True and Proper Buddhist teaching

[jamesc2000]

10 hours ago, rockyysdt said:

Your post reminds me of the four Immeasurables. ????

 

• metta (loving kindness)
• karuna (compassion - to feel another's pain as if it were yours)
• mudita (sympathetic joy or empathy)
• upekkha (equanimity).

 

When being Mindful of those around us, I observe myself being analytical/critical at times.

 

When interacting with others, or observing others interactions, I'm also analysing intentions of ones behaviors.

 

When cultivating Immeasurables ones intentions are vital.

 

Many make offerings to Monks for future good luck, or to accumulate positive Kharma.

I come away thinking, such offerings are hollow if they are done for personal gain.

 

One purpose of the Immeasurables is to turn attention outward away from Ego, focusing instead towards those receiving your benevolence.

 

The Buddha taught the following in order to cultivate the immeasurables.

 

A monk suffuses the world in the four directions with a mind of benevolence, then above, and below, and all around – the whole world from all sides, completely, with a benevolent, all-embracing, great, boundless, peaceful and friendly mind … There is no limit to the unfolding of this heart liberating benevolence.

 

Until Awakened we are all compromised to varying degrees.

When I analyse myself or others interacting, I'm learning that there is usually an ulterior motive.

Mindfulness of ones motives can assist us to move towards a mind of true benevolence.

 

I really like your summary of the points.

 

And I don't think we should be too harsh on not being spotless on having no ulterior motive.

 

No ego is hard and being aware we have some ulterior motive maybe good enough as a start.

 

Some people cultivate kindness to other people but they miss out on kindness to themselves.

 

Also forgiveness cultivated for others but they forget to let go and forgive themselves.

 

I feel this 4 qualities are the best way to approach any and every problem in life. And I mean small like relationship with your next door neighbour to big things like politics and climate change.

 

Any other approach I think will have negative side effects. 

 

I always say we (including me) don't give enough credit and appreciation to the Buddha because we (or maybe its only me) haven't worked out the the Buddha has already worked out the best approach to take for any and all problems in life.

 

I think the difficulty is if we identify with the self then its very natural to be self centred. 

 

But I guess if we are aware then we can gradually minimise the ego and as that decreases so naturally will the self centredness.

 

And I feel that karma helps puts us in situations that always gives us an opportunity to minimise the ego.

 

So what looks like the most negative situations on the surface are the most positive if we look deeper.

 

I guess that equanimity teaches us calmness and this comes from patience and patience with ourselves and other people is the key we need.

 

Too many people don't have enough patience for their own journey to awareness and also other people's path to awareness. This also includes me.

 

????  

[Nakmuay887]

Props guys. This is actually one of the most informative and enjoyable topics I've come across on here. 

 

Well done! 

[jamesc2000]

The beauty of Buddhism is that its a path to truth. It doesn't tell us what the truth is but allows us to decide for ourselves.

 

But the more important thing about Buddhism is that it allows us to drop what we thought was true yesterday but with more current information we know is not true today and to embrace what we know to be true today.

 

I heard on the BBC world service the latest science research says that just as it is possible to move both forwards and backwards in space it is also possible to move forwards and even backwards in time.

 

This is a real break though as it was always thought that we can only move forwards in time and never back.

 

They did say that moving a person back in time would be very difficult but sending a message would not be as difficult although a lot more research would be needed before anything like that can happen.

 

This means that if we are awaken in the future or in the future after many lives then its theoretically possible to send back a message to us now on how to be awaken.

 

In theory this should shorten the process and make things a lot easier.

 

The best person to teach us the path to awakening is us after we have been awakened.

 

????  

[jamesc2000]

I actually know nothing about Buddhism.

 

I learn a lot from rockyysdt and this guy.

 

????

 

 

[jamesc2000]

In an effort to reclaim the "mindfulness" practice from being overrun by secular industries and a recent claim that it is not owned by Buddhism,

 

Ajahn Brahm clarifies that mindfulness is a practice within the rest of the supporting factors of Buddhism (the Noble Eightfold Path: right view, right motivation, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right endeavor, right mindfulness, and right stillness).

 

Mindfulness is part of a great training which is called Buddhism, and to actually take away mindfulness from Buddhism is unhelpful, inaccurate, and deceiving – mindfulness is a cultural heritage of Buddhism.

 

Practicing mindfulness without wisdom and compassion is not enough.

 

Therefore, drawing from the Pāli Suttas,^[16] Ajahn Brahm created the term "Kindfulness", meaning mindfulness combined with wisdom and compassion – mindfulness with also knowing the ethical and moral compassionate consequences of the reactions to what is happening (a.k.a. satisampajañña).^[17]

 

^????

[jamesc2000]

"Some misguided scientists maintain the theory that there is no rebirth, that this stream of consciousness is incapable of returning to a successive human existence. All one needs to disprove this theory, according to science, is to find one instance of rebirth, just one!

 

Professor Ian Stevenson, as some of you would know, has already demonstrated many instances of rebirth. The theory of no rebirth has been disproved. Rebirth is now a scientific fact!"

