Best Of
Re: Too much letting go redux
Ask yourself this question.
If you go to sleep tonight and never wake up again, would it be OK?
If the answer is NO, you haven't let go enough!
When this was said, the Blessed One addressed the monks. "Whoever develops mindfulness of death, thinking, 'O, that I might live for a day & night... for a day... for the interval that it takes to eat a meal... for the interval that it takes to swallow having chewed up four morsels of food, that I might attend to the Blessed One's instructions. I would have accomplished a great deal' — they are said to dwell heedlessly. They develop mindfulness of death slowly for the sake of ending the effluents.
"But whoever develops mindfulness of death, thinking, 'O, that I might live for the interval that it takes to swallow having chewed up one morsel of food... for the interval that it takes to breathe out after breathing in, or to breathe in after breathing out, that I might attend to the Blessed One's instructions. I would have accomplished a great deal' — they are said to dwell heedfully. They develop mindfulness of death acutely for the sake of ending the effluents.
"Therefore you should train yourselves: 'We will dwell heedfully. We will develop mindfulness of death acutely for the sake of ending the effluents.' That is how you should train yourselves."
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an06/an06.019.than.html
Re: How is dependent origination different than determinism?
Just a thought.
Dependent Origination is an explanation of the chain of causality which brings one to one's current position/place with all the wrappings and trailings therein. It is not a chain of suffering, although suffering may or will be inclusive in that chain. It merely states, "This is how you got here." However, you, we do have the power to direct our future karma from this point on. Some, we may have little control over, but much we have tremendous control over, as individuals. We each create, each within ourselves, the basic condition of gain, happiness or loss, suffering. We each can choose to fill an immense storehouse of the heart, celebrating this treasure and joy of life. It is a deliberate choice, regardless of outward appearances or perceptions. We see in the real world examples of people who seem to have little but their lives are full of appreciation, wonder, compassion - LIFE. We also have examples of people who seem to materially have a great deal yet are poor in life's being. They can not appreciate what they have in lif and find trinket and baubles to take their mind off their poverty of life.
Your karma is where you are at this moment. Your future karma is under your direction.
Peace to all
Lionduck
Modern Trauma
For a while I've had a sort of instinctive reaction against some of the ways trauma is being used and talked about today. This 5 minute segment of The Psychology Podcast gets to the heart of my objection. Its not that trauma doesn't exist, its that it gets presented in a way that traps people in a victim narrative, rather than teaching them to grow and learn.
...By going deep into that (trauma) as a victim, they're disempowering themselves and that's a problem, you know. Because then they're not accessing their inner core strength and belief in themselves...
In addition to that a quote of the day on the Insight Timer app came up that related to this. 
By telling yourself the story that you've been traumatized rather than you've overcome or grown creates a narrative in your mind of what the world is like. A specific example that sticks in my mind was in the Dan Harris interview with Gabor Mate, where he talks about the trauma of his youth leading him to strive and become a therapist. Its a true story, but is that story he tells himself more true than a story of gratitude about your success in life and a desire to let go of the suffering that striving causes any less true? And which story in the present lends itself to a happier more meaningful state of mind?
person
Re: The Other Elephant In The Room
Democracy Now
U.S. Hypocrisy Laid Bare as Biden Admin Claims ICC Can’t Prosecute Israel for War Crimes
The Biden administration is claiming the International Criminal Court has no jurisdiction to charge Israeli officials for war crimes. This comes after rumors that the ICC may be close to issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials over possible crimes in Gaza. The International Court of Justice has rejected a request by Nicaragua to order Germany to halt exporting arms to Israel, but the court declined to throw out the case. For more, we speak with human rights attorney and war crimes prosecutor Reed Brody, who says ICC charges would be a “huge” development. “Since Nuremberg, no international tribunal has issued an arrest warrant for a Western official. For decades, we’ve had this double standard where international justice has only been effective for crimes committed by leaders of developing countries or by enemies of the U.S. like Vladimir Putin,” says Brody.
Shoshin1
Re: Martial Arts and Buddhism - Is it acceptable?
She likes it still but as she has a learning disability, the other kids "get" things easier than she does and she wants to wait for a couple of years and try again.
All that will matter is which of them is still practicing in a year, in 5 years, in 10 years.
My teacher has severe dyslexia and can barely read a word. He has cerebral palsy and used crutches when he started martial arts. Today he’s one of the beat martial artists in the world and holds black belts in multiple arts.
There are 5 ways to become a great martial artist, as he says. You have to do all of them. There are no shortcuts. First is patience. Second is perseverance. Third is to practice hard. Fourth is to practice exactly what you want to perform. Fifth, meditation.
“Learn fast” is conspicuously absent.
Linc
Re: On the unification of religion
The book is supposed to be a glimpse of what a unified religion might be like, taking on board a Christian view of God, a Buddhist enlightenment, Hindu karma and rebirth, and tying them all together with a deterministic-scientific bow. Maitreya says it was revealed to him as a view of what religion will end up being in the third millennium after Christ.
I get suspicious whenever I hear that someone had a revelation whether out in the desert, or mountaintop or cave or jungles.
The task is relinquishment and not creating a new religion. Whatever ideas he gets are a product of causes and conditions, uncertain and ever changeable.
There is no security in conditions. No unity in samsara.
Re: The Misguided Monk animation
@Santi said:
Hi Everyone
I am new here, sharing a little animation from Buddhism Now online magazine.
Thanks @Santi, the video reminded me a bit of this... 
Shoshin1
Re: Martial Arts and Buddhism - Is it acceptable?
Actually, I don't know about the USA, but in the UK, bullying at school can be taken as a criminal offence and the parents of said bully can be held liable for punitive damages and punished accordingly.
As to your comment about victims having to fend for themselves, I think the crowd tends to backs the underdog or little man.
At least, certainly that has been the case in my experience.
Even though the self-defensive retaliation may not have been on a physical level, for my part, I found different ways of defeating my bullies...
There are more ways to skin a cat.... 
federica
Re: Martial Arts and Buddhism - Is it acceptable?
It seems there was an off-duty Police Officer in there firing back. Fat lot of good that did.
federica
Re: Martial Arts and Buddhism - Is it acceptable?
@how said:
That, in case anybody wondered, is what I'd call Buddhism with little pants on.
I don't think anyone missed your use the diminutive when referring to people who see a connection between them.
Nor do I think anyone is calling martial arts a part of Buddhism. And I'd even say if you walked into the nearest studio, chances are overwhelming that what you learned there wouldn't help you.
I think the study of true martial arts complements Buddhism well.
Indeed, but that's rather what we do around here now isn't it?
Linc