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Getting rid of material possessions without proper attitude and practice is merely repression. Out of sight, out of mind. It doesn't solve the problem of attachment. By truly giving up your attachments to things, you can possess them without them possessing you.
That being said, enjoy your journey, you either take it here or there.
I think you took up Buddhism, and all this new age stuff way too seriously. You're not looking at it in a balanced approach. We all need money. If you know how to make money, that's a wonderful talent that you should embrace and help many people by leading through example, and then helping others become as successful as you. Go back to your life with money and dating, and materialistic objects and use Buddhism there as a psychological tool.
Mr Serenity,
I think you are a spritual person. I know you don't care with materialistic world - although you want to portray yourself that way. I know you care about people and you want to help them. I know your hearth is your priority not your mind. And I know deep down inside you wish me well and you agree with me. You are just in denial of your true spiritual identity. Don't disagree right away, just contemplate on what I said. You are a truly good hearted person - and I have a feeling you will burst into tears one day and then you will admit it to yourself. Until that day, take care yourself.
As a scientist I believe the only way to get a definitive answer is to try! And if it fails, adjust the variables. Clearly this is something you really want to do so I say go for it! True wisdom comes from within, So do what you think is right. It may turn out that this decision ends up being a complete disaster, but just remember that in every mistake that we make there is a lesson to be learned. Good luck on your journey!
I do wish you well whatever you do. But if I had the ability to make good money I would take that over spiritual enlightenment any day. I will always think this way. I know how much money can bring someone, enough money buys anything. I am spiritual, but before that I am practical.
I once heard the story of a fellow New Yorker who decided on the life of a Buddhist monk. So he sold his possessions, moved out of his apartment and took a train across the Hudson River to New Jersey, where he knocked on a local Tibetan center's door. The monks greeted him in a friendly fashion, but when they found out what his intentions were, the first thing they suggested was that he go out and get a job.
Whatever you are doing to earn six figures on Bay St., I'm sure it is something you can go back to anytime you want to. Its not like you are selling the family farm.
Just be careful - you'll note that there's no such thing as an "evangelical Buddhist". It's something that can be taught, but only after the person has to come to it on his/her own. There are no Buddhist conversion squads out there rounding up the gullible masses like there are in some other faiths (ooh... did I say that out loud?)...
:thumbsup:
If you know buddhism, you know Allah :facepalm:
Probably scale down your materialism like downgraded to smaller car etc and the additional amount to establish a acquire a land and build a house in Turkey. Subsequently, the house to be used it for charitable well beings of the Turkish and people in Turkey.
first, you are giving the impression you believe you have reached some exalted state
all this talk about OBEs, psychic power, past lives, etc, shows your mind is delusional
why? these things are not important. these things cannot help other people
but if your mind has experienced some spontaneous awakening, when such a Buddhist seeks to help others, one does not exactly guide others to that state
awakening is something personal and very individualistic. one cannot guide others to such a state
take Ajahn Brahm, for example. he can chirp all day & night about jhanas & psychic powers but the hundreds of people turning up each week to listen to him are not exactly attaining these states
so, if you want to share the Buddha-Dhamma in Turkey, then you need:
(1) money - to start a meditation centre
(2) a more grounded approach, where you are merely sharing Buddhism resources (rather than believing you must be some kind of inspiring charasmatic guru)
(3) offering an environment for yourself & others to come & sit; for each individual to do their own spiritual work
most meditation/dharma centres are begging for money. they are waiting & praying for one of their devotees to die so they can get their inheritence of property
Just be careful - you'll note that there's no such thing as an "evangelical Buddhist". It's something that can be taught, but only after the person has to come to it on his/her own. There are no Buddhist conversion squads out there rounding up the gullible masses like there are in some other faiths (ooh... did I say that out loud?)...
:thumbsup:
If you know buddhism, you know Allah :facepalm:
Probably scale down your materialism like downgraded to smaller car etc and the additional amount to establish a acquire a land and build a house in Turkey. Subsequently, the house to be used it for charitable well beings of the Turkish and people in Turkey.
Gradually, transfer your ownership of the house etc to a common caretakers.
why shouldn't I reconunce? Why hold on to something that is not real!
If I don't do it right here right now, then death will eventually do it for me. Is it better to have a constant fear of dying and loosing of all things I have. Or should I just ignore death! Renounce and surrounder...
if you are going to help others, this above is the wrong attitude
the attitude above is one of a cult lunatic
when one is not attached to the material things they use, they have no fear
how can you "ignore" death when it is inevitable?
currently, it seems, you cannot help yourself, others & buddhism
your views are extreme
Buddha taught the proper attitude towards material things for both monks & laypeople
Buddha said material things are "requisites" rather than "not real"
first, you are giving the impression you believe you have reached some exalted state
all this talk about OBEs, psychic power, past lives, etc, shows your mind is delusional
why? these things are not important. these things cannot help other people
I agree they won't help many people but it may help some people. People need some sot of proof. And I may just show them what they need. However, this is in my opinion, is very dangerous. I prefer not to talk about it. In my last visit to Turkey - which was a couple of months ago - I only talked about OBE to only one close friend of mine because he was open to this type of conversation. Nobody knows about my OBEs or my psychic abilities. If I was paying attention giving priority to such things, I would probably talk about it openly with everybody. In this forum, I often talk about it because this is an open forum. But in real life, I kept things private.
if if your mind has experienced some spontaneous awakening, when such a Buddhist seeks to help others, one does not exactly guide others to that state awakening is something personal and very individualistic. one cannot guide others to such a state
take Ajahn Brahm, for example. he can chirp all day & night about jhanas & psychic powers but the hundreds of people turning up each week to listen to him are not exactly attaining these states
It is not my intention to lead people to awakening...Lol... This is such a big goal. I am not equipped and neither trained to assume such a role. I know my place.
so, if you want to share the Buddha-Dhamma in Turkey, then you need:
Again, I have no big goals like giving public speeches or representing myself as a guru. Lol...Far from it. But if opportunity comes, I would love to open a meditation center, hire some advanced teachers and invite Lamas from Tibet or India to give talks occasionally. But thats just a dream.
why shouldn't I reconunce? Why hold on to something that is not real!
