text:
When do I realize that I am free from rebirth?
By following the Buddha's Path, when will I realize that I am free from rebirth and suffering? Is there any indication or sign ? Does one knows it at one's death bed?

If this happens, nobody except you shall know it for sure...

The Buddha's Path is a gradual training. Before attaining Arahantship and become free from rebirth, one must attain the first 3 fruits, the first of which is Stream-Entry. Check out Ven. Thanissaro's great article on the characteristic of Stream-Entry at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/study/into_the_stream.html

From Milindapanha:

The king said, “Is there anyone who is not reborn
  after death?”
   “Yes there is. The one who has no defilements is not
  reborn after death; the one who has defilements is reborn.”
   “Will you be reborn?”
   “If I die with attachment in my mind, yes; but if not,
  no.”

...

He who is reborn, Nàgasena, is he the
  same person or another?”
  “Neither the same nor another.

...

“Is the man who will not be reborn aware of the fact?”
  “Yes, O king.”
  “How does he know it?”
  “By the cessation of all that is cause or condition of
  rebirth. As a farmer who does not plough or sow or reap
  would know that his granary is not getting filled up.”

...

What is it, Nàgasena, that is reborn?”
  “Mind and matter (namarupa).”
  “Is it this very mind and matter that is reborn?”
  “No, it is not, but by this mind and matter deeds are
  done and because of those deeds another mind and matter
  is reborn; but that mind and matter is not thereby released
  from the results of its previous deeds.

...

“Does he who will not be reborn feel any painful
  feeling?”
  “He may feel physical pain, O king, but not mental
  pain.”
  “If he feels painful feelings then why doesn’t he just
  die and attain the extinction of grasping, and put an end to
  suffering?”
  “The arahant has no fondness for or aversion to life...

...

“Will you, Nàgasena, be reborn?”
  “What is the use of asking that question again? Have
  I not already told you that if I die with attachment in my
  mind I shall be reborn, if not I shall not.”

...

“Would he who is about to be reborn know it?”
  “Yes he would, just as a farmer who puts seed into the
  ground, seeing it rain well, would know that a crop will be
  produced.”

So, do you feel that you still have attachments, mental or emotional? That's how you know.

great answer!  the moment of death is a crucial time.  practice well and lovingly.

As soon as you become an Arahant. In other words, when you attain the undying.

In the training that I've received (Soto Zen), both rebirth and being free from it are considered completely metaphorical. As such, it's something that changes about your experience of your current life, when you break yourself of the cyclical behavior of clinging to your thoughts as though they are real.

As soon as you become an Arahant.
In other words, when you fully realize the
Three marks of existence.
Emptiness(Sunya).
No personal viewpoint.
Nature of without cravings.
Elimination of the 3 roots of carving.

By following the Buddha's Path, liberation from birth is realized when your past lives are experienced, known, seen, looked into and the answer to the question "Why was I born?" is answered.
Only then, the cause of birth is known, its cessation is known and birth is: removed, removed.

metta to all for their answers


text:
Is pain comprised of the four great elements?
Is pain comprised of the four great elements. I believe it is because  it has hardness/softness, coolness/hotness, etc.

Pain is part of the Feeling(vedana) aggregate, while the 4 great elements are part of the Form(rupa) aggregate. More details about the Five Aggregates on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skandha

I think it is better to use awareness or sensation than pain. Brain get information from sense devises. Mind is macro level than bio-chemistry(Micro level) signals . So mind feels hardness/softness, coolness/hotness, etc.
This is how maps reality with experience. without physical contact no real sensations create. But in dreams an in trance mind can imagine anything as real.
How it works telepathy and extra sensations are beyond this topic.  They may be lower level communications.
Buddhism's  main aim is not scientific analyses of physical body. But how to create, process and continuous mind(consciousness) and  effect of actions('kamma') to it. Studying using meditation as a tool.
as shown in MahaSathipattana Sutta.

“This is a one-way path, monks, for the purification of beings, for
  the overcoming of grief and lamentation, for the extinction of pain
  and sorrow, for attaining the right way, for the direct realisation of
  Nibbāna, that is to say, the four ways of attending to mindfulness.
Which four?
Here, monks, a monk dwells contemplating (the nature of) the body in
  the body, ardent, fully aware, and mindful, after removing avarice and
  sorrow regarding the world.
He dwells contemplating (the nature of) feelings in feelings, ardent,
  fully aware, and mindful, after removing avarice and sorrow regarding
  the world.
He dwells contemplating (the nature of) the mind in the mind, ardent,
  fully aware, and mindful, after removing avarice and sorrow regarding
  the world.
He dwells contemplating (the nature of) things in (various) things,
  ardent, fully aware, and mindful, after removing avarice and sorrow
  regarding the world.

In this context all physical things are consider as 'Rupa' and assume they consists with 4 'Maha Butha'('Datu') Patavi, Apo, Tejo, Vayo.
The main advantage of this method is reduce complexity to identify "The Body" exactly not more not less. ("Body as body")

Thus he dwells contemplating (the nature of) the body in the body in
  regard to himself, or he dwells contemplating (the nature of) the body
  in the body in regard to others, or he dwells contemplating (the
  nature of) the body in the body in regard to himself and in regard to
  others, or he dwells contemplating the nature of origination in the
  body, or he dwells contemplating the nature of dissolution in the
  body, or he dwells contemplating the nature of origination and
  dissolution in the body, or else mindfulness that “there is a body” is
  established in him just as far as (is necessary for) a full measure of
  knowledge and a full measure of mindfulness, and he dwells
  independent, and without being attached to anything in the world.
In this way, monks, a monk dwells contemplating (the nature of) the
  body in the body.

In meditation the pain is assume as mind object or experience. this can be consider a single object, (as 'vedana' or 'chiththa') or complex object (5 aggrigate).
As shown In The Section on the Constituents (of Mind & Matter)

Moreover, monks, a monk dwells contemplating (the nature of) things in
  (various) things, in the five constituents (of mind and body) that
  provide fuel for attachment.
And how, monks, does a monk dwell contemplating (the nature of) things
  in (various) things, in the five constituents (of mind and body) that
  provide fuel for attachment?
Here, monks, a monk (knows): “such is form , such is the origination
  of form, such is the passing away of form; such is feeling , such is
  the origination of feeling, such is the passing away of feeling; such
  is perception , such is the origination of perception, such is the
  passing away of perception; such are (mental) processes , such is the
  origination of (mental) processes, such is the passing away of
  (mental) processes; such is consciousness , such is the origination of
  consciousness, such is the passing away of consciousness”.

The 4 elements can only be sensed through the scene doors, hence in the stand point of a mediator the 4 elements are sensations too. Without a living observer there cannot be any scene of the elements, hence consciousness, faculty, contact, sensation are essential and any experience of the elements is always through sensations or the characteristics of the elements which are felt.
As a side note, in case this question was motivated by trying to reconcile Pa Auk and U Ba Khin methods. This is one of the potential perceived differences between the Goenka/U Ba Khin meditation method and Pa Auk 4 elements meditation methods but at essence they are the same through 4 elements based method is slightly more granularity by further sub dividing the sensation based experiences based on the characteristics of the elements. Also see: The Dynamics of Theravāda Insight Meditation, The Ancient Roots of the U Ba Khin Vipassanā Meditation, The Development of Insight – A Study of the U Ba Khin Vipassanā Meditation Tradition as Taught by S.N. Goenka in Comparison with Insight Teachings in the Early Discourses for Bhikkhu Anālayo's perspective on the matter.

I was wondering about this after reading about namarupa. Nama that is feeling,perception,contact, intention and attention and Rupa which are the 4 elements. And I was trying to disassemble pain into these two parts, nama and rupa because it seems possible to see pain as an object like a piece of metal or a piece of wood or some substance with different degrees of hardness,hotness,cohesiveness and movement. But I don't know if this attempt doesn't misrepresents the Dhamma.

Feeling and the elements are 2 sides of the same coin. If you analyse feeling closely they can be classified by the properties according to the elements. The analysis of the elements is also non other than the 4 elements.

@UrsulRosu Titth’ayatana Sutta might be an interesting read for you.

No! Patavi, Apo, Tejo, Vayo are elements of Rupa. Pain is a sensation caused by those elements coming into contact with the sense doors while the the mind is present.

This question makes no sense. The four elements are material & not related to pain.
Pain is vedana kdhanda rather than rupa khandha.

Venerable sir, might there be another way in which a bhikkhu can be called skilled in the elements?”
There might be, Ānanda. There are, Ānanda, these six elements: the earth element, the water element, the fire element, the air element,
  the space element, and the consciousness element. When he knows and
  sees these six elements, a bhikkhu can be called skilled in the
  elements.
But, venerable sir, might there be another way in which a bhikkhu can be called skilled in the elements?”
There might be, Ānanda. There are, Ānanda, these six elements: the pleasure element, the pain element, the joy element, the grief
  element, the equanimity element, and the ignorance element. When he
  knows and sees these six elements, a bhikkhu can be called skilled in
  the elements.

http://www.yellowrobe.com/component/content/article/120-majjhima-nikaya/321-bahudhtuka-sutta-the-many-kinds-of-elements.html

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text:
Are there Goddesses in Buddhism? If yes, who are they?
If they exist, then how are they connected to the God(s)/Lord Buddha?

