jamesc2000

I think bi-sexuality is a great thing!

It doubles your chances on a Friday night!

These days the lines separating duality seem to blur for me.

The eastern Buddhist and western Buddhist, the little vehicle and the bigger vehicle are just names to me.

They are all just Buddhists! I guess all traditions and styles all seems good!

I am not even sure what is good or bad karma anymore, its all just karma to me!

But I guess with 20 years of chanting, it can only be a matter of time before the negative karma goes!

All the best.

I am wondering what people here might think of western Buddhists. It seems the more people I encounter that are from the west and claim Buddhism are really nothing but hippies who gave up following Jerry Garica. Maybe I am being too rough here, but they seem to ignore reality and common sense for some touchy feely verison of Buddhism they picked up from the book store. Maybe it's not their fault, maybe that's all the resource they have. But I rather think Shirly MacLane Buddhism will do no one any good.

I am a Western Buddhist and have been practicing a Japanese form of the religion, which is very popular in the West, for the last 20 years.

I am sure there are many Western Buddhists that fit the description given by the OP, but for me I would say the converse is true. While I practice, I chant every day, most of the Buddhists I have met in Thailand do not really practice the religion. They might have some statues of the Buddha and go to the temple on special days. I have no desire to criticise them in any way but for me Buddhism is much stricter. If I haven’t chanted today then I am not practising Buddhism, I am just talking about it.

I take my hat off to your stickness.

So when you chant you practise Buddhism

and when you do not chant, that day you did not practice Buddhism.

So chanting = Buddhism!

Btw when you say the Japanese form, do you mean Zen?

I love Zen and their questions like the sound of one hand clapping!

I thought Zen don't have to chant but become enlightened when they answer those hard questions?

They never get tired of trying do they!!??

Ajaydee,

If I read you correctly, you are suggesting that they're trying something. I am me . I'm not a they.

Let me hasten to assure you that I am trying nothing. What you have read in my last post was simply an attempt to answer questions put to me by Bruce...

I was invited to express opinions.

My earlier post was made in the earnest hope that I might be able to assist by throwing some new approach on the quite clearly confused and confusing suggestions of searching for historical and archeological proofs of the co-existence of the Lord Buddha and Jesus the Christ and their influences upon each other expressed on a Buddhist forum.

So please, Ayjaydee, if this is what you meant about them trying, be a good fellow and show some good manners.

Bruce, if you are reading this, perhaps this supports my answer to the very first question that you put to me.

i'm not sure how you arrived at the conclusion that you were the they i referred to, but you are mistaken. so relax ,pal

Ajaydee

Could you please elaborate who you mean by they then?

Thanks!

If Buddhism is about ending human misery and suffering then using Buddhism to make a profit would that be

Profiting from human misery and suffering?

How enlightened can a person be if they profited from human misery and suffering?

Agreed, the historic Person (not only Siddartha) would cry aloud today if he could see all these temples, figurines, frescoes, the many, many thousands and thousands worshiping these Things...

"He who talks, doesn't know, he who knows, doesn't talk!"

Or like Krishnamurti goes: "If the Buddhists would have understood the teachings of the enlightened one, there would be no Buddhism"!

I couldn't agree more!

"He who talks, doesn't know, he who knows, doesn't talk!"

I also like the other quote - He who writes a book comes back as a donkey for 7 lifetimes!

I am not an expert on Buddhism but I really do not think its about being India's best spiritual brand or becoming enlighten is akin to a miracle!

The beauty of Buddhism I think is its simplicity and its everyday practicality.

Miracles is like Jesus bringing a dead person back to life. It is like doing the impossible or a million to one thing.

Buddha found a way to end suffering that is very simple and practical. And he certainly had no intention of making it a brand let alone the best spiritual brand!

Branding is a marketing term and a very modern term. It didn’t exist 2500 years ago! Buddha was not a salesman that wanted to differentiate his product, market Buddhism and get a market share!

Buddhism has nothing to do with crass commercialism! Buddha just wanted to help people end their suffering! And give it away free.

I think the term “India's best spiritual brand is misleading! I think there are about 20 million Buddhism in India and 200 million Hindus.

So maybe Hinduism is India’s best spiritual brand?

But what is misleading is calling Buddhism spiritual! There is nothing spiritual about Buddhism.

Buddhism is more practical, like a science.

The thing about fake gurus and their methods are faith based. Buddhism is not faith based!

With faith based like faith based healing, if you are cured, its because of your faith but if you died of your disease its because you didn’t have the faith! You never get a complain from a dead customer!

Buddhism is a practical method that works that really doesn’t require a faith or a belief!

When a person talks about branding, miracles and spiritual, I not even sure they are talking about Buddhism!