 

Buddhism, the only real science

 

Venerable Ajahn Brahmavamso Mahathera

 

 

I used to be a scientist. I did Theoretical Physics at Cambridge University, hanging out in the same building as the later-to-be-famous Professor Stephen Hawking. I became disillusioned with such science when, as an insider, I saw how dogmatic some scientists could be. A dogma, according to the dictionary, is an arrogant declaration of an opinion.

 

This was a fitting description of the science that I saw in the labs of Cambridge. Science had lost its sense of humility. Egotistical opinion prevailed over the impartial search for Truth. My favourite aphorism from that time was: "The eminence of a great scientist, is measured by the length of time that they OBSTRUCT PROGRESS in their field"!

 

o understand real science, one can go back to one of its founding fathers, the English philosopher Francis Bacon (1561 - 1628). He established the framework on which science was to progress, namely "the greater force of the negative instance".

 

This meant that, having proposed a theory to explain some natural phenomenon, then one should try one's best to disprove it! One should test the theory with challenging experiments. One must put it on trial with rigorous argument.

 

When a flaw appears in the theory, only then does science advance. A new discovery has been made enabling the theory to be adjusted and refined. This fundamental and original methodology of science understood that it is impossible to prove anything with absolute certainty. One can only disprove with absolute certainty.

 

For example, how can one prove the basic law of gravity that "what goes up comes down, eventually"? One may throw objects up one million times and see them fall one million times. But that still does not prove "what goes up comes down".

 

For NASA might then 'throw' a Saturn rocket up into space to explore Mars, and that never comes down to earth again. One negative instance is enough to disprove the theory with absolute certainty.

 

Some misguided scientists maintain the theory that there is no rebirth, that this stream of consciousness is incapable of returning to a successive human existence. All one needs to disprove this theory, according to science, is to find one instance of rebirth, just one!

 

Professor Ian Stevenson, as some of you would know, has already demonstrated many instances of rebirth. The theory of no rebirth has been disproved. Rebirth is now a scientific fact!

 

Modern science gives a low priority to any efforts to disprove its pet theories. There is too much vested interest in power, prestige and research grants. A courageous commitment to truth takes too many scientists out of their comfort zone.

 

Scientists are, for the most part, brainwashed by their education and their in-group conferences to see the world in a very narrow, microscopic, way. The very worst scientists are those who behave like eccentric evangelists, claiming that they alone have the whole truth, and then demanding the right to impose their views on everyone else.

 

Ordinary people know so little about science that they can hardly even understand the jargon.

 

Yet, if they read in a newspaper or magazine "a scientist says that?", then they automatically take it to be true. Compare this to our reaction when we read in the same journal "a politician says that?"! Why do scientists have such unchallenged credibility?

 

Perhaps it is because the language and ritual of science has become so far removed from the common people, that scientists have become today's revered and mystical priesthood.

 

Dressed in their ceremonial white lab coats, chanting incomprehensible mumbo jumbo about multi-dimensional fractal parallel universes, and performing magical rituals that transubstantiate metal and plastic into TVs and computers, these modern day alchemists are so awesome we'll believe anything they say. Elitist science, as once was the Pope, is now infallible.

 

Some know better. Much of what I learnt 30 years ago has now been proved wrong. There are, fortunately, many scientists with integrity and humility who affirm that science is, at best, a work still in progress.

 

They know that science can only suggest a truth, but can never claim a truth. I was once told by a Buddhist G.P. that, on his first day at a medical school in Sydney, the famous Professor, head of the Medical School, began his welcoming address by stating "Half of what we are going to teach you in the next few years is wrong. Our problem is that we do not know which half it is!" Those were the words of a real scientist.

 

Some evangelical scientists would do well to reflect on the (amended) old saying "Scientists rush in where angels fear to tread" and . . . . . . 

 

https://web.archive.org/web/20120728024727/http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/03/28/fea04.asp

Edited February 24, 2020 by jamesc2000

[jamesc2000]

"Buddhism is more scientific than modern science. Like science, Buddhism is based on verifiable cause-and-effect relationships. But unlike science, Buddhism challenges with thoroughness every belief.

 

The famous Kalama Sutta of Buddhism states that one cannot believe fully in "what one is taught, tradition, hearsay, scripture, logic, inference, appearance, agreement with established opinion, the seeming competence of a teacher, or even in one's own teacher".

 

How many scientists are as rigorous in their thinking as this? Buddhism challenges everything, including logic."

[jamesc2000]

"A Grade-One teacher once asked her class "What is the biggest thing in the world?" One little girl answered "My daddy". A little boy said "An elephant", since he'd recently been to the zoo. Another girl suggested "A mountain".

 

The six-year-old daughter of a close friend of mine replied, "My eye is the biggest thing in the world"! The class stopped. Even the teacher didn't understand her answer. So the little philosopher explained "Well, my eye can see her daddy, an elephant, and a mountain too. It can also see so much else. If all of that can fit into my eye, then my eye must be the biggest thing in the world." Brilliant!

 

However, she was not quite right. The mind can see everything that one's eye can see, and it can also imagine so much more. It can also hear, smell, taste and touch, as well as think.

