December 30, 2004

• Well, only in a philosophical sense. I still kill spiders if I see one on my bed.
• I have been training in the Rinzai tradition for about 6yrs, but I don't consider myself a buddhist.
• Did some years study with Goenka, but Buddhist or reprobate is not for me to decide.
• i love it when people meditate in the lotus position...so much fun to tip over... ps...can you pick me up on your way to the brass monkey?
• Yes, call me so's I can get your address again.
• I've always been interested in Buddhism but have never devoted myself to formal study. I have read some books but I don't quite know where to start looking for real-life people to learn from.
• More than likely, you are a buddhist reprobate stirfry.
• I try to be a Buddhist. Theravada, but I'm heavily into Tibetan Buddhist thought, which is Mahayana, so a bit of both. I don't regard the Buddha as an eternally existing entity, for instance. I'm trying to synthesise the philosophy with modern life. As some have noted, it's impossible not to kill. My interpretation is that you try to avoid it whenever possible, and in fact this is the advice I have gotten from monks (there's a Buddhist retreat near me) - you can't avoid killing organisms on your body, for example. I think in a larger sense the philosophy is one of the more rational approaches to human life, although I don't hold with everything it espouses. Buddhism at least embraces science. I've been interested in Buddhism since I was a small child. I have actually seriously considered entering a monastery, there is one near me, and that is still a possibility. I don't claim, however, to be any kind of very successful practitioner; I am lustful & hedonistic, bad-tempered. I'm working on it.
• email me your # again...it got erasedified from the bulletin board....
• rhiannon, you've heard of the internets? Do a friggin search under "buddhist (your home town here)". I can't guarentee the group you hook up with will be credible, but go to a couple of meetings with the various groups in your area. You'll find someone you like.
• I have to admit I stayed away a long time, I always had an aversion to the Steven Segall type of people who say they are into "Eastern religons." But then I read "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" - really one of the most amazing books I've ever seen. As a lifelong atheist I had no problem accepting everything in the book, since it explains how Zen isnt really a religon at all. So I have never actually said "I'm a Buddhist" but I love that book and it taught me a lot.
• Nostil, many buddhists were and are "lustful & hedonistic, bad-tempered." Me for example.
• Just out of curiousity why is this poll about buddhists in particular?
• Well that's good, then I'm in good company.
• Brainwave, why not? If you wanna ask a question about something else, go right ahead and put it on the main page. But try not to hijack this thread as I would like to find out the answer to MY question.
• What does it matter? We are all enlightened.
• Yes, but some of us don't realise it from time to time.
• - squidranch - My bad. I am not trying to hijack your thread, and I am sorry you precieved it that way. The reason I asked was that the other polls you mentioned: sexuality, food, pets, etc seemed like things that everyone (or almost everyone) could take part in. This seems very specific. I was just suguesting that it could have been phrased more broadly and produced some interesting discussion as a result. Please consider this the end of this subthread.
• Not Buddhist, but I have enjoyed accompanying Buddhist friends to Hsi Lai, not to mention consuming one of the products of Buddhism - the lovely vegetarian/mock meat Chinese food served at some restaurants.
• I like to read Zen stuff (good stories are always better than dotrine) but I read more of the Taoists who were instrumental in making Zen what it is now. Religious Taoism is load of crap, but the works the Tao Te Ching and the works of Chuang-tzu are worth a look if you like anything of Zen. I also really like Krishnamurti (though his fucking organisation took his writings off their site for the most part) and Meister Eckhart who both work within a similar vein to the Buddhists and Taoists. Incidentaly, Taoism is a great way to rationalize your alcoholism.
• I was once a Pure Land follower. Spent half to one hour chanting "Amitofo" each day for nearly two years. That was back when my family first immigrated to America and all of us felt miserable. After moving to Canada, I started doing better - not perfect by any means, but not so horrible that only the hope for heaven pure land after death kept me going. Thus I became agnostic. I realize now that the Pure Land school is remarkably similar to Christianity, except sillier. Mahayana is, crudely speaking, evangelical Theravada. Yet most of Buddhism's underlying philosophies make more sense to me than other religions'. If I ever become religious again, Buddhism would be my first choice.
