I'm not going to get into the main focus on their poorly conditioned prisons made for the Red Lotus before season 4, except to point out Desna and Eska were interested in using it for people such as in innocent tailor (and that doesn't seem to bother Tonraq or Zuko) ... yeesh.
Rather the one they put Zaheer in. Here's the ironic fact, not only is he the only guy to notice the whole area is overflowing with spiritual energy and tap into it accordingly, but he's not doing a darn thing to mess it up. Think, he spends all that time in the Spirit World in 2 seasons, but not once does he turn a spirit dark. It makes sense, he likes chaos in a misguided sense of balance, but he never likes the idea of darkness.
However, Dark Spirits as a whole, see this article with references all over Avatar lore
https://avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Dark_spirits#Notable_temporary_or_permanent_dark_spirits
are typically formed from negative unbalance, destroying nature, damaged or sacred areas or people themselves reacting negatively, etc.
And if you look a bit deeper ... the prison itself according the show makers ...
https://avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Transcript:Beyond_the_Wilds_(commentary)?so=search?so=search)
is a former temple, which explains the carvings, crystals and settings, one that was long abandoned, possibly during Kuruk or Yangchen's time when such places began to go to ruin.
However, now, that the spirits are back, and the whole area is more alive with energy than ever, and the White Lotus is using such a place as a prison ... sounds like a future disaster of a spiritual crisis in the making.
Zaheer really has a point about the White Lotus not being what they once were, none of them are on Iroh's level, and guarding prisons is not living up to their creed 'The quest for truth above all else.' And he's the only person using that temple for what it was likely meant for. I did some googling, it could be compared to underground Buddhist temples in the mountains in real life, ones used for meditation and prayers with halls and chambers like that one he's in.
But other prisoners like Kuvira (a real no-brainer why she'd be a problem) or even the guards themselves could be the opposite.
And if the temple spirit (there are such spirits in Avatar lore) ever came back, I doubt he'd be happy.

Ryomen Sukuna vs Avatar Korra.
The Strongest Sorcerer of History vs The Strongest Avatar Today.
Situation:
Korra knew that a powerful sorcerer named Ryomen Sukuna while meditating in Spirit World. Korra got full mastery of all elements that includes Lava Bending, Void Bending, Seismic Sense, Energy Bending, Combustion Bending, and Bloodbending, has regained connection to all previous Avatars and got Sozin's Comet as a powerboost. Korra can go to her Cosmic mode. Korra can summon Spirits like the Moon and Ocean spirit
Meanwhile after defeating Gojo, Sukuna knew that he found a powerful opponent from another world that capable to beat him. Sukuna ate all 20 of his fingers. He can have 10 shadows technique that includes Mahoraga and Agito. And all of his techniques are allowed.
Prep time: 3 years.
Battleground: Northern Air Nomad Temple (Full Moon)

I made a Humanity Rating 5 "young elder" Ventrue Couple (see here and here) and decided to think about giving them some homemade powers. But I'm kind of interested in seeing what everyone thinks about them. What's your thoughts on them? This time I'm making them close to Methuselah in age and power and decided to up it. Now they're both between 750-800 years old.
Do you think they're broken? To similar to other powers?
Dominate
Dominate is the vampire's ability to influence and control the minds of mortals and weaker-willed Kindred. Dominate transcends hypnotic suggestion; it is the capacity to override another being's thoughts and agency, subverting them to the vampire's will.
Corresponding Level 9 Power: Psyche of the Devourer

1. Description: The vampire can consume and absorb the minds of their victims, assimilating their knowledge, skills, and supernatural powers into their own psyche.
2. System: The vampire must make physical contact with the target and spend a permanent Willpower point. The player makes a Wits + Dominate roll, contested by the target's Willpower. If the vampire scores more successes, they immediately absorb the target's mind, gaining access to all of their memories, abilities, and powers. The target's body collapses into a mindless husk, while their psyche becomes a part of the vampire's own.
3. The vampire can maintain a number of absorbed minds equal to their Dominate rating. Each absorbed mind grants the vampire a dot in the relevant Abilities and Disciplines (up to their generational maximum), as well as any supernatural merits or advantages possessed by the victim. The vampire can also tap into the absorbed minds for information or advice, consulting them like a dark council within their own head.
4. However, each absorbed mind also imposes a permanent degeneration roll at a difficulty equal to the number of minds currently absorbed. Failing this roll causes the vampire to inherit one of the victim's Derangements or Flaws, as the foreign psyches begin to influence their own personality.
5. If the vampire tries to absorb a mind beyond their limit, they must first "digest" one of their existing minds, permanently losing access to its knowledge and powers. Digesting a mind requires a full day of meditation and a successful Willpower roll (difficulty equal to the number of minds absorbed).

Fortitude
Fortitude is the Discipline that grants Kindred preternatural toughness and resilience, allowing them to shrug off damage that would cripple or destroy lesser creatures. High-level masters of Fortitude are nearly indestructible, becoming undead juggernauts who can withstand the most grievous wounds and just keep coming.
Corresponding Level 9 Power: Essence of the Eternals

1. Description: The vampire's body becomes a living avatar of immortality, capable of withstanding and recovering from any damage, no matter how severe or supernatural in origin.
2. System: The vampire spends 5 blood points and makes a Stamina + Fortitude roll (difficulty 8). If successful, they enter a state of ultimate resilience for the remainder of the scene. During this time, they automatically regenerate any damage or injury at the end of each turn, including aggravated damage from fire, sunlight, or other supernatural sources. The vampire can even regenerate from complete physical destruction, reforming their body from a single drop of blood or ash. They are immune to all physical sources of harm, including staking, decapitation, and diablerie.
3. Furthermore, the vampire can spend a permanent Willpower point to "reset" their physical form to its peak condition, erasing any scars, disabilities, or other persistent effects of injury. This can be done a number of times equal to their Fortitude rating during the scene.
4. If the activation roll fails, the vampire still gains the regenerative benefits, but their flesh becomes brittle and prone to crumbling, imposing a -2 penalty to all Physical dice pools. A botch causes the vampire to calcify completely, turning into a statue of blood and bone until the next sunset.

Presence
Presence is the Discipline of emotional manipulation, allowing Kindred to inspire, threaten, seduce or terrify with supernatural skill. Presence can rouse mobs to passion, shatter the composure of even veteran leaders, and turn the vampire into an object of obsessive desire. Vampires with high levels of Presence are emotionally infectious, saturating the very air with their overpowering charisma.
Corresponding Level 9 Power: Apotheosis of the Idol

1. Description: The vampire becomes a living god to all who behold them, inspiring fanatical devotion, unquestioning obedience, and religious awe in mortals and immortals alike.
2. System: The vampire spends 3 Willpower points and makes a Charisma + Presence roll (difficulty 7). If successful, they become the center of a rapidly expanding cult of personality, with all intelligent beings within a radius of (Presence rating x 1km) falling under their thrall. Mortals within this area must make a Willpower roll (difficulty equal to the vampire's Presence + 3) or become utterly enthralled, worshipping the vampire as a divine being and obeying their every command without hesitation. They will gladly sacrifice their lives, their loved ones, and their very souls for even a moment of the vampire's attention.
3. Vampires and other supernatural creatures within the affected area must spend 2 Willpower points and succeed on a Self-Control roll (difficulty equal to the vampire's Presence + 5) to resist the effect. Those who fail become the vampire's loyal servants, their own ambitions and desires subsumed by the overwhelming need to please and serve their new master. They will betray their sires, their clans, and their deepest convictions without a second thought.
4. The effects of Apotheosis of the Idol last for one night per success on the activation roll. During this time, the vampire can command their followers telepathically, seeing through their eyes and controlling their actions with a thought. The vampire can also feed on the blood and souls of their worshippers from afar, draining them of vitae and Willpower to bolster their own power.
5. However, the strain of maintaining such godlike influence is immense. For each night the power is active, the vampire must make a successful Humanity roll (difficulty equal to the number of nights the power has been used) or lose a point of Humanity, as their own sense of morality and empathy is eroded by the constant flood of adoration and obedience. If the vampire's Humanity reaches 0, they are consumed by their own legend, becoming a monstrous, deified tyrant that exists only to be worshipped and obeyed.

Combined Together
For a vampire couple wielding the level 9 powers of Essence of the Eternal, Psyche of the Devourer, and Apotheosis of the Idol, maintaining a Humanity of 5 over 750-800 years is an impressive achievement that belies the profound inhumanity they have embraced. Their longevity does speak to an anchoring symbiosis that has allowed them to navigating epochs as sinister divinities rather than descending into pure, directionless monstrosity. A flickering ember of their original union persists underneath the eldritch power they have harnessed. Mortal lives are reorganized or extinguished on a whim, less valuable than livestock culled to sate a predator's appetites. Younger vampires are harvested psyches awaiting assimilation or zealous conversion. Even elders are irrelevant speedbumps flattened in the path of their cult's cancerous metastasis across reality. They have some fading restraint mechanism, however twisted, persists - the lingering clinical overlay of subjugating a world, not merely scorching it. A sociopathic end-governs-the-means pragmatism that yet prevents them actualizing their most depraved rapturous visions without hesitation. A burglar's ethical restraint, a surgeon's clinical precision - some limiting sliver of reservation in unleashing their powers to utmost extremity. Just enough moderating afterthought to preserve their symbiotic partnership amid the deific delusions.
Essence of the Eternal has rendered them nigh-invulnerable, able to shrug off complete bodily destruction and regenerate from the barest remnants. Psyche of the Devourer allows them to subsume other minds, assimilating lifetimes of knowledge and power with each absorbed psyche. Apotheosis of the Idol has galvanized global cults of personality, inspiring religious zeal and unquestioning subservience in all who behold them. Collectively, these abilities have elevated them to the cusp of divinity - but also profoundly warped their very beings in the process. There is merely each other that anchors them and their love for each other in an increasingly alien world. They view each other, and arguably themselves, more as complementary Vampire Demi-god romantic partners ... but romantic partners nonetheless.
So I'm kind of curious to know what's everyone's thoughts on their powers combined together? Or this homebrew powers for this vampire couple if both are like say 750-800 years old and have 9 dots in all three of these major disciplines?

2.8.5. Sabbe Saṅkhāra Anicca, Dukkha, Anatta:

The Fact of Impermanence (Piyadassi Thera)

They arise and cease, that is their nature: They come into being and pass away, Release from them is bliss supreme. — Mahaa-Parinibbaana Sutta (DN 16)[1]

Anicca (Impermanence) According to Theravada (Bhikkhu Ñanamoli):

"What is impermanent? The five categories [khandha] are impermanent. In what sense impermanent? Impermanent in the sense of rise and fall [udaya-vaya]" (Ps. Aanaapaanakathaa/vol. i, 230).

• Saṅkhāra is the process of constant rise-and-fall.
• Saṅkhāra are sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and thought. They are constantly rising and falling, from the beginning to end, according to their lifespans.

The Buddha uttered the following verses to Sāmāvati:

appamādo amatapadaṃ pamādo maccuno padaṃ appamattā na mīyanti ye pamattā yathā matā

Verse 21-23 - The Story of Sāmāvati (Ven. Weagoda Sarada Maha Thero)
Citta, cetasika and rupa are impermanent. Everything constructed with them is conditioned to be impermanent. An impermanent thing (Saṅkhāra) is ownerless, as it goes on its own accord. Impermanence is a law. It does not hear the cries and prayers of the atta (self/ego). One should accept reality. To be able to accept reality, one needs to train the mind. When the mind is well-conditioned to accept reality, one ends mental suffering.

• Sabbe saṅkhāra anicca (all constructs/activities are impermanence).
• Anicca is dukkha (impermanence is suffering).
• Time and again to begin and end is samsara, the cycle of pain.

The Buddha said that one's imminent duty is to get rid of sakkāyadiṭṭhi. One should contemplate thus, this impermanent metaphysical body is not me. It is not mine. It is not somebody. It is not a being but Paticcasamuppada the law of life (the chain, or law, of dependent origination, or the chain of causation).

Two Types of Dukkha

[The vipassanā Dipani (The Manual of Insight): The Three Parinnas (Mahāthera Ledi Sayadaw)]
[Quote] Dukkha-parinna means either a perfect or a qualified knowledge of the intrinsic characteristic Ill or infelicity [unhappiness; misfortune]. Here Ill is of two kinds:

1. Vedayita-dukkha (Pain-feeling ill).
2. Bhayattha-dukkha (Fear producing ill).

Here Vedayita-dukkha is synonymous with Dukkha-vedana, which is present in the Vedana Triad of Sukhaya-vedanaya-sampayutta- Dhamma, Dukkhaya - vedanaya-sampayutta-dhamma, and Adukkhamasukhaya-vedanaya-sampayutta-dhamma.
Bhayattha-dukkha is synonymous with Dukkha-saccam and with Dukkham, which is present in the three salient features, Anicca, Dukkha, and Anattá. [End quote]

• Will for verbal activity or bodily activity is Vedayita-dukkha,
• Sabbe saṅkhāra dukkha: When three sticks are set upright leaning against one another at their upper ends, each of them depends on, and is depended on by, the other two. As long as one of them remains in such an upright position, so long will all remain in the same position. And, if one of them falls, all will fall at the same time. (construct/activity) is thus synonymous with dukkha.
• All kusala and akusala (wholesome and unwholesome) verbal, mental and physical constructs (activities) are dukkha.

Enjoyment:

There is enjoyment. This knowledge is saññā.
One does not know much about enjoyment. This lack of knowledge is avijjā.
Avijjā-Paccaya Saṅkhāra:

• Enjoyment is mano-saṅkhāra (mental-construct/activity) supported by a convenient (constructive/desirable) support.
• Enjoyment occurs when craving for enjoyment is provided with a convenience. Underneath the enjoyment are craving and clinging, coexisting together.
• When the convenience is cut off, enjoyment is cut off and disagreement (mano-saṅkhāra) arises, and dukkha arises.
• If craving and clinging are cut off, enjoyment is cut off, too, and dukkha is cut off.
• Enjoyment spends too much physical and mental energies.

Mano-saṅkhāra and Citta

• Mano-saṅkhāra: mental Construct/Activity
• Mind leads every time, but it is conditioned/supported by saṅkhāra (i.e. mano-saṅkhāra)
• Enjoyment (sa
• Mano-saṅkhāra triggers the Vaci-saṅkhāra (verbal construct) and Kaya-saṅkhāra (bodily construct)
• These saṅkhāra are Kamma saṅkhāras (except the saṅkhāras triggered by vāsanā).
  • Vāsanā refers to habitual patterns of thought, speech or action that are imprinted in the mind.
  • The habitual way one speaks, walks, eats, behaves, etc. are saṅkhāras with no intention (kamma) and innocent. For example, when scare-pranked, one screams and jumbs irrationally but predictably and laugh spectacularly. And the people watching the show laugh, too.

Mano-Saṅkhāra: Mental Construct & Construction

The Mind Citta Sutta (SN 1:62)

• Citta-Sutta: The world is led by thought （citta） and plagued by it．S.i.39； cf．A.ii.177.
• Sanā and Saṅkhāra work together. Wrong view leads wrong action (akusala kamma) to wrong destination (dugati / duggati).

Avijjā-Paccaya Saṅkhāra

paccaya : (m.) cause; votive; requisite; means; support.

• Ignorance conditions/supports the re-construction (rebirth) of the various mental, verbal and physical activities;

Avijjāya tveva asesa viraga-nirodha, saṅkhāra-nirodho (When such ignorance ceases, it cannot condition the re-construction)

• Avijjā: heedlessness, recklessness, carelessness, lack of attention, ignorance, misperceiving, misunderstanding, taking a wrong view,
  • View is kamma (mono-kamma or mano saṅkhāra).
  • Wrong View (micchaditthi) basically means misperception or with reference to sakkāyadiṭṭhi—I am, he is, she is, it is, beautiful.
  • Our actions are usually led by sakkāyadiṭṭhi, which makes us to be ego-centric and discriminatory.

Anusaya Kilesas (latent tendency): How Does Saṅkhāra Occur?

Verse 1: manopubbangama dhamma [Dhammapada Verse 1 Cakkhupalatthera Vatthu]
Verse 2: All mental phenomena have mind as their forerunner; they have mind as their chief; they are mind-made. If one speaks or acts with a pure mind, happiness (sukha) follows him like a shadow that never leaves him. [Dhammapada Verse 2 Matthakundali Vatthu]

• Citta (vinnāna/consciousness) leads the thought (kamma saṅkhāra: intentional activity). Kamma is intention. This intentional thought (kamma vaci-saṅkhāra) becomes the subject on which the next vinnāna to occur as the rebirth of new consciousness—saṅkhāra-paccāya vinnānam.
  • When a unit of vinnāna (consciousness) ceases, another unit of vinnāna is born right away. Every new vinnāna is based on saṅkhāra—saṅkhāra-paccāya vinnānam. This process will go on as the samsarā of the three saṅkhata dhātu (citta, cetasika, rūpa).
  • Saṅkhāra is cetasika, either wholesome or unwholesome.
  • Cetasika and vinnāna (citta) co-arise—Aññamañña paccayo (explained above).

These two verses from Dhammapada echo the Paticcasamuppada teaching that vinnana is conditioned by sankhara. For the verses say that happiness or misery arises from kamma sankhara, and in fact sukha or dukkha occurs together with vinnana. Again, vinnana implies the associated mental factors and its physical basis viz., rupa. Hence, the teaching that vinnana conditions nama rupa. [A Discourse on Paticcasamuppada (Mahasi Sayadaw):]

• In the rebirth process, saṅkhāra-paccāya vinnānam (mano-saṅkhāra conditions/causes/supports the consciousness)
• Mano-saṅkhāra includes rebirth vision (gati nimitta, which is the vision of the abodes or plane of existence he will be reborn in (Ven. Janakabhivamsa)).

In Atthi Raga Sutta: Where There is Passion (Nyanaponika Thera), the Buddha explains how saṅkhāra conditions the arise of vinnāna—(volitional thought: saṅkhāra; consciousness: vinnāna.

"If, O monks, there is lust for the nutriment sense-impression... volitional thought [vaci-saṅkhāra/mano-kamma]... consciousness [vinnāna], if there is pleasure in it and craving for it, then consciousness takes a hold therein and grows. Where consciousness takes a hold and grows, there will be occurrence of mind-and-body [nāma-rūpa]. Where there is occurrence of mind-and-body, there is growth of kamma-formations [kamma saṅkhāra]. Where there is growth of kamma-formations, there is a future arising of renewed existence. Where there is a future arising of renewed existence, there is future birth, decay and death. This, I say, O monks, is laden with sorrow, burdened with anguish and despair.

• kamma saṅkhāra: volitional saṅkhāra
• Vaci-saṅkhāra/mano-kamma: Thought is considered as vaci-saṅkhāra, but as it occurs in the mind, it is mano-kamma. Vaci-kamma is speech through the mouth.

[The Concept of Existence (Bhava) in Early Buddhism, iafor (Pranab Barua):]

• Cetasika (mental concomitance): vedanā, saññā, and saṅkhāra (feeling, perception and mental formation and emotion)
• Cetasika is led by citta. However, citta and cetasika occur simuteneously.
• Citta is immediately followed by vedanā, saññā, and then saṅkhāra and replaced by another citta
• Saṅkhāra can continue as thought, as the saññā feeds the information (memory)

Dependent on feeling [vedana] arises craving (taṇhā). Craving results in grasping (upadana). Grasping is the cause of kamma (bhava) which in its turn, conditions future birth (jati). Birth is the inevitable cause of old age and death (jara-marana). [Buddhism in a Nutshell: Dependent Arising (Paticca Samuppada) (Narada Thera)]

• Taṇhā(lobha) is a kilesa (akusala cetasika).
• Perceiving a construct as a cat, a car, a woman, a dog, a hand ... is a wrong view. Delusion (avijja or moha) causes this view. A construct should be understood as it is. There is no cat but nāma-rūpa. There is no car but rupa. There is no woman but nāma-rūpa.
• Perceiving is kamma saṅkhāra (volitional saṅkhāra) that leads to Kammabhava.

[Mahasi Sayadaw:] Kammabhava means the kamma that leads to rebirth.

• consciousness takes a hold therein and grows: that is Ārammaṇa paccayo:

(7)All dhammas are related to mindconscious-ness-element and its associated states by object condition.
(8)Grasping any dhamma as object, these dhammas arise: consciousness and mental factors. The former dhamma is related to the latter dhammas by object condition.

The Law of Dependent Arising

(The law of life; the chain, or law, of dependent origination, or the chain of causation)
Narada Maha Thera

• Dependent on Ignorance (5 ) arise Conditioning Activities (6).
• Dependent on Conditioning Activities arises (Rebirth) Consciousness (7).
• Dependent on (Rebirth) Consciousness arise Mind and Matter (8).
• Dependent on Mind and Matter arise the six (Sense) Bases (9).
• Dependent on the six (sense) Bases arises contact (10).
• Dependent on Contact arises Feeling (11).
• Dependent on Feeling arises Craving (12).
• Dependent on Craving arises Grasping (13).
• Dependent on Grasping arises Action or Becoming (14)
• Dependent on Action arises Birth (15).
• Dependent on Birth arise Decay, Death, Sorrow, Lamentation, Pain, Grief, and Despair. Thus arises the whole mass of suffering.
• Thus arises the whole mass of suffering.
• Herein this is the Law of the Dependent Arising.

Abhidhammattha Sangaha of Anuruddhacariya; A Manual of Abhidhamma: CHAPTER VIII - THE COMPENDIUM OF RELATIONS,

2.4.6. Saṅkhāra and Rebirth

Ārammaṇa paccayo: Beings are reborn according to their sense-data/perception and mental activities. Perceiving and constructing views (mano-saṅkhāra) on nāma-rūpa complex as dog, pig, cat, fish... beings are reborn as dogs, pigs, cats, fish... Perception and mental activity never stop. That is how we know things and how we are traversing the neverending from one species to another in the samsarā, carrying the burden of nāma-rūpa.
Upādānakkhandha: perception (saññā) is firmly attached to the physical body (rūpa), feeling (vedanā) and consciousness (vinnana).
That view makes us see things on the surface as a cat, a car, a woman, a dog, a hand, and so on. We are not used to perceiving beneath the skin. Such a sight is too uncomfortable for us. A cat, a car, a woman, a dog, a hand, and so on are a construct (a thing conditioned).A construct (a conditioned thing) differs from illusion. For example, there is no arahant (Tathagata) but a construct or one who has reached the other shore the Nibbāna.
A conversation between Yamaka bhikkhu and Venerable Sāriputta Thera went this way in the Yamaka Sutta (Thanissaro Bhikkhu):

"Do you regard the Tathagata as that which is without form, without feeling, without perception, without fabrications, without consciousness?"

Nāma is the mental aggregates (four mental phenomena: vedanā, saññā, saṅkhāra, vinnana) and rūpa is the physical aggregates (the 32 body parts).
Seeing things as they are (Yathabhuta ñana Dassana) overcomes attachment and aversion. However, only the vipassanā-ñana (vipassanā-insight) can stop the nature of the mind from involuntary development of (mano-saṅkhāra) attachment to the body as I-being (I-am) and aversion.

When you feel a pleasant feeling what will arise? Attachment...

Pleasant > Attachment (taṇhā); Unpleasant > Aversion (dosa). The mind attaches to something whether it is desired or undesired. Love/attachment and hate/aversion are the causes for the mind to attach to an object or subject.

Every moment, the mental state is either attachment or aversion. This is how we constantly experience dukkha (suffering).

Experience (mano-saṅkhāra) is suffering. We only experience suffering. But craving (taṇhā) makes us think we feel pleasure while we experience pleasurable feeling or lesser pain. For example, salt is salty. The right amount of salt makes good taste and craving. Too little or too much salt makes bad taste and agression.
All of these are the five upādānakkhandha: rūpakkhandha, vedanākkhandha, saññākkhandha, saṅkhārakkhandha, viññāṇakkhandha.
Active Suffering: saṅkhāra and kamma are interchangeable, so there are vaci kamma/saṅkhāra, mano kamma/saṅkhāra and kaya kamma/saṅkhāra. Passive Suffering is caused by sight, smell, sound, taste, touch and thought (mental fabrication or citta-saṅkhāra). We go through active and passive sufferings from one moment to another. We suffer physically and mentally at the same time.
Only the arahants are free from mental suffering. They do not mentally suffer from the mental and physical vedanā (feeling) because they have cut off the mind from attaching to vedanā. An arahant no longer feels vedanā as his or hers even at a serious pain is present. Mental attachment to feeling is like a piece of magnet to large and small iron pieces. The attachment occurs involuntarily due to the nature of mind.

• Vedayita-dukkha (Pain-feeling ill)—from the presence of the undesirable, and from the lack of the desirable (essential);
• Bhayattha-dukkha (Fear producing ill)—fear of the presence of the undesirable, and fear of the lack of the desirable (essential);

vedayita : (nt.) feeling; experience.
bhaya, n. fear, fright, danger, calamity,
bhayaiikara, adj. fearful, dreadful,
[THE STUDENT'S PALI-ENGLISH DICTIONARY (MAUNG TIN. M.A.)]

Saññā is the enemy:

Saññā can be understood as sense-datum, outside object, perception, and memory. Saññā (sense datum / perception) tells us vedanā is pain, itch, cold, good smell, bad smell, girl, boy, cat, etc.
(Based on the teaching of Mogok Sayadaw and Theinngu Sayadaw:)
Vedanā is vedanakkhandha. It is vedayita, dukkha-sacca (the truth of suffering). It is a cetasika, one of the four paramattha (realities). Whenever we experience something, we should notice vedanā and know it as vedanā rather than pain, itch, cold, good smell, bad smell, girl, boy, cat, man, woman, tree, etc. However, saññā hides vedanā, the reality (paramattha), and informs us that we experience pain, itch, cold, good smell, bad smell, girl, boy, cat, man, woman, tree, etc. Thus, we fail to notice the vedanā and follow the information given by saññā and become delusional and miss the reality.
Vedanā: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch
Pannā tells us the reality: vedanā is experience.
Pannā develops when one notices or knows sight, sound, smell, taste or touch as vedanā. Thus, we must be mindful of vedanā and let go of saññā, according to Ārammaṇa paccayo: Grasping any dhamma as object, these dhammas arise: consciousness and mental factors.

Saṅkhāra is an enemy, too:

• Saṅkhāra is mental activity, thought especially.
• If the mind has something else to do or think, it does not focus on vipassana. One needs strong samādhi and commitment.
• Avijjā-paccāya saṅkhāra ;
  • Avijjā is heedlessness, caused by the lack of mindfulness (samādhi).
• Saṅkhāra-paccāya vinnānam (Construct/activity conditions/supports consciousness);
  • Saṅkhāra sends the mind outside (out of meditation) to attend on various sense objects
  • Saṅkhāra causes the mind to be attending on unimportant subjects.
  • Saṅkhāra bends the mind, while Saññā deceives it (provides the mind with misperception).
• Saṅkhāra-nirodha vinnāna-nirodho;
• In the Dhammapada, the Story of Sāmāvati, the Buddha uttered verse 21:

appamādo amatapadaṃ pamādo maccuno padaṃ
Heedfulness is the Deathless path, heedlessness, the path to death.

Pabhassara Sutta

• In the Pabhassara Sutta (Luminous), the Buddha clarifies the effect of saññā and sankhāra on vinnāna:

"Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is freed from incoming defilements. The well-instructed disciple of the noble ones discerns that as it actually is present, which is why I tell you that — for the well-instructed disciple of the noble ones — there is development of the mind." {I,vi,2}

• Defilements are ten kilesā, which associates with saññā and saṅkhāra that condition the vinnāna.
• Saṅkhāra, which is not associated with kilesā, can condition the vinnāna, too.
• Saṅkhāra-nirodha vinnāna-nirodho;

The Restraint of the Faculties (Indriya-Saṃvara-Sīla)

Detachment (Anupādāna) is free from attachment and aversion.

Nibbana is a Pali word and it derives from nirvana which composes of ni and vana. Ni means nikkhanta or liberated from vana or binding effect. Vana is the dhammas that bind various different lives in the samsara. So nibbana means liberated from binding in the samsara. this binding is tanha. [Htoo Naing. Patthana Dhamma: Chapter 6 - Ārammana paccayo (or object condition)].

Practicing the development of detachment reduces sakkāyadiṭṭhi. Traditionally, the development conprises upekkha (calmness in the sense of Brahmavihara) and the Indriya-Saṃvara-Sīla (Restraint of the Faculties).

While the Brahmaviharas are natural human capacities, they may be underdeveloped and unavailable when they are most needed. [The Four Faces of Love: The Brahma Viharas (Gil Fronsdal)]

The Buddha explains about self-restraints that can prevent bad rebirth. Laypeople do not train with them because of the difficulties laypeople have to deal with in society.

