Best Of
Re: Liberation for all sentient beings
Can you help liberate other sentient beings when you have not finished working on one's self?
Sometimes, guidance on the path arrives in unexpected forms.
One may even learn profound lessons from the mistakes of others.
Even if a practitioner is not yet enlightened, they can still guide others who are just beginning the path. The teachings may not be flawless, but sincere effort and intention still plant the seeds of understanding. In time, newcomers find their own footing, and sometimes, the imperfect teacher learns just as much through the act of teaching.
As an old Indian sage once said, “If you don’t feel that you are enlightened, you can always try to be.”
Shoshin1
Re: Just for fun: the random, useless announcements thread!
First snowfall of the season here. Only about 1 inch, but more will inevitably follow. Winter comes and the snow falls by itself - no need to stress over it.
Saw a squirrel on the bird feeder today, doing shikan taza for about 20 minutes - equal to my own average session. How is this different from human shikan taza? For one thing, the squirrel is not likely to be thinking about whether human shikan taza is the real thing or not. No monkey mind there?
I had a friend who held that squirrels would give rise to the next dominant life form on earth, after the humans die off from their own mistakes. I'm not sure that they will be any wiser than we are, unfortunately. They seem to be at least our match in delusional egotism.
Fosdick
Re: Ego and Buddhism
Do you think its wrong to cry if your parents die? or your own children? Do you think the right way is to not shed one tear?
Ric
Re: Ego and Buddhism
ZidNo problem Ric,
Thanks for the article. It really doesnt speak to me. Let go of your ego to embrace this "other power" and be a vessel for that. It seems like the answer to "how do you become the best race car driver?" is to give up being a race car driver and move on to more "important" things. I also dont go into all the Bodhichitta aspect, it just doesnt appeal to me.
I thought the article was good, especially the great metaphors used. Anyway it made sense to me and I could relate to what it was saying.
Metta to all sentient beings
zidangus
Re: Ego and Buddhism
Thanissaro Bikkhu has a different outlook.....Interesting article.
I think he doesn't have a different outlook, but just emphasizes it should not be the main teaching, like teachers such as Tolle and Adyashanti always do. They keep talking about the ego all the time, like it is the force of all evil. If you think you ARE the ego, you begin to think you are the force of all evil.. And I can agree with Thanissaro Bhikkhu on that, of course this is not a very Buddhist way, because we should also be able to love ourselves and to hear about our bad ego every day could get us depressed.
But in the end it all just depends on what you call ego. Do you call the ego you yourself and everything you are or is ego the view that you are a separate self? There is a difference here. That's why in Buddhism the word ego isn't really used that often, but we use non-self instead. That might change a word, avoiding confusions, but doesn't really change the essence of the teachings.
Sabre
Re: My Dharma practice today
Yesterday:
- 15 min run.
- helped mom with her bike and phone for 2 hours (sila, generosity).
- evening routine: 20 min meditation, journaling, meditating and spiritual reading in bed.
- Due to being tired and cranky, made some fuckups (anger, ill-will, 'Im right and you're wrong') but corrected them as best I could and as soon as I could. As I'm finding, this correcting a wrong as best I can and as soon as I can is tremendously beneficial practice.
I recently moved to a new appartment. I have two rooms. I've made a rule that the bedroom is a no internet / no phone zone. Since I still don't have a couch, and the bed serves as a couch for now, this is just in the evening, but in the future it will be all day.
With no phone / internet, once I start my evening routine, I feel a great sense of relief and groundedness. It's like I've left the world behind now, after giving it my best effort during the day, have now put down the troubles of the world, and can concentrate on what's most important. I also fall asleep much quicker.
I can reccomend making a physical space and / or a block of time an internet-free zone.
marcitko