitive introspective awareness.

Thanks for your input Philip. For myself I don’t think I am particularly in touch with the tactile sensory experience of being in the body beyond conditioned concepts. So this is new territory Im exploring.

Agree with you 5 points JC.

Another thing which Ive noticed is that I seem have better intuitive understanding how ‘minds’ work in general.

This has been helpful in training our dog as well as my mind 😉

Hi Blake,

Thanks for the links, they are very helpful.

Kind regards,
Alex

Dear Eli,

I also recently started the TMI method and have experienced some of the issues you talk about. There are others here who I hope will be able to help you work through them.

Wishing you well in your life and practice.

Best regards,
Alex

OK. Best wishes in your practice.

Hi Darrell,

I was listening to a retreat audio between Culadasa and a student about being stuck and I found it very helpful as it made me realise that its more important to focus on the development of qualities like, peripheral awareness, stable attention, introspective awareness etc rather than following a particular method to the letter. People…[Read more]

I think this would be helpful/useful for many.

I have only listened to a a few of Culadasa’s talks so will be slowly working my way through the archive and happy to help if assistance wanted.

Hi Bobby,

Certainly manasikara seems to literally mean ‘attention’. The full phrase however is yoniso manasikāra – yoniso being translated as ‘appropriate’ in this case.

As you say the balancing of awareness and attention is what we understand in the TMI system as mindfulness (sati). However the way the Buddha defines appropriate attention…[Read more]

Hi Chloe,

I wasn’t pointing to a conflict or an absence. Culadasa redefined mindfulness and clear comprehension (sati and sampajañña) very effectively so they can be understood and used very effectively in practice. I was curious if yoniso manasikāra (appropriate attention) is part of the TMI system as it is a recurrent theme in the suttas.…[Read more]

Thank you Blake. I am touched by your dedication to helping others.

In looking at the overview of the ten stages, when I put aside the specific techniques associated with each stage (for instance being able to detect details of the in breath and out breath), then I think my experience most closely matches Stage 4.

Is this the way one should…[Read more]