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Meditation is the most meaningful thing in this meaningless world.
jll
Veteran
Meditation is the most meaningful thing in this meaningless world.
That is what my teacher said.
Any comments?
That is what my teacher said.
Any comments?
0
Comments
How many of them are meditators, I am not sure.
more conveniences, but less time.
We have more degrees, but less sense
more knowledge, but less judgement
more experts, but more problems
more medicines, but less healthiness.
We’ve been all the way to the moon and back
but have trouble crossing the street to meet the neighbor.
We built more computers to hold more information
to produce more copies than ever…
but have less communication.
We have become long on quantity but short on quality.
These are fast times of fast foods but slow digestion.
Tall man but short character.
Steep profits but shallow relationships.
It is a time where there is much in the window
but nothing in the room.
~ The 14th Dalai Lama
Reminds me of this
Meditation is great, but it is not the answer to all of your problems, neither is compassion. Just like with food you need a balanced diet
no in between.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/paradox.asp
all meaning is possible but completely as projections.
Meditation is a great tool but it isn't everything
Awareness is always there and there are all these mandalas arising and collapsing within. Because a quality of awareness is sensitivity there is a sense of bliss which could be distorted as rejection of experience or could be all sorts of qualities: gratitude, patience, receptivity.
care to elaborate?
mental attitudes spontaneously arise in no where, nor are the locatable. yet the vividly appear. they are based on an infinite variety of causes/conditions meeting an infinite variety of causes/conditions.
thus completely empty, void of inherent existence. yet completely vividly appearing.
meaning and meaninglessness are all projections from mind.
Doesn't Buddhist doctrine say that all things arise dependently?
Thus they are empty of inherent existence. This isn't a view and to be taken as a view would be terrible.
A view is baseless and ultimately will lead to suffering.
The words point to a non dual reailty that has no reference points.
By examining one starts to see how any view on reality is a misperception.
Ignorance. We believe that things have instrinsic existence or essences. Thus we grasp, cling, lust over, suffer.
With the view of dependent origination we start to see how reality is conpletely dependent on causes/conditions.
That isn't a philosophical assertion. It is experiential. Thus holding right view isn't a view but a total deconstruction of all views.
Right view is no view.
The only view worth having is the buddhas point of view. Because it is the only view that frees us from views.
When I say obstacles one obstacle could be that we think we know, and another obstacle could be that we think it is impossible to know by anyone or even just by us.
Knock yourselves out.
Either there is stress and suffering or the cessation of suffering/stress.
Each mind stream must find what works. But the message is universal. Faith or confidence is assured when happiness and peace follow.
Bad habit of mine.
Everything seems very impersonal until we make it personal. But then again those are all projection/imputation.
Lovely talking
Before we can assess whether meditation and the world are what is stated, we should try to reach some form of consensus on the meaning of meaning...
Language limits our discussion somewhat... the concepts are very abstract at root and abstract subject matter doesnt lend itself well to definition... if we play a zero sum game (conflict game) then we are just duelling with definitions.
I think there is subjective meaning (Taiyaki style) and objective meaning (Iktomi style).
Subjective - Taiyaki's point carries considerable weight - meaning is ascribed by us because it is experienced by us - physicists are known for saying that things are so because we observe them as so... take away the observer and what is left? Subjective meaning is illusion.
Objective - this is a tough one... for there to be an objective test / meaning there must be an objective archetype (a reasonably ordinary man on the street for example) - a fictional objective observer is created and it is this fiction that determines the nature of the objective reality or meaning - put in another way 'if a tree falls in a forest and there is no observer is there a sound?' - the objective model states yes , the sound waves still travel through space and fade... but there is no way to prove that - so what is needed is an act of 'faith'.... (i.e. that when I observe it it occurs so I assume / have faith / believe that if I dont observe it it is still so).
The question is: Do you believe in a God? If that is too strong then do you believe that Buddha nature is tangible?
Personally for me (and I say this as my purpose is not to propound a faith or to offend or undermine anyone else's faith), the 'subjective meaning' is illusion and the faith required for the 'objective meaning' is also illusion - there is nothing left to ponder.
So I think in answer to @jll - your teacher was probably just trying to tell you something to encourage you to meditate - you should print this out and show him - sure it will bring a smile to his face... perhaps he can also weigh in and help us out over here!
Meditation is not something separate from the meaningless world.
Kindly tell your dear teacher. The Buddha said: "The world is suffering; suffering is the world".
The end of suffering (Nirvana) is not the world.
The Buddha said the end of suffering is "Lokuttara", meaning "above-beyond the world".
Kindly tell your dear teacher.
Can you please elaborate on this...I wonder the details of your description of mandala...you using it symbolically?
You can kind of get a vibe in Ken Wilbur's stuff if you are interested you can 'get the goods' there. Try googling wiki holon Ken Wilbur. But it's just the vibe of a non-buddhist though influenced by teachings of the mandala principle.
Trungpa taught mandala principle.. sorry but I am very new to mandala teachings, just listened to a talk this morning Unfortunately I don't believe the talk is yet available to the general public.
In our practice it's kind of like the triple gem. Even if you are very deluded and even become a demon if you take refuge in the triple gem and come into contact with awakened people eventually you get straightened out. It's like you are a meth addict and then you relocate out of your supply mandala (samsara) and then go to be a monk and exist in the buddhadharma mandala..
a stupa is not only a symbol but because of the very real bonds created in the sangha the power of the stupa can actually transform into dharma. It is said that even thinking of a stupa can transform.
But check out 'holons' by Ken Wilbur.