 

In fact, everything that can be known can fit into the mind. Therefore, the mind must be the biggest thing in the world. Science's mistake is obvious now. The mind is not in the brain, nor in the body. The brain, the body and the rest of the world, are in the mind!

 

Mind is the sixth sense in Buddhism, it is that which encompasses the five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch, and transcends them with its own domain. It corresponds loosely to Aristotle's "common sense" that is distinct from the five senses."

Edited February 24, 2020 by jamesc2000

[jamesc2000]

"Indeed, ancient Greek philosophy, from where science is said to have its origins, taught six senses just like Buddhism. Somewhere along the historical journey of European thinking, they lost their mind! Or, as Aristotle would put it, they somehow discarded their "common sense"! And thus we got science. We got materialism without any heart. One can accurately say that Buddhism is science that has kept its heart, and which hasn't lost its mind!

 

Thus Buddhism is not a belief system. It is a science founded on objective observation, i.e. meditation, ever careful not to disturb the reality through imposing artificial measurements, and it is evidently repeatable.

 

People have been re-creating the experimental conditions, known as establishing the factors of the Noble Eightfold Path, for over twenty-six centuries now, much longer than science. And those renowned Professors of Meditation, the male and female Arahants, have all arrived at the same conclusion as the Buddha.

 

They verified the timeless Law of Dhamma, otherwise known as Buddhism. So Buddhism is the only real science, and I'm happy to say that I'm still a scientist at heart, only a much better scientist than I ever could have been at Cambridge."

 

Courtesy: Buddhist Society of Western Australia.

[rockyysdt]

31 minutes ago, jamesc2000 said:

"Buddhism is more scientific than modern science. Like science, Buddhism is based on verifiable cause-and-effect relationships. But unlike science, Buddhism challenges with thoroughness every belief.

 

The famous Kalama Sutta of Buddhism states that one cannot believe fully in "what one is taught, tradition, hearsay, scripture, logic, inference, appearance, agreement with established opinion, the seeming competence of a teacher, or even in one's own teacher".

 

How many scientists are as rigorous in their thinking as this? Buddhism challenges everything, including logic."

Hi James.

 

The Buddhas 4 Noble Truths, (the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering), is all about practice, and finding out for oneself through personal experience.

 

The only ones who can ever know what the state of Nibbana is, are those who have successfully navigated the path to the end of suffering.

 

What is such a state, and how does one prove it?

Can an Awakened Being ever be able to describe such a state to those who remain?

 

Those who remain in the state of Samsara can never comprehend, nor prove, nor understand it.

Practitioners can achieve esoteric powers along the way, but attachment to these is Ego.

If poorly navigated these can only hinder ones journey.

 

Speculation in such matters is pointless.

The only thing that really matters, if one accepts the first three truths, is to practice and discover for oneself.

 

 

 

Edited February 24, 2020 by rockyysdt

[rockyysdt]

We are all stuck in the state of Samsara.

 

Afflicted by Greed, Delusion, & Aversion.

 

Short exercise:  Understand that everything we do or say has a motive to reason behind it.

                        Be Mindful of your behavior (what you do and or say).

                        Ask yourself why you behaved this way (what you did or said)

                         Analyse your motives.

                        Do they involve Ego?

                        

 

 

[EricTh]

Buddhists are supposed to be vegetarians but I see a lot of pigs being slaughtered.

[jamesc2000]

Zen Master Man Gong was Seung Sahn Soen Sa's Dharma grandfather.

 

As a thirteen year old child, he was studying sutras at the temple Donghaksa in Korea. The day before vacation, everyone gathered to listen to some lectures. The lecturer said, "All of you must study hard, learn Buddhism, and become as big trees, with which great temples are built, and as large bowls, able to hold many things.

 

The verse says:

"Water becomes square or round according to the shape of the container in which it is placed. Likewise, people become good or bad according to the company they keep. Always keep your minds set on holiness and remain in good company. In this way, you will become great trees and containers of Wisdom. This I most sincerely wish."

 

Everyone was greatly inspired by this lecture. At this point, the Sutra Master turned to Zen Master Kyong-Ho, who was visiting the temple, and said, "Please speak, Master Kyong Ho; everyone would like to hear your words of wisdom."

 

The Master was quite a sight. He was always unshaven and wore robes that were tattered and worn. Although he at first refused, after being asked again and again, he reluctantly consented to speak.

 

"All of you are monks. You are to be great teachers, free of ego; you must live only to serve all people. Desiring to become a big tree or a great container of Wisdom prevents you from being a true teacher.

 

Big trees have big uses; small trees have small uses. Good and bad bowls both have their uses. Nothing is to be discarded. Keep both good and bad friends; this is your responsibility.

 

You must not reject any element; this is true Buddhism. My only wish is for you to be free from discriminating thoughts."

 

Having completed his talk, the Master walked out the door, leaving the audience astonished. The young Man-Gong ran after him, and called out, "Please take me with you; I wish to become your student."

 

The Master shouted at him to go away, but the child wouldn't listen. So he asked, "If I take you with me, what will you do?"

 

"I will learn. You will teach me."

