Dharma is the only way to accumulate merit, you seemed shocked by that somehow.boda wrote:Your question seemed to imply exposure to dharma was the only way. I'm not the one making this stuff up so you're asking the wrong person.tiagolps wrote:Who said that? I just asked how else you see beings gaining merit other than dharma?boda wrote: This has wide implications, and is similar to some Christian beliefs, I think, in that all are condemned to burn in hell for eternity except for those who accept God as their lord and savior.
Karma rebirth predators
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Re: Karma rebirth predators
Re: Karma rebirth predators
It's my understanding that Buddha didn't hand down rules of his own making, like commandments. He explained how things actually work and challenged us to replicate his discoveries. We call his explanation Dharma, but someone acting in accordance with the way things work will get the same results even if they know nothing of Buddha or his Dharma. The exclusionary bit comes in because the basis for the way things work is so contrary to ordinary thought that without engaging in Dharma it would be exceedingly difficult for someone to figure out the nuances on their own.boda wrote:Your question seemed to imply exposure to dharma was the only way. I'm not the one making this stuff up so you're asking the wrong person.tiagolps wrote:Who said that? I just asked how else you see beings gaining merit other than dharma?boda wrote: This has wide implications, and is similar to some Christian beliefs, I think, in that all are condemned to burn in hell for eternity except for those who accept God as their lord and savior.
Where now is my mind engaged? - Shantideva
Re: Karma rebirth predators
How do critters accumulate merit via this method?tiagolps wrote:Dharma is the only way to accumulate merit, you seemed shocked by that somehow.
They are already at a deficit, having been reborn in the first place, and presumably carnivores accumulate further bad karma by having to kill in order to survive. It's apparently an infinite regress. That doesn't make any sense. Of course it doesn't need to make any sense. Religious narratives don't need to conform to the universe. They only need to make the universe more meaningful.
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Re: Karma rebirth predators
Beings born in the lower realms, can only be reborn in higher realms when the causes and conditions that lead them there have been exhausted.boda wrote:How do critters accumulate merit via this method?tiagolps wrote:Dharma is the only way to accumulate merit, you seemed shocked by that somehow.
They are already at a deficit, having been reborn in the first place, and presumably carnivores accumulate further bad karma by having to kill in order to survive. It's apparently an infinite regress. That doesn't make any sense. Of course it doesn't need to make any sense. Religious narratives don't need to conform to the universe. They only need to make the universe more meaningful.
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Re: Karma rebirth predators
Ok, I feel like the thread has run it's course, and is getting redundant at this point. Please let me know if anyone has a reason for it being reopened.
Meditate upon Bodhicitta when afflicted by disease
Meditate upon Bodhicitta when sad
Meditate upon Bodhicitta when suffering occurs
Meditate upon Bodhicitta when you are scared
-Khunu Lama
Meditate upon Bodhicitta when sad
Meditate upon Bodhicitta when suffering occurs
Meditate upon Bodhicitta when you are scared
-Khunu Lama