Obs of a Prnnl Lrnr Obsrvr who happens to be a dctr
There is no cure for curiosity-D Parker
Tuesday, 4 August 2020
B MIND
The great matter is birth-death Impermanence is swift! It’s fitting for everyone to sober up! Wake up! Do not let [this opportunity] pass by” ///////////// SUPERNATURAL B
In addition, there seems to be some flaws with the idea of karma in that there are those who dismiss other's misfortunes as bad karma.
The Tittha Sutta indicates that this is a misunderstanding of karma. Not everything that happens to someone is due to their karma.
And did Buddha say anything or promote supernatural ideas like rebrith and reincarnation, because there were the unanswerable questions he would remain silent on. Did people just add in things from other beliefs and mixed things up, or what?
The teachings on rebirth are integral to the teachings as laid out in the early texts (i.e. the Nikayas/Agamas) so it seems unlikely that they came later. The Buddha was never silent on whether or not there was rebirth, but rather he was silent on whether or not a Tathagata (a fully enlightened being) takes rebirth or ceases, because both of those alternatives falsely assume the existence of a self.
It's worth reflecting on the point that a lot of the teachings that would be considered 'supernatural' in a western context aren't seen that way in Buddhism. To be supernatural is to be a suspension of the laws of nature, like a divine being overruling how the world works, but there's no such thing in Buddhism. There are aspects of the world that are far beyond our ordinary everyday ability to understand or perceive, but that's true of particle physics and astronomical bodies. They are out of our realm of experience, but they are all part of the natural order
/////////////////////////////
The sacred Bodhi tree next to where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment, Bodh Gaya, India
///////////////////////B
But, yes, he taught rebirth, karma, powers, other realms, whathaveyou.
///////////////////B
yes, Buddhism is a religion, and it has supernatural elements.)
there seems to be some flaws with the idea of karma in that there are those who dismiss other's misfortunes as bad karma
There are those who think quantum physics have something to do with human consciousness, as well, but that doesn't mean there's a flaw with the idea of quantum physics. People who misunderstand just misunderstand.
Is this how karma really works, because that would imply some kind of god acting as a cosmic judge.
That's not how karma works, specifically... but in any case karma doesn't need a cosmic judge, just like gravity doesn't need a cosmic scale to weigh each item's mass.
did Buddha say anything or promote supernatural ideas like rebrith and reincarnation
Yes.
Did people just add in things from other beliefs and mixed things up, or what?
Also yes. There are things the Buddha said, and there are things people assume/add/misunderstand.
/////////////////////////B
If I stab my hand and then feel pain, does that require a god? Or is it cause and effect?
If I poison my mind with greed and hatred for decades, hurting kittens, does it require a god for that to have an impact on me? Or is it cause and effect? Alternatively, if I dedicate my life to doing surgeries to restore sight to those in third world countries and do what I can to be a loving father in the meantime, do you think that might affect my mind differently than if I lie, cheat, harm? Does that require a god?
///////////////////////////B
yeah he was into a bunch of stuff like that.
Its been added to and elaborated in different systems in different cultures. The Tibetans for example have their own deity structure thing that morphed across to their variant of buddhism. This is not unusual.
If this subject rubs you up the wrong way, dont get to hung up on it; AFAIK he didnt insist that anyone who followed his ideas had to buy into everything he said.
//////////////////////////////B
Some of the supernatural stuff, as far as I understand, was borrowed from Hinduism.
Not saying that it’s false, but rather, than it wasn’t “invented” by the Buddha
//////////////////////////B
There are things that can happen when people meditate often. Not that you want them or ask for them. It's a small part of the writings you'll come across and can be a part of your experience eventually.
These things are not talked about much (so seem mysterious) because A) it sounds unusual and crazy and B) it alienates those who are Buddhists (or not) and who want to attain those powers. C) People may become too caught up in the psychic strangeness and put aside their daily practice of being present and mindful.
This does not change the fact that through meditation there are these strange (literally called psychic or supernormal) side effects. If I remember right, there are total of 6? Someone here might know. They are talked about in online dharma talks by monks and places like here on Reddit. It doesn't matter if one believes it or not, as I say these things may just happen once practice is underway. If you study Buddhism you'll read how these things are specifically not to be boasted about. What you do is keep it to yourself or talk to a monk if you have questions. Not at the Sunday BBQ.
The few times where I've talked openly about my experiences is when doing so (hopefully) benefited the teachings. Where for example there is this paradox of sorts where either Buddha was 100% honest in all his teachings. Or - it's a mixed bag because if he lied (key word "lied") about the psychic stuff which isn't supposed to exist by western standards, how do we trust all his words? And if not written by him, his followers. So there are times where it's warranted to talk about and somewhere in my post history you can look up my statement. In short, don't throw Buddhism out for the parts that seem like woo. Trust in the teachings because even if you haven't experienced those things personally, there's a large body or people who have and who have verified what was written.
