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Who here is willing to state why their practice is superior to others.??????

howhow Veteran Veteran
edited May 2014 in General Banter

I only ask this question because of the recent threads here that seem to partake of such unspoken beliefs.
Is this the nasty bit of poo that most sidestep on the spiritual sidewalk until some unaware knob find themselves tracking it far and wide.
or does everyone have something repugnant stuck to the bottom of their shoe that only continued path walking gradually wears off?

I get that everyone is attracted to some aspect of one practice over another but to coddle that as some identity trophy seems like willful obscuration within ones meditation practice.

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Comments

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    Well, sounds to me like you think yours is....

    pommesetoranges
  • BuddhadragonBuddhadragon Ehipassiko & Carpe Diem Samsara Veteran

    I like to share with whoever cares to ask what practices have worked for me.
    That doesn't mean my practice is superior to anyone's.
    In fact, I have often learnt a lot from other people's comments on their own practice to improve my own.

    KundohowInvincible_summer
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    If you ever grow up, that is.

    I intend to resist all temptation.

    KundoInvincible_summer
  • VictoriousVictorious Grim Veteran
    edited May 2014

    My practise is superior to anybody else's...for me! :)

    Bunks
  • seeker242seeker242 Zen Florida, USA Veteran
    edited May 2014

    My practice is superior to others (LOL) because it includes all others within it and does not disparage any others. Often referred to as "Ekayana" or the "Most Supreme Vehicle".

    Always liked this description:

    the One Vehicle includes all other vehicles of Buddhism as it is the teaching of manifesting enlightenment. That is, the term One Vehicle doesn't mean an exclusive vehicle that is the only correct one, but means an all-inclusive vehicle that includes every vehicle of Buddhism both lesser vehicles (Hinayana) and greater vehicles (Mahayana). As the one and singular ultimate goal of Buddha Dharma is to lead people to become Buddhas. All forms of Buddhism are within this One Vehicle.

    how
  • anatamananataman Who needs a title? Where am I? Veteran

    I don't subscribe to any particular practice, and that is why my practice is superior.

    Yes you are probably right blind Ego.

    Who are you to call me Blinded?

    how
  • KundoKundo Sydney, Australia Veteran

    Who here is willing to state why their practice is superior to others.??????

    I'm not touching that one - even with someone else's karma :P.......

    howMeisterBobyagrBuddhadragon
  • JasonJason God Emperor Arrakis Moderator

    It goes without saying that mine is. (Like the Great Brahma, God Emperors have to keep up appearances in front of their retinues.)

    Kundopersonfedericaanataman
  • howhow Veteran Veteran

    My purpose was not to see if anyone would say that their practice is better than anothers. I thought (almost) no one here would be daft enough to say that directly. (now this is not a challenge!).

    IMO, something as ethereal as our attempts to walk towards suffering's cessation is unlikely to be very fruitful while also burdened with prideful assumptions that our way of walking it has an authenticity that others lack.

    lobster
  • genkakugenkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran

    Look, I just hate anchovies! This, of course, is the superior view anyone in his right mind would take towards anchovies. I may marvel in surprise or quiver with disgust that anyone might actually enjoy these salty little ick-mobiles, but I am too utterly content in my own understanding to worry too much about the poor, inferior fools who disagree. All I ask is that nobody try to convince me that anchovies are actually good: I have enough delusions in my life without adding that low-life bit of stupidity.

    Superior? Moi?

    Nah ... it's just common sense, right?

    And if you'll hold on a second, I'll run out and find an ancient sutra or an authentic text to support the one, all-encompassing Truth when it comes to anchovies.

    shanyin
  • KundoKundo Sydney, Australia Veteran

    @lobster‌

    My lab has done this to my cushions too

    Jack.png 221.1K
    lobsterBuddhadragonanatamanmmo
  • MeisterBobMeisterBob Mindful Agnathiest CT , USA Veteran
    edited May 2014

    "While our thinking colors all our experience, more often than not our thoughts tend to

    be less than completely accurate. Usually they are merely uninformed private opinions,

    reactions and prejudices based on limited knowledge and influenced primarily by our

    past conditioning. All the same, when not recognized as such and named, our thinking

    can prevent us from seeing clearly in the present moment. We get caught up in thinking

    we know what we are seeing and feeling, and in projecting our judgmentsout onto

    everything we see off a hairline trigger. Just being familiar with this deeply entrenched

    pattern and watching it as it happens can lead to greater non-judgmental receptivity

    and acceptance" Jon Kabot-Zinn

    Emphasis on "can lead to"... in progress ? ... :) ... Bob

  • lobsterlobster Veteran
    edited May 2014

    @dhammachick said:
    My lab has done this to my cushions too

    You have a dharma lab? Wow, I am feeling really humbled. Oh labrador not = laboratory . . .