After receiving the Buddha’s discourse with delight, Sakka put the next question:
“Venerable Sir, how does a bhikkhu practise so as to keep his faculties well guarded?”
[The Great Chronicle of Buddhas (Ven. Mingun Sayadaw)]

Deeper understanding of atta is attained with Nāmarūpapariccheda ñana.

Sakkāyadiṭṭhi is reduced gradually at the first stage of enlightenment, which is nāma-rūpa pariccheda ñana. This ñana (knowledge) is the ability to distinguish nāma (mental phenomena) and rūpa (material phenomena).
In the Anatta-lakkhana Sutta, the Buddha clarifies nāma-rūpa as anicca, dukkha and anatta:

"Bhikkhus, form [rūpa] is not-self. Were form self, then this form would not lead to affliction, and one could have it of form: 'Let my form be thus, let my form be not thus.' And since form is not-self, so it leads to affliction, and none can have it of form: 'Let my form be thus, let my form be not thus.'

• Form (rūpa) is the five aggregates of clinging.
• Nāma is the collective term of consciousness (vinnāna), feeling (vedanā), memory-perception (saññā), and mental activities (Saṅkhāra)

Right View, Right Understanding:

Magganga Dipani Ledi Sayadaw:

• kammassakata samma-ditthi--Right View or Understanding that in the case of beings only two things, wholesome and unwholesome actions performed by them, are their own properties that always accompany them wherever they may wander in many a becoming or world-cycle;
• dasavatthuka samma-ditthi-- Right Understanding of the ten kinds of subjects;
• catu-sacca samma- ditthi--Right Understanding of the four Realities or the Four Truths.
• Kammayoni: Only the wholesome and unwholesome actions of beings are the origin of their wanderings in many a becoming or world-cycle.

Sotapanna's Right View

a person born blind [...] is cured of the cataract and gains sight. From the moment the cataract disappears, the view of the earth, the mountains, the sky with sun, moon and stars, etc, is opened to him and remains so throughout his life. Similarly, the noble stream-enterers (sotāpanna-ariya) gain the view of the three characteristics of existence (ti-lakkhaṇa) and of the Four Noble Truths, and do not lose it. This is how the path factor “right view” is firmly established.

The Venerable Ledi Sayādaw. The Requisites of Enlightenment (Bodhipakkhiya Dīpanī).
Right Understanding (Kyaw Min):
[Quote] The Doctrine of Anattā [Anattavāda] can be understood as composed of 3 parts.

1. there is no soul,
2. there is no self,
3. there is no control over our body processes. [End quote]

Self (atta or soul) means the non-existent owner of nāma-rūpa. Nāma-rūpa are dhamma (nature or phenomena) and the slaves of no one. They do not take command. They obey none but the law of anicca. That is why we must observe them using a vipassanā method to understand them and to become wise.
That is why nāma-rūpa are anatta: owned by no-one. Details are taught in Cula-Saccaka Sutta.
When views are corrected, one achieves Ditthi-Visuddhi (purifications of view).

a yogi ... should first fortify his knowledge by learning and questioning about the soil. After he has perfected Sīla and samādhi that are the roots. Then he can develop the five purifications (of view) that are the trunk. [The quote is modified.]

Attaining the Insight Wisdom, the fundamental knowledge of nature, is to gain the ability to give up sakkāyadiṭṭhi: craving for existence (bhava taṇhā) and claiming ownership of the nāma-rūpa complex.

A word of warning; until one attains to the Path-Knowledge as the first stage (sotapatti magga ̣ñāna), there is no stability and security for a worldling or puthujjana whether he happens to be a great monarch of men, or of devas, or of Brahmas. Only sotappatti magga provides real security. For a sotāpanna, one who ‘enters the stream’ of the Path, is one who realizes Nibbāna and has been precluded from falling into the four miserable states or apāya; and is also firmly put on the Path until one is released from the hazards of samsāra, the round of births, ageing and death. That is why the Buddha, out of great compassion for all sentient beings, urged for the teaching of the Truth. [The Elder Revata. 2491 Sāsanā Era. Catusacca Daḷhī Kamma Kathā.]

—————————————————————————————————————————

Also good to read:

Paramatthas are explained in several books, including the following:

• Dr Mehm Tin Mon: Introducing the Higher Teachings of the Buddha: Buddha Abhidhamma: Ultimate Science

His ultimate teaching, known as Abhidhamma, describes in detail the natures of the ultimate realities that really exist in nature but are unknown to scientists. His method of verification is superior to scientific methods which depend on instruments. He used His divine-eye to penetrate the coverings that hide the true nature of all things. He also taught others how to develop concentration and how to observe with their mind-eyes the true nature of all things and finally the four Noble Truths which can enlighten one to achieve one’s liberation from all miseries for ever.

• N.K.G. Mendis: The Abhidhamma in Practice, The Wheel Publication No. 322/323

First Cause: Buddhism does not postulate a first cause. The world is beginningless, a continuous arising and passing away of phenomena dependent on conditions.

• Ledi Sayādaw Mahāthera: The Manual of Insight Vipassanā Dīpanī; The Wheel Publication No: 031/032

Lokuttara, or supramundane consciousness, is the noble mind (ariya-citta) which has become free from the threefold desire, and has transcended the three planes, kāma, rūpa, and arūpa. It is of two kinds, thus: noble consciousness in the path (of stream-entry, etc.) and noble consciousness in the fruition (of stream-entry, etc.).

• Saṅkhāra (Pali Kanon): Saṅkhāra

Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines: This term has, according to its context, different shades of meaning, which should be carefully distinguished. (I) To its most frequent usages (s. foll. 1-4) the general term 'formation' may be applied, with the qualifications required by the context. This term may refer either to the act of 'forming or to the passive state of 'having been formed' or to both.

• Bhikkhu Bodhi: Saṅkhāras in Dependent Origination

Saṅkhāra is virtually synonymous with kamma, a word to which it is etymologically akin.

Milindapanha: Saṅkhāra and Anatta

The answers of Venerable Nagasena and the questions of King Milinda are compiled as Milindapanha.
Two of the major topics are self (page 46) and soul (page 128) (see Pages). Venerable Nagasena and the king agreed a being and a thing are constructs (saṅkhāra).

2.8. Saṅkhāra:

Saṅkhāra (Theravada glossary):
Formation, compound, fashioning, fabrication - the forces and factors that fashion things (physical or mental), the process of fashioning, and the fashioned things that result. Sankhara can refer to anything formed or fashioned by conditions, or, more specifically, (as one of the five khandhas) thought formations within the mind.

• Saṅkhāra: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and mental activities
• Saṅkhāra is construct. Construct is activity.
• Sight is a construct. Sight occurs as an activity composed of looking, seeing, light/image incoming, brain and mind functioning, etc.
• Sound is a construct. Sound occurs as an activity composed of listening, hearing, sound waves incoming, brain and mind functioning, etc.
• Smell...
• Taste...
• Touch...
• Thought is a construct. Thought occurs as an acivity composed of recalling memory, composing ideas, brain and mind functioning, etc.

Paramattha & Saṅkhāra

Existence is made of paramattha (reality, real things) and saṅkhāra (activity).
Four Paramatthas are Citta, cetasika, rūpa, Nibbāna.
Saṅkhāra is either natural or intentional.

The Four Noble Truths

The Catusacca (the Four Truths or Facts) are Ariya-Sacca (the Noble Truth, the Ultimate Truth). These four truths are the true nature (sbhāva) of paramattha and saṅkhāra.
The Catusacca Daḷhī Kamma Kathā composed by the Elder Revata (2491 Sāsanā Era) is a must-read:

The Buddha had to acquire the ten perfection (pāramis) over four asankheyyas and a hundred thousand kappas; a paccekabuddha, over two asankheyyas and a hundred thousand kappas; a Chief Disciple or Mahāsāvaka, over one asankheyyas and a hundred thousand kappas. To what end? To attain to the Four Noble Truths. Why? Because it is only knowledge of the Four Noble Truths that leads to the realization of Nibbana, which makes one secure against the hazards of repeated (birth), ageing, disease and death and the natural tendency of all worldlings to fall into the four miserable states (apāya). One should therefore follow the example of those Noble Ones who have entered Nibbana and strive for the knowledge of the Truth.

Two truths:

1. The paramattha-sacca (the ultimate truth, or reality that really exists in nature);
2. The samuti-sacca (the conventional truth, or the conventions and beliefs that really exist among us);

Sacca : truth; Truth also means a statement or speech is truthful or of a noble person.

TATHĀGATĀ
the Buddha uses to address himself. He is “thus come” (tathā āgata) in the sense that he is neither an emissary of any divine being (God, etc) nor prophets, but arises as the most highly evolved being amongst us as the natural process of spiritual evolution and awakening. He is “thus gone” (tathā gata) in the sense that, just like the truth he proclaims, he dies, thus authenticating the reality that he and we commonly are. (Sacca) Tathāgatā Sutta (Piya Tan)

Nāma and Rūpa

There are five aggregates of clinging.

• Nāma is the collective term for saṅkhata dhamma: citta (viññāṇa) and cetāsika (vedanā, saññā, saṅkhāra). Thus, nāma is the four mental componets (vedanā, saññā, saṅkhāra and viññāṇa). Citta is also known as mano and viññāṇa. Citta (mind) and cetasika (mental factors) rise and fall together.
• Rūpa is the four mahābhūta (solid, liquid, gas and heat) and space. Space is the gaps between the particles (mahābhūta). Thus, rūpa is the corporeal body. Rūpa is often translated as form; i.e. the biological body.
• A being is a nāma-rūpa complex or a metaphysical being.

Saṅkhāra as the three built environments:

• Satta-loka is lifeforms and their systems/activities—Avijja-paccaya sankhara (delusion conditions/supports constructs/activities).
• Okāsa-loka is large objects like plants, rivers, mountains, seas, oceans, rocks, galaxies, stars, planets, moons, etc. and their systems/activities. Okāsa-loka houses lifeforms.
• Saṅkhāra-loka is the particals (mahābhūta) and their systems/activities. Saṅkhāra-loka is of particle physics and chemistry existing inside and outside the biological beings (Satta-loka).
• The Satta-loka is made of the five aggregates. Okāsa-loka and Saṅkhāra-loka are made of matters (rūpa or mahābhūta).
• Everything in the three worlds (Satta-loka, Okāsa-loka, Saṅkhāra-loka) is saṅkhāra or a form of sight, sound, smell, taste, touch or thought.
• See Sabba Sutta (The All are these six senses only, no more.)
• Nibbāna is thus the other shore, relief from the burden of the natural activities (birth, aging, death) and intention (kamma saṅkhāra). Nibbāna is thus relief from the nāma-rūpa complex (the natural and intentional activities).

2.8.1. Three types of saṅkhāra:

• Mano-saṅkhāra (mental construct/formation/activity)
• Vaci-saṅkhāra (verbal...): words, comversation, cry, etc.;
• Kāya-saṅkhāra (bodily...): physical action and reaction (all physical activities, which are not vaci);
• These saṅkhāra can be natural or intentional.
• Kamma saṅkhāra (intentional activities) are led by the mind (viññāṇa and mano-saṅkhāra).

Kamma Saṅkhāra (Intentional Activity)

• Intention is kamma (mano-kamma).
• A mental activity with intention is mano-kamma.
• A verbal activity with intention is vaci-kamma.
• A bodily activity with intention is kaya-kamma.
• Intention forms in the mind, so it is a mano-saṅkhāra (mental construct).
• Intention is based on wholesome and unwholesome cetasika (mental factors)

In Samyutta Nikaya Sutta 12.25 the Buddha said “With ignorance as condition, either by oneself, Ananda, one wills bodily intentions (kāya Saṅkhāra), following which arises internally pleasure and pain; or, because of others one wills bodily intentions, following which arises internally, pleasure and pain.” [CONDITIONED ARISING OF SUFFERING (Ven. Dhammavuddho Mahāthera)]

• 'Bodily intention' (kaya-saṅkhāra): intention to act bodily;
  • Kāya: body, bodily;
  • Intention: mano-saṅkhāra
• Mental pain and pleasure; as intention is inside the mind, pleasure and pain are internal (inside the mind).

One casts three types of saṅkhāra (construct/activity) all day long.

• Kamma is volition, intentional action, which can be subtle or gross.
• The Buddha said, "Kamma is intention."

Saṅkhāra Examples:

Avijjā-paccaya saṅkhāra (ignorance conditions/supports construct/activity):

• Beauty is saṅkhāra (natural and with intent). Beauty exists because it is supported by other saṅkhāra-s, including but not limited to fashion, makecup, good health, young age, exercise, nutrition, perception, culture, cleanliness, and genetic conditions. Being propped up by various suitable supports, beauty exists. When suitable things come together, they create beauty. When these supports are affected, beauty is affected.

2.8.2. Cetasikas (Mental Factors):

Cetasika is a paramattha. It exists as it is.
A being is made of rūpa (solid, liquid, gas and heat), citta (viññāṇa) and cetāsika (vedanā, saññā, saṅkhāra). However, one does not need akusala-cetasika (avijjā). By removing akusala-cetasika (avijjā), one attains kusala-cetasika (vijjā) and the binding (saṅkhāra) is unbinded.

• saṅkhārakkhandha (m.) the aggregate of mental coefficients

Sankharakkhandha (the fifty cetasikas which are not vedana or sanna) is real; it can be experienced. When there are beautiful mental factors (sobhana cetasikas) such as generosity and compassion, or when there are unwholesome mental factors such as anger and stinginess, we can experience sankharakkhandha. All these phenomena arise and fall away: sankharakkhandha is impermanent. [Nina Van Gorkom. Chapter 2 - The five khandas]

• Cetasika are vedanā, saññā and saṅkhāra (feeling, memory/perception, and construct/activity)
• 14 kusala cetasika (wholesome) and 14 akusala cetasikas (unwholesome mental factors) associate with saṅkhāra and Kamma Saṅkhāra.
• Viññāṇa (consciousness) is citta, one of the four paramatthas. Citta and cetasika occur together and stated as Aññamañña paccayo (explained below);

Aññamañña Paccayo (PAṬṬHĀNA)

Aññamañña paccayo: Paccaya RECIPROCATES WITH paccayuppanna
paccayuppanna : (adj.) arisen from a cause.
paccaya : (m.) cause; votive; requisite; means; support.

• Citta and cetasika (saṅkhāra and vedana/ayatana) arise together or mutually supportive. Details can be read in Pa-Auk Sayadaw's Sampayutta Dhammayatana.
  • Ayatana: sense
  • Vedanā: feeling
  • saṅkhāra: construct
  • Avijjā-paccaya saṅkhāra
• No matter how one is well-behaved, these Anusaya Kilesās will not die out. Either kusala or akusala cetasika (wholesome or unwholesome mental factors) will arise when consciousness (citta) comes in contact with a convenience. Our problems are the unwholesome mental factors.

[Ledi Sayadaw] Lokuttara, or supramundane consciousness, is the noble mind (ariya-citta) which has become free from the threefold desire, and has transcended the three planes, kāma, rūpa, and arūpa. It is of two kinds, thus: noble consciousness in the path (of stream-entry, etc.) and noble consciousness in the fruition (of stream-entry, etc.). [Ledi Sayādaw Mahāthera. The Manual of Insight Vipassanā Dīpanī; The Wheel Publication No: 031/032]

• By means of practicing vipassanā, one can separate citta from akusala cetasika. When akusala cetasika are eradicated from the mind, ariya-citta arises.
• Anupàdisesa-Nibbànadhàtu is the final cessation of the five aggregates of clinging (Upādānakkhandha).
• Nibbànadhàtu: Santisukha (the ultimate-peace element); Nibbàna is an element (paramattha).

Akusala Cetasikas (unwholesome mental factors)

Abhidhamma (Ashin Janakabhivamsa)

• Factor 1 - Moha (delusion)
• Factor 2 - Ahirika (moral shamelessness)
• Factor 3 - Anottappa (moral fearlessness)
• Factor 4 - Uddhacca (distraction, restlessness, wavering)
• Factor 5 - Lobha (greed)
• Factor 6 - Ditthi (wrong view)
• Factor 7 - Mana (conceit)
• Factor 8 - Dosa (hatred)

Factor 9 - Issa (envy)
Factor 10 - Macchariya (jealousy, selfishness)
Factor 11 - Kukkucca (remorse)

• Factor 12-13 - Thina and middha (sloth and torpor)
• Factor 14 - Vicikiccha (doubt, scepticism)

Among the akusala cetasikas are the ten kilesā (akusala cetasika) shown with bullet points.

Hetu paccayo

Lobha, dosa, and moha are called akusala hetus and alobha, adosa, and amoha are called kusala hetus. These latter 3 hetus if they arise with abyakata dhamma they are called abyakata hetus. Lobha is also known as tanha, upadana, samudaya and so on. Moha is sometimes called avijja. Alobha is sometimes refered to dana or offering but it is non attachment. Adosa is metta or loving kindness. Amoha is pannindriya cetasika and simply called panna and is sometimes called vijja. Htoo Naing. Patthana Dhamma: Chapter 5 - Hetu paccayo (or root condition). Htoo Naing. Patthana Dhamma (a different book): Hetu paccayo (page 15)

Kilesā occur in three levels:

1/ anusaya-kilesa: low level, latent, like sediments waiting to be stirred up. 2/ pariyuttana-kilesa: medium level arising only in the mind due to causes and conditions. 3/ vitikkakama-kilesa: coarse level, manifesting in unwolesome speech or action, breaking precepts. [Defilements (kilesā) (Thanh Huynh - Honolulu Dhamma Community)]

Anusaya Kilesas (latent tendency):

If you don’t remove or destroy [latent tendency or defilements (anusaya kilesā)] with Path Knowledge, the khandhas and samudaya (i.e., taṇhā) are always sticking together. [Buddhavada (Mogok Sayadaw); also see 4.2. ANUSAYA]

• Cetasikas are embeded in the formation of a being, including the arupa-brahmas.
• When something convenient (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, or thought) is present to consciousness (Viññāṇa), anusaya kilesā (the latent tendency) grows like seeds.
• At the contact with the convenience, Viññāṇa and the cetasika co-arise simultaneously according to Aññamañña paccayo (Mutuality or Reciprocity Condition)
  • To think, one must be conscious; and to continue thinking, one must be conscious.
  • To see a sight, one must be conscious...
  • To smell a smell...

Comparing with Mahayanist concepts:

• Anusaya kilesās are not based on discrimination and erroneous reasoning (Lanka)
• Anusaya kilesās are not in the Ālaya-vijñāna (the Universal Mind, storehouse consciousness), nor are related to the buddha-nature (Buddha-dhàtu, Buddha-svabhāva). The Mahayanist Ālaya-vijñāna and Buddha-svabhāva are neither citta nor cetasika known to the Vibhajjavadis.

2.8.3. The Role of Saññā

Saññā is a type of cetasika. Other cetasika are vedanā and saṅkhāra. Cetasika is a reality (paramattha).
Saññā is memory (events) and perception (a form of mano-saṅkhārā). However, saññā and saṅkhārā must be different. Saññā must not be saṅkhārā (construct). Saññā must be a raw material. Although saññā and saṅkhārā are similar, saññā must not be saṅkhārā or a product of saṅkhārā.
Saññā as the past events is memory. Events are not imagined. Events occur at the present are reality (not memory).
Saññā can exist as the future events or future memory, like a plan. If a plan is possible to be carried out, then some future events are predictable. In that sense, some future events are knowable.
A Buddha can analyse an individual's mentality and potentials. Based on that knowledge, a Buddha can know and prophesies some major events about an individual or the world. However, a Buddha cannot know the potentials of all the individuals with weak mind (Iddhipāda) and faculties (indriya) who travel randomly any direction into the dark.
This is what the Buddha said about those going into the dark:

The chance for a being in a hell to be reborn as a human is less than that of a blind turtle, surfacing once a century, to happen to put its head through a ring moved by the winds across the surface of the sea. Even if a human rebirth is attained, the person will be poor, ugly and ill, and will tend to do evil actions which will send him or her back to hell (M. iii.169; Bca. iv.20)

PETER HARVEY. AN INTRODUCTION TO BUDDHIST ETHICS: Foundations, Values and Issues. Page 30 University of Sunderland
The Buddha advised the monks to go into the relief from the burden of nāma and rūpa:

“Monks, that’s how rare it is to get reborn as a human being. That’s how rare it is for a fully enlightened Buddha to be born into the world. That’s how rare it is for the Dhamma and training taught by a Buddha to shine in the world. Now, monks, you have been reborn as a human being. A fully enlightened Buddha has been born into the world. The Dhamma and training taught by a Buddha shine in the world.

Iddhipāda

iddhiyā pādo iddhipādo, i.e., root or basis of attaining completion or perfection (success or potency). [79] [The Venerable Ledi Sayādaw. The Requisites of Enlightenment (Bodhipakkhiya Dīpanī), Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy • Sri Lanka, The Wheel Publicaton No. 171/172/173/174.]
4. Iddhipāda Sutta.-The path mentioned above should be practised, accompanied by concentration and effort, compounded with desire, energy, idea and investigation. S.iv.365.

Indriya

1. Faculty of faith (saddh’- indriya) [Nyanatiloka Mahāthera. Guide through the Abhidhamma Piþaka, Page 18]

Avijjā-paccaya saṅkhāra; Saṅkhāra-paccāya vinnānam;

• Avijjā and saññā condition the saṅkhārā. Avijjā is a type of kilesā cetasika (mental defilement). Avijjā exists in two forms: Delusion or the lack of right view; Heedlessness or the lack of mindfulness. Both forms of avijjā are always present in saññā (i.e. wrong view).

Saṅkhāra is construct and construction.

Mano-saṅkhāra can also be understood as percept.

• percept. noun. : an impression of an object obtained by use of the senses : SENSE-DATUM (Merriam-Webster)
• Percept: a mental concept that is developed as a consequence of the process of perception [Google/Oxford Languages].
• [percept:] Perception usually combines several sensations into one thought or percept. The percept, of course, is a mental state corresponding with its outside object. A Percept is the product of Perception, or in other words, our idea gained through Perception

Saññā and Vipassanā

Saññā can be understood as sense-datum, outside object, perception, and memory.

The sense-datum is an object immediately present in experience. It has the qualities it appears to have.
A controversial issue is whether sense-data have real, concrete existence. Depending upon the version of the sense-data theory adopted, sense-data may or may not be identical with aspects of external physical objects; they may or may not be entities that exist privately in the subject’s mind. Usually, however, sense-data are interpreted to be distinct from the external physical objects we perceive. The leading view, in so far as the notion is appealed to in current philosophy, is that an awareness of (or acquaintance with) sense-data somehow mediates the subject’s perception of mind-independent physical objects. The sense-datum is the bearer of the phenomenal qualities that the subject is immediately aware of. [Sense-Data (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy)]

Lifeforms (nama-rūpa complexes) and the law of life (Paticcasamuppada) have existed in the past infinity. Saññā as memory can be recalled or accessed by anyone. Some arahants can recall the past 500 lives. Some arahants recalled several eons of the past Earths. A Buddha can recall with no limit in a very short moment. The Sakyamuni Buddha said, even if He spent His entire lifetime, He would not reach the beginning (of existence), which is considered non-existent.
Inthe Western thought, the natural memory can be improved by training [Javier Vergara / Procedia (Page 3513) - Social and Behavioral Sciences 46 ( 2012 ) 3512 – 3518)]. In the Theravada teaching, a liberated mind (which attained arahantta phala) can recall at least the past 500 lives.
Saṅkhāra and saññā belong to cetasika, which is a paramattha (reality). However, they are impermanent. That begs a question: How can the impermanent saṅkhāra and saññā be accessed? They are impermanent in theory, as they will be forgotten. The physical destruction of the memory of the past events might not happen.
As though written down into books, the memories (including sense-data) seem not to have disappeared. The fact is each of us can recall the memory, which stays with us for a lifetime. We are forgetful and cannot recall our memories whever we want to; however, they are present, and our minds revisit them sometimes. Our inability to explain how memories exist should not prevent us from admitting the fact that memories exist and can be recalled. These noble ariyas can know others' minds and access the past memories and forsee the future events.
Avijja-paccaya sankhara (ignorance conditions/supports a construct; e.g. sakkāyadiṭṭhi).

• Avijjā (ignorance) is saññā (as memory, misperception or wrong view).
• Saṅkhāra (as activity) is misunderstanding/misperceiving nama-rūpa complex as an I-being, I am, he is, she is, it is, they are... Misperceiving the nama-rūpa complexes as individuals or as beings (I-beings).
• Saññā and saṅkhāra are always together as one's problems.
• Saṅkhāra-paccāya vinnānam: when saṅkhāra (e.g. idea) is present, consciousness arises. One begins to know the construct. Saññā-Saṅkhāra are the subject to know (be conscious about).
• Saṅkhāra-paccāya vinnānam: Saṅkhāra bridges between saññā and viññāṇa—perceiving is made of saññā, saṅkhāra and viññāṇa.
• Sabbe saṅkhāra anicca—all constructs are impermanence;
• Construction: Saṅkhāra as activity (intentional or unintentional):
  • sankhara-paccaya vinnanam (Dependent on reaction (conditioning), consciousness arises);
  • Mano-saṅkhāra (Citta-Saṅkhāra), vaci-saṅkhāra, kaya-saṅkhāra—mental, verbal and bodily construct/activity which a being performs intentionally or unintentionally;
  • Cetana is also intention (volition).

Saññā (memory) is like the soil and fertilizer. Sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, or thought acts like a signal (reminder).

• In vipassanā, one puts effort to block the reminder reaching the memory (saññā)—like a responsible person kills the fire before it reaches the gunpowder. Once a sense reminder (ayatana) reaches saññā, they give birth to kamma sankhāras. The sense reminder (ayatana) is too fast for the untrained minds to block. So one does not block it but avoid it. One must develop the mind to have this avoiding ability and skill through a gradual training which comprises the indriya-samvara-sila and vipassanā. Basically, it means to prevent mano-saṅkhāra (thought) because it leads vaci-saṅkhāra and kaya-saṅkhāra.
• As the kilesā are not fed or fertilised, they will become weak and suitable for jhāna development; however, they will remain as Anusaya Kilesās. Only the vipassanā-ñana can totally eradicate Anusaya Kilesās.

Indriya-samvara-sila and Vipassanā

"In seeing there is merely seeing. In hearing there is merely hearing. In sensing there is merely sensing. In cognizing there is merely cognizing. In this way you should train yourself. "Bāhiya, when there is only seeing in seeing, hearing in hearing, sensing in sensing, cognizing in cognizing, then you will not be 'with that.' When you are not 'with that,' you will not be 'in that.' When you are not 'in that,' you will be neither here nor beyond nor in between the two. Just this is the end of suffering." [The Bāhiya Sutta (Douglas C. B. Kraft)]

Four Types of Capacity for Path Attainment

It is stated in the Puggalapaññatti (the “Book of Classification of Individuals,” (p. 160) and in the Aṅguttara Nikāya (AN 4:133) that, of the beings who encounter the Sāsana, i.e., the Teaching of the Buddha, four classes can be distinguished, viz.:
A padaparama is an individual who [...] cannot obtain release from worldly ills during this lifetime. If he dies while practising samatha (tranquillity) or vipassanā (insight) and attains rebirth either as a human being or a deva in his next existence, he can attain release from worldly ills in that existence within the present Buddha Sāsana.
niyata : one who has obtained a sure prediction made by a Buddha.
aniyata : one who has not obtained a sure prediction made by a Buddha.
aniyata neyya individuals can attain release from worldly ills in this life only if they put forth sufficient effort [...] within the present Buddha Sāsana.

(The Venerable Ledi Sayādaw. The Requisites of Enlightenment (Bodhipakkhiya Dīpanī))

2.8.4. Our concern:

Our concerns are our own mental, verbal and bodily activities:
Due to delusion (avijjā), we do not know where we have been and what we should do during this lifetime. The purpose of life in general is to practice selfishness to ultimate level.
One builds a life only to lose it to the death. Nobody can reclaim his/her previous life, properties, wealth and works. Rebirth in dugati-loka does not allow rebuilding life. One must get another opportunity in sugati-loka.
Due to clinging (upādāna) to self, one cannot separate from the new life, which is now. One always clings to the new life because of sakkāyadiṭṭhi (sakkāya-diṭṭhi). The past life is like yesterday.

• Sakkāyadiṭṭhi: clinging to nāma-rūpa as I am—i.e. this body is me, mine; the major wrong view (mano-saṅkhāra)
  • Nāma: the four mental khandas (vedanā, saññā, saṅkhāra and viññāṇa).
  • Rūpa: the corporeal body or the four mahābhūta.

