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I wish I could recall where I heard or read that precept but alas, I cannot. Someone widely respected, I believe. I thought it was a sort of core belief, given that it's so overreaching and obscurantist.
Sometimes talking about Buddhism feels like being lost in the forest without any cookie crumbs to get back to grandma's house.
I wish I could recall where I heard or read that precept but alas, I cannot. Someone widely respected, I believe. I thought it was a sort of core belief, given that it's so overreaching and obscurantist.
Sometimes talking about Buddhism feels like being lost in the forest without any cookie crumbs to get back to grandma's house.
And here's one reason that may be true: each branch of Buddhism is so very different.
One of my friends is the Thai monk who is an abbot at the temple I used to go to. One day when we were talking, I asked him if he had ever visited any temples in Tibet. He said he had. Because of my minor forays into Tibetan Buddhism (through reading a few things), I asked if he saw commonality between Tibetan and Theravada. He said that overall, yes, but most of the time he didn't really know what they were doing (in terms of rituals, etc.). Then add in another very dissimilar version of Buddhism -- Zen -- and you can see how confusing the Buddhist landscape can be.
Hi phet! It's not my remark, only something I heard in passing, don't even remember where.
To think that the universe and everything in it is exactly as it should be is a very common idea in Buddhism, if I'm not mistaken.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KaraZetterberg153
I wish I could recall where I heard or read that precept but alas, I cannot. Someone widely respected, I believe. I thought it was a sort of core belief, given that it's so overreaching and obscurantist.
Sometimes talking about Buddhism feels like being lost in the forest without any cookie crumbs to get back to grandma's house.
It is true, and not just in Buddhism. There may be variations in the paths, but the core beliefs, such as what you quoted, is a fundamental aspect of not only Buddhism but all Eastern thought. The meaning of it is layered, deep, and complex.
How much have you really tried? The ideas are complex, so is Physics. Neither are cookies, both take effort, study, and understanding. And a good measure of humility because you would need to set aside what you think you already know.
It is true, and not just in Buddhism. There may be variations in the paths, but the core beliefs, such as what you quoted, is a fundamental aspect of not only Buddhism but all Eastern thought. The meaning of it is layered, deep, and complex.
How much have you really tried? The ideas are complex, so is Physics. Neither are cookies, both take effort, study, and understanding. And a good measure of humility because you would need to set aside what you think you already know.
It's not irrational to think of religions in business terms. It's a lifestyle issue, and it is advantageous to the practitioners to keep it going by appearing mystical and hard to understand. All religions present with obscurantist dogma insinuating that it takes a lifetime of dedication and study to understand. All this does is serve the needs of the religion.
It's not irrational to think of religions in business terms. It's a lifestyle issue, and it is advantageous to the practitioners to keep it going by appearing mystical and hard to understand. All religions present with obscurantist dogma insinuating that it takes a lifetime of dedication and study to understand. All this does is serve the needs of the religion.
All true. That is why one needs to understand what one is buying. Don't invest in a stock whose business you don't understand. All true.
It's not irrational to think of religions in business terms. It's a lifestyle issue, and it is advantageous to the practitioners to keep it going by appearing mystical and hard to understand. All religions present with obscurantist dogma insinuating that it takes a lifetime of dedication and study to understand. All this does is serve the needs of the religion.
Ah...a very good point. Interesting!
Sometimes I wonder about the difference between serving the needs of the religion and serving the needs of people.
Its called homeostasis. With us its more like septic. But humans are not "bad". Humans are alive and evolution uses stressors. Its evolving through stages. Like adolescence. We are first "sentience" thinking animal on the planet. But only the first. Think of when you did anything the first time, just how bad we were.
Yes ... its is exactly as it should be., Its not what I want but it is what it is.
It's not irrational to think of religions in business terms. It's a lifestyle issue, and it is advantageous to the practitioners to keep it going by appearing mystical and hard to understand. All religions present with obscurantist dogma insinuating that it takes a lifetime of dedication and study to understand. All this does is serve the needs of the religion.
Correct..
Once, a long time ago, there was a wise Zen master. People from far and near would seek his counsel and ask for his wisdom. Many would come and ask him to teach them, enlighten them in the way of Zen. He seldom turned any away.
One day an important man, a man used to command and obedience came to visit the master. “I have come today to ask you to teach me about Zen. Open my mind to enlightenment.” The tone of the important man’s voice was one used to getting his own way.
The Zen master smiled and said that they should discuss the matter over a cup of tea. When the tea was served the master poured his visitor a cup. He poured and he poured and the tea rose to the rim and began to spill over the table and finally onto the robes of the wealthy man. Finally the visitor shouted, “Enough. You are spilling the tea all over. Can’t you see the cup is full?”
The master stopped pouring and smiled at his guest. “You are like this tea cup, so full that nothing more can be added. Come back to me when the cup is empty. Come back to me with an empty mind.”
Though I think, I already mentioned this, Kara. Remember, what it says in the Bible - Blessed be those of the simple minds, as their's will be the kingdom of god.
NOTHING complicated is ever the path to enlightenment. Those, who spend lives "studying and analyzing" only keep filling their cups. They are clutter, so that fine matters have no space to sink in.
Somebody said that nature is resolving the damage humans have done to the ecology by killing us off. Isn't that a weird idea ? But maybe it has merit.
Isn't there something in Buddhism about, however odd it may seem, everything is exactly as it should be?
I don't know if that is comforting or not.
Actually, its that things simply are what they are. When we say this is good, this is bad, etc, those are values, not truth. Believe me, if you're being tortured, that is not exactly as it should be.
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But humans are not "bad". Humans are alive and evolution uses stressors. Its evolving through stages. Like adolescence. We are first "sentience" thinking animal on the planet. But only the first. Think of when you did anything the first time, just how bad we were.
