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Some days I really feel like I don't get this stuff.
I read all of these conversations, and some of them just sail right over my head, and it frustrates me, or even when I try to participate in some discussions, I seem to be disregarded entirely, maybe it's because I just don't understand some of the more complex concepts? Some days I feel like I have a good idea of Buddhism, and others, I am completely lost. Any ideas on how to fix this?
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Like karma. Karma's hard for some people. I just call it "choices and their consequences". We make choices, either of thought, speech, or body... and they lead us either toward or away from Nirvana. The Noble Eightfold Path that the Buddha set up is a structure of skillful choices/karma to do just that!
Impermanence means everything changes. Comes and goes.
Not-Self means nothing stands on its own, everything is inter-dependent.
Dukkha is any kind of suffering, frustration, dissatisfaction with our lives... and is really all a product of the mind. If the mind doesn't suffer, it doesn't matter what happens to the body!
(the Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path for sure, Impermanence/Not-Self, Five Precepts and meditation)
The Buddha's first sermon was at deer park, to his previous companions, who beheld the wisdom of his words, and the extraordinary change in their friend, that they instantly saw the deep and true meaning in his words.
He taught The Four Noble Truths, and The Eightfold path (A continuation, of the 4.....)
This lesson is all at once, extremely simple, and deceptively profound.
I know one monk (whom I count as a good friend) who devotes his time to understanding all aspects of each lesson, each factor, and he's convinced that true understanding, acceptance and realisation of such simplicity, can take a lifetime.
The key is to Simplify.
Kamma is intentional/Volitional action.
It all counts, and we don't get away with anything.
Re-birth?
Leave that be. It either clicks or it doesn't. Again, you can consider this as a definite possibility, or leave it aside and watch others chatting.
you'll soon see many Buddhists are as divided about this as anyone could be, and there is confusion and uncertainty.
Me? I'm open-minded. It could well happen, but I'll only find out at the end, and even then, I won't remember anything about this life, and I won't be able to report back.
Self/Not-Self?
I look at this simplistically too...
I'm a person. An existent, breathing human being (cryin' talkin' sleepin' walkin' Livin' Doll!) And if I hit my thumb with the hammer, it fekkin' hurts.
But I also perceive I'm just a composite of a gadgillion different things, and will one day cease to be....I'm 'non-existent' in the sense that there is nothing representative about how I manifest, that is actually definitive of "who I am"....
Just sit back and absorb, think watch and learn.
It's supposed to be fun and mind-opening, not a challenging ordeal.
I think you are reading too much indeed. Remember, the Buddha also didn't have suttas to help him
For now I'd advise you to focus on meditation and keeping the 5 precepts. Use these two tools to overcome problems you face in or get to face your life. Why do you have these problems or emotions? Use Buddhism and meditation as a means rather than as a goal and it will reveal itself slowly.
Buddhism isn't about intellectual knowledge, I call it outside knowledge. It is about inside knowledge, about understanding yourself. Some people have read countless suttas and don't really know anything while others read almost nothing and really know themselves and are very happy and wise. Those of the last category are those who listened to their heart instead of their thoughts.
You can always ask questions about the more difficult subjects if you want. There are some people around here who really know their stuff and can explain it really well.
With metta,
Sabre
@Sabre & @Federica I didn't see your comments there initially! When I posted this initially, then your comments showed up.
"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." What are the '3 things he cannot do?'
I'll try to check it out.
However, do remember that The Buddha was a human being, a man, as subject to physical pain and impermanence just as much as any other being.
Some claims and accounts are made regarding certain abilities and 'powers' he developed as a Buddha, but I bring it down to this:
He was born, lived, suffered sickness and old age, and died just like anyone else.
Try to not attach too much importance or significance to the stories surrounding him.
Focus on the fact that with dedication and perseverance, practice and focus, he attained enlightenment.
And we are just as open to that as he was.
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Amen to that! At times, it's clear as a bell. At others, it swarms like bees and sometimes the bees sting.
What happens over time, I think, is that the experience that meditation and attention and responsibility provide simply leaves all the "concepts" in the dust. It's like some endless conversation about riding a bike or playing the piano ... having learned to ride or play, the endless conversation is not so necessary.
Be of good cheer -- being "completely lost" means you are open and aware and willing to learn. Having a handle on things has a way of confusing the scene.
Best wishes.
The suttras are usually studied with a teacher, who provides interpretation for the more obscure parts, and discussion. But I've learned a lot from the discussions of suttras presented here. Take what you can, and leave what is over your head. You can't inhale and digest the whole of Buddhist teachings in a few months. Step by step.
Thank you. I am also lost in the vocabulary.
http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/b_gloss2.htm
I know that they are bad but this is what made us what we are. Human and high in the progress of consciousness. It must count for something?! :banghead: