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if the self is an illusion - all my relationships are illusion too?
If the self is an illusion - of little importance - where does that leave my relationships?
All the people I know, have a relationship with this 'fake self' of mine -- so the relationships are groundless? an illusion also?

more answers: https://www.quora.com/How-is-Buddhism-not-nihilism

You are asking something like "If superman is fictional, what happens to his relationship with Lois Lane?".
In ultimate reality, relationships don't exit. It's just craving/clinging arising in the mind for seeing, hearing, smelling, touching etc.

While this is good I prefer, “If Scooby-doo is fictional, what happens to poor Shaggy?” LOL in a tiny bit more seriousness, it can be said that Scooby-doo and Shaggy exist. They exist fictionally. It is not the case that Scooby-doo and Shaggy do not exist at all!

The person is not an illusion, it is like an illusion. It is like an illusion in that it does not appear the way it exists.
An illusory horse appears as if it was an actual horse while it is not. From a Prasangika viewpoint, similarly, persons and phenomena (such as relationships) appear as if they were inherently existent while they are not. In this respect, the person is like an illusion.
In a commentary to Je Tsongkhapa's middle-length Lam Rim, Geshe Gyaltsen says:

One will come to perceive the person as like an illusion when one has
  realized emptiness. Therefore one will know the illusory aspect of the
  person in that the person appears as truly existent, but does not
  exist as such.

Your relationships are simply conditioned and impermanent. Even your closest relationships may be subject to death, disputes and drifting away.
The Buddha praised admirable companionships in SN 45.2:

As he was sitting there, Ven. Ananda said to the Blessed One, "This is
  half of the holy life, lord: admirable friendship, admirable
  companionship, admirable camaraderie."
"Don't say that, Ananda. Don't say that. Admirable friendship,
  admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie is actually the whole
  of the holy life. When a monk has admirable people as friends,
  companions, & comrades, he can be expected to develop & pursue the
  noble eightfold path.

All relationships are subject to impermanence, just like all illusions.
Also, the way you perceive a relationship, will always differ to the other person within that particular relationship. The relationship is merely 'true' only within your perception, which is also impermanent, just like an illusion.

There is hope friend! Your question leads me to believe you might have misunderstood the meaning of anatta or emptiness and drifted toward nihilism. Take heart that this is just a misunderstanding and that the Virtuous Teachers have said emptiness and nihilism are completely different.
Emptiness or anatta is an extremely hard concept to wrap your head around and there is danger in misapprending it for nihilism like there is danger in mishandling a snake. Fortunately, we can use this warning as a handrail to support ourselves: when we recognize ourselves drifting towards nihilism then let’s happily put down that view knowing confidently that we have misunderstood.
Hope this helps!

Understanding anatta intellectually and experientially are two seperate shoes. If one is stuck in the former I doubt that it will have an effect in one's day-to-day behaviours.

My teachers disagree and I do as well. If someone believes intellectually that emptiness means nihilism, they might then think karma doesn’t matter and the the results of our deeds don’t matter, etc.

As @Tenzin said relationships are not illusion. They are like illusion. They are ,as @ruben2020 ,said conditioned and impermanent. But they play a role in your evolution towards Anatta. Like wholesome and unwholesome qualities , relationship can be good or bad. When a relationship is good then it is like a medicine. For example you can have good relationship with Sangha or community or people with integrity. The purpose of medicine is to cure the disease of self and then the medicine is left. Many wholesome qualities like compassion , loving kindness etc also act like medicine. But when the relationship is bad you can leave it right away unless offcourse you want to improve it out of compassion. Realisation of Anatta is like Nirvana which is attained by developing various wholesome qualities and developing good relationships. Good relationships are vitally important.


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About kamathanha during vipassana
When kamathanha disappears  during meditation ?is it during sotapanna state or sakadagami state?

Kamathanha is subdued(temporarily) when you attain any Jhana(Dyana). Kamathanha is weakened(permanently) when you attain Sakadagami. Kamathanha is eradicated(permanently) when you attain Anagami.

In jhana whether only thoughts will disappear or both thoughts and changes of body will disappear?

In Jhana the mind attains one pointedness.

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How is the pendulum understood in Buddhism?
I've seen the pendulum is widely used as an illustration for finding a neutral, balance point between the extremes. Its movement is also periodic which shares the same characteristic with samsara. It seems that the allusions are mostly used in Taoism text, but one can see it in this site too. I think that it may be hard to find (if not possible) in the sutra, as pendulum is more well known in the West. But I've seen it and the swing used in poems influenced by Zen in my language (Vietnamese) to describe mood changing.
So is there a viewpoint of Buddhism over the pendulum? Any references, even personal opinion is fine, but it should depict the philosophy of Buddhism within in.

Where have you seen it widely used as an illustration of "finding a balance" (it doesn't seem to me a fortunate analogy, since a pendulum mindlessly oscillates from one extreme to another without cessation)? Also I guess I wouldn't expect to find it used as an analogy in the suttas, since it's not a well-known everyday common object.

It seems that it mostly uses by in Taoism text, but one can see it in this site also. Yes I agree that it may be hard to find (if not possible) in the sutra, as pendulum is more well known in the West. But I've seen it and the swing used in poems influenced by Zen in my language (Vietnamese) to describe mood changing

This seems too vague a question to answer. Are you looking for references where Buddha spoke about a pendulum? Looking for people just to comment on how pendulum can be viewed as analogy to samsara? Please try to make the question a little more specific to what you are looking for as an acceptable answer...

@YesheTenley "Let's hear everyone's opinion about it" does seem too vague a question (i.e. that would be like a "polling question" where every answer is equally valid) -- I assumed I shouldn't answer it with my own opinion and that the OP is looking for some/any reference(s) to any previously-published view(s).

@YesheTenley I've updated the question. Is it better?

@ChrisW yes you can, as long as it depict the philosophy of Buddhism within it.

The only thing I heard about pendulum in Buddhism was a metaphor used by my first teacher. He said, in the past people used to fluctuate, like a pendulum, between being extremely spiritual in one life and extremely materialistic in another life. He said, in ancient times the pendulum swung a lot slower, maybe over the course of 50 lives. But in our times, the pendulum is so fast that it is effectively in a quantum state - in both extremes at the same time. This is why, he said, now it is appropriate and even desirable to be both spiritual and successful in the world.
Never heard of any other mention of pendulum in any Buddhist context.

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Isn't the act of Prince Vessantara giving his children away extreme?
http://www.buddha-images.com/vessantara-jataka.asp

It depicts the life of prince Vessantara who gives away all his possessions, including his children to become servants of an evil spirited character.

What can this say that Buddha encourages the laymen The Middle Way, while his act of donating children during the life of prince Vessantara seems quite extreme for a layperson?

Monks, these two extremes ought not to be practiced by one who has gone forth from the household life. (What are the two?) There is addiction to indulgence of sense-pleasures, which is low, coarse, the way of ordinary people, unworthy, and unprofitable; and there is addiction to self-mortification, which is painful, unworthy, and unprofitable.

Related: Is Vessantara Jātaka in conflict with morality?

Giving away children does not come under self-mortification. Self-mortification is torturing the physical body.

“Venerable Nàgasena, do all the Bodhisattas give away their wives and
  children, or was it only Vessantara?” “All of them do.” “But do those
  wives and children consent to it?” “The wives do but the children do
  not due to their tender age.” “But was it then a meritorious deed if
  the children were terrified and cried at being given away?” “Yes it
  was. As a man desiring merit might take a cripple wherever he wanted
  to go in an ox-cart and thereby the oxen would be made to suffer; or
  as a king might levy a tax in order to perform a great meritorious
  deed; so too, giving, though it may cause anguish to some, is
  conducive to rebirth in heaven. Is there, king, any gift that should
  not be given?” “Yes, Nàgasena, there are ten kinds of gifts that
  should not be given, the giving of which leads to rebirth in states of
  woe: a gift of intoxicants, of a festival, of a woman, of a man,of
  suggestive designs, weapons, poisons, chains or instruments of
  torture, fowls and swine, or false weights and measures.” “I am not
  asking about gifts that are not approved of in the world. I am asking
  if there is any gift that should not be given when there is someone
  worthy of it.” “Then, Nàgasena, there is no gift that should not be
  given. When satisfaction in Dhamma has arisen, some people give a
  hundred thousand, or a kingdom or even their life.” “Then why do you
  criticize the gift of Vessantara so harshly? Is it not sometimes the
  case that a man in debt may sell his son or leave him as a pledge?
  Just so, Vessantara gave his son as a pledge against his future
  attainment of omniscience.” “Nevertheless, why did he not give himself
  instead?” “Because that was not what was asked for. To offer something
  else would have been ignoble. Furthermore, O king, Vessantara knew
  that the Brahmin would be unable to keep the children as slaves for
  long since he was advanced in years. Anyway, he knew their grandfather
  would pay a ransom for their return.” “Skilfully, Nàgasena, has this
  puzzle been unravelled. The net of heresy has been torn to pieces.
  Well has the letter of the scriptures been maintained while you have
  thus explained the spirit. This is so and I accept it as you say.”  - Milinda Panha

Why does the Bhante say that a gift of Women is inappropriate but he approves Vessantara's dana?

@SankhaKulathantille The bit you quoted says, "there are ten kinds of gifts that should not be given ...: a gift of intoxicants, of a festival, of a woman, of a man ...". user1926852 is asking about this, why does he approve Vessantara's dana, and also say that a gift of women is inappropriate?

@ChrisW That's what King Milinda said. Not venerable Nagasena.

According to the story, wasn't prince Vessantara still a lay person who didn't reach full enlightenment yet?  He wasn't a Buddha yet so knowledge of noble paths had not yet occured to him.
Your question would be much more interesting subject to study if Buddha gave away his children AFTER the enlightenment.

Also it is worth noting that how Buddha got to know that extremes did not work was by practicing them and not reaching enlightenment through them.


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Does suffering entail being overwhelmed for the person who is suffering?
Also are there behaviors that all humans do when they suffer? For instance, do all humans try to alleviate suffering when they experience it?

