RG ST 21 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Arhat, Mahayana, Theravada
Document Summary
If you use up all your good karma in these upper levels of the heavens you go back down. Ra(cid:374)ge of hu(cid:373)a(cid:374) e(cid:454)iste(cid:374)(cid:272)es, so(cid:373)e are (cid:373)ore diffi(cid:272)ult, so(cid:373)e are (cid:373)ore eas(cid:455), (cid:271)ut that"s the point (dignity but also suffering and routine and cyclical nature) Still deal with death, karma follows us, good or bad. Intelligence separates us from other realms (what makes humans special- curiosity/questioning) What is necessary to develop techniques to escape cycle. Monks study, meditate, and do service work, get best karma and develop their minds to attain nirvana. By engaging in karma/actions habitually influenced by ignorance we develop ourselves into something that is our consciousness- influenced by the things we do over and over again. If you have body and mind you have basic sensory apparatus to experience the world. Open to the world and everything coming at you, your sense faculties and the sense objects come in contact.
