sati

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Posts posted by sati

  4. Posted

    Yea!!! Another Buddhist who really understands! (Not really labelling you - just a nice opportunity for me to say what I said.)

    No problem with labelling me. :)

    Buddhism is not just a religion where you are supposed to parrot others beliefs. It is the best way I found to describe and understand life without delusions.

    • Like 2

  5. Posted

    Ah! There's my free will. I was wondering where it was.

     

    Yes, if one accepts the concept of destiny (or karma) one cannot suggest that they have any free will.

     

    Actually karma doesn't negate free will. It only means that one has to endure the effects of one's actions. So it is very much about cause and effect. Conversely, if you don't want such or such effect you can act in a different way or refrain from acting. This is free will: cause and effect and the one who take full responsability for his actions because he can always do otherwise.

  6. Posted

    would changing ones destiny be ones destiny?

     

    My understanding is that what an astrological chart shows is Heaven's part of your destiny.

     

    There are two levels of interpretation of what 'changing destiny' could mean:

     

    (1) You can deal with it as you would do while playing cards. If you are good, you will take full advantage of the cards you are playing with. If you are bad at playing, you will do worse than the average player. Being good at playing means that, knowing what Heaven has in store for you, you can adapt by take counter-measures or taking full advantage by your own actions (Man luck) and also use Feng Shui (the Earth part of your destiny).

     

    (2) You can also take the path of goodness and virtue (Liaofan's lessons are about that) , so that, by your actions you accumulate enough merits to override the negative/limitations of your chart because you are kind of 'nullifying' part of your negative karma. For that, you must have awakened your spirit, and live from there.

     

    All these scenarii assume free will otherwise there is no destiny that could be changed, just absolute and blind fate.

  8. Posted

    In the prajnaparamita practice of Buddhism, knowledge is synonymous with ignorance, thus real compassion is not arrive at through knowledge, but uncovering that which is beyond knowledge. Right Actions, although important, are relative.

     

    For example, consider the Lojong,...there is the Absolute Lojong, and the Relative. Although the Relative gives a foundation for understanding the Absolute, they do not, by themselves uncover the Absolute. Same with the 4 Noble Truths and 8 Fold Path. The 4 Noble Truths, which in one sentence is: that suffering is a consequence of the desire for things to be other than they are, cannot be realized by living the (relative) 8 Fold Path along,...it is merely a beginning.

     

    If there was only one turning of the wheel of Dharma (Theravada), our predicament would be dire. For myself, there is no goal to secure a better place in my next life,...my goal as it were, is to wake up in this one. That doesn't mean I negate the 8 Fold Path, but merely don't focus on it. I'm already aware of Right view, attention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness and concentration,...or moreso, when I am not. Thus my focus is on the 4 Noble Truths, and seeing the world as it is, which is not about the 8 Fold Path.

     

    Again,...the 4 Noble Truths are Absolute,....the 8 Fold Path is Relative.

     

     

    Actually the Fourth Noble Truth is the Eightfold Path. Taking the Four Noble Truths without the Eighfold Path is 4 minus 1 : 3.

     

    In Theravada tradition, there is already the distinction between relative truth and absolute truth which are linked to two levels of practice. The lower is based on intellect and leads to mundane (lokiya in Pali) accomplishment (good future rebirths) and the higher is based on practice-realization and leads to supramundane (lokuttara in Pali) accomplishment (Nibbana)

     

    When it comes to Eightfold Path: in the Maha-Cittarisaka Sutta , these two levels are clearly explained.

     

    We could find some differences between Theravada and others schools but not about this, and not about Emptiness either.

     

    sati

  9. Posted

    Found there : http://careforchineseanimals.net/2013/01/15/1-14-changsha-cat-rescue/

     

    On the early morning of January the 14th 2013, just after midnight, there was a pressing emergency in Changsha, the capital city of Hunan province. A large truck with over 40 cages, full of up to 1000 cats, was headed to Guangdong to sell the cats to restaurants for slaughter. While it was travelling through Changsha, the truck was in a traffic accident and was stuck at an intersection. The driver was sent to hospital, and the captured cats were left stuck in the truck. The driver refused to answer reporters’ questions. All of these cats were severely mistreated and starved, having not had any food or water for many days. Many thanks to a police officer Mr. Wang Yujing and among the others were calling for help through Weibo for local Changsha people to come and rescue the poor cats.

    With the driver of the truck in hospital, the organizer of this disgusting bloody business arrived at the scene along with policemen and local volunteers. After much negotiation the volunteers collectively donated ï¿¥10,000 (1,600 USD) to the cat napper. Finally at 2am, the suffering cats were released to the volunteers. Some cats were taken home with the volunteers, while most will go to a rescue shelter and the Vets to be treated.

    Much appreciation goes to the loving volunteers who have given up their time in such freezing cold temperatures to save these beautiful, suffering cats. Many thanks as well to the power of Weibo, the rescue of these cats would have been much harder without the fast and efficient transmitting of messages through Weibo.

    This is a terrible situation for loving volunteers to be in. While we don’t want to give a cent to the cruel evil, there was no other way for them to save the poor cats. If the police were to insist on having the cats released to the volunteers, we would not have to pay anything to the horrible cat napper. The capture of cats is criminal, but this doesn’t stop greedy and selfish kidnappers from stealing and hurting cats. Current food and safety laws do not allow food that has not been quarantined to be eaten, but that is not enough. We are calling for stricter animal protection laws to be introduced, to protect those who cannot speak.