-- "Does suffering entail being overwhelmed"
Yes, I think it often does...
...In some cases, when a disagreeable experience arises (irrespective of its sensory modality) we have a strong and completely unconscious attachment - and so suffering arises immediately and without any resistance. In this case we can't speak about "overwhelming" (or else we could categorize this as an absolute "overwhelming" that meets zero resistance) This probably happens more often to children and to people with relatively undeveloped Emotional Intelligence...
-- But in most cases, modern people have developed various coping techniques to try and alleviate potentially disagreeable experience and prevent it from turning into suffering.
The main technique I see people using every day, many times a day, is "reinterpretation". This is when a person re-frames a (potentially) disagreeable experience to make it agreeable. For example, someone drives to a supermarket and sees all parking spots near the entrance taken. The spots in the middle of the lot are taken too. The only available spots are on the far end of the parking lot. The person then re-frames the experience by saying (out loud or to oneself): "This is even better. Will make me walk a longer distance, and I can use some exercise."
Most healthy people have very "healthy" but also rather unconscious habit of re-framing everything they encounter as to protect their inner comfort. They re-frame circumstances, objects, people, and events in such a way as to reduce a sense of failure, doom, inadequacy - and ensure inner peace. Because we are intelligent species, many of us (but not all) prefer these re-interpretations to be logically consistent and to add up to some sort of more-or-less cohesive life philosophy. This requirement of logical consistency makes this process exhibit a kind of self-sustaining growth, what I call hardening of the ego. What I mean by that is the fact that for most people, their newly made (re-)interpretations arise from -- and add to -- the existing set of internalized interpretations. In other words, the new interpretations are offered by the ego to ensure its integrity. If a new re-interpretation successfully manages to prevent a disagreeable experience from turning into suffering, and does not meet too much rejection from the external world, it is added to the ego's collection of workable interpretations. Thereby tightening up ego's space of possible interpretations, or "hardening the ego".
For example, if someone's life grew out of a difficult background, and he or she was not taught positive re-interpretation, this person's ego starts framing the difficulties as something normal and expected, using this as its coping mechanism -- suffering getting reduced when experience match expectations. This interpretative style continues to accumulate new interpretations until it hardens into a cohesively negative or pessimistic worldview. Other people harden into an optimist, a villain, a victim - with corresponding worldview to match.
Most people who grow up in a consistent and non-conflicted environment, by the time they reach adulthood end up having a virtually impenetrable ego with no possibility of interpretative ambiguity - and therefore no space for maneuver when a re-interpretation is required to alleviate another piece of disagreeable experience - but no logically consistent interpretation can be offered without breaking the logical network of assertions comprising the ego. When this happens, we end up being helpless in the face of the disagreeable experience, which at that time can be said to "overwhelm" us and arise as full-blown suffering.
As Buddhism developed historically, it developed various techniques for dealing with this entire pattern of suffering, its arising and prevention. These techniques range from primitive, such as simply "enduring"; switching attention; and forcing the thoughts out, to re-framing, such as seeing things "phenomenologically" as mere "stimuli", "notions", "feelings", "energies" etc; to detachment or letting go of deep-lying assumptions&preconceptions that lead to evaluation of experiences as something negative, to methodical deconstruction of ego's existing interpretations, to non-evaluating acceptance of all experiences, and finally to interpretative ambiguity.
What's cool about interpretative ambiguity is that it ends up being rather enduring in the face of disagreeable experiences of all kinds. The complete mastery of interpretative ambiguity prevents any possibility of being overwhelmed with a disagreeable interpretation of any and all experience. In other words, it prevents suffering.

What is interpretative ambiguity? You introduced the term without explanation

Sorry. Basically, it's what we casually call "to give someone the benefit of doubt"

Does “Give someone the benefit of the doubt” mean seeing everyone as manifestation of Buddha or Bodhisattva?

Not just every-one, I think everything is Dharma-kaya in some sense. So everything is Buddha and our teacher.

No, it doesn't necessarily mean that one is overwhelmed.
Example: Let's say I like eating ice cream. Am I overwhelmed at the moment of eating ice cream? No, I'm clearly not. And yet, there is suffering involved there. With a lot of unwholesome states people don't even see the suffering. Like with craving, or the delusion states. They are called that way for a reason.
I think it is one of the most difficult things to understand that there is suffering when following ones desires, like listening to music, eating nice things, watching a loved show/series on TV and so on. And I guess, not seeing the suffering there, is one of the reasons people just think everything is fine and don't bother looking deeper into things.
So, no. I would add that most people don't try to get rid of their suffering, simply because they don't realise they are suffering. Yet.

Does it sometimes entail being overwhelmed? Also, when eating ice cream and after that feeling full and deciding to stop eating it, is that done to avoid suffering?

Yes to both questions, imho. As I see it, experience of suffering is a spectrum. On the one end suffering is not noticeable at all (ice cream example) and on the other it's clear and unmistakable. As you said in your answer, every organism will avoid suffering when experienced clearly. It's nature. A full tummy usually comes with unpleasant feelings. And to lessen those and avoid further unpleasantness we stop eating.
Less clear is restlessness. When eating ice (without full tummy) we often miss the unpleasantness that comes with the restlessness.

@YesheTenley Experiences on the end of the spectrum where suffering is clear and unmistakable can be very overwhelming.

All sentient beings wish to avoid suffering. This is universal. There is no sentient being that wishes to suffer.  However, we do not always understand suffering and sometimes mistake suffering for happiness. Generally speaking we are quite a confused lot!
I like the answer by Medhini quite a bit and the ice cream example is great. There is suffering when eating ice cream, but few understand this. In fact, just existing in samsara is suffering. It is not satisfactory.
Sentient beings are like a dog tied to a pole. We don’t wish to be tied to the pole so we struggle to escape it thinking that freedom from the pole is happiness. In so doing we wind ourselves ever closer and tighter around the pole. We are just so ignorant about how to help ourselves that we keep pulling. The pole is unsatisfactory and so is the whole situation. We need to develop wisdom to understand our predicament before we can release ourselves from the yolk of suffering.
Hope this helps!

In response to cravings and also in response to suffering, people tend to have expressions of the three poisons of greed or lust, aversion and delusion.
For example, if you eat something that you find pleasurable, you would have cravings to get more of it. When you endeavour to get more of it, that would be the expression of greed or lust. If you crave to become a respected person who has the Doctor title, then you would try to obtain this title. That's also an expression of greed.
If someone prematurely takes away something that you're enjoying, or causes you pain, you may become angry or agonized and try to alleviate the source of pain and suffering. That's an expression of aversion.
If you become so consumed by anger when someone hurts you that you vow to take revenge on them, that's delusion. Or if you desire something so much, you cling to it and become addicted to it, affecting your normal life experience. Delusion causes you to not be able to see reality clearly and have your judgment clouded.
In my opinion, the three poisons could overwhelm a person, but I would say that delusion is more overwhelming than greed and aversion. It makes suffering worse, deeper and longer lasting.
In the Magandiya Sutta (MN75), the Buddha speaks of one being overwhelmed by lust and delusion over sensual pleasures:

"Now suppose that there was a leper covered with sores & infections,
  devoured by worms, picking the scabs off the openings of his wounds
  with his nails, cauterizing his body over a pit of glowing embers. The
  more he cauterized his body over the pit of glowing embers, the more
  disgusting, foul-smelling, & putrid the openings of his wounds would
  become, and yet he would feel a modicum of enjoyment & satisfaction
  because of the itchiness of his wounds. In the same way, beings not
  free from passion for sensual pleasures — devoured by sensual craving,
  burning with sensual fever — indulge in sensual pleasures. The more
  they indulge in sensual pleasures, the more their sensual craving
  increases and the more they burn with sensual fever, and yet they feel
  a modicum of enjoyment & satisfaction dependent on the five strings of
  sensuality.


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How to get to know the state of mind
How to get to know mind has reached sakadagami state or still in sotapanna?During  meditation experience no thoughts and Feel like clear emptiness. Reached clear darkness  with peace of mind and there is a light with dark in sometime. And sexual craving disappears when meditation feel free after that. At which state of mind dependent origin will break?whether it is  just a jhana state .

"clear darkness with peace of mind" is an experience of Samadhi. It's neither Sothapanna nor Sakadagami. When you attain Sothapanna, it makes a permanent change in you. The self view, attachment to rites and rituals and doubt are removed permanently. It's not any kind of peaceful feeling that you get while meditating. Same goes for Sakadagami. When you attain it your craving towards sensual pleasure and aversion are permanently weakened regardless of if you are meditating or not.

Which samadhi,is it kanika samadhi

What is the state of mind in sotapanna?Isn't it peace reduce attachment to thoughts

kanika samadhi is moment to moment concentration.  Read this answer on how Satapanna occurs.

At sotapanna state, 3 of the 10 fetters will be disappeared from mind -- they are:

sakkayaditti (feeling of myself and mine)
wichikichcha (doubt on 8 things, includes buddha, dhamma, sanga, ...)
seelabbathaparamasa (follow wrong silas)

After sotapanna state, when your mind advance to sakadagami state, another 2 fetters will be reduced, but not completely removed from mind -- they are:

kamaraga (lust for 5 sensations we get from our eyes, ears, tongue, skin and nose)
wyapada( conflict with things we dislike..this is mainly the anger in our mind)

When you see these are reduced from your mind, after sotapanna state, it's sakadagami state.
That feeling of mind when it advanced to sakadagami state can't express to other person, you have to experience that feeling from yourself.
Sexual  cravings will completely remove from one's mind when he is advanced to the arahat state -- the last state of nirvana path. When you are in sakadagami or anagami state also, you have sexual  cravings in your mind, but they are reduced gradually than before.
When you meditate you can experience lights appear in front of you, that's called Āloka-saññā (or light signals) -- then if you need you can focus your mind on that light and meditate along, that's called kasina bhawana. But that may be not your target sometime, however from that you can get your mind to a jhana state... when you focus on light and meditate along that light will be larger in huge size... that is the first jhana.
(i haven't learnt buddhism much in English, just in pali an Sinhalese..so i don't know some English translations you use for pali words..sorry for that.. )

"Fetters" in English. People on this site use some Pali words, like the ones you used, perhaps using different spellings like Sila and Bhavana.

If sotapanna has not achieved and reduced kamaraga and wiyapada is it a just jhana state or sotapanna or sakadagami?

Before archiving sakadagami have to achieve sowan state..When it's jhana state there's a certain reduce of kamaraga and wiyapada, but just reducing kamaraga and wiyapada we can't certainly say jhana, It may varies according to meditation when doing anapasati we can see a huge bright light in first jhana state,like that...

@madhawavish in wiyapada have seen the thoughts process has come and action has stopped by another thought.  And when  the action has stopped there is a light darkness with peace of mind. Is it a jhana state?