 

"But you are only a child. How can you understand?"

 

"People are young and old, but does our True Self have youth or old age?" "You are a very bad boy! You have killed and eaten the Buddha. Come along."

 

From Manhattan Chogye Sa temple website

[jamesc2000]

Pigs? Pigs?

 

Some of them even killed the Buddha and eaten him.

 

A book can have all the solutions people are desperately looking for

 

but what good is the book if people never read it, know it even exists and where to find it?

[jamesc2000]

How do we know if what we do and say is motivated by ego?

 

If we see people not practising true Buddhism and we say he is not practising true Buddhism and we shake our heads and she is not practising true Buddhism and we shake our heads

 

and think only I practice true Buddhism is that words and action motivated by ego?

 

No danger of that from me. I know so little about Buddhism I cannot say this is true Buddhism and that is not so true Buddhism.

 

????

 

Surely if we feel only we practice true Buddhism and others do not, that must be ego.

 

Ego creates separation and superiority and feelings of smugness.

 

If there is I and others there must be ego involved.

 

I was thinking hard how to diminish ego and I thought anything that makes us feel annoyed, angry, slightly miffed must be due to ego.

 

If there is no ego there is nothing to break our equanimity.   

 

I guess being happy and cheerful is the best antidote to ego.

[rockyysdt]

20 hours ago, jamesc2000 said:

How do we know if what we do and say is motivated by ego?

 

If we see people not practising true Buddhism and we say he is not practising true Buddhism and we shake our heads and she is not practising true Buddhism and we shake our heads

 

and think only I practice true Buddhism is that words and action motivated by ego?

 

No danger of that from me. I know so little about Buddhism I cannot say this is true Buddhism and that is not so true Buddhism.

 

????

 

Surely if we feel only we practice true Buddhism and others do not, that must be ego.

 

Ego creates separation and superiority and feelings of smugness.

 

If there is I and others there must be ego involved.

 

I was thinking hard how to diminish ego and I thought anything that makes us feel annoyed, angry, slightly miffed must be due to ego.

 

If there is no ego there is nothing to break our equanimity.   

 

I guess being happy and cheerful is the best antidote to ego.

 

Basically our Ego is a construct.

 

It is our personality and it's who we think we are.

A personality can have good, neutral and bad attributes, but is essentially impermanent.

Most anchor themselves on this ego which has no foundation.

 

One of the benefits of daily Mindfulness is to observe ones ego and the tricks it plays, to observe ones ego impartially/neutrally.

Eventually with practice there'll be 2 James, the Ego, and that which observes the ego.

Over time, that which observes the ego will grow in strength while that which is being observed will dimish.

 

One of the benefits of Sitting Meditation is that when one slips into "consciousness without thought" (this initially can be a shallow state and can deepen), one begins to experience an egoless state. 

 

The reason why I suggested you observe yourself, apart from beginning an important piece of Buddhist practice, is to gauge what your ego is up to.

 

For example, things such as, "why does your ego post"?

 

Understanding your ego's motives will be an indicator of how far your ego will allow you to go with worthwhile practice.

 

 

Edited February 27, 2020 by rockyysdt

[jamesc2000]

"I want to be enlightened."

 

"I want to achieve nirvana."

 

"I want to give up women and alcohol."

 

"I want to read up all the sutras."

 

"I want to redouble my efforts."

 

So many "I"s but cannot see.

 

????

[jamesc2000]

3 hours ago, rockyysdt said:

 

Basically our Ego is a construct.

 

It is our personality and it's who we think we are.

A personality can have good, neutral and bad attributes, but is essentially impermanent.

Most anchor themselves on this ego which has no foundation.

 

One of the benefits of daily Mindfulness is to observe ones ego and the tricks it plays, to observe ones ego impartially/neutrally.

Eventually with practice there'll be 2 James, the Ego, and that which observes the ego.

Over time, that which observes the ego will grow in strength while that which is being observed will dimish.

 

One of the benefits of Sitting Meditation is that when one slips into "consciousness without thought" (this initially can be a shallow state and can deepen), one begins to experience an egoless state. 

 

The reason why I suggested you observe yourself, apart from beginning an important piece of Buddhist practice, is to gauge what your ego is up to.

 

For example, things such as, "why does your ego post"?

 

Understanding your ego's motives will be an indicator of how far your ego will allow you to go with worthwhile practice.

 

 

Thank you very much for your question.

 

The answer is not me, not mine, not I.

 

"why does your ego post"? Its not my mine.

 

your ego's motives - its not mine.

 

how far your ego will allow you to go - There is no me to go any where.

 

I am not sure why you rather talk about me that do not exist and not a subject like Buddhism which is so much more interesting.

 

But feel free to ask anything else you like.

 

I worry that you might not like my answers and I am sure this is not the case.

 

But if you really do not like "my" answers then you have to ask who is the "you" that is doing the not liking.

 

Today I saw a cute dog and I said to myself cute dog and then I ask myself is there such a thing as an ugly dog?

 

And my reply was if there is no ego there is no ugly.

 

If there is no ego there is no food I like or food I don't like, its all good.

