Welcome home! Please contact lincoln@icrontic.com if you have any difficulty logging in or using the site. New registrations must be manually approved which may take several days. Can't log in? Try clearing your browser's cookies.
General questions
Hi,
I have been reading about buddhism for about 2 years now, and attempting to incorporate it into my life. I have some general questions.
1) From what i have read about buddhism is that there is no line between us and other, and the sooner we realize this the easier it gets to understand everything. I guess my issue is the "self"? Is the original intent of buddhism to mold a person into someone that is always doing something for someone else? and If so How does this person tend to themselves? Does making the jump to taking care of everyone else some how fulfill the needs of the self automatically?
2) Second Noble Truth - My current understanding is basically that attachment to how anything should be is the cause of suffering not so much the desire. I can want something, but the moment I attach my self as a got to have it this way is when I start to suffer for it. - Does this sound accurate or is there a clearer way to looking at this.
3) I have found that that buddhism has a wonderfully practical approach to life and how to work with it; however, I find it hard to hold on to topics of rebirth and such. Is there any proof of this concept? it seems like this is almost of thing of faith which seems a tad off key for the practical concepts I read about.
For Example: I moved away from Christianity because of its lofty claims of the understanding of what happens to you after death as far as i can tell no one knows anything. If they do, how do i reproduce this, so that it is not something that is taken on faith.
Thanks in advance for any help in understanding these topics.
Thawee
I have been reading about buddhism for about 2 years now, and attempting to incorporate it into my life. I have some general questions.
1) From what i have read about buddhism is that there is no line between us and other, and the sooner we realize this the easier it gets to understand everything. I guess my issue is the "self"? Is the original intent of buddhism to mold a person into someone that is always doing something for someone else? and If so How does this person tend to themselves? Does making the jump to taking care of everyone else some how fulfill the needs of the self automatically?
2) Second Noble Truth - My current understanding is basically that attachment to how anything should be is the cause of suffering not so much the desire. I can want something, but the moment I attach my self as a got to have it this way is when I start to suffer for it. - Does this sound accurate or is there a clearer way to looking at this.
3) I have found that that buddhism has a wonderfully practical approach to life and how to work with it; however, I find it hard to hold on to topics of rebirth and such. Is there any proof of this concept? it seems like this is almost of thing of faith which seems a tad off key for the practical concepts I read about.
For Example: I moved away from Christianity because of its lofty claims of the understanding of what happens to you after death as far as i can tell no one knows anything. If they do, how do i reproduce this, so that it is not something that is taken on faith.
Thanks in advance for any help in understanding these topics.
Thawee
0
Comments
I believe there is very compelling anecdotal evidence for reincarnation (not so for rebirth), as, for example when a reincarnated lama is able, as a young child, to correctly select objects that had belonged to his predecessor. Choose to believe what you will about it, but when a child is able to correctly state "that was mine", referring to a possession of someone who is dead time after time, that's pretty compelling to me. This is well documented.
Rebirth is quite different, but I believe it's pretty well got to be true if one believes in cyclic existence, which is after all one of the basic foundations of Buddhism. One of my problems with Christian thought, even as a child, was, why would "God" create all these souls, then only use them once? What's the point?
Mtns
I'm not quite sure where you got this one. The goal of Buddhism is not to be constantly doing things for other people, although helping others is certainly a nice thing to do. Some choose to live a life of service if they feel that is what's right for them. Of course you have to tend to yourself first. It wouldn't be healthy to ignore your own needs in order to serve others. If you don't take care of your basic needs you may not have any opportunity to study or practice the dharma.
Just watch the flow of thought and try to answer just what exactly is the deal with it. that's all buddhism is.
I don't know that...that's awsome
It would seem to me from what I have read buddhism tries to dissolve the sense of self so one can see everyone around them as apart of them. I also read that buddhism attempts to remove attachment to things in your life.
My logic seems to flow that if I am not attached to anything, and everyone is apart of me then it would only stand to reason that someones request of my help would be coming from myself weather it was physically asked of me or it was observed by me. If i truly take to heart what i have read then by servicing other people i am servicing myself because we are not separate. It would also stand to reason that love, compassion would naturally motivate me to squelch any issues that i can in someone else's life.
I remember reading the dalai lama version of compassion. He said it is to do whatever is necessary to remove the pain in another as best you can.
I also read a story about concentration camps, and how people who were starving would give away there bread to others so that they may not feel the pain of hunger as much.
I am not sure of others, but this ideology that i am gleaming from buddhism is the message that is being presented in my eyes.
my only concern is if one lives a life in the service of others without regard for ones personal desires. Does my life seem to resolve its own dependence on private fulfillment there by allowing me to obtain happiness because I am not longer chasing private fulfillment.
I guess it goes back to the ego. Who am I? Am i really my desires and thoughts? Am I the idea that I created about myself? My cloths, My job, My House, Etc.? So I am asking this question to someone who has made the jump from seeking private fulfillment, and moved to the service of the whole how has this affected your life, and Does it fulfill my desire for happiness.
Thanks
Thawee
My attempts to answer your points:
Yes, because there are no lines dividing anything, only lines connecting everything:)
There are no objects, no things, no selves, no self, no ego...
No, I don't think so. Though the Bodhisatava vow of much later Buddhism incorporates this in a certain way.
The second noble truth is about understanding the cause of the experience of Dukka (Strain, suffering, stress, negativity, disappointment...).
To understand this you need to understand Dependent Origination, Emptiness/Interconnectivity, Impermanence and how they relate causally.
I think this is the hardest part of Dharma to understand, but not the hardest to practice:)
Yes, it is practical but it is rich in many philosophcial and spiritual ways, its not merely "practical self help" (Not that that is why you were implying).
I agree, oh the joy of letting go!:)
Its very important to your dharma practice not to get too bogged down in this issue though, I have got very bogged down in it in the past:)
The Four Noble Truths are true irrespective of conditions to do with afterlives and gods etc.
No, nor is there a disproof.
Though it is clearly hard to make sense of an afterlife when there is no self. Equally for an eternal cycle of afterlives when nothing is permanent.
You need faith to be sure in rebirth and faith to be sure in nonrebirth.
The Buddha doesn't offer certainty, he offers clarity.
That's the crux, to me anyways.
namaste