• tat twam asi
• Squidranch, your suggestion is quite rational and logical but due to bad past experiences I am pretty cautious about getting involved with spiritual groups that I don't know well. Perhaps I should have said that I'm not entirely sure how to ascertain that any groups I find are good places to be. Not that I think all or even most groups are anything less than legitimate - but my judgement has led me to pick some bad organizations in the past. I'm not in that much of a rush. Someday I will wake up with the intention of beginning formal spiritual study again and then I will probably find the right place pretty quickly.
• I'm a buddhist (fixture on New England BILS society). They sent me to Japan. I try not to judge buddhists, but I find that the way I do judge their buddhistness is exactly the same way I judge anyone else's character. A really good buddhist is a really cool, principled and peaceful person. I'm attracted to peaceful people, like talking to them. If you do to, you might have more in common with a buddhist monk/nun than you think. I am essentially distrustful of all intellectual buddhists. I find that books written (especially those in English) about this subject are for those who I deem uncool. My advice to all interested in this? Learn how to meditate - rather, learn how to enjoy meditation. Then begin to read. I find worth mentioning however that books on Buddhist history (I recall one being written specifically on the day to day ritual of a monastery/temple complex in China) are fascinating.
• Damn I'm inarticulate tonight. I can't wait to reach clear.
• Yeah so in summation, assume that there is a way of life that is the best for you to follow - the one containing the greatest virtue. Learn to be honest enough with yourself so that you can know what it is, even if it is unappealing. Lastly, live that way. Then become a scientologist. That's a real religion. One based on technology.
• I also think you can learn something from virtuous artists like the earlier Blues players, James Cagney, Steve McQueen, Buster Keaton, Godard, the better French actors, John McLaughlin (especially with his One Truth Band), and Captain Beefheart (the language in "Trust Us" convinces me that one of his primary influences was the Tao Te Ching and rightly so as there is no music more Tao (or Zen, I suppose) than Blues).
• Let's not forget Duran Duran here, people
• I am not.
• Being a Buddhist would conflict with my barely restrained urge to arbitrarily kill every third person I meet. Or is it every fourth person? Second? Do numbers really matter? I have way too much inner anger to be even a bad Buddhist, much less a good one.
• kenshin wrote: "Mahayana is, crudely speaking, evangelical Theravada." Could you expand upon this statement? It doesn't really mesh with how the traditions were explained to me. Not that I've got that good a grasp on these things. Actually, drivingmenuts, having a lot of inner anger means you'd might do pretty well with Buddhism. Anger can be powerful as a tool if you learn to point it useful directions, or eventually learn to transform it into energy for other things.
• For reading...Ayya Khema, Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein are a few of many that I recommend to get your motor running. uhmyang: In Latvian it would be "tas tu esi". Such a small globe we dance on..eh?
• I practice yoga to relax my mind. I don't subscribe to the nihilistic "destruction-of-self" philosophy behind it or Zen Buddhism, but rather that it brings me peace and calm, bringing me closer to my true nature. I suppose that's close to meditation.
• I try to cultivate what I consider a "zen-like" air of not giving a shit, but otherwise I'm not a hugely spiritual man.
• I'm not a joiner. I was, however, a stripper. /rotten furniture jokes
• Scientology? You're not serious? A Real Religion? Puhlease. Scientology is twaddle. A lot of Mahayana Buddhism is twaddle too, but at least it wasn't made up by a jackass sci fi writer stuck out on a boat somewhere.
• Sticky drawers? Wormy chest? /owns no furniture
• I am not. posted by jesus christ at 04:39AM UTC on December 30 I've always heard that Jesus would make a very good Buddhist, but that Buddha would not make a very good Christian.
• Being a Buddhist would conflict with my barely restrained urge to arbitrarily kill every third person I meet. Or is it every fourth person? Second? Do numbers really matter? If you like numbers, try Kabbalism.
• There used to be all sorts of stories that in his 'missing years' Jesus visited India or even Tibet, & thus encountered Buddhism. Not all that impossible; the silk route tied Palestine & India together by trade, indeed, spikenard ointment which is mentioned in the bible was derived from a plant that (IIRC) only grew in Tibet, or somewhere up that way. Buddha wouldn't make a very good christian because his philosophy rejected the idea of divinity. There was no god, according to him. No theology, no deity worship; no deification.
• Well, the irony with this is that he has been deified. Go somewhere where Buddhism is an everyday, family religion (like Taiwan) and you'll find that the actual experience of Buddhism isn't much different than most Christian faiths. Lots of bowing and singing and responsibility and authority and kids doing what their parents say.
• Lots of bowing and singing and responsibility and authority and kids doing what their parents say. I thought that was Confucianism.
• [Vajrayana/Tibetan] Buddhist, and a monkey exceptioanally lucky and exceptionally silly to have this precious human life. You are all my teachers.
• fatoudust: I’m Chinese, so my Buddhist education is rather limited to the Chinese perspectives. I have difficulty translating certain Chinese Buddhism ideas into English, so please note the “crudely speaking” part in my previous post as you read… The two major differences between Mahayana and Theravada are, IMO: 1) Mahayana emphasizes the supernatural to a much greater degree, to the point where the buddhas (yes, plural) are nearly God-like in power, bodhisattvas save people through angelic miracles, and even experienced monks could achieve some of the six supernatural powers (Shen Tong – many Chinese Buddhists are obsessed with them). Theravada in contrast has almost no supernatural content, as its teachings focus on meditation and enlightenment. 2) Mahayana is called the “great vehicle” while Theravada the “small vehicle” because only the former emphasizes spreading the good word. Theravada practitioners work on their own enlightenment, taking a few students if they feel like it. As a result, Mahayana has far more followers and powerful organizations around the world, building schools and charities that help people beyond meditation’s health benefits. Both remind me of Christianity, and 2) in particular evokes evangelism. Obviously, some aspects of Buddhism are fundamentally non-Christian, and Mahayana followers rarely have the evangelical zeal. But again, crudely speaking, a Mahayana follower is just a Theravada practitioner who believes in a supernatural heaven/hell system and wishes to save a great many from life’s miseries through scripture and action.
• great vehicle, small vehicle...in the end, all will be towed.
• "Well, the irony with this is that he has been deified." Well, yes. Actually it's rather complex, & to be honest I don't really understand it too well, because I don't really follow Mahayana Buddism all that much. Mahayana Buddhism is the more esoteric form of the philosophy, with gradations of buddha-hood & suggests manifestations of this entity Buddha thru history, & so forth. This is probably what kenshin meant when he described it as 'evangelical Theravada'. Even so, Buddha is not a god in the way God the Father of the bible is, he seems to be more of a transcended being of wisdom who exists throughout time, I think. I'm pretty sure the average Buddhist person from that tradition would regard him as a god, pray to him, etc, though, that's just human nature. There were schisms & branching variants of Buddhism which took these concepts into different areas, until you have all the different kinds of Buddhas that you see in Japanese shrines, for instance, & whatnot. Again I don't really know too much about that, I'm more into the idea that there was one Buddha, he was an historical person who reached an enlightened state, he left some teachings, & that was it. His philosophy was extremely logical. It's that rationality which draws me.
• I see kenshin posted while I was still gathering my thoughts. I'd like to point out though that Mahayana Buddhists don't go around trying to convert people, in the literal sense of evangelism. At least, I've never encountered that. I don't know anyone who's ever had Buddhists knocking on the door trying to convert them or anything.
• Went to the temple Tripitaka established on his return to Guangzhou in AD537 about 2 weeks ago. Mais oui.
• Also, since I can't shut up: Theravada has relatively few petty theological debates of the 'how many angels on a pin' variety. Mahayana has an endless stream of them. For example, the major debate in the Pure Land school - Mahayana, obviously - is whether you bring your karma to the Pure Land, or you must somehow resolve/pay for all the bad before you can ascend. Most followers chant "Amitofo" for hours every day, not entirely sure why. The pay-it theologists say that every chant reduces your bad karma a little (Amitabha the fabulous buddha reduces it for you, since you're repeating his name); the bring-it crowd think that Amitabha will take you to the Pure Land if and only if you can chant "Amitofo" with total focus (99.99% won't do), which requires lots of practice. Yes, I'm feeling silly even now. In preview: Nostrildamus, quite a few Buddhists have tried to teach me more about Buddhism. They aren't aggressive in their efforts - not very evangelical in the sense that they're no very annoying. ;) same premise, though
• I agree. I mean, there are Buddhists & Buddhists, there are so many different approaches & I have absolutely no idea what its like in places outside my experience.
• i wish there was a list of the other polls. i still have yet to enter my ufo and various monkeyjane questions. i suppose i could be considered a buddhist as much as i could be considered anything it just depends on who's and what's consideration up up for
• Not me. I couldn't sign up for anything that involves me not doing exactly whatever the fuck I feel like, whenever the fuck I feel like it. Western religions, eastern 'philosophies' its all the same to me... Why anyone would, is beyond me, but I 'spose thats what makes the world go round eh?
• I couldn't sign up for anything that involves me not doing exactly whatever the fuck I feel like, whenever the fuck I feel like it. Do you work in Las Vegas, perchance?
• Then become a scientologist. That's a real religion. One based on technology. I thought scientology was based on money and harassment? Also, my sarcasm meter runs at MEGA most of the time so the benefit of the doubt is yours.
• Yet again, Fez nails me it.
• I've got Buddhists crawling out of every nook and cranny back home, but I don't do it myself.
• I'm a Buddhist too (although my user name is a homage to an English Christian mystic). It's the main reason I studied Chinese and Tibetan. It's great to read the works of the early masters in the orginal. Buddhism's making quite a comeback here in Mainland China. A lot of it is in the outer ritual/cultural forms which have a similar relationship to Chinese society as organised religion tends to have anywhere, but also in the deeper parts which have universal relevance. I take the Buddhist life as a tradition of good medicine for the dilemmas of the human condition - fundamental realisations such as the non-abiding nature of self go to the core of it for me (and I don't agree it's the same as nihilism whoever said that). I like the bodhisattva tradition of compassion as a right way of being in the world. As European by heritage I'm looking to realise the Noble Truths in ways relevant to me. But the Sixth Patriarch said, when asked how a 'southern monkey' like him could expect to achieve realisation, that in Buddha nature there is no east or west. Actually, I probably just watched too much Monkey Magic as a kid.
• I am lustful & hedonistic I suspect that true Buddhism would respect these traits, and that those who arbitrarily attempt to banish them from their natures are failing a test.
• zen buddhist who has been practicing for 16 years.
• I am as well, although I subscribe to no school. I disagree with them all in one way or another. So I follow my own path, combining elements from the different diciplines and practices.
• jesus: i'm a lapsed catholic. does that mean i'm going straight to hell, as opposed to stopping over at purgatory? how many Hail Marys and Our Fathers would it take to keep me from hell? love, sidedish p.s. do you charge for this advice? *quite excited to have jesus amongst us mofiers!*
• I had no idea that there were so many nudists among us. Or so many differing schools of nudism.
• Wolof, was that "6 Banyan Temple"? If so, then you might very well have seen me there getting my baby blessed. Crazy small world. I knelt to those giant gold Buddhas and actually prayed. It was amazing and unique-in-my-experience the calm/centered/holy feeling which washed over me. It has been a long long time since any temple actually provoked anything close to that spiritual feeling in me.
