What is Buddhism?

General discussion, particularly exploring the Dharma in the modern world.
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tomschwarz
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What is Buddhism?

Post by tomschwarz »

Hello dear ancient family! I am interested to hear your take on this. Is Buddism simply discernment? And all the kindness and compassion flows there after? For example, is there Buddhism 3000 years ago before the Dharma as we know it?

“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” ― Albert Einstein
i dedicate this post to your happiness, the causes of your happiness, the absence of your suffering the causes of the absence of your suffering that we may not have too much attachment nor aversion. SAMAYAMANUPALAYA
joy&peace
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Re: What is Buddhism?

Post by joy&peace »

dear tom-
it is wonderful to see you! thank you for sharing and writing this; einstein did have some many beautiful points for sure. once i met a beautiful and deeply intelligent, wise and peaceful, teacher named geshe dorje; i went to his hut, and we had a beautiful conversation. when i remember it over the years, new light and more light shines from this memory. i am very grateful to be reminded of this beautiful encounter; one thing i remember, the reason it is re-awakened in my memory, is that he was reading a book of the writings of einstein, and this- later on a brief mention in another sutra, that a certain bodhisattva, 'knew the worldly classics but expounded the dharma,' helped me learn a lot.
namaste, peace and loving-kindness,
perhaps most importantly, gratitude,
j.
Om Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate bodhi svaha
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Karma Dondrup Tashi
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Re: What is Buddhism?

Post by Karma Dondrup Tashi »

All compounded things are impermanent. All emotions are painful. All phenomena are without inherent existence. Nirvana is beyond extremes.
joy&peace
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Re: What is Buddhism?

Post by joy&peace »

Active Evil; Passive Good,- Will Blake.

Though the Bodhisattva knows inactivity is the gate to Nirvana, he uses words to guide other beings to awakening. The highest wisdom is that there is nothing to do; nowhere to go, and so forth- most poignantly and beautifully, this can be seen beautifully to apply to our present situation and relationship with mother earth; there is no need to save earth, simply to leave her alone is what is required. The rejuvenation ability of natural ecology is very vast- what is needed is simply for humans to awaken to the fact that they are already enlightened; they are already beautiful and very healthy- they need not materialism to be healthy and happy. The veil of materialism is rather like a shroud... at present, it is somewhat choking to us.

So how may we attain peace- reaching peace within ourselves is the first key; most necessary, to do no harm. Liberating animals, and other things like this- these are of wonderful value, tremendous, inconceivable value indeed. For the animal, in particular, and for any who observes such an act... to see this type of progress will be very beautiful to see- is very beautiful, and always will be. This is the type of activity which creates lasting peace, and helps to blow the shroud away. Along with animal liberation- reducing consumption of earth's sacred life forms... One point I intended to make, yet forgot to, was that this is so very important because once these species are gone, they are gone. They are invaluable. While what has been made of them, is of no value.

To share this type of wisdom, understanding, can do vast good for removing the veil of suffering, so that we may breathe again- a steady rhythm. There is not simply the shroud- there is also the light which shines; indeed one may ask, which is more real? The illusion, or the reality which shines through it? Empathic sense and natural feeling, sensitiveness to what is happening, are very useful conditions for the path- these are like the beginnings of our path. Freedom from suffering is a great happiness- the first ground of being, the first bhumi. Several deep breaths, or one breath, is often all which is required, to bring us home to ourselves, to bring us home to the earth. More valuable than material wisdom is the sun of knowing, which is a sudden appearance, yet also which may come from many lives of cultivating wisdom.

One may not very well share the highest wisdom without having glimpsed it, one is very much able to share the peacefulness, beauty, wisdom, and light of Dharma once one has attained it. Walking peacefully is a great act of peace, and has much restorative value- climbing trees, or meditating upon the sky, sun and/or moon, is of great value as well. Searching for enlightenment is rather like looking for one's nature- it is never lost; it has never been lost, it is always our very nature, all of the time, the whole while. As it may never be lost, there is no need to search for it- yet when there is need for medicine, the medicine is found. Breathing is the basic process of relieving anxiety- each breath brings us closer to home, closer to ourselves, when we do so mindfully- this path of peace is very restorative.
Namaste; peace, and loving-kindness,
j.
Om Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate bodhi svaha
Schrödinger’s Yidam
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Re: What is Buddhism?