Remember the following:

• Sakkāyadiṭṭhi is ego, egocentric and a very heavy burden to carry and climb uphill.
• Sakkāyadiṭṭhi extends beyond one's five aggregates.
• Sakkāyadiṭṭhi extends to others' five aggregates as well. So we can hear people say, this is mine, and that is also mine.
• Sakkāyadiṭṭhi only helps one to fall downhill.
• A chance of getting relief from this burden is rare.
• A chance to know true dana, sila, bhavanā is very rare.
• One day this body will be thrown away or buried somewhere; and that body, too.
• Truth is painful as long as one is clinging to the five aggregates.
• Thus, our true concerns are our own mental, verbal and bodily activities.

The Buddha warns us to reflect the following:

"The five facts that one should reflect on often, whether one is a woman or a man, lay or ordained..."
'I am subject to aging, have not gone beyond aging.'
'I am subject to illness, have not gone beyond illness.'
'I am subject to death, have not gone beyond death.'
'I will grow different, separate from all that is dear and appealing to me.'
'I am the owner of my actions,[1] heir to my actions, born of my actions, related through my actions, and have my actions as my arbitrator. Whatever I do, for good or for evil, to that will I fall heir.'

[Upajjhatthana Sutta— AN 5.57 (Thanissaro Bhikkhu)]

Upādāna (clinging) manifests as mano-saṅkhāra (mental activity/construct):

We cling to live body and dead body. We have seen enough pain in society in good time and bad time.
Upādānakkhandha：[m．] the factors of clinging to existence．
The five upādānakkhandha: rūpakkhandha, vedanākkhandha, saññākkhandha, saṅkhārakkhandha, viññāṇakkhandha

We take the body for self; thus we cling to rupakkhandha. We take mentality for self; thus we cling to vedanakkhandha, to sannakkhandha, to sankharakkhandha and to vinnanakkhandha. If we cling to the khandhas and if we do not see them as they are, we will have sorrow.

Saṅkhārakkhandha (m.) the aggregate of mental coefficients

• Saṅkhāra among the five aggregates is mano-saṅkhāra. Saṅkhārakkhandha is also designated as upādānakkhandha as there is clinging.
• The upādānakkhandha rises from sakkāyadiṭṭhi (clinging to self and the five aggregates).
• Most beings cling to all these five. Some cling to either rūpa or nāma and are reborn in the arūpa-brahma worlds.
• Will is the intention to get a desired object. To will means to get something one desires. One wills, and as one is willing, one acts. In this process, will and dukkha (suffering) rise together spontaneously.

In Samyutta Nikaya Sutta 12.25 the Buddha said “With ignorance as condition, either by oneself, Ananda, one wills bodily intentions (kāya Saṅkhāra), following which arises internally pleasure and pain; or, because of others one wills bodily intentions, following which arises internally, pleasure and pain.” [CONDITIONED ARISING OF SUFFERING (Ven. Dhammavuddho Mahāthera)]

• 'Bodily intention' (kaya-saṅkhāra): intention to act bodily;
• Kāya: body, bodily;
• Intention: mano-saṅkhāra
• Mental pain and pleasure; as intention is inside the mind, pleasure and pain are internal (inside the mind).

Anusaya Kilesas: Bhava-Taṇhă to Bhava-Saṅkhāra

Three types of taṇhă: kama-taṇhă, bhava-taṇhă, vibhava-taṇhă.

'Wherever in the world, there are delightful and pleasurable things, there this taṇhă (craving) arises and takes root.' [...] By 'taking root' is meant that, failing to contemplate on the impermanent nature of pleasurable things, craving for them lies dormant, taking root to arise when favourable circumstances permit. This latent craving, lying dormant in sense-objects which escape being contemplated on, is known as ărammananusaya. [U Ko Lay. Discose on the Wheel of Dhamma - Part 5: Maha Satipatthăna Sutta. SukhiHotu Dhamma Publication,1998)]

The Effect of Anusaya Kilesās: Kāmataṇhā and Kāma-loka:

After the destruction of a world of beings, either by a cosmic fire, flood or storm, only darkness remains in space, completely empty and void.
After forever and an aeon, and after cosmic condensation and precipitation, at the same place another human world will be reborn as a body of liquid just like the previous ones. This water body, as big as a planet, will gradually become suitable to support life.
Some of the Brahmas, who have lived their lifespans, will be reborn as humans in that new human world. The first-ever generation of humans are sky-dwellers, with brahma-like body, brahma-like rays, brahma-like lifespan and brahma-like lifestyle. Their auras can shine like the moon and the sun.
Gradually, after passing forever and an aeon, the water mass will condense into physical nutrition. Seeing that beautiful physical food and breathing its nice smell for forever and an aeon, these beings will eventually lose control due to their anusaya kilesa stirring and rising in their minds.
One of them will taste it, eat it and persuade others to do the same—that is how eating is the first religion and politics.

1. ... It was endowed with colour, smell and taste. It was the colour of fine ghee or butter, and it was very sweet, like pure wild honey. [Aggañña Sutta (DN27 On Knowledge of Beginnings) (Pali Canon Online)]

All things must come to an end one day. This is the impermanent nature of everything, anicca. So also the world [...] During the destruction of the world, all living beings become Brahmas and dwell in Brahma which is not affected by [the destruction.] [Ashin Janakabhivamsa. Part 2 - How The World Came To An End.]

(If your name is genzcommentary, immediately click off of this post. Many spoilers. Lol.)
Show creators. PLEASE don’t dismiss the spiritual aspects of the show as some sort of fantasy land. That is NOT what the Avatar universe does.
Spirituality in Avatar is extremely important, and based on very potent spiritual traditions from North America and Asia. I say potent, because it is the total opposite of frivolous fantasy world stuff.
You did a good job at understanding the bending being based on various martial arts. PLEASE do the same with the spiritual cultures of ATLA.
The Air Nomads are Vajrayana Buddhist practitioners. This is a very serious and rich tradition. For Aang to do the things he does, he has to be VERY SKILLED in practice. This doesn’t mean hunching over in some kind of arbitrary meditation posture. It means meditating for years with proper posture and technique. It ALSO means being mentored spiritually through advanced practices such as the 6 Yogas of Naropa. This is an extremely rich tradition. In Tibet, there are 4 schools: Gelugpa, Kagyu, Sakya, and Nyingma. There are monks and there are yogis. You wouldn’t just gloss over fighting styles, so please don’t gloss over this.
Guru Pathik is a Hindu Yogi. Throughout history, many Hindu yogis have been good friends with Buddhist Yogis and Monks. They have some similar practices, but different views. These nuances should be taken very seriously.
The fire nation has spirituality largely based on Shinto religion. Lots of venerating ancestors and dealing with spirits of the land. The emperor is seen as a divine emanation. Perhaps the firelord is a combination of an emperor and a shogun. Please consider this. Japan also has Shingon Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism, and more. Shinto and Buddhism seem to co-exist in an interesting way. This is worth looking into.
Earth Nation is based largely on Ming and Qing dynasty China (with some aspects of communist China). The religions at the time were Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Chinese folk religions. In some areas of the Earth kingdom, it seems as though folk religion is dominant. In some areas, there is a combo of Taoism and Confucianism (neutral jing). Mahayana buddhism is big in China, and there is certainly influence in the Earth Kingdom.
Water Tribes are based on Native American religions. I am not as familiar with these, but I know they are very rich, and often emphasize connection to the earth. It is a very rich culture. Interestingly, water bending being based on Tai Chi opens the door for some Taoist philosophy too. The indigenous spiritualities and Taoist spiritualities are skillfully merged in the original.
Everyone reading this, please correct me on things. I am no expert. My entire point is they shouldn’t just gloss over spirituality, just like how you wouldn’t gloss over bending as “cool elemental punching”.
Please creators. Please.

First/Previous
“No! Jack!” Sephy cried out as she saw them fall, quickly swapping to her plasma rifle to try and give him some covering fire.
“Sephy! Enemies close!” Nika warned with a yell as she blasted a gutter punk that had tried to rush her, destroying the left part of the amphibian’s torso with a powerful shotgun blast that stopped him dead.
“Shit!” The Skritta cursed as she dove into cover on the opposite side of the alcove as plasma blasts zipped over her head, pummelling the plastered walls where she had just been standing and spitting up dust. Scrambling to her feet and unclipping her plasma rifle she blind fired around the corner, not caring who was on the other side as she bought Alora and Chiyo time to use their powers.
Dante barked loudly, as a dome of the most translucent sparkling blue settled over the girls. Recognising it as the same kind of shield the ‘dog’ had summoned when they were ambushed by the Red Legion aspirants on the way back from the Oracle, the Skritta grit her teeth as her brain caught up to what had been pure instinct. Holy shit this was bad!
Chancing a peek around the corner she could see a scrum for the stairs as a few of the more sober and less combative-looking patrons wisely decided to make their escape while they could, meaning that the stairs were clear enough to descend quickly if she and the others could get there. Unfortunately the path to get there was packed with many, many more of the rougher-looking mercenaries, gangsters and other toughs fired up by what was going on!
“ERE WE GO BOYZ!” A loud drunken voice yelled out from somewhere nearby. “WAAAAAAAGH!”
As two heavy-armoured Xarak wearing purple gang symbols charged into a group of avians wearing green, the resulting drunken brawl quickly escalated like wildfire into a full-blown melee, drawing nearby bystanders into the mix as drinks were spilled, bottles were smashed and bodies hit the floor.
‘Shit, getting out won’t be easy.’ The Skritta thought to herself, before suddenly getting an idea as she looked to the overhead turrets that looked like they were powering up.
“Cover me!” She called back to the others, as a translucent AR feed highlighted her vision to reveal the poorly maintained and vandalised local Matrix. Looking around the display, she could see poorly coded glitches rampant throughout the area making it difficult to perceive the local connections, with what looked like years of virtual graffiti scrawled everywhere else.
‘I’m surprised that any electronics work here…’ Sephy thought to herself, sending a scouting program to work out what she had to work with, while in the real world she moved to the balcony to try and look for Jack. She couldn’t see anything through the chaos and her view of the Matrix before she had to duck down back into cover as several plasma blasts were sent her way from the opposite side.
A quick blip from her scouting program told her that it had found what she was looking for, and Sephy wasted no time as she switched her view to that of her scouting program, holding back the nauseous sensation caused by the sudden perception shift, as almost immediately she had to focus on bringing her defensive programs to bear as several hostile nodes honed in to attack her.
‘What the fuck? These IC are way too powerful for a place like this!’ Sephy thought to herself as she backed away, maintaining her defences and cursing the fact that she couldn’t fully fade into the Matrix to speed things up. Looking up, Sephy saw the connections for the local turrets defended by a wall of advanced Blocker IC too advanced to be part of the local system, and she also saw the reason.
‘Oh you motherfucker!’
Hiding behind the defences, Sephy spotted a shrouded ghost-like shape by the turret connections, working an intrusion program on them to bring the turrets under their control.
Another slicer was already in the system!
As she sent a data bomb their way, the defences quickly acted to protect their charge, intercepting the digital attack and exploding in a debris of code lines and pixels. Turning around, the other slicer grinned as his hack of the turrets continued automatically, indicating that he was fully sliced into the local Matrix.
“Ah, yes. We were informed that the outsider had a slicer amongst his group.” The figure cruelly cackled, though Sephy was unable to tell their species or gender due to them both being in cyberspace. “I would normally tell you to surrender, but our Lictor gave us orders to eliminate every single one of you. But hey, if you’re lucky you’ll be alive long enough for me and the boys to run a train on you and your friends while you stare at the Outsider’s bloody, broken corpse. What do you say?” The form gave a wicked grin even as he knew the answer, summoning more Defender IC.
“Go fuck yourself,” Sephy snarled as she programmed another data bomb. “Doesn’t matter if it’s cyberspace or in reality, you’re not leaving this shithole alive!”
“I doubt it!” The other slicer chuckled as they summoned more Attacker IC, easily done for them as they were fully immersed in the Matrix, unlike Sephy who was attempting it in synchronised real time as she stayed in cover in reality. “We were told you were the dumb one in the briefing, you are no match for me!”
‘That’s what you think…’ Sephy thought to herself as she tried a new plan, seeing that the other slicer was too well entrenched. Quickly pulling up her pre-prepared list of viruses she shot out her virtual hands as what looked like several paper aeroplanes shot out to go for the other slicer. They were weak, unable to do any damage to the slicer, and most were easily intercepted, but enough hit the slicer to do what she needed them to do. Just for a moment, the avatar dropped and she saw the slicer for a brief as he actually was, an obese toad-like being in some kind of uniform.
More importantly, she was able to pinpoint the exact direction and distance of his real body from her current location.
“Hah! Pathetic!” The other slicer cackled again, not noticing what Sephy’s attack had actually done. “Was that meant to hurt? Take this!”
Sephy grimaced as her Matrix defences took a heavy hit as she quickly backed out of cyberspace to return to the real world, grunting and shaking off the disorienting feeling of treading two worlds and being violently ripped back into one. Had she been fully sliced in, it could have caused her some serious injury.
“Guys! We have a problem!” She shouted back to the others, as she saw the turrets begin to swirl around to aim their way…
*****
“Dessenta!” Alora gasped as she finished the spell she had been casting, causing blurry illusionary duplicates of her, Dante and the other girls to randomly appear near them, before with another word of command she caused them to run out and scatter to hopefully confuse the enemies targeting them. Ever since the trick had worked when they fled from the Cult of the Destroyer, Alora had been practising this technique, though it was still far from a perfect distraction.
Some of the illusions ran off the balcony only to dash uselessly through the air, while others waded into the various fights that were breaking out, even going through some people as they yelped out in confusion before trying to attack them.
“We’ve got to get Jack and run!” She yelled out, though she wasn’t sure if the others could even hear her over the blazing music and the veritable moshpit that had formed on the ground floor under them. She turned to the crew of River Giants that were still with them, standing there with weapons brought to bear, but not really knowing what to do. “Where is your vessel located?” She asked them sharply.
The River Giants just stood there with a dazed look, and Alora realised they were probably in shock at seeing what just happened with Jack.
“Captain! Where?” Alora yelled, and that seemed to awaken the giants out of their stupor.
“Far right side of the docks, lass!” Captain Ripples-On-Salt spoke up hastily. “Largest vessel there, it’s called the Siltskimmer, you can’t miss it!”
“Alright.” Alora nodded, trying to remain calm. “When you get the opportunity, get away from the place and get everything ready to leave. Pull out of dock a little bit if you need to but do not leave without us. We’ll join you as soon as possible.”
“Lass, we’re not sticking around if things get bad!” The captain warned with a panicked look.
“If it spreads that far and you need to protect your people, then do so,” Alora acknowledged. “But we’re here for a reason, and our mutual friends won’t be pleased if you lose your nerve!”
“Alright, alright!” The captain nodded, raising a hand placatingly. “We’ll do what we can and wake all hands, they’ll be sleeping around this time.”
“Good!” Alora nodded. “Stay back and as far away from us as you can be, then make a break for it!”
“We can fight, you know!” One of the crew spoke up, as the captain rounded on them.
“You’re drunk off your ass Dips-In-Bog! And we have our orders! We’re not sticking around, but at least we’ll probably have to batter some fools to get out!”
Glad to have resolved that, Alora turned around to assess the situation. She could see Sephy covering the right side while she was looking up towards the turrets, no doubt trying to take them over, while Nika was holding the right, and was attracting the most amount of fire. Seeing where the shots were coming from, Alora quickly ran towards the edge of the balcony near a wooden pillar that would hopefully give her some covering fire as she quickly cast a spell.
“Pyrallis!” She yelled out as she pointed her wand at the group of enemies aiming for Nika, as a jet of fire roared out, zipping around, above and below anybody not shooting at them as it smacked into the trio on the opposite balcony that were, immolating two of them, but the third, a great hulking Balnath with a huge overgrown maw of teeth, was able to shrug it off. Alora dove to the ground as they returned fire, completely obliterating the pillar she had tried to hide behind.
‘Well that got his attention’. Alora thought to herself as she rolled to the side away from the pillar, out of sight of the Balnath as they let rip with their gatling plasma gun, though fortunately most of the wild shots had been intercepted by Dante’s shield. Waiting for the sounds and lights to dissipate, Alora quickly got to her feet and cast another spell…
*****
“Come on then you fuckers!” Nika growled after she dispatched her amphibian attacker, quickly switching to her plasma rifle as she checked her side of the balcony alcove, quickly dispatching a figure that looked like she was heading for them. Nika didn’t allow any sliver of doubt to shake her, this situation was dire enough that anyone even remotely looking like a threat to her or her friends was going down!
‘We need a way out, Sephy has the stairs.’ The Kizun thought to herself as she spotted a sharpshooter on the opposite balcony far too assured of themselves to be just an ordinary patron, an assumption that was proven correct as they moved to take aim at Sephy, before a burst from Nika smacked into him and threw their aim wide, though didn’t finish them.
‘They’ve got good armour, maybe shields too, these guys are professionals.’ Nika concluded, though grinned as she spotted a group of some blue-feathered avian species mob the sharpshooter, clearly looking to grab their weapon in the midst of all the chaos. ‘Stairs were at the back of the building, so my way leads to the front. Maybe we can blast a way out and jump down? That plan worked out for us before…’
She contemplated the idea, knowing that she hadn’t taken as many breaching charges as she normally would for an urban mission, having dismissed the need to have as many in a rural environment, but she had one on her just in case, with a couple more distributed among a few of the others. However, the building they were in wasn’t the most structurally sound, and she had a real fear that enough damage could bring it crashing down above their heads!
The decision was taken away from her, as from one of the far alcoves ahead of her, a group of three strangely uniformed soldiers of some kind advanced towards her, with the Kizun having no doubt they were enemies, as two of them carried tall, broad riot shields locked into place, while the third shot at her with an accurate burst, cracking her shield and thumping into her heavy armour as she retreated. Where had these guys come from? She could have sworn she hadn’t seen anyone in uniform, but realised that, like them, their opponents may have been in disguise and had needed to quickly gear up before engaging.
Immediately, Nika reached to her belt for a grenade, electing for a smaller yield as she activated the timer and waited a few seconds before flinging it back from cover with a well-practised blind throw, sending it bouncing and clattering in a straight line before detonating right on target. Grinning with the roar, she dashed out from cover, going full auto as she unleashed hell, keeping low as she pushed forward, not letting up as she saw one of the shield guys drop to the ground while another couldn’t hold on, stumbling and falling back down the freshly blown hole caused by the grenade, which must have slipped under the shields and taken out the third guy.
And as she looked at the freshly blown hole, she realised now they had a quick way down!
*****
Those are Regulators! Chiyo warned, though she had no idea if any of her friends were paying attention as the Ilithii drew her power in to assist Dante in maintaining an energy barrier, before taking out her magic staff and channelled her power to lash out with psionic power at whoever she could detect down below, sensing that they were going after Jack. She heard her friends acting and knew she had to do everything in her power to get them all out in one piece!
Sensing a lot of magical energy flaring up, Chiyo activated her astral sight to check what was happening, and cursed as she did. There was a lot of ambient mana dissipating in the air from several illusionary spells, likely from their attackers, and she detected three strong signatures in particular, and two of them were situated on the ground floor.
The third was on the other balcony!
Responding to the imminent threat, Chiyo focused on her attack as she saw the astral form of the physically obscured wizard on the other side of the room whispering words of power and weaving their hands in strange patterns for a complicated spell of some kind that didn’t look good.
Her meditations with the Essence of Water they had looted from the Pallid Pit had proved fruitful as she had quickly learned to combine her new affinity with her existing psychic powers to weave together some new tricks, her most basic one coming into play as she quickly drew in the ambient water from all around them to cluster in one great ball, before launching several blasts that shot out to catch the enemy mage completely off guard, battering their body and cracking several ribs, causing them to flail back and, more importantly, completely disrupting whatever spell they were trying to cast.
The enemy mage appeared physically as their illusion mask was dispelled, revealing a diminutive blue furry mammalian with a long, thin snout in a set of traveller's robes with the insignia she recognised as belonging to the Order of the Infernal Harmony. Chiyo saw them angrily motion at her, ordering several more Regulators on the other side of the building to aim at her.
‘Well, I’m flattered…’ Chiyo thought to herself as she put more of her energy into maintaining her personal shields and hunkered down to avoid the gunfire, which took some of the heat off Nika, before the inevitable explosion went off several seconds later.
“We’ve got a quick way down!” Nika called back after dashing back to them, a sentiment that Chiyo quickly repeated to Alora to get past the deafening noise.
“Understood!” Alora shouted. “Chiyo?”
Lead your crew to the left and drop down the hole, the Ilithi told the River Giants, imbedding the thoughts directly into their minds over the noise. We shall follow promptly. Get everything ready for a quick exit. We’ll cover you, go now!
Quickly nodding in agreement, the band of River Giants needed little prompting to run the fuck away from the ongoing shitstorm while the group covered for them, with Chiyo unleashing her power and levitating a Regulator from behind an overturned table, only for Nika to cut them down mercilessly with plasma fire.
“Guys! We have a problem!” Sephy yelled in a panic. “They have control of the turrets! I can’t take them back from here!”
We’ve got to get off this balcony! Chiyo warned the others. Nika has an exit! We’ve-
But then she sensed it.
Scatter! Now! She warned as the entire balcony suddenly collapsed violently from under them…
*****
With a roar, Jack braced for impact as the ground rushed up to meet him with terrifying speed as he struggled with The Redeemer, before they both collided with the dancefloor in a bone-jarring smash, breaking the grapple as The Redeemer slammed hard onto his back, with Jack faring little better as his shoulder took the brunt of the heavy impact, sending shockwaves of pain radiating heavily through his body. The air was knocked from his lungs as he had the presence of mind to roll away, quickly scrambling to his feet with a fierce determination as he gathered his bearings
The room span in a disorienting blue for a second as Jack blinked away the stars dancing in his eyes, but Jack could see a crowd of gangsters and mercenaries forming around him, whooping and cheering, having seen his fall but not having any idea what just happened.
“Where is he?” Jack managed to gasp, as sudden movement from the side caught his attention, springing him into action as he quickly drew his heavy rifle, dodging the Redeemer’s enraged charge at the same time as he managed to get off a risky burst of heavy plasma that caught the Redeemer dead centre of mass as they passed and crashed into a table of avian mercenaries wearing what looked like biker leathers.
“You fat cunt! You spilled my beer!” One of them squawked at the Redeemer, who simply pushed the speaker aside as he quickly assessed the hits he took, a decision he quickly regretted as Jack put another accurate burst into him, staggering him backwards with many smoking holes in his now ruined brown overcoat, but not dropping him.
“Go down you fucking wanker!” Jack growled as he levelled his gun to shoot again, before several shots smacked hard into his shoulder, sending him careening to the side in a wild spin as his shots were sent wide, blasting smoking holes through the roof that allowed the evening light to shine through as he barreled into a group of furry beings that closely resembled silverback gorillas in matching military fatigues that denoted them as part of a militia.
“Fucking kid!” One snarled as he bodily shoved Jack to the ground, flicking a telescopic baton as he approached again to try and do him more harm before Jack got his gun up.
“Back off! Back the fuck off!” He yelled in a panic as he got back to his feet, warning the gorilla-men who cautiously took several steps back as he scrambled to his feet again, as he was shoved and jostled by alien bodies writhing and thrashing around in a frenzied melee of fists, feet, tails, claws, paws, teeth and fuck knew what else.
The pulsating thudding beat of the music jarred like a rampaging heart attack to provide a rhythmic backdrop to the rapidly escalating brawl, punctuated by the gunfire, the crash of breaking glass, and the roars of the combatants locked in drunken combat as he found himself in the middle of a full-blown mosh pit.
Risking a glance to the side, he saw The Redeemer rip off the smouldering remaining scraps of his brown overcoat to reveal the dull thick metal plates of his own heavy armour. He could see that his heavy plasma rifle had done some kind of damage, though he couldn’t tell how much from the melted, blacked, smoking marks from where Jack had shot them, or if his shots had even penetrated past the layers. But he could see that the Redeemer wasn’t going to go down easily as the avian gang was piling on the Ogar, who lashed out at them with his huge powerful fists as plates extended around his neck and head for extra protection.
Suddenly, Jack caught another movement out of the corner of his eye as he spun around, before a pincer deflected the barrel of his rifle, as a spindly insectoid quickly closed the distance, hostile intent abundantly clear in their snarling expression as they snapped a pincer at Jack’s face, who ducked out of the way and shunted backwards.
‘Shit! This place is too swarmed!’ Jack cursed to himself as he tried to aim his gun through the ongoing brawl. ‘I can’t risk firing into an open crowd! The rest of these people haven’t done a thing to me!’
Realising his rifle wasn’t the best choice of weapon now as he was knocked about by the horde of bodies, Jack flicked it around and behind him, relieved upon hearing the magnetic clips on his armour do their thing, latching his rifle in place so he could retrieve it later.
“Aegis!” Jack yelled out as the pincer of the insectoid came at him again, summoning his shield to take the blow before he lashed out, taking the bug in the maw and knocking him back, before he followed through with a quick draw of his sidearm, putting two controlled shots in the thing’s chest and missing the shot to the head as several bolts of blue light smacked into him, though his shield took a few of the hits as he disengaged.
‘Shit! How many of these fuckers did the Redeemer bring with him?’ Jack thought to himself, as he heard an explosion from somewhere up above him. ‘And how the fuck did they know we’d be here?!’
His Ring of the Berserker was flaring up as Jack tried to regain his bearings, trying to spot the source of the magic missiles that had just been flung his way, before he suddenly brought up his forearm, reflexively parrying a swipe from the gorilla-man that had tried to blindside him with the baton. His armour held, only causing him to feel a slight tingle as he lashed out with a punch, clocking his attacker in the face as his gauntlets instantly reacted to cap his knuckles with a metal coating, adding to the power of the punch, sending the gorilla-man to the ground in a daze.
“What’s up retards? May I have your attention please?” A sneering voice called out over the speakers of the music, and though Jack looked for the source of the voice as he tried to get away, he could see the DJ still at his podium looking confused at who was talking. “I know you crackheads aren’t very bright, so I’ll try and use simple words so you understand."
"You are currently being graced by the presence of the Order of the Infernal Harmony, along with our very special guest, The Redeemer! The reason why we’re here is the Outsider practically shitting himself on the dancefloor of this dump, along with a few random bimbos dumb enough to tag along with him. Anyone that gets in the way of our business or takes any action against us should be prepared to accept the consequences, up to and not limited to your brutal death, so if any of you losers are actually lucid enough to understand me, I’d get the hell out of our way.”
“Fuck you, bitch!” One drunken patron yelled out above the noise as he drunkenly shot at the nearest speaker, missing several times before reducing it to slag.
“Oh golly gee, what an unexpected answer from a bunch of fucking crackheads!” The voice mocked sarcastically as Jack saw the turrets above glow with power. “Time to die motherfuckers!”
*****
First/Previous
Yep, these bad guys came prepared! Shame Jack can't just start blasting with all the people around!
Don't forget to check out The Galactic High Info Sheet! If you want to remind yourself of certain characters and factions. One new chapter a week can seem like a while! Don't forget! You all have the ability to leave comments and notes to the entries, which I encourage you to do!
I am now on Royal Road! I would appreciate your support in getting myself off the ground there with your lovely comments, reviews and likes!
If you're impatient for the next chapter, why not check out my previous series?
As always I love to see the comments on what you guys think!
Don't forget to join the discussion with us on Discord, and consider checking me out on Youtube if you haven't already! Until next week, it's goodbye for now!

Datamined information is from Dislyte Origin Miracle: Patch 3.4.6

Datamined info is just stuff that has been added to the game but might not be in use yet so they are always subject to changes. So take this information with a pinch of salt. Do not take datamined info as 100% accurate as Lilith has shown that some data might just be placeholders.

Once again I have to caution people from spreading the below information too widely as I do not want the additional scrutiny, if any, from Lilithgames. If they change anything in subsequent patches, I might not be able to datamine the patches anymore. Also, please do not share such information to official communities too (Official Facebook, Discord, reddit, twitter, etc). Datamining is a violation of Lilith's TOS and may get you banned.
You are also encouraged not to post datamines to wide-reaching communities as leaks can be spread repeatedly through the masses, leading to others posting them to official communties.
Also, do factor in that I no longer play the game and therefore I do not have knowledge of what stuff are already viewable in game. Apologies if there are redundant information provided here.
Current / Upcoming Events - All dates are specific to Origin Miracle
Inactive events are events that are not activated but can be triggered on by the developers at any time. Active events are those that will be active on the dates at the time of datamining. Likewise, they can be triggered inactive at any time.

