How does the Buddha eat?

General discussion, particularly exploring the Dharma in the modern world.
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Queequeg
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Re: How does the Buddha eat?

Post by Queequeg »

Malcolm wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:08 pm
Queequeg wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 5:41 pm ]

To be clear, my primary view, as my signature suggests, is that the Dharma should be caused to be heard because there are those who are open and receptive. If they don't hear it, they will miss the opportunity presented by this precious life and fall away in samsara, very likely not encountering dharma again for many eons.
Precious human birth is qualified by eighteen conditions which are conducive to meeting the Dharma. If even one of these is lacking, one's human birth is not precious.
Most of us are not qualified to judge. That said, there are some with little dust in the eyes...
We believe dharma should be proclaimed openly, without holding anything back, particularly in this age of degeneration - why? Because there is nothing to lose except this opportunity to deepen the connection to Dharma.
The Buddha never taught unless he was asked three times by interested parties. We should follow the Buddha's example.
Yes, in a previous life, Shakyamuni was Sadaparibhuta who greeted everyone with a salutation to their buddhahood. They did not ask for such an address and many got angry and beat and attacked Sadaparibhuta. That practice is what enabled Shakyamuni to quickly attain enlightenment.

We do believe that directly confronting wrong view, especially when it is causing harm, can be appropriate depending on circumstances.
Well, everyone thinks the views of others are wrong. They can't all be right.
Someone is right. Presumably, we all agree the Buddha is right. There's the road map.
If you've ever seen Japanese monks chanting Daimoku in public, this is the practice they are carrying out. The Peace Walks while chanting Daimoku and the construction of Peace Pagodas around the world are also expressions of this practice.
Yes, that is true. They don't gain many converts though. Most people think they are weird, bald hippies.
[/quote]

Ya see, as you say, its not about the converts.

Bald hippies - sounds about right. Peace and Love and hygiene.
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: How does the Buddha eat?

Post by Queequeg »

Queequeg wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:28 pm Most of us are not qualified to judge. That said, there are some with little dust in the eyes...
To bring this back on point - its possible my son and/or daughter have little dust. If not, teaching them things like cause and effect, dependent origination, etc. can only help them on their way in this world.
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,
Malcolm
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Re: How does the Buddha eat?

Post by Malcolm »

Queequeg wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:28 pm
Malcolm wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:08 pm
Queequeg wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 5:41 pm ]

To be clear, my primary view, as my signature suggests, is that the Dharma should be caused to be heard because there are those who are open and receptive. If they don't hear it, they will miss the opportunity presented by this precious life and fall away in samsara, very likely not encountering dharma again for many eons.
Precious human birth is qualified by eighteen conditions which are conducive to meeting the Dharma. If even one of these is lacking, one's human birth is not precious.
Most of us are not qualified to judge. That said, there are some with little dust in the eyes...
It is very straightforward actually: there are the eigtht freedoms:

Freedom from the eight states where there is no opportunity to practise the Dharma:

hells
preta realms
animals
long-living gods
uncivilized lands
incomplete faculties
with wrong views
a buddha has not come

The five external endowments:

a buddha has come
he has taught the Dharma
the teachings have survived
there are followers of the teachings
there are favourable conditions for Dharma practice

And five personal endowments:

being a human being
born in a central land
with faculties intact
lifestyle not harmful or wrong
with faith in the three pitakas


If one lacks even one of these 18, one does not have a precious human birth.

Yes, in a previous life, Shakyamuni was Sadaparibhuta who greeted everyone with a salutation to their buddhahood. They did not ask for such an address and many got angry and beat and attacked Sadaparibhuta. That practice is what enabled Shakyamuni to quickly attain enlightenment.
Well, getting beaten up is a really slow way to attain buddhahood. How do we know this? It took the Buddha three incalculable eons to attain full buddhahood.
Someone is right. Presumably, we all agree the Buddha is right. There's the road map.
The problem is, we Buddhists don't even agree on which Buddha, which sūtra, which map. Whose right, no one knows.
Ya see, as you say, its not about the converts.
That's for sure.
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Re: How does the Buddha eat?

Post by Malcolm »

Queequeg wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:35 pm
Queequeg wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:28 pm Most of us are not qualified to judge. That said, there are some with little dust in the eyes...
To bring this back on point - its possible my son and/or daughter have little dust. If not, teaching them things like cause and effect, dependent origination, etc. can only help them on their way in this world.
They will learn that in science class.
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Queequeg
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Re: How does the Buddha eat?

Post by Queequeg »

M, thanks for all the constructive input!

How about closing it out with, "Get off my lawn!"
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,
Malcolm
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Re: How does the Buddha eat?

Post by Malcolm »

Queequeg wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 7:01 pm M, thanks for all the constructive input!