    The rescued cats are now under the care of ‘Changsha Small Animal Protection Association’.

    Briefly translated by Joy Gao 金椒妈

  12. Posted

    You can recognize a truth realized being by the fact that they are intolerant of anything that steps between a sentient being and their direct experience.

    _________________________________________

     

    From the Abhaya Sutta, MN 58 ( source : "Abhaya Sutta: To Prince Abhaya" (MN 58), translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight, 12 February 2012,http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.058.than.html )

     

     

    "[1] In the case of words that the Tathagata knows to be unfactual, untrue, unbeneficial (or: not connected with the goal), unendearing & disagreeable to others, he does not say them.

    [2] In the case of words that the Tathagata knows to be factual, true, unbeneficial, unendearing & disagreeable to others, he does not say them.

    [3] In the case of words that the Tathagata knows to be factual, true, beneficial, but unendearing & disagreeable to others, he has a sense of the proper time for saying them.

    [4] In the case of words that the Tathagata knows to be unfactual, untrue, unbeneficial, but endearing & agreeable to others, he does not say them.

    [5] In the case of words that the Tathagata knows to be factual, true, unbeneficial, but endearing & agreeable to others, he does not say them.

    [6] In the case of words that the Tathagata knows to be factual, true, beneficial, and endearing & agreeable to others, he has a sense of the proper time for saying them.

    Why is that? Because the Tathagata has sympathy for living beings."

     

    :)

  13. Posted

    Hi Josama,

    Just in order to avoid any misunderstading about what priests would do for you. Exorcisms are not acoomplished by means of personal prayers.Priests do use Divine energy. Their countless hours of prayer (especially contemplative prayer)empower them all the more to accomplish rituals of exorcism.

     

    My mother went several years ago to an Orthodox monk to receive some blessings and purification to dissolve a curse.She is not orthodox.The monk did place his hands above her head for a few minutes and said something for himself and she felt something was removed from her, like something had been erased in her psyche.

     

    I am not telling you you should absolutely go to a Christian priest or monk.I am only saying that the work they do seem real to me and that its efficiency comes from real cultivation, not wordly prayers.

     

    Hope it clears things a bit about priests.

     

    Apparently Clarity has already done some work on you.I hope you feel better.

  17. Posted

    Hi all :)

     

    From what I read, the Buddha said that Right Speech has 4 aspects:

    -always truthful

    -inspirational,neither malicious nor futile

    -gentle, neither rude, nor harsh

    -moderate

     

    The root of Right Speech is intent,the practice of Right Speech is in accord with the above.I really like the simplicity of this Buddha's teaching.

     

    Sati

    • Like 1

  18. Posted

    Let's wait and see.

    If Josama gets the entity removed by a Catholic priest,we shall open our minds more about Catholics. I am not sure that abuse is something we can't find in Taoism, Buddhism or any religious institution.Spiritual power can coexist with temporal corrupted power without damage.

     

    But this is just my opinion and I won't argue about it. :)

     

  19. Posted · Edited by sati

    Josama,

     

    You can try receiving exorcism from Gabriele Amorth. He is an exorcist in the Diocese of Rome. But he is very well known so it may be difficult to see him.

    He has founded the International Association of exorcists, but they don't have any website.

     

    Beware, there is a website with almost the same name but it is a different thing and I wouldn't contact them, it doesn't seem legit.

     

    To contact Gabriele Amorth: Via Alessandro Severo 58, c.a.p. 00145 Roma

    Otherwise you can contact L'Ufficio Pastorale di Esorcismo ( Pastoral service of Exorcism in the Diocese of Rome) . It can be done by phone tel: 06/69886525 . On tuesdays from 8 am to 10 am and on Friday from 2 pm to 4 pm. If someone of your family (your father ?) speaks Italian S/he can directly contact them on site.

     

    take care

     

    sati

  23. Posted · Edited by sati

    There was no fight in what I'm reading on page 47 of Cakrasamvara Tantra by Gray.

     

    And there are further stories of stealing the girls of the Hindu gods and enjoying sexual yogas pg. 52 or using their corpses for seats pg. 53

     

    Now I don't take these stories literally, but I DO believe Vajrayana masters have subdued the Hindu gods at one point.

     

    I agree with you that the whole stories are about how Buddhist deities/ emanations subdued Hindu gods.

    There are various versions of the story of Vajrapani.It is said that after Shiva was killed, and since he woudn't submit to Vajrapani's power, his life was transferred to another realm where he became a Buddha - Bhasmesvara-nirghosa.

    see Indian esoteric Buddhism by Ronald M Davidson (http://books.google....epage&q&f=false) p 150 and sq

    • Like 1

  24. Posted

    One traditional story is Vajrapani killing Shiva and his wife, but then subsequently reviving them by pressing them with his feet (which is extremely insulting in Indian culture).

     

    Yes of course, but these are symbolic stories with various layers of interpretations. Shiva was in this story associated with evil deeds and He is killed during a magical fight.

    As far as I can see, this is quite different from the 'right speech' topic. But I am curious and open to learn more about the connexion you make between the two.

     

    sati

  25. Posted

    There is a difference between attacking a thinking content and attacking people. Tibetan Buddhists are very fond of dissecting systems and refute them but, as far as I have read, I have never seen any insult-like attack in any traditional buddhist text. 'Right speech' can include some clear and sharp words in order to awaken a student, but it is always contextual and adapted to the particular nature of the student.

    • Like 1