Post by Schrödinger’s Yidam »

Cease negative actions.
Do positive actions.
Tame (train) the mind.
1.The problem isn’t ‘ignorance’. The problem is the mind you have right now. (H.H. Karmapa XVII @NYC 2/4/18)
2. I support Mingyur R and HHDL in their positions against lama abuse.
3. Student: Lama, I thought I might die but then I realized that the 3 Jewels would protect me.
Lama: Even If you had died the 3 Jewels would still have protected you. (DW post by Fortyeightvows)
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jundo cohen
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Re: What is Buddhism?

Post by jundo cohen »

Where I even to try to sum such up in a single sentence ...

Buddhism is realizing (experiencing) and realizing (making real in this life) the divide-non-divide of the "absolute" and "relative", "nirvana" and "samsara", "buddha" and "ignorant beings", the Buddha transcending and shining right through all divisive thinking such as "up/down" "here/there" "now/then" "this/that" "good/bad" "me/you" and the beginingless and endless delusions of the limited hungry little self ...

... thus seeking to live in this life as gently as one can in keeping with the Precepts.

But such a definition is a fool's errand, so bound to fail before begun.

Just one practitioner's opinion.

Gassho, Jundo
Priest/Teacher at Treeleaf Zendo, a Soto Zen Sangha. Treeleaf Zendo was designed as an online practice place for Zen practitioners who cannot easily commute to a Zen Center due to health concerns, living in remote areas, or work, childcare and family needs, and seeks to provide Zazen sittings, retreats, discussion, interaction with a teacher, and all other activities of a Zen Buddhist Sangha, all fully online. The focus is Shikantaza "Just Sitting" Zazen as instructed by the 13th Century Japanese Master, Eihei Dogen. http://www.treeleaf.org
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Astus
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Re: What is Buddhism?

Post by Astus »

tomschwarz wrote:Is Buddism simply discernment? And all the kindness and compassion flows there after? For example, is there Buddhism 3000 years ago before the Dharma as we know it?
It cannot be simply discernment, since there are trainings to do before and realisations to attain after. Thus there are the threefold training, noble eightfold path, six paramitas, etc. Various good qualities (e.g. kindness) are both parts of training and results as well. Buddhism is the path to liberation, something that must be revealed. Although the path has always existed, there was no knowledge of such a path before Siddhartha (within the generally known past, not counting various buddhas).
1 Myriad dharmas are only mind.
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?

2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.

3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.

4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.


1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
joy&peace
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Re: What is Buddhism?

Post by joy&peace »

jundo cohen wrote:Just one practitioner's opinion.

Gassho, Jundo
I liked this very well; personally I tend to prefer the term 'ordinary' living beings, rather than 'ignorant,' although I do understand both. For instance, 'ordinary' and 'extraordinary' living beings, sometimes referred to as 'ordinary' living beings and 'Bodhisattvas,' the nature of which is both the same... Sometimes referred to as like water- before enlightenment, beings are like frozen water, and after enlightenment, beings are unfrozen; as you say- beyond beyond, is an aspect of the Tathagata's wisdom, teaching, which is, according to Buddhism, the general goal which it is to lead living beings towards.

If all this seems complex, which it may or may not, then once again I would say, simplicity is often a great aid... for it is not meant to be too complex. Even as I mentioned, 'ordinary' living beings, this is a term I use less often, generally... Smcj's words are quite beautiful; another way of expressing it is,

'To avoid all evil, to cultivate good, and to purify one's mind—this is the teaching of the Buddhas'

Both are coming from Dhammapada, 183, as I believe; with different words of translation, and the meaning very similar. As I am looking this quote up, another sweet & short parable is found, 'The purpose of studying Buddhism is not to study Buddhism, but to study ourselves;' attributed to Shunryu Suzuki.

To return the point of a pure mind- which, again to mention, there is yet again the teaching, of the mind beyond pure or impure, yet over my lifetime, examining this at times, to say a pure mind a reasonable approximation- similarly related to the initial phrases from the Dhammapada- I will leave them open for searching, as there are many different translations.

Similar to Astus' comments, I would say there are many aspects of skillful means, in Buddhism, non-attachment is central, and many others- also, we are not averse to learning new behaviors; in general as Buddhists, I would say, when they accord with Dharma, and the rest. Siddhartha Buddha, Gautama, or Shakyamuni, lived in a time, when there were no cars, and to travel meant a different thing for the earth; it was no burden for earth to walk to another town, and so in this case, I would say the behaviors of that day are still rather ideal.

Muni always appears to me as beyond beyond; one of the most wonderful posters I have ever known, and I wished to simply say, how very glad I am to be part of such a community of insightful, kind, and wise dharma siblings;
Namaste; peace, and loving-kindness,
j.
Om Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate bodhi svaha
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