How about closing it out with, "Get off my lawn!"
If you don't accept rebirth, definitely, get off my lawn.
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Re: How does the Buddha eat?

Post by ThreeVows »

Malcolm wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:46 pm
Precious human birth is qualified by eighteen conditions which are conducive to meeting the Dharma. If even one of these is lacking, one's human birth is not precious.

...with faculties intact...

If one lacks even one of these 18, one does not have a precious human birth.
I've wondered what is meant exactly by having faculties intact - does that necessarily mean that the senses are all intact, or is it more about basically full intelligence being intact?

For example, to illustrate the point, recently on a facebook page there was a fairly extensive story about a man who was blind, but this man said many millions or even tens of millions of Vajra Guru mantras. He showed many signs of being accomplished, and it's said that he met Guru Rinpoche in a vision at one point, with GR telling him that he would heal his vision in 7 years time.

The story goes that 7 years from that prediction, he died, having known that he would die at that time, and there were many nice signs or something to that effect. I suppose healing his vision was accomplished via dying. Apparently GR told him that he didn't have his vision due to karma accumulated in a previous life as a Bonpo who denigrated the Dharma.

Obviously, it would appear that despite being blind, it was quite the precious opportunity to be able to accumulate many millions of Vajra Guru mantras, and he seemed to make it clear that he was going to meet GR when he died.
“Whoever wants to find the wisdom beyond intellect without praying to his guru is like someone waiting for the sun to shine in a cave facing the north. He will never realize appearances and his mind to be one.”
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Malcolm
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Re: How does the Buddha eat?

Post by Malcolm »

Seeker12 wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 8:11 pm
Malcolm wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:46 pm
Precious human birth is qualified by eighteen conditions which are conducive to meeting the Dharma. If even one of these is lacking, one's human birth is not precious.

...with faculties intact...

If one lacks even one of these 18, one does not have a precious human birth.
I've wondered what is meant exactly by having faculties intact - does that necessarily mean that the senses are all intact, or is it more about basically full intelligence being intact?
Means generally not being deaf or blind, etc. For example, it is held that if you are blind or deaf, your body mandala is incomplete, and in this life Vajrayāna practice will be of little benefit. I have known of very senior lineages masters who have told people with defects of sight for example, there is no point in their taking this or that empowerment.
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rory
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Re: How does the Buddha eat?

Post by rory »

Queequeg wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 5:41 pm
/quote]

To be clear, my primary view, as my signature suggests, is that the Dharma should be caused to be heard because there are those who are open and receptive. If they don't hear it, they will miss the opportunity presented by this precious life and fall away in samsara, very likely not encountering dharma again for many eons. We believe dharma should be proclaimed openly, without holding anything back, particularly in this age of degeneration - why? Because there is nothing to lose except this opportunity to deepen the connection to Dharma. To put it in sort of mythological terms we might say those who are receptive but were not born into an environment adorned with Dharma have a connection to Dharma from the past, but because they did not advance far enough, the connection is still tentative. By hearing it, it will resonate with imprints and if one is able to take up even a simple practice like remembrance of the Buddha, it will reinforce the connection and possibly become irreversible, even bearing full fruit in this life. Some people need hand holding and encouragement. While there is a time and place for supporting others in their practice at points where they may be wavering, this does not mean that it is acceptable to overcome their will. We do believe that directly confronting wrong view, especially when it is causing harm, can be appropriate depending on circumstances.

If you've ever seen Japanese monks chanting Daimoku in public, this is the practice they are carrying out. The Peace Walks while chanting Daimoku and the construction of Peace Pagodas around the world are also expressions of this practice.
Look at Ch. 25 of the Lotus Sutra, Kannon-sama assumes any form in order to preach the dharma to all beings, not just humans:
"World Honored One, how does Guanshiyin Bodhisattva roam through this Saha world? How does he speak the Dharma for living beings? How does he carry out this work with the power of expedients?"
If they must be saved by someone in the body of a heavenly dragon, yaksha, gandharva, asura, garuda, kinnara, mahoraga, human, or nonhuman, and so forth, he will manifest in such a body and speak Dharma for them.
http://www.buddhistdoor.com/OldWeb/reso ... otus25.htm

Teaching your children Buddhism and bringing them up in a Buddhist culture: praying with them, celebrating holidays, building stupas, telling them the parables of the Lotus Sutra, bringing them up with Buddhist values of peacefulness, gratitude, respect for humans, animals, insects, understanding that all beings sentient and non-sentient will become Buddhas is incredibly important.It forms their entire outlook on life and its meaning.

