Below is a compilation of some of Thusness's writings over the years
about the practice after anatta realization, and the warnings against a
nihilistic neo-Advaitin doctrine of 'no practices'. I personally like Daniel M.
Ingram’s book title – ‘Mastering the Core Teachings of Buddha’ (a highly recommended book), as well as his criticism of the neo-Advaitin nihilistic doctrine with an article formerly title Why The Notion That You Cannot Become What You Already Are is Such Bullshit (now renamed as 'The “Nothing To Do” and “You Are Already There” Schools').
I think Daniel's book title is very much in line with the teachings of the Buddha, which presents the path very pragmatically and practically, as the Mastery of sila, samadhi and prajna (morality, concentration and wisdom) for liberation. The teachings of Buddha are not meant to be some arm-chair philosophy but a very practical manual for us to free our minds from suffering and attain true peace and happiness, which we have to put into practice. The Buddha made it clear that through no other way than by practicing the noble eightfold path* (which is summarized as the three trainings just mentioned) can we achieve liberation. We should keep that in mind.
--------------
*The Noble Eightfold Path:
https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/SN/SN45_8.html
An Analysis of the Path
I have heard that at one time the Blessed One was
staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. There
he addressed the monks, “Monks!”
“Yes, lord,” the monks responded to him.
The Blessed One said, “I will teach & analyze for you the noble eightfold path. Listen & pay close attention. I will speak.”
“As you say, lord,” the monks responded to him.
The Blessed One said, “Now what, monks, is the noble eightfold path? Right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
“And what, monks, is right view? Knowledge with regard to [or: in terms of] stress, knowledge with regard to the origination of stress, knowledge with regard to the stopping of stress, knowledge with regard to the way of practice leading to the stopping of stress: This, monks, is called right view.1
“And what, monks, is right resolve? Resolve for renunciation, resolve for non-ill will, resolve for harmlessness: This, monks, is called right resolve.
“And what, monks, is right speech? Abstaining from lying, abstaining from divisive speech, abstaining from harsh speech, abstaining from idle chatter: This, monks, is called right speech.2
“And what, monks, is right action? Abstaining from taking life, abstaining from stealing, abstaining from sexual intercourse3: This, monks, is called right action.
“And what, monks, is right livelihood? There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones, having abandoned dishonest livelihood, keeps his life going with right livelihood. This, monks, is called right livelihood.
“And what, monks, is right effort? (i) There is the case where a monk generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the non-arising of evil, unskillful qualities that have not yet arisen. (ii) He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the abandoning of evil, unskillful qualities that have arisen. (iii) He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the arising of skillful qualities that have not yet arisen. (iv) He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the maintenance, non-confusion, increase, plenitude, development, & culmination of skillful qualities that have arisen. This, monks, is called right effort.4
“And what, monks, is right mindfulness? (i) There is the case where a monk remains focused on the body in & of itself—ardent, alert, & mindful—subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. (ii) He remains focused on feelings in & of themselves—ardent, alert, & mindful—subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. (iii) He remains focused on the mind in & of itself—ardent, alert, & mindful—subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. (iv) He remains focused on mental qualities in & of themselves—ardent, alert, & mindful—subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. This, monks, is called right mindfulness.5
“And what, monks, is right concentration? (i) There is the case where a monk—quite secluded from sensuality,6 secluded from unskillful qualities7—enters & remains in the first jhāna: rapture & pleasure born of seclusion, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation. (ii) With the stilling of directed thoughts & evaluations, he enters & remains in the second jhāna: rapture & pleasure born of concentration, unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation—internal assurance. (iii) With the fading of rapture, he remains equanimous, mindful, & alert, and senses pleasure with the body. He enters & remains in the third jhāna, of which the noble ones declare, ‘Equanimous & mindful, he has a pleasant abiding.’ (iv) With the abandoning of pleasure & pain—as with the earlier disappearance of elation & distress—he enters & remains in the fourth jhāna: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither pleasure nor pain. This, monks, is called right concentration.”8
That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, the monks delighted in the Blessed One’s words.
I think Daniel's book title is very much in line with the teachings of the Buddha, which presents the path very pragmatically and practically, as the Mastery of sila, samadhi and prajna (morality, concentration and wisdom) for liberation. The teachings of Buddha are not meant to be some arm-chair philosophy but a very practical manual for us to free our minds from suffering and attain true peace and happiness, which we have to put into practice. The Buddha made it clear that through no other way than by practicing the noble eightfold path* (which is summarized as the three trainings just mentioned) can we achieve liberation. We should keep that in mind.
Also relevant: Bahiya Sutta, Dispassion and Spontaneous Perfection
Non-Doing and Actualization
Four Foundations of Mindfulness: The Direct Path to Liberation
Non-Doing and Actualization
Four Foundations of Mindfulness: The Direct Path to Liberation
Thusness:
"After this insight, one must also be clear of the way
of anatta and the path of practice. Many wrongly conclude that because there is
no-self, there is nothing to do and nothing to practice. This is precisely using "self view"
to understand "anatta" despite having the insight.