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How is the "manifestion" (pātubhāvo) of the earth element the arising (uppāda) of suffering?
The translations of SN 26.9 sounds unusual to me; which are as follows:

Yo kho, bhikkhave, pathavīdhātuyā uppādo ṭhiti
abhinibbatti pātubhāvo … pe … jarāmaraṇassa  pātubhāvo; yo āpodhātuyā
… yo tejodhātuyā … yo vāyodhātuyā … yo ākāsadhātuyā … yo
viññāṇadhātuyā uppādo ṭhiti abhinibbatti pātubhāvo, dukkhasseso
uppādo, rogānaṃ ṭhiti, jarāmaraṇassa pātubhāvo. Yo ca kho, bhikkhave,
pathavīdhātuyā nirodho … pe … jarāmaraṇassa atthaṅgamo; yo āpodhātuyā
nirodho … yo tejodhātuyā nirodho … yo vāyodhātuyā nirodho … yo
ākāsadhātuyā nirodho … yo viññāṇadhātuyā nirodho vūpasamo atthaṅgamo,
dukkhasseso nirodho, rogānaṃ vūpasamo, jarāmaraṇassa atthaṅgamo”ti.
Mendicants, the arising, continuation, rebirth, and manifestation of the earth element, the water element, the fire element, the air element, the space element, and the consciousness element is the arising of suffering, the continuation of diseases, and the manifestation of old age and death. The cessation of the earth element, the water element, the fire element, the air element, the space element, and the consciousness element is the cessation of suffering, the settling of diseases, and the ending of old age and death.
SN 26.9

Since the 2nd Noble Truth and Dependent Origination explain suffering arises due to craving, attachment & becoming, how does the "manifestation" of the mere physical elements, per the above translations, manifest as the arising of "suffering"?

I marked this “question” down as it appears you are asking these with some definite idea of what you believe the answer to be. The moderators have explained and I think you aware this is prohibited.

I have noticed that pattern of questioning from Dhammadatu also.   I think boycotting his future questions by not answering it until he follows the rules might be a kind method.  Just like when Bhikkus trying to help Bhikku Channa during Budda' s time.

Obviously the commentators here are against the True Dhamma. The question allows the sincere members here to study & investigate the True Dhamma. I myself will also provide an answer which I have confidence is correct. Sincere members are welcome to consider my answer, accept it, reject it or ignore it. The True Dhamma is not a dictatorship, as occurred in Tibet.

Because "Comment everywhere" happens at 50

But Brody does not have 50 points. Only 47.

Brody had 51 before you (just now) downvoted two of his answers (people get -2 for each downvote).

dear dharmadhatu --- Manifestation of elements earth fire etc give rise to suffering. If suffering is there someone has to be there to be suffered . Also there should be some thing through which the suffering will manifest. The things  through  which suffering manifests is the body i.e panch skandhas, fire earth elements etc.  one part of the five skandhas. The arising of the physical body is suffering.What sukkh is there  in obtaining this body except for satisfying the greed,kam,hatred etc. The craving,attachment and becoming gives rise to suffering. so body and consciousness are suffering

The genius student can memorize and understand a big/maximum data each studying, so, the sutta is long. But, if the student is not too much smart, he can memorize and understand a little/minimum data each studying, so the teacher have to teach the sutta for him in short form and maybe incomplete paṭiccasamuppāda's process.
Because, in the oral study system, we memorize one sentence/paragraph (=each sutta) from the buddha or the tipitaka-memorizer (arahanta). Then we study/ask/practice/comprehension follow that memory, until we perfectly understand it (professional). If we still not enlighten after that. We will go to memorize the other lesson more, again. We will loop it until we are the tipitaka-memorizer, too. This is the tipitaka tradition. We still doing follow this tradition, for 2600 years.
So, it is already described itself, if you read the previous sutta. They were sequenced by paṭiccasamuppāda.
Let's see:
13.4.1 (30) Catusso — Four Elements = kevala(ssa) dukkhakkhandha(ssa) = rūpa-paṭiccasamuppāda, upattibhava/jāti/jarā/maraṇa-paṭiccasamuppāda.
13.4.2 (31)/13. 4. 3.(32) Pubbe — the satisfaction (assāda), danger(ādīnava) and the escape (nissaraṇa) on account of the earth element.
Assāda = 60 piyarūpa-sātarūpa, in saccapabba of Sutta. Dī. Ma. mahāsatipaṭṭhānasutta, which are objects of taṇhā-paṭiccasamuppāda:

Bodily phenomena in the world are pleasant and agreeable, there taṇhā, when arising, arises, there when settling, it settles.

Buddha said assāda as somanassa-vedanā-paṭiccasamuppāda in these 2nd and 3rd sutta, 13. 4. 2. (31)/13. 4. 3.(32):

Whatever pleasantness and pleasure arises on account of the earth element, that is the satisfaction in the earth element.

So, above quote showed assāda as 60 piyarūpa-sātarūpa which come to salāyatana-paṭiccasamuppāda, then let somanassa-vedanā-paṭiccasamuppāda arise, then let taṇhā-paṭiccasamuppāda arise.
But the way to escape "kevala(ssa) dukkhakkhandha(ssa) in paṭiccasamuppāda" showed  in these 2nd and 3rd sutta, 13. 4. 2. (31)/13. 4. 3.(32), too:

“ That the earth element is impermanent, unpleasant and a changing thing is the danger (ādīnava) in the earth element. Taming the interest and greed for the earth element and dispelling the interest and greed for the earth element is the escape(nissaraṇa) from the earth element.

13.4.4 (33) Yo no cedaṃ –– If There Weren’t, is then if the practitioner can not realize the danger (ādīnava) in the earth element to escape (nissaraṇa) it, then there are the interest and greed (taṇhā/upādāna-paṭiccasamuppāda) which attaching somanassa-vedanā-paṭiccasamuppāda. (And that sukkha/somanassa-samphassaja-vedanā-paṭiccasamuppāda taking the earth element at kāya/mano-āyatana-paṭiccasamuppāda together with kāya/mano-samphassa-paṭiccasamuppāda as well. Also, that  kāya/mano-āyatana-paṭiccasamuppāda are rūpa/nāma-paṭiccasamuppāda, which is "mano pubbaṅgamādhammā".) So, buddha showed somanassa-vedanā-paṭiccasamuppāda, taṇhā/upādāna-paṭiccasamuppāda, and upattibhava-paṭiccasamuppāda in 13. 4. 5. (34), 13. 4. 6. (35):

“Bhikkhus, he who does not delight (taṇhā-paṭiccasamuppāda which attaching somanassa-vedanā-paṭiccasamuppāda) in the earth element (mana-āyatana-paṭiccasamuppāda's object) does not delight in unpleasantness(kevala[ssa] dukkhakkhandha[ssa]). He that does not delight in unpleasantness, I say, is released from unpleasantness.

Then the buddha presented the effects, jāti/jarā/maraṇa-paṭiccasamuppāda, of "he who does not delight in the earth element does not delight in unpleasantness. " from 13. 4. 5. (34), 13. 4. 6. (35) into 13. 4. 7. (36) Uppado — Arising:

“Bhikkhus, the appearance(upādo=jāti-paṭiccasamuppāda), being (ṭhiti=jāti-paṭiccasamuppāda), arising (abhinibbatti=jāti-paṭiccasamuppāda), and rebirth (pātubhāva=jāti-paṭiccasamuppāda) of the earth element is the appearance of unpleasantness, the continuance of ailments and the manifestation of decay and death.

Please notice, abhinibbatti and pātubhāva are used as the synonym of jāti-dukkha-ariyasacca to describe "jāti" in saccapabba of Sutta. Dī. Ma. Mahāsatipaṭṭhānasutta, too. So, they are connect together.

Its difficult to understand this answer literally however based on what it appears to be attempting to say, I scored the answer positively. The answer has correctly identified the sutta is related to paṭiccasamuppāda. Imo, its not only the best answer so far but also the only appropriate answer.

@ChrisW I need your help, please. Do you think if I translate all pali-words, people will can understand the answer?  Because, I have to explain the pali's relation, so Idon't think it is possible to understand if I translate the pali words in the answer.

I find it convenient to reference the SuttaCentral translations e.g. here -- because Ven. Sujato's translations (e.g. here) can be setup to show line-by-line translation i.e. English and Pali on the same page.

A clear format would be to: 1) include a hyperlink to the whole sutta[s] on SuttaCentral 2) Quote (copy and paste) the small bits of the suttas which you want to comment on 3) Answer the question in your own words, and/or comment on the fragments which you quoted.

I also think that Dhammadhatu recognises at least some of the Pali words, so your having some untranslated Pali isn't the problem. Maybe it isn't clear because there's not enough of your own words, or too much of it is only quoting from the sutta. So a different clear way to format the answer might be 1) Hyperlink to SuttaCentral 2) Say what you want to say in your own words, without quoting the suttas, assuming that the reader can read the suttas for themselves ... just concentrate on answering the question, don't confuse the answer with quotes.

Is it just me who feels that Dhammadatu is playing student/ teacher game?  He gives grade (up-down score)  on each answer based on what he thinks answers should be?  ?

@ChrisW Thank you very much. It is very hard for me to understand, so I have to take a time to rewrite it. Another, the SuttaCentral has not enough tool for me, such as thai translation atthakathā, Bh. payutto's dictionary, MCU translation version, Thai/roman Character pali of tipitaka/atthakathā/tikā. It is very hard for me to generate the answer by putting 3 languages 2 characters, thai/pali(roman/thai char.)/english, in my head without the useable tool, so I try to avoid SuttaCentral.

I will provide an answer, later. Sutta Central cannot help here. Only the True Dhamma can help.

@Brody he still doing the same in this comment: https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/26516/does-abhinibbatti-mean-reincarnation-in-the-pali-suttas#comment45154_26519

The formula of SN 26 is:

“Mendicants, the arising, continuation, rebirth, and manifestation of
  X is the arising of suffering, the continuation of diseases, and the
  manifestation of old age and death.
The cessation of X is the cessation of suffering, the settling of
  diseases, and the ending of old age and death.”