My local Fo Guang Shan temple has tons of children and teenagers look at their website with resources for children: http://ibpsnc.org/fgsnc/EN/wmenu.html?f ... =resources The Won Buddhist temple near me also has Dharma camp for children, meditation retreats for teenagers and children's meditation on Sundays.
https://www.wonbuddhismnc.org/weekly-schedule/
Is the attention to children due to the fact that these temples are run by women? I don't know but it may be. I think Dharma Wheel should host a children's resources page. We need it.
gassho
Rory
Namu Kanzeon Bosatsu
Chih-I:
The Tai-ching states "the women in the realms of Mara, Sakra and Brahma all neither abandoned ( their old) bodies nor received (new) bodies. They all received buddhahood with their current bodies (genshin)" Thus these verses state that the dharma nature is like a great ocean. No right or wrong is preached (within it) Ordinary people and sages are equal, without superiority or inferiority
Paul, Groner "The Lotus Sutra in Japanese Culture"eds. Tanabe p. 58
https://www.tendai-usa.org/
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Re: How does the Buddha eat?

Post by Sentient Light »

Queequeg wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:57 am
Curious... So three raised in Vietnam are Buddhist, and you. Two others indifferent. What's the birth order, particularly you and the two who didn't take to it?
I am the middle child; my sister is four years my senior, born in Alexandria, VA, and is more-or-less pluralist, having adopted some Catholic practices, while my brother is 18 months younger than I am, and is largely a hardline atheist. They both generally believe in Buddhism, the other realms, rebirth, ghosts and gods, etc., they just don't care for religion. My sister/brother were both born in the same hospital, on the same day, six years apart. I alone was born in a different state, almost exactly six months from their birthday.

As for the other three in VN, I believe the brother was born first, followed by the two sisters. I don't know what the brother does for a living; the older sister became some kind of clothing model, while the younger sister is the one who became a nun.
:buddha1: Nam mô A di đà Phật :buddha1:
:bow: Nam mô Quan Thế Âm Bồ tát :bow:
:bow: Nam mô Đại Thế Chi Bồ Tát :bow:

:buddha1: Nam mô Bổn sư Thích ca mâu ni Phật :buddha1:
:bow: Nam mô Di lặc Bồ tát :bow:
:bow: Nam mô Địa tạng vương Bồ tát :bow:
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rory
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Re: How does the Buddha eat?

Post by rory »

Queequeg wrote: Mon Jan 07, 2019 5:40 pm we make rice for dinner.

This raises a concern for me.

Is that explanation excessively material? It addresses the offering from the perspective of Nirmanakaya, but what about the Sambhogakaya and Dharmakaya? Am I in danger of foreclosing interest in the deep mysteries by explaining the offering in such mundane terms? I've considered over the years - to talk of the Sambhogakaya and Dharmakaya aspects of the Buddha, some resort to fantastical narrative and imagery seems necessary. My son has an analytical bent - a putative scientific outlook which we encourage, but of course I am wary of the conceits propagated by materialist approaches to science and their tendencies toward nihilism. There is a part of me that considers it might be necessary to exaggerate some aspects of the supernatural to counter these influences he will no doubt encounter through his education.
Yes, you are sucking the wonder out of his life. I have never met a child yet who doesn't want to go to Hogwarts and/or be a super hero. The Buddha can go to various worlds and preach the Dharma, Fudo Myo crushes delusion, and Kannon takes any form even dragons to help beings. If our culture adores Dr. Who, Thor and Spiderman why not Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who do great heroic acts? Additonally a propos of science, physicists who postulate multiverses have a huge degree of wonder, the same with those exploring quantuum physics with it's mysterious particles. Scientists have wonder and awe as they look at the mysteries and fantastic complexity of life. If you read a parable from the Lotus Sutra to your children and they ask 'is it true' just say that they express deep truths, a mystery they can enjoy as they grow older.
take time to collect wood and build it into stupas. Its funny to hear my children explain to strangers passing by, "We're building stupas for the Buddha."
this is wonderful
One of the things I plan on doing is building a shrine in our yard to the local deities. This is another sensibility I inherited from the Japanese side of the family. The site where our house is built was apparently inhabited when Europeans arrived - by Lenape people. I'm trying to find out more - if there are any records of the Lenape's knowledge of these local spirits. Part of the reason is so that I can express my reverence and gratitude to these local spirits as well as the broader spirit world, but also to introduce my children to this way of seeing and interacting with the world; something to counter the materialism they will be immersed in as they make their way in the world. I've told them already that things like Tottoro live around us, so the next step will be making a focus for that sensibility.
Frankly since the world is so varied and complex it makes sense that it is filled with varied beings, it's important to introduce a polytheistic sensibility; man is not the sum of all things. If all beings sentient and non-sentient have Buddhanature then how we look at the world changes. Insects, plants etc are equal with humans. There are wonderful Japanese paintings and poems etc all illustrating this. [/quote]
We will see what works and sticks and what will just be chalked up to, "Dad is weird."
Actually children idolize their parents and view them as authorities. Give them something of value in their lives and they will always carry it with them.
gassho
Rory
Namu Kanzeon Bosatsu
Chih-I:
The Tai-ching states "the women in the realms of Mara, Sakra and Brahma all neither abandoned ( their old) bodies nor received (new) bodies. They all received buddhahood with their current bodies (genshin)" Thus these verses state that the dharma nature is like a great ocean. No right or wrong is preached (within it) Ordinary people and sages are equal, without superiority or inferiority
Paul, Groner "The Lotus Sutra in Japanese Culture"eds. Tanabe p. 58
https://www.tendai-usa.org/
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Queequeg
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Re: How does the Buddha eat?

