Dzongsar Kyentse Rinpoche brief comment on Je Tsongkhapa

[Arnoud]

The question I find interesting is whether or not you believe someone can be realized without having abandoned his prejudices and biases?

Sure. Even Buddha had prejudices and biases. It's very obvious when you read the Pali canon, for example.

Buddha was a human being, he had a human brain, human sense organs and all the limitations of a human body (birth, aging, sickness and death). He was accused of sexual improprieties and all kinds of other faults. He watched his entire clan be murdered and enslaved and did nothing about it (if that does not demonstrate to one that Buddha found life empty of meaning, nothing else will). Rahula was hugely disappointed in him until Rahula decided to follow the Dharma himself.

Suddenly it's become a most interesting thread.

You are most welcome.

[Malcolm]

Sure. Even Buddha had prejudices and biases. It's very obvious when you read the Pali canon, for example.

Buddha was a human being, he had a human brain, human sense organs and all the limitations of a human body (birth, aging, sickness and death). He was accused of sexual improprieties and all kinds of other faults. He watched his entire clan be murdered and enslaved and did nothing about it (if that does not demonstrate to one that Buddha found life empty of meaning, nothing else will). Rahula was hugely disappointed in him until Rahula decided to follow the Dharma himself.

one more scholars who falls in the darkness of materialism and false assumptions about the buddhas . So predictable

And your's are TRUE (tm)? Typical fundamentalist remark.

[invisiblediamond]

In Buddhism, good friendships are the meaning of life. Buddhism can be understood as the art of the beautiful relationship.

[Malcolm]

In Buddhism, good friendships are the meaning of life. Buddhism can be understood as the art of the beautiful relationship.

I never said there was no meaning to found in the universe. I said the universe was meaningless.

Two entirely different concepts.

For example, a tree can be meaningful for a carpenter, a mouse, a bird, a boring insect or a sculptor, all in different ways. None of the meaning these beings impute on that tree is inherent in that tree. The tree, so far as anyone knows, merely is born, ages, gets sick and dies. By itself, it has no meaning. By ourselves, we have no meaning. We can find meaning, if we want to, but we should not turn that meaning we have found into teleology.

[Tom]

talking of meaning isolated from sentience is bizarre to me… samsara has meaning and its meaning is suffering; because of this liberation has meaning; because of that dharma has meaning.

[Poorbitch]

Sure. Even Buddha had prejudices and biases. It's very obvious when you read the Pali canon, for example.

Buddha was a human being, he had a human brain, human sense organs and all the limitations of a human body (birth, aging, sickness and death). He was accused of sexual improprieties and all kinds of other faults. He watched his entire clan be murdered and enslaved and did nothing about it (if that does not demonstrate to one that Buddha found life empty of meaning, nothing else will). Rahula was hugely disappointed in him until Rahula decided to follow the Dharma himself.

one more scholars who falls in the darkness of materialism and false assumptions about the buddhas . So predictable

And your's are TRUE (tm)? Typical fundamentalist remark.

Who is preaching his truth here my friend ? The new born from the unborn ?

[emaho]

one more scholars who falls in the darkness of materialism and false assumptions about the buddhas . So predictable

If you don't give any reasons for your claim that Malcolm's view is wrong your behaviour is simply disruptive.

[Poorbitch]

one more scholars who falls in the darkness of materialism and false assumptions about the buddhas . So predictable

If you don't give any reasons for your claim that Malcolm's view is wrong your behaviour is simply disruptive.

I know but it's not my problem

[invisiblediamond]

In Buddhism, good friendships are the meaning of life. Buddhism can be understood as the art of the beautiful relationship.

I never said there was no meaning to found in the universe. I said the universe was meaningless.

Two entirely different concepts.

For example, a tree can be meaningful for a carpenter, a mouse, a bird, a boring insect or a sculptor, all in different ways. None of the meaning these beings impute on that tree is inherent in that tree. The tree, so far as anyone knows, merely is born, ages, gets sick and dies. By itself, it has no meaning. By ourselves, we have no meaning. We can find meaning, if we want to, but we should not turn that meaning we have found into teleology.

