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SpinyNorman
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I would say that Nirvana might be the stated goal of the monks in your temple, but it's certainly not the goal of other schools or the vast majority of lay Buddhists. So for a lot of us, the goal is instead realizing our Buddha-nature or Clear Mind…
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the term used in the Pali translations and in Theravada is "becoming" or "re-becoming", not even rebirth. According to the teaching of dependent origination bhava ( the process of becoming in the 3 realms ) leads to jati ( physical birth ). Becau…
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Nirvana doesn't necessarily imply rebirth. Though traditionally it means the end of rebirth.
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My question is, is it worth it, in your opinion, to pay the money for the experience of eating meals and spending the night with the retreaters? I know all of them already, we are part of the same smallish Sangha. The teachings end at dinner time …
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so the question comes down to : should i try to focus on something by trying to be in present moment - or - should i just have this diffused type of sitting, in which i am trying not to do anything? It sounds like you've been doing formless meditat…
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In the same way, Nirvana both classically described and in popular thought is "nothingness" where you go to after death if you've graduated from the prison of karma and rebirth. ....Nirvana as a concept was dragged along into Buddhism, like the con…
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As far as not knowing the best way to go about helping- that is a cop out. Not atall. In Buddhism there is the idea of skillful means, or compassion informed by wisdom. The world is such that there will always be a great deal of unmet need, we…
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Yeh, I'm glad we punch above our weight. So we lost all those people in Iraq and Afghanistan, and then we find that the London 7/7 bombers in London grew up in England, probably radicalised as a result of our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. …
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If you can't give help without judgement, then it's no help at all -- it's ego & control. I think that's a bit harsh. I think for most of us there's a feeling of wanting to help but not being sure of the best way to go about it.
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We are a tiny army in comparison with the US, yet we punch far above our weight. And is that a good thing? ;)
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Memory loss is a good example of how we are not our thoughts, one may live a life of cruel intentions and terrible deeds, and with the blink of an eye, lose all memory of these past events......and therefore NOT this person who did these things. I…
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I do think it's funny how Tibetan Buddhists are heavily invested in Lama worship when it comes to their own particular Tulku, think the Dalai Lama is an enlightened protector, and it's wrong to question anything a Lama says or does...unless that La…
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An analogy: somebody could live an unhealthy lifestyle for a long period of time and then begin to suffer poor health as a consequence....but those health problems could be reduced if that person began living a more healthy lifestyle. I think I unde…
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Thanks for all your responses. Another question about karma if I may. Is it possible to "cleanse" previous bad karma? Or does one have to wait for the inevitable suffering as a cost of previous bad karma? An analogy: somebody could live an unhealt…
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what exactly is 'here and now'? can there be 'here and now' without Right Understanding/Right View/Samma Ditti? Being more fully in the present is a means for developing mindfulness.
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...would it be a stretch to think the whole point of the Buddha's teaching was to put an end to the notion of rebirth which was believed to be a literal fact? Yes. :p
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@Invincible_summer -- On the one hand there are the Hindus observing aptly that a man who wants to find water does not dig 100 shallow holes, he digs one deep one. Yes, but if one begins to dig and then hits an outcrop of rock it might be better to…
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What is the general motivation for giving money? Is it to make them feel better or appease our own guilt? It's very tricky. I used to give money regularly to a guy who begged but it became obvious he was spending it on alchohol, so I stopped.
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There are a couple different variations though I believe. It is a Tibetan Buddhist practice. My teacher practices and encourages it. When I was with Rigpa I got about a fifth of the way through the various 100,000 accumulations over a period of yea…
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@SpinyNorman Would you say we recognise the pattern? That would make it quite rational. It seems perhaps, it is a subconscious or superconscious recognition that we become aware of but not the underlying or over-layered patterns . . .? Maybe it's t…
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So yes, one can learn all one needs to learn to be a practicing Buddhist without actually wading through the suttas/sutras themselves.... I agree with you there, but I'd still recommend anyone with a serious interest in Buddhism to spend some time …
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Some think being a Buddhist consists of nothing more than parroting a few quotes and spouting incomprehensible jargon to show off their superior knowledge. Hmmm. I'd rather listen to sutta quotes than misguided personal opinions. :p "misguided…
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Sweet. As long as that attitude doesn't mutate into an anti-intellectual attitude of: "reading is useless and pointless, just follow what's inside of you naturally". Absolutely. And according to Buddhist teaching we're all deluded anyway. ;)
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But even defining 'intuition' is difficult.... Yes, it seems to mean different things to different people. I think at a basic level intuition is just learning from experience, recognising patterns.
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It's what you emanate from the inside, rather than absorb externally, right? It's both really.
