Search found 24 matches

by Odsal
Thu Nov 19, 2015 9:57 pm
Forum: Mahāyāna Buddhism
Topic: Rebirth, Karma & Emptiness
Replies: 66
Views: 12630

Re: Rebirth, Karma & Emptiness

The Buddha said that there is no self in the 5 skandhas which include consciousness. Everything is dependent arising. Since there is no permanence and no independence : 1) what is it that continues on to be reborn ? 2) to what do causes attached themselves in one life so that the effects arises in ...
by Odsal
Tue Jun 16, 2015 1:40 am
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: Non-Self: What am I missing ?
Replies: 30
Views: 6453

Re: Non-Self: What am I missing ?

I see that the Self does exist, it being a center/place/locus of being, of existence. Existence includes includes awareness and inter-action. The Self organizes those. "Existence" has a localized feature, for example, I am scratching MY itch with MY finger, and not your itch with your nei...
by Odsal
Thu Feb 12, 2015 3:43 pm
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: Is good Karma all bad?
Replies: 10
Views: 2183

Re: Is good Karma all bad?

but we buddhists seek to end karma, yes? what about the good volition/positive thought? how do the beings in the buddha realm who exist only as emptiness/absolute truth/primordial awareness, with no duality, manifest/enact positive karma/positive volition? They do so through the power of their bodh...
by Odsal
Mon Feb 09, 2015 11:54 am
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: origin of karma
Replies: 16
Views: 3481

Re: origin of karma

allow me to add that the universe itself is more than the six realms (of suffering of sentient beings) , by way of another quote from his holiness the dalai lama, "the four noble truths" 1997, pp84, now when we turn to the evolution of the universe at large, we can not say that the natura...
by Odsal
Sat Feb 07, 2015 4:34 pm
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: origin of karma
Replies: 16
Views: 3481

Re: origin of karma

hello my dear friends. i hope that you are all well and making real accomplishment! here is another post about which i have been confused.... his holiness the dalai lama wrote in "the four noble truths, the truth of suffering" 1996, pg 83: At what point does karma play a casual role in pr...
by Odsal
Wed Oct 08, 2014 10:21 pm
Forum: Tibetan Buddhism
Topic: Making a Pureland
Replies: 5
Views: 1101

Re: Making a Pureland

How is a Pureland made? Does one need to be a Bodhisattva to make the aspiration? If so, at what level does the Bodhisattva have to be at? How accessible can one make it? For example, for some Purelands one needs to be at a certain level of realization whereas for Amitabha's Pureland one doesn't ne...
by Odsal
Tue Oct 07, 2014 10:37 pm
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: Concept-free Buddhism
Replies: 60
Views: 12833

Re: Concept-free Buddhism

Rachmiel, Dharma concepts are the expression of the Buddhas compassion. They are the tools which have been given to us by enlightened beings so that we too can attain the same freedom. The reason why these traditions still exist today is because of the compassion of those who attained realizations. ...
by Odsal
Sat Sep 13, 2014 6:33 pm
Forum: Mahāyāna Buddhism
Topic: Correct Interpretation?
Replies: 39
Views: 7110

Re: Correct Interpretation?

I think that the world keeps spinning after we die, and that we return to the dirt. We're just part of an elaborate chemical reaction, a 'manifestation of the four elements'. The only difference between dirt and humans is that humans think that they're something more than dirt. If we are nothing mo...
by Odsal
Sun Dec 15, 2013 8:50 pm
Forum: Mahāyāna Buddhism
Topic: Obstacles to Bodhicitta
Replies: 60
Views: 14466

Re: Obstacles to Bodhicitta

Hi Konchog, If you are trying to benefit sentient beings then it makes perfect sense to start with those you already have relationships with. It would not make any sense to do rituals and prayers to arouse bodhicitta and then make no attempt to put it into action in order to help the beings you are ...
by Odsal
Sat Oct 26, 2013 5:50 am
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: whats a buddhist collage?
Replies: 28
Views: 5468

Re: whats a buddhist collage?

Is it a place you live that teaches you things about buddhism?How can i join a buddhist collage?Are there buddhist collages in USA Florida where? Tiger, Yes a Buddhist college is a place where you learn about Buddhism and how to use Buddhism in your life. There are no Buddhist colleges in Florida. ...
by Odsal
Sat Sep 28, 2013 3:47 pm
Forum: Wellness, Diet and Fitness
Topic: sleeping too much, how to get a grip?
Replies: 17
Views: 4183

Re: sleeping too much, how to get a grip?

