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To practice Buddhist, the most important element is Wisdom, something more special than knowledge. Knowing the unknown is also a Buddha nature, the Enlightenment. Let us share our knowledge and wisdom to each other. Have any question feel free to ask!
Buddha sasana digham titthatu, long live the Buddha;s teaching
Buddha sasana digham titthatu, long live the Buddha;s teaching
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I think the ignorance and desire such strong within us, we can't or perceive or even can't say anything about it. But, suffering is true, real, desire or we us r real, as the Buddha's four noble truths.... forgetting or ignoring the self is to know the self, answer is there!
and it is Thirst, not Craving... you can Love (maitri), even enjoy (Middle Path)... remembering or hugging a beautiful (in "ego-less soul") someone (rupa, without kamma råga).
but, who wants to be thirsty? ...you can even, after some time... use the phåla (fruits) and help someone stop being thirsty (with the water of the fruits).
Actually you are right the ultimate evil is craving, but the root cause is the Ignorance. We are human, possessing sensible and desirable organs, such as eye-ear-nose-tongue-body-mind. as long we are alive, we do desire. Craving for Non-craving is much better than the craving which cause you pain and stress. Well, as i said once the ignorance is eradicated then all come to clear as light.
thanks
{ i } have collected this phala.
@thickpaper: of a noble heart, brahmi without ego
confidence in the Dharma is 1/10 of the fetters... as in, if you have confidence (not faith) in the Dharma, you may be a srotapanna.
"doubt or uncertainty, especially about the teachings (vicikicchā)[8]" // from wiki'
1. you can prefer something be a certain way without craving it. you can prefer to end craving without craving to end craving. by preferring a certain outcome but not attaching to that outcome you can prefer without attaching or craving.
here is a little image that helped me understand this. some guy is chained to a wall and he is hungry, there is food about 10 feet out of his reach. he would certainly prefer to get that food, if he craved for it he would reach out his hand to grab the food in vain. craving is sort of a mental reaching, it is trying to grab, to attach to things out of your reach. you can prefer to have that thing, but if you see that for the moment it is impossible you can have equanimity in the sense that you won't reach out for it uselessly.
2. when your ignorance ends and you truly understand the futility of craving, all craving will disappear. you can work on one craving at a time but once your ignorance has been destroyed all craving slips away including craving to end craving.
preference is just which thing you'd like more. it doesn't mean that you really like or need the thing that you prefer.
the metaphor really helped me, i guess it might just work for me though. craving is a futile consuming need, preference is just which of the things dealt to you you choose to pick up. craving is the futile grasping at what is out of your reach. preference is picking the things within your reach.
remember what we are fighting here, suffering. how is picking something a cause of suffering? as long as you remained equanimous (yes that's a word) you will not suffer.
conceptually the difference is indeed minute. but again, remember what we are fighting, in terms of suffering the difference is the whole issue.
These 'deities' as you call them, are personifications and manifestations of specific commendable and desirable qualities. To some in those traditions, they are seen as very real and existent, and to others they are merely representations of characteristics we should develop.
And they are prevalent mainly in the Mahayana/Tibetan tradition.
But they are 'Buddhas' or 'Boddhisattvas', and not deities. Not as I think you believe they are.
They are not omnipotent, omniscient and all powerful, and they are certainly not eternal.
They have a life-span precisely as you or I have.
It's just a lot longer than ours.....
I think this is a very interesting point that wasn't really touched upon. Not sure I can believe that elimination of all desire would really be the answer. It's the motivation factor for most everything. Without desire I think a person could easily become lost and depressed. I personally found this to be the dangerous part of this journey.
This middle way idea is extremely complex. Its like don't desire, except some things. Which things? Well it depends on your attachment. As long as you don't have attachment for your desire its ok. I mean how can these lines really be defined? All desires cause attachments which cause suffering. Problem is nobody can eliminate desire completely. This whole journey could cause much more stress and suffering then just living life to the fullest. chase those highs and enjoy them.
I have been practicing for 2 years. Never felt worse.
I would politely suggest that if you find it easiest just to live life to the fullest, perhaps that is the better way for you to live?
It seems to me you've got tangled in an intellectual understanding (misunderstanding?) of the Four Noble Truths when you'd be better thinking about something that actively helps you life better and happier.
I have found that turning my focus from myself to others really helps me stay positive and stable (I'm prone to depression myself). I can remember when I suddenly realised this - I was listening to the lama of my sangha, and my mind wandered. I noticed he seemed really happy and relaxed, and kept giggling (he is a very jolly soul). He was berating us for making things so hard from ourselves, thinking we could beat our egos down with a stick - but in doing so, ironically, we were focussing entirely on our own egos, thus defeating the purpose! Real Catch-22 (if I've understood him correctly).