When pseudo intellectuals talk about something they don’t understand they like to throw in high-fluting terms to appear intelligent.

I am not against the intelligent, just the baloney!

I finished this book and was surprised to find that it was actually quite a good read.

I kept on thinking that the narrative was going to go off track, into un-Buddhist territory, but it never really did.

The story itself is obviously a work of fiction, but I think it catches something of the Buddha that I never considered before.

Stories often write themselves so maybe this one came contains more truth than fiction. Who can tell.

This book made the Buddha come alive for me, but I am not sure if this is a good thing or not.

After all, wasn't it this idea of a real person that he left behind when he reached enlightenment.

yes, but i think its worthwhile to be reminded that a mere person can in fact do it

I always hear the term enlightenment. Would anyone like to explain what it means?

Search the Buddhism forum for 'enlightenment' and you'll find several threads devoted to the subject. This thread is about Chopra's Buddha story.

Yes, lets discuss Chopra On Buddha. Lets discuss - Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment,

I am not sure we all have the same definition of Enlightenment.

So how can we discuss anything if we all do not have the same definition of the subject?

If we don’t have the same definition then we are all discussing different things!

Sabbatical - You quote “Ultimately recognising his inability to conquer his body and mind by sheer will, Siddhartha transcends his physical pain and achieves enlightenment.”

What does transcending physical pain have to do with being enlightened? And what physical pain was Buddha trying to transcend?

You also quote - "Buddha was as mortal as you and I, yet he attained enlightenment and was raised to the rank of an immortal. The miracle is that he got there following a heart as human as yours and mine, and just as vulnerable," he said.

Why is it such a miracle? Has anyone reach enlightenment who didn’t have a heart as human as yours and mine?

If someone has reach enlightenment without a heart, now that would be a miracle!

Its all nice words than don’t mean anything!

As far as I know Buddhism is plain and simple. There is nothing mystical or mysterious or exoteric about it.

The mystical or mysterious or exoteric are for the fake gurus from India who says things like

- if you know you wouldn’t have to ask and if you ask then it is not time for you to know!

I hope I offend as many fake gurus and pseudo intellectuals as I can cos all these people want to do is control other people and make lots of money doing it!

Its their wonderfully big egos that causes them to want to control everyone else and its their egos that allows them to feel offended.

A truly enlightened person knows they have no ego and can never be offended.

If the king has no clothes lets just say so!

I finished this book and was surprised to find that it was actually quite a good read.

I kept on thinking that the narrative was going to go off track, into un-Buddhist territory, but it never really did.

The story itself is obviously a work of fiction, but I think it catches something of the Buddha that I never considered before.

Stories often write themselves so maybe this one came contains more truth than fiction. Who can tell.

This book made the Buddha come alive for me, but I am not sure if this is a good thing or not.

After all, wasn't it this idea of a real person that he left behind when he reached enlightenment.

yes, but i think its worthwhile to be reminded that a mere person can in fact do it

I always hear the term enlightenment. Would anyone like to explain what it means?

So you and me, we are just like the chicken!

We think we are real and we feel real but we really don't exist!

The body don't exist and the mind don't exist. Nothing exist!

But I feel real! And when I poke myself real hard, I feel pain!

Still I know I really don't exist! Nothing exist!

I think you'll find that although no chicken exists inside your TV there was in fact a chicken in existance at the time and place that they filmed it. I'm sure the film crew had all the same reactions to it that you did, probably more intense.

Interesting analogy, and worth pondering, but I don't really reach the same conclusion as you. the chicken is real, but our perception of the chicken is not.

Maybe a better example would be an ink blot test?

The one where you show someone an ink blot and a hungry person goes - that a roast chicken that is!

This reminds me of a funny story you may have heard.

A doctor shows his patient an ink blot and the guy goes that a naked lady.

The doctor shows another and the patient goes that’s another naked lady.

To all ten ink blots the patient goes they are all naked ladies.

The doctor goes you are a pervert!

And the patient replies Me a pervert?

You are the one showing me all them dirty pictures!

So you and I are not like the chicken but the naked lady?

So you and me, we are just like the chicken!

We think we are real and we feel real but we really don't exist!

The body don't exist and the mind don't exist. Nothing exist!

But I feel real! And when I poke myself real hard, I feel pain!

Still I know I really don't exist! Nothing exist!

I think you'll find that although no chicken exists inside your TV there was in fact a chicken in existance at the time and place that they filmed it. I'm sure the film crew had all the same reactions to it that you did, probably more intense.

Interesting analogy, and worth pondering, but I don't really reach the same conclusion as you. the chicken is real, but our perception of the chicken is not.