I'll answer in two parts-- what sort of looks like a god in Buddhism and which of those are female.
Early Buddhism didn't see gods as important to solving their fundamental problem of ending suffering. Gods were seen as a possible destination for our reincarnation. Gods didn't provide any help to us humans, they were too busy enjoying themselves (devas) or jealously fighting each other (asuras). In Mahayana Buddhism, the devas are not the target of devotionalism, respect and appeal for help, so I'll skip over them. (Except maybe to the extent that they were recast as Bodhisattvas & Buddhas)
Later Buddhism developed the Bodhisattva Path, which was based on the idea that one should strive to become a Buddha. The Bodhisattvas were models of behavior, but rapidly also became devotional targets who would provide various this-worldly benefits, such as defense against snakes.
Also by this time, the Buddha and enlightened people in general were supposed to have extreme long life, the ability to know past lives, to do "astral projection", and so on. As sutras evolved, Buddhas gained more powers until they were indistinguishable from a conventional god from a more familiar religion like devotional Hinduism, Christianity, etc.
There was a lot of controversy about if a woman could reach enlightenment (arahathood) or become a Buddha (full Buddhahood). I think it's not controversial to say that from the time of the historical Buddha the relevant societies were deeply sexist and reluctant to admit that woman could become Buddhas.
Avalokiteśvara was Bodhisattva who once the story arrived in China became a woman (Kwan Yin). Kwan Yin is both a devotional target and a model.
Tara is an important Yidam in the Tantric system. People appeal to Tara both for this-worldly aid and use visualization techniques to imagine themselves as a Tara-- i.e. an enlightened being.
Jan Natier has a good discussion about women in Buddhism, in this paper, although it is is somewhat specific to the Lotus Sutra by the end: https://www.academia.edu/8164216/Gender_and_Hierarchy_in_the_Lotus_S%C5%ABtra

Depending on who you ask, Buddhism does or doesn't have Goddesses. The issue is complex because people define these terms differently, and Buddhism often co-opted the practices of the cultures in which it entered.  So some schools of Buddhism may have dieties, others may have Bodhisattvas they venerate, others may claim those Bodhisattvas are de facto dieties and accuse those who claim otherwise of equivocation...
A great example of this is Quan Yin (Guanyin).  She is the symbol of compassion and thus she figures very prominently in Buddhist iconography.  For instance, at my local Mahayana Temple, there are far more statues of Quan Yin than of The Buddha himself.  Quan Yin is not related to The Buddha, she seems to have been a pre-existing Goddess who got co-opted into Mahayana Buddhist belief.

By Depending on who you ask, do you mean the version of Buddhism?
And how is Quan Yin related to Lord Buddha?

@Dawny33 I clarified my answer

Are you a woman?  Are you practicing the dharma?  Have you set your mind firmly on being re-incarnated into the world of the devas, such that the prospect of a fortunate and privileged rebirth among humans could not possibly entice you?
Then you are a goddess in Buddhism.

Householders, there are these four ways of living together. What four?
  A wretch lives together with a wretch; a wretch lives together with a
  female deva (god); a deva (god) lives together with a wretch; a deva
  (god) lives together with a female deva (god). When both are immoral,
  miserly and abusive, husband and wife live together as wretches. The
  husband is immoral, miserly and abusive, but his wife is virtuous,
  charitable, generous. She is a female deva living with a wretched
  husband. The husband is virtuous, charitable, generous, but his wife
  is immoral, miserly and abusive. She is a wretch living with a deva
  husband. Both husband and wife are endowed with faith, charitable and
  self-controlled, living their lives righteously, addressing each other
  with pleasant words. Then many benefits accrue to them and they dwell
  at ease. Their enemies are saddened when both are the same in virtue.
  Having practiced the Dhamma here, the same in virtuous behavior and
  observances, delighting in a deva world, they rejoice, enjoying
  sensual pleasures. AN 4.53

There're many planes of existence (ref: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sagga/loka.html). The upper planes are where the devas (gods/godesses) live. Although possessing various supernormal powers, they are still un-enlightened beings like us humans and are still subjected to the cycle of birth and death. Prior to His last rebirth on earth, the Buddha resided on the deva realm called the Tusita Heaven. After attaining enlightenment, the Buddha was no longer a god for He's no longer subjected to the cycle of birth and death.

The question was whether there are Goddesses; and if they exist, then how are they connected to the God(s)/Lord Buddha?

Let's wait for Dawny33 to decide whether his question has been addressed or not

@santa100 I don't think that the question has been addressed by this answer.  It has nothing to do with Goddesses, maybe can you explain a bit further?

MatthewMartin's post above pretty much covered it. From a Theravada perspective, gods or goddesses are heavenly beings living in their deva worlds. Other than possessing supernormal powers and endowed with lots of good merits, they're still un-enlightened beings just like us humans.

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Difficulty in realizing and actualizing precepts
Since my journey began, i have looked to understanding myself and the world that surrounds me. I endeavor to look at my interactions with as many views as possible as well as make attempts to make peace with myself and those of my interactions.
I am frustrated and this sometimes leads to nihilistic views. I cannot express my inability to realize and actualize the concepts offered by the path. I understand it. I comprehend it. I am confounded with what i deem as imbalance. I am grateful and appreciative of my good fortune however i want to realize and actualize so that i can look at all aspects.
There seems to be a disconnect between what i see, feel, hear, smell and taste. It is akin to cognitive dissonance. I understand awareness, mindfulness and realization however it seems to be at polar opposites with    the 6 senses or 12 ayatanas.

What do you think about substituting mindfulness for these views you speak of?

Sorry but I find it difficult to be sure what this is asking. Actualizing precepts -- do you mean the five precepts? Do you mean it's difficult to refrain from killing, for example? I am frustrated and this sometimes leads to nihilistic views -- seems to be the centre of the question ... maybe adding an example of what you're talking about would clarify what you mean by "I am", "frustrated", and "nihilistic views"? I cannot express my inability -- can you identify a question that you want to ask?

realize and actualize -- this pair of words appears twice, so it's probably significant ... maybe you could explain that further? Is it a quote from somewhere? Have you learned something somewhere which suggests that something is supposed to be "realized and actualized"? a disconnect, cognitive dissonance, polar opposites -- I don't know, isn't this expected ... the feeling that something is wrong, isn't that ordinary aversion?

Do you know whether you prefer an answer to be from the perspective of a specific school (Theravada, Mahayana, ...)? Might it be that this is a better question for a teacher than to ask online?

@Tenzin Dorje - I am unsure of what you mean exactly. Would you be able to give an example?

@ChrisW - The difficulty is one of realizing the practices. For example, i understand lust, greed, ignorance, anger, etc. I am however confronted since i believe i don't yet fully realize these nor actualize these since my memories still haunt me especially when attempting to make peace with myself and others. The question why keeps pursuing me. e.g. Why is there hate? Why do others not see the destruction? Since i am unable to answer this in any meaningful way, it frustrates me leading to nihilistic views.

@Motivated Yes, you said that you get to know as many views as possible (or so I understood). You also mentioned tending towards nihilistic views. I suggest that you close a little bit your books and practice mindfulness (for instance the four placements of mindfulness that people often call "vipassana"). This is because views, just like any object, can be an object of hatred, desire, etc. and what we have to change is how we relate to objects (including views).

It's not easy to actualize the high Buddhist ideals in the turbulent waters of everyday living. Three things can help:

It helps to have a very clear understanding what the Buddhist concepts like "right-intention" etc. really refer to. Often the canonical definitions don't provide enough details to latch on in immediate experience. This is where a live teacher can help, or ask specific questions here on Q&A: "how does the right-intention manifest in real-life practice? what are the typical challenges and are there any techniques for overcoming them?". It is said that the most difficult problem in Buddhism is to get the sense of immediacy, and once you got that -- Enlightenment is within reach.
As Shrawaka correctly pointed out, you can't expect to skip from your current karmic situation to a perfect karmic situation - with no intermediate steps. As my first teacher explained, karma exhibits inertia, it is very inertial. So you need to start seeding better karmic seeds now, and patiently hold on until the situation will change. If you seed better seeds more or less consistently over a long time - the external situation will change, I promise -- as I was promised to, back in the day.
As my last teacher said, many of our precept breaches / behavior problems (losing temper or giving in to obsession or panicking etc.) come from not staying inside our bodies (losing what's traditionally called kayagata-sati - "mindfulness of the body"). In simple words, when something non-trivial happens we very often "fly over" from our body to a place "over there" -- that being either the other person's perspective or some imaginary point in abstract space. This somatic disconnect is the first step in the chain of events leading to a loss of control to kleshas (blinding affects). Instead, we should train to retain the sense of our bodies, phenomenologicaly always being "inside" our body (leaving aside the philosophical implications) - esp. continuously staying in touch with our lower abdomen, but also feet and face.

Thanks. It has been a challenge finding someone who doesn't approach the concepts from purely an academic perspective which suggests to me that the concepts are not clearly understood. Having said that, i am attempting to learn these on my own as much as possible.

As for karmic situations, i am hesitant to agree or disagree since it isn't one easily understood in the context of everyday living. I see karmic plantations as sowing the seeds that may result in concrete results e.g. if i develop hatred for a particular situation and although i may  not be affected immediately, at some point i'm going to snap which may lead to undesirable effects which leads to your next comment on not staying inside one's body.

I find the point interesting since it raises the idea of where do you draw the line? If someone is verbally abusive or physically or decisively cunning in pitting one against the other, i would question staying inside one's body.

why the last one?

I am unsure what you mean by why the last one

" If someone is verbally abusive or physically or decisively cunning in pitting one against the other, i would question staying inside one's body." - why?

Why would one allow such actions to continue?

you may allow or confront, that's not our subject here - while still staying in one's body.

