Dharma Wheel

Johnny Dangerous wrote: ↑Thu Apr 18, 2024 5:42 pm the idea that is ultimately “selfish” is entirely conjecture though.

There’s that fine line of distinction between
totally centering yourself
And bring totally self-centered.

Was wondering if there was anything equivalent in modern Buddhist organizations anywhere in the world for people wanting to take robes or at least dedicate their retirement or older years to practice? I don’t know if there is specifically, but it is very common in some East Asian countries, just as...

if you base your decision on a reason then it wasn't really free That makes no sense whatsoever. For that to make sense, you need to propose an alternative: What would you have to base a decision on, in order to say that decision was freely made? I predict that you will not be able to find anything...

MagnetSoulSP wrote: ↑Thu Apr 18, 2024 7:46 am I'm saying that from what I read the case against free will is strong with some evidence to support it and better arguments, but for my own reasons it's not something I'm willing to totally commit to.

So, are you saying you DO have a choice
whether to totally commit to it or not?

MagnetSoulSP wrote: ↑Thu Apr 18, 2024 3:42 am no one decides what convinces them or not

Of course we do.
You listen to facts and opinions and then decide.
That’s how legal courts work.

Actually, the question of “free will” is really a theological debate and doesn’t make sense within the Buddhist understanding of things. The question has to do with “man’s will” and God’s will: since (in the Abrahamic view) God has the whole universe all planned out and knows everything that will ha...

Because it's bad if you don't care about other people or what happens to them (unless you're rich), people sense that and feel it. It's already gotten me in trouble a lot of times and they can tell when I fake it. I think what you are talking about is empathy, and everybody has different degrees of...

I honestly have no idea how society would cope with that idea that choice was always an illusion and never real. It's why, even though I'm starting to think that is the case, that I hope the idea doesn't get spread around. If you are “starting to think this is the case” then you are making a choice...

Well most people operate under a sort of cognitive dissonance where they think they both have free will but also a "soul" or essence that makes them them. The funny thing about free will is that Nobody who tries to convince others That free will doesn’t exist Actually believes it themselv...

One cannot hack buddhahood in one life, especially not with all the pirated Vajrayana methods being peddled online with no lineage approval. One will only experience what a Buddha experiences from someone who's experiencing it. Otherwise it's just rumor. This is a good post, but I think that most W...

MagnetSoulSP wrote: ↑Wed Apr 17, 2024 5:06 pm I disagree with the last part though, we don't control what we believe or accept.

So… you don’t believe or accept that.
Then what is your definition of “control”?

The aware artist has agency over their attention, will, and faith. They can decide what to believe, when to relax and accept, and when to express their creation. They can also consciously create emotions of love and gratitude at will. All he’s saying is that a person can take responsibility for how...

https://pathwaytohappiness.com/about/gary-van-warmerdam/ Well it's mostly this guy from this page so make of that what you will. What I make from it is that one shouldn’t confuse Buddhism with therapy. It’s easy to do that, because they both focus on working with one’s own mind and thoughts, and th...

https://pathwaytohappiness.com/about/gary-van-warmerdam/ Well it's mostly this guy from this page so make of that what you will. What I make from it is that one shouldn’t confuse Buddhism with therapy. It’s easy to do that, because they both focus on working with one’s own mind and thoughts, and th...

I am going to make some generalizations here, based on years of real-life observations. I guess it also takes a bit of ‘street smarts’ which you probably either learn growing up, or you don’t. That means being able to know right away when the person isn’t on the level. It’s the same as knowing when ...

How can you tell if someone is "Faking" spiritual wisdom. because in a lot of places I'm seeing how easy it is to fake it, you can pretty much give anything the appearance of it without understanding. Yes, it is easy to fake and people have been doing it for thousands of years. Like I don...

master of puppets wrote: ↑Tue Apr 16, 2024 7:32 am for the sake of saving everybody's

okay, now you are being a bodhisattva.

I call myself a bodhisattva too. a bodhisattva is also a buddha. I can be a buddha. if I study hard. Before, you said that you are a Bodhisattva. Now you say a bodhisattva is a Buddha. But now you say you are not a Buddha? Please explain how if you are a bodhisattva and a Bodhisattva is a Buddha, t...

Do you know this situations where you meet a new person, and they start creating a story of their self and who they are? What should you do in such situations? The same? Especially when they want to play the game of status, figuring out where they are on the imaginary social hierarchy. I never know...

Thank you I am happy of where I stand. a bodhisattva is also a buddha. If you are happy misappropriating concepts specific to the Mahayana Buddhist tradition to bolster your fantasy, and that’s really all you want to do, then it’s where you are right now, and that’s that. Everybody starts somewhere...