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hello from a newbie ...
I am new so please bear with me. I have stared mediation few weeks agos with the FWBO . Although they are good I have few reservations about this order. For the moment i am on the mindfullness of breathing and bodyscan which i do enjoy a lot. I do apologise i have a lot of question.
first what is the big difference between theravada and mayahana buddhism ?
I was wondering if anyone has follow the course offered by the FMPT and what they thought were about it ? As the cost seems to be a bit on the high side.
unfortunately i leave quite far from some budhist temple and i was interesed by their online course Discovering budhism. I have started their free module , which I have found very interesting as it seems to explain the background in detail of meditation and its techniques.
finally i wonder if someoone can explain me the relation between anger/emotion and impermanence.
many thanks.
first what is the big difference between theravada and mayahana buddhism ?
I was wondering if anyone has follow the course offered by the FMPT and what they thought were about it ? As the cost seems to be a bit on the high side.
unfortunately i leave quite far from some budhist temple and i was interesed by their online course Discovering budhism. I have started their free module , which I have found very interesting as it seems to explain the background in detail of meditation and its techniques.
finally i wonder if someoone can explain me the relation between anger/emotion and impermanence.
many thanks.
0
Comments
The difference between a duvet and an eiderdown....!
It might help you more if you take a look here, for Theravada, and here, for Mahayana.
If it's beyond your pocket, do they accept donations instead of a fixed fee?
Most Buddhist organisations that I know of rely on either voluntary contribution or community support.....
There is so much information on the internet, and through forums like this one, that you're bound to find answers as you need them, when you need them.
But don't worry. There's no pressure, no hurry and no obligation to commit yourself to any one school of thought, any one tradition, any one path - until you feel ready to do so. Don't try to run before you can walk. And why walk, when you can stroll....?
It's quite simple. The moment for anger arises, then passes. But we don't drop the anger.
We should, because every compounded phenomenon is impermanent.
there's nothing wrong with being angry.
Just don't hold onto it.
It's intangible and ephemeral. So why cling to it?
What good does it do you?
None.
So let it go.
Along with everything else you'll have to let go of.....
Welcome!:D
OK let's expand it to see the differences between all schools of buddhist thought. Mahayana has a VAST array of different points of view and it would be unfair to put them all under the same label. The different views, however, have the same goal.
Lets picture a mountain ok? (this is not my simile, I heard it on a talk by a nun whose name I forgot
To reach the top, however, it is advisable that you, at first, research which path is the best for you. (I, for one thing, would need many pit stops on my mountain climbing and certainly wouldn't pull a "spider man" by trying to use ropes!
The advantage of choosing one path is that, otherwise, you tend to pick just what you agree with from each of the schools, when, sometimes, the disagreeable is just what you need to move forward. If you select pieces of what you believe in each, you might find yourself just giving different labels to old beliefs.
In regards to the FWBO i found their mediation course very helpful in setting up your practice. the teacher are well inform. Our actual meditation teacher is very good and i have actually benefited from their approach . Soemtiems i feel that they should explain things a bit further instead of tryign to intectuallize it lol
I have attended one evening introduction in buddhism class at the beginning of this year. Sorry to say this v but some of the people present had quite a bit of a snobbish attitude lol . My partner and I had felt a bit uncomfortable. Unfortuantely at the time i was not able to continue so i coudln't challenge myself to see if it was just a one off within this course.
having say this, i have found the opposite with the meditation class the people were actually very different than on my first encounter with them. Much more relaxe and friendler.
when I look through the diverse activities they offer, i found it amusing that they separate "activites" between men and women, especailly some of their dharma talk.
this feeling of reservation may have surfaced probably because it is all a bit new to me and i wasnt sure what to expect at first but I have to say they have been very accommodating and positive towards me and my other half. I dont fault them. i usually advance with caution for everything that I do.
i have to say i have met many who have been ordained within the FWBO and they have all been positive and have / had some very interesting discussion and exchange.
for the moment i am just trying to find all the diiferent tradition within buddhism but one question has come up when looking around the net is the lineage issue within the FWBO , so I am not too sure how i am supposed to feel about it .
what are other people feeling about them FBWO .
On a brief exposition, let's suppose that the behavior that caused the anger comes from another person. If whatever phenomenon that has arisen anger in you is part of the other person's essence (this is not from a "non self" perspective), you should not be angry because it is their essence, and they are helpless to change it, so its like being angry at a crazy person for attacking you, it is not their fault.