If I don't do it right here right now, then death will eventually do it for me. Is it better to have a constant fear of dying and loosing of all things I have. Or should I just ignore death! Renounce and surrounder...
if you are going to help others, this above is the wrong attitude
the attitude above is one of a cult lunatic
when one is not attached to the material things they use, they have no fear
how can you "ignore" death when it is inevitable?
currently, it seems, you cannot help yourself, others & buddhism
your views are extreme
Buddha taught the proper attitude towards material things for both monks & laypeople
Buddha said material things are "requisites" rather than "not real"
:wow:
why shouldn't I reconunce? Why hold on to something that is not real!
If I don't do it right here right now, then death will eventually do it for me. Is it better to have a constant fear of dying and loosing of all things I have. Or should I just ignore death! Renounce and surrounder...
if you are going to help others, this above is the wrong attitude
the attitude above is one of a cult lunatic
when one is not attached to the material things they use, they have no fear
how can you "ignore" death when it is inevitable?
currently, it seems, you cannot help yourself, others & buddhism
your views are extreme
Buddha taught the proper attitude towards material things for both monks & laypeople
Buddha said material things are "requisites" rather than "not real"
:wow:
I have no idea what you talking about here...cult lunatic etc...lol
but thats ok...I know some ppl don't like psychics (or who claims to be psychics). Hey, I didn't ask for it. It happens...I wish I can avoid it. But thats part of my reality. Just have some compassion for me. Do you know I actually suffer because of my psychic abilities...If i get a chance to avoid them, I do it right away right now.
But if opportunity comes, I would love to open a meditation center, hire some advanced teachers and invite Lamas from Tibet or India to give talks occasionally. But thats just a dream.
why is it a dream?
if you have $$$$, it will not be a dream
where i live, the Buddhists use (borrow) an abandoned church for their activities
they invite teachers, etc
it is very easy to do
all you need to be able to do is sit in meditation as an example
But if opportunity comes, I would love to open a meditation center, hire some advanced teachers and invite Lamas from Tibet or India to give talks occasionally. But thats just a dream.
why is it a dream?
if you have $$$$, it will not be a dream
Its not just $$$. Turkey is a muslim country and they are not so tolerant to other religions, unfortunately.
but thats ok...I know some ppl don't like psychics (or who claims to be psychics). Hey, I didn't ask for it.
if you are psychic, send me a private message and tell me what i am doing now, what my house looks like, etc
thanks
:hair:
Lol...it doesn't work that way...it is totally useless:) I wish I can see what I chose to see...Things are random and beyond my control. Maybe there is a way to improve it but like I said, I don't focus on these things at all...If it comes, I watch it and try to ignore it. I ignore them because they can be scary sometimes...
People need some sot of proof. And I may just show them what they need. However, this is in my opinion, is very dangerous. I prefer not to talk about it.
People do not need "proof". Buddha discouraged this attitude very strongly
People are looking for peace. People are looking to solve their problems
You need to be an example of peace & stability
For example, when people visit the meditation centre, you can sit still together with them
People need some sot of proof. And I may just show them what they need. However, this is in my opinion, is very dangerous. I prefer not to talk about it.
People do not need "proof". Buddha discouraged this attitude very strongly
People are looking for peace. People are looking to solve their problems
You need to be an example of peace
For example, when people visit the meditation centre, you can sit still together with them
You are still putting me in a position of a "teacher"...I am no teacher and have no intention to claim to be one...I am just a lay buddhist living my life with ethical values. thats all...I believe if I can be a good and humble person, thats enough ...just live by the Buddhist values and people will follow...
You are still putting me in a position of a "teacher"...I am no teacher and have no intention to claim to be one...
having a dhamma centre, with meditation mats & cushions, a library, audio/video talks, etc, where people come together to practise meditation & study & discuss dharma does not put you in a position as a teacher
you are simply one person in that room, sitting together, on the same level, with others
you are a "faciliator" rather than a "teacher"
you set up a community where others also contribute (example choosing readings to read or choosing discussion topics)
as for "ethics"...this is not really dhamma...
when people sit together & individually in meditation, "ethics' naturally develop within their heart via their own introspection
You are still putting me in a position of a "teacher"...I am no teacher and have no intention to claim to be one...
having a dhamma centre, with meditation mats & cushions, a library, audio/video talks, etc, where people come together to practise meditation & study & discuss dharma does not put you in a position as a teacher
you are simply one person in that room, sitting together, on the same level, with others
you are a "faciliator" rather than a "teacher"
you set up a community where others also contribute
as for "ethics"...this is not really dhamma...
when people sit together & individually in meditation, "ethics' naturally develop within their heart via their own introspection
Let me tell you something... If I can do that, I can die peacefully...:)
Let me tell you something... If I can do that, I can die peacefully...:)
you can do it
the right attitude is to create a facility where others can help themselves
it is best to remove the belief we must somehow help others
buddhism teaches self-help
when individuals sit in meditation, they help themselves by getting in touch with their own heart & mind
DD,
I hope so but there are challenges. In Turkey you cannot open a temple or any buddhist center. The link you posted earlier probably some local group. But if you want to discuss dharma or put any religios symbol, it may have a very good chance to get closed by government or somehow get pressured. I can open a meditation center with asoulately no reference to Buddhism but than I cannot financially operate it with donations (in my opinion). If people are not there for religious reasons, they won't donate. In that case I have to charge them but then I have doubt that people will simply pay just to sit in meditation. Remember it is a muslim country. Here in Canada, our temples are not full enough. Imagine in Turkey:) So I need to manage to deliver some added value other than hoping that they would pay for just sitting meditation. So I really need a comprehensive business plan. But I still consider this. Time will show. Right now I prefer not to make big plans. Just flow and let it be. Small steps...But eventually once things get settled then why not! At least I can give it a try.
