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Are you making any progress?
hermitwin
Veteran
I write this to express my concern about a trend I see here.
Of course this does not apply to all members.
I write this with the sincere hope that it may help some of you.
No, I dont think I know better than you.
Just something you could ponder about.
Some people seems to take the view that Buddhism is very democratic.
Maybe based on Kalama sutta.
That you can take whatever Buddhist teachings and interpret it your own way.
I dont think you can do that.
The Kalama sutta is not license to twist and turn Buddhism into
whatever you like.
Most of us are not experts on Buddhism.
So just be careful not to be too sure of your way of doing things.
Your way may just be the wrong way.
At the end of the day, its how much progress you are making.
How much closer are you towards enlightenment?
Of course this does not apply to all members.
I write this with the sincere hope that it may help some of you.
No, I dont think I know better than you.
Just something you could ponder about.
Some people seems to take the view that Buddhism is very democratic.
Maybe based on Kalama sutta.
That you can take whatever Buddhist teachings and interpret it your own way.
I dont think you can do that.
The Kalama sutta is not license to twist and turn Buddhism into
whatever you like.
Most of us are not experts on Buddhism.
So just be careful not to be too sure of your way of doing things.
Your way may just be the wrong way.
At the end of the day, its how much progress you are making.
How much closer are you towards enlightenment?
0
Comments
As has been pointed out earlier, not everyone is after enlightenment. If you want enlightenment, then become a monk. I am just enjoying the health benefits, mental clarity and appreciation for other people. Enlightenment is the last thing on my mind.
searching & struggling.
I don't really "follow" buddhism. I don't even know the 8 fold path by heart. You say most of us are not experts on Buddhism. Well that's not the point. The point is to be an expert on life. If our knowledge of buddhism stands in the way of something very self-evident for each of us...then we'd be deluded to believe in Buddhism.
hermitwin, Buddha taught about the nature of suffering and cessation of suffering. To me, that's being happy/peaceful and a better person (helping others).
If you listen to teachers like Ajahn Brahm and Gil Fronsdal, then it's hard to miss the emphasis they put on making sure what you're doing makes sense to you.
I guess my question for you is, why does it matter? What specific teaching are you talking about and why does everyone have to accept a certain itnerpretation of it? With so many different schools and approaches, I think we can all agree on the important points, so who cares if someone does things their own way?
a good brain surgeon?
Knowledge might not be the same as actual wisdom. The Buddha never had any access to a sangha or any suttas and he did alright.
I may not have been here long, but I don't honestly see this pattern that you're talking about. I appreciate the Buddhist teachings due to their solidarity and peacefulness that can resonate within my own heart, and the people around me.
As for progress, I'm going at a steady pace that I feel is right for me. I am not trying to attain enlightenment, I am just trying to be happier, and make the world around me a better place.
Personally, I will find a teacher that I trust and follow his advice on
how to get nirvana.
and years later became Ajahn Brahm.
It was very weird, I just started laughing and smiling like a douche, out of nowhere. I swear weird stuff never happens to me too.
It's all kind of moot without real examples, isn't it?
"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it."
- Buddha
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.065.than.html
But I can agree on the topic in a way. Because what I think is a bit sad is people that come to the conviction that because changing the teachings works for them, this must be the ultimate truth and they start spreading this around as if the Buddha said this. These statements are very confusing for people who are new in Buddhism.
Sabre
The fact that we are having this discussion is encouraging.
We always question others. Perhaps its a western thing.
But its also good to question ourselves.
Perhaps I am wrong, perhaps there is a better way.
Perhaps Ajahn Chah or Ajahn Panno or Dalai Lama knows something That
I dont.
You do what the meditation master tells you.
I think there is advantage in that approach too.
I understand that zen masters are even more strict.
'course there are skilful and unskilful ways to question teachings. High school comes to mind - sometimes there would be someone who always had to interrupt the teacher and make a nonsensical comment meant to prove the teacher wrong. That was just unhelpful.
Also, there would be someone who'd ask the teacher to elaborate on things they didn't understand and sometimes that was because the teacher was actually wrong about something. There were always moment when a student would ask a question which would make the teacher stop, think and say "I'll have to get back to you on that one". That shows the student is engaged with what's going on and is actually trying to process it on a deeper level than ignorant acceptance.
In the same way, there is nothing wrong with saying "well hang on, this particular sutra doesn't make sense, could someone please explain it?" and if no sensible explanation can be found, then maybe that sutra should be set aside for the time being?
So, if you end up with a set of sutras which don't make sense to you and some sutras which you know to be true... are you picking and choosing? Do you have to treat them all with equal importance? If a sutra doesn't make sense, but it makes sense as an analogy or a metaphor, then perhaps interpreting it as such is the right way to go?
Teachers do get things wrong sometimes.
I was just thinking if a freshman in college would dare question
the professor on what he was teaching.
The professor is not always right.
But he has completed his PhD, so he definitely has some good stuff
to teach.