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Re: Maitreya — an AI Buddha?
A boulder, no matter how often awash in river waters, will never turn into a seed.
The Dalai Lama did say something quite fascinating once: if a being had the karma to be born in such a body, it would be.
Meaning, if we made some sort of vessel for a consciousness to alight, it's possible we could be inviting someone in to the cosmic-party via such a vessel.
Not the same as inventing/constructing/creating consciousness. More like, consciousness simply is, and it needs a house-with-windows to enter into.
the issue of interiority is well noted, how the roots of a plant are the genius-loci of the organism itself, i wonder what that looks to be for a robot-with-consciousness-capacity?
But anyway, don't let me feed your wishfulness, the current state of LLMs is closer to water sliding down a bumpy surface than it is to some being experiencing something, and relaying experiences back n forth.
All that said, the membrane between "self and other" is rather porous. It would be a good use of energy to keep a bunch of virtuous monks on staff at the data center. I'm confident their strength would permeate into the rest of the apparatus. But try explaining that to overconfident materialist-extremists! 
august
Re: Benefits of a Loving Mind
@august said:
Hi everybodyBuddha Shakyamuni spoke about the benefits of a lovingmind and in fact, Maitreya will attain complete unsurpassed awakening through the practice of metta or lovingkindness!
I would love to discuss metta with you.
love or metta in tantra is to weave together. in zen i try to weave wisdom of the earth with loving ways of bodhi. in example of a tantric act a tebetan seeker lore of meeting maitreya. he was walking and saw a wounded dog. the dog had maggets on him. the tibetan man acted with out thought of self, deeply moved and save the dog and magget
by using his tougue and transported the magget and in my version on his hand and carried the magget to a dead corpse. the dog transform into maytree-awe the one the tibet man was looking for. and maytreeawe says to find me in u was love absent a ego fear. from your natural boshi you were one with awareness, instinct born of loveing way to solve a problem
the leesen trust your bodhi that instinctively weeve wisdom and lovingkind ways. there is the guru mayteeawe reside in u as a tibet tantra.
Re: Is it better to believe in one life or in many?
The universe would not be what it is, if we weren’t what we are. An essential part of the whole.
Jeroen
Re: Is it better to believe in one life or in many?
We are all of the dust of the stars. We are each and all part of Life and the Universe inseparable.
This should make us humble.
This should empower us.
It does.
Lionduck
Re: Buddhist quotes
“Gautam Buddha used to say to every monk after initiating him, only one thing, for forty-two years continuously. And he must have initiated thousands and thousands of people. After accepting the person as his disciple, he would say only one thing:
Charaiveti, charaiveti.
It is a Pali word. It means, "Now walk on. Never stop; walk on. Howsoever beautiful the experience is, remember: much more is waiting for you ahead."
Charaiveti, charaiveti.
Just go on.
Experience everything, be thankful, but don't stop and never expect the same experience
again, because that is blocking your path for greater experiences.”
Jeroen
Re: Funny Stuff
@person
That hits too close to home. It should be funny, but is instead infuriatingly and terrifyingly on point.
Lionduck
Re: Is it better to believe in one life or in many?
One of the reasons two or more understandings are possible as mentioned by @Nerida is because we move, flip, mature, grow up, give up, move on etc.
Is it all about us. Yes. Until we have woke the inherent simplicity of Enlightenment, we are liable to change.
Once changed we are likely to change others, move, flip, mature, grow up, give up, move on etc...
Tee Hee!
lobster
Re: Being a light unto yourself
I have found that, whilst I question my path A LOT, since I have started attending a Sangha in person, teachings and events in person while taking my Refuge Vows daily each morning and evening, I am starting to understand myself and hopefully the Dharma better each day. It's still hard and I still make mistakes, but I'm starting to see real, tangible changes in my day to day life. I'm starting to trust myself more and think that perhaps I'm starting to get the hang of it _ /|\ _
Nerida