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Clearing the blockage and keeping it simple......

I sometimes get bogged down and disheartened with the depth of doctrine that I find in Buddhism and think I’m not a very good or studious Buddhist. But then I came across the following passage and it helped me and comforted me that maybe doctrine really wasn’t the way and scholars have sometimes got in between the Buddha and the followers ;-

“Some scholars have made the Buddha’s teachings complicated and difficult to understand. But the Buddha said things very simply and did not get caught up in words. So if a teaching is too complicated, it’s not the sound of the Buddha. If what you’re hearing is too loud, too noisy, or convoluted, it’s not the voice of the Buddha” (Thich Nhat Hanh).

I love this and hope it helps someone else who gets frustrated or ‘blocked’, like I do

🙏

BunksFosdicklobsterShoshinJeroenadamcrossleyLincQuidditchDavid

Comments

  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    So true @Alex - this practice is actually very simple. Not easy though.....but simple.

    Alexlobsterperson
  • lobsterlobster Veteran

    Welcome Alex <3

    Be kind.

    I dunz Buddhism! B)

    BunksAlex
  • lobsterlobster Veteran

    Bravo @federica <3

    Exactly so.
    Start from where you are, who you are, what you have. Karma.

    Now don't try and impress and be like our Heavenly Mother/Father figurines ...
    That is the dark side of dharma. Polished yogis, meditating maniacs, sutra fanatics etc.

    Be Real. Be True. Be Buddha.

    Be the authentic potential of yourself. Moment by moment.

    IZ PLAN!

    Bonus track

    AlexpersonShoshin
  • AlexAlex UK Veteran

    @federica I think our practices are similar, Thank you for responding to my post, I warmly appreciate it👍

    @lobster to ‘be kind’, I’d probably add ‘be grateful’ 🙏 I’m not new here as such (thank you - albeit I’m fairly new, a few months back, just a change of profile photo to actual me. I had a break, as life had got on top of me a little and I just needed to get some stuff in proper perspective)

    @Kundo thanks for your response. For me, regardless of available time, I don’t see Sanskrit and Pali study as being necessary, or even what the Buddha intended, simplicity is my path. The further from the path, the more tangled the undergrowth 🙏

  • lobsterlobster Veteran

    I’d probably add ‘be grateful’ 🙏

    Bit complicated ... but still kinda simple enough ... ;)
    In rasayana and lobster lore we coagulate and dissolve, moult in fact when blocked or encrusted ...
    Another symbol for this yin/yangry is the unfolding fist to palm of Shaolin Dharma.
    In other words, 'Form is emptied and Emptiness forms' 😶⚪️⚫️🌙

    Alex
  • adamcrossleyadamcrossley Veteran UK Veteran

    @FoibleFull that’s such a helpful answer. Thanks for sharing your insight, it’s what makes this forum really special 🙂

    BunksShoshin
  • NamadaNamada Veteran
    edited July 2019

    Dhamma is all about open up to reality and the truth. Sometimes it can be extremely hard to accept, and we cling to stories and concepts. Buddhism is about opening up and seeing it with clarity, without sinking into the shit and a negative spiral. But instead, you are above all the concepts and stories, as with the lotus flower. No mud no lotus flower. This practice take years and maybe many lifetimes to learn, so be patient, one step at the time :)

    BunksAlex
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