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Because I find it more profound, more applicable, more meaningful to speak of the principles, teachings and ideals of Buddhism (or ANY spiritual path or philosophy), in our own current everyday language, because we are living in the current everyday…
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Some think being a Buddhist consists of nothing more than parroting a few quotes and spouting incomprehensible jargon to show off their superior knowledge. Hmmm. I'd rather listen to sutta quotes than misguided personal opinions. :p "misguided…
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Some think being a Buddhist consists of nothing more than parroting a few quotes and spouting incomprehensible jargon to show off their superior knowledge. Hmmm. I'd rather listen to sutta quotes than misguided personal opinions. :p
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So you're saying that something happening on a subatomic level has nothing to do with reality? I think it's more there are different rules for different scales. At the sub-atomic level the rules of quantum mechanics apply, at our level the rules o…
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I know that it's more important to find what practice works best for me than to feel the need to identify with a particular tradition/school, but I'm beginning to wonder if one's practice would be deeper if a specific tradition was followed more clo…
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Did the buddha say it was a coincidence that we come back as a human or that it was due to virtuous deeds? In the suttas beings are described as re-appearing in various realms ( including the human realm ) according to their actions, ie kamma. And…
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"Insight can’t be found in sutras, commentaries, verbal expression, or —isms. Liberation and awakened understanding can’t be found by devoting ourselves to the study of the Buddhist scriptures. This is like trying to find fresh water in dry bones. R…
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But secular Buddhism still is about impermanence (observing the arising and ceasing of phenomena), compassion, dependent origination, meditation, the 4 Nobles & 8-fold Path, non-attachment, achieving equanimity. But that's a very Theravada-ori…
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For those of us who want to practice Buddhism in a stripped-down, basic way, does that make this like Protestant Buddhism? I don't think this is straightforward because Buddhism is always expressed through the culture of time and place, and modern B…
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Wiki definition of mystic is someone who seeks through contemplation and Self surrender to obtain unity with the deity or absolute. That sounds like a good description of a Buddhist if one leaves out "the deity". :p
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For those of us who want to practice Buddhism in a stripped-down, basic way, does that make this like Protestant Buddhism? I don't think this is straightforward because Buddhism is always expressed through the culture of time and place, and modern B…
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@SpinyNorman, I believe what Jeffrey is saying is that when you start meditation, first you start out by calming the mind (and body, for that matter); you don't just immediately jump into having insight without first stilling yourself in order to "s…
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We can use dictionaries to define skepticism, but do we really have to? What I see as skepticism is the usual interpretation of not taking on ideas blindly, but needing proof. I think it's important to consider the actual meaning of a word like sk…
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You are attempting to portray skepticism as even-handed and objective, but it's actually a subtle form of aversion. This is clearly demonstrated by the definition and synonyms for skepticism above, which show that skepticism is characterised by i…
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Meditation on the breath opens out to insight because eventually the mind perceives the nature of mind itself. It sounds like you're describing tranquillity as a basis for insight? Samatha as a basis for vipassana?
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The most important question for me with my own skepticism is, is it manifesting as attachment or not? Yes, it's a good question, and I think we all get attached to views - and of course views can stem from disbelief as well as belief.
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Apparently a tendency toward disbelief is not included in these definitions. I am even more convinced that a degree of healthy skepticism is a function of right view. Did you see the list of synonyms? Synonyms: distrust, distrustfulness, dubiety, du…
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meanwhile, in London.... :screwy: Yes, I was somewhat bemused when I heard this on the news. Maybe the RCs need a gay pope? :p
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Moreover, according to the Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines, the Pali term vicikiccha, which is often translated as 'skeptical doubt' and 'uncertainty,' is described in the Visuddhimagga as "the lack of desire to think (things out i.e. to com…
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No, I'm saying that the middle way is between ( above? ) skepticism and blind belief - an open mind. I guess I just don't agree that skepticism is the opposite of blind belief. Skepticism means a tendency towards doubt and disbelief - which is …
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In my eyes, skepticism is nothing more (and nothing less) than the application of "critical thinking". What could be wrong with that? See here for definitions of skepticism: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skepticism Note the primary…
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^ You have to be a little careful of that. People have a tendency to see less logic is the view that is opposite than their own. So do you think the arguments against gay marriage are logical? If I can believe that all 227 bhikkhu precepts are o…
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I'm not going to answer your black-and-white questions, nor your I'll ask it the narrow-most way I can so he'll give the answer I want questions. You know better. I'm asking a straightforward question, it's a shame you can't answer it.
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Spiritual awakening is bigger than dogmatic Buddhism. Skepticism can be very dogmatic. At an extreme it can be. Your position seems to be that there is no room for skepticism in the middle way. Which is extreme. No, I'm saying that the middle way…