• I feel a need to defend Theravada. It seems as if its being implied that there are no good works or compassion in Theravada & it's all about the self. That's not true, compassion & healing are central to it, that's the central part of the eightfold path, it is just that Theravada stresses non-interference. Everyone has their own path and you've got to come to dharma on your own. You can guide, but 'only when the student is ready does the master appear'. As far as hedonism, anger etc go; well, the idea is to reach cessation & relinquish all these things. To free oneself from suffering & attain a pure state of happiness, you have to get rid of your cravings for illusory and unsatisfactory material sensation. All of these things lead to suffering, because one craving leads to more cravings & you can never have enough; you can never satisfy all such desires. I've been lucky in a way, because I've met an awful lot of rich people, celebrities & wealthy people - some of the wealthiest in the world - & people who've had a lot of ego fulfillment, & they all to a one seemed very unhappy & screwed up, & I think this is a good illustration of the problem. It's the same with desires & emotion. Another thing is, people say the ego-death thing sounds too heavy, but really the idea of ego in Theravada Buddhism is not the same as the concept of ego in Freudian psychology. Many people express the idea that the goals of Theravada are practically unattainable, which I think is fair comment, but I don't believe it's impossible. I also agree with shawnj about combining elements from different practices to one's own path. This is one thing I got from studying Qabalism, which is this great unfinished system that the student must complete. I felt that the need for the individual to complete the work themselves is an important part of a life goal. You can't just slavishly follow someone else's teachings & expect to attain wisdom, that's not how it works, & this is my great criticism of religions such as christianity, which demand that you don't question & just go on faith, which I think is not rational. So when I talk about my hedonism & lusts, I do in fact want to get rid of them, because although they've given me momentary satiation, in the long term they've only continued my dissatisfaction & pain in this life because they're transient, are ultimately destructive to me & others, & don't really help with gaining real happiness. Not that physical pleasure should be denied, but simple pleasures are the best. So anyway, I don't think nirvana is some unattainable mystical state of consciousness that requires sitting in a cave somewhere in a saffron robe & denying everything; I think it's a very real viewpoint or state that is practical & achievable by a modern person in society. It's just very, very hard to stick to the path!
• I need no metaphysics to rationalize my alcoholism, FedoraUnderShirt. Still, cool pomes.
• ...Buddha would not make a very good Christian Maybe not, but you know he has been recognised as a Christian saint, albeit inadvertently. It appears a lightly christianised version of one of the sutras reached medieval Europe as the story of 'Barlaam and Josaphat', and both the Catholic and Orthodox authorities eventually accepted the sainthood of Josaphat, aka Buddha (not to be confused with the Lithuanian Saint Josaphat). Buddhism seems a more rational and ethical religion than most, but still, I think, false. I can't agree with Buddhists that the world is inherently full of pain any more than I can agree with Christians that people are inherently sinful. Happy to accept correction if I seem to be slighting or misrepresenting anyone's beliefs, of course.
• Not a Buddhist, though I do find much to admire there. I'm especially interested in how Buddhists and neuroscientists are working together. rhiannon, you might start with a meditation retreat with these folks sometime. They're not after you or your money, and you don't talk to anyone until the last day anyway.
• I don't know anyone who's ever had Buddhists knocking on the door trying to convert them or anything. I have had exactly that experience, and it was a little surreal, let me tell you. I'm still not convinced that it wasn't either: a) Some kind of a cult that had adopted a few of the trappings of Buddhism or... b) Someone on a bet or a dare. As I lived very close to a college campus at the time, b) seems likely.
