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Are you finished yet?
lobster
Crusty Veteran
Finished with Dukkha yet?
Q: What does Trinity mean when she says "You've been down there, Neo. You already know that road. You know exactly where it ends. And I know that's not where you want to be."?
A: Trinity's talking about Neo's feeling that the world is unreal, that there's something missing. He's been searching for something, and if he doesn't listen to her now, he's going to return to his old life where 'he's not sure if he's awake or still dreaming'
Time to take the Dharma pill?
I take refuge in the Buddha.
I take refuge in the Dharma.
I take refuge in the Sangha.
Q: What does Trinity mean when she says "You've been down there, Neo. You already know that road. You know exactly where it ends. And I know that's not where you want to be."?
A: Trinity's talking about Neo's feeling that the world is unreal, that there's something missing. He's been searching for something, and if he doesn't listen to her now, he's going to return to his old life where 'he's not sure if he's awake or still dreaming'
Time to take the Dharma pill?
I take refuge in the Buddha.
I take refuge in the Dharma.
I take refuge in the Sangha.
1
Comments
Every week one would regail us with tales of a dukkha filled life. Nobody including the speed dial hot line rinpoche they were so proud of, had ever challenged this pattern. We were either complicit in the dukkha, incompetent or lacked genuine compassion. What happened to that student? That is another story, for another time. However such individuals are clearly attached to their dukkha.
Are we actually interested in letting go the advice sessions, sympathy and intense drama of dukkha? In other words 'not finished yet' . . .
Sheng Yen also said, repeatedly to trust the method by doing it and stick to it. One step at a time.
Buddhism requires faith--not in terms of ideological belief--but a provisional faith in the methods that the Buddhadharma offers. Book knowledge is only helpful to a limited degree, and beyond that point is only a hindrance to practice (even the sutras themselves).
These myriad methods can't be practised all at once, but only a little at a time. Like any skill to be developed, it requires practice, patience and persistence. The more you experience for yourself, the less faith needed in the method. Experience replaces that trust.
Last night, at the small sangha meetup, we talked about the three poisons, and how all three were interconnected and how all three can spin into a vicious circle. One of those three poisons of course is ignorance-- of our true nature which is not that we are a separate entity grinding against other separate entities. In other words, one of the aspects of ignorance is the very notion of a "subject vs. object" worldview which causes more suffering. You can't have greed ("I want more of ________" money, sex, better job, heaven, nirvana, etc.) without that "subject/object" dichotomy. And hatred arises out of that separation because of the conflict that one fervently clings to in that subject/object dichotomy.
But the vicious circle can be turned the other way: to wisdom, letting go of "me" as a separate entity and compassion. That's what all the many methods of Buddhism point toward. Just as the three poisons mutually support one another in a vicious circle of dukkha, so it can be reversed in the same way. But it can only be done one step at a time.
It is like driving a long distance and having a map to guide you. It is good to know where on the map your destination is, certainly. But when it comes to the actual driving, its better to stick to the roads on that map that are immediately relevant to where you are at. If you keep looking at the final destination without paying attention to all those other roads that you are currently having to navigate, you are guaranteed to get lost!
'This may be true,' said the poor suitor, 'but if I did not serenade, what would I do with my Saturdays?'
Sometimes the devil we know feels more comfortable than finding a real love.
So the question is what do we get out of dukkha? Why do we treat our obstacles as worthy of others compassion, when they probably have their own difficulties?
I have an internet friend in Israel, is in constant pain and often unable to walk. Never a more cheerful, generous, loving soul.
Why?
Because they practice the spiritual path.
Generosity: not taking peoples good will but giving it. Never speaking of their pain and problems but helping others . . .
When I become a Buddha, my first stop will be the hell realms, not the spiritual streakers [sic]. After all we of an enlightened capacity have to attend to those in greatest need . . .
http://www.shambhala.org/teachers/pema/tonglen1.php
Anyone care to come along? :rarr:
What do you think the journey to Nirvana is like?
Improvement, greater ease, more willingness and ability to cope with hardships . . .
We are both in samsara, you fear Nirvana, I have no fear of the hell realms . . . :clap:
"When I become a Buddha, my first stop will be the hell realms, not the spiritual streakers [sic]. After all we of an enlightened capacity have to attend to those in greatest need . . . "
Every Buddha I ever met was a recovered addicted and every Angel I came across had earned their wings in Hell.