The Planet's Sangha: Buddhist discussions, thought, etc.

[girl_dee]

Yaknow i kinda get that, being " Buddhist " and being "Buddhist minded."

i hope that everyone on this thread gets to enjoy the insight of others, i know i do. i hope people keep posting about their experiences.

i don't feel that one way of a spiritual life is enough for me, so i enjoy a few, i am grateful for being exposed to some Buddhist teachings. i lost faith in it during a personal hard time but Buddha has been present in my life since i can remember, and it still remains that way.

The Temple that sylvie is talking about also brought things together for me when i visited there. Just the energy is amazing. If ever you have a chance to visit a temple, do it!

i don't think i will ever consider myself a Buddhist but have adopted some of the ways of the Buddhist.

i am fascinated with the life of Buddha, but also many other Gods and Goddesses of the past.

i think for ME, Buddhist' ways are just very simple.

[Jaques]

I also follow the teachings of Christ as I believe he like the Buddha who was born a long time before, is a fully realised being who brought truth to the world. Both taught people to look inside to find it for themselves and the Buddha encouraged us to question everything, including what he taught so we could really understand why we are here and the impermenant nature of everything. They came at it from different angles but the main message to us was to be compassionate, not only to others but firstly to ourselves so that we are better placed to help those around us. Some people might see this as selfish but to me it makes sense. I dont call myself a Buddhist, if i admit it, i am not good at commitment and i couldnt take the 5 precepts because i drink alcohol, not a lot but it is a mind altering substance - but then so's coffee, lol! Actually, i have just learned that the Buddha took cannabis as part of his diet - i dont do drugs but have heard its a good medicine used in the right way.
I think the lst thing that drew me to Buddhism was when i saw the Dalai lama interviewed and when asked how he viewed his enemy, the Chinese, where Christ was reputed to have said "love your enemies" - the Dalai Lamas reply was "there is no enemy, we are all brothers, all the same.........." For a man who has had his country ravaged (firstly by the English in l912, colonel younghusband) and then the chinese inthe l950's, his people still persecuted, the panchen lama kidnapped as a 5 yr old and replaced by the chinese chosen lama, hes one heck of a guy and has such an infectious laugh. Hes the kind of guy, who when looking at the magnificence of the Himalayas, would notice a tiny flower at his feet and marvel at that............so my journey began - and yes, its great to hear others experiences too..........

over to you..............

[girl_dee]

Someone once told me about being their experience of being in His Holiness' presence. i heard it was very moving and amazing.

i summon the deities that call to me at any given moment in life.

When i lose something i ask for St Anthony. Selling a house is St Joseph..When i feel a negative energy i ask for Buddha to help me to see that *they suffer greatly* , realize it's not about me it's about them and not take it personally (that's hard). When i need help with children or little ones i ask Yameya, Mother Mary for guidance. At times Mary Magdeline comes to my mind. When i work and put my hands on people i ask for help from ALL of them to guide me facilitating others in their healing.

i don't want to exclude any spiritual guide and i shouldn't have to.

[StrongButch]

Hard times build determination and inner strength. Through them we can also come to appreciate the uselessness of anger Instead of getting angry nuture a deep caring respect for troublemakers because by creating such trying circumstances they provide us with invalueable opportunities to practice tolerance and compassion- Dali Lama

[Femminator]

Does anyone else here engage in moving meditation? I have found that when I run, I meditate with much more focus than I do when I sit. My wife and children have even noticed that after I run, I am so much more at peace and focused than before. I have found it to be a great way for me to meditate.

[jac]

Originally Posted by Femminator

Does anyone else here engage in moving meditation? I have found that when I run, I meditate with much more focus than I do when I sit. My wife and children have even noticed that after I run, I am so much more at peace and focused than before. I have found it to be a great way for me to meditate.

I tend to do a walking meditation when I have my mind set for that. Thich Nhat Hanh speaks of walking meditations. And I will apologize early if this has been mentioned already. I haven't taken the time to read through the thread just yet, but I will.

[Martina]

I was just reading -- at dinner tonight -- a description of the Dalai Lama's meeting with Thomas Merton (in Re-Enchantment: Tibetan Buddhism Comes to the West by Jeffrey Paine). What was really cool though was Merton's encounter with another lama, the last one he saw before he left India.

Anyway, all this lama would teach Merton was the very advanced technique of shooting consciousness out of the fontanel at the time of death. Merton wrote in his journal something like that doesn't seem too useful. But within a few weeks, Merton was dead. Accidental electrocution. The Lama said later that he could sense that Merton did not have long to live and did not see the point in teaching him anything else.

I guess when Merton met the Dalai Lama earlier in his visit, they both got on the floor so the Dalai Lama could help Merton with his lotus position. Don't you wish they'd gotten a picture of that?

[girl_dee]

Originally Posted by stone4play

I tend to do a walking meditation when I have my mind set for that. Thich Nhat Hanh speaks of walking meditations. And I will apologize early if this has been mentioned already. I haven't taken the time to read through the thread just yet, but I will.

i think some posts got lost in the outage.


i had replied to this that i have read some of Thich Nhat Hahn's work. Very powerful stuff, and i wish i had some of the books now to finish them, but i don't so i will go by memory here, but i really loved the simple way he explained things. Like grounding with the Earth.

Go out, touch the Earth. Just lay your palm on the ground. It's amazing what you can feel by just doing that simple thing. i feel energy comes from the Earth so when we touch it, we receive it.

i've been suddenly drawn to going deeper for enlightenment. i've been using guided meditations to go to sleep with and i feel many dreams are coming to me, which is complete contrast to the nightmares which have plagued me for years. (like about 40 years now). i am looking into trying to learn what the messages are, and how they apply to my life right now.

It's a welcome change!

[Linus]

Originally Posted by Femminator

Does anyone else here engage in moving meditation? I have found that when I run, I meditate with much more focus than I do when I sit. My wife and children have even noticed that after I run, I am so much more at peace and focused than before. I have found it to be a great way for me to meditate.

When I used to do regular bicycling, I found myself to be my most meditative and relaxed, even when getting lost in the middle of nowhere. In fact, it was those moments of being lost and letting my mind just listen to the sound of the wheel against the pavement, the sound of the insects in the back, the wind swaying trees and wheat in fields, the birds talking amongst themselves and the sky the bluest of blue -- it was then that I found the closest thing to perfect peace.

I need to find a place like that to bike to here in Los Angeles (not as easy as I thought it would be, especially when on the road). I need to find a new moving meditation I think.

[Martina]

[knight]

In the Buddhist teaching of love, there are four elements. The first is maitri – friendship, brotherhood, loving-kindness. And the second is karuna – capacity to understand the suffering and help remove and transform it – compassion. Mudita is the third element – joy – your joy is her joy, her joy is our joy. The last element is upeksha – nondiscrimination. This is a higher form of love. The four qualities have no limits – infinite love – these elements are also call the Four Unlimited Minds.

The bodhisattva of love is in you.