Name	Active / Inactive	Start Date	End Date	Remarks
7-Day Login Reward	INACTIVE
Blindbox	INACTIVE
Daily Gift	INACTIVE
Trainee Milestones	ACTIVE
Path to Mastery	ACTIVE
Curtain Up	ACTIVE
M-Pass	ACTIVE	14-May-2024	25-Jun-2024
E-Pass	ACTIVE	01-Jun-2024	01-Jul-2024
Prizes Galore	ACTIVE	14-May-2024	04-Jun-2024
Prizes Galore	ACTIVE	04-Jun-2024	25-Jun-2024
Prizes Galore	ACTIVE	25-Jun-2024	16-Jul-2024
Prizes Galore	ACTIVE	16-Jul-2024	06-Aug-2024
Showdown Pass	ACTIVE	06-May-2024	27-May-2024
Trainee Milestones	ACTIVE
Rising Star	INACTIVE
Road to Legend	ACTIVE
Shopping Fiesta	INACTIVE
Communities	INACTIVE
Rewind	INACTIVE
Esper Academy	ACTIVE
Rewind	ACTIVE
Trainee Milestones	INACTIVE
Shopping Fiesta	ACTIVE
Rookie Echo Reward	ACTIVE
Rookie Championship	INACTIVE
Rookie Championship	INACTIVE
Reset Espers	ACTIVE
Conqueror	ACTIVE
Melody of Reunion	ACTIVE
Login Rewards	ACTIVE
Reunion Manual	ACTIVE
Reunion Prayer	ACTIVE
Event Package	ACTIVE
Rookie to Regular	ACTIVE
Treasure Hunt	ACTIVE
Shimmer Reverbotron	ACTIVE
Esper Pop Quiz	ACTIVE	11-May-2024	15-May-2024	Sakuya-Hime / Sakura
Scratch-Off	ACTIVE	07-May-2024	21-May-2024
Sweet Wishes	ACTIVE	10-May-2024	04-Jun-2024
Flaming Echo	ACTIVE	10-May-2024	04-Jun-2024
Flash Back	ACTIVE	10-May-2024	04-Jun-2024
Anniversary	ACTIVE	10-May-2024	04-Jun-2024
Graffiti Wall	INACTIVE	10-May-2024	04-Jun-2024
Rockin' Puzzles	ACTIVE	10-May-2024	04-Jun-2024
Rewind	ACTIVE	10-May-2024	04-Jun-2024
Burning Beat Bazaar	ACTIVE	10-May-2024	04-Jun-2024
Esper Pop Quiz	ACTIVE	01-Jun-2024	05-Jun-2024	Gilgamesh / Fatimah
Championship	ACTIVE	15-May-2024	01-Jun-2024
Boomboom Gacha	ACTIVE	15-May-2024	29-May-2024
Bootleg Market	ACTIVE	15-May-2024	03-Jun-2024
Treasure Kingdom	ACTIVE	24-May-2024	07-Jun-2024
Scratch-Off	ACTIVE	25-May-2024	08-Jun-2024
Championship	ACTIVE	15-May-2024	02-Jun-2024
Championship	ACTIVE	15-May-2024	02-Jun-2024
Championship	ACTIVE	15-May-2024	02-Jun-2024
Esper Pop Quiz	INACTIVE	22-Jun-2024	26-Jun-2024	Bai Ze / Yu Ran
Esper Pop Quiz	INACTIVE	13-Jul-2024	17-Jul-2024	Bai Ze / Yu Ran
Esper Pop Quiz	INACTIVE	03-Aug-2024	07-Aug-2024	Bai Ze / Yu Ran

Esper Pop Quiz (Mid May 2024) Sakuya-Hime / Sakura
Q1. Which mythology is Konohanasakuya-hime from?

Ans. Japanese

Q2. What activity does Sakura like?

Ans. Flower Arrangement

Q3. What is Sakura's favorite flower?

Ans. Cherry Blossom

Esper Pop Quiz (Early June 2024) Gilgamesh / Fatimah
Q1: To which mythological system does Gilgamesh belong?

Ans. Mesopotamian

Q2: What does Fatimah like to do?

Ans. Meditate

Q3: As a mystery hero, what is Fatimah's nickname?

Ans. Dazzling Sunfire

Image Corner
Esper Art
Esper Files
Chibi Art
Gilgamesh / Fatimah
Event Images SPOILERS
PLEASE READ - Do take note that stars, elements and types might be placeholders. Hence there might be discrepancies.<---PLEASE READ

Star	Coded Name	Esper	Name	Type	Element	Released
5	Gilgamesh	Fatimah	Gilgamesh	Inferno	Defender	No
5	Bakeneko	Momo	Bakeneko	Flow	Fighter	Yes
5	Sakuya-hime	Sakura	Kono	Inferno	Defender	Yes

Modified / New Items

Item Name	Item Description
Flawless Ending	Sakura's Divinate, enhances Sakura's combat abilities.
Fatimah	Legendary Esper Fatimah
Sakura	Legendary Esper Sakura
Bardon Divinate Fragment	A fragment containing divine powers. Fuse 30 fragments to get a Bardon Divinate.
Sakura Divinate Fragment	A fragment containing divine powers. Fuse 50 fragments to get a Sakura Divinate.
Sakura Divinate Residue	Converted by acquiring a duplicate Sakura Divinate. Used to raise the Tier for Sakura Divinate. After obtaining Divinate Residue more than 5 times for a Divinate, any further Residue will be converted into a selected number of Divinate Crystals or Monoprisms.
Fatimah Ripple	A fragment containing the divine power of Fatimah. Fuse 50 fragments to get the Esper Fatimah.
Sakura Ripple	A fragment containing the divine power of Sakura. Fuse 50 fragments to get the Esper Sakura.
Loyalty Chest	Select one among 5 Legendary Espers from the box to obtain their Ripples, except Max-resonated or unowned Espers. The box contains the following Espers: Ife, Ashley, Ophelia, Abigail, Elliot, Zora, Sienna, Brewster, and Clara.
Fatal Mirage Flow Pack	Select one of 12 Flow-attuned Epic Espers from the box, except for Max-resonated or unowned Espers. The box contains the following Espers: Emma, Parmi, Mona, Jiang Man, Celine, Kara, Eira, Heng Yue, Dhalia, Kaylee, Aurelius, and Xiao Yin.
Fatal Mirage Wind Pack	Select one among 9 Wind-attuned Epic Espers from the pack, except the Max-resonated or unowned Espers. The pack contains the following Espers: Ain, Lu Yi, Arcana, Luo Yan, Jacob, Long Mian, Lynn, Li Guang, and Jin-hee.
Fatal Mirage Inferno Pack	Select one of 10 Inferno-attuned Epic Espers from the box, except for Max-resonated or unowned Espers. The box contains the following Espers: Adrina, Djoser, Falken, Sander, Chloe, Pritzker, Ren Si, Stewart, Nick, and Koharu.
Fatal Mirage Flow Divinate	Select one from among 13 Flow-attuned Epic Espers' Divinate in the pack, except the Divinate of Max-Tier Espers. The pack contains Divinate of the following Espers: Emma, Parmi, Mona, Jiang Man, Celine, Kara, Eira, Heng Yue, Dhalia, Kaylee, Aurelius, Xiao Yin, and Xie Chuyi.
Fatal Mirage Wind Divinate	Select one from among 13 Wind-attuned Epic Espers' Divinate in the pack, except the Divinate of Max-Tier Espers. The pack contains Divinate of the following Espers: Ain, Lu Yi, Arcana, Luo Yan, Jacob, Long Mian, Lynn, Li Guang, Jin-hee, Alolin, Meredith, Xie Yuzhi, Fabrice, and Yu Xu.
Fatal Mirage Inferno Divinate	Select one from among 14 Inferno-attuned Epic Espers' Divinate in the pack, except the Divinate of Max-Tier Espers. The box contains Divinate of the following Espers: Mei, Djoser, Falken, Sander, Chloe, Pritzker, Ren Si, Stewart, Nick, Koharu, Adrina, Daniel, Alexa, and Daylon.
Showdown Coin	Showdown Coins can be acquired by winning Beatbout battles. They are used to measure your achievements in your Showdown Pass. Your Showdown Pass will level up each time you collect certain amounts of Showdown Coins.
Random Equipment (Lvl 25-40)	Lvl 25-40 random equipment with random Grading/Position. Check battle results for actual loot.
Random Equipment (Lvl 30-40)	Lvl 30-40 random equipment with random Grading/Position. Check battle results for actual loot.
Random Equipment (Lvl 30-50)	Lvl 30-50 random equipment with random Grading/Position. Check battle results for actual loot.
Random Equipment (Lvl 40-50)	Lvl 40-50 random equipment with random Grading/Position. Check battle results for actual loot.
Random Equipment (Lvl 50-60)	Lvl 50-60 random equipment with random Grading/Position. Check battle results for actual loot.
Random Equipment (Lvl 60)	Lvl 60 random equipment with random Grading/Position. Check battle results for actual loot.
Deep Probe Data	A valuable item used to quickly acquire battle XP and rewards in the Memory Rift. Issued daily in limited quantities. A chip containing records of Memory Rift battles.
Gift of Vision	May grant one of the following items: Equipment Essence, Rare Starimon Fragment, Rare Abilimon Fragment, Epic Starimon Fragment, Epic Abilimon Fragment, Gold. A gift for those who have borne witness to the past, felt the memories of others, and listened to the countless stories that rebound across this land.
Gift of Experience	May grant one of the following items: Stamina, Nexus Crystal, Sound Matrix Stone, Elite Experimon, Divine Wave Opt-Pack. A gift for those who have challenged formidable foes, weathered hardships, and undergone rigorous training, continually refining their skills to this day.
Fatimah Materia	Converted by acquiring a duplicate Fatimah. Used to conduct Resonances and activate Divine Gates for Fatimah. After obtaining Materia more than 6 times for an Esper, any further Materia will be converted into a selected number of Dioprisms or Monoprisms.
Momo Materia	Converted by acquiring a duplicate Momo. Used to conduct Resonances and activate Divine Gates for Momo. After obtaining Materia more than 6 times for an Esper, any further Materia will be converted into a selected number of Dioprisms or Monoprisms.
Sakura Materia	Converted by acquiring a duplicate Sakura. Used to conduct Resonances and activate Divine Gates for Sakura. After obtaining Materia more than 6 times for an Esper, any further Materia will be converted into a selected number of Dioprisms or Monoprisms.
Dynamic Avatar	A dynamic avatar. Complete the Esper's Paths of Experience to obtain
Rare Triple Threat Insignia	Get: Rare Triple Threat Insignia (42d)
Legendary Triple Threat Insignia	Get: Legendary Triple Threat Insignia (42d)

1. Does enlightenment feel like you're still in control, but your ego is now just merged with the consciousness? Or does it feel more like you're a blissed out avatar that is being controlled in 24/7 flow state, but you just don't care because of pleasure? Or something else?
   
2. What level of flexibility and/or fascia unwinding is required for enlightenment? And how much do you need to maintain that on a daily basis after attaining a flexible body. Probably it's the internal blockages that have the most effect, and even if you lose flexibility, you won't become unenlightened?
   
3. Pre-enlightenment, how can you differentiate how much of your sense of self is from the ego and how much is from the "true self"/consciousness? Personally speaking, what if for the most of my life my sense of self has already been moderately merged with the consciousness, so it just feels like my own personality? And for example at this very moment, is it the creativity/consciousness/energy that is curious for these questions, or the ego? I cannot really tell from which mode I'm operating at any given time, it just feels like me usually.
   
4. How much does intelligence/IQ help/hinder with spiritual practices?
   
5. I remember you commenting that in deep meditation your heart rate stops or becomes super slow at least - have you ever considered demonstrating this to doctors/researchers? Wouldn't bridging the gap between spirituality and science be the best way to give it legitimacy? Though, I suppose even with undeniable scientific proof, many people would still think it's a hoax.
   
6. Can spiritual energy increase one's calorie consumption? I feel like if I have lots of energy flowing on a particular day, and I'm being productive with my mind, I can eat like a horse but still maintain my weight. My appetite is greater.
   
7. If every human hypothetically was enlightened, what would the world look like? If there was no one left that needed help, would everyone just meditate most of the time, and only the most basic functions would be kept up to maintain societies?
   

Made a subclass for my friend who wanted to play an elemental based druid. Any feedback on balance would be appreciated. https://www.dndbeyond.com/subclasses/2037497-circle-of-the-primordial
Within the secretive groves and hidden sanctuaries of the world, the Circle of the Primordial gathers, its members devoted to understanding and embodying the pure, unfettered essence of the elemental chaos. These druids, through ancient rites and deep communion with the natural world, have uncovered the means to transform themselves into avatars of the primordial elements, becoming living embodiments of creation's rawest forms.

Primal Gifts

Your affinity for the elements grants you proficiency with nature checks.

Primordial Attunement

2nd-level Circle of the Primordial feature
You forgo the traditional path of Wild Shape, instead embracing the ancient and elemental essence of the world itself. Through deep meditation and a profound connection to the raw forces that predate creation, you unlock the ability to attune your spirit and form to the Primordial energies— the fundamental forces that constitute the very fabric of existence.
Attunement:
As a bonus action choose to attune to one of the elemental essences: Water, Fire, Earth, or Air. Each essence grants unique benefits and augments your physical form to embody the chosen elements power. Each element also grants access to a spell list associated with that element in exchange for losing access to all other spells. You can use Attunement a number of times equal to 1 + your proficiency bonus, regaining expended uses upon finishing a short or long rest. Attunement lasts for 1 hour during which you gain the benefits related to the chosen element.

Water Attunement

You attune to the essence of water, becoming a vessel for its restorative flow. While attuned, you gain access to a list of water-based spells. This list encompasses spells renowned for their capacity to harness the nurturing and cleansing power of water, focusing predominantly on healing, restoration, and protection. Through this attunement, you channel the life-giving force of water, weaving spells that mend wounds, purify the afflicted, and shield the vulnerable, embodying water's role as the source of life and renewal.
Benefits:
Aquatic Adaptation: Gain a swimming speed equal to twice your walking speed and the ability to breathe underwater.
Tidal Grace: Your healing spells restore additional hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier.
Mistguard Veil: Once per attunement, when an ally within 60 feet of you takes damage, you can use your reaction to envelop them in a protective shield of condensed moisture, reducing the damage by an amount equal to your Druid level + your Wisdom modifier.
LEVELSPELLS2ndfrostbite, ray of frost, ice knife, healing word3rdsnilloc's snowball swarm, healing spirit, prayer of healing5thmass healing word, haste, wall of water, water breathing, water walk7thice storm, greater restoration, freezing sphere, mass cure wounds, control water9thcone of cold, freezing sphere11thinvestiture of ice, otiluke's freezing sphere, wall of ice, heal13thregenerate15thtsunami17thmass heal

Fire Attunement

You attune to the essence of fire, becoming a conduit for flames wrath. While attuned, you gain access to a list of fire-based spells. This list includes spells known for their ability to wield the destructive and purifying essence of flame, focusing solely on dealing as much damage as possible.
Benefits:
Illumination: Shed bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet.
Blazing Speed: Increase the your movement speed by 10 feet.
Ember's Fury: Your spells that inflict fire damage deal addition damage based on you druid level. At 2nd level you gain an addition 1d4 6th level it increases to 1d6 10th level it increases to 1d8 14th level it increases to 1d10.
DRUID LEVELSPELLS2ndfire bolt, create bonfire, produce flame, burning hands3rdflaming sphere, scorching ray, aganazzar's scorcher, dragon's breath, heat metal, flame blade, pyrotechnics5thfireball, flame arrows, melf's minute meteors, haste7thfire shield, wall of fire9thflame strike, immolation11thinvestiture of flame, disintegrate13thfire storm15thincendiary cloud17thmeteor swarm

Earth Attunement

You attune to the essence of earth, becoming an embodiment of the terrain's might. While attuned, you gain access to a list of earth-based spells. This list highlights spells with the capacity to invoke the enduring and formidable nature of the earth, concentrating primarily on defense, strength, and control. Through this attunement, you harness the unyielding force of stone and soil, casting spells that fortify and protect, manipulate the land to your advantage, and entrap or impede foes, demonstrating earth's role as the foundation upon which all stands.
Benefits
Earthen Bulwark: Gain an increase to your AC equal to your wisdom modifier.
Tremor Sense: Gain the ability to sense vibrations through the ground, granting you tremor sense out to a range of 30 feet. This benefit allows you to detect and pinpoint the location of creatures that are in contact with the ground, even when you cannot see them.
Boulder's Resilience: Gain advantage on constitution saving throws.
DRUID LEVELSPELLS2ndmagic stone, shillelagh, catapult, earth tremor, mold earth, thorn whip, entangle3rdbarkskin, earth tremor, dust devil, maximilian's earthen grasp, earthbind, spike growth5thmeld into stone, plant growth, slow, wall of sand7thstoneskin, stone shape, grasping vine9thtransmute rock, hold monster, wall of stone passwall, wrath of nature11thbones of the earth, flesh to stone, investiture of stone, move earth13threverse gravity15thearthquake17thinvulnerability

Air Attunement

You attune to the essence of air, becoming an avatar of the zephyr's breath. While attuned, you gain access to a list of air-based spells. This list encompasses spells renowned for their ability to harness the elusive and forceful nature of the wind, focusing primarily on manipulation and control. Through this attunement, you channel the boundless freedom of air, weaving spells that displace and buffet foes, offer swift mobility, and command the skies, embodying air's role as the unseen force that shapes the world.
Benefits:
Cloud Walker: Gain a flying speed equal to your walking speed.
Gale's Agility: Gain Advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that you can see while not blinded, deafened, or incapacitated.
Skybound Sorcery: You can cast spells with verbal or somatic components while flying without needing to make concentration checks to maintain your altitude
DRUID LEVELSPELLS2ndshocking grasp, thunderclap, thunderwave, gust3rdshatter, gust of wind, warding wind, blur, kinetic jaunt, skywrite, vortex warp5thcall lightning, thunder step, lightning bolt, wind wall7thstorm sphere, freedom of movement, dimension door9thcontrol winds, steel wind strike, telekinesis11thchain lightning, investiture of wind13thwhirlwind15thcontrol weather17thstorm of vengeance

Elemental Fury

6th-level Circle of the Primordial feature
When using your Primordial Spellcasting feature in your primordial forms, your spells bypass resistance to the damage type associated with your current form. If a creature is immune to the damage type, they are instead treated as having resistance to it. This represents your mastery over the primal elements, enabling you to unleash their raw power against even the most resistant foes.

Primordial Aegis

10th-level Circle of the Primordial feature
You gain resistance to the damage type associated with the elemental form you embody . This reflects your profound attunement and harmony with the primal forces, allowing your body to naturally mitigate the harm from elemental energies.

Primal Incarnation

14th-level Circle of the Primordial feature
You gain unlimited uses of Primal Attunement. In addition, once per long rest, you can activated this feature to combine two different Elemental Essences gaining both spell lists and benefits.

Padma Purana 6.194.55-57 states— श्रीमद्भागवतालापो ज्ञानयज्ञः शुकोदितः भक्तिज्ञानविरागाणां सुखदः प्रतिभाति नः कलिदोषा इमे सर्वे श्रीमद्भागवत ध्वनेः प्रभीताः प्रलयायंते सिंहशब्दाद्वृका इव ज्ञानवैराग्यसंयुक्ता भक्तिः प्रेमरसावहा प्रतिगेहं प्रतिजनं सुखक्रीडां करिष्यति “All these sins of Kali, afraid of the sound of Srimad Bhagavata Purana, run away like wolves at the roar of lion. Bhakti, along with Jnana and Vairagya, producing the feeling of joy in each house, in each person, will sport happily.” In the Padma Purana, 6.194.13-16, SriNarada Muni says— तथापि चिंतां मुंचत्वमुपायं चिंतयाम्यहम् कलिना सदृशः कोऽपि युगो नास्ति वरानने तस्मिंस्त्वां ख्यापयिष्यामि गेहे गेहे जने जने अन्यधर्मांस्तिरस्कृत्य पुरस्कृत्य महोत्सवान् यदि प्रवर्त्तये न त्वां तदा दासो हरेर्नहि त्वदन्विताश्च ये जीवा भविष्यंति कलाविह पापिनोऽपि गमिष्यंति निर्भया हरिमंदिरम् येषां चित्ते भवेद्भक्तिः सर्वदा प्रेमरूपिणी “O Bhakti Devi, there is no age like Kali because you will be established in every house and in every heart. Hear my vow. If I do not preach your message, subdue all other religions and make devotional festivals predominant, then I shall not be considered the servant of Lord Hari. In Kali-yuga those people who follow you, even if they are sinful, will attain Lord Krishna’s abode without fear. After saying so to Bhakti Devi, Narada tried to awaken her two sons namely Jnana (Gyan) and Vairagya, but he failed to do so. He went worried and meditated on Krishna, after doing so, a divine voice was heard to him which said:
Padma Purana 6.194.34— गमिष्यति क्षणाद्भक्तिः सर्वतः प्रसरिष्यति “Bhakti movement will spread everywhere in the world.” Note— All these translations are taken from Motilal Banarsidass edition Skanda Purana 2.6.3.63-64 (Bhagavata Mahatmya)— नन्दनन्दनरूपस्तु श्रीशुको भगवानृषिः ।। श्रीमद्भागवतं तुभ्यं श्रावयिष्यत्यसंशयः ।। तेन प्राप्स्यसि राजंस्त्वं नित्यं धाम व्रजेशितुः ।। श्रीभागवतसंचारस्ततो भुवि भविष्यति ।। “The great, powerful sage Sri Suka is the very image of the son of Nanda. There is no doubt that he will recite Srimad-Bhagavatam for you. By this, O king, you will attain the eternal abode of the Lord of Vraja. And thenceforth, Srimad-Bhagavatam will be transmitted throughout the world.”
Lord Vishnu says, in Devi Bhagavatam Upa Purana 9.7.16-54— “O Padme! O Lovely-eyed One! You are most innocent; so part of your part will go to Bharata and be the Padmavati river and you will be the Tulasi tree. After the expiry of five thousand years of Kali Yuga, your curse will expire. Again you all (Ganga, Saraswati, Padmavati or Laxmi) will come to My abode. O Padme! …. The saint worshippers of My mantra who will perform their ablutions in your water will free you all of your curse by touch and sight. O Fair One! By the sight and touch (Darsan, Sparsh) of My bhaktas (devotees), all the sacred places of pilgrimages in the world will be purified. For uplifting and sanctifying the holy earth, always chanting my names, they are devoted to Brahma, all are residing in Bharata. Where My Bhaktas reside and wash their feet, that place is undoubtedly reckoned as the holy places of pilgrimages. So much so that by the sight and touch of My devotees, the murderer of a woman, of a cow, of a Brahmin, the treacherous and even the stealer of the wife of one’s Guru will be sanctified and liberated while living. Those who do not perform the vow of Ekadasi, who do not perform Sandhyas, who are Nastikas (atheists), the murderers, all are free of their sins by the sight and touch of My devotees. By the sight and touch of My devotees, those who live on their swords, pens, and the royal officials, the beggars in a village and the Brahmanas who carry (deal in) bullocks are also freed of their sins. The traitors, the mischief makers of their friends, those who give false evidence, those that steal other’s trust properties, are also freed of their sins by the sight and touch of My devotees. Those who are foul-mouthed, bastards, the husbands and sons of unchaste women are all purified by the sight and touch of My Bhaktas. Maha Laksmi said :– “O Thou gracious to faithful attendants! What are the characteristics, the marks (Symbol) of those Bhaktas of Thine that Thou hast spoken of just now? whose sight and touch destroy instantly the Mahapatakas (five great sins), that are destroyed after a long time by the water of the Tirthas and the earthen and stone images of the Gods? The sins of the vilest of men, devoid of Hari bhakti, vain and egoistic, cheats, hypocrites, slanderers of saints, vicious souls are destroyed by your Bhaktas, whose touch and ablations sanctify the sacred places of pilgrimages; by the touch of the dust and water of whose feet, the earth is purified; whom the Bhaktas of Bharata always pray to see; and there is nothing higher than the meeting of those Bhaktas.” Suta said :– “O Great Risi! Thus hearing the words of Mahâ Laksmî, the Lord smiled and began to speak about the secret things or the symbol of the Bhaktas.” “O Laksmi! The marks of the Bhaktas are all mentioned very hiddenly in Srutis and Puranas. These are very sanctifying; destructive of sins, giving happiness, devotion, and liberation. These are never to be described to deceitful persons; these are the essences and to be kept hidden. But you are very simple and like my life. I therefore speak to you. Hear. O Fair One! All the Vedas declare him to be holy and the best of men, in whose ears are pronounced from the mouth of a Guru, the Visnu mantra (Hare Krishna Maha Mantra). At the very moment of his being born into this world, one hundred generations back of that person, whether they be at that time in heaven or hell, get instantaneous liberation and if any of them happen to be born then as Jivas, they become liberated at once while living and finally get Visnupadam (the place of Visnu). That mortal is My Bhakta (devotee) who is full of devotion to Me, who always repeats My glories and acts according to My directions, who hears with all his heart My topics, and hearing which, whose mind dances with joy, whose voice gets choked and tears incessantly flow out from whose eyes, who loses his outward consciousness. Such a man is indeed, My Bhakta. My Bhaktas do not long for happiness or Mukti, or the four states of liberation, Salokya, Sayujya, Samipya and Sarsti, nor they want to merge into Brahman, nor the Devahood; they want only to do Seva (service) to Me and they are solely intent on doing this. Even in dreams they do not desire the Indraship, Manuship, the state of Brahma so very difficult to be had; nor do they want the enjoyment of kingdoms and heavens. My Bhaktas roam in Bharata, eager to hear My glories, and always very glad to recite My sweet glorious deeds. The birth of such Bhaktas in Bharata is very rare. They purify the world and go ultimately to My abode, the best of all Tîrthas (sacred places). Thus I have spoken O Padme! all that you wanted to hear. Now do as you like. Then Ganga and others all went to obey the order of Sri Hari, Who went to His own abode.” Interesting to note, ISKCON also came after 5000 years of Kali passed away.
In Brahma-Vaivarta Purana, Krsna-Janma-Khanda, chap. 129, 49-60 we find the narration of the departure of Lord Krsna from this world and how all the holy rivers headed by the personified Ganges approached Him. Ganga Devi said: “O Lord, best of lovers, now that You are going to the supreme abode, Goloka, what will our situation here in this age of Kali?” The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: “Sinful people will come to you and upon bathing will give you their sins. You must remain like this on earth for 5,000 years of the age of Kali. O Ganga, there will be many devotees worshipping Me by My mantra, and merely by their touch, glance and bathing all those sins will be immediately burnt.” “They are more dear to Me than My life, who everyday meditate only on Me. The air and fire become pure simply even by their indirect touch. For 10,000 years of kali such devotees of mine will fill the whole planet. After the departure of My devotees there will only be one varna [outcaste]. Devoid of My devotees, the earth will be shackled by kali. Saying this Krishna departed.” Next reference will be from the most ancient texts of Sri Vaishnavism (the Ramanuja Sampraday).
Tiruvaymoli (5.2.1—2), a section of the Divya Prabandha, Sri Nammalvar PurvAcarya of Sri Sampraday says— poliga poliga poliga! poyitru valluyir ccapam naliyum naragamum nainda namanukkingu yadonrum illai kaliyum kedum kandu kolmin kadalvannan budangal manmel maliya ppugundisai padi adi ulidara kkandom kaņtöm, kantom, kantom; kannukku igiyana kantom; toner! ellirum vārir; jutu jutu negro Arttum; vaņțu är taņ am tuļāyān mātavan pūtankaļ manmel pan-tāp păți niņru, ați, parantu tirikinranave. Victory ! Victory ! Victory ! I behold something wonderful : all the inauspiciousness of the living entities is destroyed, no one is going to hell, Yamaraja has no more any work, and the effects of Kaliyuga ceased to exist. This is because all over the world an increasing number of Lord Vishnu’s devotees sing his names while dancing and playing musical instruments. Seen, seen, seen we have indeed, sights feasting the eyes! Devotees of Matavan, donning tuļaci garlands, cool and nice, Studded with honey, are ambling about all over the place, Singing songs tuneful and dancing merrily; Come, one and all, Ye, pious men, revere them we shall and revel to our heart’s fill.
Divya Prabandha 1.10— “There will come a race which will tread the Earth with raised hands and vertical tilaka on their foreheads, who will chant the names of Hari; this will destroy the influence of Kali.” Is this evidence to support Iskon or am I wrong

The Religion of Rationality is the State Religion of the United Human Empire. It has the following tenets/ main features:

1. There is only one God (monotheistic belief) but the God is not omnipotent, and has its weaknesses, limits and flaws (polytheistic belief). Based on Type- 7 nigh- omnipotent civilizations on the Kardashev scale, it is believed that the most likely reason for this is that a human being (or something similar to that), has evolved all the way into a God. It also explains the lack of omnipotence, because God cannot do everything. All problems are not solved by God... because He is not completely omnipotent. There is only one God because all humans have evolved into a single conscious Entity capable of Creation and Destruction.
   