I agree. It's because there's nothing, all we have is each other or nothing. For me the beauty found in friendships far exceeds the beauty in anything else. The Buddha mentioned the path is about friendships.

Say, what sexual impropriety was Buddha accused of? I hadn't heard that before.

[emaho]

I know but it's not my problem

Yeah, you know, you can choose dogmatism over reason if you like and if it makes you happy. But for others it may seem a bit futile to engage in further discussions with you.

[Malcolm]

Say, what sexual impropriety was Buddha accused of? I hadn't heard that before.

He was accused of impregnating a woman. She showed up with a trough under her skirt, accused him of getting her pregnant.

[invisiblediamond]

Say, what sexual impropriety was Buddha accused of? I hadn't heard that before.

He was accused of impregnating a woman. She showed up with a trough under her skirt, accused him of getting her pregnant.

hehe. I thought saffron grew where ever he sat and horse shit turned to apples for him. Then BAM, an episode of Jerry Springer.

[Simon E.]

one more scholars who falls in the darkness of materialism and false assumptions about the buddhas . So predictable

If you don't give any reasons for your claim that Malcolm's view is wrong your behaviour is simply disruptive.

Am I alone in wondering who is sheltering behind the rather odd name chosen by our apparently newly active member ?

[KonchokZoepa]

Say, what sexual impropriety was Buddha accused of? I hadn't heard that before.

He was accused of impregnating a woman. She showed up with a trough under her skirt, accused him of getting her pregnant.

hehe. I thought saffron grew where ever he sat and horse shit turned to apples for him. Then BAM, an episode of Jerry Springer.

LOL

[dzogchungpa]

With regards to the whole "Buddhism and the meaning of life" thing, I think the following passage from the Samyutta Nikaya is important to keep in mind:

On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Kosambi in a simsapa grove. Then the Blessed One took up a few simsapa leaves in his hand and addressed the bhikkhus thus: “What do you think, bhikkhus, which is more numerous: these few simsapa leaves that I have taken up in my hand or those in the simsapa grove overhead?”

“Venerable sir, the simsapa leaves that the Blessed One has taken up in his hand are few, but those in the simsapa grove overhead are numerous.”

“So too, bhikkhus, the things I have directly known but have not taught you are numerous, while the things I have taught you are few. And why, bhikkhus, have I not taught those many things? Because they are unbeneficial, irrelevant to the fundamentals of the holy life, and do not lead to revulsion, to dispassion, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbana. Therefore I have not taught them.

“And what, bhikkhus, have I taught? I have taught: ‘This is suffering’; I have taught: ‘This is the origin of suffering’; I have taught: ‘This is the cessation of suffering’; I have taught: ‘This is the way leading to the cessation of suffering.’ And why, bhikkhus, have I taught this? Because this is beneficial, relevant to the fundamentals of the holy life, and leads to revulsion, to dispassion, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbana. Therefore I have taught this.

“Therefore, bhikkhus, an exertion should be made to understand: ‘This is suffering.’… An exertion should be made to understand: ‘This is the way leading to the cessation of suffering.’”

(Bhikkhu Bodhi's translation)

[conebeckham]

"Life is what you make it."

-Buddha

[Adamantine]

Say, what sexual impropriety was Buddha accused of? I hadn't heard that before.

He was accused of impregnating a woman. She showed up with a trough under her skirt, accused him of getting her pregnant.

hehe. I thought saffron grew where ever he sat and horse shit turned to apples for him. Then BAM, an episode of Jerry Springer.

LOL

[DGA]

one more scholars who falls in the darkness of materialism and false assumptions about the buddhas . So predictable

If you don't give any reasons for your claim that Malcolm's view is wrong your behaviour is simply disruptive.

I know but it's not my problem

It is your problem, for two reasons: first, because we're all responsible for our actions, inclusive of speech acts (there's karma again). Second, because...

Do not be disruptive.

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