Buddhism by Numbers: 2 Fundamental Teachings
Buddhism by Numbers: 2 Fundamental Teachings |
- Buddhism by Numbers: 2 Fundamental Teachings
- Buddhism by Numbers: 8 Worldly Conditions
- Buddhism by Numbers: 8 Worldly Conditions
- Video: “Be Here Now: The Andy Whitfield Story”
- Hungarian Buddhists oppose new law narrowly defining religious congregations
- ‘Zen Has No Morals’
- Dying Matters
| Buddhism by Numbers: 2 Fundamental Teachings Posted: 09 Jul 2012 09:00 AM PDT "The Doctrine & Discipline that I have set forth and laid down for you shall be your teacher after I am gone." (The Buddha) The Lord Buddha often referred to his teachings as the Dhamma & Vinaya, which can be translated as the Doctrine & Discipline, and which are known as the Two Fundamental Teachings, or Pavacana. This divides the Buddhist Way into two main aspects: the teachings, along with the rules and guidelines for Buddhist practice, which encapsulate the three sections of the Tipitaka, or the Pali Canon, which is the vast collection of Buddhist scriptures. These three sections are: Vinaya Pitaka, Suttanta Pitaka, and Abhidhamma Pitaka, and form the scriptural basis for the practice of Theravada Buddhist, which is found in countries such as Sri Lanka, Burma, and Thailand (including the lineage of Ajahn Chah). Regarding the Dharma, this covers a multitude of utterances that the Buddha gave on the nature of existence, such as the Four Noble Truths and the Three Characteristics, along with more complicated teachings such as paticca-samuppada (dependent arising). In the Tipitaka, the section called the Suttanta Pitaka mainly contains teachings on the Doctrine, as above, as given by the Buddha and his immediate disciples. The Abhidhamma Pitaka is a collection of highly systemized philosophical teachings elaborating on those found in the Suttas. T he first section of the Tipitaka, the Vinaya Pitaka, centers on those teachings of the Blessed One concerned with the discipline of the Sangha, the orders of monks and nuns – the Theravada Buddhist nun order has long died out, in fact, although it is currently being reinstated in several countries as you read this. If one wishes to find out how a particular rule for bhikkhus came about, and what the Buddha actually taught on it, it is in the Vinaya Pitaka that one will find the answer. There are many good translations of the major parts of the Tipitaka available in the English language nowadays, often in concise forms which organize them into subjects convenient to the reader. One such translation is "In the Buddha's Words," which has been translated by the highly respected American scholar monk Bhikkhu Bodhi, and is published by Wisdom Publications. For superb free online resources on the Tipitaka, as well as related teachings including those of the great Thai forest ajahns, go to: www.accesstoinsight.org When ascertaining the worth of bhikkhus today, it is to the Tipitaka that one can turn to see if they are living up to the Doctrine & Discipline set forth by the Lord Buddha over two and a half thousand years ago. For, if their teachings deviate from those of the Blessed One, or their conduct is not in line with the Vinaya as taught by him, then it is probably better to seek out different teachers for one's spiritual guidance. (This is one of the major factors in my own deference to the bhikkhus of the Forest ! Sangha o f Ajahn Chah – they're teachings echo the Buddha's, and their adherence to the monastic rules is immaculate, unlike most monks in modern Thailand.)  
