Search found 196 matches
- Tue Oct 02, 2012 6:59 am
- Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
- Topic: Why is Tibetan Buddhism more popular?
- Replies: 150
- Views: 35245
Re: Why is Tibetan Buddhism more popular?
:smile: Back in the 1970's....actually 1965 to be truthful....when I first encountered Zen as a freshman in University, Zen was regarded as the "cool" thing to be. Yes, since you asked, I am that old...66 years old in 4 days. When asked your "religion" saying you were a "Zen...
- Mon Sep 24, 2012 11:48 am
- Forum: Mahāyāna Buddhism
- Topic: Could someone explain emptiness?
- Replies: 50
- Views: 16613
Re: Could someone explain emptiness?
:smile: Not sure if you will "get" this Zen story or not....but it's worth a try. It's called: No Water, No Moon When the nun Chiyono studied Zen under Bukko of Engaku she was unable to attain the fruits of meditation for a long time. Because, as a woman in the Zen monastary she would bath...
- Sun Sep 23, 2012 4:30 am
- Forum: Lounge
- Topic: Following is about work i did and I nvite your stories
- Replies: 13
- Views: 4189
Re: Following is about work i did and I nvite your stories
:shrug: Erwin Here's a Japanese Zen story you might want to think about. The Tunnel Zenkai, the son of a samurai, journeyed to Edo and there became the retainer of a high official. He fell in love with the official's wife and was discovered. In self-defence, he slew the official. Then he ran away wi...
- Sun Sep 23, 2012 3:48 am
- Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
- Topic: Anyone here practicing Vajrayana without a Guru?
- Replies: 20
- Views: 7159
Re: Anyone here practicing Vajrayana without a Guru?
:smile: Just out of curiosity lets just change the actual question slightly. let's make the question this: Is it possible to start a practice of Vajrayana without direct personal one-to-one contact with a Guru? Or more concisely...could such a practice be done with a sincere and dedicated student th...
- Tue Sep 11, 2012 12:08 pm
- Forum: Media
- Topic: Another look at the solar system
- Replies: 46
- Views: 10802
Re: Another look at the solar system
:thumbsup: Well...a mismash of science and psuedo-science....but there are some interesting points. As he says, the earth simply revolving around the sun is to simple. The sun also rotates around the apparent center of our galaxy so that means the earth actually revolves around the sun in a spiral c...
- Tue Sep 11, 2012 11:25 am
- Forum: Mahāyāna Buddhism
- Topic: How can substances alter consciousness?
- Replies: 6
- Views: 2574
Re: How can substances alter consciousness?
If everything is illusory and only perceived , the narcotic and the perception it produces, be it faint or vibrant consciousness (or unconsciousness), are likewise illusory. The physical universe and all things therein are the result of beings' collective karma, but "physicality" is no mo...
- Tue Sep 11, 2012 2:17 am
- Forum: Lounge
- Topic: vietnamese wedding problem
- Replies: 7
- Views: 2362
Re: vietnamese wedding problem
:smile: Go to her PARENTS....maybe using her as a traslator...and explain that although you respect their traditions, as a Buddhist you are a vegetarian and the killing of animals for food is not acceptable to you. Offer instead to make a denation of a sum of money to the family equal to the cost of...
- Sat Sep 08, 2012 2:31 am
- Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
- Topic: Why is dependent origination so important?
- Replies: 6
- Views: 2451
Re: Why is dependent origination so important?
:smile: Why is it important to know? What does it mean to know, anyway? We all know that everything is connected with everything else ... -------------------- Again. just my personal opinion here. It's true you may know that intelectually...with your mind only. But do you realise that fact...and all...
- Sat Sep 08, 2012 1:57 am
- Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
- Topic: Can other religions lead to enlightenment?
- Replies: 59
- Views: 13874
Re: Can other religions lead to enlightenment?
:smile: My personal opinion. Religions....including Buddhisim....don't make people more "spiritual" or "enlightened". It's people who do that themselves...by their own efforts. So it's certainly possible to find a Christian, Moslem, Hindu...or whtever religion or they are called ...
- Wed Sep 05, 2012 3:34 am
- Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
- Topic: 1-2 Noble Thruth explanation.
- Replies: 27
- Views: 5946
Re: 1-2 Noble Thruth explanation.
Thanks alot for your responses and sorry for being a bit slow :D This is so new to me so its really hard to grasp it after all these years of influence from the western society. So your saying that there is suffering, not that "Im suffering"? (1) So the problem is that Im identifing mysel...