• I'm a zippity buddha
• Buddhism is old, with many schools and traditions, just as Christianity ranges has many churches, sects, and fellowships. Thought maybe information re a few terms might be of interest, sletchy though it is. Hinayana ('small vehicle', Sanskrit) was a derogatory term applied by Mahayana ('great vehicle') Buddhist practitioners to those Buddhists who were not Mahayana. So it was in its origins a derogatory term, and its use is considered rude by many. In the past, there were many schools of Hinayana, but most died out in time; the followers of Hinayana today ususally call their teaching Theravada ('the Way of the Elders', from Pali). Today Theravada is mostly found in Burma, Cambodia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. Its teachins are based on the sutras of Buddha, the Four Noble Truths, the eightfold path, with emphasis on observing moral discipline and leading a monastic life; the Buddha is regarded as a historical person and teacher, and not a transcendent being. Theravada is also called Southern Buddhism. From the Mahayana standpoint, the above was 'small', since the individual practitioner seeks only his/her own liberation from samsara or cyclic existence, whereas the Mahayana practitioner's motivation is the liberation of all sentient beings. The Mahayana hold as the ideal the concept of the bodhisattva ('enlightenment being'), one who embodies karuna or compassion. The nature of Buddha is seen as transcendent, laypersons as well as monastics can attain nirvanan, and practitioners can reasonably expect assistance of buddhas and bodhisattvas. Mahayana spread north from India, into Central Asia, China, Tibet, Japan, Korea, and Mongolia. It is sometimes called Northern Buddhism. Many of the varied schools of Mahayana have also died out, but many are left, too. (With the Islamic expansion of the Moguls, Buddhism died out completely in India, the country of its birth, and only recently has been re-established there with the influx of Tibetans being given asylum in India by the Indian government.) Vajrayana ('diamond vehiclc' or 'adamantine' in the sense of indestructible) is the form of Mahayana which emerged in Tibet and some of the Himalayan countries concurrently with tantra in Hinduism. This is chacterized by a psychological method based on highly developed ritual and/or yogic practices such as the use of mantras, and the practitioner's following a guru or spirtitual teacher. The Sanskrit term dhyana, meaning collectedness of mind or meditative aborption, became Ch'an-na in China) and then Zenna or Zen Buddhism in Japan. Zen places emphasis on the enlightenment experience of the individual, the uselessness of ritual religious practice, and the intellectual analysis of doctrine. Pure Land or Lotus school places emphaiss on individuals attaining rebirth in one of the pure lands or buddha-realms or paradises. The principal practice of Amidism or Amida Buddhism consists of reciting the name of Amitabha Buddha, and this school has been most popular in China and Japan, where it's sometimes called Easy in contradistinction to schools emphasizing more rigourous or eleborate practice. This is the longest post I ever intend to make about Buddhism here, because the subject is simply too vast for a forum set-up, and rather than propagate misinformation/misunderstanding I prefer to be silent. Been a practising Buddhist since the 1950s. In this life, anyway -- :).
• Nope, not a Buddhist, though I've been quite drawn to some of the Asian traditions. Very nearly became a full-on Taoist, as a younger man.
• Wow, seems a lot of monkey's are fellow travelers.
• So... any Bokononites in this zoo?
• This is a most enlightening thread! IANAB but, like many others, I admire Buddhism's principles of compassion and mindfulness as well as it's inherent rationality. If I ever find my way back to a spiritual path I would aspire to Buddhism.
• You've convinced me! My new years resolution is to study bushism...err, buddhism.
• So when I talk about my hedonism & lusts, I do in fact want to get rid of them, because although they've given me momentary satiation, in the long term they've only continued my dissatisfaction & pain in this life because they're transient, are ultimately destructive to me & others, & don't really help with gaining real happiness. But, see, focusing on them so strongly, even though it is from a negative perspective rather than from a positive, is to lose your sense of balance and to give them too much power over you (think of how far certain Christian fundamentalists--Swaggart, for example, pervert themselves trying to suppress the unsuppressable). Indifference and acceptance, rather than obsessive pursuit and indulgence or outright rejection is a better approach, according to some. The purpose of Buddhism is to discover your real nature, not to deny inconvenient aspects of it.