Well even if I haven't understood entirely, it is definitely true that our lama is a very happy person. So even on that evidence, a depressive view of the dharma doesn't seem right.
Anyway, my mind wandered and suddenly I had an insight that I was supposed to be happy! Since I made that my goal, I've found things going much easier for me. Your mileage may vary, but it works for me.
It isn't. The elimination of Suffering, is the answer.
You have to analyse what type of desire is motivating you, and discern whether it's skilful or not... Only through miscomprehension and misunderstanding. There are some things you should desire. Very easily.
You simply ask the question:
"How is this desire conducive to my practice?" Not so. All desires bring forth attachments, if unskilfully adhered to.
If you strongly Desire to study and follow the Dhamma, do so. But do so skilfully. the moment your concentration becomes obsessive, you have permitted your desire to advance and become unskilful.
Cling to the raft while you traverse the river. You need that raft. But once you have safe footing, release the raft and stand on dry land. if you need another raft - then build one. Nothing should be clung to. The secret is to not let desire arise to such an extent that it becomes unskilful. Then it's hard to shift. Do not let the desires you have, become all-encompassing. Really? And what will happen to that viewpoint when you are obliged by circumstance to cease chasing them? The fall from the high will take you plummeting far further than the corresponding Low.... Then you have been doing it wrong. It's really not hard, it's actually extremely simple. Stop straining so hard. Relax a little....
Thanks for the detailed response.
I have trouble with the idea that you can bend the rules as long as you act skillfully. I mean I feel like that's a legal term so you can have a loophole for anything needed. Can't you skillfully break all the 8 precepts? I mean I can murder if I do it mindfully and it doesn't cause me stress. As long as I don't attach to the idea that murder is wrong I can skilfully murder.
When does one's concentration become obsessive to be unskillful? I mean I love to rock climb. It is a dangerous sport only used for pleasure. I thought that I was too obsessed to be skillful. I quit. I'm miserable.
I'm starting to feel Buddhism is designed to keep you at a low level of happiness. Or no happiness would be more appropriate to be completely void. Yeah your not going to have to experience many tragic things when you live in a temple. so your protected from that.
I mean for some reason I still believe in the concept. It seems like the answer but I have become very lost. Not sure how this is simple. Maybe its so simple I need to live my old life because I'm starting to feel like I did this naturally before I picked up my first Buddhist book.
I don't think relaxing is the answer. Not sure anyone knows of somebody who lives more relaxed than me. What about business people who don't have time to think about anything? Aren't they essentially meditating all day in some form? The more I think about it the opposite of a relaxed life would probably be the answer.
Regards
All we can do is to try to cause as little damage as possible, but thinking time in such situations is not always a liberal luxury. We must just be mindful of our actions. Self-deprivation is therefore equally unskilful, isn't it? Why do that to yourself?
If you are eating a wonderful meal, you know that at one point, you simply cannot eat any more. But to continue to literally stuff yourself is not conducive to comfort, and takes the edge off the delight of having eaten the meal. Go rockclimbing. But just don't 'over-eat'.... I'm one of the happiest people I know. It's a choice, you see.... Oh, you mean like the Dalai Lama was protected from seeing so many of his fellow countrymen butchered, imprisoned, tortured and murdered in cold blood? Yes, I guess he was.....:rolleyes:
Living in a temple does not make you any more immune to suffering, it, even by association.... It is. Extraordinarily simple. In fact, it's so simple, many people do resist its simplicity, because they cannot believe something could be so simple.
Please note: "Simple" does not mean "Easy".... I've never met anybody who hasn't got time to think about anything. In fact, far too many people are actively, continuously thinking about far too much! No, they're not. meditating means bringing the Mind Home, and being able to live at peace with it.
The secret is to maintain an active mind - MindFully. In other words, you are aware and present during your thoughts. They do not run away with you, you are strolling along, with them.....
Go rock climbing - I've actually met several Buddhist rock climbers, cavers and other dangerous sports enthusiasts. I'm told the concentration required is meditative and I would imagine it would be a useful way of developing focus - a skill that could be transferred to meditation. I won't tell you to climb mindfully - I suspect if you didn't climb mindfully, you'd end up squished at the bottom of a cliff somewhere.
Being nice to yourself isn't against any rules - there aren't any rules in Buddhism. And besides, being nice to yourself is actually no different to being nice to others, since any difference between "yourself" and "Others" is purely illusory. You are actually supposed to show yourself as much loving kindness and compassion as you show others - so there's a "rule" for you to stick to!
more than all your enemies,
an undisciplined mind does greater harm."
i think disciplining the mind is the key practice in Buddhism, this is what the Buddha taught.
It's everybody's right to be an @$$hole for 5 minutes a day.
Wisdom consists of not exceeding the limit.
I personally, still haven't worked that bit out, yet.....:D