Search found 177 matches

by zengen
Tue Nov 23, 2021 11:28 pm
Forum: Lounge
Topic: Yoga
Replies: 12
Views: 4068

Re: Yoga

Did lord Buddha do or, practice yoga? Not that I know of. Prior to attaining enlightenment, the Buddha has studied with various teachers but I have never seen any evidence in the scriptures that Buddha practiced yoga. Buddha doesn't teach yoga either. The yoga that we know came from the Hindu schoo...
by zengen
Tue Nov 23, 2021 7:25 pm
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: Samsara is dangerous. My story
Replies: 15
Views: 4178

Re: Samsara is dangerous. My story

Neither having sutras in your bed room nor having sex outside of marriage are taught to be bad in Buddhism. Not sure where you heard either of those If you're going to place Sutras in the bedroom then you must avoid all sexual activity in the bedroom. I was taught by my precept teacher that sex out...
by zengen
Mon Nov 22, 2021 6:43 pm
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: Samsara is dangerous. My story
Replies: 15
Views: 4178

Re: Samsara is dangerous. My story

Neither having sutras in your bed room nor having sex outside of marriage are taught to be bad in Buddhism. Not sure where you heard either of those If you're going to place Sutras in the bedroom then you must avoid all sexual activity in the bedroom. I was taught by my precept teacher that sex out...
by zengen
Sat Nov 13, 2021 3:12 am
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: Break connection to non-Buddhist paths
Replies: 8
Views: 1268

Re: Break connection to non-Buddhist paths

If you practice properly, everything becomes part of the Dharma path. You can learn from Jesus or the Vedas, or Ben Franklin, Confucius... I agree that you can learn morality and compassion from Jesus, Vedas, or Confucius but these paths can't lead you to unsurpassed enlightenment. The best they ca...
by zengen
Fri Nov 12, 2021 10:59 pm
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: Break connection to non-Buddhist paths
Replies: 8
Views: 1268

Break connection to non-Buddhist paths

Before I became a Buddhist I had explored various non-Buddhist paths. I had read the texts of these paths and had attended their places of gathering. I suppose I had created karmic connections with these paths in this life. Because of this connection, I may become a follower of these paths in my fut...
by zengen
Thu Nov 11, 2021 3:47 am
Forum: Mahāyāna Buddhism
Topic: Did I abandon the Dharma?
Replies: 7
Views: 965

Did I abandon the Dharma?

Ten years ago I took refuge in the Triple Jewels in a local Buddhist temple. But for the past three years I have left the Dharma due to having developed mental illness. My illness gave me delusions that caused me to stop believing in Buddhism. The illness also made me doubt the Buddha's existence an...
by zengen
Wed Nov 10, 2021 7:14 pm
Forum: Mahāyāna Buddhism
Topic: Practice becomes dull?
Replies: 14
Views: 1128

Re: Practice becomes dull?

Here is a thread I made once that you might find interesting. It is about what has been called the "most lenient" path involving Bodhisattva Ksitigharba. Maybe it would make for a less stressful "holiday" from more rigorous paths, if permissable given the nature of your main com...
by zengen
Wed Nov 10, 2021 12:42 am
Forum: Mahāyāna Buddhism
Topic: Practice becomes dull?
Replies: 14
Views: 1128

Practice becomes dull?

I left the Dharma for 3 years because of an illness. I recently was reintroduced to the Dharma and started practising again. Since I left the Dharma for so long, I started out taking baby steps by practising 15 minutes one day and 30 minutes the next day etc... until I could do about 3 hours of prac...
by zengen
Tue Nov 09, 2021 5:52 am
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: Samsara is dangerous. My story
Replies: 15
Views: 4178

