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The longing for enlightenment
Due to a change in circumstances I now have a different layout to my mornings, and as a result I have embarked on a re-reading of Nisargadatta Maharaj's book 'I Am That', which you can download freely as a pdf from the internet.
One of the things he said is that a longing for enlightenment and an earnestness are the most important elements in the search, that if you have these they will take you swiftly towards your goal. That any form of practice was just form for this longing, and that even without practice sitting and focussing on the longing itself would ensure your progress. But also that if you practice without this longing, then the practice would not help.
I found this insightful and also that it fits with Buddhist practice, where the bodhicitta is also meant to take one towards enlightenment. That longing is one of the very last desires to give up. The other thing that I liked about this chapter from 'I Am That' was that he said that the very idea of enlightenment was like a seed planted in the spirit, which would eventually come to fruition.
So a very useful pointer, to keep the longing for enlightenment in your mind, and not to focus too much on the practice.
Jeroen
Re: Buddhism, women and the goddess
@Jeroen said:
It seems people are quick to take offense…
I'm not offended. None intended. None taken. I'm not inclined to being quick to take offense, but I read something that doesn't seem quite right.
but never mind, it’s not important.
It was important enough to post in the first place, wasn't it?
You've posted things in this thread, that don't seem quite right, in my experience. I'm offering discussion about what you posted.
Re: The longing for enlightenment
This is the typical view of those who have been drawn towards the faith/devotional approach to Buddhist practice over the alternatives of meditative practice or scriptural study.
I have hope for practitioners who end up seeing these three paths more as companion options than as being better or worse than each other.
how
Re: Buddhism, women and the goddess
May all beings be free of ignorance and discrimination.
I personally like and know three female Buddhist teachers: Ayya Vayama, Lama Tsondru and Damcho.
I have noticed a dominance of men, but I am open always to wise people, do not care about their sex. It is unfortunate people still discriminate on these grounds, getting further away from wisdom.
Peace!
Kotishka
Re: Buddhism, women and the goddess
Thus have I heard: According to some Chinese theory, women are 99% spiritual and 1% non-spiritual.
Men are 1% Spiritual and 99% non-spiritual.
However, it is just as difficult for a woman to overcome her final 1%, as it is for a man to overcome his entire 99%.
Make of that what you will.
I have also heard that for a heterosexual woman, it is hard to grasp that her dating pool (the remaining 50% of the population) also contains her only natural constant predator.
I have often endured prejudice, either unconsciously or deliberately applied.
And the news that the Buddha was reluctant to permit women into the sangha, is hearsay.
I believe he had no prejudice.
I also believe many of his followers - who submitted his teachings in writing - were prejudiced. So they imposed their own inclinations on the matter.
That some Schools make things more difficult for women is no surprise. It's been going on for millennia, and is still going on today.
I mean, the #MeToo movement is relatively recent, isn't it?
The Catholic church has an inhumane and appalling record of its treatment of women.
Westerners object and criticise the Muslim stance on how Islam treats women, yet under their very noses, Socially, in Commerce, and Religion, The West is just as culpable.
It's getting tiresome.
We require of male sympathisers to talk less, and act more.
Thanks.
federica
Re: The Other Elephant In The Room
UNICEF spokesperson James Elder who's in Gaza
This is not a war on terror, it is looking more like an all out terror attack by the Israeli government itself, terrorising and massacring innocent men, women and children....whilst the world stands by and lets it happen...
An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind
~Mahatma Gandhi~
Shoshin1
Re: On giving unsolicited advice
This is not a clear "Yes" or "No"
Circumstance, your relationship with the intended recipient, mental or emotional state of both giver and the receiver must be weighed.
What makes it dangerous ground is the fact that, when given, it is when the intended recipient is not in the mood to receive advice not asked for.
As @federica brought out, in different words, you are potentially walking through a minefield, treading upon egg shells.
Having set off a few mines and broken my share of egg shells, my advice is, if you insist, proceed with utmost caution and wear a flameproof/bombproof outfit.
Other than that, not a problem 
Or as my dog would say, SQUIRREL!
Peace to all
Lionduck
Re: On giving unsolicited advice
On giving unsolicited advice
Take my advice...I don't use it anyway...
Any advice I might offer others must be the same advice I would take if I found myself in a similar situation to those whom I advised....
Shoshin1
Re: Buddhism, women and the goddess
Buddhism, women and the goddess
The Dharma as I have come to understand it, goes 'beyond' the culturally conditioned hang ups which sadly are still prevalent today in some Buddhist traditions, schools and sects, which favour male over female ...
From what I gather, in the ultimate sense Dharma practice itself transcends gender & sex......however, in the conventional world old habits die hard, some male practitioners still 'cling' to the "us & them" mentality of separateness/division...
According to the twenty-fifth chapter of the Lotus Sutra, one of the most popular sacred texts in the Buddhist canon, describes thirty-three specific manifestations that Guanyin can assume to assist other beings seeking salvation. These forms encompass a Buddha, a pratyekabuddha, an arhat, King Brahma, Sakra (Indra), Isvara, Mahesvara (Shiva), a great heavenly general, Vaiśravaṇa, a Cakravartin, a minor king, an elder, a householder, a chief minister, a Brahmin, a bhikkhu, a bhikkhunī, a Upāsaka, a Upāsikā, a wife, a young boy, a young girl, a deva, a nāga, a yaksha, a gandharva, an asura, a garuḍa, a kinnara, a Mahoraga, a human, a non-human and Vajrapani.
Shoshin1