Search found 22 matches

by charles
Fri Jun 02, 2017 12:42 pm
Forum: Tibetan Buddhism
Topic: Developing Siddhis
Replies: 28
Views: 6733

Developing Siddhis

How can one develop siddhis?
by charles
Mon Apr 25, 2016 12:46 am
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: question on proof
Replies: 35
Views: 5779

Re: question on proof

Karma Dondrup Tashi wrote:
charles wrote:Can one personally prove to oneself that a permanent cessation of suffering is possible?
There are progressive intermediate realizations that can be known without any doubt.
How can one start having these realizations?
by charles
Mon Apr 25, 2016 12:45 am
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: question on proof
Replies: 35
Views: 5779

Re: question on proof

Thank you all for your input so far
by charles
Tue Oct 27, 2015 3:53 am
Forum: Mahāyāna Buddhism
Topic: impermanence
Replies: 25
Views: 4689

impermanence

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn25/sn25.001.than.html "At Savatthi. "Monks, the eye is inconstant, changeable, alterable. The ear... The nose... The tongue... The body... The mind is inconstant, changeable, alterable." Do Mahayana Buddhists accept this? If not all mahayan...
by charles
Fri Jun 26, 2015 12:35 am
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: question on proof
Replies: 35
Views: 5779

question on proof

Can one personally prove to oneself that a permanent cessation of suffering is possible?
by charles
Sat Jun 15, 2013 1:35 pm
Forum: Sūtra Studies
Topic: Nagarjuna's Commentary on the Great Prajnaparamita Sutra
Replies: 40
Views: 11461

Re: Nagarjuna's Commentary on the Great Prajnaparamita Sutra

Is anyone working on a translation to the commentary to Chapters 2-90 of the sutra/ are any translations of this part available?
by charles
Mon Jun 10, 2013 6:34 am
Forum: Sūtra Studies
Topic: Buddha the author of Mahayana sutras?
Replies: 53
Views: 16727

Re: Buddha the author of Mahayana sutras?

I hope everyone is here is aware (yes?) that all of the commentarial traditions except perhaps the Mulasarvastivadins (the Vaibasa says, the Dharma is what is taught by Buddhas and their disciples only), define the Dharma as consisting of what was taught by the Buddha, by his disciples, by the anci...
by charles
Sat Jun 08, 2013 11:02 am
Forum: Sūtra Studies
Topic: Buddha the author of Mahayana sutras?
Replies: 53
Views: 16727

Re: Buddha the author of Mahayana sutras?

I don't know what the pundits will say, but my answer would be that 'knowing' in this special sense is the meaning of prajñā which is found throughout the Mahāyāna literature. As to how one's attainment of that is validated, that is part of the role of the teacher, and indeed why you have a teacher...
by charles
Sat Jun 08, 2013 7:12 am
Forum: Sūtra Studies
Topic: Buddha the author of Mahayana sutras?
Replies: 53
Views: 16727

Re: Buddha the author of Mahayana sutras?

Even if it matches up, how can we be absolutely certain the texts it matches up with are truthful? How can we authenticate the validity of the texts beyond just scholarly analysis? Can we reach a type of "knowing" that, without a doubt, knows something to be absolutely true, and one which...
by charles
Sat Jun 08, 2013 2:33 am
Forum: Sūtra Studies
Topic: Buddha the author of Mahayana sutras?
Replies: 53
Views: 16727

Re: Buddha the author of Mahayana sutras?

If someone had a vision, dream, or transmission, how would they be absolutely certain they were not being deceived? Is it possible some being might deceive a human into believing it was a Buddha? I've never had such visions, but if someone did and wrote it all down we could check it against existin...
by charles
Thu Jun 06, 2013 11:55 am
Forum: Sūtra Studies
Topic: Buddha the author of Mahayana sutras?
Replies: 53
Views: 16727

Re: Buddha the author of Mahayana sutras?

There is a history in Mahayana Buddhism of receiving teachings through visions, dreams and transmission. This actually still happens. I don't know if it would be appropriate to go into details here, but I know one person who has had these kinds of transmissions and put it down on paper as a kind of...
by charles
Mon Apr 29, 2013 4:14 am
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
Replies: 41
Views: 10152

Re: Achieving Epistemic Certainty

When you say: By knowledge, I refer to a type of "knowing" that, without a doubt, knows absolutely true information. As well, this "knowing" knows, without a doubt, that it knows absolutely true information. I think this refers to a state of being. What else could it refer to? I...
by charles
Mon Apr 29, 2013 2:09 am
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
Replies: 41
Views: 10152

Re: Achieving Epistemic Certainty

'Stop looking for it on internet forums' would probably run a close second...... I'm interested in people's responses to these questions. I don't automatically believe that the responses here alone will give me certainty on the issue. How do you suggest I go about looking for this knowledge I've be...
by charles
Sun Apr 28, 2013 9:29 pm
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
Replies: 41
Views: 10152

Re: Achieving Epistemic Certainty

The kind of knowledge that arises from direct knowing, that arises, emerges, from the Dharma, as circumstance dictates, as opposed to that kind of book knowledge that is programmed into your brain, into what we could call your brain's memory databank, through careful study and training? I recall so...
by charles
Sun Apr 28, 2013 12:38 pm
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
Replies: 41
Views: 10152

Re: Achieving Epistemic Certainty

So what I'm getting at is this: if you're looking for some way to know upfront whether or not knowledge of that type is possible, I don't think you're going to get an answer. You have to actually try and find out yourself. That is what a great deal of the Buddhist path consist of - coming to unders...
by charles
Sun Apr 28, 2013 12:14 pm
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
Replies: 41
Views: 10152

Re: Achieving Epistemic Certainty

I'm not sure if you would necessarily need to be omniscient to know something with absolute certainty. For example how can I attain a knowledge (that is impossible to doubt), whereby I know that Nirvana is a permanent state of the highest happiness? The point about this issue is that it is not 'kno...
by charles
Sun Apr 28, 2013 11:54 am
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
Replies: 41
Views: 10152

Re: Achieving Epistemic Certainty

alpha wrote: I think "happiness" is somewhat inaccurate since it is related to human vission.
alpha wrote: How can you possibly describe it if is beyond human vision?
Are you suggesting that it is somewhat inaccurate to describe Nirvana with the word "happiness"?
by charles
Sun Apr 28, 2013 11:48 am
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
Replies: 41
Views: 10152

Re: Achieving Epistemic Certainty

alpha wrote: No.I meant happiness.
How can you possibly describe it if is beyond human vision?
I'm confused. When I wrote:
charles wrote: Do you mean "vision"?
I meant if here:
alpha wrote: human vission.
did you mean "vision" instead of "vission"?
by charles
Sun Apr 28, 2013 10:59 am
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
Replies: 41
Views: 10152

Re: Achieving Epistemic Certainty

I'm not sure if you would necessarily need to be omniscient to know something with absolute certainty. For example how can I attain a knowledge (that is impossible to doubt), whereby I know that Nirvana is a permanent state of the highest happiness? I think "happiness" is somewhat inaccur...
by charles
Sun Apr 28, 2013 10:57 am
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
Replies: 41
Views: 10152

Re: Achieving Epistemic Certainty

Is there a type of knowledge that can be attained whereby one knows with absolute certainty that something is true? No. Either there is knowledge or not. :sage: I'm not sure what you mean here, can you elaborate? Is there a type of knowledge that can be attained whereby one knows with absolute cert...

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