 

No ego no beautiful or ugly people they are all people.

 

No ego means we can never be annoyed by another person's post.

 

The bigger the ego the more annoyance.

 

A post that is infuriating that must be a really big ego.

 

????

 

The credit is yours as without your posts I would not have learned so much. 

 

Thank you very much.

[rockyysdt]

19 hours ago, jamesc2000 said:

"I want to be enlightened."

 

"I want to achieve nirvana."

 

"I want to give up women and alcohol."

 

"I want to read up all the sutras."

 

"I want to redouble my efforts."

 

So many "I"s but cannot see.

 

????

You've got an uphill battle on your hands.

Changing ones habits can be close to impossible, particularly as you age.

 

I liken it to the pull of gravity as you approach the event horizon of a Black Hole, such is the pull of habit/conditioning.

 

Studying Buddhism has its positives.

The trap is that you can spend years learning doctrine (which can be debatable).

You can end up becoming an expert, but be light on with practice.

There are many Buddhist experts who can quote the Sutta's but remain anchored in Samsara.

 

If you're keen to get going and don't want to waste time, I recommend you learn the core practices and then schedule daily practice.

 

1. Read about Buddhism and get involved with discussion, forum or otherwise.

This will encourage you and give you reason to continue.

Here is a good resource:

https://www.dharmaseed.org/

 

 

2. Practice Sitting Meditation daily.  

   I recommend practicing Anapanasiti which includes the 16 steps to Awakening.

   Two excellent guides by Ajahn Buddhadasa (he was a serious follower of the Buddha)

 

    a.  Anapanasiti (Mindfulness of Breathing) by Buddhadasa Bikkhu

    http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/anapanasati.pdf

 

     b.  Anapanasiti (Mindfulness with Breathing) by Buddhadasa Bikkhu  (for serious beginners)

     https://www.dhammatalks.net/Books3/Bhikkhu_Buddhadasa_Anapanasati_Mindfulness_with_Breathing.htm#

 

3. Introduce Daily Mindfulness practice.

     Basically create a neutral Observer (positioned roughly towards the rear top of your head).

     From when you awake, until when you fall asleep, the end game is to have the Observer constantly observing you.

     Concentration may last only a few seconds, but over time you can develop Mindfulness, for longer and longer periods.

     Observe, ones breath, ones body, ones thoughts, ones feelings, and the world around one.

     I recommend  Mindfulness in Plain English  Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

    

4. Attend Meditation Groups and/or Retreats.

For your vacation try to attend a live in retreat.

This will give you the feel of the task ahead of you and how strong a hold your ego has with your life.

 

If you live in Thailand a good retreat catering for Westerners is Wat Suan Mokkh.

10 day retreats beginning on the first day of each month.

Here you will live life in silence with sitting and walking meditation, concrete bed with wooden pillow, no internet contact, vow of silence and celibacy, and towards the end, one meal a day.      https://suanmokkh-idh.org/

 

 

My focus for you revolves around "practice".

Without "practice" everything is just academic, or ego massaging.

 

If you practice on your own initially, then look for literature which focuses on posture or the sitting position.

In my opinion, getting your sitting correct can be half the battle towards successful meditation.

Full lotus can be extremely difficult for Westerners and counter productive.

There is much opinion and controversy over the correct way to sit, but if you're getting on in years I find nothing wrong with a low back chair, but you may explore other things such as a zafu cushion, meditation stool or other. I also recommend contacting a rubber supplier to buy furniture grade foam with which to create a sitting area, a flat 1.6metre square area to protect your legs, knees and ankles, and a raised section for your bottom.

I recommend:   Will Johnson  The Posture of Meditation.

 

My main recommendation is, not to become a Buddhist expert, but to expertly develop your skills of practice.

Doing rather than thinking is the way.  ????

[jamesc2000]

4 hours ago, rockyysdt said:

You've got an uphill battle on your hands.

Changing ones habits can be close to impossible, particularly as you age.

 

I liken it to the pull of gravity as you approach the event horizon of a Black Hole, such is the pull of habit/conditioning.

 

Studying Buddhism has its positives.

The trap is that you can spend years learning doctrine (which can be debatable).

You can end up becoming an expert, but be light on with practice.

There are many Buddhist experts who can quote the Sutta's but remain anchored in Samsara.

 

If you're keen to get going and don't want to waste time, I recommend you learn the core practices and then schedule daily practice.

 

1. Read about Buddhism and get involved with discussion, forum or otherwise.

This will encourage you and give you reason to continue.

Here is a good resource:

https://www.dharmaseed.org/

 

 

2. Practice Sitting Meditation daily.  

   I recommend practicing Anapanasiti which includes the 16 steps to Awakening.

   Two excellent guides by Ajahn Buddhadasa (he was a serious follower of the Buddha)

 

    a.  Anapanasiti (Mindfulness of Breathing) by Buddhadasa Bikkhu

    http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/anapanasati.pdf

 

     b.  Anapanasiti (Mindfulness with Breathing) by Buddhadasa Bikkhu  (for serious beginners)

     https://www.dhammatalks.net/Books3/Bhikkhu_Buddhadasa_Anapanasati_Mindfulness_with_Breathing.htm#

 

3. Introduce Daily Mindfulness practice.

     Basically create a neutral Observer (positioned roughly towards the rear top of your head).