I did not even read all your story. I stopped where you said you sold your sports car, stopped dating and basically stopped caring about materialistic things. Money is the life blood of society. If you actually had the means to make that money to be able to live well, you should of continued that life style. That life style is what many people dream of and will never know what it takes or will never have what it takes to obtain that.
To throw all your money away just to live in a delusional world where you meditate all day, astral project, and pretend you're building compassion for all beings, is just not really practical. It is a hermit life style, that more than anything really isn't helping anyone except yourself. Someone working at a bank or even someone working at Subway is helping many more beings than say a beginner monk or a hermit who is enlightened, but has no money.
I think you took up Buddhism, and all this new age stuff way too seriously. You're not looking at it in a balanced approach. We all need money. If you know how to make money, that's a wonderful talent that you should embrace and help many people by leading through example, and then helping others become as successful as you. Go back to your life with money and dating, and materialistic objects and use Buddhism there as a psychological tool.
And yet this is exactly what Siddhārtha Gautama did is it not ? I mean did Siddhārtha Gautama not give up his wealth and luxuries so that he could meditate all day ? Would Siddhārtha Gautama find enlightenment if he followed your advice, I think not.
Believe it or not Mr Serenity money does not buy you happiness, you just need to look at the number of movie/pop stars out there that are depressed/addicted to drugs to see this.
And yet this is exactly what Siddhārtha Gautama did is it not ? I mean did Siddhārtha Gautama not give up his wealth and luxuries so that he could meditate all day ? Would Siddhārtha Gautama find enlightenment if he followed your advice, I think not.
Believe it or not Mr Serenity money does not buy you happiness, you just need to look at the number of movie/pop stars out there that are depressed/addicted to drugs to see this.
Those movie/pop stars that let drugs be their demise did not use money properly. I do believe money can buy happiness and basically anything. It's all about how you use it. The first time I heard Buddha's story I actually was disappointed. I was disappointed that he abandoned his wife and his child to seek his own quest.
It sounded selfish to me, and like the Buddha really was just chasing his own desire for supernatural power and for adventure. To see what was outside the palace he abandoned his family. In the end his dharma ended up being very respectable and wise. But that doesn't mean I think that everyone should do what he did, because I don't.
I think in this time period, even more so, it is even less practical to do what the Buddha did today than it was back then. If you have the ability to make good money I think that is far more valuable than any spiritual practice. That's just how I feel though. My ways of feeling about this won't change.
The perfect balance of someone who develops their mind and others psychology for the better while also building up their own quality of living is called a therapist. I feel that is the modern and practical way of the Buddha. Rather than to give it all up.
I think if someone is not good at traditional school. If someone constantly gets rejected by love. If they have a criminal record. If they have basically been slammed by the lay life. Then that is the time where they should consider being a monk. I think if they haven't been slammed by the lay life that much, if they have the abilities to make money, if they were good at school, if they have people who love them, then they should continue trying to be successful in the lay life.
I have seen people giving up all their material attachments and then develop another material attachment of taking on the job of either reforming others through their 'teachings' or 'helping' them by some other means. Basically, it is the ego taking different shapes and designs. Just be happy yourself and you are serving the whole humanity by that.
I cannot financially operate it with donations (in my opinion). If people are not there for religious reasons, they won't donate. In that case I have to charge them but then I have doubt that people will simply pay just to sit in meditation.
Maybe you could find a nice job in a prosperous country with a "six figure income and fat bonuses" to fuel such a cause!
Hey everyone, Okay so I am making some big changes in my life and need your support and advice.
I lived a very career driven life as an atheist/materialist for very long time.
I graduated from 3 universities and currently have a very successful career making six figure salary with fat bonus and many other benefits in a very comfy office environment at one of the top banks in toronto.
For about two years ago, I thought this is it. I decided to settle down and I was proud with what I achieved. I bought a condo in downtown, brand new furnitures, and a very nice brand new sports car.
Everything was going fine. I used to go out, date with different girls, party a lot, enjoy toronto strip clubs and night clubs etc.
Everything has changed when I had my first out of body experience. It was quite eye opening for an atheist. My first OBE followed by many others and I got quite good at it. Later on I realize I have even more psyhic abilities. Then I seek for refuge to protect myself. I find it in Buddhism. I was always a very curious man and look for answers in science. My mystical esperiences as well as the similiarities between science and buddhism, and my complete comfort in buddhist ethics put me into buddhism.