If you read the whole of SN 26 (Uppada-samyutta), X refers to eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind, sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, thoughts, different types of consciousness, different types of contacts, different types of feelings, different types of perceptions, different types of intentions, different types of cravings, the six elements and the five aggregates.
This is just restating "sabbe sankhara dukkha" (Dhammapada 278) or "all conditioned things are suffering" in a longer and more elaborate way, where X = sankhara.
All these conditioned things arise (uppāda), continue (ṭhiti) and reborn (abhinibbatti). These are explained by dependent origination. A "person" or "individual" is compounded and composed of the aforementioned conditioned things. Dependent origination explains the details of how that works.
The fact that they arise (uppāda), continue (ṭhiti) and are reborn (abhinibbatti), would be summarized as their manifestation (pātubhāvo).
Arise here is when the conditioned things arise at birth and continue throughout the moments of life. Rebirth here indeed refers to death and break-up of the body, followed by rearising or rebirth into a new life. Altogether, these stages would represent the manifestation of these conditioned things. The very manifestation of these conditioned things are suffering. This is how it is related to "sabbe sankhara dukkha".
How can I support my opinion that the word "abhinibbatti" indeed refers to "literal" rebirth here? Well, we just need to see how it is used in the other suttas:
In MN 96:

But they are reckoned by recollecting the traditional family lineage
  of their mother and father wherever they are incarnated.
  Porāṇaṃ kho
  panassa mātāpettikaṃ kulavaṃsaṃ anussarato yattha yattheva
  attabhāvassa abhinibbatti hoti tena teneva saṅkhyaṃ gacchati.
If they incarnate in a family of aristocrats they are reckoned as an
  aristocrat.
  Khattiyakule ce attabhāvassa abhinibbatti hoti
  ‘khattiyo’tveva saṅkhyaṃ gacchati;

And as Piya Tan explains for MN 96 here:

Porāṇaṁ kho pan’assa mātā,pettikaṁ kula,vaṁsaṁ anussarato yattha
  yatth’eva attabhāvassa abhinibbatti hoti tena ten’eva saṅkhyaṁ
  gacchati. “(His) physical rebirth,” attabhāvassa abhinibbatti, lit
  “production of selfhood.” Atta,bhāva (BHS ātma,bhāva), bodily form,
  body; existence as an individual; living being (V 2:238,17 = A 4:200,6
  = 204,2 = 207,2; D 3:111,10; M 2:32,8, 181,11; S 5:442,1; A 1:279,2, 3:411,23; J 4:461,25; Ap 215,11; Miln 171,- 13; Vism 310,27. Often as
  ~paṭilābha, the becoming; reborn as an individual; reincarnation; type
  of body or exist- ence (V 2:185,25 = A 3:122,24; V 3:105,20 = 107,35 =
  S 2:255,19; D 3:231,16 = A 2:150,5; M 3:46,6 = 52,33; S 2:272,4,
  283,33, 3:144,12); A 2:288,30. While puna-b,bhava (D 2:15; S 1:133,
  4:201; Sn 162, 273, 502, 514, 733; It 62) is the term for rebirth as a
  cycle, abhinibbatti refers to a particular rebirth, usu in a physical
  form (ie a reincarnation) (D 2:305,7 = M 3:249,16 = S 2:3,7 = Vbh
  99,14; D 3:94,28): see CPD sv. Also common is punabbhavâbhi- nibbatti,
  “rebirth in a new existence” (M 1:294; S 2:65; A 1:225; V 3:3).

Bhikkhu Sujato states here that:

abhinibbatti = rebirth (pretty much only used in this sense)

According to OP:

Bhikkhu Bodhi footnote: 'attabhāvassa abhinibbatti' literally should
  be: "wherever the reconception of his individuality takes place"

In the book "Investigating the Dhamma: A Collection of Papers" on page 52, Bhikkhu Bodhi elaborates on this, explaining that "conception" here literally means conception into a new life or new birth:

In fact, the word 'abhinibbatti' is used as one of the synonyms of
  jāti in the standard definition of the latter. Apparently when abhinibbatti is included in jāti we should understand jāti as comprising both conception and physical birth, while they are
  differentiated, abhinibbatti means conception and jāti is
  restricted to full emergence from the womb.

I marked this down. It is not an answer and does not demonstrate any wise reflection (yoniso manasikara). Since Dhp 277 to 279 is about impermanence, how can this be about "rebirth"? Three of the four key Pali words here, namely, uppādo abhinibbatti pātubhāvo, are found within the formula of Dependent Origination (rather than within the Three Characteristics).

@Dhammadhatu I've updated my explanation to support my claim.

This answer is worse than before. Copying & pasting from gurus is not the study of dhamma. The suttas say study of dhamma uses yoniso manaskara and self-verification (MN 95; MN 38; AN 10.61, etc). As for MN 96, the translation is wrong. I suggest to read Bhikkhu Bodhi's footnote in his MN, where he provides the literal & proper translation in the footnote. Better still, read my answer on this forum. My answer is properly researched & far superior to Piya Tan. Abhinibbatti  never ever refers to "reincarnation" in the suttas; as shown in my answer.

@Dhammadhatu Not just Piya Tan, Bhikkhu Sujato also wrote here that "abhinibbatti = rebirth (pretty much only used in this sense)"

Sujato is so wrong. My answer shows Sujato is wrong. I would suggest ceasing Guru-Worship. It is not Dhamma practice. Bhikkhu Bodhi footnote: 'attabhāvassa abhinibbatti' literally should be: "wherever the reconception of his individuality takes place".

@Dhammadhatu I updated my answer. Reconception literally means reconception as a new life, according to Bhikkhu Bodhi. Please see this writing by Bhikkhu Bodhi and this is also copied into my answer. "Apparently when abhinibbatti is included in jāti we should understand jāti as comprising both conception and physical birth, while they are differentiated, abhinibbatti means conception and jāti is restricted to full emergence from the womb."

How is the “manifestion” (pātubhāvo) of the earth element the arising (uppāda) of suffering?
In another sutta (MN 140) these six "elements" are said to be elements (also translated "aspects" or "properties") of "this person" -- I guess that some, for example the earth element, are also elements of other perceived objects or sense-objects.
Anyway, (according to SN 25.9) these elements are "impermanent, perishing, and changing" -- so they're unlike the "elements" or "atoms" described by 19th century physics or chemistry, i.e. these "elements" should not be understood to mean "elementary and therefore more-or-less eternal".
In summary I think that they're considered (to be elements or aspects of, properties of) a sankhara, and therefore dukkha (as well as being anicca).
I think the (only) asankhata-dhatu ("unconditioned element") is nibbana.
Since the 2nd Noble Truth and Dependent Origination explain suffering arises due to craving, attachment & becoming, how does the "manifestation" of the mere physical elements, per the above translations, manifest as the arising of "suffering"?
I think that "suffering" isn't the only sense/translation of dukkha -- it's also used to mean "unsatisfactory" -- the dictionary definition also suggests "not what one wants"; an antonym of sukha; and warns that:

"There is no word in English covering the same ground as Dukkha does in Pali. Our modern words are too specialised, too limited, and usually too strong".

So people tend to refer to dukkha instead of the English word "suffering", and/or understand that "suffering" is a reference to dukkha and not necessarily used e.g. in the English sense (where it's used in the Christian canon extensively, to refer to crucifixion for example, among other references).

If the six "elements" are equated with "the person" when each would not be addressed separately in the sutta. Note: Sujato's non-separation of the six elements giving the impression of a "whole person" in his translation appears dodgy. To me, it certainly appears to be a very challenging sutta for mainstream Buddhists. Sujato's translation include "rebirth" verges on the ridiculous; as though the earth element is "reincarnated".

I reworded that first sentence to avoid saying "equated", in case that helps. Anyway I think it's the 2nd reference, i.e. SN 25.9 which calls them anicca, that's more important -- though even without SN 25.9 their impermanence might be inferred from this sutta's describing them as arising and ceasing.

as though the earth element is "reincarnated" Really? I thought that "the earth element" represents solidity or hardness ... that it's sensed ... and that "mainstream Buddhists" are accustomed to the idea that sense-impressions are impermanent (e.g. because they're conditioned by contact). But if you're seeing this sutta as a challenge to mainstream Buddhists' view of reincarnation, well, I suppose that explains why you started this topic.

The four key Pali words in this sutta are uppādo, ṭhiti, abhinibbatti and pātubhāvo. Pātubhāvo is used twice, namely, in respect to the object of the sutta (eg. earth element) and to the outcome, namely, jarāmaraṇassa pātubhāvo (manifestation of aging & death). Therefore, I think to understand SN 26.9, these four Pali words need to be understood; not necessarily according to their dictionary meanings; but according to how they are used in the Pali suttas.
In the Pali suttas, pātubhāvo is used in the following contexts:

Monks, the manifestation (pātubhāvo) of six things is rare in the
  world, namely: 1. The manifestation of a Tathagata (Buddha). 2. One who can teach the Dhamma & Discipline of a Tathagata. 3. Attainment as a noble (enlightened) disciple. 4. Endowment with unimpaired sense faculties. 5. Being intelligent & astute. 6. Desire for the wholesome Dhamma. AN 6.96
The manifestation (pātubhāvo) is five gems in rare in the world. What
  five? The manifestation of a Tathagata; a person that teaches the
  Dhamma proclaimed by a Tathagata; a person who understands the Dhamma
  when taught; a person who practises that Dhamma; and grateful &
  thankful person. It is the manifestation of these five gems that is
  rare in the world. AN 5.144
When the mind is concentration, the Dhamma becomes manifest
  (pātubhāvo), because of which he is one reckoned as 'one who dwells
  diligently'. SN 55.40
At Savatthī. Bhikkhus, these eight things, developed and cultivated,
  if unarisen do not arise apart from the appearance of a Tathagata, an
  Arahant, a Perfectly Enlightened One. What eight? Right view … right
  concentration. These eight things…. SN 45.14
If, friends, internally the eye is intact but no external forms come
  into its range, and there is no corresponding conscious engagement,
  then there is no manifestation (pātubhāvo) of the corresponding
  section of consciousness. If internally the eye is intact and external
  forms come into its range, but there is no corresponding conscious
  engagement, then there is no manifestation (pātubhāvo) of the
  corresponding section of consciousness. But when internally the eye is
  intact and external forms come into its range and there is the
  corresponding conscious engagement, then there is the manifestation
  (pātubhāvo) of the corresponding section of consciousness. MN 28
These five faculties of his— the faculty of conviction, the faculty of
  persistence, the faculty of mindfulness, the faculty of concentration,
  the faculty of discernment — manifest (pātubhāvanti) weakly. Because
  of their weakness, he attains only slowly the immediacy that leads to
  the ending of the effluents. This is called painful practice with slow
  intuition. AN 4.163

In the Pali suttas, abhinibbatti is used in the following contexts:

Any kamma, bhikkhus, fashioned through greed, born of greed, caused by
  greed, originated by greed, ripens (vipaccati) wherever individuality
  (attabhāvo: lit: 'self-becoming') is produced (nibbattati). Wherever
  that kamma ripens, it is there that result is experienced, either here
  & now (diṭṭheva dhamme), later (upapajje) or following that (apare
  pariyāye). A person unknowing: the actions performed by him, born of
  greed, born of aversion, & born of delusion, whether many or few, are
  experienced (vedaniyaṃ) right here (idheva): no other ground is found.
  AN 3.34
Suppose, bhikkhus, an artist or a painter, using dye or lac or
  turmeric or indigo or crimson, would create the figure of a man or a
  woman complete in all its features on a well-polished plank or wall or
  canvas. So too, when the uninstructed worldling produces
  (abhinibbattento) anything, it is only form that he produces
  (abhinibbatteti); only feeling that he produces; only perception that
  he produces; only volitional formations that he produces; only
  consciousness that he produces. SN 22.100
By recollecting his ancient maternal & paternal family lineage, his
  individuality (attabhavassa) is produced (abhinibbatti)... MN 96

In the Pali suttas, uppādo is most prominently used in "paticcasamuppada", namely, "dependent co-arising".
An examination of the above three Pali words shows they refer primarily to mental production, mental manifestation & mental arising. "Abhinibbatti" in particular refers to the production of ideas about "self" or "individuality" ("attabhava"). .
It follows the meaning of SN 26.9 is the continued manifestation, production and arising of views of "self" based on the six elements is the mental manifestation of (ideas) of aging & death that result in suffering.
Most importantly, SN 26.9 show the "physical" interpretation of "birth" ("jati") in the Dependent Origination is wrong (since these Pali words abhinibbatti and pātubhāvo are found in the definition of "jati").