     From when you awake, until when you fall asleep, the end game is to have the Observer constantly observing you.

     Concentration may last only a few seconds, but over time you can develop Mindfulness, for longer and longer periods.

     Observe, ones breath, ones body, ones thoughts, ones feelings, and the world around one.

     I recommend  Mindfulness in Plain English  Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

    

4. Attend Meditation Groups and/or Retreats.

For your vacation try to attend a live in retreat.

This will give you the feel of the task ahead of you and how strong a hold your ego has with your life.

 

If you live in Thailand a good retreat catering for Westerners is Wat Suan Mokkh.

10 day retreats beginning on the first day of each month.

Here you will live life in silence with sitting and walking meditation, concrete bed with wooden pillow, no internet contact, vow of silence and celibacy, and towards the end, one meal a day.      https://suanmokkh-idh.org/

 

 

My focus for you revolves around "practice".

Without "practice" everything is just academic, or ego massaging.

 

If you practice on your own initially, then look for literature which focuses on posture or the sitting position.

In my opinion, getting your sitting correct can be half the battle towards successful meditation.

Full lotus can be extremely difficult for Westerners and counter productive.

There is much opinion and controversy over the correct way to sit, but if you're getting on in years I find nothing wrong with a low back chair, but you may explore other things such as a zafu cushion, meditation stool or other. I also recommend contacting a rubber supplier to buy furniture grade foam with which to create a sitting area, a flat 1.6metre square area to protect your legs, knees and ankles, and a raised section for your bottom.

I recommend:   Will Johnson  The Posture of Meditation.

 

My main recommendation is, not to become a Buddhist expert, but to expertly develop your skills of practice.

Doing rather than thinking is the way.  ????

You are absolutely right.

 

If anyone said what's below then they would have an uphill battle.

"I want to be enlightened."

"I want to achieve nirvana."

"I want to give up women and alcohol."

"I want to read up all the sutras."

"I want to redouble my efforts."

So many "I"s but cannot see.

 

The reason its in " " is precisely its not me saying it. 

 

There is no me to fight any battles. If there is no ego there is no battles, there is no winning. Who wins?

 

Anyway up hill, down hill if no ego no difference. Do you think down hill is good and up hill is bad? Its the ego that says one is good and one is bad and the ego wants the down hill and dislikes the up hill.

 

If you always want to win and never want to lose its only because of ego.

 

If no ego winning and losing is the same and either wouldn't bother you. If you feel good about winning and bad about losing is because of ego.

 

You really give me too much credit. I have no aim to be a Buddhist expert.

I never read the sutra or any other holy books and no intention to. 

That would be like riding an ox and looking for one.

 

????

[jamesc2000]

If we only like the people that practice

 

and we only like people that don't drink alcohol, don't womanise and don't eat lots of fatty food

 

and only like people that get their sitting position correct.

 

Then how can you open your heart to people that never practice

 

and drink lots of alcohol and womanise and eat lots of fatty food

 

and worse of the worse don't have a correct sitting position?

 

????

 

Its the ego that splits up people that we think is on the correct path and people on the wrong path.

 

If there is no ego there is no difference to how we see them.

 

If there is no ego spaghetti and custard taste wonderful.

 

Its all good. 

Edited February 28, 2020 by jamesc2000

[jamesc2000]

18 hours ago, rockyysdt said:

You've got an uphill battle on your hands.

Changing ones habits can be close to impossible, particularly as you age.

 

I liken it to the pull of gravity as you approach the event horizon of a Black Hole, such is the pull of habit/conditioning.

 

Studying Buddhism has its positives.

The trap is that you can spend years learning doctrine (which can be debatable).

You can end up becoming an expert, but be light on with practice.

There are many Buddhist experts who can quote the Sutta's but remain anchored in Samsara.

 

If you're keen to get going and don't want to waste time, I recommend you learn the core practices and then schedule daily practice.

 

1. Read about Buddhism and get involved with discussion, forum or otherwise.

This will encourage you and give you reason to continue.

Here is a good resource:

https://www.dharmaseed.org/

 

 

2. Practice Sitting Meditation daily.  

   I recommend practicing Anapanasiti which includes the 16 steps to Awakening.

   Two excellent guides by Ajahn Buddhadasa (he was a serious follower of the Buddha)

 

    a.  Anapanasiti (Mindfulness of Breathing) by Buddhadasa Bikkhu

    http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/anapanasati.pdf

 

     b.  Anapanasiti (Mindfulness with Breathing) by Buddhadasa Bikkhu  (for serious beginners)

     https://www.dhammatalks.net/Books3/Bhikkhu_Buddhadasa_Anapanasati_Mindfulness_with_Breathing.htm#

 

3. Introduce Daily Mindfulness practice.

     Basically create a neutral Observer (positioned roughly towards the rear top of your head).

     From when you awake, until when you fall asleep, the end game is to have the Observer constantly observing you.

