What is considered a Buddhist thread?

person

Does a thread have to be explicitly Buddhist, eg. about the 4NT, 8fold path, etc., to be placed outside of General Banter? I had a thread about self-esteem that was moved to General Banter, to me issues about our emotional states or the nature of reality (quantum physics for example), have everything to do with Buddhist ideas even if they don't explicitly express Buddhist teachings.

I guess I'm just wondering if its possible to get some clarity on what type of topics go into which category. I'm sure the moderators are busy already but I've seen some confusion in several threads about where to post topics too.

hermitwin

Beats me.

vinlyn

Although I don't always follow my own rule, if I find myself posting in a thread -- like one of those on Bin Laden -- at least every few posts I think there ought to be a connection with Buddhism. Since we are often talking about Buddha's code of ethics, moral discussions are unlikely to be constantly streaming information about Buddhism, but again, there out to be a running connection.

Cloud

There's nothing set in stone, but if it's more a personal inquiry it'll go to Members-Only. Or if it isn't appropriate for any of the other Buddhist categories, it may go to General Banter. Some discussions that are only peripherally about Buddhism but that end up becoming heated arguments may also be moved to General Banter.

It's moderator discretion, but it's a pain to have to keep moving threads around. All you have to do is take a minute to think about which category you feel would be most appropriate. Chances are if you take that time, you'll get it right anyway (or close enough).

vinlyn

There's nothing set in stone, but if it's more a personal inquiry it'll go to Members-Only. Or if it isn't appropriate for any of the other Buddhist categories, it may go to General Banter. Some discussions that are only peripherally about Buddhism but that end up becoming heated arguments may also be moved to General Banter.

It's moderator discretion, but it's a pain to have to keep moving threads around. All you have to do is take a minute to think about which category you feel would be most appropriate. Chances are if you take that time, you'll get it right anyway (or close enough).

Good advice. I think the bigger problem may be as threads evolve, having started as a directly Buddhism line of thought, but then begin to veer off for one reason or another. Sort of the way verbal conversations can stray from the starting point. Kinda natural, I guess.

Cloud

As long as it stays within range of the topic; if it goes too far off and there are complaints, mods will likely intervene and steer it back on-topic.

vinlyn

Kool

federica

It would help Moderators enormously if people remembered two things:
One - keep your comments on topic to the Original Post.

Two - bear in mind this IS a Buddhist forum. Like it or not, most discussions in forums dealing with Buddhist ideology, should have a certain amount of Buddhist reasoning and logic to them.

if topics veer too far off thread, or start talking about matters which become, shall we say, "unmindful" of Buddhist teachings and precepts, it would seem that people have 'forgotten where they are' and feel it's a bit of a free-for-all, 'anything goes' type of engagement.

This happened in the "Buddhism and Punishment" thread.
it all started off swimmingly, in a really promising way, but before long, nobody was paying much heed to a Buddhist attitude when it comes to punishing offenders....
Just let me tell you, this job ain't as easy as we make it appear....
We take time to make decisions, and sometimes, they can cause us a bit of anxiety.
Cloud and I, for example, have had discussions on what we should do about this, that or the other, and honestly? We don't make malicious or vindictive decisions, and they're not carried out with any form of spite....
we do our best to keep this forum as good a forum as we can.

Dakini

What about the topic on whether a Buddha feels negative emotions? Since it has a basis in scripture, it seems like a doctrinal topic, not mere speculation, and clearly it's a Buddhist topic. I was wondering why it's in General Banter. From what I understand, Buddhist topics that are speculative in nature belong in General Banter. (It would be helpful for everyone to know these finer points. Can't we have a permanent thread with guidelines?) Also, I can't help but notice that sometimes what seems speculative from a Theravada standpoint, isn't speculative at all from a Mahayana perspective, and belongs in a Buddhist category. Kind of tricky.

federica

Glad you see it that way.

Where in scripture, does the question of whether the Buddha felt negative emotions, have basis?
What makes it a doctrinal topic?
Could you give reference?

I have replied to your question on guidelines in the "welcome to vanilla" thread.
Duplication is unnecessary.
If it helps any, when you really want specific answers, sometimes, PMs are a better option....

person

Thanks for the responses.

Dakini

Glad you see it that way.

Where in scripture, does the question of whether the Buddha felt negative emotions, have basis?
Could you give reference?

I have replied to your question on guidelines in the "welcome to vanilla" thread.
Duplication is unnecessary.
If it helps any, when you really want specific answers, sometimes, PMs are a better option....

Check the thread, suttric quotes are given, it's interesting.
Sorry, Fed, for the duplication.