- Mon Sep 03, 2012 9:38 am
- Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
- Topic: 1-2 Noble Thruth explanation.
- Replies: 27
- Views: 5946
Re: 1-2 Noble Thruth explanation.
Hi! I wonder if someone could explain the 1st and 2nd noble thruths a bit more in depth. Im just gonna say how my natural thought process goes like and I would love to hear your corrections. 1. All things are suffering. (all things cause suffering) Isnt suffering a natural part of life? Isnt suffer...
- Sat Sep 01, 2012 10:23 am
- Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
- Topic: Expectations and progress
- Replies: 43
- Views: 7736
Re: Expectations and progress
Buddhists often say don't expect, just practice. But without expectations, isnt it hard to know if we are making progress? It is confusing. They say just keep meditating. Fine, but how do know if we are moving in the right direction? ----------------- :smile: Bob Dylan said it is his song, "Ho...
- Sun Jul 29, 2012 12:57 am
- Forum: Lounge
- Topic: USDA Certified Organic’s Dirty Little Secret: Neotame
- Replies: 15
- Views: 3200
Re: USDA Certified Organic’s Dirty Little Secret: Neotame
I have no idea. People have agendas and this distorts an accurate picture of many situations (remember I live in a city dominated by deception). The USDA definition of "organic" is overly broad. I have no idea how this chemical might affect people, etc. However practically anything done b...
- Sat Jul 14, 2012 1:25 am
- Forum: Lounge
- Topic: Is life about doing what you don't want?
- Replies: 15
- Views: 3537
Re: Is life about doing what you don't want?
:smile: Oh dear. O.K. I'll be kind then. We all have to grow up sometime...and often that means learning that Life (the one with the big L) can be rough. You can't always get it right...even though you may try hard....and sometimes good things are taken away from you by chance events. I'm 66 years o...
- Sun Jul 01, 2012 4:48 am
- Forum: Zen
- Topic: Sudden Enlightenment?
- Replies: 4
- Views: 1819
Re: Sudden Enlightenment?
So there is the teaching of "Sudden Enlightenment". It is written that Huineng, upon hearing someone recite the Diamond Sutra, attained enlightenment from hearing that. Or was it that he attained an "awakening" into the dharma, from hearing that? Is there a difference between &q...
- Mon Jun 25, 2012 1:37 am
- Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
- Topic: circular reasoning ~ how do we recognize it?
- Replies: 13
- Views: 3255
Re: circular reasoning ~ how do we recognize it?
For example? :smile: As in.....why I can't be a "real" Buddhist here in Thailand. As for example....what is a real Buddhists? My Thai wife told me: There are real Buddhists living here in Thailand. They are monks, wear monks robes, and are not married. Many of them speak Thai. I do not sp...
- Thu Jun 21, 2012 1:46 am
- Forum: Mahāyāna Buddhism
- Topic: Buddhist or not - poll
- Replies: 51
- Views: 11907
Re: Buddhist or not - poll
:smile: I didn't vote in the poll because there is no....Well, let me think about that, first....answer to choose. By which I mean I do consider myself a buddhist...no capital letter on buddhist you see....but I'm not a Buddhist....capital letter there. Being a (capital letter) Buddhist in my mind m...
- Wed Jun 13, 2012 8:28 am
- Forum: Lounge
- Topic: Uncertain Minds: How the West Misunderstands Buddhism
- Replies: 87
- Views: 22973
Re: Uncertain Minds: How the West Misunderstands Buddhism
:smile: Didn't have time to hear it all before I had to do something else. I see why to some it might ne controversial....but at first hearing...at least the half I heard...it seems there are some good points, and well worth thinking about. Will have to withold judgement anyhow until I've had some t...
- Sat Jun 09, 2012 4:01 am
- Forum: Zen
- Topic: Kensho and Satori
- Replies: 54
- Views: 14405
Re: Kensho and Satori
Has anyone here had Kensho? What about Satori? If so, does the whole universe seem different to you now? In what ways? Or is it pretty much the same as before? If not, do you think you should experience Satori? Are you missing out on something, even though you do a lot of Zen and know a lot of Budd...
- Wed Jun 06, 2012 4:59 am
- Forum: Dharma Stories
- Topic: Is that so?
- Replies: 4
- Views: 2547
Re: Is that so?
White Lotus wrote:so is just so, reality is reality. is that so? it was so with Hakuin and yet it wasnt.
so how do you answer Hakuin? ''Poor Hakuin, youve had a bad day.''
Tom.
Is that so?