As your comments  "since my memories still haunt me especially when attempting to make peace with myself and others. The question why keeps pursuing me. e.g. Why is there hate? Why do others not see the destruction? Since i am unable to answer this in any meaningful way, it frustrates me leading to nihilistic views." I think "Kamma" and it's reaction always with us.

Every action, every thought, every idle word sets up reactions,
according to the Universal Law. When one thinks a thought, that
thought makes an impression on the Universal Consciousness. Nothing is
lost or done in secret. Everything is done within the Universal
Consciousness, and the Whole is affected by it (as well as all others
within the Whole).

http://www.edgarcayce.org/ps2/soul_life_destiny_fate_karma.html

Everyone involved in our present lives was very likely involved in our
past lives. Actually, it is likely they have been involved in many of
our past lives. Our parents, brothers and sisters, spouses, children,
friends, colleagues, bosses and employees, and even our enemies began
sharing life with us long before the present lifetime.

Past Lives & Present Relationships -   by John Van Auken
How to end this 'karmic action' and earn 'Peace' is shown in Buddhist practice.

Thanks Shrawaka. I appreciate the answer however it does not explain the imbalance i see. I am not saying karma does not exist nor does it exist or neither i.e. it simply is, however it suggests to me that concepts until fully realized are simply that, concepts or blind faith.

@Motivated "concepts until fully realized are simply that", Up to this "faith". After that "No faith"(Asadda). Not faith, Only the path.


text:
How does one understand the elements of the Pure Octad in Sunlight?
According to Abhidhamma, the smallest unit of Rupa is called the Suddhashtaka(Pure Octad) which has the following 8 elements:
patavi, apo, tejo, vayo, vanna, gandha, rasa, and oja
Regarding Sunlight, the tejo(heat) and the vanna(color) elements seem obvious, but how does one understand others?
From a Vipassana point of view, is this problem occurring because the mind is getting stuck at the concept of Sunlight?

I just want know, Abhidhamma is saying all of these Suddhashtaka has all 8 things you mentioned ? and Everything(light, sound, everything) made from Suddhashtaka?

@JohnFonseka Yes

Logically, It can't use 'Sunlight' to understand elements. Why? 'Sunlight' isn't  a pure element.

Buddhism focuses on spiritual development, so the Buddhist analysis of rūpa focuses on sense objects, the sense organs and the body. Non-living things are made up of temperature-born pure-octad groups or temperature-born sound groups. The relevance of non-living things in the Buddhist analysis of rūpa is that non-living things are sense objects.
I would say that sunlight itself does not impact the sense directly, only indirectly. When sunlight bounces off a speck of dust or a wall, then we “perceive” the sunlight through the eye sense. When sunlight makes our skin warm or a rock warm, we “perceive” sunlight through the tactile sense.
The speck of dust, the wall, the skin and the rock… all of these are “non-living things” and are temperature-born pure-octad groups (the eight rūpa that you listed above). They are all to be understood as sense objects.
Using fire-element (tejo) as one example, some sense objects have greater intensity of the fire-element and will be “warmer” to the tactile sense than other sense objects with less intensity of the fire-element, but all sense objects include the fire-element rūpa. The other seven rūpa in the temperature-born pure-octad group can be seen in a similar way... always present, but with different intensities.

According to Vasubandhu's Abhidharma-kosa:

Visible matter (rupa) is twofold.

Visible matter is color and shape. Color is fourfold: blue, red,
  yellow, white; other colors proceed from out of these four colors. Shape is eightfold: long, short, square, round, high, low, even, uneven.

Or twentyfold.

Or there are some twenty types: the four primary colors, the
  eight shapes, and eight more colors: cloud, smoke, dust, mist, shade,
  heat, light, darkness. Some make a color of the firmament [which
  appears like a wall of lapiz-lazuli]; this would give us the number
  twenty-one.
"Even" signifies "of even shape;" "uneven" is the opposite; mist is
  the vapor which rises from the ground and from water; "heat" is
  the light of the sun; "light" is the light of the moon, the stars, fire,
  grasses and gems; "shade"—arisen from an obstacle to light—is where
  forms still remain visible; "darkness" is the opposite. The other terms do not call for any explanation.
Visible matter (rupa) can be color without being shape:
  blue, red, yellow, white, shade, heat, light, darkness.
There can be shapes without there being color: that part of the
  long, of the short, etc., which constitutes bodily action.
There can be color and shape at one and the same time: all the
  other categories of visible matter.
Some other Masters maintain that only heat and light are
  exclusively color; for blue, red, etc., present themselves to the sight
  under the aspect of long, short, etc.

From this you can see that according to Abhidharma of Vaibhasika school which is what Mahayana follows, sunlight can be pure color without shape. As Jayarava used to be fond of repeating (and as Thanissaro Bhikkhu is equally fond of hammering in), the perspective of Buddhism is that of phenomenology and not of metaphysics. From phenomenological standpoint there is absolutely no problem with having a perception of color without a perception of shape (nor taste, smell, nutriment, solidity, adhesion, and motion).

Ah this is Sarvastivada

Scientist in modern day believes "Energy and particles". (weakons = the weak nuclear force, gluon= the strong nuclear force, photon = the electromagnetic force, graviton = the force of gravity.)
In early days they believes   "4 Maha Buta"- Pure elements (are abstractions) and "The Rupa Kalapa" is the smallest reality consists "Suddashtaka"(Pure Octed) as attributes.
According to Abhidhamma

The material elements never occur in isolation but in groups or
  clusters called kalaapas. A kalaapa can contain from eight to thirteen
  material elements. There is no cluster of matter without at least
  eight elements, the four primary elements and four secondary elements
  — namely color, taste, smell, and nutriment. A unit containing only
  these is called a Pure Octad.
Material phenomena arise through four causes: kamma, consciousness(chita),
  heat(Utu), and nutriment(Ahara).

There has long been — and still is — a common tendency to create a "Buddhist" metaphysics in which the experience of emptiness, the Unconditioned, the Dharma-body, Buddha-nature, rigpa, etc.
The Buddha taught that clinging to views is one of the four forms of clinging that tie the mind to the processes of suffering. He thus recommended that his followers relinquish their clinging, not only to views in their full-blown form as specific positions, but also in their rudimentary form as the categories & relationships that the mind reads into experience. This is a point he makes in the following discourse Mulapariyaya Sutta: The Root Sequence,

The Blessed One said: "There is the case, monks, where an uninstructed
  run-of-the-mill person — who has no regard for noble ones, is not
  well-versed or disciplined in their Dhamma; who has no regard for men
  of integrity, is not well-versed or disciplined in their Dhamma —
  perceives earth as earth. Perceiving earth as earth, he conceives
  [things] about earth, he conceives [things] in earth, he conceives
  [things] coming out of earth, he conceives earth as 'mine,' he
  delights in earth. Why is that? Because he has not comprehended it, I
  tell you.

.

From a Vipassana point of view, is this problem occurring because the
  mind is getting stuck at the concept of Sunlight?

Practical Vipassanā Meditation Exercises -Mahāsī Sayādaw -

The practice of Vipassanā or Insight Meditation is the effort made by
  the meditator to understand correctly the nature of the
  psycho-physical phenomena taking place in his own body. Physical
  phenomena are the things or objects which one clearly perceives around
  one. The whole of one’s body that one clearly perceives constitutes a
  group of material qualities (rūpa). Psychical or mental phenomena are
  acts of consciousness or awareness (nāma). These (nāma-rūpa) are
  clearly perceived to be happening whenever they are seen, heard,
  smelt, tasted, touched, or thought of. We must make ourselves aware of
  them by observing them and noting thus: ‘Seeing, seeing’, ‘hearing,
  hearing,’ ‘smelling smelling,’ ‘tasting, tasting,’ ‘touching,
  touching,’ or thinking, thinking.’

If you'll forgive an uneducated guess of mine...
Imagine you're in a forest, after a rain storm: and then the sun comes out and shines. When that happens, then the air you breathe, the forest warmed by the sunlight, would be heavy with moisture.
Perhaps that's how there are other elements (for example moisture) in sunlight: in the real world, the elements are mixed together.
In the mental world (of ideas) you separate/isolate components/elements, you say, "this is sunlight, whereas that is moisture". But that ideal view (I'm using the word "ideal" as an antonym for "real") would be like asking, "where is the aapo in the tejo?"
Similarly in the real world, even if you're in a desert, there's some moisture, although only an infinitesimal amount.

'Apo' actually refers to adhesion. Not moisture per se.

Thanks. Another possibility is, the reference you quoted says, These are metaphorically referred to under their ancient names but signify distinct properties of matter and The adhesion element ... predominates in liquids because, unlike solids, liquids unite when brought together. This adhesion element is intangible -- maybe sunlight doesn't count as "matter". Or maybe (as also said in my answer) it doesn't count as a "compound" matter, it's not a mixture of elements (according to 20th century physics I think that a photon is an elementary particle).

Anything that is not Nama is Rupa. But Rupa may not always coincide with the modern scientific definition of matter. The 8 elements cannot stay independently according to Abhidhamma.

The Octad for sunlight:
1. Pathavi/earth: solidity is present in photons existing in particle form (the other is wave form)
2. Aapo/water: adhesion is present since light emitts "packets" of photons
3. Tejo/fire: in the form of heat
4. Vaayo/wind: motion is present in photons' traveling speed
5. Vanna/color: present in the light spectrum
6. Gandha/smell: a little tricky but we'll get there fairly soon according to this link
7. Rasa/taste: similar to 6.
8. Oja/nutriment: without sunlight, we wouldn't have sat here chatting and earth would've been a dead planet

photosynthesis


text:
Gomchen Lam Rim Text Request
I've recently been following along on this video series on the Gomchen Lam Rim and would very much like to find a copy of the root text so I can follow along better and read ahead, but I can't seem to find it anywhere. I would especially like to find a free pdf somewhere, but I'm also okay with proprietary books.