Wow... the kamma of those who revile the True Dhamma of the Noble Ones.


text:
Does "abhinibbatti" mean "reincarnation" in the Pali suttas?
The new Sutta Central translations have translated the Pali word "abhinibbatti" as "reincarnation", as follows:

And what is rebirth? Katamā ca, bhikkhave, jāti?
The rebirth, inception, conception, reincarnation, manifestation of the aggregates, and acquisition of the sense fields of the various
  sentient beings in the various orders of sentient beings.
Yā tesaṃ tesaṃ sattānaṃ tamhi tamhi sattanikāye jāti sañjāti okkanti abhinibbatti khandhānaṃ pātubhāvo āyatanānaṃ paṭilābho.
SN 12.2

What evidence is there in the Pali suttas that the word "abhinibbatti" means "reincarnation"?

In the first chapter of the first canon of tipiṭaka, Vinaya verañjakaṇḍa and Sutta. Aṅ. (4): sattaka-aṭṭhaka-navakanipātā Mahāvaggo Dutiyo verañjasutta, already show all of them:  jāti, sañjāti, abhinibbatti, khandhānaṃ pātubhāvo.
And for āyatanānaṃ paṭilābho and okkanti, it appears in Sutta. Tī. Pā. Saṅgītisuttaṃ.
There are many sutta about rebirth in Sutta such as SN Khandhavagga Nāgasamyutta, etc.

Let's see:
1. jāti, sañjāti, abhinibbatti, khandhānaṃ pātubhāvo in verañjakaṇḍa
Abhinibbatti is rebirth into the wombs:

The Realized One has given up future wombs, which is rebirth (abhinibbatti) into a new state of existence. He has cut them off at the root, made them like a palm stump, exterminated them, so that they’re unable to arise in the future.
Tathāgatassa kho, brāhmaṇa, āyatiṃ gabbhaseyyā (=each other synonym=) punabbhavābhinibbatti pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṃ anuppādadhammā.

and

This was my first breaking out, like a chick breaking out of the eggshell.
Ayaṃ kho me, brāhmaṇa, paṭhamā abhinibbhidā ahosi kukkuṭacchāpakasseva aṇḍakosamhā. (1)

The others synonyms and the other related words, such as maraṇa cuti bheda, are used as the bold words below:

“There is, brahmin, a sense in which you could rightly say that
“Atthi khvesa, brāhmaṇa, pariyāyo, yena maṃ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya:
I’m an abortionist.
‘apagabbho samaṇo gotamo’ti.
I say that an abortionist is someone who has given up future wombs and rebirth into a new state of existence. They’ve cut them off at the root, made them like a palm stump, exterminated them, so that they’re unable to arise in the future.
Yassa kho, brāhmaṇa, āyatiṃ gabbhaseyyā punabbhavābhinibbatti pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṃ anuppādadhammā, tamahaṃ ‘apagabbho’ti vadāmi.
The Realized One has given up future wombs and rebirth into a new state of existence. He has cut them off at the root, made them like a palm stump, exterminated them, so that they’re unable to arise in the future.
Tathāgatassa kho, brāhmaṇa, āyatiṃ gabbhaseyyā punabbhavābhinibbatti pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṃ anuppādadhammā.
In this sense you could rightly say that I’m an abortionist.
Ayaṃ kho, brāhmaṇa, pariyāyo, yena maṃ pariyāyena sammā vadamāno vadeyya:
But that’s not what you’re talking about.
‘apagabbho samaṇo gotamo’ti, no ca kho yaṃ tvaṃ sandhāya vadesi. (8)
...
When my mind had immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, spotless, rid of taints, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—I extended it toward recollection of past lives.
So evaṃ samāhite citte parisuddhe pariyodāte anaṅgaṇe vigatūpakkilese mudubhūte kammaniye ṭhite āneñjappatte pubbenivāsānussatiñāṇāya cittaṃ abhininnāmesiṃ.
I recollected many kinds of past lives. That is: one, two, three, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand rebirths; many eons of the world contracting, many eons of the world evolving, many eons of the world contracting and evolving. I remembered: ‘There, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn somewhere else. There, too, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn here.’ And so I recollected my many kinds of past lives, with features and details.
So anekavihitaṃ pubbenivāsaṃ anussarāmi, seyyathidaṃ—ekampi jātiṃ dvepi jātiyo tissopi jātiyo catassopi jātiyo pañcapi jātiyo dasapi jātiyo vīsampi jātiyo tiṃsampi jātiyo cattālīsampi jātiyo paññāsampi jātiyo jātisatampi jātisahassampi jātisatasahassampi anekepi saṃvaṭṭakappe anekepi vivaṭṭakappe anekepi saṃvaṭṭavivaṭṭakappe: ‘amutrāsiṃ evaṃnāmo evaṅgotto evaṃvaṇṇo evamāhāro evaṃsukhadukkhappaṭisaṃvedī evamāyupariyanto. So tato cuto (=maraṇa) amutra udapādiṃ; tatrāpāsiṃ evaṃnāmo evaṅgotto evaṃvaṇṇo evamāhāro evaṃsukhadukkhappaṭisaṃvedī evamāyupariyanto. So tato cuto idhūpapanno’ti. Iti sākāraṃ sauddesaṃ anekavihitaṃ pubbenivāsaṃ anussarāmi.
This was the first knowledge, which I achieved in the first watch of the night.
Ayaṃ kho me, brāhmaṇa, rattiyā paṭhame yāme paṭhamā vijjā adhigatā;
Ignorance was destroyed and knowledge arose; darkness was destroyed and light arose, as happens for a meditator who is diligent, keen, and resolute.
avijjā vihatā vijjā uppannā; tamo vihato āloko uppanno, yathā taṃ appamattassa ātāpino pahitattassa viharato.
This was my first breaking out, like a chick breaking out of the eggshell.
Ayaṃ kho me, brāhmaṇa, paṭhamā abhinibbhidā ahosi kukkuṭacchāpakasseva aṇḍakosamhā. (1)
When my mind had immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, spotless, rid of taints, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—I extended it toward knowledge of the death and rebirth of sentient beings.
So evaṃ samāhite citte parisuddhe pariyodāte anaṅgaṇe vigatūpakkilese mudubhūte kammaniye ṭhite(ṭhiti) āneñjappatte sattānaṃ cutūpapātañāṇāya(cuti/cavanatā[maraṇa] + upapāta > pātubhāva) cittaṃ abhininnāmesiṃ.
With clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman, I saw sentient beings passing away and being reborn—inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, in a good place or a bad place. I understood how sentient beings are reborn according to their deeds: ‘These dear beings did bad things by way of body, speech, and mind. They spoke ill of the noble ones; they had wrong view; and they acted out of that wrong view. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell. These dear beings, however, did good things by way of body, speech, and mind. They never spoke ill of the noble ones; they had right view; and they acted out of that right view. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm.’ And so, with clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman, I saw sentient beings passing away and being reborn—inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, in a good place or a bad place. I understood how sentient beings are reborn according to their deeds.
So dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena satte passāmi cavamāne upapajjamāne hīne paṇīte suvaṇṇe dubbaṇṇe, sugate duggate yathākammūpage satte pajānāmi: ‘ime vata bhonto sattā kāyaduccaritena samannāgatā, vacīduccaritena samannāgatā, manoduccaritena samannāgatā, ariyānaṃ upavādakā, micchādiṭṭhikā, micchādiṭṭhikammasamādānā. Te kāyassa bhedā paraṃ maraṇā apāyaṃ duggatiṃ vinipātaṃ nirayaṃ upapannāti. Ime vā pana bhonto sattā kāyasucaritena samannāgatā, vacīsucaritena samannāgatā, manosucaritena samannāgatā, ariyānaṃ anupavādakā, sammādiṭṭhikā, sammādiṭṭhikammasamādānā. Te kāyassa bhedā paraṃ maraṇā sugatiṃ saggaṃ lokaṃ upapannā’ti. Iti dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena satte passāmi cavamāne upapajjamāne hīne paṇīte suvaṇṇe dubbaṇṇe, sugate duggate yathākammūpage satte pajānāmi.
This was the second knowledge, which I achieved in the middle watch of the night.
Ayaṃ kho me, brāhmaṇa, rattiyā majjhime yāme dutiyā vijjā adhigatā;
Ignorance was destroyed and knowledge arose; darkness was destroyed and light arose, as happens for a meditator who is diligent, keen, and resolute.
avijjā vihatā vijjā uppannā; tamo vihato āloko uppanno, yathā taṃ appamattassa ātāpino pahitattassa viharato.
This was my second breaking out, like a chick breaking out of the eggshell.
Ayaṃ kho me, brāhmaṇa, dutiyā abhinibbhidā ahosi kukkuṭacchāpakasseva aṇḍakosamhā. (2)
...
When it was freed, I knew ‘it is freed’.
Vimuttasmiṃ vimuttamiti ñāṇaṃ ahosi.
I understood: ‘Rebirth is ended; the spiritual journey has been completed; what had to be done has been done; there is no return to any state of existence.’
‘Khīṇā jāti, vusitaṃ brahmacariyaṃ, kataṃ karaṇīyaṃ, nāparaṃ itthattāyā’ti abbhaññāsiṃ.
This was the third knowledge, which I achieved in the last watch of the night.
Ayaṃ kho me, brāhmaṇa, rattiyā pacchime yāme tatiyā vijjā adhigatā;
Ignorance was destroyed and knowledge arose; darkness was destroyed and light arose, as happens for a meditator who is diligent, keen, and resolute.
avijjā vihatā vijjā uppannā; tamo vihato āloko uppanno, yathā taṃ appamattassa ātāpino pahitattassa viharato.
This was my third breaking out, like a chick breaking out of the eggshell.”
Ayaṃ kho me, brāhmaṇa, tatiyā abhinibbhidā ahosi kukkuṭacchāpakasseva aṇḍakosamhā”ti. (3)

2. āyatanānaṃ paṭilābho and okkanti in Saṅgītisuttaṃ

Four kinds of conception.
Catasso gabbhāvakkantiyo.
Someone is unaware when conceived in their mother’s womb, unaware as they remain there, and unaware as they emerge. This is the first kind of conception.
Idhāvuso, ekacco asampajāno mātukucchiṃ okkamati, asampajāno mātukucchismiṃ ṭhāti, asampajāno mātukucchimhā nikkhamati, ayaṃ paṭhamā gabbhāvakkanti.
...
Four kinds of reincarnation.
Cattāro attabhāvapaṭilābhā.
There is a reincarnation where only one’s own intention is effective, not that of others.
Atthāvuso, attabhāvapaṭilābho, yasmiṃ attabhāvapaṭilābhe attasañcetanāyeva kamati, no parasañcetanā.
...