     Concentration may last only a few seconds, but over time you can develop Mindfulness, for longer and longer periods.

     Observe, ones breath, ones body, ones thoughts, ones feelings, and the world around one.

     I recommend  Mindfulness in Plain English  Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

    

4. Attend Meditation Groups and/or Retreats.

For your vacation try to attend a live in retreat.

This will give you the feel of the task ahead of you and how strong a hold your ego has with your life.

 

If you live in Thailand a good retreat catering for Westerners is Wat Suan Mokkh.

10 day retreats beginning on the first day of each month.

Here you will live life in silence with sitting and walking meditation, concrete bed with wooden pillow, no internet contact, vow of silence and celibacy, and towards the end, one meal a day.      https://suanmokkh-idh.org/

 

 

My focus for you revolves around "practice".

Without "practice" everything is just academic, or ego massaging.

 

If you practice on your own initially, then look for literature which focuses on posture or the sitting position.

In my opinion, getting your sitting correct can be half the battle towards successful meditation.

Full lotus can be extremely difficult for Westerners and counter productive.

There is much opinion and controversy over the correct way to sit, but if you're getting on in years I find nothing wrong with a low back chair, but you may explore other things such as a zafu cushion, meditation stool or other. I also recommend contacting a rubber supplier to buy furniture grade foam with which to create a sitting area, a flat 1.6metre square area to protect your legs, knees and ankles, and a raised section for your bottom.

I recommend:   Will Johnson  The Posture of Meditation.

 

My main recommendation is, not to become a Buddhist expert, but to expertly develop your skills of practice.

Doing rather than thinking is the way.  ????

So are you saying sitting meditation is the only way?

 

If you cannot do it, you are screwed or remain anchored in Samsara in this life and every life after that forever and ever and ever?

 

Is there no alternative, is there no other path, is this the one and only way?

 

????

 

If its the only way then I am screwed, Sammy boy I am with you all the way, let join to each other at the waist cos I am never going to leave you.

 

Not that I don't want to its just there is only one path and its the path not everyone can take.

 

Of course there are other paths if there wasn't I would be happily writing this post.

 

I would be getting to know Sara better as we will be together for a very long time, a very very long time.

 

If you have to be stuck to someone might as well get to know them and get along better.

 

Now I don't believe we will all get stuck in Samara forever and ever I think the opposite, karma keep presenting us with learning opportunities to see things as it really is.

 

To see ourselves as we really are and to know not only who we are but more precisely what we are.

 

If we can see things as they really are then its bye bye Samsara. I am leaving you and I ani't never coming back.

[jamesc2000]

 

[rockyysdt]

18 hours ago, jamesc2000 said:

So are you saying sitting meditation is the only way?

 

If you cannot do it, you are screwed or remain anchored in Samsara in this life and every life after that forever and ever and ever?

 

Is there no alternative, is there no other path, is this the one and only way?

 

????

 

If its the only way then I am screwed, Sammy boy I am with you all the way, let join to each other at the waist cos I am never going to leave you.

 

Not that I don't want to its just there is only one path and its the path not everyone can take.

 

Of course there are other paths if there wasn't I would be happily writing this post.

 

I would be getting to know Sara better as we will be together for a very long time, a very very long time.

 

If you have to be stuck to someone might as well get to know them and get along better.

 

Now I don't believe we will all get stuck in Samara forever and ever I think the opposite, karma keep presenting us with learning opportunities to see things as it really is.

 

To see ourselves as we really are and to know not only who we are but more precisely what we are.

 

If we can see things as they really are then its bye bye Samsara. I am leaving you and I ani't never coming back.

 

You are looking at it in the wrong way.

 

The initial retreat where you are isolated is only a kick start.

 

Perfecting your practice may take years.

 

Obviously Mindfulness allows you to interact, so you can continue your loving kindness.

 

Sitting Meditation might begin once or twice a day for 30 minutes and develop from there.

The aim being to build on your concentration and proficiency.

 

What happens from there will develop of its own accord.

If you are travelling well you will find yourself meditating for longer periods.

 

The Buddha developed Monkhood because he knew practice leading to Awakening for most is a full time job.

 

So, don't worry.

There is much time for loving kindness in the initial part of your journey.

The other side of opening your heart is that once Awakened you can teach others with their journey.

What better way to demonstrate open heart than by practically assisting others.

 

It seems your ego is lazy and wants the pot of gold through nothing more than empathy and good will to others.

 

Yes, you are screwed, and further, although eventually you may expend your kharma and get over the line, this will probably take just short of infinity number of lives.

 

 

The key thing here is the present.

 

You can only live in the present.

The past i history, learn from it but don't anchor yourself to it.

The future doesn't exist, but you can plan for the future.

 

Mindfulness and Meditation assists you to be truly in the present, and to allow you to be, and see.

 

Anything short of this and you will continue to wallow in your conditioned state.

Even your motives are self.

You want to save yourself, and the way you've planned to do this is to live with an open heart.

The true open heart person does this without reward.

Having an open heart for reward automatically closes the heart.

 

Sorry my friend, serious practice must be included in your quest, for without it you will lack awareness.

