DragonScholar

Just an observation - India has 1.2 billion people (not counting the Indian diaspora). That's approximately 17% of the world's population.

It is probably difficult to generalize about such a large and diverse group, especially when one takes into consideration ethnic, linguistic and regional differences, urban vs rural populations, etc.

As one writer put it, "India is beyond statement, for anything you say, the opposite is also true...."

I could be wrong, but I suspect it will look a lot more like the world of 1900 than what science fiction writers of the 20th century imagined 2100 to be.

Of course, some things will be very different from 1900. Fish, coral, and other ocean life may very well have been killed off due to acidification, overfishing,etc.

Is there already a nice concise thread about buddhist dogma ,from the point of view of buddhists

intended to be helpful for those who are not ,I can access?

Start here:

http://www.buddhanet.net/

Or

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/

 

^ Apathy (A good example of that is the "Fall of Man thread")

 

 

 

Governments are just a front for criminal organisations / secret societies... has been that way for ages (in the literal sense)

 

"For the love of money is the root of all evil"

 

They control the left, right and middle and there is too much apathy amongst the masses... so nothing will change, a few individuals every generation will wake up to the game/matrix.

 

A few individuals of those individuals every generation will try to wake their brothers and sisters... with little success.

 

Even if enough are roused "they" have been playing this game for thousands of years... time + experience is against us.

 

So there is only one option?

 

Transcend / meditation / "get the fk out" become Immortal, haha

 

I'll see you on the other side?

 

//

 

I was watching Queen of the Damned the other day...

 

Lestat: A kingdom of corpses? Why? Akasha: Why not? Lestat: This is why you have risen? Akasha: They believe in nothing. Now they are nothing.

 

 

 

 

Well, that probably explains the recent popularity of zombies....

Hi all. Quick question, I thought that Hinayana refers to an extinct form of Buddhism ? My understanding was that the earlier schools of Buddhism misunderstood the teachings on emptiness, the earlier model of Samsara and Nirvana is dualism no..?

There is no consensus about exactly what "Hinayana" refers to. Some do apply it to now extinct schools of Buddhism, like the Sarvastivadins. Some people apply it to Theravada Buddhism which is practiced throughout Southeast Asia and the world.Some apply it not to any particular school, but to a narrow-minded attitude which one might encounter in any particular school of Buddhism.

Some website?

 

I've read many Kagyu works in translation.

 

I'm not buying any of this.

We'll, I'm not selling it. My point - which you appear to have missed - is simply been that this view is fairly common, not that it is correct.

 

What are you talking about now?

I have heard this argument before - that one starts with Hinayana practices, moves through Mahayana practices, and culminates in Vajrayana (Esoteric) practices. For example, here's a take on the issue from a Kagyu perspective:

Hinayana is the basic level of Buddhist teaching and practice thatis common to all traditions, though it is often associated with the Theravada tradition. It is called 'the lower vehicle', but it is not lower in the sense that it is of lesser value than the Mahayana or Vajrayana vehicles. Instead, it is the foundation level of Buddhism. Just as a house needs a solid foundation in order to be strong, so also do the other Buddhist vehicles or paths need the solid foundation that Hinayana provides.

(Source)

As you can see, the conception is clearly one that is progressive; one builds a Hinayana "foundation" upon which one then proceeds to move on to the Mahayana and finally the Vajrayana. Master Nan seems to hold a similiar view.

I am not saying that all Mahayana schools adopt this view, but it's common enough.

 

 

They are not Mahayana. So they have to be Hinayana.

Did you read the article in my previous post?

It is universally accepted by scholars that the terms Hinayana and Mahayana are later inventions. Historically speaking, the Theravada already existed long before these terms came into being. That Theravada, considered to be the original teaching of the Buddha, was introduced to Ceylon and established there in the 3rd Century B.C., during the time of Emperor Asoka of India. At that time there was nothing called Mahayana. Mahayana as such appeared much later, about the beginning of the Christian Era. Without Mahayana there could not be Hinayana. Buddhism that went to Sri Lanka, with its Tripitaka and Commentaries, in the 3rd Century B.C., remained there intact as Theravada, and did not come into the scene of the Hinayana-Mahayana dispute that developed later in India. It seems therefore not legitimate to include Theravada in either of these two categories.

According to Master Nan, both Hinyana and Mahayana schools aren't separate but stages....unless he is wrong. You know....

I don't know anything about Master Nan, although it's worth pointing out that the Theravada - who follow the Nikayas, and thus the four-fold model of Enlightenment I posted earlier - do not consider themselves Hinayana. The whole Hinayana/Mahayana distinction is itself a Mahayana framework.

The idea that they are stages along a single path is a very common idea in many different Mahayana schools, so it is not surprising to me that Master Nan endorses this view.