I marked this answer down because: the 1st example is merely an interpretation rather than a sutta with a literal definition of  abhinibbatti; the 2nd example is from the Vinaya and not from the suttas; the 3rd example  (Saṅgītisuttaṃ) does not include the word abhinibbatti; the 4th example is also an interpretation rather than anything factual. I think you need to do better than this. If I was your teacher at a university, i would fail this answer. The answer expresses "personal faith" rather than is a scholarly answer.

@ChrisW What is my mistake? The 1st quote is translate like that, you can see in the link. The 2nd quote is in the AN verañjasutta, which I already gave a link. The 3rd quote included "paṭilābho" and "okkanti", which included in his question's quote as the synonyms of abhinibbatti. The 1st and 4th quotes are come with their context. I can  translate some word, but I can't distort. Also, he can distort abhinibbatti in mahāsatipaṭṭhānasutta, but he can not distort abhinibbatti of all sutta which I quoted above, right?

I assume that 1) Dhammadhattu wants to prove that the Pali suttas don't say "reincarnation" 2) Therefore wants to show that abhinibbatti doesn't mean reincarnation 3) Therefore wants you to reference suttas where abhinibbatti is used to refer to something other than reincarnation. But I don't know, that's just a guess, and I don't know which sutta(s) he has in mind.

I had thinking like him, after I had memorized mahāsatipaṭṭhānasutta, about 8 years ago, but I finish to think like that when I understand the global destination of tipitaka. Mostly parts of that sutta are the insight meditation, so the sutta context looks like abhidhamma context, because abhidhamma was authored for the vipassanā practitioner directly. So, when his though is extreme-abhidhamma-style by denying the sutta which I gave him, then he become same as udāyī-bhikkhu, ariṭṭha-bhikkhu, and kaṇḍaka-sāmaṇera who are specified in aṭṭhakathā as the abhidhamma-extreme.

MN Mul Alagaddūpamasutta: http://www.84000.org/tipitaka/pitaka_item/v.php?B=12&A=4443&Z=4845&eng=accesstoinsight_than, VN Saṅghādisesa https://suttacentral.net/pli-tv-bu-vb-ss2/en/brahmali, Vn Pācittiya https://suttacentral.net/pli-tv-bu-vb-pc68/en/horner +  https://suttacentral.net/pli-tv-bu-vb-pc69/en/horner + http://www.84000.org/tipitaka/read/m_siri.php?B=2&siri=106&eng=suttacentral


text:
Does the Pali word "sattā" mean "sentient beings"?
The new Sutta Central translations have translated the Pali word "sattā" as "sentient beings", as follows:

And what is rebirth? Katamā ca, bhikkhave, jāti?
The rebirth, inception, conception, reincarnation, manifestation of the aggregates, and acquisition of the sense fields of the various
  sentient beings in the various orders of sentient beings.
Yā tesaṃ tesaṃ sattānaṃ tamhi tamhi sattanikāye jāti sañjāti okkanti abhinibbatti khandhānaṃ pātubhāvo āyatanānaṃ paṭilābho.
SN 12.2

What evidence is there in the Pali suttas that the word "sattā" means "sentient beings"?

Yes, it is, if the sentient beings means dukkha-khandha (being) which still cycle-processing (sentient;paṭiccasamuppāda).
The being of asañña-satta is in the cycle processing, but asañña-satta has not nāma-paṭiccasamuppāda, so "sentient" shouldn't means sentiency. See Sutta. Aṅ. (4): sattaka-aṭṭhaka-navakanipātā sattāvāsasutta:

There are sentient beings that are non-percipient and do not experience anything, such as the gods who are non-percipient beings.
Santi, bhikkhave, sattā asaññino appaṭisaṃvedino, seyyathāpi devā asaññasattā.


text:
Buddha's past lives in the Pali Suttas outside of Jataka
According to this answer for the question "Does Theravada Buddhism accept Jataka Stories?":

The Theravada accepts the Jataka stories as commentarial literature;
  they are not canonical, but are considered a reliable account by a
  learned Buddhist scholar. What are canonical are the verses that
  accompany the stories ...
It's not uncommon for modern Theravada Buddhists to question the
  authenticity of the stories, especially given their often fantastical
  content.

Based on the above, it looks like the stories of the Buddha's past lives from Jataka are merely commentarial, and not canonical.
However, I found one possible story of the Buddha's past life as told by him in MN 83, which is part of the Sutta Pitaka, but outside Jataka. Being part of the Majjhima Nikaya, I take it that this is canonical.
It's a story about the just and principled King Makhadeva who started the practice of retiring from the throne at an advanced age to become an ascetic. He practiced the Brahmaviharas, and was reborn after the break-up of the body, after death, in the Brahma realm. He established and passed on this good practice to his descendents who carried on doing it, till King Nimi's son Kaḷārajanaka who stopped this practice.
The plot twist is when the Buddha tells Ananda:

And having developed the four Brahmā meditations, when his body broke
  up, after death, King Nimi was reborn in a good place, a Brahmā realm.
  But King Nimi had a son named Kaḷārajanaka. He didn’t go forth from
  the lay life to homelessness. He broke that good practice. He was
  their final man.
Ānanda, you might think: ‘Surely King Makhādeva, by whom that good
  practice was founded, must have been someone else at that time?’ But
  you should not see it like this. I myself was King Makhādeva at that
  time. I was the one who founded that good practice, which was kept up
  by those who came after. But that good practice doesn’t lead to
  disillusionment, fading away, cessation, peace, insight, awakening,
  and extinguishment. It only leads as far as rebirth in the Brahmā
  realm. But now I have founded a good practice that does lead to
  disillusionment, fading away, cessation, peace, insight, awakening,
  and extinguishment. And what is that good practice? It is simply this
  noble eightfold path, that is: right view, right thought, right
  speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right
  mindfulness, and right immersion. This is the good practice I have now
  founded that leads to disillusionment, fading away, cessation, peace,
  insight, awakening, and extinguishment. Ānanda, I say to you: ‘You all
  should keep up this good practice that I have founded. Do not be my
  final men.’ Whatever generation is current when such good practice is
  broken, he is their final man. Ānanda, I say to you: ‘You all should
  keep up this good practice that I have founded. Do not be my final
  men.’”

The Pali version side-by-side with English:

I myself was King Makhādeva at that time.
  Ahaṃ tena samayena rājā maghadevo ahosiṃ.
I was the one who founded that good practice,
  Ahaṃ taṃ kalyāṇaṃ vattaṃ nihiniṃ,
  mayā taṃ kalyāṇa vattaṃ nihitaṃ;

Questions:

Is my interpretation correct that the Buddha was King Makhadeva in his past life, based on the Pali version?
Are there other such canonical stories of the Buddha's past lives in the Pali Sutta Pitaka, outside of Jataka?

Are there other such canonical stories of the Buddha's past lives in the Pali Sutta Pitaka, outside of Jataka?
There's a bit in DN 16 -- not detailed, only that he was reborn here from a previous existence in Tusita heaven (the which event is one of the reasons why a great earthquake can happen):

Furthermore, when the being intent on awakening passes away from the group of Joyful Gods, he’s conceived in his mother’s belly, mindful and aware. Then the earth shakes and rocks and trembles.
Puna caparaṃ, ānanda, yadā bodhisatto tusitakāyā cavitvā sato sampajāno mātukucchiṃ okkamati, tadāyaṃ pathavī kampati saṅkampati sampakampati sampavedhati.

There's also the Buddhavamsa and the Cariyapitaka -- I'm not sure whether you count these as "suttas": i.e. they're in the Khuddaka Nikaya (in the Sutta Pitaka), as are the Jataka tales.

The first reason sounds Dubious from modern justices point of view though : “ Ānanda, there are these eight causes and reasons for a great earthquake. What eight?
This great earth is grounded on water, the water is grounded on air, and the air stands in space. At a time when a great wind blows, it stirs the water, and the water stirs the earth. This is the first cause and reason for a great earthquake”. ‘Water’ here could be understood as a magma, but then it is on top of air? I suspect this could be a later addition to the sutras.

There are 547 past life stories of Lord Buddha are described in sutta pitaka/khuddhaka nikaya/jataka pali section...story of king makhadeva also there, as Makhadeva jataka
There were more past lives of buddha,but only that 547 are described in various occasions to advice someone on recently  aroused problem..

There are about ten suttas that refer to literal past lives and the language of these suttas appear to share the same language as the
 Buddhavamsa, which is a later composition.
There are many suttas that appear to be have composed at a later time, including suttas about ultimate truth, such as MN 117.
In short, it is perfectly reasonable to contend not every sutta was spoken by the Buddha. In Christianity, none of the New Testament was written by Jesus. In Islam, millions of Hathids were written claiming to be about teaching of Mohamed. In Buddhism, there are volumes of teachings written after the Buddha, such as Abhidhamma, Jataka, Commentaries, etc. Therefore, why would any reasonable person believe every Pali sutta are the words of the living Buddha?
Importantly, suttas about literal past lives (such as MN 123) contradict other suttas, such as MN 64 and SN 22.79. SN 22.79 literally states recollection of "past abodes" is recollecting in the past when the mind mistakenly clung to one or more aggregates as "self".
Suttas such as SN 23.2, SN 5.10 and SN 22.81 explicitly & literally say the word "satta" and thus "jati" refers to the arising of the view of "self".
The idea of literal past & future lives appears to be a later addition to Buddhism and ultimately contributed to the extinction of Buddhism in India (because Buddhism became the same as Hinduism).
The cherishing & delighting in ideas about "past lives" is "becoming" and maintains "personality-view". It is for puthujjana who fear death and fear the end of ego and consciousness.