I became a buddhist on march 2011. So I am still new but something tells me that I had karmic connection to tibetan buddhism in my past lives. Anyhow, after becoming a buddhist I renounced a lot of things. Become vegeterian,stop drinking alcohol, no parties, no sex. I renounced dating, even watching pornogprahy. I start helping out people around me etc. Now I am in the process of quiting my job. I sold my sports car and almost half of my furnitures-half price. I am going back to my homeland, Turkey. My parents are muslim and they are having very hard time understanding why I quit my life here. I can't tell them I am a buddhist because it would hurt them a lot. My sister knows but she is almost hysterical because she thinks I am destroying everything I built with hard work for nothing. I try to convince her by bringing the reality of death as a topic but it wasn't a good idea. They do not contemplate on death and talking about death put her in a very depressed mode. I want my family to understand that I am content by being with myself and don't need to depend on a material life. But for now, they don't see it that way. They think inner peace is just a myth and philosophical bullsh.t... Now, there are two reasons that I make all these changes one is to destroy my attchments to this comfortable materialistic life and second is to help people in turkey spiritually. I may be way over my head and maybe delusional. But I know lots of people who are atheists there. And they are lost. I want to show them there is something more to their existence. I am not a lama or phd buddhist so I don't think I can call myself a teacher but at least I can show them some direction. And my intention is not to covert people into buddhism. Religion doesn't matter but spirituality does matter. And I have no intention to introduce them mystical powers that they can attain and show off my ego. Right now, trust me, they live a hard life with their worries, doubts, unfulfilled expectations etc and they don't even know. I don't know how I can be help but probably just small things. Just be an example by being a moral person. Even this is such a big goal, eh! To be successful tho, I should develop a big hearth and wisdom or else everything would fall apart. So far I didn't find happiness in buddhism instead I found contentment. I am content with what it is. By helping others I hope to find hapiness. But all these challenges waiting for me in turkey - no job, no health insurance, less tolerant people, and their judgement against me- I am afraid to lose my peaceful ground. Oh and also, because I decided to go back, I have to serve in military as well. I already filled out the papers and received confirmation. So you see, it is a lot of changes waiting for me.
If you were in my position, how would you deal with this? No specific question but just need your overall opinion.
Thanks
One thing I've learned (over a rather lengthy span of years) is that renunciation is NOT even remotely associated with going without something. In fact, it's the opposite; it's choosing to embrace something different because it's better than what you currently have.
So an example would be a child for whom life revolves around playing with toy soldiers (or dolls). You're not going to get anywhere by asking them to give up their playthings for something else that they don't really understand well or have shallow interest in. They will always want to have their dolls and soldiers.
One day, however, they will naturally begin to become more curious about other things, about children's books, for example. They will realize that they can have a more vivid experience by reading a book than dressing a doll; it will just happen; the mind will shift. Dolls/soldiers will no longer appear as an attractive object; something replaced them.
And at that time...ONLY at that time, will the renunciation occur. It occurs because the child has LITERALLY "given up that type of activity". That's why in our tradition the translation of Renunciation has the rather unusual name "literal truth born". When the dharma is born within you in a way that makes you want to dedicated your life to it it will naturally usurp all the other ephemeral objects that fascinate ordinary beings from cradle to grave. That's why serious practitioners do long retreats....in some cases 14 or even 20 years; the dharma is the most attractive object for them. Nothing else is worth pursuing.
If you no longer have desire for all the things you say you're giving up; if you can see how they no longer bring as much satisfaction as meditating, contemplating, studying the dharma then you are not only a very fortunate being, you are worthy of praise.
Just one more thing. I'm speaking here of a true shift, not a temporary passion for something. The child who gives up dolls for books never regains that same passion for dolls; it's a new phase in their life.
Those movie/pop stars that let drugs be their demise did not use money properly. I do believe money can buy happiness and basically anything. It's all about how you use it. The first time I heard Buddha's story I actually was disappointed. I was disappointed that he abandoned his wife and his child to seek his own quest.
It sounded selfish to me, and like the Buddha really was just chasing his own desire for supernatural power and for adventure. To see what was outside the palace he abandoned his family. In the end his dharma ended up being very respectable and wise. But that doesn't mean I think that everyone should do what he did, because I don't.
I think in this time period, even more so, it is even less practical to do what the Buddha did today than it was back then. If you have the ability to make good money I think that is far more valuable than any spiritual practice. That's just how I feel though. My ways of feeling about this won't change.
The perfect balance of someone who develops their mind and others psychology for the better while also building up their own quality of living is called a therapist. I feel that is the modern and practical way of the Buddha. Rather than to give it all up.
Well I disagree that money can buy you happiness or 'anything', I think money just creates its own problems. I mean take Siddhārtha Gautama, I do not imagine it was an easy thing to do, to leave all of his wealth and family behind, however, for him to do this, it is clear that he was not happy with his life, with all the wealth and luxuries that he had. It is clear that he wanted to find a deeper meaning to his life, something that transcended his attachment to the materialistic world.
I for one am thankful that he did feel this way, and did follow this path, because the path that Siddhārtha Gautama followed ultimately has helped a countless number of sentient beings to overcome suffering in their life, and the Buddhas teachings has gave more happiness to the world than any amount of money could ever give.
My parents are sick, I can take them to hospital and take care of them. My sister is in depression with the kids and all, I can put a smile on her face. Many of my friends are nihilistic and not happy with their lives, maybe I can show them an example that material life is not everything. My neighbor in Turkey is sick, may be I can pick up her groceries See, there is nothing holy about my intentions...
Buddhism, as far as I can tell, IS about the sort of actions you describe. All that stuff sounds pretty holy to me.
I think if someone is not good at traditional school. If someone constantly gets rejected by love. If they have a criminal record. If they have basically been slammed by the lay life. Then that is the time where they should consider being a monk. I think if they haven't been slammed by the lay life that much, if they have the abilities to make money, if they were good at school, if they have people who love them, then they should continue trying to be successful in the lay life.
So the only time to consider being a monk is when all else has failed?