Set your alarm for the time you wish to wake up and then place it somewhere in your room that is out of reach. When the alarm goes off you will have to get out of bed in order to turn it off. It will be easier to stay out of bed once you are out and walking around.
by Odsal
Fri Aug 16, 2013 5:44 am
Forum: Mahāyāna Buddhism
Topic: Buddhas, omnipotence and mantras
Replies: 10
Views: 3369

Re: Buddhas, omnipotence and mantras

Mahayana Buddhism seems to have many contradictions. If you read the 10 Mahyana Bhumis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bh%C5%ABmi_(Buddhism) you will notice accomplishments such as ability to read minds ability to manifest as many bodies as there are atoms. I think its great that beings could summon t...
by Odsal
Fri Aug 16, 2013 5:02 am
Forum: Mahāyāna Buddhism
Topic: Buddhas, omnipotence and mantras
Replies: 10
Views: 3369

Re: Buddhas, omnipotence and mantras

Mahayana Buddhism seems to have many contradictions. If you read the 10 Mahyana Bhumis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bh%C5%ABmi_(Buddhism) you will notice accomplishments such as ability to read minds ability to manifest as many bodies as there are atoms. I think its great that beings could summon t...
by Odsal
Tue Aug 13, 2013 11:16 pm
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: The Buddhist Take on What Is and Isn't Knowable
Replies: 15
Views: 3558

Re: The Buddhist Take on What Is and Isn't Knowable

The third Unconjecturable from the Acintita Sutta: "Conjecture about [the origin, etc. , of] the world is an unconjecturable that is not to be conjectured about, that would bring madness & vexation to anyone who conjectured about it." This is very open ended; what is the range of that...
by Odsal
Tue Aug 13, 2013 10:39 pm
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: The Buddhist Take on What Is and Isn't Knowable
Replies: 15
Views: 3558

Re: The Buddhist Take on What Is and Isn't Knowable

Could someone explain -- or provide links to explanations on -- the Buddhist take on what is and what is not knowable (by a human being)? I'm asking because it seems to me that: - Seeking to know the knowable is a worthwhile pursuit. For example, for a newbie to seek to know/understand the law of k...
by Odsal
Tue Aug 06, 2013 5:25 am
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: Question about Mindfulness
Replies: 14
Views: 2788

Re: Question about Mindfulness

What I think the phrase "losing oneself in doing." means, is that while a person is engaged in action he/she is so fully aware of and integrated with ones senses and activity that he/she is the action itself. So, "losing oneself in doing" to me means losing ones dualistic mindset...
by Odsal
Fri Jul 26, 2013 5:25 am
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: Who/what is the subject?
Replies: 23
Views: 4822

Re: Who/what is the subject?

The Buddhist answer is 'self neither exists nor doesn't exist'. To say 'self exists' is to fall into the view of permanent existing subject, or 'eternalism'. To say that it doesn't exist is to fall into the error of 'nihilism'. So it is not a question with a simple yes or no answer. In fact the ans...
by Odsal
Thu Jul 25, 2013 5:10 pm
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: Who/what is the subject?
Replies: 23
Views: 4822

Re: Who/what is the subject?

Well if you look at the qualities of the experiencer you see it is made up of the experience itself. By definition, anything that an experiencer experiences is (part of) that experience. You smell freshly baked bread and go into a two-minute "bread my mother baked" reverie. Everything tha...
by Odsal
Tue Jul 23, 2013 6:25 am
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: Who/what is the subject?
Replies: 23
Views: 4822

Re: Who/what is the subject?

When mind objects arise -- thoughts, sensory perceptions, feelings, etc. -- who or what is the subject to whom they arise? In other words, who/what feels, thinks, etc.? The simplest answer is: Well *I* do of course! But I is merely the five skandhas. It is not a concrete entity that can experience ...
by Odsal
Tue Jan 15, 2013 6:03 pm
Forum: Tibetan Buddhism
Topic: Impoverished Western Practitioners
Replies: 64
Views: 12837

Re: Impoverished Western Practitioners

Retreats really don't have to cost much money. You can be poor and do retreats. There are ways to manage. Recently, I was in Alaska with camping gear and a few hundred dollars and did a three month retreat. I just went a couple of miles out of town and into the woods and set myself up. When I needed...

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