2. The afterlife exists in some sort of way. The principles of "deja vu" and the existence of past- life memories, as well as certain unexplainable likes and dislikes is proof for potential reincarnation. As reincarnation occurs, some sort of "plane (Dimension) of transition" must exist. The existence of salvation is unproven and therefore, is not believed. Souls are energy that follow the law of conversation of energy: reincarnation occurs because Souls are not created and destroyed. God cannot expend more than a certain amount of energy on Creation, hence the flaws.
   
3. Since God has human errors and flaws, it is likely that old age fatigue has affected even such a powerful Entity. All these races must be created for finding a successor, another evolved Entity created from an advanced race. Humans must follow the path of evolution at all cost to complete this Cycle of Confusion. Humans are meant to, at one point of time, meant to take God's place as the new God. Means to immortality or at least a long life are sought, to help humans attain such a position.
   
4. Logic, Rationality, science and technology are the only ways to progress and evolve. Experiments should always be carried out with a power motive: to make humanity more and more powerful, enough to displace God at the end of time, space and reality. Technology has "no limits," I.e. no limits should be Imposed on technology. Forced experimentation, strip- mining planets, full- scale war machinery... all is allowed. All resources (everything and everyone, all life sentient and non- sentient) is made for exploitation, all Creation for Destruction.
   
5. Cut- throat competition and full- scale imperialism are practiced. The existence of "Xenos" or aliens, as competitive races to displace God, are important as enemies. The existence of aggressive Xenos races who invade human territory has confirmed this fact. It maintains that to attain the form of a single Entity, all life must be brought under a single umbrella of harmony. To do so, life must either be integrated, enslaved or destroyed. All three methods are followed: A few races are integrated, a few enslaved, and most exterminated.
   
6. Anti- women attitude is an extremely Negative aspect of society. Through historical evidence (His- story, Man- Kind) to biological evidence (physical strength, specialness of Y- chromosome) to religious evidence (Adam and Eve, most Gods being Hes) and social evidence (Patriarchy existed in a stable form for many years), women are treated as enemies of the State. Pseudo- logic becomes dangerous here, and women are killed after bearing six- seven children. Women are not allowed to live past thirty because "they grow experienced, grow a big, undeserving mouth."
   
7. The "Holy Fight" or the "Great Crusade" is a rallying cry. They always need more soldiers for the war effort, so children are taken and trained as soldiers, labourers, scientists, etc. Since birth. The Holy Fight is against heretics: Xenos, women, unintelligent people, religious people of any "old faith", far- right and far- left elements, environmentalists and criminals, among others. These, along with many others (greedy capitalists, anarchists, animal rights activists, communist pigs, fat people, etc). LGBTQ+ people are not targeted, in fact... they are welcome because gay, bisexual or Transgender people are used to show that men do not need women.
   
8. A life of discipline and control is extremely well- enforced. Cameras watch everything you do, from wearing to eating. Drinks, drugs, tobacco, etc are forbidden, high amount of vegetables are given as rations, and eating meat after forbidden by law. Casual clothes are forbidden, so is spitting, keeping places unclean, scratching special areas in public, and a lot of other things. Immaculate cleanliness is demanded everywhere, exercise is a requirement... at gunpoint if necessary. It is required to be disciplined and punctual, meditate, work honestly and diligently, obey orders, and make suggestions to superiors. Voluntarily maintaining such discipline is rewarded. Desires and temptations of any kind are discouraged. Only knowledge, patriotism and attainment of godhood are encouraged.
   
9. There are certain Avatars who are born as God's Chosen, and the Avatars define history. Hammurabi, Julius Caesar, Jesus Christ, Alexander the Great, Ashoka the Great, Karl Marx, Mahatma Gandhi and Xi Jingping have all been Avatars of the One God. Avatars are important because they help lead human history in the way it should go.
   

What are your Religions? Are they something simple, or are they complex? Are they meant for a utopia, or are they grimdark?

Guru Pathik said: "Yes. Once you open this chakra, you will be able to go in and out of the Avatar State at will and when you are in the Avatar State, you will have complete control and awareness of all your actions."
And we literally see Aang do exactly that after a few moments of meditation, right before Azula lightnings his back. He can't use it again until he fights Ozai, but after that, he should be able to do exactly what Pathik says. As an adult, we see him do exactly that with Yakone.
So he clearly *can* do this, which means he can do it anytime. He should be like, out-healing Katara, with or without healing-bloodbending, and then mixing it with healing fire-bending for unprecedentedly powerful healing. I mean, who knows what the limit is? In the Avatar state, maybe he's powerful enough to do some of that calcium-bending people talk about. Add in oxygen/CO2 bending in the body, and we're talking about mindblowing healing potentials here. Frankly, any Avatar that does this would probably use it to maintain their own health and live at least as long as Guru Pathik and probably way longer.
But the real plothole is, how has no other Avatar done this before? Why doesn't every Avatar make a beeline for this ability ASAP, because everything else is child's play compared to it?

This is my attempt to collaborate our communities with greater good intentions through collaborations and collective efforts on many fronts. These ideas are not endorsed by anyone community or Mod team and I am posting this and all the ideas to others subs as open source opportunities. 🧡
I like to start by introducing concepts of mindfulness and the power of intentions combined with collective consciousness within communities. I would like to invite all our communities to participate in mindful meditations and collective intention by trying to meditate at the universal time of 3:33 UTC AM and or PM so at least once a day for 15-30 minutes. And start if off by ringing a Bell and 10-20 minutes of only focusing on our breath and trying to silence our monkey minds and be one with the breath and the body. And then when it feels right we look into ourselves and our personal fears and the limitations that come from them utilizing these fears to inspire us to find the root causes and find was to express and overcome them through art. So any way digitally or by hand just create and know that fear is a tool to be harnessed for the greater good.
Mission Statement: For this section I would like to invite us to utilize the power of art and mindfulness to help us confront and overcome our fears. By integrating the ringing of meditation bells with artistic expression and conscious intention setting, we can create a transformative space where our communities explore our fears, embrace vulnerability, and cultivate personal growth.
Key Elements:

1. Meditation Sessions: Join in on collective meditations where participants gather to ring their meditation bells and set intentions for the day. Incorporate a portion of the meditation session to focus on acknowledging and releasing fears, allowing participants to bring awareness to their fears in a supportive and mindful environment.
   
2. Artistic Expression: Combine meditation practices with artistic expression techniques. Participants can engage in fear-themed art activities while reflecting on their meditation experiences, creating a holistic approach to fear exploration and transformation.
   
3. Community Support and Sharing: Together we can foster supportive relationships where we can share our meditation and artistic experiences related to that come up. We can encourage each other in open dialogue, collaboration, and peer support to create a nurturing space for personal growth and healing.
   
4. Collaborative Art Projects: Over time this process will initiate collaborative art projects where participants can contribute their artistic interpretations of compassion, love, fear, resilience all inspired by our communities. These projects could include virtual art exhibitions, community murals, and multimedia installations, allowing individuals to collectively explore and celebrate their journeys of fear transformation.
   
5. Integration of Mindfulness Practices: We will learn to integrate mindfulness practices into our art and meditation sessions to deepen participants awareness of their fears and emotional responses. Offer guided meditations, breathwork exercises, and body scans to support participants in cultivating presence and compassion towards themselves and their fears.
   
6. Educational Resources and Tools: I can provide resources and tools on mindfulness, fear psychology, and artistic expression to empower participants in their meditation and practice and how to utilize fear transformation journey. And can share, videos, guided meditations, and recommended readings to support anyone on their ongoing learning and growth journeys.
   

Outcome: We utilize all of our communities to create a synergistic blend of mindfulness and art, offering our communities a unique opportunity to confront and transcend their fears. By ringing their meditation bells, setting intentions, and engaging in fear-themed artistic expression, participants can cultivate resilience, self-awareness, and inner strength. Together, we can all embark on a journey of fear transformation, embracing vulnerability, creativity, and community support along the way.
This is a potential CONE initiative to combine all RCCs: ConeEcoCycle Alliance
Mission Statement: ConeEcoCycle Alliance would aim to create a decentralized ecosystem that integrates animal sanctuaries, farms, composting systems, and community engagement to promote sustainable agriculture practices, reduce waste, and strengthen local communities.
Key Components:

1. Animal Sanctuaries & Farms Collaboration (PetPack & Bucketheads):
   
   • Partner with animal sanctuaries to provide a safe haven for rescued animals and establish on-site farms to grow animal feed sustainably.
   • Engage with farms to source buckets from Bucketheads for various purposes, such as collecting animal feed, composting materials, and transporting goods.
2. Composting and Waste Management (PoopheadAvatars & Mushroomplanet):
   
   • Collaborate with PoopheadAvatars to collect animal waste from sanctuaries and farms, utilizing designated buckets provided by Bucketheads.
   • Integrate composting systems facilitated by Mushroomplanet to process organic waste on-site, producing nutrient-rich compost for soil fertility and plant growth.
3. Community Engagement and Education:
   
   • Host workshops, webinars, and educational events to raise awareness about decentralized ecosystems, composting techniques, and sustainable agriculture practices.
   • Foster a sense of community ownership and participation by involving local residents, schools, and organizations in composting initiatives and farm activities.
4. Circular Economy and Economic Opportunities:
   
   • Establish a closed-loop system where compost produced from animal waste is used to fertilize on-site farms, creating a sustainable cycle of nutrient regeneration.
   • Explore economic opportunities by selling excess compost to local farmers, community gardens, and urban agriculture projects, generating revenue for sanctuary operations and community development.
5. Technology and Innovation:
   
   • Utilize innovative technologies, such as composting equipment and monitoring systems, to optimize waste management processes and improve efficiency.
   • Collaborate with research institutions and industry experts to develop best practices and innovative solutions for decentralized ecosystems and sustainable agriculture.

Outcomes and Impact: - Reduction of waste through efficient composting systems, contributing to environmental conservation and resource sustainability. - Improved soil fertility and agricultural productivity, leading to healthier crops and sustainable food production. - Strengthening of local communities through education, engagement, and economic opportunities, promoting resilience and self-reliance. - Establishment of a replicable model for decentralized ecosystems that can be adapted and implemented in other regions, fostering global sustainability efforts.
By connecting various Reddit communities and stakeholders, ConeEcoCycle Alliance would strive to create a collaborative network dedicated to building resilient, sustainable, and inclusive ecosystems for the benefit of people, animals, and the planet.
The art and products that could be sold with this ideas are also unlimited and possibly connect all the RCCs we can into this system. Because MILK can do cow sanctuaries and PlungerPlanet can do rabbits. Rabbit poop is one of the best for composting
Last thing we need is a Taco food bank or Taco trucks that have pre paid taco for people in need. ;)
Jeff5704

2.5. DITTHUPĀDĀNA

Ditthi upādāna - clinging to a speculative/wrong view due to the lack of proper consideration/mindset (yoniso manasikara).

According to the Brahmajula Sutta of the Dīgha Nikāya, in the 6th century B.C in India there were 62 wrong views. All the 62 can be philosophically grouped into two. They are annihilationism and eternalism - (Ucchedavada and Sassatavada) [THE CONCEPT OF UPĀDĀNA AND ANUPĀDĀNA IN EARLY BUDDHISM (R Punna)]

Theravada (as Vibhajjavāda) here rejects Ditthi upādāna.

2.5.1. Attavadupādāna

Ucchedavada and Sassatavada are based on attavada or attavadupādāna (attachment to the soul or self), not in line with the Ariya Sacca (the Noble Truth). Attavadupādāna is based on sakkaya ditthi, which is instinctive; everyone is born with it.

Sakkaya (Sa or Santo, that means which really exists, and Kaya, aggregate) means the five aggregates which really exist. Ditthi means 'view'. These two words constitute Sakkaya Ditthi... Sakkaya Ditthi is the breeding and the birth place of the sixty two kinds of Ditthi.

• Sakkaya ditthi means clinging to nama and rupa as I am—i.e. this body is me, mine. That is to say clinging to impermanent things, which will soon no longer exist, is a painful mistake.

The Buddha gave a detailed analysis of these wrong views asserted in sixty-two ways and pointed out that these views had their origin in feeling which arose as a result of repeated contact through the six sense bases. Whatever person holds these wrong views, in him feeling gives rise to craving; craving gives rise to clinging, clinging gives rise to existence; the kammic causal process in existence gives rise to rebirth, and rebirth gives rise to ageing, death, grief, lamentation, pain, distress and despair. [Guide to Tipitaka: Canonical Pâli Buddhist Literature of the Theravâda School (U Ko Lay):]

• Vedana (expecially pain) makes us to cling to our bodies and fearful of pain, death, aging, and disease.
• Contemplating and witnessing the nature of anicca (impermanence) regularly for a long time can cut off this clinging.
• We must regard nama as nama and rupa as rupa, not me or mine.

One who has sakkāya ditthi views the body as I am — this body is me.

Upadana leads to attavadupadanam/attavādūpādānaṃ (Soul-theory). Attavadupadanam can also be understood as sakkaya ditthi (regarding the nama-rupa complex as I am).
Pali Commentaries Atthakatha - English Translations Collection:

(v) Cattaro upadana-kamupadamn, ditthupadanam, sflabbatupadanam, attavadupadanam.

1. Sakkaya-ditthi - sati + kaye + ditthi, literally, view when a group exists. Here kaya refers to the five Aggregates of matter, feeling, perception, mental states, and consciousness, or, in other words, to the complex-compound of mind and matter. The view that there is one unchanging entity, a permanent soul, when there is a complex-compound of psycho physical aggregates is termed sakkaya-ditthi. Dhammasangani enumerates twenty kinds of such soul theories (see Dhammasangani Translation, pp. 257-259). Sakkaya-ditthi is usually rendered by self-illusion, theory of individuality, illusion of individualism.

2.5.2. UPĀDĀNA (Birth Determinant)

Upādāna (attachment/clinging) is the opposite of anupādāna (detachment).

4 kinds of clinging are: sensuous clinging (kāmupādāna), clinging to views (diṭṭhupādāna), clinging to mere rules and ritual (sīlabbatupādāna), clinging to the personaljty-belief (atta-vādupādāna).

Upādāna (clinging) occurs as the mind clings to perceived reality: man, cat, dog, car, a woman's voice, a cat's meow, the taste of meat, the smell of a flower, etc. Upādāna occurs as a belief in perceived reality as real and permanent (unchanging). Why do we believe a man is a man, a cat is a cat, a car is a car, a woman's voice is a woman's voice, a meow is a meow, etc? We do so because we instinctively believe they are real and stable. Why do we believe something exists and is real?
A cat is only a perceived reality. The reality (paramattha) is there is no cat but a nāma-rupa complex.
The process of perceiving, believing and clinging is so short. There is no natural resistance against this process. Thus, the Buddha advised the bhikkhus to develop indriya samvara sila.

As a result, one is able to comprehend the true reality of the sense objects without reacting to them with greed or aversion resulting in wholesome thoughts and actions.

• Perceived reality (wrong concepts and ideas) is a wrong view.
• Clinging to perceived reality (wrong views) leads to wrong actions.

Avijja-paccaya saṅkhārā (Dependent on ignorance, reaction (conditioning) arises).

We act according to our instincts. Upādāna is instinctive. We cling to something with love or hatred. Upadana is deeper than memory. It is a part of Paticcasamuppada: Anuloma (forward order). It determines the future form/birth:

vedana-paccaya tanha; Dependent on sensation craving and aversion arise ;

To know a cat as a cat means clinging, and clinging means to be reborn as a cat.
'Know a dog as a dog' means to be reborn as a dog.
'Know a hen as a hen' means to be reborn as a hen.
'Know a fish as a fish' means to be reborn as a fish.
We cannot be reborn as a car, a house, a boat or a tree; however, we can be reborn as something that can cling to that car, that house, that boat, that tree, etc. Whatever being (a bitch, for example) is living in that car, that house, that boat, that tree, etc., can become one's mother.
Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw explains thus,

for having pleasurable attachment to his properties with greed, when he died, he was conceived in the womb of a bitch at his own house. The bitch gave birth to an infant dog in about one and a half or two months time. [Subha's father, Todeyya, was reborn as a dog]

If no animal is there to become a mother, then there will be a ghost (peta) to haunt a property or an item. Some stories are collected in Vimānavatthu and Petavatthu. (Vimānavatthu and Petavatthu)
To see something as mere nāma and rupa can correct the view. Why don't we see nama and rupa but cat, dog, man, car, alcohol, etc.? When we hear a sound, why do we know it's a cat, a car, a dog, a person, etc.? When we smell something, why do we know it is a flower, perfume, fresh air, etc.?
Because we memorised them and because our instinct is to perceive and memorise them that way.
The wrong view leads to clinging. Clinging means one is flowing with the current. The process of cutting off attachment is to let go, and that is also to go against one's true nature or instinct. That is not the nature mentioned in the Bloodstream Sermon — "The one who knows his nature is a buddha."
'To let go of something' means to have appropriate mindset (yoniso manasikara).

2.5.3. Yonisomanasikāra

yonisomanasikāra : [m.] proper consideration. Yoniso Manasikara (PropeWise Attention)

Yonisomanasikāra could be translated as 'appropriate mindset', with which one could reflect appropriately anything in any situation. Mindset (Vocabulary.com):

a habitual or characteristic mental attitude that determines how you will interpret and respond to situations.

Luang Por Pasanno: Wise Reflection (audio)

[35:00] The 2nd Noble Truth ... to let go of suffering ... What's its cause? What's its source? ... The cessation of suffering is to be realised. The path leading to cessation of suffering is to be caltivated and developed... We don't pay much attention to the cessation of suffering. If we were suffering all the time, we wouldn't be here... [Without paying attention to the end of suffering] We go on to the other subject, identifying another suffering ... not here yet, but it's gonna come...

WISE ATTENTION: YONISO MANASIKARA IN THERAVADA BUDDHISM By Dr Ari Ubeysekara

“Monks, with regard to internal factors, I don’t envision any other single factor like appropriate attention as doing so much for a monk in training, who has not attained the heart’s goal but remains intent on the unsurpassed safety from bondage. A monk who attends appropriately abandons what is unskillful and develops what is skillfull.”[3]

PERIPHERAL AWARENESS Ajahn Nyanamoli Thero

Body postures are more general than attending to a particular action or perception. But having a “body there” is even more general than the postures. Because to be walking, sitting, standing or lying down, one needs to have a body in the first place. That’s why one can also use the knowledge of “there is body”, as the peripheral anchor for one’s daily actions and experiences.

2.5.4. Samyojanna (Fetters)

Self identification view. The view that mistakenly identifies any of the khandha as "self"; the first of the ten fetters (samyojana). Abandonment of sakkaya ditthi is one of the hallmarks of stream entry (see sotapanna).

Mogok Sayadaw advised that before meditating, one should remove five (1-5) samyojanna and establish Right View.

(1) personality-belief (sakkāya-ditthi)

• Rāga and tanhā are the same.

2.5.5. Ten kilesās:

1. False views (sakayaditthi)
2. Doubt (vicikiccha)
3. Belief in the effectiveness of rituals
4. Sensuous pleasure (raga)
5. Aversion (dosa)
6. Passion towards rupa jhanas (pertaining to the sphere of forms)
7. Passion towards arupa jhanas (pertaining to the formless sphere)
8. Self pride (mana)
9. restlessness and worries (uddhacca)
10. Ignorance (avijja)

• Kilesā are saṅkhārā.
• One must suppress these kilesā, especially during mediation.

2.5.6. Saṅkhārā: Vaci (verbal), Mano (mental) and Kaya (physical).

Sila and Indriyasamvāra Sila support the Samādhi.
Sammā Samādhi supports the mind to anchore on the vipassanā object and prevent the saṅkhārā.
Samādhi: focus,
Knowing the state/nature of the body and mind (nāma-rupa) is pannā—yathā bhuta nāna dassana.

2.5.7. vedana-paccaya tanha

Vedana occurs at the physical and mental sense organs:
Types of vedanā and a State Beyond Vedana (Vipassana Research Institute):

• Kāyika vedanā (bodily feeling) are five kinds.
• Cetasika vedanā (mental feeling) are 52 kinds.

Five Kinds Of Vedana

• sukhindriya (pleasure)
• dukkhindriya (pain)
• somanassindriya (mental joy)
• domanassindriya (mental grief)
• upekkhindriya (equanimity)

Five Kāyika Vedana (Bodily Feeling)

Seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching occur at the panca kamaguna (five sense elements): eye, ear, nose, tongue and body.

2.5.8. The 52 Cetasikas:

[Mental Factors or Mental Properties (= Cetasika): Mental Factors in group (page 5-7):]

• 13 ‘Aññasamāna’ Cetasikas (common with the other)
  • Common with Kusala Cittas, Akusala Cittas, Vipāka Cittas or Kiriya Cittas
  • “ethically variable”
• 14 Akusala Cetasikas (unwholesome)
• 25 Sobhana Cetasikas (beautiful mental factors)

[Nārada Thera:] No sobhanas - (beautiful) occur in an immoral consciousness.

Aññasamāna Cetasikas are two types:
[quote]

• 7 sabbacittasadharana cetasikas
• 6 pakinnaka cetasikas

Whereas in the Suttas all phenomena of existence are summed up under the aspect of 5 groups:

• corporeality,
• feeling,
• perception,
• mental formations,
• consciousness (s. khandha),

The Abhidhamma as a rule treats them under the more philosophical 3 aspects:

• consciousness,
• mental factors and
• corporeality (citta, cetasika, rūpa).

Cetasika or mental factor, is another type of Dhamma which arises together with citta, experiences the same object as citta, falls away together with citta and arises at the same base as citta. Cetasikas have each their own characteristic and perform each their own function. There are 52 types of cetasikas in all.

[end quote]

cetasika : [adj.] mental; (nt.), a mental property.

The four realties are citta, cetasika, rupa, Nibāna.
Due to ignorance (heedlessness, lacking sati/mindfulness), vedanā (sensation) can lead to saṅkhārā (thought, speech, body movement). During meditation, thought and body movement are disruption and considered as kilesa.

kilesa : [m.] passion; lust; depravity; impurity.

Vedana → Saṅkhārā → Taṇhā → Upādāna

tanha-paccaya upadanam;

Upādāna: (One is) clinging to saṅkhārā with the force of Taṇhā.
The strength of taṇhā is essential for upādāna.

Avijjā and taṇhā are always paired to renew a being. [The Connection Between Atta and Dukkha: Buddhist Analysis of Human Experience and the Ways to Transcend Unsatisfactoriness (Bhikkhuni Dhammanandā)]

2.6. Swimming Against the Current

U. Mapa

One can be re-born in the deva world due to some past good deeds (kamma) but once the force of the good kamma is exhausted there will be the descending journey which could even be to the very bottom of the plains of existence

Dhammapada - Verse 218.)

In that person a deep yearning for the undefined Nibbána has arisen. He has already touched it mentally. He is called a swimmer against the current-an upstream bound person. He has already started the process towards Nibbána.

2.6.1. Samatha-vipassanā:

MOGOK SAYADAW'S WAY TO THE VIPASSANA PRACTICE:
Venerable Mogok Sayadaw, in a lecture: အပါယ်လေးပါးတခါးပိတ်တဲ့အမြင်, explained about who was born in the past and who will be born in the future lives. He said nama rupa (Mind-body-complex) lived and died in the past lives. Nama rupa also live the current life. Only nama and rupa will be reborn to live and die in the future lives before reaching the Nibbána. Samsara is the birth and death of rupa and nama recurring.
The Nama-rupa process is not somebody or a being. The past body is not me, not my life. The current body is not me, not my life, either. If there is the future body, regarding it as 'me', 'my body', 'my life' is unwise.
That lecture related to the Three Parinnas:

1. You must recognise and differentiate between mind [nama] and matter [rupa] in the present sensation that develops. This is called Nataparinana.
2. You must recognise and realise the impermanence, suffering and impersonal qualities (Anissa, Dukkha and Anatta) of the present sensation. This is called Tiranaparinana.
3. You must realise that the present sensation is neither your body, nor your mind and try to avoid clinging (Tanha) and self-conceit (Mana) and delusion or wrong view of regarding consciousness as your soul (Ditthi). This is called Pahanaparinana.

2.6.2. The Three Parinnas

Also in The Vipassana Dipani (The Manual of Insight), Mahathera Ledi Sayadaw explains the Three Parinnas in details. However, they are large and complex subjects. Reading alone could not be enough to understand them.
Quotes from Mahathera Ledi Sayadaw's book:
Parinna means profound knowledge.

1. Nata-parinna, Autological knowledge.
2. Tirana-parinna, Analytical knowledge.
3. Pahana-parinna, Dispelling knowledge.

Nata-parinna:
a profound and accurate discernment of mental and material phenomena with all their proximate causes, and also of Nibbána, as shown in the previous sections on the Truths and the Causes.
Tirana-parinna:

1. Anicca-parinna: a perfect or a qualified knowledge of the law of death (marana). Here by death is meant the two kinds of the same, conventional death (sammutimarana) and the ultimate death (paramatthamarana).
2. Dukkha-parinna: a perfect or a qualified knowledge of the intrinsic characteristic Ill or infelicity. Here Ill is of two kinds:
   1. Vedayita-dukkha (Pain-feeling ill): bodily and mental pains
   2. Bhayattha-dukkha (Fear producing ill): Bhaya-nana (knowledge of things as fearful), and of the Adinavanana (knowledge of things as dangerous)
3. Anattá-parinna: the perfect or the qualified knowledge of things mental and material as possessing the characteristic of No-soul." By this knowledge of things as no soul [no atta], the Anatta-nanna, all the mental and material phenomena that belong to the ultimate truths are discerned as having no soul.

Pahana-parinna:
the perfect or the qualified knowledge that dispels hallucinations. It dispels the three Nicca-vippallasas by means of the insight acquired through the contemplation of Impermanence, the three Sukha-vipallasas and the three Subha-vippallasas, by means of the insight acquired through the contemplation of Ill, and the three Atta-vippallasas by means of the insight acquired through the contemplation of No-soul.
[End quote]

2.6.3. Nibbāna Is Near; Not Far Away: Sammary

Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; 15th December 1961
Nibbāna is a natural phenomenon (Sabhāva Dhamma). Atthi Bhikkhave Nibbānaṃ – Monks! Nibbāna exists. In the Saṁyutta the Buddha said: Nibbānass'eva santike – Nibbāna is not far away, very near (SN.1.46/ (6). Accharāsuttaṃ).
There are trains from good rebirth to good rebirth (sugati to sugati), good rebirth to bad rebirth (sugati to dugati), and good rebirth to Nibbāna. Except the Paccekabuddhas, the world naturally takes the two trains as it can know Nibbāna only with the help of a Sammasambuddha.
The Buddha taught to Rohitassa Devaputta to look for Nibbāna at 2-armed-lengths body (AN.4.45 Rohitassasuttaṃ). One cannot see Nibbāna before penetrating kilesa (mental defilements). Nibbāna, the asaṅkhata dhàtu is the end of the saṅkhata dhàtu. So Rohitassa Devaputta contemplated this 2-armed-lengths body back and forth and saw the inconstancy and disenchantment of it. One who sees the inconstancy and disenchantment of this 2-armed-lengths body can make a firm decision as it's truly dukkha sacca. That way one can come to an end of asaṅkhata dhàtu.
If you win kilesa, you will find dukkha. By penetration of dukkha and then Dukkhasa antaṃ karissati – at the ending of dukkha, you will realise Nibbāna.

2.6.4. Maha-Rahulovada Sutta: The Greater Exhortation to Rahula

In the Maha-Rahulovada Sutta, the Buddha gives a method of focusing on the four mahabhutas.

"Rahula, any form whatsoever that is past, future, or present; internal or external; blatant or subtle; common or sublime; far or near: every form is to be seen as it actually is with right discernment as: 'This is not mine. This is not my self. This is not what I am.'"

• The Buddha advised Venerable Rahula to establish Right View on the four internal elements (solid, liquid, gas, heat).
  • This solid is not me, not mine.
  • This liquid is not me, not mine.
  • This air is not me, not mine.
  • This heat is not me, not mine.