And who made you the Grand Arbiter of the Right Time to Become a Monk anyway?!
There are indeed things that money cannot buy. Your next breath is one of them. For @zen_world and all... The Final Exam
He had been sent abroad to study, and to bring that technology home. Life was good! But graduation and going home would mean endless struggle, endless hard work, endless responsibility, being drafted in the event of a war! How much easier it would be to bed a rich wife in a foreign land, guaranteeing citizenship, a place in her father’s company, and ski vacations. Home was a hellish place and the world was so much bigger and better…who would ever want to go back to where he had come from? Not he. I was at the university on a scholarship. Forever indebted to the community for my education, ski vacations would never be part of my world. “But those people who worked and sacrificed to provide you with your education, this technology to bring home to them… what about them?” I asked.
It was his life and his big chance and those people did not own him. Their own senseless little lives and problems were their own senseless little lives and problems, not his, and they should get over it. “It would make some kind of sense if you loved her, but you don’t even love her..” “What’s love?” He retorted, there was nothing on earth that money didn’t buy.
She divorced him soon after, saying his senseless little life and problems were his own senseless little life and problems, not hers, and that he should get over it. Apparently he took up serious drinking and drugging after that. It cost him his career, and his life. I was not there and did not see it. A friend who saw him at the end told the story and said the guy was barely recognizable from who he had once been.
I thought of J. Michael Straczynski’s “questions of the technomage”… That guy had graduated long before we did, but he had failed to pass that last final exam question after all: 1. Why are you here, do you have anything worth living for? 2. Who are you? 3. What do you want? 4. Where are you going? 5. Who do you serve and who do you trust?
........ She had worked hard to get there; she had just gotten there; she had “arrived.” I laughed when she sat back at her desk and stared into space saying suddenly: “I don’t belong here.” “Aw, come on, you’re just tired…overworked… maybe a little homesick…” “I don’t belong here…” “OK, so maybe it’s a little self confidence problem… “I don’t belong here. I have to leave….” “Hey, you’re doing just fine girlfriend, what’s wrong?” “You don’t understand. I have to leave the university. I’m sure you think I’m crazy.” I looked in her eyes. She was serious. Looking into her eyes was like looking all the way through her down to her toes, she was completely clear. Not ego. Not desire. Not fear. She was completely clear. It was her higher mind talking. I stared at her in amazement and stammered “No…. I don’t think you’re crazy….how can I help?” “Find the forms that have to be filled out, the people I need to see… the packing… there’s so much that has got to be done!” I ran one way, she ran the other gathering… forms…appointments…records..approvals Up and down one set of stairs after the next.. a frenzy of running throwing catching packing…loading her car… forwarding addresses… hugging goodbye in the middle of the night in the middle of the parking lot: “Hey, are you sure you are ok to drive?” “I’ll be fine. Thanks for the help.” When somebody “cracks up” and “drops out” of the university, officials come out of the woodwork screaming: “WHY DIDN’T YOU STOP HER?!!” I was up against the wall for having helped her. A week later she phoned me. She was happily enrolled at another university, one closer to home. A day after she had arrived home, her mother suffered a major health blowout that had suddenly put her in critical condition, but thanks to her having been there with quick thinking and action, the doctors said her mother would recover just fine, no harm done. The doctors said that if she had not been there, her mother would have been dead on the floor. She had saved her mother’s life.
She had somehow just known that she had to leave the university and go back home and she hadn’t even known why. She had driven 200 miles in the middle of the night when she began to wonder if she was just crazy after all. She had struggled to come up with some sort of explanation to give to her parents for leaving the university to enroll in another closer to home. One day later, the doctors told her that because she had been there, she had literally saved her mother’s life… She had not even put off graduation! She enrolled at another university. She graduated, and she had passed every exam question, including that final exam:
Why are you here, do you have anything worth living for?
Who are you?
What do you want?
Where are you going?
Who do you serve and who do you trust?
Life is a series of decisions, my friend. No matter where you go, no matter what you do in life, you will forever have 2 choices: The choice you would choose out of fear The choice you would choose out of love
The Dharma is the path paved with the choices you would choose out of love, my friend, best wishes on your journey.
People would go to Buddha and ask whether they would attain union with God (Brahma). Buddha would say that there is no such separation to resolve..no God to unite with. When Sariputta, the son of a Brahmin, came to Buddha for the first time, he asked him, ”Who will come to you? You want us to give up everything, and when we ask what shall we get in return for this, you tell us there is nothing to get! Why would ANYONE follow you then? People only renounce something in their greed for getting something else.”
Buddha said, ”One who renounces to get something in return has not renounced at all. What is the meaning of renunciation? If renunciation is done to get something it is a business transaction, not an act of renunciation. A person renounces his palace so that he may get a palace in heaven – it is a business deal. A person does a virtuous deed to become happy – it is business. A person donates, renders service, becomes religious, only in the hope of having a better next life in some world. It is business – where is the renunciation in it?” Buddha said, "There is liberation only when there is no expectation of getting anything in return.”
well my friend, there is one thing we should know that there is time when we need to change.When the time is ripe u will be experiencing certain things that other dont like a sign that u must follow this path or that path.This is right time to change drastically as we dont have much time in our life.If u receive that kind of sign than its time for we to change.And for those that didnt receive the sign then we should gradually change.So friend you are in the right path.eventhough you find no hapiness in buddhism its not a big deal what important is you change for the better and can help the society and also you have get rid all your bad habit. thus u have achieve the 5 golden rules of buddhism.so big sadhu to u my friend
Zenworld, you already have a business plan, unless you've already left your job. You can finance your center in Turkey with your own earnings, once you downshift your consumerist lifestyle. I'm not clear on whether or not you've already renounced everything. If so, you can always consider getting a new job, maybe one that allows for more time off, for you to go to Turkey (or you could get a good job in Turkey, if there are good jobs to be had), and run your center. Choices don't always have to be a matter of "either-or". They can be "both-and".