• I agree, & I certainly am not punishing myself for those aspects. I have indeed taken a mindful approach to the clearing of these parts of my nature. But to me, Buddhism is not about knowing myself so much as knowing which actions cause me to be unhappy. Freeing oneself of desire by experiencing those desires is closer to where I am at. Maybe I have given a missplaced view of my goals, because I certainly am not focussing on these things to the exclusion of all else. My main goal at this time is to become more tolerant. You have to tolerate yourself before you tolerate others.
• was that "6 Banyan Temple"? Yes. then you might very well have seen me there getting my baby blessed. I was doing the same.
• kenshin, thank you, along with everyone else who posted regarding my question. Your answers helped to clarify a few things for me. I don't practice myself, aside from attending a local Zen temple for zazen very occasionally, but several people close to me have studied with Tibetan monks who have come to America to teach. Not sure how that colors what they've been taught. When Mahayana vs. Theravada was first explained to me, I suddenly got an image of the Disney chipmunks Chip and Dale next to a door labeled "nirvana" doing their typical bit: "After you!" "No, after you!" "No, no! After you!" "I insist, after you!" etc...
• Hmm, that would have been the Warner Bros. gophers hubie & bert. /nerd
• Could'a swore it was C&D, but you're right... d'oh! Haven't thought of the Goofy Gophers for quite a long time. Thanks for the reminder, Nostrildamus.
• I had just signed up for a course in yogi when my back went from chronic to acute. As soon as I'm able, I intend to begin. I've read a bit on Buddhism, but would have to do more reading, discussion, study and consideration to decide whether I was interested in actually practicing. I try to live and let live, and don't mind ignoring rattlesnakes or even black widows if they're not in my house. Flies, mosquitos, and ticks, however, I will slaughter without guilt. My problem is following doctrine down the line. Do they allow iconoclasts? (Although I do like fat, red Buddha statues) lustful & hedonistic, bad-tempered Nostrildamus, Squidranch! Ok, you two, outta the lotus pool! This truely has been a fertile field we are plowing. Monkeyfilter: What does it matter? We are all enlightened. ... Yes, but some of us don't realise it from time to time. Monkeyfilter: I try to cultivate what I consider a "zen-like" air of not giving a shit Monkeyfilter: I'm a zippity buddha Monkeyfilter: ps...can you pick me up on your way to the brass monkey? I know that last was a request, but it appeals to me for some reason. And finally, this last tag from stirfry, which is nearly a koan. Monkeyfilter: great vehicle, small vehicle...in the end, all will be towed
• "Do they allow iconoclasts?" Practically encouraged. Remember, to be a Buddhist, you don't have to be a monk & don a saffron robe. Doctrine, such as it is in Buddhism, is for those that want it. Nobody is saying you'll be damned to hell if you don't follow a certain thing, because there *is* no hell in Buddhism (as such)*. Hell is of your own making. The only heaven is of your own making. There have been some real iconoclasts in Buddhism. *kenshin will now appear to tell us about the 8 hells of Pure Land Buddhist philosophy. Hell seems to be a concept gleefully adopted by Mahayana. I don't accept the existance of hell, according to the teachings of Buddha only what you see around you is real.
• although, strictly speaking, that's not what he said...
• Buddha asked one thing only. "hey baby, what's going on?"
• Something I've always wondered, what is it about Buddhism that's obsessed with making numbered lists of things?
• I .. have no idea what you're on about. Perhaps chartered accountancy is to blame?
• A lovely Buddhist themed film: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ... and Spring. I also want to see Travellers & Magicians.
• Nostril, the ideas of hell or ghosts or gods are more or less psycological concepts, rather than literal interpretations. Some of it has to due with translation and some of it for lack of a better analogy. In zen, the idea of a "hell" is one that you create yourself, either in this life or in a reincarnation. You are ultimatly responsible for how your react to any given situation. When it is hot be hot, when it is cold, be cold. The hell comes in when we say that we dislike being hot or cold. (BTW, that is not to say that you shouldn't wear a sweater or turn on the AC, just try to be with what is, not suffer because it isn't what you want.) And fatoudust, I'm not sure exactly what you are refering to, but if you are talking about phrases like "the ten thousand things" or something like that, those sort of terms came from the writer trying to imply "infinite" or "to many to count". This was that culture's way of implying the infinate.
