Best Of
Re: No Buddhist Quotes
“One of the mystics, one of the greatest, was Kabir. He has written... when he was young, he wrote two lines: ”My friend, I was searching and searching for the truth. I never found the truth; on the contrary the seeker, the searcher disappeared – just as if a dewdrop had fallen into the ocean.”
When he was old, he corrected his statement. He said, ”My friend, seeking and searching the truth, I have not found the truth; I have lost myself. The seeker is gone as if the ocean has disappeared into the dewdrop.”
The second comes from a more mature, from a more conscious, more alert Kabir. But whatever way you see it – the dewdrop disappearing into the ocean or the ocean disappearing into the dewdrop – it means exactly the same.
The real and authentic religious search is not of finding, but of losing – the idea of finding is still greed. The idea of finding the truth or God or the ultimate still carries something of greed.
The true mystic, the true religious person, is finding a way to lose himself, how not to be – because those few chosen ones who have attained to the state of ‘not to be’ have experienced the greatest ecstasy possible. From ‘to be’ towards ‘not to be’ is the pilgrimage.”
Jeroen
Re: What do you think of modern movies?
I liked The Hobbit trilogy. Sure, it was far from perfect even by the standards of someone like me who never read LotR and is just generally not a fan of fantasy, but it entertained me. That something the LotR movies never really managed to do. I know people love those. I know they're extremely popular and in their own ways probably great movies as well, I just never really understood the appeal of a fantasy world that takes itself so seriously. In contrast The Hobbit was silly and filled with CGI and drawn out, sure, but all those adventures and the dragon and the character development made me feel like a child in a world that's filled with strange and exciting things. LotR is not the kind of fantasy that's supposed to bring out your inner child, it's the kind of fantasy I think that is meant to be a more immersive, unforgettable experience for those who make a sport out of escapism and also a gateway to such in case anyone is interested in exploring a detailed fictional world with the analytical mindset of an adult. That's how I see it, I might feel differently about it once I read the books, but long walks, big battles and heroic protagonists were never really my thing.
RobinH
Re: Meditation and mental health
@silent (welcome!)
Watch video on YouTube Error 153 Video player configuration error
To avoid the above message when posting from youtube hosted videos
Just post everything before the ? from the share part of the youtube source
so your post becomes https://youtu.be/Nu5N5rxpdTA
lobster
Re: From Seeker to Scholar, and Back Again?
Exactly so @Lionduck
Buddhism is a wisdom tradition but we bring all the things you mentioned to it.
Not all Buddhists are awake or even wise. Yet the tools and potential is there.
We distill, question, seek, realize - awaken
https://brainwisemind.com/which-spiritual-path-is-right-for-me/
lobster
Re: "Buddha's Teachings" - in 1,000 years, how will they know?
Many things already distorted since centuries ago. I am from Southeast Asia and our community think generosity is a core factor in Buddha's teaching. Praying to Buddha images and offering food and water to them is essential part of being a good Buddhist and so on. There are many places women cannot go even though Buddha said there is no such thing as men or women etc., However, some core meditation practice exist only followed by a subset of community and some people even think you are crazy or unbalance if you practice meditation regularly. Sad truth.
silent
Re: I'm Thankful For...
I am grateful for:
- wild turkeys and free range anything
- ability to be grateful
- simple pleasures eg. the sun is shining
- living in a safe place
- people, they all try to be or do good, even if only partially
lobster