By the way there was a different account here of how Buddhism became extinct in India -- not that it became the same as Hinduism (Hinduism and Buddhism remained separate) -- the Hindus were warriors, rulers, and peasants, while Buddhists were bourgeois (middle-class and mercantile townsfolk) -- when the Arabs invaded, the townsfolk converted to Islam within a couple of hundred years (e.g. to avoid extra taxation and because their trade routes were altered), and the Buddhist monastics (no longer supported by lay society) went elsewhere.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_of_Buddhism_in_the_Indian_subcontinent#Religious_convergence Buddhism's distinctiveness diminished with the rise of Hindu sects. Though Mahayana writers were quite critical of Hinduism, the devotional cults of Mahayana Buddhism and Hinduism likely seemed quite similar to laity, and the developing Tantrism of both religions were also similar. In effect, "the increasingly esoteric nature" of both Hindu and Buddhist tantrism made it "incomprehensible to India's masses,"

Do you know why Buddhism disappeared from India? Different people say for this,that or the other reason: for example, because foreign enemies came in and oppressed the religion. I don't think that is the case. I think that Buddhism disappeared from India because the followers of Buddhism began to interpret the principles of Buddhism incorrectly, explaining Paticcasamuppada, the heart of Buddhism, as a form of having a self. This is, I believe, the de facto reason for Buddhism's disappearing from India. Buddhism became simply an appendage of Hinduism

There is this sutta as well:

“Once upon a time, Ānanda, there was a market town in this spot named
Vebhaliṅga. It was successful and prosperous and full of people. And
Kassapa, a blessed one, a perfected one, a fully awakened Buddha,
lived supported by Vebhaliṅga. It was here, in fact, that he had his
monastery, where he sat and advised the mendicant Saṅgha.
The Buddha Kassapa had as chief supporter in Vebhaliṅga a potter named
Ghaṭīkāra. Ghaṭīkāra had a dear friend named Jotipāla, a brahmin
student. Then Ghaṭīkāra addressed Jotipāla, ‘Come, dear Jotipāla,
let’s go to see the Blessed One Kassapa, the perfected one, the fully
awakened Buddha. For I regard it as holy to see that Blessed One.’
When he said this, Jotipāla said to him, ‘Enough, dear Ghaṭīkāra.
What’s the use of seeing that baldy, that fake ascetic?’
...
Ānanda, you might think: ‘Surely the brahmin student Jotipāla must
have been someone else at that time?’ But you should not see it like
this. I myself was the student Jotipāla at that time.”
MN 81


text:
On personal practice of meditation
During insight meditation no hearing of sound aware and cittarupa disappears like a mirage during meditation seen as no thoughts. Feel like cessation of mind. Is it anicca?thoughts disappear and citta goes inside  without control. What is the stage of insight meditation is that?

what is anicca?

@Eminem impermanence

QUESTION IS CITTA GOES IN WITHOUT CONTROL.----The citta is in habit of going/wandering outside  since so many lives. But once it tastes the ecstasy of going inside,it gains the habit of frequently going inside and staying there.You are gifted entity, may be already advanced on the path in previous life and have interrupted by lot many reasons like death etc. Feel blessed . Let the chitta goes inside without your control. After All the citta is driven by the sankharas .You might be having sankhara in your subconscious ,which has become active. The subconscious is master of its own,  it does not listen to your conscious,intellect,education,upbringing,etc etc. The captain has taken charge of the ship for good reason of going inside and being there .Unless this good reason beholds,go on with it. The next sub question is ceasing of thoughts you are experiencing ,is it anicca?. No it is not anicca. The permanent wisdom attained at experiential level of the arising and passing away of sensations as observed in vipassana/satipatthana is anicca.  At present you are experiencing cessation of thoughts and not the impermanent nature of their arising and passing. In schizophrenia the mind becomes blank,or frequently becomes blank,without thoughts arising.This happens without the person"s conscious control over the state.  In this path we have to take the chitta inside ,but then not to stop at that ,remaining alert have observe the in/out breath as per anapansatti given by master(buddha) at initial stage and with the sharpened awareness observe the sensations without reacting to the pleasantness/unpleasantness felt upon their arising ,with craving or aversion. After some years, the wisdom of anicca arises upon knowing their impermanent nature.i.e their arising and passing away. The wisdom cant be conveyed by writing , it is very very personal to that individual. Still further on continuing, wisdom of anatta arises. Then there remains very little to attain enlightenment. Go on practising , the whole very practice is to destroy habit/conditioning of mind. We know only the monkey mind,always reacting to something at conscious level and at subconscious level 24/7 reacting to the sensations produced on contact by sensory bases. Wish it be sign of mind with feeble reacting slowly weakening its habit/conditioning. As we have never came across such nature of mind, a feeling is there ,that the mind has ceased. If this is so dont fear. If the mind is felt that it is ceasing, then do write a diary for about seven days and impartially mentioning in it events occuring throughout the day when the mind have felt insulted/broken. If you still find such  events filled in your diary then still more to go . No anikka nor anatta has been attained. PL do write/comment after carrying out this exercise, so that it would be of utmost use to others who are walking on this path. Such type of experiences may be misunderstood by many as attaining anicca/anatta

After that did meditation; most of the time wondering thoughts appear and once it noticed it disappeared . Sometimes feel free after  release  from them.nimitta appeared  and produces joy.

Some days felt dizzy when walking  and standing .Sometimes during the day when I was doing something  the table felt moving. It s like a mirage  coming and going.


text:
What is the fastest way to reach enlightenment?
I am asking for reference request and sutras where a person can cut through samsara quickly and obtain liberation.
I have heard a story when Buddha was asked this question and he replied "Sound". However I haven't found any reference of this & don't know how much accurate this is.
Thoughts are more than welcome!

You're probably thinking of the Bahiya Sutta (Udana 1.10).
Once there was a bark-clad ascetic Bahiya who thought he was enlightened, but a deva told him that he wasn't and asked him to seek out the Buddha for his guidance.
He found the Buddha who gave him a brief instruction, which resulted in his near-immediate enlightenment. Very shortly after that, he was killed in a freak accident. The Buddha said that Bahiya became totally unbound (i.e. enlightened).
What did the Buddha teach him? (translated by Thanissaro)

"Then, Bāhiya, you should train yourself thus: In reference to the
  seen, there will be only the seen. In reference to the heard, only the
  heard. In reference to the sensed, only the sensed. In reference to
  the cognized, only the cognized. That is how you should train
  yourself. When for you there will be only the seen in reference to the
  seen, only the heard in reference to the heard, only the sensed in
  reference to the sensed, only the cognized in reference to the
  cognized, then, Bāhiya, there is no you in connection with that. When
  there is no you in connection with that, there is no you there. When
  there is no you there, you are neither here nor yonder nor between the
  two. This, just this, is the end of stress."

Alternative translation from here (Ireland):

"Herein, Bahiya, you should train yourself thus: 'In the seen will be
  merely what is seen; in the heard will be merely what is heard; in the
  sensed will be merely what is sensed; in the cognized will be merely
  what is cognized.' In this way you should train yourself, Bahiya.
"When, Bahiya, for you in the seen is merely what is seen... in the
  cognized is merely what is cognized, then, Bahiya, you will not be
  'with that.' When, Bahiya, you are not 'with that,' then, Bahiya, you
  will not be 'in that.' When, Bahiya, you are not 'in that,' then,
  Bahiya, you will be neither here nor beyond nor in between the two.
  Just this is the end of suffering."

This is a teaching on anatta.
However, this may not work for everyone as it did on Bahiya, because Bahiya apparently was already advanced in attainment. Please see this answer.
For complete beginners, study of the Dhamma (in order to cultivate Right View) and practice of the five precepts and virtue (sila) is recommended. Please see this answer.

Thanks Ruben,if you know more stories about this please feel free to add to your answer,soon I will accept it

Although I upvoted this answer, I disagree with your interpretation of this quote as a teaching about anatta. To me this clearly looks like a teaching on tathata, transcending the semiotic process of perception with its tendency for reinforcing the reifications it relies on.

Since you have not tagged your question as theravada-only, I assume you accept answers from all traditions.
In Mahayana, we have a notion of different paths suitable for people of different predilections. The Tibetan tradition has developed two methods, somewhat similar to each other, that are said to allow a serious practitioner to achieve Enlightenment in one lifetime, or even faster.
These methods are known as Mahamudra and Dzogchen. In my understanding, both work by approximating the target state of Nirvana or suchness that Buddha's teaching culminates in. Here I will boil them down to their essential point, hoping to make them available to Internet-age students. If my presentation looks misleading or incomplete, feel free to study traditional literature or practice under the guidance of a qualified teacher.
Basically, the fastest way to Enlightenment consists in "leaving everything as is" and attaining an unwavering conviction and confidence that the regular unmodified state of things is already the "Great Perfection".
Of course, this method assumes one does not have coarse mental and emotional obscurations. In other words, this method assumes that the student is already pretty close to Enlightenment.
There is also a huge difference between taking this "view" as an operative basis of one's emotional mind versus simply thinking that "everything is perfect" when it's not -- on one hand, or simply giving up and staying a fool -- on the other.
When taken correctly, this view results in an effortless state of no attachment, no craving, no aversion, no side-taking, complete non-judgmental acceptance of "oneself" and "the world", dissolution of subject/object duality, perfect realization of metta, karuna, mudita and upekkha, cessation of all suffering, feeling of liberation or spontaneity, and absolute unconditional love.

this is a really interesting answer,would you mind adding some information on dzongchen

You can Google it!

I can't attest that Andrei's description of Mahamudra and Dzogchen is correct, because I really don't know either of them, but his description doesn't seem obviously at odds with what I've heard other people I respect say. Plus, Andrei is an actual practitioner of these IIRC.

I've been thinking to read a bit more about Mahamudra although some teachers advise against reading about Tantra until one has had the initiation... I remember that book you recommended me with Mahamudra in the title, but I also saw this: https://www.wisdompubs.org/book/mahamudra-0

Have you heard of that one or would recommend it?

I agree that Varjrayana should be practiced under the guidance of a qualified teacher. Not because you'll anger the spirits or something, but just because it would be as useful as for a child to open the medicine box and start eating the pills at random. Plus, the most potent teachings have childproof lids anyway. Lama Yeshe was a good guy and the text he teaches in that book is an authentic traditional teaching - but I would still recommend to try and establish an actual personal relationship with a qualified Vajra Master instead of trying to self-medicate.

The thing is that Dzogchen is neither Sutta nor Tantra and technically may be practised along with both (including prelims). Practically, it depends on Nyingmapa that teaches you. Dzogchen in this way is more relaxed since Bodhicitta and the rest automatically arises from realising Rigpa.

@YesheTenley if you want to know more about what Dzogchen is, read "The Crystal and the Way of Light: Sutra, Tantra and Dzogchen", if you want I can send you that book by post.