I was trying to keep it simple but I thought that someone will bring this up!

What if the chicken wasn't a film of a real roasted chicken but created using computer graphics?

So the chicken is pixels or dots of colour on a computer screen.

It only becomes a chicken when the eye see the colours and dots and the brain converts this information and interprets it as a chicken.

Imagine a disease attacked your nerves and you cannot feel anything.

When you put your hand on a hot stove, you will not feel the heat or the pain.

Now if you cannot feel the heat do it mean there is no heat? When you do not feel the pain does it mean there is no pain?

Off course there is heat but pain is just an interpretation by your brain.

Pain and pleasure is just an interpretation by your brain!

If the stove is just lukewarm and you came in from the cold, your brain will tell you the warming of your hands is a nice sensation. Hence it becomes pleasure.

If the stove was really hot and your hands get burned then your brain tells you its pain!

If you can get past your body not being you then the hard part is knowing your mind isn’t you.

If you can notice how your mind keep changing and how easily it keeps getting swayed by your moods like a good mood or a bad mood and how it makes you change your decisions then you may think that fickle mind may really not be you at all!

Even before I heard of the Buddhist concepts I always told people my mind is not my own. How can it be? Advertisers put so many thoughts in my mind that I buy certain products and do not buy others based on the benefits the advertisers told me about.

The newspapers we read causes us to be angry with certain thing and be happy with others. Then I found out the powers that be manipulate what we read and what we don’t read to make us like them and vote for them!

Childhood experiences shaped how we think. Teachers, parents, religious groups try to control how we think and feel.

When you study your mind and how its keeps changing and how thoughts come and go, you can see that its based on what you have seen and heard. What control of your mind do you really have?

Some of the thoughts I have, I have to ask where did these thoughts come from? That’s not me, those are not my thoughts!

If you keep looking at your thoughts as a third person you may also think that’s not me. Those are not my thoughts and I am not sure this mind which I think is mine is really mine.

Its crunch time when you think your mind isn’t yours and your body isn‘t yours.

I don’t have to be so protective about me and mine anymore! Its like driving a rental car or living in a council house.

You don’t worry too much about silly and insignificant things anymore about your robot body and mind.

Some people don’t wash their rental cars or upkeep their council house but I hope you clean your robot body and also maintain it reasonably well!

I also loved the words of a song that says - this is not my beautiful home and this is not my beautiful wife. (I always repeat it and I am not even married!)

If it is true that nothing exists! What are we gonna do?

We can give way to people, we can be a bit more patient, we can even let people win the arguments.

We lose nothing, we give nothing cos there is nothing and we are nothing.

But you sure make people happy when you do it!

I think there is also something about ending suffering when you know you are not you and so you don't have to feel sad or angry when you lose something that is not yours and don't feel slighted when someone insults you and you don’t feel disappointed or angry when you don’t get something you really want or feel bad getting something your really don’t want like a mother in law.

But this is a topic other people know a lot more than me so I will leave it to them but I think ending suffering seems to be a benefit of the non self concept.

Again I could be wrong, so please just add or correct as needed!

PS that mother in law comment just came out but it wasn't from the real me if you know what I mean. Too many sitcoms put that awful comment in the mind thats is not mine!

I am not an expert on Buddhism so I hope I am not misleading anyone here but I will try and convey my understanding. Please feel free to add or correct my interpretation.

I was feeling a bit hungry and seeing this roast chicken on tv reminded my how hungry I was.

The chicken was roasted to a nice golden brown and you can see the steam coming off it so it must have been just roasted and still warm!

Now I know that its just a picture of a chicken and if I broke the tv screen and put my hand inside there is no chicken!

But the chicken looked so real, all piping hot and steaming and I couldn’t help to salivate and feel a little rumble in my tummy.

But just as the chicken looked so real, it did not exist. Although the reactions in me like the tummy rumbling and mouth salivating was definitely real!

So you and me, we are just like the chicken!

We think we are real and we feel real but we really don’t exist!

The body don’t exist and the mind don’t exist. Nothing exist!

But I feel real! And when I poke myself real hard, I feel pain!

Still I know I really don’t exist! Nothing exist!

PS just don’t tell anyone you don’t exist in case they put you in that house with men in white coats!

And I like Italian food too!

Solar electricity is still not a viable option for a modern house with AC etc.

Solar water heating is, but when I searched in LOS a few years back I could not find any

source of equipment, produced locally.

I regret not experimenting with home made units.

Just run the mains water pipes carrying water destined for your shower all over your roof.

Thats actually a very good idea! Not only do you get hot water free, you also get a cooler roof and that means a cooler home!

All at no cost!