I have just been trying to locate the text also. This link mentions,
The Pearl Garland: An Anthology of Lamrims
translated from the Tibetan under Venerable Dagpo Rinpoche’s guidance by Rosemary Patton, Editions Guepele (France), 2012.


text:
Where can I find the Sanskrit versions of Tripitaka?
We can easily find the Pali versions and their translations online. How about the Sanskrit versions?


text:
Can rebirth-linking conciousness (patisandhi-citta) actually be rooted in knowledge?
With dependent origination (paṭiccasamuppāda) underlying much of the doctrinal aspects of the Buddha's teaching - and all formation having concomitance to avijja as condition, is it correct to assume that all mundane consciousness regardless whether they are wholesome or unwholesome in root occur with ignorance as a condition.
Specifically with regards to rebirth-linking consciousness. Is birth not dependent on the existence clinging and the desire of being (due to ignorance)? If truly a rebirth-consciousness is rooted in knowledge - wouldn't the momentary access and concentration suppress ones desire to cling and thereby not result in a rebirth-consciousness at the cessation of a beings bhavanga if the final consciousness is truly rooted in knowledge.

Follow on Question:
With regards to the arising of great wholesome cittas associated with knowledge and one of its great resultant consciousness performing the four functions that leads to a triple rooted rebirth consciousness: does this mean that the tihetuka beings born of this superior rebirth consciousness is at the point of (re)birth sotapanna. If a rebirth-linking root of knowledge is perquisite for the development of absorption (as stated in the Abhidhamma), can most worldings even cultivate samadhi much less investigate and eventually realize direct knowledge

The first link of paṭiccasamuppāda is “avijjā paccayā saṅkhārā” (conditioned by ignorance, formations arise). Analyzing this from the perspective of the Abhidhamma:

Ignorance is moha concomitant with the 12 akusala cittas
Formations is cetanā (volition) in the 12 akusala cittas, cetanā in the 8 kāmāvacara kusala cittas, cetanā in the 5 rūpavacara kusala cittas and cetanā in the 5 arūpavacara kusala cittas (these are the kamma that have the potential to create rebirth, both unwholesome kamma and wholesome kamma)

The second link of paṭiccasamuppāda is “saṅkhārā paccayā viññāṇaṃ” (conditioned by formations, consciousness arise). Analyzing this from the perspective of the Abhidhamma:

Formations are defined as part of the first link
Consciousness is the 32 lokiya vipāka cittas (sense-consciousness, receiving, investigating and all the life-continuum cittas); does not include the kamma-creating cittas, the supramundane cittas or the functional cittas

So your assumption that "all mundane consciousness regardless whether they are wholesome or unwholesome in root occur with ignorance as a condition" is not correct.
You are correct that birth is dependent on the existence clinging and the desire of being (due to ignorance). However, this does not imply that the specific kamma-creating citta which generates rebirth into an existence contains a root of ignorance. If this were true, then there could only be rebirth in the Woeful Planes.
The fetters, the things that bind one to saṃsāra are latent and do not arise in every citta.
Rebirth-consciousness is a life-continuum citta. Jhānic states are kamma-creating cittas (not life-continuum).
@Amansa, you seem to be conflating things from the macro-view (paṭiccasamuppāda) with things from the microscopic-view (Abhidhamma) and this may be the source of your confusion. I suggest that you start with reading the Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma (page 295 - 298 analyze paṭiccasamuppāda).

Follow on Answer
What causes rebirth with three wholesome roots? Superior three-rooted wholesome kamma (See page 214 of Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma). Three-rooted wholesome kamma arises when a wholesome intention arises together with understanding. Superior means supported before and after by other wholesome kamma.
If I offer food to a monk, that is wholesome. If I offer food with an understanding that this is a meritorious deed, then this is three-rooted. If I offer food reluctantly, or regret later, then this is inferior (not qualifying as superior). If I rejoice before and after the offering and the offering is done with understanding then superior three-rooted wholesome kamma is created.
If this superior three-rooted wholesome kamma plays the role of rebirth-linking at the end of my existence, then the next life will have a life-continuum citta containing three wholesome roots (maybe human, perhaps even deva). A being whose life-continuum citta has three roots has the potential to attain jhāna and sainthood. A being whose life-continuum citta does lacks three roots cannot attain jhāna or sainthood in that lifetime.
Having a life-continuum with three roots is a minimum requirement for jhāna and sainthood. Actually attaining jhāna requires developing the accumulations to temporarily supress the five hindrances. Actually attaining sainthood requires developing the accumulations of the pārami.
In my opinion, a being whose life-continuum citta has three roots is likely to be “spiritually inclined”. In other words, they want to develop the accumulations. In my opinion, a being whose life-continuum citta does lacks three roots is unlikely to be “spiritually inclined”, more likely to be hedonistic, so they don’t have the motivation to develop accumulations.
I believe that there are many, many humans whose life-continuum citta has three roots. Based on the fact that you are asking these questions, I suspect that your life-continuum citta has three roots. But having a life-continuum citta with three roots is only the starting point. Spiritual development is necessary to build accumulations for jhāna or sainthood (and this takes a lot of training).

Many thanks for the elucidation Rob, greatly appreciate the breakdown as well as reference. Absolutely spot on with regards to this tangle of micro/macro view.

is it right to assume that all mundane consciousness regardless whether they are wholesome or unwholesome in root occur with ignorance as a condition.

no
consider water in the hose that continues to pour even after the faucet is switched off

Specifically with regards to rebirth-linking consciousness. Is birth not dependent on the existence clinging and the desire of being (due to ignorance)?

unwilled rebirth is

If a rebirth-linking root of knowledge is perquisite for the development of absorption

rebirth means life to life or moment to moment? (both are possible and to my knowledge interchangeable.)
Anyway, how can we fit this question or understanding into suffering and the end of suffering?
Buddha would not say "cultivate absorption, realize ultimate reality, free yourself" if it were not possible for us to do so.  Is it rare?  Probably.  Is it something that we all have access to as human beings?  Yes.


text:
What to focus on between breaths
i've been trying to practice following the whole length of the in-breath and the whole length of the out-breath, and i can see that my attention often slips between the breaths. Any thoughts on what to focus on between two breaths?
Grateful for help and with kind regards,
Tord

Are you practicing mindfulness of breathing according to a particular tradition? Different traditions would probably advise differeint things.

Yes, thank you for this question, i'm practicing in the Plum Village (Thich Nhat Hanh) tradition. TNH describes the 2nd of the 16 exercises in the Anapanasati sutra like this: "Breathing in, i follow the whole length of my in-breath; Breathing out i follow the whole length of my out-breath"

16 exercises? no. they are stages. Leeds to Nirvana. Between two breaths.

I would advise labeling the in and out-breath by using the same name (for instance just 'breath'). In time, you will be able to observe the whole in and out-breath, including the moment in between, as a whole, in the same way you are able to see (quiet naturally) someone's body as a whole although it is made of parts.
I would advise against the counting of the breath, but if you do count, rather count the in and out breath as one [of the same cycle]. The in-between is in-between two moments of the same cycle of breath. Maybe see it as such.

You should have the analyse the breath in parts:

Start of the in breath
acceleration of the in breath
peak of the in breath
deceleration of the in breath
end of the in breath
start of the momentarily gap
review if the mind wondered away
effort and determination to keep focus (no verbalisation or visualisation)
end of the momentary gap
Cycle starts again for the out breath
Continue from the start again

When micro analysing it does not wonder away. Then this will at some time become natural in which case you drop reviewing and determination and just watch the process. But when you start each session it is good to have reviewing and determination for sometime before dropping it regardless of how second nature staying with the breath has become.
When your mind wonders away and your mindfulness and equanimity has lapsed you have started creating verbal fabrications. Anchoring the mind is to stop creating verbal fabrications. When new fabrications are created there will always be some sensation associated with it (pleasant, unpleasant, neutral). When you realise that your mindfulness has lapsed, 1st realise it, examine your body and mind staying with the sensation with equanimity for a short while (few breaths) or until the tenseness has gone (at later stages this happens instantly - when you look at fabrications the fabrications pass away), which ever comes sooner, then return to the breath.

Try to focus on anything that arises in that moment. Is it waiting for something? Then say "Waiting, Waiting". If it's a feeling (of peace, impatience, longing or something else), you could say "feeling,feeling" or the name of that specific emotion. If a thought appear, say "thinking, thinking". Just be aware of what happens then and there.

Depend on the method of breath there are various practitioners. for ex. 'Pranayama' in hindu style for health, Buddhist use 'Samatha' is for calm and 'Vipassana' for insight.
In 'Samatha' there are five(or 4) stages of ruupa jhaana and four of aruupa jhaana.
For  'Vipassana' the stages are shown in
Aṅguttara Nikāya - The Book of the Tens - 60 Girimānanda

On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in Jeta’s
  Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park. Now on that occasion the Venerable
  Girimānanda was sick, afflicted, and gravely ill. Then the Venerable
  Ānanda approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, sat down to one
  side, and said to him:
“Bhante, the Venerable Girimānanda is sick, afflicted, and gravely
  ill. It would be good if the Blessed One would visit him out of
  compassion.”
“If, Ānanda, you visit the bhikkhu Girimānanda and speak to him about
  ten perceptions, it is possible that on hearing about them his
  affliction will immediately subside. What are the ten?
“(1) The perception of impermanence, (2) the perception of non-self,
  (3) the perception of unattractiveness, (4) the perception of danger,
  (5) the perception of abandoning, (6) the perception of dispassion,
  (7) the perception of cessation, (8) the perception of non-delight in
  the entire world, (9) the perception of impermanence in all
  conditioned phenomena, and (10) mindfulness of breathing.
(Pali: Katamā dasa? Aniccasaññā, anattasaññā, asubhasaññā, ādīnavasaññā,
  pahānasaññā, virāgasaññā, nirodhasaññā, sabbaloke anabhiratasaññā,
  sabbasaṅkhāresu anicchāsaññā, ānāpānassati.....)

