Best Of
Buddhism and the Theatre *raises hand in a dramatic fashion*
Off shoot from the game thread.
Is theatre wrong/unskillful ? This scripture was presented in that thread
theatre:
“Thus the actor — himself intoxicated & heedless, having made others intoxicated & heedless — with the breakup of the body, after death, is reborn in what is called the hell of laughter. But if he holds such a view as this: 'When an actor on the stage, in the midst of a festival, makes people laugh & gives them delight with his imitation of reality, then with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the company of the laughing devas,' that is his wrong view. Now, there are two destinations for a person with wrong view, I tell you: either hell or the animal womb.”
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn42/sn42.002.than.html
I present this
THE BUDDHA’S GREAT THEATER OF LIFE
BY TONEN O’CONNOR
Not a long read
https://ancientwayjournal.wordpress.com/2015/06/27/the-buddhas-great-theater-of-life/
“ ….. Also with reference to the apparent conflict between the early Pali scriptures and the importance of theatre to our lives, it is important that we not attempt to use Buddhist scriptures as immutable teachings, with the sometimes mistaken notion that the earlier they are the truer they are. The idea that any and all early sayings retain a higher truth throughout centuries of change contradicts the Buddha’s original teaching on the impermanence of all things. “
“ … I have found my answer to the question as to the nature of the relationship between the theatre and Mahayana Buddhism: empathy. Empathy is the ability to experience what others are feeling, to put oneself in another’s place. This is what we need if we are to fruitfully live our Buddhist understanding of our responsibility to the whole. Empathy is essential for the development of compassion. And this is what we experience as we sit in a darkened theater, experiencing the unfolding of lives, of situations, of emotions that we may perhaps never experience in any other way. An audience and actor connect in this mysterious exchange of understanding”
🎭
Vastmind
Re: Rebirth as an animal
Perhaps if you are reborn as a cat in a civilised country. But what if you were reborn as a hedgehog, or a chicken? I mean to say there are many possible outcomes.
Usually life as a human being is seen as an opportunity for enlightenment, liberation. According to most teachers it is vastly more difficult, but not impossible, to become enlightened as an animal.
Happiness as a human is possible, if you can observe the mind, and simpler than enlightenment.
Jeroen
Re: The AI tsunami
Kurzgesagt is on the job. Pointing out how shoddy AI information can lead to the rot of information online through an iterative process of AI using previous imperfect AI slop to remove any bit of trust remaining online. As well as other negative social effects from current AI.
person
Re: My favourite 'cult'
It’s interesting how many alternative religious movements are now being targeted as cults. I’m not sure if you remember this, but back in the eighties when the word cult was much more niche, there was a very open feel to experimenting with these things.
I think when you are interviewing a ‘cult intervention specialist’ you are automatically going to get a narrative that is slanted a certain way, that person has a vested interest in perpetuating a certain set of ideas around cults on which their livelihood depends.
But in a way monasteries are organisations where people come together to spend time on the spiritual parts of life, and I wonder how long it will be before they are called cults. It seems to be an attack on the spiritual mindset, to convince people not to support these organisations.
Jeroen
Re: Should a Buddhist own a gun ?
@Shoshin1 An animal that lives a free life and is shot experiences almost no pain compared to factory farming, which was my main point overall. There are still people who think fish or bugs don't feel/register pain and suffering either, but we still err on the side of caution with them.
In any case, I'm just sharing my own thoughts on the matter. I am grateful I know how to hunt and fish because I know I can support my family beyond relying on the grocery store. I won't deny that the only real purpose of guns is to kill. I don't regret owning hunting rifles. That said, we all justify things we know aren't ideal. Owning cars, building a home instead of buying one, pulling weeds, killing bugs in the house, having pets for our own companionship, buying a new cell phone every year, eating to excess and so on. I just try to be honest about them with myself at least. There are a lot of them.
karasti
Re: Should a Buddhist own a gun ?
While I know that a lot of Buddhists are vegetarian or vegan, I would recommend that anyone interested in the topic read books like "The Light Eaters" by Zoe Schlanger and tell me afterwards that plants aren't sentient - that is - being aware that they are alive and participating in life in ways we didn't previously comprehend. I see and experience it when spending time with plants and trees as well.
The newer science around plants has led me to believe that we can only be mindful and reverent about how, when, and why we take life to support our own. We can no longer defend being vegetarian/vegan as being less harmful because solely because they are lower on the sentient chain than we believe animals to be. That means that for any of us to survive, we are taking life. There is no way to avoid that.
I grew up hunting and fishing. As I mentioned before it supplements our family's food and kept us off welfare. As an animal lover from the time I was a small child, it wasn't the easiest part of life for me. But I would rather own my own karma, if needed, for taking the lives I take to sustain my own than to pass it off to someone else and pretend like it's not happening. I know so many people who are anti-hunting but who buy factory-farmed meat from the store. The disconnection is incredible to me. At least if I hunt or fish, I am owning that. And the animal lived a free life up to that point. I am not passing the buck onto the rancher or the butcher for my own survival.
Currently, we buy most of our meat locally from sustainable small, family-owned farms that we've visited. I just don't have it in me to hunt. But I think it's still, in a way, a "cowardly" way out of being accountable for my meat eating. Sometimes I would rather hunt and fish. I just don't have time. If I am going to eat meat, I'd rather be responsible for taking it and for the responsibility, reverence, and humility in doing so. I will never be a vegetarian. I do eat a lot of plants, and grow many fruits, veggies, and herbs. But I respect them no less. It's not really any easier for me to weed the garden than to kill a bug, knowing what I do now about plants.
I know this seems off topic 😂 but as a sometimes practicing Buddhist, I'd rather own the gun (or the garden shears) and own the responsibility to the lives I take to sustain myself than to pass it onto someone else. Animals or plants.
karasti