    This afternoon I chanted with the rain. What pathetic excuse for practice is that? Best I could manage at the time.

    At least I am not a clown Buddhist . . . oh wait . . . still feeling superior . . .

    Kundoanataman
  • howhow Veteran Veteran
    edited May 2014

    @‌ MeisterBob

    My zafu says that thinking more accurately than not, depends on thinking neither dominating or becoming subservient to form, sensation, activity or consciousnesses.

  • MeisterBobMeisterBob Mindful Agnathiest CT , USA Veteran

    @how said:
    @‌ MeisterBob

    My zafu says that thinking more accurately than not, depends on thinking neither dominating or becoming subservient to form, sensation, activity or consciousnesses.

    "right sized" as we would say in my "sangha" Bob

    how
  • GraymanGrayman Veteran
    edited May 2014

    Do I have a practice? Does my life discovery count as my practice? Is this in reference to Buddhist practice?

  • wangchueywangchuey Veteran
    edited May 2014

    My practice is superior because eternity goes by in a matter of minutes, 5 to 10 minutes to be exact. :D Feels like I've been sitting for an hour, the I look at the clock and only 5 minutes passed by.

    lobster
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited May 2014

    The Dharmakaya radiates on all beings respecting neither high nor low. All beings are one of the five families of Buddhas.

    how
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran

    More on the five families of Buddhas. Trungpa (love or hate) introduces this teaching but it is actually dating back to the Jewel Ornament of Liberation which dates back to Gompopa.

    Gompopa (11th century... so LOTS before Trungpa)
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gampopa

    Five families
    http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1658

    Buddhadragon
  • ShoshinShoshin No one in particular Nowhere Special Veteran

    Kia Ora,

    It all comes down to "Different strokes for different folks !" or if you like "One man's meat is another man's poison!"

    Metta Shoshin :)

  • BuddhadragonBuddhadragon Ehipassiko & Carpe Diem Samsara Veteran

    @dhammachick said:
    lobster‌

    My lab has done this to my cushions too

    That dog is sooooo sweet... Very lovely post, @dhammachick!

    Kundo
  • VictoriousVictorious Grim Veteran
    edited May 2014

    @how said:
    I thought (almost) no one here would be daft enough to say that directly.

    Not daft enough
    he thought I was
    Smirking loudly
    just because
    He asks for fun
    whose path is boss
    How mine is not
    Im at a loss.

    federicahowHamsaka
  • DavidDavid A human residing in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Ancestral territory of the Erie, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Mississauga and Neutral First Nations Veteran

    I can only go forward but the only path I see leads backwards. No matter what anyone says, ultimately, I have to forge my own, for better or worse.

    Before meditation, the machete is dull
    During meditation, there is no machete
    After meditation, the machete is maybe less dull but maybe less heavy too.

    Buddhadragonlobster
  • shanyinshanyin Novice Yogin Sault Ontario Veteran

    I can't say I practice the Dharma at all. I smoke pot, am not currently doing any meditation practices the Buddha taught.

    I wonder if I have ever practiced the Dhamma? One whole day of practice? Probably not.

    On my meditation retreat I did refuge and tried to keep the precepts. But I do not see myself as having made consistent steps (if any) on the path to enlightenment, or the awakened state.

  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran

    @shanyin, What if you do walking meditation for 5 minutes before you get high? And then you ask yourself why you don't like to meditate. You could burn incense when you meditate and put it out when you are done. When you finish a stick congratulate yourself and dedicate your merit to others dealing with all the shit you are dealing with in your life (everyone has this shit in some degree).