According the sutta before starting ānāpānassati(mindfulness of breathing) meditation, one should develop other 9 perceptions.
For ex. nirodhasaññā (the perception of cessation)

( ‘etaṃ santaṃ etaṃ paṇītaṃ yadidaṃ sabbasaṅkhārasamatho sabbūpadhippaṭinissaggo taṇhākkhayo nirodho nibbānan’ti)
  ‘This is peaceful, this is sublime, that is,
  the stilling of all activities, the relinquishment of all
  acquisitions, the destruction of craving, cessation, nibbāna.’

So these are the 'perceptions' that to focus on between two breaths.
(But practically to 'vipassana samapaththi' those perceptions already  gains. so let quit the breath. Do not try to control, let it gone. If the vipassana perceptions are not developed enough strength, one can fell to sleep. Better to have find a experience teacher.)
The detail stages in developing as follows

(10) “And what, Ānanda, is mindfulness of breathing? Here, a bhikkhu,
  having gone to the forest, to the foot of a tree, or to an empty hut,
  sits down. Having folded his legs crosswise, straightened his body,
  and established mindfulness in front of him, just mindful he breathes
  in, mindful he breathes out.
“Breathing in long, he knows: ‘I breathe in long’; or breathing out
  long, he knows: ‘I breathe out long.’ Breathing in short, he knows: ‘I
  breathe in short’; or breathing out short, he knows: ‘I breathe out
  short.’ He trains thus: ‘Experiencing the whole body, I will breathe
  in’; he trains thus: ‘Experiencing the whole body, I will breathe
  out.’ He trains thus: ‘Tranquilizing the bodily activity, I will
  breathe in’; he trains thus: ‘Tranquilizing the bodily activity, I
  will breathe out.’
“He trains thus: ‘Experiencing rapture, I will breathe in’; he trains
  thus: ‘Experiencing rapture, I will breathe out.’ He trains thus:
  ‘Experiencing happiness, I will breathe in’; he trains thus:
  ‘Experiencing happiness, I will breathe out.’ He trains thus:
  ‘Experiencing the mental activity, I will breathe in’; he trains thus:
  ‘Experiencing the mental activity, I will breathe out.’ He trains
  thus: ‘Tranquilizing the mental activity, I will breathe in’; he
  trains thus: ‘Tranquilizing the mental activity, I will breathe out.’
“He trains thus: ‘Experiencing the mind, I will breathe in’; he trains
  thus: ‘Experiencing the mind, I will breathe out.’ He trains thus:
  ‘Gladdening the mind, I will breathe in’; he trains thus: ‘Gladdening
  the mind, I will breathe out.’ He trains thus: ‘Concentrating the
  mind, I will breathe in’; he trains thus: ‘Concentrating the mind, I
  will breathe out.’ He trains thus: ‘Liberating the mind, I will
  breathe in’; he trains thus: ‘Liberating the mind, I will breathe
  out.’
“He trains thus: ‘Contemplating impermanence, I will breathe in’; he
  trains thus: ‘Contemplating impermanence, I will breathe out.’ He
  trains thus: ‘Contemplating fading away, I will breathe in’; he trains
  thus: ‘Contemplating fading away, I will breathe out.’ He trains thus:
  ‘Contemplating cessation, I will breathe in’; he trains thus:
  ‘Contemplating cessation, I will breathe out.’ He trains thus:
  ‘Contemplating relinquishment, I will breathe in’; he trains thus:
  ‘Contemplating relinquishment, I will breathe out.’
“This is called mindfulness of breathing.
“If, Ānanda, you visit the bhikkhu Girimānanda and speak to him about
  these ten perceptions, it is possible that on hearing about them he
  will immediately recover from his affliction.”

Try to focus on movement of air in breathing in and out.Feel the air in and out this helps you from diverting and thinking.your thinking slowly stops concentrating on breath helps.

Welcome to Buddhism SE!. The OP is asking specifically about what to focus on between breaths, so the moment when one does not breath in or out.

consciousness manifests in 4 of the skandha only  (form, feeling, perception, and mental formation).  Buddha said, breaths are part of the form.  i put it together that in between breaths, there is no form to be conscious about (unless you're conscious about other forms of your body like arms, legs etc. during that brief moment) ,so naturally our (new) consciousness will raise in some other places in 3 skandhas. that is normal behavior of consciousness.  They raise and fall all the time (except when ur in the state of cessation).   if you are in state of first Jhanna, consciousness will not involve in 5 sensual pleasures, or ill-will ( or 5 hindrances).  wherever your consciousness raises in between your breaths, it will fall and then another consciousness will raise when the next breath comes.   From my experience, i don't try too hard. Just be a good observer.   Maybe you can tell us where your consciousness raises and falls (when breathing returns) next time you meditate.  :-)


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Possible to get stomach discomfort because of meditation?
I have been starting meditation more recently for about twenty minutes at a time. I am able to slightly focus on the breath and have noticed I focus better when the breathes are long. I have also noticed after these sessions I may have air in my stomach possibly that leads to gas buildup and stomach discomfort. Is this something others have had before? If so how can I prevent this?

I guess you may be swallowing saliva and with it some air - without noticing it?

I have read that walking meditation aids in digestion, while sitting meditation actually inhibits it. So it follows that walking before sitting, especially if you have eaten prior, may help with queasiness you're experiencing.

Still face the same conditions may sine of mental reaction for the meditation.

@Ian that's very interesting! Do you have any references about that so I can learn more?

@AndreiVolkov it is possible I do swallow saliva and air to eliminate it from my mouth. How should one remove that from mouth so it doesn't become object of distraction during meditation?

@Shrawaka I'm not sure that I understand. Could you clarify?

@user3547 try raising your tongue and keep it touching the roof - to have saliva flow back in your throat. Also, like Ahmed said below - relax, don't try too hard.

Possible Causes:

You are eating too much and too soon to doing sitting meditation. While meditating or doing any relaxing activity, your digestive system functions much better thus producing more gas along with other things. Solutions: eat less and have at least an hour or two gap for meditation or try a different posture like standing/non-lotus.
You are stresing out (more than normal) while you are trying to relax (meditate) thus causing intenstinal ineffectiveness. Let go of those thinkings and be present and pleasant.
You are already quite gassy. Have some probiotics in the form of yogurt, kombucha, or fermented food.

All three suggestions are very good ideas. Do you know if it is ok to drink water 15 minutes before meditation? Or is that also not recommended?

Water is fine.. as much as you like. Too much can cause sitting discomfort.

Same experience of air in stomach some 20 years ago.
Just carried on meditation. It will go away.

I am able to slightly focus on the breath and have noticed I focus better when the breathes are long.

You have to be able to concentrate when breaths are short also. Look at this as a training for a major competitions. When you take up the sport the exercises are light as easy as you go on it becomes intense.
If you are to see the mind-matter process at the level of subatomic particles you have to be able to be sensitive to the subtlest of breaths and also in places which a the least sensitive to for a beginner like the centre of the upper lip though this becomes very sensitive beyond a certain point. You need not start with this but this is where your focus should be after some pratice.

I have also noticed after these sessions I may have air in my stomach possibly that leads to gas buildup and stomach discomfort. Is this something others have had before? If so how can I prevent this?

Maybe you are swallowing air. This could be the case. Or generally you have become sensitive to your digesting process which you didn't notice before. Heavy meals can do this perhaps. Try lighter meals. Sometimes based on olf Karma practitioners get certain recurring issues for a period. See if this is the case after a few months.
If you have a teacher discuss this with him / her. If not perhaps you can try visiting one or andd organised course where you have a chance to discuss these issues with a teacher. Some easily accessible courses are: https://www.dhamma.org/en/index, http://www.internationalmeditationcentre.org/global/index.html, or alternatively search World Buddhist Directory - http://www.buddhanet.info/wbd/

Experienced the same problem. I wasn't eating before meditation and it continued to be a problem to the next day. So I think above advice on eating does not apply. I am sorry but haven't found a solution neither. Maybe walking meditation could be a good alternativ.
Best,
Jasmin


text:
What is the minimum I need to do to advance?
I practice for something like at least two years--maybe more I don't remember when I started.  I did one 16 day retreat Mahsasi style - as well as two  10 day retreats.  I did periods of meditation at home where I meditated every day. I also keep the 5 precepts
But I don't see my practice advancing. Maybe it's because I don't do a constant practice and sometimes I stop and don't meditate for a month or two.
But I can't be sure that if I decided to meditate constantly that I won't stop in two or three weeks so it also makes me not want to try.
Now because I don't see results or at least not strong ones--and I'm aware that results can be less anger, etc--I'm very skeptical of the practice. I don't have motivation to practice. When I thought I am advancing than I was ready for a long road  but I'm not sure I'm advancing.
I still procrastinate the same as I did before, which is a big problem for me. The most important thing is that I don't see that I am more mindful in daily life than when i started! I don't notice more things. I don't label more things. I usually don't label a single thing all day and not only not label but not notice them as well.
EDIT : still would like to get answers - just saying that for now i started trying tthe idea of "tiny habits" of doing AT LEAST 5 minute walking than 5 minute sitting meditation after i wake up and after i eat - if i feel like more than i will do more
i did try 5 minute meditation in the past - but i didnt try to attach it to an existing habit -   adn i raised the time very fast and i got disapointed when i didnt do the full meditation so i gave up on the 5 minute meditation  - so this time i hope i will keep the 5 minute as the basic
got inspired by this video :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdKUJxjn-R8

let me tell you a secret: meditation is only one of the eight components of the Eightfold Path ;)

i really dont know what i can add from the 8 components to my practice

Why label or notice?