It does not mean because there is no-self, there is nothing
to practice; rather it is because there is no self, there is only ignorance and
the chain of afflicted activities. Practice therefore is about overcoming
ignorance and these chain of afflictive activities. There is no agent but there is attention.
Therefore practice is about wisdom, vipassana, mindfulness and concentration.
If there is no mastery over these practices, there is no liberation. So one
should not bullshit and psycho ourselves into the wrong path of no-practice and
waste the invaluable insight of anatta.
That said, there is the passive mode of practice of choiceness
awareness, but one should not misunderstand it as the "default way"
and such practice can hardly be considered "mastery" of anything,
much less liberation."
....
"People that have gone into the nihilistic
understanding of 'non-doing' ended up in a mess. You see those having right
understanding of 'non-doing' are free, yet you see discipline, focus and peace
in them.
Like just sitting and walking... ...in whatever they
endeavor. Fully anatta."
....
In my opinion many of our great aspirations and high views
turn empty talks easily. After the direct insight of anatta, it opens the gate
that allows one to experience effortlessly all sensations that arise without
duality, without fear, without doership and without ownership. Many are unable
to see the "Whys" and "Hows" of "directness" so
don't waste your insights that have given the opportunity in this life. Train
yourself to do that with sincerity and dedication first. Then you will be fully
in touch with your original purity; you will be genuinely in touch with peace
and openness.
....
We need to have time to practice and be focused otherwise
very soon we will realize we have wasted this life.
...
I did tell him to visualize light and practice breathing
with full no-self anatta insight intact.
The purpose of visualization and to have a prolong period of
practice focus on breathing with anatta insight intact is to allow him to have glimpses
of the relationship between visualization, concentration and the 3 states.
...
I do not want you to get into too high views and lose touch
with genuine and simple practice.
If we want to experience fully and have genuine peace, be very
sincere in sensing all your sensations for pretense, blames, rejections and
contractions... ...don't rush...slow down your thoughts and scan all your sensations
for these...see all these traces...see all these come from the "I"s
and "mine"s...develop a strong willingness to let go with your insights
of anatta. If you can for a brief moment be free from the conceit of I, the
craving of mine and the background of I AM, that moment you are respectable
even to the gods.
Spiritual teachers argue over whether or not there is a self, and debate the illusion of free will. Spiritual seekers argue over whether or not their teachers speak the truth. Believers try to prove their beliefs. Atheists try to disprove the beliefs of believers. Lovers try to prove their love to each other. Dreamers try to hold their dreams. We cling to the holy books for dear life. We worship at the altar of concepts. When will we wake up from our mass hypnosis, our obsession with right and wrong, good and bad, our fixation with words and their polar opposites, and fall in love with what is vibrantly alive in ourselves and each other. Let us meet in the world before words, nothing to prove, nothing to defend. Only life, naked and raw, electric. Arms wide open to what is, and what can be. Self or no self, God or no God, the aware awareness awaring the consciously present witness of subjectively objective subjective Beingness prior to the emergence of .... Ah, fuck it. Finally awake to this living moment. Out of the head. Tumbling into the heart. All the words crumble. - Jeff Foster
...
Soh Wei Yu, Tuesday, June 10, 2014 at
11:59pm UTC+08
Jeff Foster
(www.lifewithoutacentre.com) 21 hours ago · Edited THIS In the end, as in the
beginning, there is nothing more spiritual than having a cup of tea. We can
talk about the absolute presence of the witness, the subjective objectivity of
subjective conscious presence, the ecstasy of transcendental states, the
pathless path to glorious enlightened futures, the spiritual realms with all
their compelling promises of perfection. But soon, we tire of the words,
however beautiful, and we long for simplicity, realness, a truth that cannot be
broken. We long for the moment, however paradoxical that sounds. We long for
our ground, our home. Connection. To get out of our heads and into the Heart.
And so we are sitting with a friend in a café on a summer's morning, kids
screaming in all directions, the reflection of sunlight on a tea-stained spoon,
and THIS, THIS is life. Not life as abstracted by thought, not life as spoken
by well-intentioned gurus and philosophers, but life as lived first-hand, life
as nothing more than immediacy and presence and wonder, life as a tea bag, life
as a sleeping dog, life as the shattering of glass, kids wild at play,
oblivious to the seriousness that approaches in time. I once had a concept of
the 'spiritual'. I once sought enlightened states. I once had an idea that I,
or anyone, was an authority. I once felt superior to sleeping dogs and broken
glass. I am now a tea bag. - Jeff Foster
TUMBLING INTO THE HEART Spiritual teachers argue over whether or not there is a self, and debate the illusion of free will. Spiritual seekers argue over whether or not their teachers speak the truth. Believers try to prove their beliefs. Atheists try to disprove the beliefs of believers. Lovers try to prove their love to each other. Dreamers try to hold their dreams. We cling to the holy books for dear life. We worship at the altar of concepts. When will we wake up from our mass hypnosis, our obsession with right and wrong, good and bad, our fixation with words and their polar opposites, and fall in love with what is vibrantly alive in ourselves and each other. Let us meet in the world before words, nothing to prove, nothing to defend. Only life, naked and raw, electric. Arms wide open to what is, and what can be. Self or no self, God or no God, the aware awareness awaring the consciously present witness of subjectively objective subjective Beingness prior to the emergence of .... Ah, fuck it. Finally awake to this living moment. Out of the head. Tumbling into the heart. All the words crumble. - Jeff Foster
Thusness, Wednesday, June 11, 2014 at
12:27am UTC+08
Quite good. Right into the living
moment and free from the bullshit of high views and arbitrary thoughts. Yet
this is not the expression that interest me.
