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

[girl_dee]

knight while rearranging my space ( trying to create a shift) i ran across my little pocket book by Thich Nhat Hahn. i haven't opened it in ages.

i opened it and the subject is mindful living. i have gotten soooo far away from this.

" While eating breakfast, don't think of what you are going to do. Your practice is to simply eat breakfast. Your breakfast is there for you, you have to be there for your breakfast. Enjoy each morsel of food with joy and enthusiasm. "


great reminder.

[knight]

dee thank you for sharing this with me, mindfulness is a constant practice. btw I noticed your question/comment on Feng shui from the other thread, and wanted to suggest a pinch of sea salt in every corner of every room in your place. It truly helps remove all negative energy in your space.

Originally Posted by girl_dee

knight while rearranging my space ( trying to create a shift) i ran across my little pocket book by Thich Nhat Hahn. i haven't opened it in ages.

i opened it and the subject is mindful living. i have gotten soooo far away from this.

" While eating breakfast, don't think of what you are going to do. Your practice is to simply eat breakfast. Your breakfast is there for you, you have to be there for your breakfast. Enjoy each morsel of food with joy and enthusiasm. "


great reminder.

[girl_dee]

Originally Posted by knight

dee thank you for sharing this with me, mindfulness is a constant practice. btw I noticed your question/comment on Feng shui from the other thread, and wanted to suggest a pinch of sea salt in every corner of every room in your place. It truly helps remove all negative energy in your space.

yes thats a great idea! thank you. i have my salt lamp going but doing everything i can to get certain things going in the right direction.

[knight]

"I want to buy a kilo of peace at the market"

[knight]

[knight]

"Abandon Hope" Pema Chodron

I needed this reminder today.

[knight]

"grace is already arising from within you"

[knight]

https://www.soundstrue.com/store/min...Registered+Yet

I just registered for this event... I am looking forward to many speakers..

[knight]

"our imperfection is our one true perfection".. ALice Walker

http://www.contemplativemind.org/pra...oving-kindness

This is a great link to understanding Metta.

Namaste
Knight

[charley]

Originally Posted by knight

"our imperfection is our one true perfection".. ALice Walker

http://www.contemplativemind.org/pra...oving-kindness

This is a great link to understanding Metta.

Namaste
Knight

the use of traditional methods or techniques hmmm --- can love be achieved as the result of a method or technique?
One wonders at the traditions of yore, since the very word 'tradition' comes from the word 'trahere', and is related to the word 'betray', i.e. to 'betray' the moment - the present?!
One wonders also at the benefits of using a technique which obviously enhances the "i" (i.e. in the link you provided there is constant affirmation of "May I..." "May I...") constituting a "mantra", while the word "mantra" literally means to put away all self-centred activity...
How can the self be stressed and emphasized ("me" "myself", and "i") when it is the very cause and source of all the sorrow and suffering in the world?
charley

[knight]

Hi charley.. nice to meet you.. I am sorry that I did not respond earlier to this.. I took a break from the planet for a few months.. and since I have been back this is the first time I have checked this thread... You make some great points and comments.. I can only answer some of your comments from my personal opinion and beliefs. In my opinion, the article here is speaking of love in general..and again for me personally I do believe that everything can be achieved by technique and the use of a method. They are not talking specifically about the ability to love, rather the understanding of what is love. Take for example the classic book the art of loving, Fromm points out the need for love to be looked at as a skill that we constantly improve.. Another very interesting point that you made charley, was about the use of Individual thinking and how it is the cause of suffering. In Buddhist philosophy, as I believe all begins with the individual.. and I believe again what is meant here in the article is.. one must have compassion for oneself in order to have compassion for every sentient being, and that goes for love, awareness etc. My suffering is your suffering and your suffering is my suffering... this is my understanding of Metta .

Originally Posted by charley

the use of traditional methods or techniques hmmm --- can love be achieved as the result of a method or technique?
One wonders at the traditions of yore, since the very word 'tradition' comes from the word 'trahere', and is related to the word 'betray', i.e. to 'betray' the moment - the present?!
One wonders also at the benefits of using a technique which obviously enhances the "i" (i.e. in the link you provided there is constant affirmation of "May I..." "May I...") constituting a "mantra", while the word "mantra" literally means to put away all self-centred activity...
How can the self be stressed and emphasized ("me" "myself", and "i") when it is the very cause and source of all the sorrow and suffering in the world?
charley

[Martina]

Anybody following the sexual scandal at Shambhala? I have been on their FB group for a long time because I like and have read a lot of Pema's work. It makes me so grateful I follow Vipassana/insight meditation where a relationship with the teacher is not prioritized. So creepy some of the excuses being made for the Sakyong. If you are old enough, you might remember his father was notorious for some of his behavior too.

But there are a lot of wise and wonderful Shambhala folks. I don't think those high in the hierarchy could have not known that he was sexually assaulting women, and I have no doubt that they gaslighted and threatened victims. So it is majorly creepy. And sad.

Thank God for Insight Meditation with its ordinary teachers and decentralized organization.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/tricycl...ual-abuse/amp/

[charley]

Originally Posted by knight

My suffering is your suffering and your suffering is my suffering... this is my understanding of Metta...

... everything can be achieved by technique and the use of a method...

"Metta" actually means goodwill - not compassion.
It is "karuna" which means compassion - from which Sanskrit word yields the English words cardio, coronary, etc. and the French word "coeur" - all pointing to the heart - which means compassion. It is important to remember that words themselves are only referents, they are not the things themselves.

One can use thought to learn how to drive a car, how to manipulate things, matter, how to go from A to B, etc. and such like. It is thought that thinks that, as you say, "everything can be achieved by technique and the use of a method". Here, one must understand that the word "thing" literally also means think/thought. So, it is only possible to think every "thing", every thought. The "I" is constructed by thought, is thought. This is an interesting discovery.

So, what I am saying it is only when thought stops that there is the possibility of filling one's heart with compassion.

Therefore, what I am saying is that compassion lies outside thought and, therefore, outside the self; thus, it is impossible to use thought to fill one's heart with compassion. If that were so, then everyone on the planet could/would be loving, but that is just not the case. So, to insist on self-love would mean that somewhere along the line that the "I" (the self) thought it could invent the idea, the idea of compassion. There is noone on the planet whose heart is filled with love when looking at themselves in a mirror while brushing one's teeth. It is here, I think it is important and crucial to realize that the word "love" is grossly misused just about everywhere. People don't really feel "love", when they say, "I love Coca-Cola" or "Pepsi" or whatever. What people really mean is that they like x, y or z. The only thing one can think when one thinks of oneself is that one either likes or dislikes oneself, but definitely not "love". The whole "idea" of self-love is nothing but narcissism insofar as I am concerned.