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| Buddhism by Numbers: 8 Worldly Conditions Posted: 09 Jul 2012 08:00 AM PDT Labha: gain Alabha: loss Yasa: fame; 'face' Ayasa: obscurity Ninda: blame Pasamsa: praise Sukha: happiness Dukkha: pain Living in this world, we constantly encounter the eight worldly conditions (loka-dhamma). We are subject to gain and loss, not only of material things, such as money, but also of the company of those we love such as friends and loved ones. Fame or renown comes in various forms, too. It's not only celebrities and politicians that attach to their public image and the prestige that accompanies it, for we all like to present ourselves in the best light to those we meet. And who is indifferent to feeling a loss of face, clinging to the idea of looking good or even powerful in the eyes of others? As to praise and blame, only some kind of sadomasochist would take pleasure in being told that they're to blame for everything that's going wrong, never being told, "Well done!" Likewise with happiness and pain – do you like to laugh or to hurt, to feel joy or sorrow? Everyone that I know prefers to be happy rather than sad. So, these eight worldly conditions are part of this human life. Someone's always going to profit and someone else will therefore lose out; for one person to famous, there must be at least one other who's unknown; if one person is chastised, another will be applauded; and what makes me happy, may well make you sad. How we react to these ways of the world is what's important. If we respond to blame with indifference, remaining calm despite harsh words, then we are practicing the Buddha Dharma. If we couldn't care less whether we are held in high esteem or thought of as a nobody, then we can be said to be rising above worldly attachments. Keeping one's equanimity (uppekkha) when one loses out, or is lauded as the best Buddhist since, well, the Buddha, is the wise thing to do, if not always that easy. This is where meditation and mindfulness come in. Seeing how the mind reacts to praise and blame, for instance, gives one a starting point from which these states can be reflected on in a clam manner. The other day, I was praised by my boss as we said our farewells before I moved to another school to teach there, and I found myself being seduced by her kind words. In contrast, last month, another foreign teacher at the school shouted at me, unjustly accusing me of speaking ill of other people. I was offended, and at first very angry, especially after I tried to placate him and he just continued shouting obscenities at me. It took a few minutes for awareness to become fully awake to my mind's reactions and for my emotions to calm down. Observing happiness and pain a! rising i n the mind, and remaining open to them without attaching to or rejecting them, enables wisdom to grow in one's heart, even in the most emotionally charged circumstances. Seeing these eight worldly states for what they are, and watching the mind's reactions to them, gives rise to the liberating insight of the Buddha. And the benefits of this knowledge are not to felt only when in meditative states, but also in the world at large, in the face of all the gain, loss, fame, obscurity, blame, praise, happiness, and pain that life has to offer.  
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| Buddhism by Numbers: 8 Worldly Conditions Posted: 09 Jul 2012 08:00 AM PDT Labha: gain Alabha: loss Yasa: fame; 'face' Ayasa: obscurity Ninda: blame Pasamsa: praise Sukha: happiness Dukkha: pain Living in this world, we constantly encounter the eight worldly conditions (loka-dhamma). We are subject to gain and loss, not only of material things, such as money, but also of the company of those we love such as friends and loved ones. Fame or renown comes in various forms, too. It's not only celebrities and politicians that attach to their public image and the prestige that accompanies it, for we all like to present ourselves in the best light to those we meet. And who is indifferent to feeling a loss of face, clinging to the idea of looking good or even powerful in the eyes of others? As to praise and blame, only some kind of sadomasochist would take pleasure in being told that they're to blame for everything that's going wrong, never being told, "Well done!" Likewise with happiness and pain – do you like to laugh or to hurt, to feel joy or sorrow? Everyone that I know prefers to be happy rather than sad. So, these eight worldly conditions are part of this human life. Someone's always going to profit and someone else will therefore lose out; for one person to famous, there must be at least one other who's unknown; if one person is chastised, another will be applauded; and what makes me happy, may well make you sad. How we react to these ways of the world is what's important. If we respond to blame with indifference, remaining calm despite harsh words, then we are practicing the Buddha Dharma. If we couldn't care less whether we are held in high esteem or thought of as a nobody, then we can be said to be rising above worldly attachments. Keeping one's equanimity (uppekkha) when one loses out, or is lauded as the best Buddhist since, well, the Buddha, is the wise thing to do, if not always that easy. This is where meditation and mindfulness come in. Seeing how the mind reacts to praise and blame, for instance, gives one a starting point from which these states can be reflected on in a clam manner. The other day, I was praised by my boss as we said our farewells before I moved to another school to teach there, and I found myself being seduced by her kind words. In contrast, last month, another foreign teacher at the school shouted at me, unjustly accusing me of speaking ill of other people. I was offended, and at first very angry, especially after I tried to placate him and he just continued shouting obscenities at me. It took a few minutes for awareness to become fully awake to my mind's reactions and for my emotions to calm down. Observing happiness and pain a! rising i n the mind, and remaining open to them without attaching to or rejecting them, enables wisdom to grow in one's heart, even in the most emotionally charged circumstances. Seeing these eight worldly states for what they are, and watching the mind's reactions to them, gives rise to the liberating insight of the Buddha. And the benefits of this knowledge are not to felt only when in meditative states, but also in the world at large, in the face of all the gain, loss, fame, obscurity, blame, praise, happiness, and pain that life has to offer. 
