Dharma government?

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DewachenVagabond
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Re: Dharma government?

Post by DewachenVagabond »

I think separation of church and state mutually benefits both church and state. Combining the two definitely hurts both.
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Grigoris
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Re: Dharma government?

Post by Grigoris »

boda wrote: Fri Aug 17, 2018 6:47 pmI believe objectivity is the criterion of truth in science because science seeks factual knowledge, or observations not influenced by subjective feelings or opinions.
Good luck with that one...
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE

"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
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Queequeg
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Re: Dharma government?

Post by Queequeg »

Virgo wrote: Thu Aug 16, 2018 5:06 pm
Virgo wrote: Thu Aug 16, 2018 5:01 pm
Queequeg wrote: Thu Aug 16, 2018 4:56 pm

Thrive? I wouldn't go that far.
That's interesting.

Kevin...
Perhaps you see "thriving" as something like Thailand, where millions of "Buddhists" do not study, believe in a soul, believe that the main reason for becoming a monk is because it guarantees that your mother will be reborn in heaven, make offerings to Hindu shrines equally as they do to Buddhist ones and so on. Of course this is not all Thais, there are many devout, well-studies ones as well (just as their are in "non-Buddhist" societies).

Just because "Buddhism" is "everywhere" in a place, does not mean it is thriving at all.

It is thriving, however, when you can easily get in your care and drive to any number of Buddhist centers within a few hours.

Kevin...
I had no particular example in mind.

Is Thailand thriving? I think it depends on what you consider Buddhism. Is it a community of serious meditators banging their head against the wall of their ego? Is it a broad based community of monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen with a diverse spectrum of views under the banner of refuge?

By any measure, its not thriving in the West. Its promising. But some groups can't even afford to keep the lights on and sangha members are loathe to part with a few coins but will drop a lot of coins on creature comforts.

We need to put out more bird feeders. That costs time, effort and money. When there is support, the birds will come. When Buddhadharma is a popular movement, then we can say it has taken root and is thriving. A lot of dharma snobs probably won't like how it looks... people praying for success in their business ventures and love lives.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
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Queequeg
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Re: Dharma government?

Post by Queequeg »

SonamTashi wrote: Sat Aug 18, 2018 11:55 am I think separation of church and state mutually benefits both church and state. Combining the two definitely hurts both.
I don't think anyone in this thread has suggested making Buddhism a state religion would be the goal, or even a good idea.

Bringing Buddhadharma into the the public forum, on the other hand, is the inevitable effect of Buddhists participating in the public forum.

IMHO, Buddhadharma in the public forum would not be a bad thing, but rather a good thing.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
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DewachenVagabond
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Re: Dharma government?

Post by DewachenVagabond »

Queequeg wrote: Sat Aug 18, 2018 2:32 pm
SonamTashi wrote: Sat Aug 18, 2018 11:55 am I think separation of church and state mutually benefits both church and state. Combining the two definitely hurts both.
I don't think anyone in this thread has suggested making Buddhism a state religion would be the goal, or even a good idea.

Bringing Buddhadharma into the the public forum, on the other hand, is the inevitable effect of Buddhists participating in the public forum.

IMHO, Buddhadharma in the public forum would not be a bad thing, but rather a good thing.
Oh yeah, I agree that no one is suggesting that. In fact I thought for a moment about adding "but I don't think anyone is advocating that" at the end but decided not to right before I pushed post. I mainly just wanted to post something that was at least a little on topic because my other post wasn't really.
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kirtu
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Re: Dharma government?

Post by kirtu »

What Happens When a Government Loses Its Compassion? by Roshi Joan Halifax
What happens when a government loses its moral footing? When elected officials seem to be operating without integrity? When our politicians and their officials lack any semblance of compassion?

These questions have been burning in me as the moral crisis over the Trump administration’s family separation policy deepens.

More than two hundred Buddhist teachers, including myself, have called for an end to the separation of children and parents at the US–Mexico border. In their statement, the teachers state, “Separating children from their parents and holding them in detention inflicts terrible and needless trauma and stress on young children that hampers and damages their development, causing long-term damage. This policy being employed on United States soil is morally unconscionable. That such egregious actions be employed as a deterrent for families seeking entry and/or asylum in the US — using the sacred bond between innocent youth and their parents — is unjustifiable on any level.”

When compassion is absent, all suffer, including those who withhold it.
.....
“Where do atomic bombs come from?”
Zen Master Seung Sahn said, “That’s simple. Atomic bombs come from the mind that likes this and doesn’t like that.”

"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche
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