Samsara is dangerous. My story

I would like to share a little bit of my life story to remind everyone how dangerous samsara can be. I met with the Buddhadharma twelve years ago. At that time, I was young and energetic, and had lots of passion for learning Buddhism. I thought I could make great progress in the Dharma in this life....
by zengen
Wed Jun 01, 2016 8:31 pm
Forum: Ethical Conduct
Topic: Details on Stealing
Replies: 103
Views: 29949

Re: Details on Stealing

Example:

Chinese hackers broke into US government database, stole military information. By your definition, theft was not committed since nothing tangible was stolen.
by zengen
Wed Jun 01, 2016 8:28 pm
Forum: Ethical Conduct
Topic: Details on Stealing
Replies: 103
Views: 29949

Re: Details on Stealing

Stealing is done with the body. It necessarily involves an *object*. Not so. If you download a pirated copy of Microsoft Office for example, that is considered stealing. A video stream, torrent, etc. is not a physical object. There is simply no way to violate the second precept without depriving a ...
by zengen
Wed Jun 01, 2016 7:04 pm
Forum: Ethical Conduct
Topic: Details on Stealing
Replies: 103
Views: 29949

Re: Details on Stealing

Iconodule wrote: Hm, what about the turtle earning merit by accidentally circumambulating a stupa? Or is merit different from karma in this respect?
Good point. Can an animal create karma?
by zengen
Wed Jun 01, 2016 6:20 pm
Forum: Ethical Conduct
Topic: Details on Stealing
Replies: 103
Views: 29949

Re: Details on Stealing

But what do Mahayana texts say about this?
by zengen
Wed Jun 01, 2016 6:10 pm
Forum: Ethical Conduct
Topic: Details on Stealing
Replies: 103
Views: 29949

Re: Details on Stealing

Johnny Dangerous wrote: I do know though that karma is action driven by intention, and not by mistake.
Who said karma cannot be created by mistake?

If I'm a doctor and through negligence I make a mistake in prescribing the wrong medicine, the patient dies, I am not karmically responsible?
by zengen
Wed Jun 01, 2016 5:59 pm
Forum: Ethical Conduct
Topic: Details on Stealing
Replies: 103
Views: 29949

Re: Details on Stealing

Not for a Dharma practitioner who has taken the precepts, because in that case you are aware it is wrong livelihood to sell alcohol. For a non-practitioner, I'm not sure. Then by your reasoning, non-virtue is committed by a Dharma practitioner, but for a non-practitioner who is unaware, non-virtue ...
by zengen
Wed Jun 01, 2016 5:54 pm
Forum: Ethical Conduct
Topic: Details on Stealing
Replies: 103
Views: 29949

Re: Details on Stealing

Another example:

I open a shop that serves alcohol. My intention is not to harm others. My intention is to make money so I can support myself and my family. Is my deed pure?
by zengen
Wed Jun 01, 2016 5:47 pm
Forum: Ethical Conduct
Topic: Details on Stealing
Replies: 103
Views: 29949

Re: Details on Stealing

With all due respect, I don't think your understanding is correct. Intention does play a role in the heaviness of the karma.
by zengen
Wed Jun 01, 2016 5:44 pm
Forum: Ethical Conduct
Topic: Details on Stealing
Replies: 103
Views: 29949

Re: Details on Stealing

Say I'm a sales person. I'm not aware that my product is harmful to others, but I still sell it. By your reasoning, I did not create negative karma.
by zengen
Wed Jun 01, 2016 5:32 pm
Forum: Ethical Conduct
Topic: Details on Stealing
Replies: 103
Views: 29949

Re: Details on Stealing

So let say a person streams a movie illegally on some random website, without knowing that it is stealing and without the intention to steal, the person did not commit negative karma?
by zengen
Wed Jun 01, 2016 5:27 pm
Forum: Ethical Conduct
Topic: Details on Stealing
Replies: 103
Views: 29949

Re: Details on Stealing

Without intention, negative karma can still be created. That was my point. People reading your post will be misled into believing that no negative karma is created if a wrong deed is done without intention.

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