In any case, it's obviously a big decision, you're wise to take your time to consider all options before taking the big step. Good luck.
What does one do when the bottom falls out and one realizes that things and the lies society tells themselves is insufficient? What happens when you see the game for what it is, what happens when you don't want to play anymore?
What does one do when the bottom falls out and one realizes that things and the lies society tells themselves is insufficient? What happens when you see the game for what it is, what happens when you don't want to play anymore?
Fear gives two choices:
(1) Play the game and garner material wealth so you don't fall through the bottom yourself.
(2) Renounce in order to advance spiritually as a way to bathe in the light and escape your own mortality (a sort of materialism in its own right).
Love gives two choices:
(1) Play the game and garner material wealth with the intention of helping all sentient beings (including yourself).
(2) Renounce with the single-minded desire for liberation so that you may help all sentient beings (including yourself). Or renounce out of sheer desperation because you can no longer contribute to the confusion nor can you anymore be engulfed within it.
I think Love (2) might be the purest and most difficult. Maybe. But it is possible to love and fear - dual motivations are probably quite common.
What does one do when the bottom falls out and one realizes that things and the lies society tells themselves is insufficient? What happens when you see the game for what it is, what happens when you don't want to play anymore?
Change your view of your life, your approach to life, and turn your situation into something that fits with your values. Get creative with what you have. Nobody held a gun to his head and said he had to party and live a shallow lifestyle. He can keep the job and use it as a resource to support his efforts to bring about the change he envisions for his corner of the world. And devote his free time to humanitarian work, instead of partying. Or...find something else that's a better fit. Or create your own thing, if you can find a way to work it so it keeps you fed and housed. Many options.
Guys, guess what happened today. So I schedule my return on March 2012...I have six more months here before I go back. Anyhow, I am renting out my apartment and I want to move into a smaller place where I can spend my last six months in Canada. Yesterday I mentioned my plans to my Zen teacher. And today she emailed me and asked me if I am interested in becoming a resident in the temple until I go back to Turkey. How wonderful is that! Of course I accepted. Hope it works out. I am very happy Just wanted to share...
Comments
That being said, enjoy your journey, you either take it here or there.
I think you are a spritual person. I know you don't care with materialistic world - although you want to portray yourself that way. I know you care about people and you want to help them. I know your hearth is your priority not your mind. And I know deep down inside you wish me well and you agree with me. You are just in denial of your true spiritual identity. Don't disagree right away, just contemplate on what I said.
You are a truly good hearted person - and I have a feeling you will burst into tears one day and then you will admit it to yourself. Until that day, take care yourself.
I do wish you well whatever you do. But if I had the ability to make good money I would take that over spiritual enlightenment any day. I will always think this way. I know how much money can bring someone, enough money buys anything. I am spiritual, but before that I am practical.
If you know buddhism, you know Allah :facepalm:
Probably scale down your materialism like downgraded to smaller car etc and the additional amount to establish a acquire a land and build a house in Turkey. Subsequently, the house to be used it for charitable well beings of the Turkish and people in Turkey.
all this talk about OBEs, psychic power, past lives, etc, shows your mind is delusional
why? these things are not important. these things cannot help other people
but if your mind has experienced some spontaneous awakening, when such a Buddhist seeks to help others, one does not exactly guide others to that state
awakening is something personal and very individualistic. one cannot guide others to such a state
take Ajahn Brahm, for example. he can chirp all day & night about jhanas & psychic powers but the hundreds of people turning up each week to listen to him are not exactly attaining these states
so, if you want to share the Buddha-Dhamma in Turkey, then you need:
(1) money - to start a meditation centre
(2) a more grounded approach, where you are merely sharing Buddhism resources (rather than believing you must be some kind of inspiring charasmatic guru)
(3) offering an environment for yourself & others to come & sit; for each individual to do their own spiritual work
most meditation/dharma centres are begging for money. they are waiting & praying for one of their devotees to die so they can get their inheritence of property
chill...calm down...don't move so fast
:coffee:
monks, in their monastaries, accumulate millions of dollars in donations & property via trusts
no need to treat money like it is a poison
when you go back to Turkey, you role is not to be a cult leader and advise others to give up their material possessions
no need to transfer your property to anybody
you run the dhamma centre yourself & be an example of one who can manage their financial affairs prudently (as the Buddha instructed)
you simply to need to find a beneficiary for your property in the event you die
:sawed:
the attitude above is one of a cult lunatic
when one is not attached to the material things they use, they have no fear
how can you "ignore" death when it is inevitable?
currently, it seems, you cannot help yourself, others & buddhism
your views are extreme
Buddha taught the proper attitude towards material things for both monks & laypeople
Buddha said material things are "requisites" rather than "not real"
:wow:
This is such a big goal. I am not equipped and neither trained to assume such a role. I know my place. Again, I have no big goals like giving public speeches or representing myself as a guru. Lol...Far from it.
But if opportunity comes, I would love to open a meditation center, hire some advanced teachers and invite Lamas from Tibet or India to give talks occasionally. But thats just a dream.
but thats ok...I know some ppl don't like psychics (or who claims to be psychics). Hey, I didn't ask for it.
It happens...I wish I can avoid it. But thats part of my reality.
