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It is conviction to stay on the path to liberation from the wheel of samsar.
All attempts to understand it, to scientify it, are nothing but intellectual equilibristics of mind. Mind, that one has to rid of in the first place.
Same OSHO named four categories of "believers". Curious, Searchers, Adapts and Devotees. All this intellectual salad about Buddhism from modern day intellectuals is from Curious types.
As Lakshmi said - have you spent at least hundred hours in dark meditation, to at least have any right to even speak of Buddhism?
This is vaguely insulting. Have *you* "spent at least hundred hours in dark meditation?". And what is "dark meditation?"
It is not of fault to a Buddhist monk to help ANY living being. Man, woman, animal, fish, plant. "clean" or "dirty".
It is of fault to develop attachment to the subject or object of help and to the help itself.
Like the other monk did. One monk simply helped and forgot about it. "cloud passed across the sky and sky is blue and clear again". Yet, the other one, who "did nothing" - developed attachment. Cloud covered the sun.
Not everything in any teaching has to be taken literally. Taking literally is one of the worst whips of any faith.
Remember what Jesus said? And if my eye seduces me...
And yet at temples TODAY, if there is even an inadvertent touch the monks must do a cleansing ceremony that evening.
It is conviction to stay on the path to liberation from the wheel of samsar.
All attempts to understand it, to scientify it, are nothing but intellectual equilibristics of mind. Mind, that one has to rid of in the first place.
Same OSHO named four categories of "believers". Curious, Searchers, Adapts and Devotees. All this intellectual salad about Buddhism from modern day intellectuals is from Curious types.
As Lakshmi said - have you spent at least hundred hours in dark meditation, to at least have any right to even speak of Buddhism?
Are you telling us that you have spent at least one hundred hours in dark meditation?
But, despite what Lakshmi said, every man has every right to speak of Buddhism or any other topic.
Could you explain what part of his post you see as insulting?
Message #8:
• "original Buddhism was for the rich. For spoiled, over filled with luxuries of life, elite of that time."
• "West general interest in Buddhism, as West got "rich and spoiled" - while understanding, that riches and spoils do not satisfy spiritual void everyone has inside."
Message #19:
• "our categories of "believers". Curious, Searchers, Adapts and Devotees. All this intellectual salad about Buddhism from modern day intellectuals is from Curious types."
The insinuation is that Western inquiries about Buddhism are merely elitist, and based on a shallow curiosity.
Message #8:
• "original Buddhism was for the rich. For spoiled, over filled with luxuries of life, elite of that time."
• "West general interest in Buddhism, as West got "rich and spoiled" - while understanding, that riches and spoils do not satisfy spiritual void everyone has inside."
Message #19:
• "our categories of "believers". Curious, Searchers, Adapts and Devotees. All this intellectual salad about Buddhism from modern day intellectuals is from Curious types."
The insinuation is that Western inquiries about Buddhism are merely elitist, and based on a shallow curiosity.
I see. Interesting points.
Well, as I think back to the Thai Buddhist temples I've visited or spent time at here in the States, the Americans I have seen there are one or more of the following: married to a Thai, well-educated, better off financially than the average American.
During the couple of years when I regularly tutored monks at our temple in Colorado, while I was at the temple quite a few visitor would come for a visit, but then never return.
One of the things that has bothered me is a sort of pop-Buddhism mentality that I have sometimes seen in the West. An example was a woman who said to me, "Oh, I'm a Buddhist". And I said, "Which type of Buddhism". She answered, "Tai chi". While many Buddhists may do Tai Chi, Tai Chi is not Buddhism, any more than Zumba is a form of christianity.
Well, as I think back to the Thai Buddhist temples I've visited or spent time at here in the States, the Americans I have seen there are one or more of the following: married to a Thai, well-educated, better off financially than the average American.
During the couple of years when I regularly tutored monks at our temple in Colorado, while I was at the temple quite a few visitor would come for a visit, but then never return.
One of the things that has bothered me is a sort of pop-Buddhism mentality that I have sometimes seen in the West. An example was a woman who said to me, "Oh, I'm a Buddhist". And I said, "Which type of Buddhism". She answered, "Tai chi". While many Buddhists may do Tai Chi, Tai Chi is not Buddhism, any more than Zumba is a form of christianity.
I can understand the pop-Buddhism concern. But why assign that to people you don't know in a stereotypical manner. Seems contradictory.
I can understand the pop-Buddhism concern. But why assign that to people you don't know in a stereotypical manner. Seems contradictory.
If I gave that impression, let me correct it. There are a lot of people who take some sort of amalgum they've devised of various belief, and then call it Buddhism. That bothers me. I would rather they say they are influenced by Buddhism, rather than that they practice Buddhism.
If I gave that impression, let me correct it. There are a lot of people who take some sort of amalgum they've devised of various belief, and then call it Buddhism. That bothers me. I would rather they say they are influenced by Buddhism, rather than that they practice Buddhism.
Well, as I think back to the Thai Buddhist temples I've visited or spent time at here in the States, the Americans I have seen there are one or more of the following: married to a Thai, well-educated, better off financially than the average American.
During the couple of years when I regularly tutored monks at our temple in Colorado, while I was at the temple quite a few visitor would come for a visit, but then never return.
One of the things that has bothered me is a sort of pop-Buddhism mentality that I have sometimes seen in the West. An example was a woman who said to me, "Oh, I'm a Buddhist". And I said, "Which type of Buddhism". She answered, "Tai chi". While many Buddhists may do Tai Chi, Tai Chi is not Buddhism, any more than Zumba is a form of christianity.
Thank you for your understanding.
And those are not my points.
OSHO, actually, does not have in mind a better off layer in a given country. He had in mind entire country, as compared to say, really poor one. In Sukyamuni times region, majority of population was very poor. Counties, as a whole, were poor. Rationally speaking, it was much easier to pray to any object around, in quick manner, maybe bring some gifts, than to go through vague, mind challenging concepts of Buddha. On the other hand, there was a very rich, very well educated layer of the few, that took from every spoil of that world possible - yet, the hearts stayed asking for more in manner spiritual. High class, high cast intellectualists - to them, Buddha appealed. How should I put it - it was "on their level".
You, in a manner, confirmed this.
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