I really don't understand any of this my buddhism is better than your buddhism posts.

Btw can I just ask if your buddhism better than Buddha's buddhism?

I think I see what you are getting at, but my post earlier were making the point of people professing Buddhism, teaching or sharing with others Buddhism, yet they are so not close to practicing any of the teachings. Is this bad or good for Buddhism as a whole?

Yeah there is a lot of that but its every where! Buddhists that do not practise what is true Buddhism. Christians that do not practise true Christianity, Muslims that do not practise true Islam, Managers that don't practise management, law enforcement that don't enforce the law, democrats that dictate ....

Is it bad for Buddhism as a whole?

Buddhism can fade away or be forgotten but the truth can never be lost.

Isn't Buddhism just a vehicle or a way?

Surely it’s the destination that is more important?

I really don't understand any of this my buddhism is better than your buddhism posts.

Btw can I just ask if your buddhism better than Buddha's buddhism?

James, you may enjoy this talk by my favourite Theravadan chappie.

Chutai you are absolutely correct! I enjoyed every minute of the talk by your favourite Theravadan chappie!

Funnily he is also my favourite Theravadan chappie!

I really don't understand any of this my buddhism is better than your buddhism posts.

Btw can I just ask if your buddhism better than Buddha's buddhism?

I have more time for Lurpak (slightly salted) than Deepak.

Haha so do I!

At least with Lurpak you get quality!

However, while it is proving very difficult to prove that God (whatever that word "God" may mean to the 6 billion folks on the planet at present) does not exist;

I don't understand this statement that its is very difficult to prove that God does not exist!

You mean its easier to prove that God does exist? Please prove it then!

I'm looking to buy a pair of binoculars to use mainly for bird watcing. I've looked at some along Sukumvit and they seem ok.

I would never call ladies birds and I think the ladies at Sukumvit look more than ok! But that's just me!

Anyway why do you need binoculars for?

Should I bother to stay in Thailand if it's obvious that I will never speak or read Thai

Get to a school and learn! Do it full time for 6 months- an excellent investment - just think you'll be able to walk into a bank and talk to them, chat with someone at a bus stop, ask directions, get a boyfriend, etc etc etc. Your time here will be so much better. Don't procrastinate.

Here's your first lesson - don't procrastinate = ya plaat wan bpragan pruung sorry not allowed to write the Thai.

That's great advice! Don't procrastinate - start first thing tomorrow!

that world famous english humor.

Just like Benny Hill?

The OP had to pay to get beautiful woman, haha! Hardly much of a success there...

Don't fool yourself! We all pay one way or another. We are on the demand side of the equation and they are on the supply side.

Some posters here get PAID to sleep with women! But not all the time cos some of his customers do a runner after his does his service thing.

What are you wasting your time in here then?

good entertainment...or as they say....good value

besides...I get free chocolates here james sometime with popcorn.....sometime maybe dipped in each other

but seems the OP might not be so interested anymore

perhaps the question to ask is: why/how do people feel about discussing relationship prolems/uncertainty on an internet forum? (atleast the mental aspect of it......which would be the case of this OP)

I can relate to asking practical advice and suggestions about things like....where to take someone on a date to impress, what to do if you forgot a big anniversary (cupid forbid )

or even something like..... how should a guy whos been in OP scenario,but WOULD LIKE a change of style...how would he go about coping....as in what kind of adjustment etc....

but the decision whether he wants a change in lifestyle is rather a rhetorical one aint it? only the OP can answer that

Id question why the need to start a thread on such rhetorical question.....but Im enjoying this far too much to raise objection

(good distraction for my stressful/not so pleasant day)

Too true!

Thanks to the OP for starting this thread!

Not married yet but will definitely jump ship next year. We've been together a year and a half.

Either a contradiction or she caught him out.

I hope the OP's lady friend is reading this!

james, but they also are on the OUTSIDE too

all my friends are goodlooking....well I certainly think so anyway

Then I apologise again!

I didn't know you meant all your friends are ALL intelligent, smart, funny, AND sexy INSIDE and OUTSIDE!

What are you wasting your time in here then?

I bet you won't make the claim that all the farang MALE friends you have...they are ALL intelligent, smart, funny, AND sexy!

ACTUALLY James, they ARE

and its not about me being choosy/fussy. I dont choose my friends based on any of these characteristics. you simply learn to appreciate different aspects of your friends and realise that they have these traits within them, even when it might not be apparent to a casual/superficial observer

but this is besides the point of this thread aint it

Ill give the floor back to the OP and others now

Then I am very sorry!

I didn't know you meant the farang female friends you have...they are ALL intelligent, smart, funny, AND sexy INSIDE!