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Aligning one’s views
It strikes me that in a lot of traditions you are expected to take a body of teachings “on faith”. You are supposed to commit without knowing exactly what these teachings are, usually you find out about them afterwards from some kind of book. Even in buddhism I remember from my early days at the Gelug Tibetan Buddhist temple that we got a “basics course” and were told that a lot of the topics covered were elaborated in these little booklets written mostly by the Dagpo Rinpoche, which we were assured we could borrow.
Now the Buddha said to “test the teachings”, which seems to me a more sensible approach, but how can you test them if you do not know them? If you come across a tradition with a large amount of teachings and you think it may be for you, are you going to need to study for years before you can definitely call yourself a member with views aligning to theirs?
Or are you going to admit that there is no such thing as aligned views, only the absorption of limited amounts of teaching which you can make your own, that you can never call yourself a member of any tradition? You can only keep learning, but to say you are a Theravadan or even just a Buddhist may be going too far.
Jeroen
Re: Aligning one’s views
Go with what you know.
Go with what is True for you.
The rest is like the number of simsapa leaves. You cannot count every one. So admire the tree for its foliage, but just keep the leaves you can hold.
federica
Re: What tradition (if any) do you follow?
@Bunks said:
Hi all
Hi all as well.
I do consider myself Buddhist but other ways have blended in. Taoism in a large way and in another way, Hinduism.
I mainly align with Zen, but Zen has many branches as well. I have taken refuge within the Plum Village tradition of Zen and taken the Five Mindfulness Trainings on the one hand and started training in Karate again on the other. My daughter chose that over dancing and my wife talked me into joining as a family. Karate has its roots in Zen which is why I used that as an option.
Re: Beginners Question
I have potentially hurtful and personal questions to ask but I'm scared to ask them here as I don't want to upset anyone. The difficult questions, you know? What is the right way to ask such questions here? I have no one else who can answer them as some of you here do. I may direct message individuals I feel have insights into certain questions. Is this a skillful way?
Re: Just for fun: the random, useless announcements thread!
@Shoshin1
In good old USA - We get senior discount for bus, subway
We have the privilege of paying for our Senior Medical (Medicare) monthly [after having paid into it all our working lives.)
Includes free eye exam yearly and limited allowance for glasses biannually
Limited dental co pay (free cleaning 
) Contacts not covered - 
You may not be thrilled with your Gov't programs, but you do have them.
At least, once we retire, we don't have to contend with the private insurance "Death Panels" and "That necessary procedure is not covered" or "You went to an out of program Dr, Hosp, whatever, here is your bill".
But, hey, I'm a Vet. I have our Veterans Administration as backup. And they are pretty good!
Hope that the Bus Pass situation is your biggest problem right now.
all in all, better dealing with the bureaucracy then getting thrown of the cliff - parachutes are not covered items.
Peace to all
Lionduck
Re: Metta Forest Monastery
Never been there, but I am a big fan of Thanissaro Bhikkhu and would love to visit someday.
Jason
Re: Beginners Question
helpful insights?
- Never trust yourself. Unless you are always right.
- Buddhism is on course, of course.
- Be kind. Be good. Job done.
lobster
Re: No Buddhist Quotes
“Go deeply into the urge to be silent and not the mental interference of how, where and when. If you follow silence to its source you can be taken by it in a moment.”
― Jean Klein, Who Am I?: The Sacred Quest
Jeroen
Re: Information Overload
@Kotishka Hmm maybe I have some difficulty separating the intellectual and practical application at times. Maybe I have difficulty filling my day with things other than intellectual pursuits and pleasures. I see myself returning to the familiar even when the familiar is understood as unhelpful in that moment. Ignorance of what else to do? Blockages on acting? Addiction to the computer and the information readily accessible? Other unhelpful habits? I keep my mind just murky enough to avoid taking action on my responsibility. I sculpted my life around doing quite little lately. So lazy..go practice
@Jeroen I like that advice, reading in chunks. Deliberate reading. I read primarily non-fiction but I am noticing I read it like fiction. I would probably retain much more if I slowed down my spiritual consumption. There is reason my avatar says to remember. Maybe it should say to slow down.
Re: Information Overload
About the computer... and excess information... I try to avoid using the phone using How's tip by allowing it the same amount of time that I allocate to my practice . And using it mindfully of course, not just to down texts/information/YouTube as if they were pints at a pub or cake at an all-you-can-eat. The internet is a buffet, but sometimes being able to enjoy a 3 course meal and a small dessert is better than stuffing ourselves to the point of sleepiness and exhaustion.
Of course....sometimes YouTube and these damned short snippets catch your attention and then you realise you've been 1 hour scrolling down foolishly. Time to atone for my sins...... !
Kotishka