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Re: Martial Arts and Buddhism - Is it acceptable?
At least its not another thread about vegetarianism or hunting bringing the heat this time. 
person
Re: Martial Arts and Buddhism - Is it acceptable?
@SpinyNorman said:
@lobster said:. Advanced stuff but is the goal for some great martial artists.
The vast majority of people who do martial arts are not "great" and don't do it as a spiritual practice. Again with the cliched romanticism.
Yes, well the vast majority of martial artists are not Buddhist either.
Since when are we talking about the vast majority of martial artists? This is about martial arts and Buddhism, not martial arts and the vast majority that are not Buddhist.
Re: Martial Arts and Buddhism - Is it acceptable?
@lobster said:. Advanced stuff but is the goal for some great martial artists.
The vast majority of people who do martial arts are not "great" and don't do it as a spiritual practice. Again with the cliched romanticism.
Re: Martial Arts and Buddhism - Is it acceptable?
@seeker242 said: I did Akido and Tai chi for a little while. I never punched or kicked anyone!
But I'm sure you learned to throw people in akido. As I observed earlier soft martial arts like this might be more appropriate.
Re: lasting presence in the shortest time possible without going through a "dark night of the soul"
Perhaps enlightenment is only limited by our attempts to possess that which we have never been apart from.
Is more time needed than the only moment we have ever been able to practice within?
How to describe to a prisoner that the only jailer was themselves?
how
Re: lasting presence in the shortest time possible without going through a "dark night of the soul"
Would it help to see the soul expanded to include all of the suffering in the world? There is enough suffering to wake us all right now.
What are we waiting for, Sam?
Gate Gate Paragate Para Sam Gate, Bodhi Svaha!
Gate Gate Paragate Para Sam Gate, Bodhi Svaha!
Gate Gate Paragate Para Sam Gate, Bodhi Svaha!
Re: as we progress …
@lobster said:
Good points from @FleaMarket, who may have it all totally wrong, which is a right … 😵💫
According to those who encounter me, I've never been quite right and they've never been quite wrong. Why start now? 
Re: as we progress …
It could be you're right. However nobody else could live exactly from your perspective. As far as seeing things from different angles is concerned, we hit the jackpot.
Re: as we progress …
@Jeroen said:
I was just reading this article, and it seems to me that no two spiritual traditions seem to agree on what enlightenment is. Given that, why not have fun extra definitions such as the one in the article. Enlightenment in 45 days as an easily-learned shift in perception, sounds great! What would it mean for Buddhism though if it were true?
Adyashanti also says something like that, that enlightenment is more akin to a shift in perspective. But he doesn’t call it easy, and has talked a lot about the consequences, aftermath, temporary and sometimes halfway nature of it.
I had almost the exact opposite reaction. To me it took something important and valuable to work towards in Buddhism and diminished it to something pretty mundane. It may be true (the article notes that the research isn't peer reviewed) that there is a common "enlightenment" experience that is much more accessible to people. But just because the article and Buddhism use the same word doesn't mean they're pointing to the same moon.
person
Re: Have I ever truly meditated?
Guessing as long as it takes to get it right?? Then perception should shift?
Indeed. Most sangha, one of the three jewels, practice concentrated awareness. Not introspection, mind stream wandering. Not hyper ventilation dancing or similar, get them high, flim flam …
So single minded, single purposed focussed concentration is 'good at the start, good in the middle and good in the end'
lobster