What If You're Wrong About Being Enlightened? (What the Buddha Admitted)

What If You're Wrong About Being Enlightened? (What the Buddha Admitted)

15:55
Doug's Dharma Doug's Dharma

A group of monks declared themselves enlightened, in the Buddha's presence. But some had overestimated. They weren't lying: they were sincere, confident, and wrong. This video is about what follows for the rest of us, and why it turns out to have less to do with reaching a verdict than with what we do next. 🧡 If you find this material useful, check out my Patreon page and get fun benefits like exclusive videos, audio-only versions, and extensive show notes: https://www.patreon.com/dougsseculardharma 🧡 You can also make donations through: https://paypal.me/dougsdharma 📙 Check out my book, A Handbook of Early Buddhist Wisdom, with a Foreword by Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi: https://books2read.com/buddhisthandbook 📖 Index of all my videos: https://dougs-dharma.github.io/dougs-dharma-index/ ✅ Videos recommended: Am I Enlightened? What Early Buddhism Says ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3u18K5xL1E Who's Really Enlightened? The Buddha's Surprising Take ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jL9F7b7kfQ When Is Buddhist Training Supposed to End? ( https://youtu.be/4BUjH_ifNmA Why Our Deepest Certainties Can Be Completely Wrong ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_nVhawUrTI The Knowledge That Can't Be Overpowered: https://youtu.be/rDbEbPNZQiE ✅ Suttas & Primary Texts mentioned: MN 105, the Sunakkhatta Sutta: https://suttacentral.net/mn105/en/sujato Vinaya, Pārājika 4, on overestimating one's attainment (adhimāna): https://suttacentral.net/pli-tv-bu-vb-pj4/en/brahmali Shwe Zan Aung & C.A.F. Rhys Davids, trans., Points of Controversy, or Subjects of Discourse (Kathāvatthu), Pali Text Society, 1915: "Of the Knowledge of the Arahant" (II.2) at pp. 116–17, "Of Doubt in the Arahant" (II.3) at p. 118: https://archive.org/details/PointsOfControversyKathavatthu ✅ Secondary sources: L.S. Cousins, "The 'Five Points' and the Origins of the Buddhist Schools," The Buddhist Forum vol. II, ed. Tadeusz Skorupski (SOAS, University of London, 1991), pp. 27–60: https://www.academia.edu/1417

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