Just have some compassion for me. Do you know I actually suffer because of my psychic abilities...If i get a chance to avoid them, I do it right away right now.
if you have $$$$, it will not be a dream
where i live, the Buddhists use (borrow) an abandoned church for their activities
they invite teachers, etc
it is very easy to do
all you need to be able to do is sit in meditation as an example
thanks
:hair:
http://www.buddhanet.info/wbd//country.php?country_id=68
Maybe there is a way to improve it but like I said, I don't focus on these things at all...If it comes, I watch it and try to ignore it.
I ignore them because they can be scary sometimes...
People are looking for peace. People are looking to solve their problems
You need to be an example of peace & stability
For example, when people visit the meditation centre, you can sit still together with them
thats all...I believe if I can be a good and humble person, thats enough ...just live by the Buddhist values and people will follow...
I am the Way, I am the Truth, I am the Life :wtf:
you are simply one person in that room, sitting together, on the same level, with others
you are a "faciliator" rather than a "teacher"
you set up a community where others also contribute (example choosing readings to read or choosing discussion topics)
as for "ethics"...this is not really dhamma...
when people sit together & individually in meditation, "ethics' naturally develop within their heart via their own introspection
the right attitude is to create a facility where others can help themselves
it is best to remove the belief we must somehow help others
buddhism teaches self-help
when individuals sit in meditation, they help themselves by getting in touch with their own heart & mind
I hope so but there are challenges. In Turkey you cannot open a temple or any buddhist center. The link you posted earlier probably some local group. But if you want to discuss dharma or put any religios symbol, it may have a very good chance to get closed by government or somehow get pressured.
I can open a meditation center with asoulately no reference to Buddhism but than I cannot financially operate it with donations (in my opinion). If people are not there for religious reasons, they won't donate. In that case I have to charge them but then I have doubt that people will simply pay just to sit in meditation. Remember it is a muslim country. Here in Canada, our temples are not full enough. Imagine in Turkey:)
So I need to manage to deliver some added value other than hoping that they would pay for just sitting meditation. So I really need a comprehensive business plan. But I still consider this. Time will show. Right now I prefer not to make big plans. Just flow and let it be. Small steps...But eventually once things get settled then why not! At least I can give it a try.
Kind of relevant. Turkey's next war?
Would Siddhārtha Gautama find enlightenment if he followed your advice, I think not.
Believe it or not Mr Serenity money does not buy you happiness, you just need to look at the number of movie/pop stars out there that are depressed/addicted to drugs to see this.
It sounded selfish to me, and like the Buddha really was just chasing his own desire for supernatural power and for adventure. To see what was outside the palace he abandoned his family. In the end his dharma ended up being very respectable and wise. But that doesn't mean I think that everyone should do what he did, because I don't.
I think in this time period, even more so, it is even less practical to do what the Buddha did today than it was back then. If you have the ability to make good money I think that is far more valuable than any spiritual practice. That's just how I feel though. My ways of feeling about this won't change.
The perfect balance of someone who develops their mind and others psychology for the better while also building up their own quality of living is called a therapist. I feel that is the modern and practical way of the Buddha. Rather than to give it all up.
So an example would be a child for whom life revolves around playing with toy soldiers (or dolls). You're not going to get anywhere by asking them to give up their playthings for something else that they don't really understand well or have shallow interest in. They will always want to have their dolls and soldiers.
One day, however, they will naturally begin to become more curious about other things, about children's books, for example. They will realize that they can have a more vivid experience by reading a book than dressing a doll; it will just happen; the mind will shift. Dolls/soldiers will no longer appear as an attractive object; something replaced them.
And at that time...ONLY at that time, will the renunciation occur. It occurs because the child has LITERALLY "given up that type of activity". That's why in our tradition the translation of Renunciation has the rather unusual name "literal truth born". When the dharma is born within you in a way that makes you want to dedicated your life to it it will naturally usurp all the other ephemeral objects that fascinate ordinary beings from cradle to grave. That's why serious practitioners do long retreats....in some cases 14 or even 20 years; the dharma is the most attractive object for them. Nothing else is worth pursuing.
If you no longer have desire for all the things you say you're giving up; if you can see how they no longer bring as much satisfaction as meditating, contemplating, studying the dharma then you are not only a very fortunate being, you are worthy of praise.
I for one am thankful that he did feel this way, and did follow this path, because the path that Siddhārtha Gautama followed ultimately has helped a countless number of sentient beings to overcome suffering in their life, and the Buddhas teachings has gave more happiness to the world than any amount of money could ever give.
And who made you the Grand Arbiter of the Right Time to Become a Monk anyway?!
Your next breath is one of them.
For @zen_world and all...
The Final Exam
He had been sent abroad to study, and to bring that technology home.
Life was good! But graduation and going home would mean endless struggle, endless hard work, endless responsibility, being drafted in the event of a war! How much easier it would be to bed a rich wife in a foreign land, guaranteeing citizenship, a place in her father’s company, and ski vacations. Home was a hellish place and the world was so much bigger and better…who would ever want to go back to where he had come from? Not he.
I was at the university on a scholarship. Forever indebted to the community for my education, ski vacations would never be part of my world.
“But those people who worked and sacrificed to provide you with your education, this technology to bring home to them… what about them?” I asked.
It was his life and his big chance and those people did not own him. Their own senseless little lives and problems were their own senseless little lives and problems, not his, and they should get over it.
“It would make some kind of sense if you loved her, but you don’t even love her..”
“What’s love?” He retorted, there was nothing on earth that money didn’t buy.
She divorced him soon after, saying his senseless little life and problems were his own senseless little life and problems, not hers, and that he should get over it.
