Best Of
Re: Gone since 2012. I'm back
As far as shortcomings are concerned, we all have those. Most of them have specific antidotes, but unless you’re willing to get specific it’s hard to share remedies. I understand not everyone is willing to talk about their issues online, and would rather do so 1-on-1 with a teacher. That is what the personal mail feature is for, I guess. But I am just an amateur, though I know a few things.
On the more general front, I found contemplating this list from @pegembara to be very helpful, it showed me a number of things I did well and a number of places where I fell short… it is a list of blessings that functions as a kind of roadmap to good behaviour.
The 38 Highest Blessings
To avoid the company of fools: Steering clear of those who are unethical or unwise.
To associate with the wise: Surrounding yourself with people who encourage spiritual and moral growth.
To honour those worthy of honour: Respecting parents, teachers, and elders.
To live in a suitable place: Residing in an environment conducive to ethical and safe living.
To have done good deeds in the past: Enjoying the fruits of past merits while continuing to build more.
To set oneself on the right path: Directing your life toward virtue and wisdom.
To have a good education: Cultivating both general and moral knowledge.
To be proficient at work: Mastering a craft or profession to support yourself ethically.
To follow a code of discipline: Practicing moral restraint, such as the Five Precepts.
To practice pleasant speech: Using words that are true, kind, and beneficial.
To support your parents: Caring for father and mother with gratitude.
To cherish your spouse and children: Fulfilling duties toward your immediate family.
To have peaceful occupations: Engaging in work that does not cause harm.
To be charitable: Practicing generosity and giving to others.
To practice virtuous conduct: Living a life of moral integrity.
To help your relatives: Providing assistance to extended family and friends.
To perform blameless actions: Engaging in socially and ethically responsible deeds.
To shun evil: Avoiding unwholesome and harmful behaviours.
To abstain from evil: Actively refraining from negative speech and actions.
To refrain from intoxicants: Avoiding substances that cloud the mind.
To be diligent in righteousness: Staying steadfast in following the teachings (Dhamma).
To have reverence: Showing deep respect for the Triple Gem and spiritual mentors.
To be humble: Avoiding pride and conceit.
To be content: Being satisfied with what one has.
To be grateful: Recognising and returning the kindness of others.
To hear the teachings at the right time: Listening to the Dhamma on appropriate occasions.
To have patience: Enduring hardships and difficulties with equanimity.
To be amenable to correction: Being open to advice and self-improvement.
To see holy persons: Meeting monks or spiritually realised teachers.
To discuss the teachings: Engaging in spiritual dialogue at suitable times.
To practice self-restraint: Controlling the senses and desires through meditation or discipline.
To live a noble/holy life: Adhering to the Noble Eightfold Path.
To realise the Four Noble Truths: Penetrating the deep reality of suffering and its end.
To attain Nibbana: Reaching the ultimate goal of liberation from suffering.
To have a mind unshaken by worldly events: Remaining calm amidst gain/loss, praise/blame, etc.
To have a mind free from sorrow: Living without grief or distress.
To have an undefiled mind: Keeping the mind free from greed, hatred, and delusion.
To have a secure mind: Attaining a state of ultimate peace and safety
Jeroen
Re: What do you think of modern movies?
@Jeroen said:
I think we should talk a little about Disney’s Star Wars. I thought The Force Awakens was vaguely ok, The Last Jedi was terrible, and The Rise of Skywalker was if anything even worse. All the spin-offs barring only Rogue One were poor and disappointing. They’ve been at the helm for fourteen years now, and if anything it’s been getting worse lately.Disney spent 4.05 billion dollars on acquiring Star Wars, and for me, they’ve succeeded in tarnishing whatever bright memories I had of the brand. I grew up with the original trilogy, even had some of the toys, and even though I was never a hardcore fan I enjoyed them a lot. Now I get irritated even with the original trilogy, the awfulness of the remembered efforts at a backstory just makes me shudder.
On the whole, I think Disney failed to understand what made Star Wars cool, failed to understand the story’s appeal and mythical quality, and instead just fed it into a content production machine and ran it into the ground. Sad but there you are.
I'm more or less onboard with that, I'd also give a nod to Skeleton Crew as a Goonies style kids adventure. Rogue One and Andor had a different vibe than the rest of the franchise that I loved. Andor is maybe the best TV I've seen since Game of Thrones. I recently dropped my Disney+ account as the Marvel content has dropped off as well.
person
Re: Good news
@federica
The order of the Day, Week,Year.....STAY UPRIGHT, BREATHING AND ABOVE GROUND!
Lionduck
Re: Good news
I'm upright, breathing, and above ground. Having had a death of a loved one, and two other deaths of friends' husbands - in the space of 5 months - that is something I am astoundingly grateful for.
Well, it's good news to me, anyway! 😁
federica
Re: Into Death
Just a brief reflection:
Too many look at death as an end.
Death is the return to the state of non-being, not non-existence.
we have the cycle of this which we call "life". - Birth, Growth, Maturity, Decline, death
Here death does not mean end. The Buddhist term is KU.
We can use the analogy of a wave upon the ocean. A wave appears upon the ocean, rises, crests, falls, the dissipates back into the ocean. although the individual wave appears to have arisen and fallen back to disappear into the ocean, it remains a part of the ocean. It has not gone. It has merely returned to a latent state.
Our lives are like the waves, arising from the the "Great Ocean" of life, to raise, crest, fall back into the ocean. Then to rise again, to repeat the cycle as a new wave each time.
Where did you emerge from to be born? There you return to, there is ku. The memories of this life fade away. Yet your essence (Certain faiths call it soul) carries forward , the sum total of your chain of causes carries into your next existence as what is commonly called "Karma". The Karma Storehouse is often called the Eighth Consciousness overlaid upon the Ninth consciousness known as the State or consciousness of Buddha.
We may fear death or yearn for death as an end, from nothing to nothing. That arises from our fundamental ignorance as to the nature of life itself and the true nature of death. If/when you understand the nature of death, you understand the nature of life. thus the fear of life or death or yearning for death disappears. Ku ceases to be a dark hole or a wall and reveals itself to be part of the wave and the great ocean itself.
Peace to all
Lionduck