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| Video: “Be Here Now: The Andy Whitfield Story” Posted: 09 Jul 2012 07:00 AM PDT  Photo by Georges Antoni Meet my wife's boyfriend. Well, not really, but: for two years now, she's been talking about Andy Whitfield — the star of the TV show Spartacus — and she remains a cheerleader for him now, though Whitfield is no longer with us, having died after being diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Well, the late actor's story is now told in a unique documentary called Be Here Now, and only now, thanks to its trailer, do I see what she's seen in him all along. Whitfield didn't just play a fearless warrior. See for yourself: Be Here Now is a now a fully-funded Kickstarter film, but it can still use your help. My wife and I will be kicking in ourselves. Learn how you can too, here. See also: Death and Dying: A Shambhala Sun Spotlight | Practices for Difficult Times: A Shambhala Sun Spotlight | Caregiving and Practicing With Illness: A Shambhala Sun Spotlight | Be Love Now: A Q&A with Ram Dass Read More @ Source
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| Hungarian Buddhists oppose new law narrowly defining religious congregations Posted: 09 Jul 2012 06:00 AM PDT  Hungarian Buddhist Gypsy youth. Photo: The Buddhist Channel. The Buddhist Channel offers an interesting post this week concerning the recent regime change in Hungary, and its effects on the nation's Buddhist population. Buddhist groups in the country will no longer be recognized as religious groups. In the most recent elections, Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Union claimed a two-thirds majority in Parliament. Socially conservative, one of Fidesz's first acts was to enact the new "Law on the Right to Freedom of Conscience and Religion, and on Churches, Religions and Religious Community," which has drawn criticism because it privileges certain religious communities over others. The new legislation, which is popularly referred to as "the Church Law," only recognizes churches with long traditions in Hungarian history: Catholic, Lutheran, Calvinist, Orthodox, other Protestant denominations, and some Jewish congregations (excluding reform). No Hindu, Muslim, or Buddhist organization is accepted, and the law stipulates that to be recognized an organization must have a membership of over one-thousand and "have been in existence for more than twenty years." Officially recognized religious groups have access to government subsidies and tax advantages, which all the country's Buddhist and other unrecognized groups lost in January. Only a two-thirds vote by parliament can decide if an organization meets these criteria. Among the Buddhist organizations in Hungary, the Jai Bhim Network has taken the lead on opposing the law and seeking recognition for the country's Buddhist groups. You can sign their petition here. For more on the story, visit the Buddhist Channel, and watch the video below.
Hungary Dispatches; October 2011 from Subhuti_secretary on Vimeo. Read More @ Source
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| Posted: 09 Jul 2012 05:00 AM PDT An academic paper by Christopher Hamacher presented on 7 July 2012 at the International Cultic Studies Association's annual conference in Montreal, Canada has been uploaded to The Zen Site. It covers the cases of Eido T. Shimano in the USA, and Dr. Klaus Zernickow (also known as Sotetsu Yuzen) in Germany. "Zen Has No Morals!" [...] Read More @ Source 
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| Posted: 09 Jul 2012 03:00 AM PDT My transfer of merit list, which I keep on my altar and read through every day, is soon going to run into a second page. Many of those on the list are dealing with cancer. That's what you do deal with it or so it seems to me. The other day I spoke on the phone to a chap in a hospice, he volunteered that he was not afraid of death or anything like that. He just wanted to talk to a Buddhist. He seemed quite perky and I found myself reminiscing about my days working with Liverpool kids in the 1970's. It was an attempt to take him back to the good old bad old days of his childhood. He is not going to live for a whole lot longer. There is, perhaps, an expectation we have that being so seriously ill and facing possible imminent death people should adopt a grave attitude, err...a sullen and serious attitude. This video Last Laugh presented by comedian Alexei Sayle sails in the face of such assumptions. There's gallows humour which the terminally ill, and elderly, get a lot out of. There is simple joy there too. I hope it does something for you, ill or not. The video is linked to an organization called Dying Matters which looks like it has some interesting and useful information and advice on it. Read More @ Source
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