If the anger-trigger doesn't make part of the other person's essence, and also considering anger as transitory, why be angry at the person that attacked you? It is like being angry at the sun for being covered by a cloud.
Being angry at the behavior that made you angry is like being angry at the whip that hits you, it doesn't make sense.
You might say "but they are being nasty, and they know it!". They might know it, but by doing so they are unknowingly producing bad karma, and if they are doing so to have some kicks they are also avoiding their main affliction. It is the most wicked that need the most compassion, because they are forsaking their chances of moving forward to better situations. hey might know they are nasty and they might like it, but they might not be aware of the consequences of their actions.
Who is, then, the enemy? You might say anger itself, it is valid enough. Where does anger spring from? From you? Is it part of you, as in your essence? Obviously not. It is just a phenomenon that happens, bugt since its conditioned, what caused it? You might say the other persons behavior, but it is just that? Wasn't there anything inside of you that responded to their behavior?
I like their audio talks :-P
Mahayana refers to numerous traditions that vary greatly (Zen vs. Tibetan for example). Theravada draws solely from the Tipitaka (Pali Canon) while Mahayana branches do not [draw solely from the Tipitaka]. This is the main difference in my opinion. This does not make on inferior to the other. Even within Theravada there are different interpretations of the suttas. Ultimately it is your understanding of those words, not the words themselves, that are important. They're all different paths that lead to the same thing... different "teaching styles" if you will.
It's not important to choose a school right this moment... instead, I would take part in some forums, read from various sources, and get a good foundation to build from. Otherwise you're blindly jumping into something... which seems to have happened with FWBO. I am not familiar with the group, but is this what you're talking about?:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friends_of_the_Western_Buddhist_Order#Controversies_and_criticism
Err... how about a local introductory meditation class for now?
i am doing a meditation class already with the FWBO which i really do like it and they are the closest to me . So far I have learn mindfullness and bodyscan and then in a week or a so we will learn the loving kindness meditation . I am thinking when i have a lot more knowledge probably to take a buddhism class withina tradition that i feel a lot more comfortable with rather than going blind.
I have to say that the FWBo have been so far very understanding and generally nice and friendly. I am disabled and they have been very accommodating .
I came in this board to exchange ideas and learn after all .
I am glad you pointed out this link . My doubts relate to the fact it seems to have soem discrepancies and I am not too sure if they are from my expectation or misconceptions or from them.
FMPT courses are very thorough, the program is long, it costs money, plus you must buy some (or borrow) dhamma books and do homework to pass the course.
The courses are naturally about Tibetan Buddhism and you will learn about setting up an alter, how to relate to teachers, pujas, karma & rebirth, deity worship, meditation, emptiness and the other topics.
If you are interested in a Tibetan focus, then they are good.
I started a couple of curiosity but did not complete them. But then, I have studied alot of (Theravada) Buddhism.
I think that learning whether the content is Buddhist or not is something of great relevance that gets lost in just analyzing someones Behavior. I am not saying that the founder of FWBO didn't mess up at some point, but other people that have credibility nowadays might have a dark past nobody talks about.
Would it make their teachings less valid in the eyes of the public? No, because the general consensus is that if the person seems "holy" than they must be, and as a consequence their teachings might be the ultimate truth. Even if somebody seems spotless, one has to analyze his teachings very carefully (I'm not going into detail here).
Who do you think can teach you patience better: the Dalai Lama or an obnoxious co-worker?
Who teaches impermanence better: the pali canon or a dying relative?
However, sometimes their intepretation of teachings were a little strange for me but this should not be an issue if you are learning.
Just like you, I was impressed with their schedule & activities. The meditation before the dhamma talk or discussion was excellent.
People corrupt everything. People unfortunately can't help but relate someone's personal, private behaviour to the tradition they follow. I do not know much about the school but it sounds like there were some inappropriate things going on -within- it. However, the person central to these controveries is no longer a part of the origanization. His behaviour does not say anything about how it's currently run or how much it has to offer. My advice still stands that, if he has doubts, to take it easy and just continue exploring Buddhism, and not feel a need to rush into any specific tradition. If he's happy, then ignore the gossip and continue what's beneficial to him...