2.6.5. Mūlapariyāya Suttaṁ The Root of All Things

The Mūlapariyāya Suttaṁ explains how to develop Right View on the four rupa elements.

The ordinary person

2.6.6. Satipatthana:

In walking meditation, as a way of kayagatasati, a yogi can know the start and the end of a step. When doing other actions, the yogi notes the start and end of these actions. A yogi can focus on the start and the end, just these two, as the meditation object. The yogi will be aware that the start followed by the end.
In anapanasati meditation, the yogi focuses on the breath in and out and the start and the end of the breath — to understand death (marana) and the momentariness of existence. Someone new to this practice can focus on the area the in and out air touching. As breathing naturally and fully, one can remain mindful for a long time. One can know the breath, as it can be fast, steady or slow. One will naturally become aware of the start and the end of each breath.
In anapanasati meditation, some focus on the breath (air) moving along the windpipe, and some on the abdomen inflating and deflating.
One can also contemplate on marana (death/impermanence) as Dhamma-satipatthana. This body is impermanent; it will be thorwn away one day. This body is not me; it goes its own way.
In the vedanā-satipatthana training, the goal is sannāvedāyita nirodha.

[PATICCASAMUPPADA] Through deep insight, the Buddha discovered that the crucial link is vedana. In the anuloma-paticcasamuppada, he says "vedana-paccaya tanha'' (with the base of sensation, craving and aversion arise). Vedana is the cause of tanha, which gives rise to dukkha. In order to remove the cause of dukkha or tanha; therefore, one must not allow vedana to connect with tanha; in other words, one must practise Vipassana meditation at this juncture so that avijja becomes vijja or panna (wisdom). One has to observe vedana, to experience and to comprehend the truth of its arising and passing away, i.e., anicca. [...] [MN 28] One who sees paticcasamuppada sees the Dhamma. One who sees the Dhamma sees paticcasamuppada... [The Buddha - Vipassana - J Krishnamurti (Research Study); (Topics:) Ignorance and Conditioning - Consciousness]

2.6.7. Right Effort

• Concentration (samādhi)
  • Right effort (sammā-vāyāma)
  • Right mindfulness (sammā-sati)
  • Right concentration (sammā-samādhi)

Sustaining undisrupted awareness is sammā-vāyāma (Right Effort). Before meditating, one should determine, "I will keep my mind focusing on the breath. I will not let my mind leave it."
Keeping the mind focused on a meditation object is to prevent the saṅkhārā. Preventing the saṅkhārā (and kilesa) is to avoid agitation and pleasure, and to stop Paticcasamuppada in regular (anuloma) motion.

samādhi : [m.] meditation; onepointedness of the mind.

Samadhi: Stilling and straightening the mind to end it from clinging to affection or aversion is to go against nature and swim upstream. A developed mind has strong samadhi and is skilful in avoiding wrong view/thought and emotion (saṅkhārā and kilesa).

Sila, Samādhi, Pannā

Samatha-Vipassana means preventing the active saṅkhārā (mano, vaci, kaya).
One should keep the body and mind stable. Mouth, mind and body must be kept motionless, except the motion of breathing. The mind is stablised by being mindful of breathing.
Mano-saṅkhārā are thoughts (thinking, seeing images, hearing songs, etc.).
Kaya-saṅkhārā are physical activity (movement, changing position, bodily sensations).
Vaci-saṅkhārā are verbal sounds, speech and thought that includes words.
When saṅkhārā appears, one must notice it until it ends.
When an emotion (greed, anger or whatever it is) appears, one must know/notice it; but make sure to witness the end of it.
The goal is to see the end (anicca).
Seeing (noticing) the anicca is panna (insight).
And then one knows there is no longer such thought or emotion.
According to the Theras, the saṅkhārā must be cut off before it becomes upadana. If the end of the saṅkhārā is noticed, it will not become upadana. Then anupadana can be attained by the end of the vedanā if the end is noticed/acknowledged.
Noticing is sati (mindfulness).
Understanding or seeing the cutting off (ending) is panna (insight).
Anapanasati Sutta: Mindfulness of Breathing
Practical Vipassana Meditation Exercises Mahasi Sayadaw

2.7. THE FOUR FACTORS OF A SOTAPANNA

[Quote] The Venerable Mogok Sayadaw in his discourse on Sotapanna given on the 2nd March, 1960, in Upper Burma, explained the four factors of a Sotapanna, quoted from the original Pannaca Pali.

1. A person who has a right view towards the absence of self or personality view, but the aggregation of five corporeal and mental parts in every being.
2. A person freed from any doubt about this view.
3. A person who has a firm and non-wavering decision about this view.
4. A person who comes to know this view not only through external sources but also with his or her own effort to know this view through Vipassana meditation and insight. [End quote]

Upon losing the wrong view of self, a person establishes the right view and voluntarily dispossesses his attachment to others. He gives up claiming 'this is me', 'that is mine'. He becomes a sotapanna.
That is, however, different from a Bodhisattva losing "individualized will-control" (Lanka Chapter 13).
Sariputtatthera Vatthu:

Verse 11: They take untruth for truth; they take truth for untruth; such persons can never arrive at the truth, for they hold wrong views.

2.1. Vibhajjavādi Dhamma Paṭisambhidā-ñāṇa

A bhikkhu who attains the highest level attains Analytical Knowledge (Paṭisambhidā-ñāṇa). Arahants are Vibhajjavādis.

(page86) With this object in view, he meditates again on the three characteristics (Patisankha nana), and thereafter becomes completely indifferent to all conditioned things— having neither attachment nor aversion for any worldly object (Sankharupekkha nana). Reaching this point of mental culture, he takes for his object of special endeavour one of the three characteristics that appeals to him most, and intently keeps on developing insight in that particular direction, until that glorious day when, for the first time, he realises Nibbána, his ultimate goal [A Manual of ABHIDHAMMA (Narada Maha Thera)]

Recommanded reading: The Eightfold Path; The Noble Eightfold Path: The Way to the End of Suffering (Youtube Video) by Bhikkhu Bodhi;

The 4 analytic insights

[(Saṁyojana) Kotthita Sutta (Translated by Piya Tan ©2009) Page 39]

(1) the analytic insight in effects; attha,paṭisambhidā
(2) the analytic insight in causes and conditions; dhamma,paṭisambhidā
(3) the analytic insight in language; and nirutti,paṭisambhidā
(4) the analytic insight in ready wit; paṭibhāna,paṭisambhidā

Sāriputta declares in Paṭisambhidā Sutta (A 4.173):

that within a fortnight (aḍḍha,māsa) of his ordination he is able to master the 4 analytic insights both “specifically and literally” (odhiso vyañjanaso) [4.5n]. Of the analytic insight in effects, he declares:
I say, teach, state, declare, establish, reveal, analyse and clarify it [the analytic insight in effects] in various ways. But if anyone has a doubt or perplexity, why question me, what is my point in explaining, when the Teacher is right here before us, he who is well-skilled in dharmas [states].24 (A 4.173/2:160), SD 28.4(4.5)

Anguttara Nikaya: Paṭisambhidā Sutta: The Four Analytical Knowledge
(Translated from German by Google)

A.VII.36 The True Friend II - 6. Dutiya-mitta Sutta
A monk, monks, who possesses seven qualities, is to be treated as a friend, to associate and keep company, even if it is forbidden to him. What are these seven characteristics?
He is loving and pleasing, serious, worthy of reverence, gives instructions and accepts admonitions, has deep conversations and does not lead people to do wrong things.
[...]
Possessing seven qualities, monks, a monk may after a short time acquire the four analytic knowledges, knowing and realizing them himself; and equipped with them, he made the four analytic knowledge his own, recognizing and realizing them himself. What are these seven qualities?
Then, monks, the monk knows according to reality: 'This spiritual laxity exists in me.' If his mind is tense inside (1), he knows according to reality: 'My mind is tense inside.' If his mind is scattered outwardly, he knows: 'My mind is scattered outwardly.' The feelings arise consciously in him, consciously they are there, consciously they disappear. The perceptions arise consciously in him, consciously they are there, consciously they disappear. The thoughts arise consciously in him, consciously they are there, consciously they disappear (2). When it comes to things that are beneficial and harmful, common and noble, and the opposites of good and evil, he has well grasped the cause, well considered it, well understood it, and well penetrated it with wisdom.
(The same thing is subsequently said by Sāriputta.)

• Traditionaly the qualities of the Sangha are nine, for contemplation:

Contemplation of the Sangha (Sangha-Nusati)

Chapter 42 - The Dhamma Ratanā [Chronicle of Buddhas (Mingun)]
Part 8 - The Nine Supreme Attributes of the Sangha

Suppaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṃgho ujuppaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṃgho, ñāyappaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṃgho sāmīcippaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṃgho. Yadidaṃ cattāri purisayugāni aṭṭhapurisa puggalā esa bhagavato sāvakasaṃgho āhuneyyo pāhuneyyo dakkhiṇeyyo añjalīkaranīyo anuttaraṃ puññakhettaṃ lokassa.

Part 9 - Contemplation of the Sangha

The yogi who wishes to contemplate on the Sangha should commit to memory the nine attributes of the Sangha in Pāli and its translation as given above. [...] The virtuous one, who repeatedly contemplates on the Sangha, becomes exceptionally devoted to the Sangha comparable to the ariyas devotion to the Sangha. He gains a stable mindfulness, a profound wisdom, and much merit.

2.1.1. THE VIBHAJJAVĀDI GOAL: ANUPĀDĀNA IS NIBBĀNA:

Nibbāna Sutta

Sāriputta explains to Udāyi (Lāludāyi, according to the Commentary: AA.ii.810) how Nibbāna is happiness, though in it there is no experiencing (vedayitam). A.iv.414f.

​

The goal of a Vibhajjavādin bhikkhu is Anupādāna—detachment (relief) from the burden of the nāma-rupa complex.

​

(Dhamma paṭisambhidā-ñāṇa) Being endowed with Analytical Knowledge of dhamma (phenomena), the Buddha knew discriminately and comprehensively about every dhamma and was able to expound them to others. [Chronicle of Buddhas (Mingun)]

• A Sammasambuddha is a Vibhajjavadi, a dhamma analyst who knows all the dhammas just the way they are and who possesses the ability to explain analytically.

Verse 264: Not by a shaven head does a man become a samana, if he lacks morality and austere practices and tells lies. How could he who is full of covetousness and greed be a samana? Verse 265: He who has totally subdued all evil, great and small, is called a samana because he has overcome all evil.
Verse 256: He is not just if he decides a case arbitrarily; the wise man should decide after considering both what is right and what is wrong. Verse 257: The wise man who decides not arbitrarily but in accordance with the law is one who safeguards the law; he is to be called 'one who abides by the law (dhammattho).'
Verses 268 & 269: Not by silence does one become a muni, if one is dull and ignorant. Like one holding a pair of scales, the wise one takes what is good and rejects what is evil. For this reason he is a muni. He who understands both internal and external aggregates is also, for that reason, called a muni.

• The Sammasambuddha is a samana (Verses 264) and a dhammattho (Verses 256). He is also a muni (Verses 268). He is known as Sakyamuni (the sage of the Sakya people; sa-ki-ya).

The Buddha recommended the bhikkhus to become a Vibhajjavadi like Him.

The Sammasambuddha encourages the bhikkhus to stay on the Noble Eightfold Path (ariyo atthangikomaggo) and reach the Noble Goal, Nibbána.

Verse 364: The bhikkhu who abides in the Dhamma, who delights in the Dhamma, who meditates on the Dhamma, and is ever mindful of the Dhamma, does not fall away from the Dhamma of the virtuous.

Siṃsapāvana Sutta—The Siṃsapā forest:

tasmātiha, bhikkhave, 'idaṃ dukkhan'ti yogo karaṇīyo, 'ayaṃ dukkha·samudayo'ti yogo 'karaṇīyo, 'ayaṃ dukkha·nirodho'ti yogo karaṇīyo, 'ayaṃ dukkha·nirodha·gāminī paṭipadā'ti yogo karaṇīyo ti.

• One's duty is
  • to investigate, identify and understand dukkha and the cessation of dukkha
  • to reach the cessation of dukkha

2.1.2. THE VIBHAJJADI RESOLVE:

One is destined to reach the Right Truth and the Noble Goal if one is righteous, truthful, consistent and persistent in effort and is respectful to the path and the teachers. That is the fundamental rule of the Noble Path.
Kitagiri Sutta (Thanissaro Bhikkhu)

Monks, I don't say of all monks that they have a task to do with heedfulness; nor do I say of all monks that they have no task to do with heedfulness.

• One who has not got rid of sakkaya ditthi has things to do with heedfulness.

"For a disciple who has conviction in the Teacher's message & lives to penetrate it, what accords with the Dhamma is this: 'The Blessed One is the Teacher, I am a disciple. He is the one who knows, not I.' For a disciple who has conviction in the Teacher's message & lives to penetrate it, the Teacher's message is healing & nourishing.

• One who has not understood the meaning of sakkaya ditthi and the means to get rid of it (sakkaya ditthi) should live understand its meaning and the means to escape from it.
• One should have conviction in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha. One should listen to one's teacher (the mentor) with conviction in the Three Gems.

For a disciple who has conviction in the Teacher's message & lives to penetrate it, what accords with the Dhamma is this: 'Gladly would I let the flesh & blood in my body dry up, leaving just the skin, tendons, & bones, but if I have not attained what can be reached through human firmness, human persistence, human striving, there will be no relaxing my persistence.'

• One should not limit one's effort before one understands the Dhamma (reality).

For a disciple who has conviction in the Teacher's message & lives to penetrate it, one of two fruits can be expected: either gnosis here & now, or — if there be any remnant of clinging-sustenance — non-return."

2.1.3. THE NOBLE PATH TO NIBBĀNA

The Noble Eightfold Path (BUDDHIST DICTIONARY):

• Wisdom (paññā)
  • Right view (sammā-diṭṭhi)
  • Right thought (sammā-saṅkappa)
• Morality (sīla)
  • Right speech (sammā-vācā)
  • Right action (sammā-kammanta)
  • Right livelihood (sammā-ājīva)
• Concentration (samādhi)
  • Right effort (sammā-vāyāma)
  • Right mindfulness (sammā-sati)
  • Right concentration (sammā-samādhi)

The Four stages to Nibbana via the Eightfold Noble Path:

• Sotāpatti-phala
• Anāgāmī-phala
• Sakadāgāmī-phala
• Arahattaphala

2.1.4. Types of Nibbāna

Nibbàna is the same to everyone. It can be realised incrementally and experienced stage by stage.

According to the text and the commentarial interpretations, Nibbàna, experienced by Sotàpannas, Sakadàgàmis, and Anàgàmis, is saupàdisesaNibbànadhàtu as they have the body and some passions still remaining.
Nibbàna of the Arahants is also saupàdisesaNibbànadhàtu as they have the body still remaining.
It is only the Nibbàna of the Arahants after their death that is termed anupàdisesa-Nibbànadhàtu because the aggregates and the passions are discarded by them...
[A Manual of Abhidhamma (being Abhidhammattha Saïgaha of Bhadanta Anuruddhàcariya) (Nàrada Mahà Thera page358)]

​

2.2. PATICCASAMUPPADA: Rebirth Process

PATICCASAMUPPADA

1. Avijja-paccaya sankhara;
   1. Dependent on ignorance, reaction (conditioning) arises;
2. sankhara-paccaya vinnanam;
   1. Dependent on reaction (conditioning), consciousness arises;
3. vinnana-paccaya nama-rupam;
   1. Dependent on consciousness, mind-body arise;
4. nama-rupa-paccaya salayatanam;
   1. Dependent on mind-body, the six senses arise;
5. salayatana-paccaya phasso;
   1. Dependent on the six senses, contact arises;
6. phassa-paccaya vedana;
   1. Dependent on contact, sensation arises;
7. vedana-paccaya tanha;
   1. Dependent on sensation craving and aversion arise ;
8. tanha-paccaya upadanam;
   1. Dependent on craving and aversion, clinging arises ;
9. upadana-paccaya bhavo;
   1. Dependent on clinging, the process of becoming arises ;
10. bhava-paccaya jati;
11. Dependent on the process of becoming, birth arises;
12. jati-paccaya jara-maranam soka-parideva-dukha-domanassupayasa sambhavanti; evametassa kevalassadukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hoti.
13. Dependent on the base of birth, ageing and death arise, together with sorrow, lamentation, physical and mental sufferings and tribulations.

[The Buddha - Vipassana - J Krishnamurti (Research Study); (Topics:) Ignorance and Conditioning - Consciousness]
​

• Buddha Dhamma concerns the Four Noble Truth, with a focus on the techniques for self-emancipation.
• The Buddha can teach but one must understand, and that understanding is self-emancipation.
• Paticcasamuppada is the unified law of life (satta-loka)

Avijjā and Saṅkhārā

We should focus on Avijjā and Saṅkhārā in attempt to analyse Vibhajjavāda.
​

2.2.1. Sabba Sutta:

​

sabba : [adj.] all; every; whole; entire.
nt. sabbaṃ the (whole) world of sense-experience
sabbena sabbaṃ altogether all,
sabbathā in every way; sabbathā sabbaṃ completely

According to the Sabba Sutta, the world (the universe) is the sphere of six senses—just six, no more or less. Things exist in correspondence with six senses—sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and thought. These six senses are all.
Three worlds (loka-s):

• Satta Loka: (Nama-rupa world) lifeform
• Okāsa-loka: (Rupa only) the infinite space/universe
• Saṅkhāra-loka: (Rupa only) the particles: solidity, liquidity, gaseousness, heat and space

Laws of the satta-loka:

• Paticcasamuppada is the unified law of life (satta-loka). It is not related to the Physical World (Okāsa loka) and Particle World (Saṅkhāra loka).
• Saṅkhārā is action and reaction (construct).
• Kamma is intention (volition).
• Nama and rupa (metaphysical) are this side of dukkha.
• The other shore/side from the nama-rupa lump of dukkha is Nibbána.
• Avijja vs Vijja
• Nibbána is outside the law of kamma-vipaka.
• Nibbána is attainable by ending the intention (cetanā).

2.2.2. The Patthana Dhamma

• The Patthana Dhamma is the unified law of existence related to both life and non-life.

PAṬṬHĀNA, Paccayaniddesa: The 24 Modes of Conditionality
Some of the paccaya-s:

1 Hetu paccayo Root Condition: The six roots are related to the states associated with the roots and to the matter produced thereby by root condition.
17 Jhāna paccayo Jhāna Condition: The jhāna-factors are related to the states associated with the jhānas and to the matter produced thereby by jhāna condition.
18 Magga paccayo Path Condition: The path-factors are related to the states associated with path and to the matter produced thereby by path condition.

2.2.3. Theory of Kamma in Theravada

Mahasi Sayadaw

The Venerable Buddhaghosa writes in the Visuddhi Magga:
Who is the doer of Karma? "No doer is there who does the deed;
Who reaps the fruit of Karma? Nor is there one who feels the fruit;
Does Karma mould a soul? Constituent parts alone roll on;
This indeed! Is right discernment."
CLASSIFICATION OF KARMA:
According to Function:

1. REPRODUCTIVE KARMA,
2. SUPPORTIVE KARMA,
3. OBSTRUCTIVE KARMA OR COUNTERACTIVE KARMA,
4. DESTRUCTIVE (UPAGHATAKA) KARMA

According to the priority of effect:

1. WEIGHTY (GARUKA) KARMA,
2. PROXIMATE (ASANNA) KARMA OR DEATH-PROXIMATE KARMA,
3. HABITUAL (ACCINA) KARMA,
4. RESERVE OR CUMULATIVE (KATATTA) KARMA,

According to the time in which effects are worked out:

1. Immediately Effective (ditthadhammavedaniya) Karma,
2. Subsequently Effective (uppapajjavedaniya) Karma,
3. Indefinitely Effective (aparapariyavedaniya) Karma,
4. Defunct or Ineffective (ahosi) Karma.

​

2.3. RIGHT VIEW

• The view aligned to reality and that leads to freedom from sakkaya ditthi and dukkha
• Understanding of nama and rupa (body-mind complex)

The Buddha advised the Kalamas in Kalama Sutta,

"Do not be led by reports or traditions, or hearsay. Do not be led by the authority of religious texts, nor by mere logic or inference, nor by considering appearances, nor by speculative opinion, nor by seeming possibilities, nor because one's own teacher has said so. O Kalamas, when you know for yourselves that certain things are wrong, unwholesome, bad, then give them up; when you know for yourselves that certain things are right, wholesome, good, then accept them, follow them."

• Science is evidence based, not faith-based. However, some people have too much faith in scientists and scientismists and take science like a religion and hate whoever questions their religion.
• Scientism tries to explain or criticise everything.

[Scientism:] science alone can render truth about the world and reality.

In Anguttara Nikaya: Tika Nipata, the Buddha said,

Whether a Tathagata appears in the world or not, the fact remains as a firm and inevitable condition of existence that all conditioned formations are impermanent, that all conditioned formations are subject to suffering, that all things are [ownerless].

• Sabbe Saṅkhārā Anicca, Dukkha, Anatta

2.3.1. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad:

Section IV - The Creation and Its Cause (Swāmī Mādhavānanda):

Verse 1.4.1: In the beginning, this (universe) was but the self (Virāj) of a human form...the unity of the Self..

• the Upanishad creator's story

Verse 1.4.7: taddhedaṃ tarhyavyākṛtamāsīt, tannāmarūpābhyāmeva vyākriyata, asaunāmāyamidaṃrūpa iti; tadidamapyetarhi nāmarūpā...This (universe) was then undifferentiated. It differentiated only into name and form—it was called such and such, and was of such and such form. So to this day it is differentiated only into name and form—it is called such and such, and is of such and such form...

• the Upanishad creation story

Verse 1.4.4: She thought, ‘How can he be united with me after producing me from himself? Well, let me hide myself.’ She became a cow, the other became a bull and was united with her; from that cows were born. The one became a mare, the other a stallion; the one became a she-ass, the other became a he-ass and was united with her; from that one-hoofed animals were born. The one became a she-goat, the other a he-goat; the one became a ewe, the other became a ram and was united with her; from that goats and sheep were born. Thus did he project every-thing that exists in pairs, down to the ants.

• the Upanishad evolutionary theory

The Mahayanist concepts gradually emerged into a twin of Upanishad and other Vidic traditions. That is explained in the coming chapters.

2.3.2. Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta

tiratana: [ti+ratana] the three gems, i.e.

• The Buddha only recognised the tiratana and the tisaraṇa. The Buddha did not reject but also did not recognise the creation stories of His time. In His first sermon, He simply ignored them:

the loka with its devas, with its Māras, with its Brahmās, with the samaṇas and brahmins, in this generation with its devas and humans

• In His first sermon intended for the liberation of the sugati beings (dugati beings must become sugati beings):
  • The Buddha mentioned the sugati loka (happy realms) and its devas, Māras, Brahmās, samaṇas, brahmins and humans.
  • He rejects the existence of the creator god and creation stories by not recognising them.
  • The Buddha recognises the brahmins.
  • His sermon is concise, comprehensible, complete, and fit for memorisation and recitation. The Buddha used this method in His teaching.
• Points to consider are:
  • The Buddha was born into a Vedic family.
  • The Pancavaggiya (five ascetics/brahmins) were Vedic experts.

Four Types of individuals (puggala)

[Abhidhamma (Janakabhivamsa)]

1. Dugati ahetuka puggala (who take patisandhi in woeful, unhappy abodes called Apaya)
   1. Dugati puggala cannot understand the Dhamma the level to attain liberation.
2. Sugati ahetuka puggala
   1. Human Being born without alobha, adosa and amoha and weak kusala and so are born blind, dumb, deaf or idiotic. Some are born sexless; some as bisexual beings. [Ancient times did not have languages for the disable.]
   2. Deities (e.g. ogre, ogress) of the Catumaharaja plane, with no home nor food. To eat, they must wander among houses and find the leftovers thrown away by the people. Some devas can force humans to provide sacrificial food.
   3. Sugati ahetuka puggala (in general) are unable to comprehend the Dhamma.
3. Dvihetuka puggala (humans and devas with good Dana, dvihetuka ukkattha kusala and tihetuka omaka kusala etc.)
4. Tihetuka puggala (intelligent and wise humans and devas capable of achieving jhana and attain Magga and Phala by parami perfections. Only laziness and lack of discipline prevent them from becoming ariya persons.)
   1. Dvihetuka puggala and Tihetuka puggala are able to understand the Dhamma.

Can One Become A Dvihetuka puggala or Tihetuka puggala?

One who wants to become a Dvihetuka puggala or Tihetuka puggala might already be one. Those who are not do not want to.

2.3.3. WRONG VIEW WRONG ACTION

'Wrong view' leads to 'wrong destination' because actions are led by views (right and wrong). If one follows the wrong view, one also follows the wrong direction. A thirsty traveller in a desert would go to the mirage expecting to find water. Going to a real heaven in the wrong direction would lead to a fake heaven, which does not exist. A wrong view can never lead to a good destination. Beings are lost in the labyrinth of views (delusions).
Only 'seeing things the way they are', not the way they look, can lead to freedom from suffering. We must ignore or reject harmful theories and beliefs.

'the knowledge and vision according to reality'，is one of the 18 chief kinds of insight vipassanā [Yathabhuta Nana Dassana (Nyanatiloka Mahathera)]

2.3.4. SUBHA SUTTA

• Subha in the Subha Sutta was Todeyyaputta, Todeyya's son, a follower of traditional Brahminism.

Brahmins have a belief that by practising in conformity with the doctrines of their own religion, they would reach the World of Brahmas on their demise [...]
According to the Buddha's Dhamma, for so long as tanha, human passionate desire, is still clinging and not yet freed, the process of rupa and nama will be going on continuously from one existence to another due to kamma. In common parlance currently in use, it may be stated that a human becomes a Deva, or a Deva becomes a human, or, a human is reborn as an animal, etc., or an animal, etc., is reborn as a human being and so on. In reality, it is merely the nature of phenomenal occurrence of the continuing process of rupa and nama
[(92) Culakammavibhanga Sutta (Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw); the Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw was an arahant. He took the responsibility of the leader of the Sixth Sangha Council.]

​

2.4. Birth is a Nama-Rupa Process

Brahmavihara Dhamma : Part 4: (92) Culakammavibhanga Sutta Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw:

According to the Buddha's Dhamma, for so long as tanha, human passionate desire, is still clinging and not yet freed, the process of rupa and nama will be going on continuously from one existence to another due to kamma... If tanha, desirable passionate attachment, is totally eliminated through the achievement of Arahattaphala by contemplating Vipassana, the continuing process of rupa and nama will cease to operate after the arising of cuti or death consciousness, called Parinibbána...
purely by means of his intellect, the Buddha knew how life begins with three kalapas or thirty rupas as kalala on the basis of parents semen and blood. This was the Buddha's teaching 2500 years ago and it was only during the last 300 years that Western scientists discovered the facts about conception after long investigation with microscopes. Their discoveries bear testimony to the Buddha's infinite intelligence. However, they are as yet unable to reveal the genesis of thirty rupas probably because the extremely subtle kammaja rupas defy microscopic investigation.
Thus, the cetasika and kammaja rupa are the nama rupas born of rebirth consciousness.

• Each living organism thinks "the process of rupa and nama" is 'I am', 'my body', 'my mind', etc. Each living organism assumes I am the doer (I feel, I live, I gain, etc.) and I am the sufferer (I am hurt, he/she hurts me, I lose, I'm ill, etc.).
• Life is nothing but doing and suffering. Life is merely these two. However, beings cannot get enough of them for some reasons based on ignorance (avijja), craving (kama-tanha, bhava-tanha) and clinging (upādāna).
  • Tanha is also written as raga.
• Sabbe Saṅkhārā Dukkha.

Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw: Chapter 1 - Vinnana And Nama-rupa:

The doctrine says that vinnana gives rise to nama rupa... Rebirth consciousness is invariably coupled with feeling (vedanā), perception (saññā), contact (phassa), volition (cetana), mental advertance (manasikara) and other elements of mind relating to the objects of death bed visions of a person.

• Fully understanding the nama and rupa as anicca-dukkha-anatta abandons the sakkaya ditthi and attains the sotapanna stage.

