Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Examples: Monday, today, last week, Mar 26, 3/26/04
Welcome home! Please contact lincoln@icrontic.com if you have any difficulty logging in or using the site. New registrations must be manually approved which may take several days. Can't log in? Try clearing your browser's cookies.

We are the mothers of the world

VimalajātiVimalajāti Whitby, Ontario Veteran

In Buddhism, we are the mothers of all.

Even if we do not have children, even if we are male, we give birth to the future as we live the present.

The future is our child, and we are its mothers, regardless of biological childbirthing ability.

The environment is our child. Our peers are our children. The future population of this planet, all of them, each and every one, are our children.

Why? Because we create the future in the present.

We are called to treat the environment with the obligation and duty of a mother with her child. We are called to treat all sentient life with the obligations and duty of a mother with her child.

What kind of child are we raising? Let us pray it be a cakravartin.

BunkslobsterShoshin

Comments

  • lobsterlobster Veteran

    What kind of child are we raising?

    Oh we gets choice!

    I pray for something extra ordinary, maybe even unruly ... few million krill should do
    Ay caramba. Did I go wrong again ...

  • VimalajātiVimalajāti Whitby, Ontario Veteran
    edited May 2018

    @lobster said:

    What kind of child are we raising?

    Oh we gets choice!

    I pray for something extra ordinary, maybe even unruly ... few million krill should do

    As long as you're not going to eat all those krill yourself! =)

    In all seriousness, though, it is very, very hard to treat the world with the responsibility one would have towards a child.

    In the Lotus Sermon, Śākyamunibuddha tells the story of Sadāparibhūtabodhisattva (常不輕菩薩, or "Constant Non-Belittling Bodhisattva"), who decided to treat all sentient beings as the Buddha. It is said that he never said a single disparaging word as part of this profound practice.

    Sadāparibhūtabodhisattva is just a story, but what a story. Imagine being able to truly and honestly say that you have never disparaged anyone in the last month, let alone year. I certainly can't. Too much affliction flying around my life.

    lobster
  • lobsterlobster Veteran

    As long as you're not going to eat all those krill yourself! =)

    Lobsters are cannibals iz true. :3
    I very much like your two posts, both of which recognise the value of inspiration and the reality of our limitations. Both describe very useful training/practices.

    Here is another way of story telling . . .
    https://agileleanlife.com/cognitive-reframing/

  • VimalajātiVimalajāti Whitby, Ontario Veteran
    edited May 2018

    @lobster said:

    As long as you're not going to eat all those krill yourself! =)

    Lobsters are cannibals iz true. :3

    Ah, I confess I did not get the krill joke, initially. Lobsters, baby krill, the motherhood thread.

    I'm slow this morning!

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    @Vimalajāti said:

    @lobster said:

    As long as you're not going to eat all those krill yourself! =)

    Lobsters are cannibals iz true. :3

    Ah, I confess I did not get the krill joke, initially. Lobsters, baby krill, the motherhood thread.

    I'm slow this morning!

    That's definitely one thing you can say about @lobster... he definitely keeps you nippy on your toes!

    kando
  • lobsterlobster Veteran

    The environment is our child. Our peers are our children. The future population of this planet, all of them, each and every one, are our children.

    Ay caramba. Here is my local kestrel-mother, photographed yesterday, poised to kill one of her mothers/children ...
    Dhrama-Rama ... amazing ...

  • VimalajātiVimalajāti Whitby, Ontario Veteran
    edited May 2018

    @lobster said:

    The environment is our child. Our peers are our children. The future population of this planet, all of them, each and every one, are our children.

    Ay caramba. Here is my local kestrel-mother, photographed yesterday, poised to kill one of her mothers/children ...
    Dhrama-Rama ... amazing ...

    Isn't it difficult to say "I love you" to her after she kills one's favourite squirrel?

    Or perhaps the household cat. Samara.

  • TsultrimTsultrim Hawaii Veteran

    More likely the household grasshopper.

    Vimalajāti
  • VimalajātiVimalajāti Whitby, Ontario Veteran

    I hope it isn't a pigeon? I'm not a bird person, and assumed it was a hawk!

    It wouldn't be the first time I was confused online.

  • TsultrimTsultrim Hawaii Veteran

    No it's a hawk but a small one , not to worry. A cat or squirrel would be more than it could handle.
    For that kind of prey, a Great Horned Owl would do nicely.

  • VimalajātiVimalajāti Whitby, Ontario Veteran

    We have osprey near my house. They seem to eat mostly fish.

    lobster
  • lobsterlobster Veteran
    edited May 2018

    Overheard in the Buddha Purelands:

    Bodhi 1: Your mother is a fish!
    Bodhi 2: Your mother is an osprey!

    Both laugh.

    “Since everything is but an apparition, having nothing to do with good or bad, acceptance or rejection, one may well burst out in laughter.”
    ― Mother Longchenpa aka 'The Squirrel'

    Vimalajāti
  • TsultrimTsultrim Hawaii Veteran

    Check your messages.

  • TsultrimTsultrim Hawaii Veteran

    Check your messages, Vimalajati

  • HozanHozan Veteran

    @Tsultrim said:
    Check your messages, Vimalajati

    That is an order. ?

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    @Tsultrim said:
    Check your messages, Vimalajati

    If you need someone's attention, please precede the member's name with the 'at' symbol.

    like this:

    @Tsultrim

    Providing they have that alert switched on in their settings, it's the quickest way for them to receive notification that someone is trying to reach them.

  • VimalajātiVimalajāti Whitby, Ontario Veteran

    Terribly sorry, I work a midnight shift and generally sleep 6am-2pm. If the website said I was online it was probably my phone, because I checked this website during my break. We will continue our conversation via PM.

  • TsultrimTsultrim Hawaii Veteran

    Great, @Vimalajati.

Sign In or Register to comment.