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*The Noble Eightfold Path:
https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/SN/SN45_8.html
An Analysis of the Path
Magga-Vibhaṅga Sutta (SN 45:8)
I have heard that at one time the Blessed One was
staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. There
he addressed the monks, “Monks!”“Yes, lord,” the monks responded to him.
The Blessed One said, “I will teach & analyze for you the noble eightfold path. Listen & pay close attention. I will speak.”
“As you say, lord,” the monks responded to him.
The Blessed One said, “Now what, monks, is the noble eightfold path? Right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
“And what, monks, is right view? Knowledge with regard to [or: in terms of] stress, knowledge with regard to the origination of stress, knowledge with regard to the stopping of stress, knowledge with regard to the way of practice leading to the stopping of stress: This, monks, is called right view.1
“And what, monks, is right resolve? Resolve for renunciation, resolve for non-ill will, resolve for harmlessness: This, monks, is called right resolve.
“And what, monks, is right speech? Abstaining from lying, abstaining from divisive speech, abstaining from harsh speech, abstaining from idle chatter: This, monks, is called right speech.2
“And what, monks, is right action? Abstaining from taking life, abstaining from stealing, abstaining from sexual intercourse3: This, monks, is called right action.
“And what, monks, is right livelihood? There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones, having abandoned dishonest livelihood, keeps his life going with right livelihood. This, monks, is called right livelihood.
“And what, monks, is right effort? (i) There is the case where a monk generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the non-arising of evil, unskillful qualities that have not yet arisen. (ii) He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the abandoning of evil, unskillful qualities that have arisen. (iii) He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the arising of skillful qualities that have not yet arisen. (iv) He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the maintenance, non-confusion, increase, plenitude, development, & culmination of skillful qualities that have arisen. This, monks, is called right effort.4
“And what, monks, is right mindfulness? (i) There is the case where a monk remains focused on the body in & of itself—ardent, alert, & mindful—subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. (ii) He remains focused on feelings in & of themselves—ardent, alert, & mindful—subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. (iii) He remains focused on the mind in & of itself—ardent, alert, & mindful—subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. (iv) He remains focused on mental qualities in & of themselves—ardent, alert, & mindful—subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. This, monks, is called right mindfulness.5
“And what, monks, is right concentration? (i) There is the case where a monk—quite secluded from sensuality,6 secluded from unskillful qualities7—enters & remains in the first jhāna: rapture & pleasure born of seclusion, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation. (ii) With the stilling of directed thoughts & evaluations, he enters & remains in the second jhāna: rapture & pleasure born of concentration, unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation—internal assurance. (iii) With the fading of rapture, he remains equanimous, mindful, & alert, and senses pleasure with the body. He enters & remains in the third jhāna, of which the noble ones declare, ‘Equanimous & mindful, he has a pleasant abiding.’ (iv) With the abandoning of pleasure & pain—as with the earlier disappearance of elation & distress—he enters & remains in the fourth jhāna: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither pleasure nor pain. This, monks, is called right concentration.”8
That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, the monks delighted in the Blessed One’s words.
Notes
3. DN 22 and MN 141, when analyzing right action, replace “abstaining from sexual intercourse” with “abstaining from sexual misconduct.”
5. For further explanation of right mindfulness, see DN 22 and the book, Right Mindfulness.
6. For the meaning of “sensuality,” here, see AN 6:63.
7. “And what, monks, are unskillful
qualities? Wrong view, wrong resolve, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong
livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, wrong concentration.” — SN 45:22
8. For further explanation of right concentration, see MN 44, MN 111, AN 4:41, AN 5:28, and AN 9:36.
MN 44 explains why pain is not abandoned until pleasure is abandoned on entering the fourth jhāna:
[Visākha:] “In what way is pleasant feeling pleasant, lady, and in what way painful?”
[Sister Dhammadinnā:] “Pleasant feeling is pleasant in remaining, & painful in changing, friend Visākha. Painful feeling is painful in remaining & pleasant in changing. Neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling is pleasant in occurring together with knowledge, and painful in occurring without knowledge.”
[Sister Dhammadinnā:] “Pleasant feeling is pleasant in remaining, & painful in changing, friend Visākha. Painful feeling is painful in remaining & pleasant in changing. Neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling is pleasant in occurring together with knowledge, and painful in occurring without knowledge.”