Depending on individual it can take aeons of lifetimes. But never stop practicing.

While heavily focused on by western practitioners - meditation is only one aspect towards the cultivation of the mind. If unsupported by the right morality and faith, your mind will be too troubled and unfocused to concentrate on the object of your meditation. In the case of Anapanasati and Vipassana, your object is your breath - but even as you're practicing under Mahasi Sayadaw's teachings, you probably notice that you start off focusing on your breath and noting phenomenons as they arise, but somewhere down the line you realize you've been swept away by a stream of consciousness. Only after the arising of many thoughts, do you even realize this has happened and you try to steer your concentration back to your main object and start once more with the noting. Before you're swept away again...
Thus even if you are able to sit there for a long period of time with the initial intention of practicing meditation, it is difficult to advance.
The keeping of the 5 precepts is a good place to start. But perhaps by investigating the conditioned reality brought forth by the 5 precepts, you can realize for yourself their effects on morality and their qualities of non doubt, non remorse, and arouse sufficient investigative faith to progress.

how do they "arouse investigative faith" ?

There are many ways to arouse faith and energy. For some it is the desire to investigate reality as it really is. Some are prompted and compelled by the perfection of the Buddha's Dharma. Others might realize for themselves the dangers of existence and strive to make their way across the flood. Anyone can eventually get there. It's merely a matter of cultivation and persistence... perhaps even through a multitude of births

But how does the 5 precepts arouse investigative faith ?

What do a great pianist, a great martial artist, and a great scientist have in common? They work their butts off to perfect their skills. And these are just mundane skillset, not supra-mundane one. The suttas use a popular simile to express the urgency to practice the Dhamma: one should train as if one's clothes or head is on fire! While the exact amount of time for practice varies for different people, a regular daily sitting meditation and precepts observance is a must-have minimum requirement.

From SN 56.34: "Bhikkhus, if one’s clothes or head were ablaze, what should be done about it?”
“Venerable sir, if one’s clothes or head were ablaze, to extinguish one’s blazing clothes or head one should arouse extraordinary desire, make an extraordinary effort, stir up zeal and enthusiasm, be unremitting, and exercise mindfulness and clear comprehension.”"

A little narrative about people and exercise habits.  I think it might be helpful in giving you context for your practice.  In the years I've worked as a personal trainer, I've seen the same behaviors exhibited by all of my clients.  In fact, I can pretty safely predict who will lose weight, get in shape, and keep it off and who will drop out after five weeks.
Client A comes to see me.  He tells me that he wants to look good and put on twenty pounds of muscle.  Client A has never worked out.  I go over my plan of attack with him.  Three days a week, no more than an hour a day.  I don't even talk about diet or supplementation.  He tells me that he thinks my plan is too easy.  He wants to workout seven days a week.  He wants to know what he can take to drop weight.  During workouts, he gets frustrated because he's not seeing enough progress.  After about a month, he burns outs, calls me a terrible trainer, and I never see him again.
Contrast this with Client B.  She comes in and tells me that she knows she should be exercising but doesn't know where to start.  I go over my simple, introductory protocol.  She follows it to a T.  Bit by bit, she starts to wonder what other changes she could make.  She asks questions.  We introduce new exercises.  She starts reading about nutrition.  Slowly, she starts to develop fitness interests - CrossFit, powerlifting, aesthetics, etc.  After a couple of months, she knows her strengths and weaknesses better than I do and addresses them under her own volition.  Years down the line, I see her sharing advice with other gym members.  She's made fitness a part of her lifestyle.
Buddhism, like fitness, is a gradual path.  Going on those retreats is like signing up for a marathon when you've never run a mile in your life.  You need to start out small.  Just fifteen minutes a day will suffice at first.  If you can sincerely commit yourself to that small amount of time, gradually your momentum is going to carry you into longer and longer sits (that's the very definition of karma!).  The more you sit, the more evident the rest of the eightfold path is going to become.  You are going to see how action effects your sitting and how sitting effects your actions.  You will see how mindfulness and concentration are like two hands holding up the same cup.  You will learn the skillful application of effort and how to keep yourself from burning out.  You will also learn what parts of the path are important for you to focus on.  When you do, you are going to start asking some very practically oriented questions of your teacher.  After a while, the path will become effortless.  You'd no sooner skip a day of mediation as you would skip a day of bathing.
But most importantly - all of these gains will be incremental.  You won't even notice that they are happening.  One day, however, you are going to look in the mirror and notice a very different person looking back at you.

Culadasa has broken down the progress into 9 stages. That might be helpful to you.
It's here: http://dharmatreasure.org/wp-content/uploads/LightOnMeditationHandout.pdf

Thanks, and welcome to the site. We prefer full-blown answers to mere links. Could you take out some main points from that document as they pertain to the question and put them on here? It would be nice if you could show how the 10 (not 9) stages  of placing the mind that your link refers to, are relevant for "the minimum I need to do to advance" Thanks! BTW the ten stages is an ancient teaching - not invented by John Yates (Culadasa).

If your practice isn't constant, that will have a major effect on your progress. If sometimes you don't meditate for over a month, that's probably the reason you have had difficulty.
If the reason you're practice isn't constant is because you can't squeeze in long sessions, then it would be better to break them up into several smaller ones. Even just meditating 15 minutes in the morning and evening is much better than getting an hour done but then giving up.

but i cant make sure i will keep meditating and wont break in 2-3 weeks again  - as i did many times after i tryed to have a constant practice

Maybe would help if you'd move your attention from "how much I feel like meditating today" to " the most important thing is that I do my meditation". Set a time everyday for meditation and respect it. The goal is just that session, try to make the best of it since you doi it anyway.

@breath you don't know what will happen in 2-3 weeks, tomorrow death may come, who knows? you don't need to be afraid that you will break the habbit in 2-3 weeks, you can just care about today. Today I will do my meditation session, be it 15 minutes or more. That's all you need, today.

maybe you have made progress but you didnt know it? One of the ways to measure progress is how fast you let go of things that come into contact with your faculties, whether they are agreeable (like) or disagreeable (dislike), and remain in equanimity.  As expressed in this Indriya-Bhavaba Sutta Indriya = Faculty.
Buddha used the speed of letting go things in many other sutta such as, drop of water onto hot pan, sparks flying from a blacksmith's hammer, etc.
in simpler term,  you are making excellent progress if you can let go of anger (and other feelings)  at blink of an eye.
you might be interested in the Cook Sutta.  Pay attention to details of your progress, take note, and make adjustments.

Consistency and diligence are key factors in ones practice. Without them, progression cannot be gained.
It is the continuity of practice that yields advancement. It's like rubbing to sticks together to make a fire. If one stops rubbing before the fire has started, then the fire will never start.
Similarly, if one has long periods without practice of meditation, then the advancement will not arise or at least it will arise in lesser degree.
Another thing that will derail ones practice, is wanting to get results or worrying about why one is not advancing on the path. These are hindrances, that slow one down.
When doubt arises, i.e. when one is worrying about why one is not advancing, then that is the 5th hindrance arising. That is an oppertunity to gain insights. One should note the hindrance and work with it. One should not react to it or dwell in it, thereby fueling it and making it stronger. Observe it with mindfulness, in the present moment and gain insights about the 3 marks of existence.
If you establish a regular practice, practice correctly and diligently, then you will advance. If you do not practice regularly, then advancement will not come or it will come slower and in lesser degree.
Sounds like you need motivation. You could begin studying the Buddha's teachings yourself, go read the discourses from the Pali Canon and read up on the practice of meditation.
Its also important to not push oneself to practice more than one is ready for. That will only result in one not wanting to practice at all.
It sounds like a good idea to practice a small amount of time each day. You could try that for a week or two and then gradually increase your sitting time. Start small and then work your way up. Also try to incorporate your practice into daily life, outside of formal meditation. For example you can to try to be mindful, every time you brush your teeth, wash your hands or take a shower. Walking meditation is also a great way to gain continuity of practice.

Personal opinion based on my experience: go for a retreat again, if you can. It has more benefit (as a rule of thumb) to do intense practice than the same amount of time diluted over a bigger timespan. Rather than 1 hour every morning, do 20 minutes every morning and a one 10-day retreat a year. I am a big fan of the Mahasi-style practice, and it was developed primarily for retreats; works in daily activities as well, but the foundation is intense practice.

