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Re: Everyone sees the world through cultural glasses
This sort of thing has been on my mind the past several years in relation to the rise of the internet. We're of the age where we remember pre internet days. There was one sort of feeling that it will help bring us closer, now we'll be able to talk to people we never really had the opportunity to before. I think in many ways the outcome has been the opposite.
The internet allowed people to connect in ways over similar interests that wasn't possible before, this site being a good example of that. More so for people with more marginal and ostracized interests and identities. On the one hand, this has actually been a great improvement, on the other we less and less have to interact with people outside of our bubbles. Those cross cultural skills atrophy and we feel less of a need to build bridges, we have our people already. As opposed to travel where we meet with differing "tribes" face to face, online those innate interpersonal skills that unite us all are lacking.
At any rate, I'm far from having any answers or solid position. It just feels as though there is way more cross cultural strife these days and the internet seems to be a big source of that.
I'd say that I think doing one's best to remain open and curious about others and the world around you helps. I'd also say look beyond just ethnicities, being curious about what people are like who hang out at the beach playing volleyball vs what the people are like who spend their evenings at the veteran's hall vs the local food shelf, etc.
Entering the world of online TTRPG's the past few years has been a growth experience for myself in this regard. On the one hand everyone shares a common nerdy interest, on the other I game with a broad range of people, a couple of army grunts in one group, a shy German guy, a male grade school teacher, a grandpa from Atlanta, a young black guy from Indiana who likes to cosplay at nerd Conventions and party, an Arab trans woman from rural NY and recently a female teacher from Puerto Rico.
person
Everyone sees the world through cultural glasses
I found this old Ted Talk interesting...
Everyone sees the world through cultural glasses
Over the years I've had the good fortune to be in a position to travel to many parts of the world ...This Ted talk reminded me of how travel and interacting with the locals can enrich one's life and the lives of others....being in the position to experience cultural differences firsthand...
I should point out that one does not need to travel great distances to experience this...one just needs to take an interest in the different ethnic groups who live in your country...
All too often I've heard (in somewhat negative tones) things like "They are not like us"..."They have no respect for......." and so on...For the most part, the people saying these things more often than not know very little or perhaps nothing about the other people's cultural and traditional differences...
Shoshin1
Re: The longing for enlightenment
The longing for enlightenment - that is the type of longing that has an end unlike the other types of longing that just goes on and on and on.
Kamma that leads to the end of kamma aka right intention.
Chanda Sutta:Desire
"There is the case where a monk remains focused on the body in & of itself — ardent, alert, & mindful — subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. For him, remaining focused on the body in and of itself, any desire for the body is abandoned. From the abandoning of desire, the deathless is realized.
"He remains focused on feelings in & of themselves — ardent, alert, & mindful — subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. For him, remaining focused on feelings in & of themselves, any desire for feelings is abandoned. From the abandoning of desire, the deathless is realized.
"He remains focused on the mind in & of itself — ardent, alert, & mindful — subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. For him, remaining focused on the mind in and of itself, any desire for the mind is abandoned. From the abandoning of desire, the deathless is realized.
"He remains focused on mental qualities in & of themselves — ardent, alert, & mindful — subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. For him, remaining focused on mental qualities in & of themselves, any desire for mental qualities is abandoned. From the abandoning of desire, the deathless is realized."
Re: How is dependent origination different than determinism?
One view in a nutshell says that..
Dependent Origination intricately describes the interlinking causes and effects that result and propel all of life's suffering.
Buddhism uses Dependent Origination to show us where we can unlink from this process to result in suffering's diminishment. Here in a Buddhist practice, your free will to continue with or to delink in this process determines how much or how little suffering you will create.
Determinism proposes that all events, including human action, are ultimately determined by causes external to one's free will.
A view that says that free will is irrelevant to life's outcome simply doesn't understand suffering's true causes.
how
Re: Two minutes of meditation?
Is one or two minutes of meditation, in the office or the car or the doctor's office, an actual meditation?
Yes ...as long as you don't close your eye while driving ...Thus have I heard, this can be a bit tricky 
On a more serious note... From what I gather meditation practice is a 24/7/365 thing, it is not restricted to cushion time....it's good to pop back into the present moment every now and again throughout the day...
In less than one minute one can do a quick body scan which helps to bring one's wandering thoughts back from the there and then into the present, the here and now...
Shoshin1
Re: Selflessness and Altruism
@IdleChater & @Jason, I appreciate the respectful correction. I'm a secular practitioner, and I approach Buddhism from a philosophical and psychological perspective. I think, maybe, I should begin some of my posted thoughts with a disclaimer 😜
You folks might not agree with this idea, but as far as I know there are lots of folks, who consider themselves to be Buddhists, who practice generosity in order to gather merit/"good karma" . Isn't that correct? If so, isn't that self-incentive?
Probably would be more skillful for me to leave descriptions of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to folks who've learned more than I. Now I'm curious... What's the most efficient way to find how the Buddha described himself?
ScottPen
Re: Selflessness and Altruism
From the perspective of non-duality, altruism is incoherent because, as John Lennon said, "I am he as you are he as you are me, And we are all together." Fine, but it's valuable to explore from another POV.
Is there an inherent problem with there being a self-incentive aspect to generosity? I don't think so. I'm not a biologist, but as far as I know there's a self-incentive for almost every action that every organism, including a Buddha or Bodhisattva, takes. There's a self-incentive built into the 4NT, people! Karma, rebirth, enlightenment... All of them have a self-interest component.
We can care about our own well-being and that of others simultaneously. It works better that way.
ScottPen
Re: Selflessness and Altruism
From the Buddhist perspective of the gradual path, teachings on generosity start with giving where you feel inclined; and even if it is done with an expectation of some personal benefit, it's better than not being generous at all (e.g., SN 3.24, AN 7.49). And eventually, when one breaks down their attachment to self and sees the interconnectedness of all tbings, the distinction between self and other disappears and generosity becomes 'altruistic,' done without expectation of praise or reward, but spontaneously out of kindness and compassion. The path is often started for self-interested reasons, but ends with selflessness—our well-being becomes everyone's well-being. And this is the foundation of the golden rule to treat others as yourself, whether it be Mt 7:12 or SN 3.8.
Jason
Re: Selflessness and Altruism
@ScottPen said:
Karma, rebirth, enlightenment... All of them have a self-interest component.
I dunno. According to Buddhist teachings (again), karma, rebirth, and enlightenment, do not include a "self" component. Our interest in such things involves self-interest, but not the things, themselves.
We can care about our own well-being and that of others simultaneously. It works better that way.
In Buddhism, is compassion, and the ideal, pure compassion is without giver, given, or gift. Again, no self, as such.
I'm not a biologist,
Cool! What are you? Lolz
but as far as I know there's a self-incentive for almost every action that every organism, including a Buddha or Bodhisattva, takes
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are beyond notions of self. They are beings of pure compassion.
Re: Two minutes of meditation?
I'd even go as far as to say that the benefits per minute are greater with micro-meditations than longer ones. This is often true with any endeavour - the law of diminishing returns.
marcitko