Kiñci Saṅkhārā Sutta (Piya Tan):

“It is impossible that a person who has gained right view would regard any formation as permanent”

​

Namo tassa bhagavato arahato Samma-sambuddhassa

Homage to the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Supremely Enlightened One !
Khīnam purānam navam natthi sambhavam - Viratta cittā āyatike bhavasmim
Te khīnabījā avirūlhicchandā - Nibbanti dhīrā yathā’yam padīpo
Idam pi sanghe ratanam panītam - Etena saccena suvatthi hotu
The liberated ones’ old kamma is destroyed with no more growing
The Arahants fade out - Just as this lamp has done
in this sangha is this precious jewel
By this truth may there be well-being!
(Buddha Meditation Centre Saskatoon)

ABSTRACT

This study compared Vibhajjavada and Sarvastivada by comparing their scriptures and refuted the five theses of Mahadeva downgrading the arahants, from the Vibhajjavadi perspective. The origin of Mahayanist texts are unclear, as their authors are concealed behind speculation. Nevertheless, they follow the Mahadeva's five points to promote the bodhisattva ideal. The popular Mahayanist belief is the bodhisattvas postpone their own enlightenment until all beings are liberated. According to Mahayanist sutras, which contradict each other to some extent, Bodhisattvas may only propagate Mahayana and only the Buddhas emancipate the beings. The goal of Mahayana is everyone must become a Buddha. Millions have become bodhisattvas and Buddhas, who are on their missions of emancipation but they are not heard or seen by the oridinary people. These sutras promote a form of eternalism (sassatavada) and a type of annihilationism (uccedavada). The Heart Sutra (Prajñāpāramitāhṛdayasūtra) promotes a bodhisattva to the Buddha level and a God-like figure. Thus, the Mahayanist scriptures are closer to the Vedas than to the Dhamma-Vinaya Sasana established by the historical Buddha. A Sammasambuddha is an arahant and a Vibhajjavādi (Vibhajjavādo: one who practices analytical reasoning). After His 45 year career, the Buddha left us with the Dhamma as our teacher. With the respect for the Buddha and the Dhamma, the elders have preserved the Dhamma-Vinaya Sasana for 2,500 years so that all the Buddha's followers may access the unconditioned peace, Nibbāna.

1.0. INTRODUCTION: the Background:

Ye dhamma hetuppa bhavatesam hetum tathagato ahatesanca yo nirodhoevam vadi maha samano.

Prince Siddhatta was born in the Solar Dynasty (Suriyavamsa) in 563 624-623 BC. He became a Sammasambuddha in (528) 588 BC. He established the Dhamma-Vinaya Sasana, the religion of the Buddhists, and the Sangha, the keeper of Buddhism. He spoke the Dhamma in the Pali dialect of the Prakrit language.
Thera in Pali is a senior bhikkhu with "10 years from his upasampadā." The Pitakas were compiled during the Buddha's lifetime. After the Buddha's Parinibbána in 483 544-543 BC [But all the traditional views, except the traditions of Ceylon and Burma, do not have sufficiently strong evidences in their support (Jainism in Buddhist Literature)] , Venerable Mahakassapa Thera organised 500 elders and held the First Buddhist Council, which (re)compiled and categorised some of the Buddha's teachings and established the Sangha Sasana (Theravada/Sthaviravada), as the Dhamma itself is the arbitor. Sangha Sasana merely relays the Dhamma, without individuals adding their own philosophies.

"Enough, Vakkali! What is there to see in this vile body? He who sees Dhamma, Vakkali, sees me; he who sees me sees Dhamma. Truly seeing Dhamma, one sees me; seeing me one sees Dhamma."-SN 22.87

After some time passed, schisms occurred because people from different philosophical backgrounds entered the Sangha and created different religious ideologies. The Sangha, the keepers of the Dhamma-Vinaya Sasana, shed these ideologies in the future Buddhist Councils. Pacittiya 70 prohibits the bhikkhus from associating "with a samanera who develops erroneous views [page53 The manual of the bhikkhu]."
The rebel groups adopted the prohibited Sanskrit "the language of the Vedic revelation (śruti)" and "put the word of the Buddhas into (Sanskrit) verse." To prohibit the Sanskrit, the Buddha said,

The Dharma is a living reality. The words used to transmit it should be the words used daily by the people. I do not want the teaching to be transmitted in a language that can be understood by only a few scholars.. I want all my disciples, both ordained and lay, to study and practice the Dharma in their native tongues [Pali, Burmese...].

Sanskrit is essential to learn from the Sanskrit literature of Brahmanism, to fit within Brahmanist society and to have influence on it.

[According to the Mahāvaitulya mahāsannipāta (T. 397), they were the Sarvāstivādins, who] read, recited, copied and spoke about non-Buddhist texts, received [the doctrine] concerning the existence of [the dharmas] of the three time periods [past, present and future] and of internal and external [dharmas ...]

Mahayana innitially emerged from the first schism of Devadatta. His followers (the Vajjian monks) continued to split the Dhamma-Vinaya and the Sangha. They portrays the ex-seer Devadatta as a bodhisattva in the chapter 12 of the Lotus Sutra (100 B.C. - 200 A.D.). The development of the Mahayanist scripture probably began after the second Sangha Council (also known as the Sattasati and the Yasatthera Sangiti).
The eight most senior theras led the second council and rejected the corrupt Vajjian monks for their breach of the ten Vinaya rules, including the use of gold and silver, and the intake of the forbidden food and drinks. These Vajjian monks left the Sangha with their hatred of the arahants. The heart of Mahāyāna/Sarvāstivāda is Prajñāpāramitāhṛdayasūtra, the mini version of the Mahāprajñāpāramitāsūtra, demonstrates the Sarvāstivādi ideals: downgrading the arahants and promoting the bodhisattvas. They formed the first Mahayanist sect known as the Mahasanghika and created many Mahayanist vehicles, such as Bodhisattvayāna, Tantrāyāna and Mantrāyāna.
The rebelious Mahasarnghikas created a new religion (Mahāyāna/Sarvāstivāda) based on the existing over a long stretch of time. After bringing the Sanskrit into Mahayana, the widespread use of the Bramanical practices became easier.

The Mahasarnghikas worked out a primitive, and rather unsystematic, scheme in the Mahavastu. Later the Dasahhumika, c. A.D. 100, the Bodhisattvabhumi, c. 400, and the Madhyamakdvatara, c. 650, worked out a neater arrangement, which has become classical in Mahayana tradition. Our Sutra stands halfway between the earlier and the final arrangement...[Conze, Large Sutra, 23. as quoted in No Turning Back: The Concept of Irreversibility in Indian Mahayana Literature, Peter James Gilks - page 20 (2010, thesis - ANU Australia)]

The Mahāprajñāpāramitāsūtra (100 B.C. - 100 A.D.) is considered to be the oldest sutra."

The Short Prajnaparamita Texts were composed in India between 100 BC and AD 600. [Perfect Wisdom: Prajnaparamita Texts (Edward Conze)]

In Prajñāpāramitāhṛdayasūtra (the Heart Sutra), Subhuti the protagonist became Avalokiteśvara. Both sutras place the Venerable Sariputta in the same supporting role. Avalokiteśvara is also known as Padmapani and Siva (Shiva).

[Avalokiteshvara Padmapani, Pakistan (Swat Valley) (The Met):] Bodhisattva as the lotus-bearer Padmapani was a favored form of Avalokiteshvara [...] The antelope skin over his shoulder is a reminder of his ascetic nature, akin to Shiva.

• The Heart Sutra is a mantra. It follows Brahmanic tradition of using om and svaha for the divine worship.

[Heart (The Buddhist Centre):] om namo bhagavatyai aryaprajnaparamitayai aryavalokitesvaro bodhisattvo

• The meaning of the mantra at the end of the Heart Sutra (Richard Hayes):

"You Brahmin priests with your fancy fire sacrifices aren't the only ones who get people to heaven. We can do it without killing animals and wasting trees. So there."

• The Mahayanist/Sarvāstivādi monks took sufficient time to develope new concepts to be well designed and believable in order to abandon fire sacrifice.
• Chanting the Heart Sutra mantra is to get to heaven without fire sacrifice. In practice, it is chanted for success and gain.
• The Heart Sutra portrays the domination of other religions over the Theravada. Downgrading the arahants is a direct attack on the the elders as an attempt to discredit them. And promoting the bodhisattva ideals is to prevent the Buddhist populations from attaining various stages of Nibbána, Namarupa pariccheda ñana (knowledge of the distinction between body/mind), for example.

In Sariputtatthera Vatthu, the Buddha declared:

Verse 392: If from somebody one should learn the Teaching of the Buddha, he should respectfully pay homage to that teacher, as a brahmin worships the sacrificial fire.

The Buddha's instruction became the backbone of the Theravada. However, neither fire sacrifice nor another way of devine worship is the original part of the Dhamma-Vinaya.
According to Wayman (1978)), Śrīmālā-sūtra was the first to adopt Mahādeva's five theses (points) downgrading the arhat. Mahayanist hierarchical structure presented in the Lankavatara Sutra places arhats at the fifth stage and bodhisattvas at the sixth to the tenth stages. That justifies a tenth-stage Avalokiteśvara bodhisatva teaching an arhat.
The Heart Sutra effectively executes these five points, which divided the Mahāsāṃghika sect. That schism led to the development of Mahayanist traditions without arahants.

Since the reputation of the great arahants of early Buddhism never entirely vanished, arahants still play a certain role in some sects of Mahāyāna and are regarded at least as equal to bodhisattvas of the sixth plane, bhūmi.

These sutras adopted the term "Sound Hearers (voice-hearer)" and later defined it as arhats who "are incapable of genuine and equal enlightenment"— for example,

[Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra (The Flower Adornment Sutra)] All of these were states of Universal Worthy Bodhisattva's wisdom-eye; they had nothing in common with the Two Vehicles...these great disciples had relied on the Sound Hearer Vehicle to escape... They forsook living beings and dwelt in their own affairs... Which is why ... they could not behold such vast great spiritual penetrations.

Those authors put all arahants under these five points, but could not destroy Mahayanist texts that recognise the true nature of arahants; for example, Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra says,

Mahākātyāyana, during the lifetime of the Buddha, explained the words of the Buddha and made a Pi le (Peṭaka).

In earlier development, Mahayana even downgraded the Buddha in the Bloodstream Sermon. According to Bodhidharma, anyone can become a buddha by living an idle lifestyle.

"A Buddha is an idle person...

Bodhidharma, who hated the arhats, is considered an expert in the Lankavatara Sutra (The Sutra of the Ten Stages). However, he did not know his Sutra of the Ten Stages recognises the Sugata Buddha as an arhat.

[Lanka Chapter 1:] Then said Mahamati the Bodhisattva-Mahasattva: O blessed One, Sugata, Arhat and Fully-Enlightened One, pray tell us about the realization of Noble Wisdom

According Red Pine [Heart (Red, page 8)], the shastras were composed by "the later followers of the Buddha:

They included a work by Dharmashri (c. 100 B.c.), another by Upashanta (c. A.D. 28o), and a third by Dharmatrata (c. A.D. 320). These three shastras were considered essential reading for members of the Sarvāstivādi sect, and they eventually formed the basis of an Abhidharma school in China.

The Heart Sutra, which was not considered essential, might be composed much later than the essential sutras.
The dates of the sutras are approximate only. These dates indicate how the Mahayanists took several hundred years to compose the first Mahayanist sutras—much more time than the Buddha's entire career. And the Mahayanists came up with a totally different ideology that distinguishes Mahayana from Theravada but identical to the Vedas traditions.
The Sarvāstivādi sutras provide new concepts and meanings, such as:

• Dharmakaya: Dharma-body (Buddha-lands, etc.)
• Anuttara: the fundamental reality underneath the whole Universe, emptiness, fullness
• Anuttarā samyak-saṃbodhi: unexcelled perfect enlightenment;
• The ten-stage Nirvana
• Tathāgatagarbha: Tathāgata womb
• Ālaya-vijñāna: the Universal Mind, storehouse consciousness or the one eternal mind
• Buddha-dhàtu: Buddha-svabhāva, the Buddha-nature—was developed to support Bodhisattvayāna.

[Breakthrough Sermon, Bodhidharma:] The Sutra of the Ten Stages [Lankavatara] says, “In the body of mortals is the indestructible buddha-nature.

This study aims to understand Vibhajjavāda and Sarvāstivāda by comparing their scriptures and analysing the main concepts found in these scriptures in reference to Vibhajjavāda. An analysis on the Heart Sutra would reveal how Mahadeva's five points are incorrect and baseless.
A Mahayanist/Sarvāstivādi sutra cannot be understood in isolation but in comparing with other Sarvāstivādi sutras in the Vibhajjavādi context. The Sarvāstivādi monks, in writing the Heart Sutra, must only follow the Sarvāstivādi approaches found in the Sarvāstivādi scripture, such as the Mahāprajñāpāramitāsūtra, the Lankavatara-Sutra and the Lotus-Sutra.
This work presents Vibhajjavādin scripture and thought first, followed by Sarvāstivāda and analysis of the Heart Sutra in Mahayanist and Theravadin contexts.

1.1. Main links used in this work:

1. New Heart Sutra translation by Thich Nhat Hanh; cited as [Heart (Thich)]
   1. The Heart Sutra as recited in the Triratna Buddhist Community (Sanskrit), The Buddhist Centre; [Heart (Centre):]
   2. Heart Sutra (Shippensburg University); [Heart (Uni)]
   3. Heart Sutra, [Heart (Dharmanet)],
   4. Heart Sutra Red Pine; [Heart (Red)]
   5. Heart Sutra, The longer version (Wiki);
   6. THE PRAJNA PARAMITA HEART SUTRA Hsuan Hua
   7. The Ratnaguna-samcayagatha compare with Aṣtasāhasrikā (Avalokiteśvara is not present)
   8. Gayatri Mantra: a reference for the Heart Sutra mantra and the seer (Devadatta in a past life) in the Lotus Sutra Chapter 12; "Gayatri mantra is said to be the essence of all mantras;"
2. Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra Full (200 A.D.) By Nagarjuna
   1. Avalokiteśvara appears once among other bodhisattvas, see page 38
   2. Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra 1 Gelongma Karma Migme Chodron (PDF)
   3. Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra 2 Gelongma Karma Migme Chödrön (web pages)
      1. Appendix 3 - Why the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara is so named: all these creatures have only to hear the name of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara to be freed from this great mass of suffering.
   4. Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra
3. The Lankavatara Sutra (400 A.D.) (translated by Suzuki and Goddard); cited as [Lanka Chapter 1:]
   1. Introduction to the Lankavatara Sutra (D.T. Suzuki)
   2. link 2
   3. Lanka (Red Pine)
4. Wonderful Dharma Lotus Sutra (100 B.C. - 200 A.D.) — Saddharma Pundarika Sutra, Translated into Chinese during the Yil, Tson Dynasty by Kumarajiva, Translated into English by the Buddhist Text Translation Society; cited as [Lotus Chapter 1:];
   1. Lotus Sutra The Buddhist Text Translation Society in USA
   2. Compassionate Lotus Sutra — Karuna Pundarika Sutra, Volume 6, The 4th Section of Chapter 4, Dharmaraksa
5. Aṣtasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra (Avalokiteśvara not present)
   1. Conze, n.d., 18 (Avalokiteśvara not present)
6. THE DIAMOND SUTRA: THE PERFECTION OF WISDOM Red Pine
7. The Bloodstream Sermon Red Pine
8. Why Did the Buddhists Adopt Sanskrit? Vincent Eltschinger (2017, 323)
9. [Vasubandhu (Jonathan C. Gold)] — quoted in chapter 5.1.

Vibhajjavādi texts were taken from various websites for the Tipitaka (Sutta, Vinaya, Abhidhamma, commentary);

1. The Great Chronicle of Buddhas Ven. Mingun Sayadaw [Chronicle of Buddhas (Mingun)]
   1. The Great Chronicle of Buddhas PDF
2. Abhidhamma In Daily Life Ashin Janakabhivamsa; PDF; [Abhidhamma (Janakabhivamsa)]
   1. Part 4 - How Rebirth Consciousness Appears
3. A Manual of Abhidhamma Nàrada Mahà Thera
4. The Buddhist Monastic Code I Thanissaro Bhikkhu
5. PATICCASAMUPPADA
   1. The Doctrine of Paticcasamuppada
   2. A Discourse on Paticcasamuppada
6. Guide to Tipitaka: Canonical Pâli Buddhist Literature of the Theravâda School U Ko Lay
7. Concise Pali-English Dictionary A.P. Buddhadatta Mahathera
   1. Pāli Dictionary
   2. Theravada glossary
   3. BUDDHIST DICTIONARY
   4. พจนานุกรมพุทธศาสตร์ ฉบับประมวลธรรม 佛 教 词 典 (Pali Terms)