 

You must expend EFFORT.

[luckyluke]

44 minutes ago, rockyysdt said:

The future doesn't exist, but you can plan for the future.

I need to elaborate on this. 

[luckyluke]

53 minutes ago, rockyysdt said:

serious practice must be included in your quest, for without it you will lack awareness.

In the "Do you believe in God" topic there is one poster claiming that the only way to find happiness and serenety is by medidating.

 

That is opinion about the matter has more value because he is practising daily and thus know about what he is speaking. 

 

At 71+ I am happy and serene by accepting things as they are, not trying to find an explanation for everything, enjoying the terrestrial pleasure. 

 

It seems for him that this can not be the right way. 

 

Are there not different paths to reach a goal? 

Or;

Are there "higways" and "secondary ways" to reach the goal? 

[rockyysdt]

21 minutes ago, luckyluke said:

In the "Do you believe in God" topic there is one poster claiming that the only way to find happiness and serenety is by medidating.

 

That is opinion about the matter has more value because he is practising daily and thus know about what he is speaking. 

 

At 71+ I am happy and serene by accepting things as they are, not trying to find an explanation for everything, enjoying the terrestrial pleasure. 

 

It seems for him that this can not be the right way. 

 

Are there not different paths to reach a goal? 

Or;

Are there "higways" and "secondary ways" to reach the goal? 

The only way to ever know, or potentially ever know, is to practice on building ones awareness to know.

 

Mindfulness, and Meditation are simply tools with which one facilitates awareness.

 

We all age and slowly deteriorate, some faster than others.

Unfortunately, we are all impermanent.

 

The body has a host of mechanisms and systems which are capable of retarding the aging process and getting the best out of what you've been given.

It isn't a coincidence than Monks eat only once a day.

In the West we eat ourselves to death.

Not only with processed products, but over consumption.

We can barely go 3 hours without consuming the rubbish we call food.

 

In nature we intermittently fasted, through circumstance.

If one practices intermittent fasting, consuming natural foods, regular exercise, mindfulness practice, and meditation one can turn things around.

Around from acceptance of ones plight towards discovering what always, that which we were always blind from.

 

The serenity you mention, does it come from surrendering to ones plight?

Or is there a true serenity waiting to be discovered?

 

 

Edited February 29, 2020 by rockyysdt

[luckyluke]

5 minutes ago, rockyysdt said:

The serenity you mention, does it come from surrendering to ones plight, or is there a true serenity waiting to be discovered?

Why is that important to know? 

It may be important for you, not necessarily for me. 

What is important for me is what I rescent, not how I rescent it. 

I will never claim that I rescent "more" "better" than someone else. 

It may be "different" perhaps, but how to know? 

I know what I rescent, not what another rescent. 

The poster on the other topic pretend he does. 

That's of course an opinion, and thus unmeasurable. 

It seems that there are more people believing their way is the only right way. 

I leave them in their belief to think so. 

However they seems a bit 

pretentious, even intolerant to me. 

But that's of course only an opinion, so no intrinsic value. 

[rockyysdt]

1 hour ago, luckyluke said:

Why is that important to know? 

It may be important for you, not necessarily for me. 

What is important for me is what I rescent, not how I rescent it. 

I will never claim that I rescent "more" "better" than someone else. 

It may be "different" perhaps, but how to know? 

I know what I rescent, not what another rescent. 

The poster on the other topic pretend he does. 

That's of course an opinion, and thus unmeasurable. 

It seems that there are more people believing their way is the only right way. 

I leave them in their belief to think so. 

However they seems a bit 

pretentious, even intolerant to me. 

But that's of course only an opinion, so no intrinsic value. 

No personal attack on you Lucky.

More a reflection of where I'm at and my attempts to make sense of this world.

In terms of age, we are both pretty close.

 

Why is that important to know? Its not so much that it's important to know, but more so it is there to experience.

If it's there waiting to experience, isn't this part of your unfulfilled potential?

 

Does the Buddhas teachings have validity?

Those un Awakened may never know.

For me, apart from killing time, and doing the same thing each day, only with different people and different locations offers no fulfilment.

We are dying in tiny steps.

 

But the state one can achieve whilst in deep meditation (timeless consciousness without thought), even for short periods has given me only a taste of our potential. A state that excels any state that I have had in my entire life.

 

By the way, what does "rescent" mean?

Edited February 29, 2020 by rockyysdt

[luckyluke]

18 minutes ago, rockyysdt said:

for me, apart from killing time, and doing the same thing each day, only with different people and different locations offers no fulfilment.

We are dying in tiny steps.

 

But the state one can achieve whilst in deep meditation (timeless consciousness without thought), even for short periods has given me only a taste of our potential. A state that excels any state that I have had in my entire life.

 

By the way, what does "rescent" mean?

That's very fine for you, each of us is doing the best he think is for him, in a way which suit him the best.

 

The important thing being, although in my opinion,  is to do good as much as possible, and not bad intentionally. 

 

I am Belgian and  sometimes think in Flemish or French and than translate it.

 

"Rescent" is a wrong translation of the French word "ressentir", the right translation is "feeling/perceive".