I don't know what the minimum may be in your case. I can say something about my experience with another tradition (Goenka), which may perhaps be helpful.
I sat a 10-day course 2 years ago. It helped me to settle some fears and problems that I was afraid to think of before. As for more mundane, everyday problems, even though I didn't meditate regularly afterwards, I think in retrospect there was a positive change in my attitude for a few months, but it wasn't very clear to me at that time.
This year I went for a 3-day course, and after the course I saw a very significant positive change (it was related to procrastrination, as in your case). It lasted for a few months, roughly as long as I meditated regularly for 2 hours per day. But the point is that I saw that change already during first few days after the course. During the course it was said that meditation must lead to a visible (even if small) change in one's life. If you don't see any such change, you're doing something wrong.
That's my 2 cents. I don't know how much of it may apply to your tradition.


text:
Five Hindrances Right Mindfulness Interrelated?
Dear Buddhist Community,
Would someone help to explain how eradicating/suppressing the five hindrances and right mindfulness can go together?
According to the Buddha: (http://what-buddha-said.net/drops/II/Feeding_the_Hindrances.htm)

"Just as this body, is sustained by food, is dependent on food, and
  cannot  continue without food, even so, friends, are the five mental
  hindrances  indeed also sustained by a kind of food, they are also
  dependent on food,  and cannot continue without ever renewed feeding!
And what, friends, is feeding for the arising and growth of
  sense-desire?  It is frequent and careless attention to the alluring
  and attractive features! This food makes sensual lust arise, and feeds
  also growth of habitual greed…
And what, friends, is feeding for the arising and aggravation of
  ill-will?  It is frequent and careless attention to the displeasing
  and repulsive features! This food makes aversion arise, and boosts
  also any habitual irritation…
And what feeds the emergence and deterioration of
  lethargy-and-laziness?  It is frequent and careless attention to
  drowsiness, and too much  eaten  dullness! This is feeding makes sloth
  arise, and feeds also worsening of habitual laziness…
And what feeds the arising and escalation of restlessness-and-regret?
  It is frequent and careless attention to the excited, agitated, and
  stressed up mind! This food upsets and stirs the mind, and intensifies
  also habitual anxiety and worry…
And what feeds the arising, deepening, and  expansion of
  doubt-and-uncertainty? It is frequent and careless attention to
  doubtful theories and speculative views! This food bewilders the mind,
  and feeds also the escalation of habitual confusion..."

Notice, the key phrase the Buddha used is: IT IS THE FREQUENCT AND CARELESS ATTENTION to the hindrances listed above. So, are we supposed to be simply ignoring these thoughts of hindrance as they arise?
Or, more generally, would someone explain how hindrances and right mindfulness go together?
I know that it might be a silly question, but this question has bugged me for some time now.
Thank you for your help everyone!
Reid

The Pāḷi phrase for "frequent and careless attention in the Sutta (SN 46.2) is "ayonisomanasikārabahulīkāro".
ayoniso = unwise, manasikāra = attention, bahulīkāro = continuous practice
The role of manasikāra is to direct the mind, just as a rudder steers a boat. Manasikāra can be wholesome or unwholesome.
When manasikāra is steering the mind in a way that is in concordance with the dhamma, this is called "wise attention" (yonisomanasikāra). Wise attention is a proximate cause for non-attachment (alobha), non-aversion (adosa), equanimity (tatramajjhattatā) and understanding (paññā).
When manasikāra is steering the mind in a way that is not in concordance with the dhamma, this is called "unwise attention" (ayonisomanasikāra). Unwise attention is a proximate cause for delusion (moha), restlessness (uddhacca) and doubt (vicikicchā).
Accoding to Iti 1.16:

This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard: "With regard to internal factors, I don't envision any other single factor like wise attention as doing so much for a monk in training, who has not attained the heart's goal but remains intent on the unsurpassed safety from bondage. A monk who attends appropriately abandons what is unskillful and develops what is skillful.

Thanks RobM!  Google failed me when I was searching for the source.  Great answer!

How hindrances and right mindfulness go together?

When hindrances are there, right mindfulness is absent. And when right mindfulness is, hindrances are not there.

Are we supposed to be simply ignoring these thoughts of hindrance as
  they arise?

Keeping right mindfulness is the answer. It is not just ignoring, (counteract the fermentations āsava, it is a condition for the arising of right view)

How eradicating the five hindrances?

By suppressing (Not giving foods) as shown in the sutta . That is “It is frequent and CAREFULL attention”.
Under the section heedfulness of Dhammapada

Heedfulness is the path to the Deathless. Heedlessness is the path to
  death. The heedful die not. The heedless are as if dead already.
Clearly understanding this excellence of heedfulness, the wise exult
  therein and enjoy the resort of the Noble Ones.
The wise ones, ever
  meditative and steadfastly persevering, alone experience Nibbana, the
  incomparable freedom from bondage.

The Arahant

"And when, monks, a monk, having seen as they really are the arising
  and the passing away, the attractiveness and the danger, and the
  deliverance from the five groups of clinging, is released without
  clinging, he, monks, is called a monk in whom the cankers are
  destroyed, who has lived the life to perfection, done what had to be
  done, put down the burden, gained the highest goal, worn through the
  fetters of rebirth, and is liberated by perfect insight.

I'd be really interested to see the Pali for the refrain you put in bold - specifically what the word "attention" was in the original.  That is the turning phrase for that passage, but I don't think it has so much to do with right mindfulness in this context as it does with right concentration.
The hindrances find suppression in samadhi or "concentration".  Not to get too technical, but they find full suppression in the first jhana which is a product of deep absorption with a meditative object.  According to the sutras, such suppression is dependent upon a number of factors - applied and sustained thought being the most important.  It's kind of like canoeing down a river.  Applied thought is the paddling.  It's the energy needed to enter absorption.  Sustained thought is the buoyancy of the boat as rides the current and momentum of the paddling.  It's the factor responsible for holding the attention in place.  Mindfulness also plays an important part.  In regards to the suppression of the hindrances in this analogy, it is like the rudder that keeps the boat on course.
Just as a boatman who isn't mindful of where his bow is pointed, the meditator who isn't mindful of the hindrances as they arise is going to crash into all sorts of things.  I don't know if you've ever been boating, but when you get snagged, it's very hard to get out sometimes.  It takes profound effort just to get yourself back on course.  The same thing goes for meditation.  Just crashing into a hindrance can throw you off your meditative object for an entire sit.  It's going to take you out of the current and it might even sink your boat.  It's far better practice to notice these things as they begin to arise and and use mindfulness to keep you from steering headlong into them.
On a much more mundane level, think of it this way - the more mental energy you give to a hindrance, the less energy you are going to have for the other path factors.  It's going to take away your attention whether that's being used for the cultivation of concentration or the establishment of mindfulness.  The hindrances have a nasty way of sucking up your mental energy.  What's worse, just running into them makes them more powerful.  Mindfulness helps you watch where you're going.


text:
Is it possible to fly?
Many times I see myself flying/floating in dreams. Not so high, but 1-2 feet above the surface. I make a second step upwards before my first step touches the surface/while my first step also holds up in air. Last night i was asked by myself (in the dream) how I am doing this. I don't know why but i replied 'its all about breath control'.
Whenever this flying happens in dreams, it leaves behind an amazing experience. I recall everything of those scenes. Whenever I breath-in, I raise up in parts and whenever I breath-out or lose control, I touch back the floor.
Almost 1 year back I had watched a programme on discovery channel which was about a monk who can fly/stay uplifted.
I wish to know, 'is it possible to actually fly? If yes, then how? If yes, then why one should do this 'as per buddha?

In his dhamma lectures, Bhikkhu Bodhi often relates his personal experience with flying.  He especially enjoys the peanuts.  :-)

Ajahn Chah once answered this similar question with something like; "dung beetles can fly, what is so special about flying?".  He was asked if he could fly.  IMO ajahn Chah tried to say that the curiosity was misplaced and it would never lead to cessation or total liberation.

This is actually nothing special to feel excited about. In Ayurvedic terms, when Vatha(air element) is imbalanced in the body, people tend to see dreams of flying. More information here
On the other hand, the ability to fly through the air is just one of the many psychic feats an advanced meditator can perform. It has nothing to do with dreaming. It requires great dedication in the practice of Samatha meditation. Visuddhimagga explains how it can be achieved based on the 4th Jhana.

If yes then why one should do this?

It's the same reason why one gets into an airplane. To travel longer distances easily. According to the stories, in the past, monks with psychic powers have used this method to travel when they don't have a specific destination in mind. ex: when going on alms round.
But if they want to go to a specific place, they would simply disappear from where they are and appear in the destination.
Lord Buddha himself has said to have used this method when he visited Sri Lanka 3 times.

do you have reference to a sutta where "Lord Buddha himself has said to have used this method when he visited Sri Lanka 3 times."?

It's described in the Mahavamsa. Not in the Suttas.


text:
Was the Buddha misogynistic?
The introduction to the Dhamma Wiki's Buddhism and Misogyny article says,

Nevertheless, there are some non-Buddhists and even some Buddhists that contend that the Buddha was misogynistic. This is because of some passages in the Buddhist scriptures, the Tipitaka that appear sexist, that the Buddha was reluctant to ordain women, that the bhikkhuni line ended and cannot be revived, that the Buddha said that the teachings (religion) would only last 500 years because women were given permission to ordain as nuns (bhikkhunis), because of the extra rules that were imposed on the female monastics, including the eight ‘heavy rules,’ and the passage that states that only a man can be a samma-sam-buddha who teaches the masses after the teachings have died out.

Was the Buddha misogynistic?

The next sentence in the wiki says, "Each of these claims are examined below" followed by 6 sections containing 2800 words -- that's how the Dhamma Wiki addresses this question. I don't see how to answer this question: I think it's too broad (e.g. 6 different claims); it might also be also opinion-based (should this be called "misogynistic", and if so should it be attributed to the Buddha or to the society).

The Modern Theravada subsection says, "For the Modern Theravadins, nearly all of these issues are moot, because the seemingly misogynistic issues above are from the later writings and commentaries".