Post by Queequeg »

Sentient Light wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 9:11 pm
Queequeg wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:57 am
Curious... So three raised in Vietnam are Buddhist, and you. Two others indifferent. What's the birth order, particularly you and the two who didn't take to it?
I am the middle child; my sister is four years my senior, born in Alexandria, VA, and is more-or-less pluralist, having adopted some Catholic practices, while my brother is 18 months younger than I am, and is largely a hardline atheist. They both generally believe in Buddhism, the other realms, rebirth, ghosts and gods, etc., they just don't care for religion. My sister/brother were both born in the same hospital, on the same day, six years apart. I alone was born in a different state, almost exactly six months from their birthday.

As for the other three in VN, I believe the brother was born first, followed by the two sisters. I don't know what the brother does for a living; the older sister became some kind of clothing model, while the younger sister is the one who became a nun.
Cool. Thank you for sharing. I can totally relate to religion aversion. But in that light, the difference between you and your siblings isn't all that far... I know we're now speaking of life in a Western context, but what you describe sounds like it could be the way things would have unfolded if you had been born in VN and lived there you're whole life. If you were immersed in Buddhism the way you are in East Asia, the way you describe your awol siblings, they're still in the orbit.

In the West, we have such stark lines of demarcation, maybe.
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: How does the Buddha eat?

Post by Queequeg »

rory wrote: Tue Jan 08, 2019 10:06 pm
Queequeg wrote: Mon Jan 07, 2019 5:40 pm we make rice for dinner.

This raises a concern for me.

Is that explanation excessively material? It addresses the offering from the perspective of Nirmanakaya, but what about the Sambhogakaya and Dharmakaya? Am I in danger of foreclosing interest in the deep mysteries by explaining the offering in such mundane terms? I've considered over the years - to talk of the Sambhogakaya and Dharmakaya aspects of the Buddha, some resort to fantastical narrative and imagery seems necessary. My son has an analytical bent - a putative scientific outlook which we encourage, but of course I am wary of the conceits propagated by materialist approaches to science and their tendencies toward nihilism. There is a part of me that considers it might be necessary to exaggerate some aspects of the supernatural to counter these influences he will no doubt encounter through his education.
Yes, you are sucking the wonder out of his life. I have never met a child yet who doesn't want to go to Hogwarts and/or be a super hero. The Buddha can go to various worlds and preach the Dharma, Fudo Myo crushes delusion, and Kannon takes any form even dragons to help beings. If our culture adores Dr. Who, Thor and Spiderman why not Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who do great heroic acts? Additonally a propos of science, physicists who postulate multiverses have a huge degree of wonder, the same with those exploring quantuum physics with it's mysterious particles. Scientists have wonder and awe as they look at the mysteries and fantastic complexity of life. If you read a parable from the Lotus Sutra to your children and they ask 'is it true' just say that they express deep truths, a mystery they can enjoy as they grow older.
take time to collect wood and build it into stupas. Its funny to hear my children explain to strangers passing by, "We're building stupas for the Buddha."
this is wonderful
One of the things I plan on doing is building a shrine in our yard to the local deities. This is another sensibility I inherited from the Japanese side of the family. The site where our house is built was apparently inhabited when Europeans arrived - by Lenape people. I'm trying to find out more - if there are any records of the Lenape's knowledge of these local spirits. Part of the reason is so that I can express my reverence and gratitude to these local spirits as well as the broader spirit world, but also to introduce my children to this way of seeing and interacting with the world; something to counter the materialism they will be immersed in as they make their way in the world. I've told them already that things like Tottoro live around us, so the next step will be making a focus for that sensibility.
Frankly since the world is so varied and complex it makes sense that it is filled with varied beings, it's important to introduce a polytheistic sensibility; man is not the sum of all things. If all beings sentient and non-sentient have Buddhanature then how we look at the world changes. Insects, plants etc are equal with humans. There are wonderful Japanese paintings and poems etc all illustrating this.
We will see what works and sticks and what will just be chalked up to, "Dad is weird."
Actually children idolize their parents and view them as authorities. Give them something of value in their lives and they will always carry it with them.
gassho
Rory
:smile: Thanks, Rory. I dig.
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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