///////////////////////////B
In zen, we always say that concepts, written teaching and verbal teachings are "a finger pointing at the moon" (the moon being used to refer to true Buddhist insight). We shouldn't fixate on the finger, but we also shouldn't dismiss it because it isn't the moon.
/////////////////////////B
The universe itself is a supernatural spectacle. It is an impossibility that nevertheless appears, and the appearance itself is only measurable and detectable due to constraining our observation to a finite scope and therefore basically engaging a process of fantasy as opposed to some kind of concrete truth about reality. It is created by an act of magic in the sense that even if we can break down things in a mathematical way, even if we can narrow down the beginning of our physical universe to a big bang event- there is still eternity and infinity to account for, which we cant. We cant measure the universe, only the observable universe. Logically, the universe has no beginning, no end, and is infinite in its size. Because of infinity everything that appears has neither a quality nor quantity of its own, a seemingly three dimensional entity which nevertheless because of the scope of everything vanishes quickly into being a incomprehensibly small point with a vanishing point that continuously gets smaller into infinity. In terms of time, although things appear to have a duration because of the scope of eternity the same applies there too and measurement of time becomes as impossible as measurement of space in any absolute sense.
For a long time we had no instruments to measure things like radio frequencies, ultra violet or infra red light, and other things we now take for granted. It may be that right now we simply lack the psychic and scientific ability to measure the existence of a kind of energy which we are connected to that facilitates the process of rebirth. We really dont know.
Many people want to only believe in what they can see with their eyes, but what about all the things we can now measure with machines that our biology cannot detect? Were they non-existent before we could detect them? In other words- does a falling tree make a sound if nobody is around to hear it? Does a mindstream cease being reborn simply because there is nobody who is able to concretely measure or see it? What about those who make claims to being able to detect past lives? Are they lying? Delusional? Or are they like a scientist who has a special instrument they know how to use which maybe the general public has no clue about, giving them an insight into some level of reality that is normally not accessible?
I tend to lean towards the side of Stoicism/Marcus Aurelius on this one. Whether or not there is ultimately rebirth isn't really that big of a problem. We should conduct our lives as though rebirth IS true and IS literal. Aurelius says this by saying that whether or not the gods exist, we should act like they do. Why? Because this will help prevent us from falling into hopelessness and nihilism, and is most conducive to leading an ethical and moral life in the sense that we will behave as though our actions have consequences not only for others, but also for ourselves. Sure, there are plenty of people who are pure atheists and who dont believe in anything that they cant touch with their five senses and who are still ethical and moral, but for every person who does that there is another person who has fallen into abject nihilism and feels that life is meaningless due to having taken the view that death is the end of everything, that there is no karma in an ultimate sense, and that therefore nothing really matters. This is why for example our society is so focused on greed and hedonism, because the people who run the world are largely nihilists even if on the surface they pretend to have religious affiliations or call themselves Christian or whatever. They dont act like that, they act like this is just a one time thing that has no meaning so they might as well exploit people and make as much money as possible while they are alive.
//////////////////////////B LIVING SKILFULLY X KUSALATA
The Buddha’s cousin, Ananda, once asked him what the benefit of living skillfully was. The Buddha answered that skillful living leads to freedom from remorse, which in turn leads to joy. Joy then allows the mind to settle into concentration, and concentration leads to the arising of insight. That’s the path we’re following in Buddhist practice. And it all starts with learning to live skillfully.
The word “skillful” (that’s kusala in Pali, for those who are interested) is a fascinating vocabulary choice on the Buddha’s part. He didn’t generally talk about “good” and “bad” actions, although that terminology was, of course, available to him. Instead, he talked about us acting skillfully or unskillfully. Since this may seem like odd language for talking about morality or ethics, as if we’re being asked to perform some kind of trick, let’s take a closer look at what he might have meant by it.
You can think about “skill” as meaning, “actions that can accomplish an aim.” A skilled writer is one who aims to persuade or create pleasure, or whatever her aim might be, and can actually do so. Merely having the intent isn’t enough, or we’d all be good writers! Writing well is a craft, and has to be learned by the intelligent application of trial and error and well as by studying the works of other writers who are themselves recognized as having skill. An unskilled writer may have the same aim as a more skilled one but isn’t able to put those aims into action.
What’s the relevance of this to spirituality? We all have the aim, deep down, of finding peace of mind, happiness, and wellbeing. But do we have the skill to create them? Here too, just as with our example of a skilled writer, accomplishing this aim is a matter of intelligently approaching life in a trial-and-error way, while also learning from the life, example, and sometimes personal guidance of those who seem to be skilled at living well.
What stops us from finding peace of mind? We do! We contain skillful tendencies (compassion, kindness, mindfulness, etc) and unskillful tendencies (such as self-centeredness, aversion to discomfort. Both sets of impulses aim to keep us secure and happy, but all too often our unskillful tendencies create suffering for ourselves. We react, and these reactions cause suffering.
Our unskillful instincts advertise themselves as helpful when most of the time they’re not. So our trial and error process consists of observing that unskillful, reactive impulses do not bring happiness and that only a creative life based on living with mindfulness and kindness can achieve that aim.