First Previous Wiki
Diplomat Orith stood up fully before executing a low bow despite the limitations of the virtual reality. Before him stood three figures. One of them was the Lead Diplomat, and the others were people even children would know.
Heptarchs.
"I greet you warmly, Heptarchs," Orith said, not using their names though he knew them by heart. "I overflow with pleasure and joy at the grace of your pristine presences."
"You should work on your greeting, Orith," Heptarch Mi'lon chided. Orith withdrew his eyestalks, performing another bow of apology.
"But there is no harm in it. You are merely a Diplomat, after all, and this is your first time meeting any of us in person, as much as that can be said for a virtual reality. Now, the Lead Diplomat here has told us of your exploits. You have pursued a laughably belligerent policy with the Sol Alliance. May I know why?"
"Because that is what I was ordered to do, Heptarch," Orith responded smoothly, calming himself and purging his fear.
"Yes, that is good," Mi'lon said. "Yes. You were ordered to see whether the Alliance would respond to blatant provocations, and the Lead Diplomat was able to gain concessions from them as a consequence."
"Concessions?"
"Is that not what you believe happened?"
"I am not of the opinion that the Alliance thinks they have conceded anything. You negotatiated with Phoebe, correct?" He turned to the Lead Diplomat, who looked to the other Heptarch.
"Go ahead and answer him," Heptarch Tawa said.
"I did," the Lead Diplomat replied.
"And she likely offered resources, which are likely easy for the Alliance to produce. I do not think that they see it as a concession, but as a bribe to prevent us from interfering in the war between the Cawlarians and King Siran."
"That is my assessment as well," Mi'lon replied. "I am glad you have come to it. With that in mind, do you think the Alliance would declare war on us?"
"They are mentally weak," Orith replied. "They cannot see what needs to be done, or they do so rarely. It is likely only Phoebe or the hivemind we would have to consider. If we anger the hivemind, it may rouse enough voices to start an invasion. But it would take a lot for that to even happen at all. As long as we do not commit any acts of war against them, or attack the Cawlarians with too devastating a force, then we can move around them."
"What do you think, Heptarch Tawa?" Mi'lon asked.
"I think my orders still must stand. We cannot allow the Alliance as it stands to remain a rising power. They allow the scourge of spirituality in their halls, without opposition except for matters of law and justice."
"That is quite distasteful," Mi'lon agreed. "But it is possible that they may come around with AIs in their empire. Plus, we can show them our continued displeasure, and with the Cawlarians growing wary of their influence, we will serve as an out when the inevitable exclusion happens. We can get them to bend to our desires, but it will require time. We also will need to establish certain operations, it seems. I will discuss that with you later, Tawa."
"With me and likely two other Heptarchs. The ones that would care, at least."
Mi'lon let out a short chuckle of amusement before his eyestalks again turned to Orith. Now that it was no longer necessary, Orith resisted the urge to bow again. If he looked too deferential, it could cause problems for him. Corruption wasn't tolerated in the Heptarchies at all. Orith waited for Mi'lon to direct him to continue.
"I also suggest that after conducting tests on the Alliance's early warning capabilities, that we begin to make more aggressive measures around the war. If Siran turns back to our territory, we can gradually raise the pressure, and figure out what it would take for them to turn back. All the while, we can get our ships in place to possibly take prisoners. If we are able to do that, we open the door to many possibilities. Experimentation, exchanges for goods and services, or blackmail. I suggest looking into a way to abduct Annabelle Weber, if we can."
"The Fleet Commander, in a dreadnaught?" Tawa asked. "That is quite bold. I like it. But not without a sound strategy. We will make nothing of this unless they give us the opportunity. There may be some spies amongst the lower ranks, and I will not have our designs leaked so early."
Mi'lon looked at Tawa again before waving his eyestalks. "We should also exploit their AIs."
"Yes," Tawa said. "Diplomat Orith I order you to open up conversations with Edu'frec. Lead Diplomat, remain with Phoebe. We may be able to open rifts in their unity by only recognizing the AIs, instead of the biological beings in their Alliance. Our sources suggest there is significant tension in their ranks over some unspecified event, which may be related to the Sprilnav's announcement."
"Shall I find the cause of that, as well?" asked Orith.
"No. We will circle around the sides before going in for the kill."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Justicar World News Network Reporter Perishaut 1594 crawled over the wreckage with her team, moving closer to the object of her documentary. She grunted with the effort, and a broken piece of metal scratched at her anti-toxin suit. Smoke and dust fell from all over, though now the firefighting fleets were out in force, purging the remaining fires section by section.
The recovery efforts had been abandoned by all but one single person. And Perishaut was here to see her. Past a mountain of rubble, and between five more, an alien clambered over the remains of a fifth-floor stairway. The massive skeleton of a skyscraper loomed overhead. With a loud creak, the metal groaned, twisted, and snapped.
Girders heavy enough to smash through a personal shield and mulch someone entirely fell down, tumbling closer and closer to the human... and then they disappeared. Her camera drones caught it, too. She was streaming her footage live as well, though she'd edit it properly when she got back home.
But getting a piece of the biggest story on the planet was worth being out here. The alien's eyes turned toward Perishaut when she managed to crest another closer mountain of rubble. Only now, seven Sprilnav were floating above Penny, grave injuries healing as she watched. A few of them were still covered in the firefighting foam, which fell off of them and also disappeared into an unknown location.
Perishaut finally reached her. She stepped onto the uneven and broken concrete pavement, avoiding corpses and skeletons as she moved. Her camera drones whizzed around her, capturing the area and all of the scenery there was to record. The mournful silence of it all. The devastation, with the tips of skyscrapers peeking out from behind the city shields that lay beyond. Clouds of ash and smoke that only continued to hover, trapped within the shield.
And there, a single alien, clad in a dirty black jumpsuit, picked through it all with psychic power, as well as her own hands when she deigned to. Her grey hair framed her forlorn expression and hid her neck as it fell to her shoulders. The ash around her seemed to swirl as it came close as if it was unwilling to approach her directly. Perhaps that showed the human's attitude, but a story was a story. And she was sure that the alien wouldn't kill her while she was streaming live to her viewers.
"Hello," Perishaut said, performing a respectful curtsy as she hoped the alien had a translator with her. "I am Perishaut 1594, a reporter from the Justicar World News Network."
"Greetings, reporter," Penny replied. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
"How is my visit pleasurable?"
She wanted to see whether Penny actually thought so or was just making a typical greeting.
"You help to break up the monotony of misery and suffering I've been seeing for the past few hours. It's nice to see some life here that's willing, and not buried under a dangerous amount of weight or horribly injured."
"Ah," she replied. "So it is the fact that I am alive that makes my visit pleasing?"
"I suppose," Penny responded. "As much as anyone can feel pleasure in this place."
"How do you feel about the people responsible for this attack?"
"I feel hostile toward them," Penny said. "But only toward those whose blame has evidence behind it. I don't blame people without cause."
"So you don't think Yasihaut did this, then?"
"I think it is possible," Penny replied. "It's also possible that the gangs did this to strike at me. Either way, I am upset, but my anger will do nothing productive, so I have done my best to put it aside. And given that you have asked me some questions and I have answered them, how about I ask you a few?"
"That is acceptable."
"Alright."
"What made you decide to interview me?"
"Because you're an alien, who's going out of her way to help the Sprilnav. We've been told that you all hate us, so it's odd to see."
"There are those who feel that way. But I am no longer one of them. I ascribe to the view that all people deserve a chance to prove who they are, no matter which species they are. I don't think it's right to hate anyone because of what they are born as."
"And how would you feel if the Judgment wasn't coming up?"
"Differently, but not for the reason you think," Penny said. "Because I would not be here, seeing the culture and realism of people who I have only been told stories of, and not actually seen directly. We normally don't get normal Sprilnav outside your territory. It's all Elders, who can be a little intense. But hatred? I see no need for that."
"The Elders rule us," Perishaut said. "Do you hate all of them?"
"Not all of them, no. I have been shown a different path. There are many Elders who have been a part of antagonistic behavior to the galaxy at large. But there are also many who have not. Elders who remain in their star systems, eating and sleeping and drinking as they wish, but not being actively malicious."
"Such as Elder Kashaunta?"
"Kashaunta is... complicated," Penny said, nervousness clear on her face now.
"It would be difficult for me to say how I feel about her. We differ in opinion on many topics, yet I would still count her as a friend, and not just a business partner. And I'm aware of her complicated history, and I also do not condone the worst portions of it. But there is a point where one must move toward peace to have peace. We don't want war. Nor should anyone want that. But being peaceful should not be equated with being powerless. You can only be peaceful if you also have the ability not to be. Otherwise, you are not peaceful; you are pitiful. I don't go out of my way to cause suffering, though I have caused more than I should have. I have made my mistakes, and am not perfect. Some people build me up as some sort of hero, but I'm not heroic. I fight for selfish desires, and put the people I love on a high pedestal. But I do not believe I am a bad person, either. I don't know if I can declare anyone as good or bad, without knowing myself. Well, except a few people."
"Who are?"
"Certain individuals I'd rather not name," Penny said. "I know you're digging for a story, but I don't want to make things worse."
"Your feuds with the Everlasting, Progenitor Twilight, and Yasihaut are public."
"I only actively pursue one of those. But yes, I do hold grudges. That's part of life."
"Do you think you were wrong to attack the 85th Grand Fleet?"
"I do not, because I was saving my father."
"People were hurt."
"Yes. That happens in battles. They were trying to kill me, with lasers and guns and swords, in close quarters, and I broke bones in return, and did some teleporting. I hardly think that makes me evil, or even bad, considering I was trying to rescue my father, Elder Nilnacrawla, who they had directly kidnapped."
"Your father is an Elder?"
"He is my adoptive father," Penny replied. "My mentor, friend, and yes, my father, though obviously not biological. My biological parents are dead. It was a mutual decision for us to adopt, if you are concerned about that. And I was over double my species' age of majority when we made that decision, because I'm capable of making those decisions as an adult. I believe adoption is a practice common on many worlds in this area, as well."
"Yes. But you have not had problems with him?"
"Not many," Penny said. "And if I did, would it matter? Would it enhance your video to hear my family business, merely because there is an interspecies aspect? I doubt it."
"There is no need to be defensive."
"People do that when you pry into personal matters. He is my family, and nothing else about us should interest you."
"There are things that differ in our cultures," Perishaut said. "So they do have higher levels of interest. One of those things is that despite your power, you have no evidence of having a mate. Why is that?"
"That is also a highly invasive question," Penny said. "The answer is simple, though, and luckily for you, I am willing to give it."
Penny paused as if waiting for something. More Sprilnav appeared above her and were taken away by medical crews.
"Yes?" Perishaut asked awkwardly.
"Yes."
"So... what is the answer, then?"
"It may be quite shocking," Penny warned.
"I think I can handle it."
"Well... I just don't feel like it."
"That's it?"
"Were you expecting a trauma-laden backstory?"
"Kind-of, yeah."
"Alright. You see, I was born at a very young age. My parents died at a slightly older age, and I eventually grew up, went out into the world, went to school, made some incredibly stupid decisions, learned from them, did the same, and learned from those. Repeat and repeat, until I find Nilnacrawla, Yasihaut tortures me, and I gain psychic and conceptual power on a massive scale. And now I am here, on Justicar, walking through the wreckage of a city because some people couldn't accept that I wanted to free their enslaved subjects."
"Are you mocking me?"
"Not at all. I'm being as serious as the situation demands," Penny said. "You have burrowed into my personal life with invasive questions, tried to see if I have trauma of some kind, and are doing so to a live audience in the hopes I slip up. And look, we have reporters back home, too. I respect the grind. Just not when the grind is an axe, and is about to be swung at me. I've saved a few hundred thousand lives since I've landed back here. I really hope you're not trying to paint me as a villain."
"But would you agree that freeing the slaves caused this to happen?"
"Yes, I would," Penny said. "And though such a comment is quite disgusting to say, especially among this very graveyard, it makes sense. But freeing slaves is not bad because some people don't like that. Humanity went to war over slavery in various ways and forms, and oppression in countless more. And I happen to think that oppression, and slavery in particular, are bad. So I will dismantle slavery when and where I see it. And if people don't like that? Too bad. Don't be a slaver. Your society has mass android production. There is zero economic reason you even need slavery besides sadism. So even that worn-out and dumb argument is moot here. I am anti-slavery, and I will not be villified for it."
"The different is cultural."
"Slavery is not a part of your 'cultural heritage' at all. And if you think so, maybe you should re-examine the morality of your society. I do not believe the Elders deserve such a fate, not even Yasihaut. Slavery is an evil I will purge from this entire galaxy if I must, and I will do it happily. Slavers should get bullets, but I'm being merciful by sending them to jail instead."
"Murder is wrong."
"The slavers kill thousands of slaves and set up the conditions for millions to suffer and die all across the galaxy. Would you like to ask the people I have freed if the slavers deserve to die? I can assure you, killing slavers will be a part of their cultural heritage quite soon, if I allow it. I do not know if you came here to get a rise out of me, or to paint me as some evil monster. But there will be no slavery when I finish. I will destroy the gangs if I must. How else would I live up to my name, if I were to let such injustices rest, on a world named after Justicar? I am the Liberator, and that is what I will do. I will stand against a thousand dreadnaughts if I must, and I will be victorious."
Penny vanished. Perishaut took a peek at the comments on her video. They were being swarmed, mostly by people who agreed with Penny. Well, probably half of them were not actually real. The race between AI and bots was eternal.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Grand Fleet Commander Valisada donned his uniform once again. The center wrapped around his stomach, securing it to him tightly. His skin glimmered from the lotion he'd applied to it, and he'd taken in extra psychic energy to appear even more youthful. With a slight shining of his claws and jaws, Valisada used his implant to look through five mirrors at once. They all showed him in an equally splendid light.
He'd managed to get almost everything he needed across. Given the topic of the event, he also donned a more traditional garment. It was a blue headdress, which would fall back between his ears to his lower neck, hanging down on either side of it. Several servants came through the room to eye him critically before giving him clacks of their jaws to show that they thought he was presentable.
Of course, the servants weren't what they appeared. Very few things so close to him now were. Azeri's faults had been many, and Valisada strove to rectify them wherever he could. One of those was inferior androids. Valisada himself wore an exoskeleton, which would become a full spacesuit upon his entrance to space.
But it also came with heavy conceptual protection, and even a black hole survival kit. Though it was more of a 'survive until a Progenitor fetches you' sort of kit. Breaking the event horizon of a black hole was too difficult to be worth it, and getting anything out was essentially impossible, even after accounting for ergosphere physics.
Only Progenitors, or beings equal or greater to them, could really hope to deal with black holes. And Penny could generate them on some scale. Though his gear likely wouldn't help if she generated a smaller one with the mass of a planet. It was wildly outside her known capabilities, but that was what he planned for. Heavier conceptual protection, more psychic energy, and mental fortification, and even a state-of-the-art mindscape blocker device.
Theoretically, it could totally isolate a region from the mindscape. Practically, it could only be used in a flagship or dreadnaught and only against the lower layers. It was the sort of device with ancient blueprints, though maintenance was so expensive it hadn't been worth it until a certain human had made the cost-benefit analysis move a little to the right.
Valisada didn't know how to think of Penny yet. He felt no disdain for her species, though he disliked her youth. She was far too young to be interfering in any sort of galactic affairs. She had no concept for the ramifications of her events since she had not lived long enough to know them. It wasn't a fault of her mindset, but of her simple age.
And now that they were meeting, he would gain more insight as to her thought process. It would not be immensely helpful in building a profile for Humanity. A sample size of one was never good, especially when hiveminds got involved. Since Penny wasn't connected to the hivemind right now, she was of little use for mental analysis.
Her baseline was what interested him. Could other humans manifest that conceptual power, using the pure strength of their will and determination to bend reality? Stranger phenomena had occurred. Valisada knew about the Ether the hivemind could harness, just as he knew the Source resided in Earth's physical location. Monitoring devices confirmed that every single pulse. The city the hivemind had built caused a little interference, but Valisada had sent teams of specialists to check up on those. Another responsibility that shouldn't have been his, but for the negligence of his predecessors.
It tarnished the species' image to be so lazy and lax with their defenses. Valisada would not let that stand. He strode into the virtual reality room, floating into the air with psychic power snapping into place all around him. Thick shields followed, isolating him in a sphere of pure blue. His implant placed visions over his eyes, and soon, he was standing in a holographic wasteland.
Dead Sprilnav were scattered about; impaled on broken tree branches, lying on cracked floors, and even burnt and bleeding in a rough circle around the green table resting on the soot-covered sand of a beach. The ocean was grey, filled with ash, and the setting sun remained locked in place, orange rays tinting the land with a fell glow. Yellow and orange clouds floated high overhead, reflecting onto four glassy chairs.
Three of the chairs were or normal length, with the typical cushion and all. The fourth, opposite from Valisada, had the same four legs, but was square instead of rectangular, and had a back which sat up to support a bipedal resting posture.
Penny appeared with Kashaunta beside her. The human was wearing what passed for formal clothing among her species. A white shirt, black pants, and a black vest aligned neatly with her arms, shoulders, and chest. A blue piece of cloth hung from her collar before vanishing under the vest.
Kashaunta was wearing battle gear with a thick dress beneath it. Her head was heavy with jewelry, and golden highlights marked her cheeks and jaws.
Justicar appeared next, in full gray armor. He was a normal size, though Valisada knew that it was only due to his wishes. Justicar was hosting the meeting, which was the reason for the violent scenery. Penny had blinked at the corpses, her features settling into a scowl that was pointed Justicar's way. The Elder ignored her anger, his own scowl mirroring hers. But his was directed at Valisada.
Only Kashaunta and Valisada appeared neutral. Whatever Kashaunta felt, she wasn't showing.
"I suppose it is proper as the host of this meeting for me to start the talks," Justicar said. His tone was light but still heavy in some ways. Valisada could almost taste the cold anger wafting forth from him. "I would like to acknowledge the deaths of 455 thousand people, with a death toll that only continues to rise."
Penny bowed her head. The Elders didn't. Valisada didn't take the bait, keeping his gaze level with Justicar's.
"I was aiming today to stave off a war," Valisada said. "I did what I could against Solei. Nothing more could have reasonably come from my efforts."
It was the full truth, which meant Justicar wouldn't be able to handle it. He was always too sensitive about his planet.
"That's it, then? No acknowledgment of the lives lost? Of my citizens being killed? Perhaps even no consideration that this was an act of war upon me and my people?"
Justicar's eyes narrowed.
"I will not be cowed into apologizing for the actions of a fool," Valisada spat. "I don't care for your power politics, and will ignore them and all future attempts at such things. I am here to talk with Kashaunta and Penny. You were meant to be the neutral party."
"A party is generally neutral until attacked-"
"Shut up," Kashaunta said. "Argue later. Do not waste my time with your pitiful arrogance."
"Very well," Justicar said. "I will remember how much my people mattered to you in the future."
Penny looked at Justicar sadly. False empathy, probably. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more, Justicar. I failed you, and them."
"You did, but not nearly as much as certain others did. You care about them, at least. You're a good person."
"None of us are good people," Kashaunta said. "And such platitudes ring empty when you enslave your own kind."
"Enough," Penny said. "I think we should have our discussion. Elder Valisada, it is an honor to meet you."
She bowed her head, though not in a deferential fashion. Kashaunta's eyes glazed over, signifying that she was doing something else instead of watching them with her avatar. Knowing her, it could have been another ploy, but he was willing to grab the lifeline to start the meat of the discussion. And he'd learn a bit more about the current enemy of his people.
Finally, thought Valisada. We can begin.
"I am honored to meet you as well, Champion of Humanity. Tell me, do you know why you deserve that name?"
"Because I'm the strongest human?"
"Because you are Humanity in our eyes. To the Sprilnav, the lower ones as well as the Elders, you are all that matters. It is by virtue of your strength and your accomplishments. And also your character, your mistakes, and all that comes along with you. We see you as a child, inexperienced with the complexities and nuances of war, as well as the sacrifices required.
Your age of a few scant... decades, to use your time units, is an eyeblink to us. You will always be looked down upon for your youth. Yet, you also have potential. You hold Conceptual Cardinality within your bones. You have a speeding space entity, and a strong one, at your side. You have tamed him. And so too have you tamed Elder Nilnacrawla, binding him into a mind bridge when he was once far too prideful for such a thing.
It would be sufficient to say that your story has emerged from that of Humanity, and now risks eclipsing it entirely, as well as the rest of the Alliance. You stand here, the subject of the most dangerous and talked about Judgment in an age, as you look upon beings older than your species. Your planet. Your star. Tell me, Penny Balica, Champion of Humanity and Concept Entity of Cardinality. How would you measure your own worth?"
"By the lives I have saved, and then by those I have cost. Past that, those I have helped, and those I have hurt."
Of course she still didn't understand. Valisada didn't fault her for it, given her age.
"A simple answer, born from a simple mindset. What of those who were altered by your existence? Those who you have affected, but neither in a positive or negative way? Or the people of Justicar, whom you rip conceptual energy from to fuel your budding Liberator title? Would you include them in your measurement?"
"Yes," Penny said. "And now I have a question for you, Elder Valisada. Rest assured, I mean no offense. In the long eons of your life, what are your greatest accomplishments? I would hear of your impact."
"I have had little impact," Valisada admitted. "I was born poor, raised poor, and built my eventual wealth through grit, wit, luck, and determination. I watched the Source crash through my home planet 50 million years after I was born, and 2 million years after that, I watched as the family of artificial intelligence I raised as my children died around me, the universe remaking itself to fit within a reality that no longer included half of the mindscape. And I built my wealth again. It was taken away.
I have killed 320 million people under the orders of the Grand Fleets. I have killed 2 million people by my own free will and choice, though I did not oppose my earlier orders. I remained a Dreadnaught Captain for millennia. Grand Fleet Commanders came and went, retiring or being assassinated over time. I was promoted to the top of the running after Azeri killed the next best four to become the Grand Fleet Commander. But my single greatest accomplishment in my life has been becoming the Grand Fleet Commander of the 85th Grand Fleet.
An accomplishment I only made this soon due to your direct attack on my flagship. There is much more I can say, as my life has been long. But my impact? That does not matter. What matters is how my life has changed me. I look into your eyes and I see the thoughts of others, Penny. I see years of trauma, of hatred, of pain. That burning desire to make the universe better, which my own eyes once held, until I was tempered by the reality of life. Because I have lived long enough to know the truth: there is no hope. So I cast hope away, and focused on greed and envy. Through those, I became a part.
And through deep meditation, a whole lot of drugs, and another few million years, I learned of myself, and the others around us. And what it all truly means, at least to me. Nothing, and everything. My greatest impact has been upon myself, Penny. Because I have spent billions of years in my body, learning and growing as slow as mountains do. Conceptual energy locking my genes. And now, we are here, standing in this virtual reality."
"So you believe that?"
"Mostly. As much as anyone can, I think. But there is a problem. Our futures clash. As do our motives. You wish to destroy the order we have built. As I understand it, your motive lies in the nebulous concept of 'freeing' everyone from misery. The problem with that is simple, and it is why I have brought up my long life in contrast with your short one. It is that solutions like love, respect, and adoration fall away as new generations are born. To borrow an example from your history, Rome once ruled Europe. Now, it is just another ruin, with a new city built atop it. You want to build a new galaxy, Penny. Do you have what that takes?
Can you take it upon yourself to care about and manage more beings than you can properly conceptualize? Can you care about a king of kings equally to an orphan born due to a failed abortion on the streets of a city that stinks of sewage and rot? How do you plan on ensuring that your society filled with a culture of peace, love, and tolerance does not fall to the charisma of evil, security, and safety?
How do you plan to ease the hatred the alien species harbor toward us Sprilnav, and us Elders? What of the Progenitors? Will you kill them all, or risk them going insane and killing more people? And what of the speeding space entities? Will you invade their realm next, subjecting them to the horrors of war because of tales you have heard and a few small areas of abhorrent debauchery and evil?
Your head is filled with ideas, Penny. But they are not your ideas. They are what others have told you. What you require for me to respect you, and what you wish for, is to have a concrete plan. A plan to not only build your galactic empire, but somehow to maintain it without fear. If you do not have that plan, you will fail in the end, and only cause more death once you finish."
"I do not know the answer to that," Penny admitted.
At least she can do that, he thought.
"I do not have those answers. I do ponder those questions, and do what I can to seek them out. But your Grand Fleets are used for ruthless slaughter of innocents. Overturning the galactic order may be too tall a task for the near future, I admit. But that part? Needless killing, the destruction of planets, and sadistic cruelty? That needs to end. The idea of there not being a perfect solution to our problem does not mean we should not seek out a better one."
"So you will be consumed by your idealism, then. You must accept a reality in which death and suffering cannot be ended. There will be war, and it will be needed. In the end, you are a slave to your ideas. Without war, there cannot be peace. All you will do is be a new master. You do not have what it takes."
Penny smiled. "No. I do not have what it takes, and I never will. Because it will always take more effort. I will never be perfect. Even if I become a true concept god, I will make mistakes and learn from them. I will become better. I will not be doing this alone. My species, my Alliance, will stand with me."
"Your Alliance will be broken by the weight of eternity. Whether by our claws or not, Earth will be destroyed, and your shining cities will become blasted ruins upon the rock, just like Rome. You cannot defeat the greatest enemy: Time."
"It is not about defeat," Penny said. "Because in the long dark of eternity, defeat will never be enough. We must make time our ally."
"And how will you do that?"
"By making eternity eternal."
"The universe itself is not built for that."
"Not yet," Penny said. "Speeding space expands, pushing space apart as it goes. That is the nature of what an infinity will do. But I have the answer to that, too. Cardinality. I will not only turn a zero to a one, but an infinity to a one."
"Which you cannot do."
She was being quite lofty with her aspirations. Valisada knew that they were technically possible, but that didn't mean she'd have any measure of success. He'd asked her questions to figure out if she had come back to realism for her plans. If she had, he might have deigned to work with her. But as it stood, only Kashaunta could properly absorb the risks her inane thoughts would pose to the galaxy.
It was hard to topple a regime. It was even harder to build a new one. And it was impossible to ever build a better one. Valisada had watched that play out far too many times in history.
"Not currently. But it is as you said. The way is going to be difficult. Without careful planning, and many dear allies, Rome will burn again. As will Ashurii, Cawlaria, Keem, and Justicar, and every other world that has ever and will ever exist. Why, you might ask, do I deal in idealism, when it has been proven wrong by reality in the past? I will tell you, Elder Valisada, as a gesture of accomodation and respect, as well as a genuine offer for us to not become eventual enemies. I am idealistic because I do not intend to bow to reality."
"I hope you have a better answer for the Judges than that."
Penny smiled at him warmly. "I am prepared for it."
"Good," Justicar said. "The Elders in charge of it are being selected. Now that we are finished with that, I have questions for you, Valisada. I do hope you take the time to answer them to my satisfaction. I require recompense, and you will pay it."
"It will not be as much as you desire."
"Then leave my star system, Grand Fleet Commander."
"No."

Vrindavan and Mathura together make for a perfect holiday idea for devotees of Lord Krishna and travelers who are enthusiastic about exploring the vivid culture of the place. Since both of these places are extremely close to each other, you can comfortably visit both in our one day Mathura & Vrindavan local sightseeing tour by private car.Mathura:Mathura is a sacred city in Uttar Pradesh, northern India. The deity Lord Krishna is said to have been born on the site of Sri Krishna Janma Bhoomi, a Hindu temple. Dotting the Yamuna River are 25 ghats (flights of steps down to the water), of which Vishram Ghat is considered the holiest. Sati Burj is a 16th-century memorial tower. Dwarkadhish Temple has a carved entrance and a black-marble idol of Lord Krishna.

Vrindavan:

Vrindavan is a holy town in Uttar Pradesh, northern India. The Hindu deity Krishna is said to have spent his childhood here. It’s home to temples, many dedicated to Krishna and his lover, the deity Radha. At Banke Bihari Temple, the curtain in front of Krishna’s statue is opened and closed every few minutes. At Radha Raman Temple, a gold plate beside Krishna signifies Radha. Prem Mandir is a huge white marble temple. Lord Krishna is believed to be an incarnation of the supreme God, Lord Vishnu, according to the Hindu mythology. It is said that the Lord took birth on earth in yet another avatar to help human race fight yet another evil. Thus this makes both Mathura and Vrindavan cities of great importance to the practitioners of the Hindu religion. The months of November to March are considered to be the best time to visit the Holy city of Vrindavan.

Examining the Spiritual Core: Top tour deals for Mathura and Vrindavan

Take a tour that will ignite your soul to Mathura and Vrindavan, two of the holiest cities in India, renowned for their rich cultural heritage and profound spiritual importance. These tour packages provide an amazing experience for all types of travelers, from curious tourists hoping to immerse themselves in the rich heritage of Hinduism to devoted pilgrims seeking spiritual enlightenment.

1. Sacred Pilgrimage Tour:

Experience the divine aura of Mathura and Vrindavan with this meticulously crafted pilgrimage tour. Visit the legendary birthplace of Lord Krishna in Mathura and explore the iconic temples dedicated to him. Witness the mesmerizing evening aarti at the banks of the Yamuna River, a truly enchanting spectacle. In Vrindavan, delve into the mystical ambience of the temples, including the revered Banke Bihari Temple and the picturesque Prem Mandir. This package is designed to nourish your spiritual journey and leave you with cherished memories.

2. Cultural Heritage Tour:

Delve into the cultural tapestry of Mathura and Vrindavan with this immersive tour package. Explore the vibrant streets adorned with colourful markets, bustling with the aroma of incense and the sounds of devotional music. Visit the Dwarkadhish Temple in Mathura, an architectural marvel depicting the divine love of Radha and Krishna. Wander through the narrow lanes of Vrindavan, discovering hidden gems like the Radha Raman Temple and the ISKCON Temple. Indulge in the local cuisine, savouring the delectable flavours of traditional sweets like peda and laddu.

3. Yoga and Wellness Retreat:

Rejuvenate your mind, body, and soul amidst the serene landscapes of Mathura and Vrindavan with this revitalizing retreat package. Engage in daily yoga and meditation sessions led by experienced instructors, finding inner peace and harmony. Take leisurely walks along the tranquil ghats of the Yamuna River, absorbing the tranquil ambiance and refreshing your senses. Visit the Govardhan Eco Village in the outskirts of Vrindavan, a sustainable sanctuary promoting ecological conservation and holistic living. This package offers a holistic approach to wellness, leaving you refreshed and invigorated.

4. Customized Spiritual Sojourn:

Tailor your pilgrimage experience according to your preferences with our customizable tour package. Whether you wish to visit specific temples, participate in sacred rituals, or explore off-the-beaten-path attractions, we can create a personalized itinerary just for you. Our expert guides will accompany you every step of the way, providing insights into the spiritual significance and cultural heritage of Mathura and Vrindavan. Immerse yourself in the divine essence of these sacred cities at your own pace, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

Conclusion:

Embark on a transformative journey to Mathura and Vrindavan with these curated tour packages, offering a perfect blend of spirituality, culture, and wellness. Whether you seek spiritual enlightenment, cultural immersion, or simply a rejuvenating retreat, these packages cater to diverse preferences and interests. Come, explore the timeless charm and sacred allure of these legendary cities, and embark on a profound journey of self-discovery and enlightenment.

There are found spaces for the individual soul everywhere and in every moment if they are seeking to listen to the innermost voice. The voice that is nurturing and developing the outward reflection. The one that wants you to remember what is important and leave the rest.
The stillness of the mind and observation of individual experiences helps one to sort through clutter programs and matrix layers. Undressing the soul from "their" identities and narratives that fit and feed "their" systems, allows one to begin the journey towards gnosis.
While some of the foundations are very entrenched in the collective as a whole species, it's up to the individual to work through their own layers and seek/listen for found spaces of knowledge, within their present walk. You know when things resonate for your core self. Listening and believing oneself doesn't have to always be shared or interpreted by others or their opinions because ultimately you have to validate yourself through knowing oneself fully. Know thy self.
These layers and lifetimes are not where you began. But they try to further detach you from that original simple essence of being. The illusion of time and space hardwired into these frames does not imprison the original spirit because it remembers.
Recapture time and space and ride through dimensions of the soul vessel that is housing your Spirit. You can try this with meditation, astral projecting, lucid dreaming, dream journaling, hypnosis past life regression, inner shadow work, breath work, psychedelics (although as a disclaimer I cannot advocate, just know it's a resource to "see"), remote viewing, even gathering your own family data and history somehow triggers memories. Things that possibly imprinted too hard in previous lifetimes.
Most importantly keeping your imagination alive, if nothing else. Make your reprogramming or building of your outward character, "your souls Avatar", built on figures/models/ characters/philosophers/teachers/guides that resonate with your true natured self.
Someone said something here, maybe a month ago, about the puzzle of life having the same patterns and traps that we repeat. Pay attention to those cubes you find yourself trapped in. Each pattern repeated or pathway hard driven, may be each room or level to escape from in this lifetime. Eventually finding your way through the labyrinth. Each time you fail to recognize how you could stop the repeating cycle or pattern of thought/being, you're missing your own keys out of each layer.
Throw your script at the directors of this grand orchestration and demand ownership of your part back. Be your own method actor in this physical but for the benefit to your true natured self. Don't let them decide your fate. Use your power to develop your understanding of ways to fight back for your immortal soul and everyone else suffering here in this realm.
Activate and grow the soul vessel now and become one with it's power. This is the vehicle used to traverse the other dimensions so you can regain information about yourself that may help you escape. It's carrying the most precious re-source. The recycling of source spark energy animating this whole operation. The Spirit, the life force energy that permeates all. "They're" farming the loosh from it for a reason.
It's like gold. It's THE currency.
We each have our own piece held deep within.
Whether or not one believes it, there were realms of existence before the parasitic symbiote came. The one that churns through the beings and replicates here in the below through the archontic systems and constructs that are hard to escape and contradict everything in the souls journey to gnosis. Spirit and soul have the longing and nostalgia imprinted for an incomprehensible time and space where we were Free to Be. From an eternal home or source that is indescribable in this form and realm. But alas, somehow it remembers.
We remember one where the Truth is not suspect. Where there is no competition and abundance for all. Freedom of expression and to create because the bounds are limitless. One where no one disrespects consent or tries to impose will on another. Complete telepathic transference from beings to another for empathetic and compassionate understanding to each other's individual spirit.
We were harmonious then and actually enjoyed the lifetimes together. There was no suffering. Just complete bliss with endless possibilities. A radiant heart. Time was only ever something we used as a tool and learned how to master and it never brought us down to the depths of letting it control us. We were time travelers and rode the film reels of forever like a VCR fast forwards or rewinds. Endless possibilities.
We were Everything then.
The Omega. The Alpha.
The Father, the Son, Spirit.
The Maiden, Mother, Crone.
The Spark, the Soul, the Universal child.
There was no need for experiencing then because although we were still but a child in our mother womb, the being had manifested the art of running lifetimes worth of variables out, simply with it's essence of understanding or gnosis of itself. Most took comfort and joy then in simply being part of the infinite fabric that unfolded through dimensions. When the parasites began, it was in that descent of dimensional self recognition where they took over.
We being the carefree and limitless potential of Spirit, we fought hard to ascend back up through the dimensions, but no one had warned before the fall that going into the lower depths would dampen our spark, lowering our power, and essentially become like a hall of mirrors.
Once trapped in the mire, a stranger in a strange land, we found we were not alone here in this new state of being. Not only had we found ourselves weighted in matter and gravity with a memory wipe to boot, but also the rest of the beings that somehow landed down here had forgotten about the before too. The nightmare began.
Lifetimes and lifetimes trapped in this cycle. Once a master of your own domain and a wizard of spacetime/Knowledge/Truth/Universal Love. Now a traumatized, poked, prodded, science experiment, lost in a bizarro realm, wondering why no one ever warned us of this place and why can't we go back? Why can't we get out?
All while being mined and harvested to the very last drop. A precious resource exploited for perverse, obscene, all-consuming ego, ownership and control.
"Remember? There once was...Do you remember?"
They torture us into forgetting and play games with the Spirit's child-like innocent nature. That's how we got trapped. We are in essence curious innocent child-like Spirits that are being sold time and time again on Samsara's chopping block.
This. The horror of the reality we have here.This is why we try to wake the others. Or warn them at least. We have to keep trying.
I know this info is hard to approach with others so try to meet anyone seeking where it would make sense or relate to them and their journey. You can tell when others want to share space and energy around these topics. Be gentle with others, same as you would want them to reveal these truths to you. It's shocking. Sometimes Earth shattering. Be kind to those gripping the edges, they'll come around. We may be the ones helping others to wake enough to do something. To..
Dismantle the prison planet system.
Demand our dimensional power back.
Demand memory wipes to stop.
Demand Truth.
Above all else remember your origin. Keep searching the depths of your soul and the infinite. The power and ultimate knowing is still within you. They wouldn't keep this going for nothing.
Unlock that innermost Gnosis.
Find your spaces and moments in the present. They might be hidden and small but those found spaces were pre-sent clues to help you unlock the cage of your soul and set the Spirit free.
Gnosis awaits.

In Vedic astrology, the kaal sarp dosh is considered the most dangerous and complex dosh. Its effects are challenging and can lead to severe issues. If left untreated, these effects can be life-threatening and unconquerable.
Are you also having trouble and experiencing sudden falls and rises in life? Confused if you have this dosh in your horoscope? If yes, then are you wondering about काल सर्प दोष का उपाय? Well, to help you, here is everything you need to know in detail.

What is Kaal Sarp Dosh?

Kaal sarp dosh is a very dangerous dosh, as per Vedic astrology. It occurs when all the plants end up between the Rahu and Ketu planets. A person with this Dosh faces a lot of troubles and challenges in life. This includes relationships, careers, education, business, health, and others. However, there are about 12 types of Kaal sarp dosh, which include:

1. Anant kaal sarp dosh
2. Kulik kaal sarp dosh
3. Vasuki kaal sarp dosh
4. Shankhpal kaal sarp dosh
5. Padam kaal sarp dosh
6. Mahapadam kaal sarp dosh
7. Takshak kaal sarp dosh
8. Karkotak kaal sarp dosh
9. Shankhnad kaal sarp dosh
10. Ghatak kaal sarp dosh
11. Vishdhar kaal sarp dosh
12. Sheshnaag kaal sarp dosh

Symptoms of Kaal Sarp Dosh

Before you come across काल सर्प दोष का उपाय, it is very important to understand how it affects a person. To help you understand better, here are the symptoms of this Dosh:

• A person falls sick more than usual.
• A person gets dreams of snakes and dead people. Besides, he/she may also feel death or be bitten by a snake.
• A person has poor vision.
• A person is often stressed and deals with bad mental health.
• Despite comfort, a person always feels unhappy and stays upset.
• A person may face unexpected and sudden accidents.
• A person may feel sad without any reason, thereby finding it difficult to feel peace and stability.
• A person may also fear loneliness and high places.
• A person may feel endless struggles both in education and career, as well as in finance.
• No matter how much the native tries, he/she may face delays and failures.
• A person may face difficulty in relationships due to conflicts, misunderstandings, disagreements, etc.
• A person may face loss, debt, failure in business, loss of property, etc.
• A person may lack spirituality and fulfilment in life.

What is the Best Remedy for Kaal Sarp Dosh?

Wondering which is the best remedy for Kaal Sarp Dosh? Among all kaal sarp dosh remedies, the best solution is to consult an expert or astrologer for guidance. Based on your birth place, birth date, and birth time, the expert will look into your Kundali and see the dosh you're suffering from. According to your Dosh, he will guide you with the best remedy. For a person with kaal sarp dosh in his/her kundali, the best remedy is Kaal Sarp Dosh puja at Trimbakeshwar.
This puja opens doors for success and growth. It also heals the natives, both spiritually and mentally. Besides, the person gains back his position in his career and business. His/her relationships and conflicts will also be resolved. Overall, performing this puja is the best remedy, as it helps a person grow in all walks of life along with eliminating the ill and negative effects of this dosh.

Other Remedies for Kaal Sarp Dosh

In addition to kaal sarp dosh puja, anyone having this dosh in his/her kundli can follow these remedies for positive results:

• To eliminate the ill effects of this dosh, worship Lord Shiva and offer milk, water, and Bilva leaves, along with reciting specific mantras.
• One must chant mantras in dedication to Rahu and Ketu planets.
• In addition to Kaal sarp dosh puja, one may also perform the Navagraha puja, Maha Rudra Abhishekham and Narayan Nagbali puja.
• A person must wear gemstones after consulting experts. This includes Cat’s Eye and Gomedh for Rahu and Ketu.
• One must fast on days that are dedicated to Rahu and Ketu. Additionally, one must also do yoga, and meditation and be involved in other spiritual activities. This will not only eliminate the ill effects of this dosh but also provide peace to mind, body, and soul.
• Pay homage and seek the blessings of your ancestors.
• Make donations and support charity by giving money, food, clothes, and other items to the needy and poor.
• Performing havanas and yagyas is also helpful.