    Dandelion
  • shanyinshanyin Novice Yogin Sault Ontario Veteran

    @Jeffrey Sounds like a great practice and exercise in gratitude, compassion and mindfulness. I will have to learn how to do walking meditation first. I think the monk Yuttadhammo has a youtube instruction video on it.

    I have been doing for the past week, a 5-10 minute sitting meditation called 'quiet observation'. What it consists of is letting the body relax, and allowing the mind to be free, and just being aware of it. I intend to continue everyday until I feel I have acheived all I can from it.
    Also, I have been trying to keep precepts.

    JeffreylobsterDandelion
  • lobsterlobster Veteran

    @shanyin you start where you are, you do what you can. You change by doing something different. Bravo!

    JeffreyshanyinDandelion
  • shanyinshanyin Novice Yogin Sault Ontario Veteran

    :)

    David
  • DairyLamaDairyLama Veteran Veteran

    When I was involved in Rigpa there was a prevailing attitude that Dzogchen was by far the superior path . I don't recall any coherent explanations about _why _this was so, and it began to seem like arrogance - or possibly a form of self-promoting propaganda?

  • CittaCitta Veteran
    edited May 2014

    Has anyone on this thread or this forum made that claim..?

    And in any case isn't claiming that other peoples claims are ' arrogant and self promoting propaganda ' a roundabout way of claiming superiority over those people ?

  • MeisterBobMeisterBob Mindful Agnathiest CT , USA Veteran

    @ourself said:
    No matter what anyone says, ultimately, I have to forge my own, for better or worse.

    >

    "Our own path.....The path which is our lives" to paraphrase JKZ ... :) ...

  • CittaCitta Veteran
    edited May 2014

    @ourself said:
    I can only go forward but the only path I see leads backwards. No matter what anyone says, ultimately, I have to forge my own, for better or worse.

    Before meditation, the machete is dull
    During meditation, there is no machete
    After meditation, the machete is maybe less dull but maybe less heavy too.

    Thats your choice. The fact is that the Path has already been traversed for this age of the world.

    You need no more invent your own than you need to reinvent the wheel.

    You do have to walk the the known Path yourself however.

    Chaz
  • DandelionDandelion London Veteran

    My Buddhist practice is superior to that of people following other faiths, because it would appear that I 'suffer' less. This is just from my own perspective - but of course I don't ever really know what it is like to be someone else (buddhist or otherwise), and of course there are other factors at play, for example.. friends I have that have gone through tough times... I think I would suffer less if the same thing happened to me (because of my practice I believe that) HOWEVER, I don't know that to be the case for certain; the experience wouldn't ever be EXACTLY the same because no two people are. And I don't know what the future holds... I may wish to retract that statement next week lol OK, I'm jumping off this merry go round now....

    BTW I've never said that to anyone before. It wouldn't be helpful to someone going through a tough time: "oh well.. you know what.. become a Buddhist and it won't be as tough' yeah right... that would just sound weird, unhelpful and I actually think a bit cruel. :eek2:

    I don't think my faith is superior to other practising Buddhists, mainly because I don't know any out of virtual reality, so I have nothing to go on!

    Kundolobster
  • ShoshinShoshin No one in particular Nowhere Special Veteran

    Kia Ora,

    The practice I participate in is neither superior nor inferior to others...It's just a practice of which the byproduct is very beneficial...

    Metta Shoshin:)

    EarthninjaBuddhadragon
  • EarthninjaEarthninja Wanderer West Australia Veteran

    Hahaha, this is like saying my imaginary friend is superior to your imaginary friend!

    namarupa
  • lobsterlobster Veteran

    @genkaku said:
    Superior? Moi?

    Nah ... it's just common sense, right?

    And if you'll hold on a second, I'll run out and find an ancient sutra or an authentic text to support the one, all-encompassing Truth when it comes to anchovies.

    I swear by Almighty Cod, that anchovies ARE the Truth. Time to sit on my anchovie.

    Kundoanataman
  • MeisterBobMeisterBob Mindful Agnathiest CT , USA Veteran

    This thread is a good reminder that I do not like being preached to as in -"this is what you need to do". I shut right down. Rather I find "this is what worked for me" much more palatable. Also my unsolicited advice is not "required". lol! Bob

  • howhow Veteran Veteran
    edited May 2014

    Some of my practice has been the surprising discoveries of the various ways that my identity has re-clothed itself from a worldly presentation into a spiritual one. I see this as a compounding of delusion where simple ignorance learns how to camouflage its existence by mimicking the spiritual lay of the land.