This is something that we have to work at learning because our unskillful impulses have evolved to protect us. For example, being unpleasant to someone who annoys us is an instinct that evolved hundreds of millions of years ago. If you’re a lizard, and you make a threatening display to another lizard who comes too close to you, you can chase the intruder away, protecting yourself and your food supply. But when the person we’re annoyed with is a colleague or close family member, we can’t simply remove them from our lives! Our aversion binds us in a conflicted and painful relationship. And so, in many ways, our “protective” instincts end up harming us.
Our more skillful attributes are rooted in our evolutionary biology as well. As mammals, we’ve evolved to value love and connection; a newborn baby’s first need is to be held, monkeys create social binds by grooming each other. We’ve evolved to have empathy. Even mice show distress when they see one of their fellows suffering. Scientists have observed rats trying to free each other from traps. Empathy is built into the structure of mammalian brains.
Another part of our mammalian conditioning, however, is the need to establish our position in a social “pecking order.” This can result in us competing, even with friends and family. This kind of conditioning goes against our need for connection, warmth, and intimacy.
But we also have a more distinctively human part of our brains — the most recently evolved part of our brains, the neocortex. This is the seat of reason, reflection, and self-awareness. The neocortex allows us to look at our reactive instincts and our more creative and skillful instincts. It helps us to see the disadvantages of the former compared to the latter. It also allows us to change our behavior, so that we choose to let go of unskillful impulses, and instead to think, speak, and act skillfully. In choosing to live skillfully, we’re choosing to live a more authentically human, happier, and meaningful life.
Like other religions, Buddhism has numerous sects, big and small. The sect of Secular Buddhism, mostly found in the West, places much emphasis on Dharma practice revolving around the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, ethics, mindfulness, meditation, loving kindness and insight.
Secular Buddhists approach the teachings rather exclusively from a daily practice point of view. Some of us would consider this a narrow perspective.
I do not get the sense that the majority of secular Buddhists are anti-religious, though some influential voices in secular Buddhism express regularly existential doubts about the Buddhist tradition.
Most secular Buddhists that I know respect the Buddha’s discourses. Many secular Buddhists do not appear dogmatic about the Pali Suttas. Secular Buddhists often give much emphasis to Western research in neuroscience, psychology and standard mindfulness practices.
There are secular Buddhists who know little or nothing about the Buddha-Dharma, the Buddhist tradition and the relationship of deeply religious Buddhists to the Buddha-Dharma-Sangha. Secular Buddhists have a useful contribution to make as the Triple Gem takes root in the West.
12 Reasons why I am not a Secular Buddhist
I spent six years as a monk in religious Buddhism in Thailand and India. Religious Buddhists fully supported 24/7 my practice in the monasteries, on pilgrimages and in the cave.
This year marked 45 years of annual teachings in the Thai Monasteries in Bodh Gaya, the place of the Buddha’s enlightenment including the past 20 years of teaching in Sarnath, where the Buddha gave his first talk. The Thai monasteries have never made a charge for our retreats.. We simply gave a donation. The monastery used the money and much more in recent years to improve the meditation facilities.
Chanting has enabled unhappy, depressed and suicidal people to get through their despair.
Religious Buddhism offers ordination, monasteries, forests and caves, with lay support for practitioners.
Monasteries welcome people to come any day and take refuge in the monastery.
The Buddhist tradition has kept faith in Dharma-Dana (donations to support the Sangha) for more than 2600 years rather than asking for payment for services. The Sangha is the world’s oldest ongoing organisation. Religious faith has sustained this ongoing support for the Sangha.
The Buddhist tradition recognises the importance of devotion to the Three Jewels of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. The tradition appreciates the beauty and power of devotion.
The Buddhist tradition preserves and translates ancient and modern Buddhist texts. Translators, the ordained and householders, engage in huge works of scholarship without expecting an hourly rate for their years of precious service.
The Buddhist traditions encourage pilgrimages (yatras), as a spiritual practice, to experience intimacy with the elements and reach sacred destinations or the ‘holy’ places. These holy places include Lumbini, Nepal (birthplace of the Buddha) Bodh Gaya (place of Tree of enlightenment), Sarnath (first discourse) and Kushinagar, India, where the Buddha died. Pilgrims also travel to Mount Kailash, a place of breath-taking beauty in western Tibet. There are numerous places of pilgrimage worldwide,
The Buddhist tradition keeps alive the depths of a variety of experiences, the preservation of the Buddha-Dharma, reflections on karma, the support for dramatic shifts of consciousness, religious rituals, the mystical, a sincere belief in a seemingly endless rebecoming of name and form and more.
The majority of fine Dharma teachers were trained in monasteries. Monasteries provide extended periods of time for spiritual practices ranging from months to years. Practitioners do not have to worry about costs.
The religious tradition can serve like the pod that protects the peas. The best of the religious tradition keeps alive the priority of awakening, liberation and knowing Nirvana.
May all beings explore the benefits and limits of religious traditions
May all beings explore the benefits and limits of secular society
No comments:
Post a Comment