For a further discussion of these issues from a Theravada perspective, check out the article "Bodhisattva Ideal in Buddhism" by Venerable W. Rahula.

Well, I have been reading Master Nan's Diamond Sutra and he spent a good portion in talking about Buddhism in general. He brought up the topic of arhats. Supposedly, an arhat has to under go 7 rebirths in order to reach full enlightenment. As you reached closer to your 7th rebirth, your habit energy would lose its clinging power.

Not to nitpick, but I believe that it is a stream-enterer (sotāpanna), not an arhat, who has 7 more rebirths. Stream-enterers will be reborn in either the human realm or in one of the heavens.

The next stage is called a once-returner (sakadagami), as they have one more rebirth in the human realm.

The third stage is a non-returner (anāgāmi), one who will be reborn in a Pure Abode.

The final stage is that of the arhat, one who has cut off all of the fetters. Arhats have attained full liberation from saṃsāra and are not reborn.

This is according to the Nikayas (oldest Buddhist texts). Mahayana schools have completely different models of the stages of enlightenment.

As far as I understand Samantha its pretty much the same as I just described but no mantra, at least no verbal mantra. The manner in which I do it is to think "Buh" on the inhale and "Duh" on the exahale. Again just focusing on that and when the mind wanders bringing it back to that one point of focus. I actually find this one to be the most difficult and least favorite because my mind desperately wants to be engaged in something lol.

If I can offer a suggestion, you could try dropping the mantra entirely and just focusing on the sensations of the breath - you could try doing this both at a particular point on your body (maybe the dantien or the end of the nostrils) and also trying to focus on the entire body (i.e. field of bodily sensations) as you breath in and as you breath out.

For dealing with boredom I also found this advice to be useful:

Boredom. This usually comes from not paying careful attention to what you're doing. If you feel that nothing is happening in the meditation, remind yourself that you're right at the ideal spot to observe your mind. If you're not seeing anything, you're not looking. So try to look more carefully at the breath, or make an effort to see potential distractions more quickly. Remember that the boredom itself is a distraction. It comes, and then it goes. In other words, it's not the case that nothing is happening. Boredom is happening. The fact that you're identifying with it means that you missed the steps in its formation. Look more carefully the next time.

 

A useful perception to hold in mind is that you're like a wildlife observer. You can't make a date with the wildlife to come by a particular place at a particular time. You have to go to a place where the wildlife tends to pass by — such as a watering hole — and then sit there: very alert, so that you can hear them coming, but also very still, so that you don't scare them away. The breath in the present moment is the mind's watering hole — where the movements of the mind most clearly show themselves — so you're at the right spot. Now all you have to do is learn how to master the skill of staying both still and alert.

 

- Thanissaro Bhikku, With Each and Every Breath

Best of wishes to you in your practice.

Have moderate sex. Ejaculate once every 2-3 weeks.

 

 

Resisting sexual urges becomes easier when you do physical exercises regularily. I recommend doing sports. It is also helpful to do post standing (this is one of my favourite exercises at the moment). Testicle Breathing may also be helpful. This practice only moves unaroused, cold energy. That´s why it won´t have adverse side effects.

I have recently started post standing and have found that it seems to stimulate my sexual energy, but doesn't seem to increase sexual urges/desire; basically, I feel like I have more energy circulating around down there but no compulsion to go and release it, so to speak.

Best of both worlds? Does anyone else have this experience or am I just lucky?

(I am male, btw)

Namaste DragonScholar! Thanks for the hello! Look forward to our future discussions on this forum

 

what bands do you like?

 

I'll add a few more!

 

Metal Church

Magnum(from Birmingham UK)

Metallica

Marillion

Clutch

 

Namaste,

 

gentlewinds - time for the air guitar to come out!

I loved Nightwish when Tarja was the vocalist, and I am also a huge Maiden fan....probably my top metal band though is X Japan. Here's one of my favorite songs by them, "Silent Jealousy":

Hello from a fellow newb. i am also a fan of heavy metal and we seem to have similiar movie interests as well, too! Looking forward to discussing with you on the forums.

If you are interested in scientific studies of reincarnation, I recommend looking into the work of the late Dr. Ian Stevenson from the University of Virginia School of medicine. He conducted numerous case studies looking into the phenomenon of past life memories, and documented a great deal of evidence which is suggestive of reincarnation.

If you're interested in discovering what is real and what is not, practice well and you will find out!

Lately I have been starting off my day with zhan zhuang or "post standing". It's a really great way to start the day.

Hello,

I really enjoy reading the various discussions of practice and theory on this site. Eventually I hope to have something to contribute too as my own practice and studies deepen.

Wishing the best for all fellow travelers along the Way.