@bodhihammer me too, me too :)

@AndreiVolkov Fine, how do I do this ? Twitter pm (ChrisW once suggested, I am stealing it) ?

@bodhihammer  - My email address is in my profile.

Correct way to enlightenment is arya ashtangika marga i.e. the "Noble Eightfold Path".


text:
How to complete the first Jhana?
I have read once you have reached the bliss stage you should take your focus off the object and on the blissful sensations and hold it. Then in time you will be in Jhana. But i also read in other sources you should just stay with the object and one pointed focus will rise that way. Which is it? This confuse me. I've reached bliss i kept focusing on my earth kasina but before i could fully enter the first jhana i felt my breath fading and it scared me out of my mediation. So i don't know if focusing on my object would have allowed me to reach jhana.

The answers here are so much more different than what Ajahn Brahm teaches. His technique is that of let-go. The answers here are focused on concentration on bliss. I have never entered jhnana but intutively I feel Ajahn Brahm is right. Refer to his book or google Ajahn Brahm Jhnanas his technique guide will come up.

@BodhiWalker, that's right. You let go of coarse and then progressively finer craving for "something else", until you reach coarse suchness which is bliss, then fine suchness which is equanimity, and then pure suchness which is spontaneity. On each level of "letting go", you focus on the experience of relief and happiness associated with letting go. First Jhana is when this "experience of relief" takes a coarse form of comparing it with the drama of worldly life ("oh this is so good" etc), to create emotional loop of joy. Then, you let go of that comparison and keep joy, then you let go of joy

In my understanding of the instructions I received, for the first Jhana, you should switch your focus on the bliss and "say" to yourself: "wow, this is awesome, this is sublime, this is so peaceful, I don't need anything else, this is so much better than any worldly achievement, finally, I can rest in this state, so good! I did it!" etc. The idea is to create a self-sustaining emotional loop, when your own awe & praise of this state feeds back and creates more joy and bliss - and then maintain it for as long as you can, "to thoroughly penetrate and wash your mind". It is important to NOT  let oneself feel that this deliberate generation is silly and contrived - because it is essential!
Then at some point the very act of making an effort to feed it starts feeling  too coarse and counterproductive - and then you stop feeding it, but the feeling of overall "rightness" remains -- and that's how you drop into the second Jhana. According to my instructions, this must not be rushed though, it's best to hang in the first Jhana for as long as you can, and only go into second Jhana when it happens naturally by itself.
Don't worry about breath etc. - the body is a survival machine that works great on autopilot. You don't need to tell the body how to beat the heart or to breathe etc. - it will take care of all that while you focus on meditation.
EDIT
What's unique about Buddha's approach to meditation is how it makes use of the Third Noble Truth to achieve concentration via suchness and suchness via happiness. You let go of coarse and then progressively finer cravings for "something else", until you reach coarse suchness which is euphoria, then fine suchness which is equanimity, and then pure suchness which is spontaneity. On each level of "letting go", you focus on the experience of relief and happiness associated with letting go. First Jhana is when this "experience of relief" takes a coarse form of comparing it with the drama of worldly life ("oh this is so good" etc) to create emotional loop of joy as I said above. Then, you let go of that comparison and keep joy, then you let go of joy.
P.S. I generally disagree with Ajahn Brahm's interpretation of Jhanas (and reification of them in general), but even he recognizes the importance of cultivating bliss:

Understanding this, one needs to put more value on developing delight when one is watching the breath, and cultivating that delight into a strong sense of beauty. [...] Whatever skillful means one employs, by paying careful attention to the beauty alongside the breath, the beauty will blossom.
Do not be afraid of delight in meditation. Too many meditators dismiss happiness thinking it unimportant or, even worse, thinking that they don’t deserve such delight. Happiness in meditation is important!

But if the original text stops at bliss. Then don't that mean once you reach that blissful feeling over time one pointed focus will arise? Even if you keep the object

I guess you have to experiment and find what works for you.

Samatha meditation teacher and book author Leigh Brasington, who is a student of Ayya Khema and Jack Kornfield, wrote in his guide "Entering the Jhanas":

The path to entering the jhanas begins with what is called access
  concentration: being fully with the object of meditation and not
  becoming distracted even if there are wispy background thoughts. If
  your practice is anapanasati—mindfulness of breathing—you may
  recognize access concentration when the breath becomes very subtle;
  instead of a normal breath, you notice your breath has become very
  shallow. It may even seem that you’ve stopped breathing altogether.
  These are signs that you’ve likely arrived at access concentration. If
  the breath gets very shallow, and particularly if it feels like you’ve
  stopped breathing, the natural thing to do is to take a nice deep
  breath and get it going again. Wrong! This will tend to weaken your
  concentration. By taking that nice deep breath, you decrease the
  strength of your concentration. Just stay with that shallow breathing.
  It’s okay. You don’t need a lot of oxygen when you are very quiet both
  physically and mentally.
If the breath gets very, very subtle, instead of taking a deep breath,
  shift your attention away from the breath to a pleasant sensation.
  This is key. You notice the breath until you arrive at and sustain
  access concentration, then you let go of the breath and shift your
  attention to a pleasant sensation, preferably a physical one. There is
  not much point in trying to notice the breath that has gotten
  extremely subtle or has disappeared completely—there’s nothing left to
  notice.
The first question that may arise when I say, “Shift your attention to
  a pleasant sensation” may be “What pleasant sensation?” Well, it turns
  out that when you get to access concentration, the odds are quite
  strong that, someplace in your physical being, there will be a
  pleasant sensation. Look at most any statue of the Buddha—he has a
  faint smile on his face. That is not just for artistic purposes; it is
  there for teaching purposes. Smile when you meditate, because once you
  reach access concentration, you only have to shift your attention one
  inch to find a pleasant sensation.
Pleasant sensations can occur pretty much anywhere. The most common
  place that people find pleasant sensations when they’ve established
  access concentration is in the hands. When you meditate, you want to
  put your hands in a comfortable position in which you can just leave
  them. The traditional posture is one hand holding the other, with the
  thumbs lightly touching. But you can also put your hands in all sorts
  of other positions—just place them however it appeals to you. After
  you’ve been in access concentration “long enough,” if you notice that
  there’s a pleasant feeling in the hands, drop the attention on the
  breath and focus entirely on the pleasantness of that sensation.
Another common place where people find a pleasant sensation is in the
  heart center, particularly if they’re using metta, or loving-kindness,
  meditation as the access method. Just shift your attention to the
  pleasantness of that sensation. Other places people find pleasant
  sensations could include the third eye, the top of the head, or the
  shoulders. It does not matter where the pleasant sensation manifests;
  what matters is that there is a pleasant sensation and you’re able to
  put your attention on it and—now here comes the really hard part—do
  nothing else.
It’s important to let go of the breath when you make the shift to the
  pleasant sensation. The breath (or other meditation object) is the key
  to get you in—”in” being synonymous with establishing strong enough
  access concentration. When you come home from work, you pull out your
  key, you open the door to your home, and you go in. You don’t then
  wander around with the key still in your hand—you put it back in your
  pocket or purse or on some table. You’re not cooking dinner or
  watching TV with the key still in your hand. The key has done its job,
  and you let it go. It’s exactly the same with the breath or other
  meditation object. Totally let go of it, and focus entirely on the
  pleasant sensation. Of course, this is easier said than done—you’ve
  struggled for a long time to stay locked onto the breath, and now that
  you’ve finally managed to do so, the first thing you are told is to
  stop doing that. But that’s the way it is. If you want to experience
  jhanas, it’s going to be necessary to give yourself to fully enjoying
  the pleasantness of the pleasant sensation.
Once you’ve found the pleasant sensation, you fully shift your
  attention to it. If you can do that, the sensation will begin to grow
  in intensity; it will become stronger. This will not happen in a
  linear way. At first, nothing happens. Then it’ll grow a little bit
  and then hang out and grow a little bit more. And then eventually, it
  will suddenly take off and take you into what is obviously an altered
  state of consciousness.

This is one of the books i read that thought me to shift my attention to a pleasant sensations. But I've read so many different things it boggles my mind. But i do feel as this may be correct. I guess i have to experiment

The answers here are so much more different than what Ajahn Brahm teaches. His technique is that of let-go. The answers here are focused on concentration on bliss. I have never entered jhnana but intutively I feel Ajahn Brahm is right. Refer to his book The Jhanas, or google Ajahn Brahm Jhnanas -- his technique guide will come up.

The Buddha himself taught that the object of meditation is of "letting go".


text:
What are these three things Buddha cannot do?
According to this page from BuddhaNet, it is mentioned that there are three things Buddha cannot do. They are not mentioned in there and I don't know how reliable the source is.

The Buddha is omniscient but he is not omnipotent. He is capable of innumerable feats but there are three things he cannot do. Also, a
  Buddha does not claim to be a creator of lives or the Universe.

I just found this question discussed on Dhamma Wheel. However, most of the replies are opinion-based.

The three things a buddha can't do (如來 三不能 Buddha's three incapacities)
1.不能免 定業衆生
He cannot destroy bad karma for anyone.
2.不能度 無緣衆生
He cannot save the people unrelated to him.
3.不能盡 衆生界
He cannot save the whole world of all living things

Thank you and welcome to the site (and thank you for the English translation too).

"He cannot save the people unrelated to him.", whats the context of this, householder (?), how should it be understood? And maybe a source of that sayings could be added as well.

Can he save people related to him? What does "save" here mean?

Help, householder @ruben2020  One who has/is not in relation can not be helped. Something worthy to think much about. A "creator" issue.

The translation is not perfect. To "save" here means to redeem, like, to help all beings to be free from their karmas.

The 'unrelated' means having no ties or connections.

The closest I can find so far, from DN 29, are 9 things that enlightened persons (arahants) cannot do, which apply to the Buddha too:

A mendicant who is perfected—with defilements ended, who has completed
  the spiritual journey, done what had to be done, laid down the burden,
  achieved their own goal, utterly ended the fetters of rebirth, and is
  rightly freed through enlightenment—can’t transgress in nine respects.
  A mendicant with defilements ended can’t deliberately take the life of
  a living creature, take something with the intention to steal, have
  sex, tell a deliberate lie, or store up goods for their own enjoyment
  like they did as a lay person. And they can’t make decisions
  prejudiced by favoritism, hostility, stupidity, or cowardice. A
  mendicant who is perfected can’t transgress in these nine respects.’

The above is the Sujato translation. You can find the Thanissaro translation here.

This talks about what they are not supposed to do. Are there any mentions about what Buddha was not capable of doing relates to being omniscient or omnipotent?

No,they can't do these things even if they want to.

@SawThinkarNayHtoo Inverting the logic, an individual who can transgress in any one of these nine ways is, by definition, not perfected.

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