    While I think this is typical of normal ego protectiveness when being challenged by a practice, an additional swath of it arose for me from practicing within a school which cloistered itself off from much of the world.

    Is an "us verses other" mentality on anything not just stating a belief of one being superior over another?

    lobster
  • DavidDavid A human residing in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Ancestral territory of the Erie, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Mississauga and Neutral First Nations Veteran
    edited May 2014

    @Citta said:
    You do have to walk the the known Path yourself however.

    In a manner of speaking... The 8FP is more like a guide for the path each of us must walk but each path is unique. Even between various schools that go by the Eightfold Path... The actual path the schools follow are different but the guide is the same.

    The path you walk only gets revealed by being tread... Even with guidelines.

  • DavidDavid A human residing in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Ancestral territory of the Erie, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Mississauga and Neutral First Nations Veteran
    edited May 2014

    @how said:

    Some of my practice has been the surprising discoveries of the various ways that my identity has re-clothed itself from a worldly presentation into a spiritual one. I see this as a compounding of delusion where simple ignorance learns how to camouflage its existence by mimicking the spiritual lay of the land.

    While I think this is typical of normal ego protectiveness when being challenged by a practice, an additional swath of it arose for me from practicing within a school which cloistered itself off from much of the world.

    Is an "us verses other" mentality on anything not just stating a belief of one being superior over another?

    Even just noticing how beautiful a rose is is an "us verses other" mindset... Sadly, we seem to have to see the world in these terms first before we can get over it and start using duality as the tool it is.

    Not a bad thing... Just evolution.

  • howhow Veteran Veteran

    @ourself said:
    Even just noticing how beautiful a rose is is an "us verses other" mindset... Sadly, we seem to have to see the world in these terms first before we can get over it and start using duality as the tool it is.

    @ourself

    For the beauty of a rose to qualify as an "us verses other" mindset, that incoming data must be manipulated. With out such manipulation, that beauty has no self reference to create an "us verses other" mindset.

    While I agree that our normal worldly conditioning does pattern an "us verses" other view, a meditation practice is the softening and dissolving of such conditioning..

    Duality for me is only a tool in service to our continued ignorance.

  • DavidDavid A human residing in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Ancestral territory of the Erie, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Mississauga and Neutral First Nations Veteran

    @how;

    Agreed... As we notice the beauty, it is manipulated but as soon as we do, us versus them rears its head for good or ill.

    As for duality, it is what it is and as they say "when in Rome"...

    It helps to know that Rome is temporary, no?

  • anatamananataman Who needs a title? Where am I? Veteran

    I think, know, believe that there is no right path, but know I am right in my own way on my own path; which means words are pretty much meaningless and probably redundant in this discussion. So back to the meditation where everything is fundamentally clear to me, and where staring at a cloud or a stone on the path is an acceptable practice.

  • shanyinshanyin Novice Yogin Sault Ontario Veteran
    edited May 2014

    Someone previously on this forum constantly up-talked the Theravada 'vehicle', even calling it 'superior'. He often quoted Pali Suttas.

  • DavidDavid A human residing in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Ancestral territory of the Erie, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Mississauga and Neutral First Nations Veteran

    @shanyin said:
    Someone previously on this forum constantly up-talked the Theravada 'vehicle', even calling it 'superior'. He often quoted Pali Suttas.

    >

    Hopefully they saw their contradiction.

  • shanyinshanyin Novice Yogin Sault Ontario Veteran

    I forgot to mention he was, banned
    @ourself‌
    what is the contradiction?

  • lobsterlobster Veteran

    @Dandelion said:
    My Buddhist practice is superior to that of people following other faiths, because it would appear that I 'suffer' less.

    We do go by appearance or apparent comparisons.
    So superficial, going by appearances . . . yes I do that too. However I tend to relate to time without practice v time with practice - in my experience. It seems easier to suffer less - not necessarily less difficulties - with practice. Superior . . . m m m . . . avoiding judgements is hard. Some of us even judge ourselves too harshly against some superior ideal . . .

    Here is one of the elitist superior dharma lads I met this morning beating his very actual drum.

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