Best Of
Re: The way things seem and the way things are
My football team is in the midst of a minor conspiracy theory and it made me think of this old thread.
Our normally reliable kicker, had a bad miss in the London game, it hooked (sliced?) rather than just missing. Later on a different camera angle looked like it hit a wire which knocked it off course. People have been complaining and even the NFL agreed that it hit a wire.
The thing is though, on critical investigation it was just an optical illusion from a camera angle that just happened to line up the hook with the sky cam wire. The YouTuber Isaac Punts did a great breakdown.
The thing that is getting to me, is that even after pointing it out there are so many people that are sticking with their gut reactions. They're stuck with their perceptions of the way things seem rather than investigating to understand how things really are.
person
Re: Some delusions that come from meditation
@Jeroen said:
I think it is interesting that some enlightened beings are said to say that everything that comes from love is justified.
Can you list the enlightened beings who have said that?
Re: Buddhism and the Theatre *raises hand in a dramatic fashion*
I wonder if the role of theatre was not different in Buddha's time than it is today. Maybe something more like clubbing is today: a place for intoxication, sensual desire, and cheap laughs, as the sutta suggests. I assume this is quite possible.
Surely something like "Les Miserables" (which I like very much) is good and wholesome, at least for most of us ordinary non-monk and non-advanced people?
I believe people go to such and similar theatre shows precisely because they "enoble the soul" and can thus be seen as supporting the Dharma.
And sure, there are banal and debased shows. But when I hear the word "theatre" I don't imagine those shows and assume they are in the minority these days.
Sorry Buddha, IMHO, this sutta did not age well! 
marcitko
Re: Some delusions that come from meditation
@Vastmind:
You are correct. Life is balance or more often, the attempts to create and maintain balance. I find myself in not so much an altered state as an enhanced state. A "Heightened Awareness" without being firmly grounded is delusion. Thus does an altered state, become illusion. When meditation become escape, it is no longer purposeful. It becomes the goal, the purpose for it's own sake. That leads to delusion,arrogance false awareness, frustration, and burnout.
Approach any endeavor the must be approached with a fresh, open mind. No matter the form of meditation , be it silent, walking or chanting . Instead of "Clearing our minds of thought or desires", we should endeavor clear our minds of clutter, or at least mute them. The random thoughts and monkey mind will come and go. The focus should remain on the purpose, the reason of our activity. And give ourselves grace. No one is perfect. Everyone, even the "Masters" slip from time to time. When we slip, step off the path fall down, we get back up, get back on the path and take the next step. Remember, when you fall, you are still advancing - falling forward.
Peace to all
Lionduck
Re: Some delusions that come from meditation
I think this is more an opinion about spirituality than fact. Like more a belief of how we should be in the world rather than a delusion.
- An excessive love of peace and quiet, to the point of no longer being able to function around ordinary people.
Speaking for myself, my experience is that people have a hard time being around me more than I do them because I don't fit the mold. Occasionally I'll find myself at a party and get in a conversation, everyone is in an excited sort of mood and then the vibe settles down and it gets weird.
- An unwillingness to engage in society, to the point of refusing to work together for political issues, doing charitable work, or, being a useful member of the community.
Sure, yeah we are always tied in with society and its important to give back. During Buddha's time he had his monks go to society to collect alms and offer teachings.
- A belief in the ultimate metaphysical importance of “spiritual things”: for example, believing that simply meditating for long periods of time makes the world a better place all by itself.
"All by itself" does a lot of work here. Doing spiritual work is like filling the cup, creating a place from which to operate. Not sure how many people have been to a monastery that radiates peace, where the feeling is palpable? My view is that these sorts of places are important to spread the value of spirituality.
- Becoming obsessed with teaching what you have learned through meditation to other people,
- whether or not they are capable of, or even interested in, learning it.
Yep, its important to meet people where they are. I think about planting seeds or offering information that may help move someone one inch closer to a healthy life than convincing them right now to drop everything and become a monk. To walk a spiritual path people need to come to it of their own accord through understanding or hope. By letting our own light shine we give others permission to do the same. And social effects transfer not only to people we directly interact with, studies of this effect show it passes as much as twice more, three degrees of separation. By offering our own drop and through the collective effort of others walking a spiritual path an impact is made.
- Becoming addicted to altered states of consciousness and losing the ability to function in the world of ordinary people.
Addicted, what does that mean in this scenario? Is a hermit addicted to spirituality? It doesn't seem like enlightenment is a thing in the author's world. A difference in metaphysical world view about what is and how it all works. Like a monastery radiating peace, I've met spiritual teachers who do the same. These sorts of beings impact the world in a positive way that the kind person working at a food shelter doesn't.
person
Daoism book review
Digging Your Own Well: Daoism as a Practical Philosophy
Written by Cloudwalking Owl (Bill Hulet)….AKA…Bill, from Substack…..if you know, you know. 
So I ordered the paperback. It’s about 95 pages and the first 10 or so pages are his background and credentials, along with a few disclaimers concerning Chinese language and kind of a set up for why/how he presents and spells some things.
Then the good stuff starts. I found it very easy to read and very palatable. He gives practical stories and observations about applying Daoism in daily life and how to move and the different Dao meditations. I found him relatable.He connected some thoughts and concepts to Buddhist terms too, which made it easier for me, sprinkled with a few science examples also. I chuckled a few times too…extra points for being down to earth and what he calls ‘groovy’, hahaha.
I enjoyed the teachings on Hard vs Soft, and the universal problems with meditation as far as the delusions that can come from it. I think I’m going to apply the “Sitting and Forgetting” approach that he describes. The Daoist concept of doing without doing appealed to me as well.
From pg 29
There is something about Western society that encourages people to look at the world as being composed of “things”.
In significant ways, Daoism is different—-it teaches us to look at the world as a “process”.
Amen Brother Bill…I needed to hear that! Anyway, nice little read and I definitely took some things away from it and some things I’ll continue to think over.
Vastmind
Re: Rebirth as an animal
@Tavs said:
I know traditionally Buddhists see being reborn as an animal as a negative thing. But surely most animals lead much happier lives than human beings?
When we talk about animals being happier than human beings, I would say it’s possible they are more content with their lives because they don’t really know anything different. Many live by instinct and immediate needs, fully in the present, and that keeps life simple.
Some animals are self-aware and show emotion, like apes, dolphins, and elephants, but even they seem freer from the constant self-questioning that often troubles human beings.
Perhaps this is why, from a Buddhist perspective, being reborn as an animal is seen as a lesser state, yet in their own way, animals may experience a kind of peace that most humans never know.
Shoshin1
Re: Rebirth as an animal
Perhaps if you are reborn as a cat in a civilised country.
A so-called civilised country practises speciesism: it refuses to kill and eat certain sentient beings it calls ‘pets’, yet continues to butcher and consume others it deems ‘food’. The word civilised is therefore a loaded one, having little to do with genuine moral standards or compassion in a Buddhist sense.
Shoshin1