Buddha said women can be Enlightened.
In an unprecedented move for the times, Buddha allowed women to ordain as Buddhist wanderers.
Buddha added numerous rules to Vinaya to protect women practitioners from the abuse of men practitioners.
Buddha said that part of the path to Enlightenment is abandoning gender biases (AN 7.48)
Buddha was a big opponent of the traditional practice of having widows join their deceased husbands on the funeral pyre.
Buddha gave many teachings specifically for lay women.
Both the 500 years prediction and the idea that only man can be a buddha seem to be later additions as they are present in some versions of texts and absent from others.

Is identifying your self as a man or a woman an issue to attain enlightenment?

Well... Yes, kinda. Having a clear idea of yourself, of any kind, is an obstacle to enlightenment. You're supposed to transcend any and all generalizations "I am this" or "I am that".

Then why have a separation amongst monks as male/female?

Well, don't confuse your internal concept of yourself (relevant at advanced levels) with a basic rule guarding from sexual misconduct (relevant at beginner to mid level)

Here is the root/etymology of the word misogyny

misogyny (n.)
  1650s, from Modern Latin misogynia, from Greek misogynia, from misogynes "woman-hater," from miso- (see miso-) + gyne "woman".

And:

miso-
  word-forming element meaning "hater, hatred," before vowels, mis-, comb. form of Greek misos "hatred," misein "to hate." Productive as a word-forming element in ancient Greek, for instance misoagathia "hatred of good or goodness;" misoponein "to hate work." Forming many compounds in English, most of them obscure or recherche, but some perhaps useful, for example misocapnic (adj.) "hating (tobacco) smoke," misocyny "hatred of dogs."

If the word "misogyny" does mean something like that, then I think that the answer is "no": i.e. it doesn't seem to me plausible to attribute "hatred" to the Buddha.
WIthin Buddhism, hatred (which is also translated as "aversion") is (together with greed and delusion) called a root of evil -- and the opposites of hatred i.e. adveṣa (non-aggression, lack of hatred), and mettā (loving-kindness) are seen as "wholesome".


text:
How do you decide when to stick up for yourself and when to let things go?
I'm trying to apply Buddhist principles to the way I lead my life, but right now I'm struggling with an issue.
In short, the problem is that someone caused damage to our home and refuses to acknowledge this and pay the damages. The problem is that I'm having difficulty deciding whether to stick up for myself and my family and pursue this matter, or to simply let things be and go on with our lives.
I think there are 2 conflicting Buddhist principles that apply here (or perhaps more, but I just don't see them?):

One shouldn't attach him/herself (to material matters).
One should move toward truthfulness in all things and correct harm.

I guess what decision to make is somewhat subjective and depends on the exact circumstances, but I'm very much interested in what Buddhism in general has to say about making decisions like this. When should you stick up for yourself and when should you let things be?

Let Karma do its job. It works every freaking time.

The Buddha also mentions skilfully means. Perhaps skillful confrontation that does not involve negative states of mind could also be explored?

you said:

One shouldn't attach him/herself (to material matters).
One should move toward truthfulness in all things and correct harm.

but... the second one does not sound like a Buddhist principle... where did you get that from?
The first one (nonattachment, dispassion) is a universally valid Buddhist principle. As a rule of thumb I would stick with this one.
However, according to training I received, there are two places detachment can come from: 1) from strength or 2) from weakness.

when detachment comes from strength -- it comes from the idea of freedom, of independence, of being one's own island, of needlessness and emancipation, from wisdom, from compassion.
when detachment comes from weakness -- it comes from fear of confrontation or involvement, from laziness, from doubts, from incomplete understanding, from "spiritual materialism", from attachment to private peace of mind.

So you should look inside and see where your detachment comes from. If it comes from weakness then, while on the surface it looks like detachment, it really is a form of attachment.
If that is the case then you should definitely engage with that "someone" - not as much for the sake of what you see as "truth" from your side - as for the practice of overcoming your (hidden) attachment.

Thanks for this Andrei. Are there any specific writings, scriptures or even books that detail on the development of detachment (and vs non attachment)?

I knew someone would pick on the two different words I used, but in this case there's no special meaning, I used them as synonyms.

I was asking if there was more information to distinguish your points of 1. and 2. on developing detachment; coming from strength vs weakness.

Try "Cutting through spiritual materialism" and "The Myth of Freedom and the Way of Meditation" by Chögyam Trungpa

Thx for your answer! I think I read that second point somewhere as an explanation of right intent and right speech, but I'm not sure where.

+1 for 'detachment coming from weakness'.

The answer is up to you, since it will be you who affirms his power.
Letting go of the outcome means that you can be ok with either decision, I.e. You can act accordingly either way without becoming attached and overcome with grief. If you let it be, so you let it be. Do you think that would be wise? If you follow it up, that's ok too. In the next instant, the opportunity will arise again, and you simply follow what you believe and what is in your heart.
If it is in your best interest and strength to pursue the matter further, then it would be Buddhas recommendation to correct and act accordingly to your knowledge, and not be cowardly or lazy. After all, you clearly value your family and seek to protect them, so you should question the importance of the matter and for what purpose are you seeking to fulfill. If you or your family are not impacted whatsoever, could you still let it go?
If you continue following up, it may come as a surprise to what consequences arise. Even if you are patient with your own choices, you may still take action at a more appropriate time and remain happy. It is important to notice whether feelings of guilt, fear or grief arise with any choice, as they indicate attachment.

Right Speech and Right Effort. Those are the two pieces of the Eightfold Path that will answer your question in regards to decisive action.
What is Right Speech?
What is Right Effort?
Right Speech is speaking for a purpose that is beneficial to all parties involved and at the right time and in the right way (nicely, usually). In short, Speak effectively for a universally beneficial cause at the most effective time.
Right Effort is taking efforts that increase the total good and reduce the total bad.
I hope the above Buddhist principles of action help to guide you to the correct behavior for the highest good of all.

As a householder and a lay person, I don't really feel that buddhist principles conflict with everyday life in any meaningful way.
Just because you see your material belonging as what they are - be it an aggregate of stones, wood, cloth, or other synthetic material does not mean you have to allow others to damage or steal them.
The pursuit of truth is ultimately what brings you dissipation and emancipation from conventonal attachments. You have no obligation to correct any perceived harm done to you. That is your self view arousing ill will. Kamma inforces itself. You don't need to act as an enforcer.
Whether to pursue damages or not pursue damages is entirely up to you. As long as you maintain wise attention by not acting out of averice, ill will, or restlessness.

I think there are 2 conflicting Buddhist principles that apply here (or perhaps more, but I just don't see them)

FWIW I think that these are some other principles.

This seems typical of the sort of material problem you may face as a lay householder. If you didn't want that, why aren't you a monk? if you aren't a monk, then perhaps you did want that?
Be guided, not by your desires, but by your responsibilities: i.e. try to fulfill your responsibilities.
I think (I'm not sure) that the Sigalovada Sutta implies you have (more) responsibilities towards those who are close[r] to you: your parents, your children, your teachers, your employees, etc.
But another principle is to consider the welfare of others: if you "stick up for yourself" then would that harm others or would that benefit others? What about the attitude of "sticking up for others"?

When should you stick up for yourself and when should you let things be?

I think you might find theoretical or scriptural justification for both/either course of action.
Also apart from these two courses of action, is there a third, or a compromise? E.g. offer to share the cost of repairs? Or ask your lawyer's opinion?

Buddhism says you need to obey the country's law.
If the law says that it is an offence to rob, then it is an offence and you have to report it.
If the law says that it is an offence to damage others property, then it is an offence, and you have to report the matter, regardless of whether the property is your property or others.
Otherwise you are seen as a Buddhist conspiring with the offender, which is contradictory.
Of course, you can take the "see no evil", "hear no evil", "speak no evil" approach, but that is quite a high level practice, and takes many years to reach that level.


text:
What does venerable Sariputta mean by "dwelling withdrawn"?
In Bhikkhu Bodhi's "In the Buddha's Words", venerable Sariputta gives a discourse on "The Conditions for Wisdom", which contains eight causes and conditions for obtaining wisdom. He says,

Having learned the Dhamma, he dwells withdrawn by way of two kinds of withdrawal: withdrawal of body and withdrawal of mind. This is the third cause and condition for obtaining the wisdom fundamental to the spiritual life.... (AN 8:2, abridged; IV 151-155) pg. 322

What does it mean to be withdrawn in these two ways?
Thank you

Piya Tan's comment for AN 8.2:

The third factor that conduces to developing wisdom in an individual is aloneness of body and of mind (kāya,vūpakāsa citta,vūpakāsa), that is, cultivating aloneness of both the body and the mind. The word vūpakāsa (“estrangement, alienation, separation, seclusion”) comes from the verb vūpakāseti (causative of vavakassati, “to be drawn away, to withdraw”). It is found in only as a suffix (in fine compositi) to these two compounds: kāya,vūpakāsa and citta,vūpakāsa.10 These two terms also appear in the (Bojjhaṅga) Sīla Sutta (S 46.3), which should be studied with this Sutta.11
“Aloneness” is not “loneliness” (where we miss someone or something familiar). Here, aloneness is where we leave behind the world we were familiar with to face ourself so that we dedicate ourself fully to the spiritual life. It means being undistracted by the world and worldliness, and to commit all our body and heart to our training.

This quote is only the first subsection: see the PDF (pages 145 through 147) for further explanation (which describes bodily solitude, mental solitude, and spiritual solitude).

Withdrawn here means "giving up", "surrender", "renounce".
He dwells withdrawn means that he lived a renounced live and this has the benefit of gaining wisdom.
Withdrawal of body and withdrawal of mind refers to precepts relating to the body and precepts relating to the mind.