• Squid, I guess fatoudust means these types of lists - I see it as a laudable early attempt at rational enquiry into phenomena. You're right about the 'ten thousand things' AFAIK or have read. '万物 wanwu' usually indicates the myriad phenomena that make up reality as we know it.
• Have heard it said the number-thing is characteristic of informative speech in what are primarily pre-literate cultures; clustering things like this supposedly makes it easier for folk to remember. Don't know if that's true, though.
• Abiezer_Coppe, yes those kinds of things were exactly what I was referring to. beeswacky, I just asked a friend who's studying Buddhism about this, and she said the same thing-- it's a helpful mnemonic device. Didn't mean to come off as snarky. I noticed a pattern and was just curious.
• From Abiezer_Coppe's helpful link I managed to concoct this silliness: On the first meditation my Buddha gave to me... A realization underneath the bodhi tree. On the second meditation my Buddha gave to me... False Duality Three Refuges Four Noble Truths Five Hin...dran...ces! Six Senses Sensing Seven Factors of Enlightenment Eight Paths a-Folding (need a nine here) Ten Fetters Fettering (need an eleven here) Twelve Links a-Linking Apologies to those who thought they were safely beyond all references to holiday music
• I am rather pleased to note that another thing that mr squidranch & I share in common other than Buddhist philosophy are large chins. We have hero jaws. Prognatheous & proud.
• "In 1997 Ratzinger annoyed Buddhists by calling their religion an ‘autoerotic spirituality’ that offers ‘transcendence without imposing concrete religious obligations’. And Hinduism, he said, offers ‘false hope’; it guarantees ‘purification’ based on a ‘morally cruel’ concept of reincarnation resembling ‘a continuous circle of hell’. The Cardinal predicted Buddhism would replace Marxism as the Catholic Church’s main enemy this century."
• With the swing toward Catholicism in some parts of Asia, he may well be able to claim a victory there. But, I must say that belief in reincarnation seems much less cruel than the Christian alternatives.
• Interesting, homunculus, and also sad that he thinks in terms of having an enemy. Or the church having to have an enemy. During the tenure of the late John Paul II, a concervative and secretive group within the Catholic church called Opus Dei has attained strength and influence -- their emphasis on prosetylizing means they are none too friendly toward/tolerant of other religions. Been wondering if their influence lies behind the astonishing/ongoing focus on the papascy in recvent weeks.
• I'm on the road and I'm gunning for the Buddha...
• Well surly, if you meet the buddha on the road, kill him.
• Bhudda would fuck your shit up, homes. Like a two-headed six-armed freaky devil Jesus with chainsaws and tasers an' shit. or at least that was my favorite Tekken character.
• Buduha would smile and before he did that. That's thie difference with an advanced soul.
• So... any Bokononites in this zoo? Hells yeah, and I've already met one member of my karass via MonkeyFilter.
• Buddha would also spell check path.
• Howdy Sr. El Hueso!
• Hi, squiddy!
• I tried downloading the spellchecker that tracicle featured on her blog, but am too lame to figure out how to use it. In this case, previewing would have been enough. That was embarrassingly shoddy. (I suffer from stair-case spelling corrections. The errors I find when I've left the party are only known to me.)
• I suffer from stair-case spelling corrections. Life is suffering, I hear.
• homunculus: Well "suffer" may have been a bit of hyperbole. It'd have been cool, though, if someone riffed on the "stair case wit" connection. I was rather proud of it.
• I don't know anybody who doesn't suffer from «l'esprit de l'escalier».
• I'll think of a really funny reply to that later today, when it is impossible to post.