Apparently he took up serious drinking and drugging after that. It cost him his career, and his life. I was not there and did not see it. A friend who saw him at the end told the story and said the guy was barely recognizable from who he had once been.
I thought of J. Michael Straczynski’s “questions of the technomage”…
That guy had graduated long before we did, but he had failed to pass that last final exam question after all:
1. Why are you here, do you have anything worth living for?
2. Who are you?
3. What do you want?
4. Where are you going?
5. Who do you serve and who do you trust?
........
She had worked hard to get there; she had just gotten there; she had “arrived.”
I laughed when she sat back at her desk and stared into space saying suddenly:
“I don’t belong here.”
“Aw, come on, you’re just tired…overworked… maybe a little homesick…”
“I don’t belong here…”
“OK, so maybe it’s a little self confidence problem…
“I don’t belong here. I have to leave….”
“Hey, you’re doing just fine girlfriend, what’s wrong?”
“You don’t understand. I have to leave the university. I’m sure you think I’m crazy.”
I looked in her eyes. She was serious. Looking into her eyes was like looking all the way through her down to her toes, she was completely clear. Not ego. Not desire. Not fear. She was completely clear. It was her higher mind talking. I stared at her in amazement and stammered “No…. I don’t think you’re crazy….how can I help?”
“Find the forms that have to be filled out, the people I need to see… the packing… there’s so much that has got to be done!”
I ran one way, she ran the other gathering… forms…appointments…records..approvals
Up and down one set of stairs after the next.. a frenzy of running throwing catching packing…loading her car… forwarding addresses…
hugging goodbye in the middle of the night in the middle of the parking lot:
“Hey, are you sure you are ok to drive?”
“I’ll be fine. Thanks for the help.”
When somebody “cracks up” and “drops out” of the university, officials come out of the woodwork screaming: “WHY DIDN’T YOU STOP HER?!!” I was up against the wall for having helped her.
A week later she phoned me. She was happily enrolled at another university, one closer to home. A day after she had arrived home, her mother suffered a major health blowout that had suddenly put her in critical condition, but thanks to her having been there with quick thinking and action, the doctors said her mother would recover just fine, no harm done. The doctors said that if she had not been there, her mother would have been dead on the floor. She had saved her mother’s life.
She had somehow just known that she had to leave the university and go back home and she hadn’t even known why. She had driven 200 miles in the middle of the night when she began to wonder if she was just crazy after all. She had struggled to come up with some sort of explanation to give to her parents for leaving the university to enroll in another closer to home. One day later, the doctors told her that because she had been there, she had literally saved her mother’s life…
She had not even put off graduation! She enrolled at another university.
She graduated, and she had passed every exam question, including that final exam:
Why are you here, do you have anything worth living for?
Who are you?
What do you want?
Where are you going?
Who do you serve and who do you trust?
Life is a series of decisions, my friend. No matter where you go, no matter what you do in life, you will forever have 2 choices:
The choice you would choose out of fear
The choice you would choose out of love
The Dharma is the path paved with the choices you would choose out of love, my friend,
best wishes on your journey.
with metta
Aura
People would go to Buddha and ask whether they would attain union with God (Brahma). Buddha would say that there is no such separation to resolve..no God to unite with. When Sariputta, the son of a Brahmin, came to Buddha for the first time, he asked him, ”Who will come to you? You want us to give up everything, and when we ask what shall we get in return for this, you tell us there is nothing to get! Why would ANYONE follow you then? People only renounce something in their greed for getting something else.”
Buddha said, ”One who renounces to get something in return has not renounced at all. What is the meaning of renunciation? If renunciation is done to get something it is a business transaction, not an act of renunciation. A person renounces his palace so that he may get a palace in heaven – it is a business deal. A person does a virtuous deed to become happy – it is business. A person donates, renders service, becomes religious, only in the hope of having a better next life in some world. It is business – where is the renunciation in it?” Buddha said, "There is liberation only when there is no expectation of getting anything in return.”
there is one thing we should know that there is time when we need to change.When the time is ripe u will be experiencing certain things that other dont like a sign that u must follow this path or that path.This is right time to change drastically as we dont have much time in our life.If u receive that kind of sign than its time for we to change.And for those that didnt receive the sign then we should gradually change.So friend you are in the right path.eventhough you find no hapiness in buddhism its not a big deal what important is you change for the better and can help the society and also you have get rid all your bad habit. thus u have achieve the 5 golden rules of buddhism.so big sadhu to u my friend
In any case, it's obviously a big decision, you're wise to take your time to consider all options before taking the big step. Good luck.
(1) Play the game and garner material wealth so you don't fall through the bottom yourself.
(2) Renounce in order to advance spiritually as a way to bathe in the light and escape your own mortality (a sort of materialism in its own right).
Love gives two choices:
(1) Play the game and garner material wealth with the intention of helping all sentient beings (including yourself).
(2) Renounce with the single-minded desire for liberation so that you may help all sentient beings (including yourself). Or renounce out of sheer desperation because you can no longer contribute to the confusion nor can you anymore be engulfed within it.
I think Love (2) might be the purest and most difficult. Maybe. But it is possible to love and fear - dual motivations are probably quite common.
Or...find something else that's a better fit. Or create your own thing, if you can find a way to work it so it keeps you fed and housed. Many options.
So I schedule my return on March 2012...I have six more months here before I go back. Anyhow, I am renting out my apartment and I want to move into a smaller place where I can spend my last six months in Canada. Yesterday I mentioned my plans to my Zen teacher. And today she emailed me and asked me if I am interested in becoming a resident in the temple until I go back to Turkey. How wonderful is that! Of course I accepted. Hope it works out. I am very happy