interdependent co-arising (calling all buddhists)

thankyou. She came home today with a bottle of Buddhist holy water. There's a huge Buddhist temple near here, but it's Chinese based Buddhism. Today her and some of her Thai friends had a Thai Buddhist monk travel from Sydney so they could have prayer/a service/whatever it is that Buddhists call what they do.

Piffka

Thanks for that link. I read briefly the talk about transforming negative habit energies, and found that it offers many interesting perspectives.

Also, it provides some explanation to why I've always found practicing music to be such a wonderful way of regaining my equilibrium whenever these negative energies manifest. Playing requires mindfulness and precence in the moment.

Yeah Piffka, thanks for the link and interesting reply. I read through 'Returning to our true Home', very nice. I felt a similar kind of calming and peaceful energy when reading through a book by Sogyal Rinpoche. "His kindness emanates from him" reminds me of my time spent reading that book again. The CD sounds very interesting too.

I have actually read the Tao te Ching, though it's a book I will keep going back to, for various reasons, certainly, Taoism speaks to me too (from what little I can take from it at the present time anyway). My question about submission and god would solely be directed at those who do believe in God and absolute religious doctrine, I'm not one of those people but it seems like such a relevant question considering the numbers who do.

Heh -- Wilso... maybe I should have said I hope that you two will be happy together in all your many lives. What's Buddhist holy water?

Cyracruz -- Glad you had a similar reaction to those transcribed talks. I agree that music is good for the soul, especially music you make yourself. I sing and play the piano (not that well but I please myself). I can always tell when I'm in a good mood because I find myself singing quite loudly. :-) I hadn't analyzed it as you have, but you're surely right that you have to concentrate and be aware of this very moment. I suppose that's especially true when you make music with someone else.

Ashers -- thank you very much. The Tao te Ching has many translations and is so short that it can be read in a single sitting. I read it about once a week, picking out and sometimes comparing translations. You can find most of the translations and a nifty way to compare them side-by-side right here: http://www.edepot.com/taotext.html If only I could read the DDJ in Chinese, I'm sure I'd become enlightened or at least know the secret elixir. <grin> My favorite translation (well one of them) is the one by J. McDonald because it switches back and forth from a feminist to a masculine POV. You're right that for those who are theists, the determination of which is more important, their own relationship to others on this earth or to their creator is a conundrum. On the one hand, they're (usually) told to pray for peace... on the other... there's the ultimately selfish desire for a personal peace and unity with the godhead. I love what QuanYin is said to be doing... foregoing her own nirvana to continually pray for the peace of those still on the earth. It's a lot like the Lady Mary's role in Catholicism. In case you're interested in an answer from this godless person, I'd answer your question that world peace is more important since it is a selfless act. Wouldn't we all agree to go to hell if everyone else could be in heaven?

Here's another cool link: http://www.taozen.nl/breath.pdf

(Apologies for my digressions from the original intent of this thread.)

A very nice meditation manual, Piffka. Thanks.

2 more great links, I think I've been on the site which lists the different translations before but without the cool music, maybe there are many of them. The breathing meditation link was fascinating, I've saved a copy, it'll come in very useful I'm sure, thanks a lot.

Nice answer to the question by the way, my feelings exactly, but I guess I never thought about the selfless aspect to the same extent before, beautifully poignant as it is and should be.

How could it be heaven for anyone who knew that the price was being paid by one man? :wink:

Nice. :wink: I think the true "heaven" would be in the very heart of the one man willing to make such a sacrifice.

Hmm.. Then everyone makes the sacrifice in hopes of salvation, everyone goes to hell and are happy about it. Heaven is nice and quiet and not where the good guys are.

heaven is where the good rewards are,
hell is where the good friends are.

If it's in the hope of salvation then it's no longer selfless though? If it is in the hope of salvation then I think it tests the "faith" of most to way beyond breaking point, as I see it anyway. I like the concept of heaven metaphorically but taken literally, in terms of an after-life etc, seems weird to my mind. I like what Nhat Hanh has said...

St. Thomas wrote that one of the benefits of Heaven is that one's delights are amplified by the observation of the suffering of those in Hell.

It's no small compensation to know Dys will be there with me.

What if heaven and hell are not literal places but mental states?

Cryacuz, I do think that the use of "places" (as in GO TO heaven or hell) was a metaphorical reference to something like"transcendatal" mental states.

There you go

I have just been to hell and back and there is no electricity there.

Just kidding... however....... it can be hard to meditate successfully when you can see your breath in your own living room. I am so recently back from the mental and physical chaos that was the Pacific Northwest during the aftermath of our recent big wind-storm that I'm still in a whirl. We were five nights without power, the darkness pierced only by candles and oil lamps. What a new wave of appreciation for this soft soul!

I am glad and gratified that you liked the links. The crazy Daoist music? Yep... Buddha Bar's far better. I've grown to love that Chinese music, but the first time I heard it, I thought the website had been vandalized.

Something I like to do.... does anyone else do this??... is to palm my eyes and watch for the blue light. Oh, I'm nearly addicted to it. I spent a lot of time keeping calm in the aftermath of the storm by watching my own inner weather.

I also had time to think. I considered what I'd written here and wondered to myself if I would really be brave enough to go to hell if it would save everyone else. I realized that it would be to save those I know -- an attachment to individuals. Even in my "best" moments, however imaginative and foolhardy they might be, I see that I am not Buddhist. Maybe QuanYin has her own reasons, too.


JLN -- I'm trying to think of one thing that St. Thomas did right. What a cruel thing for him to say -- horrible man. He is such an example of the worst of Catholicism (I looked at his record and he was Fr. Let's-add-even-more dogma, discipline and domination.) that, at least from my view, he's right down there with St. Paul ("The Nasty") who I'm sure was a liar and led the church to its own perdition.

I'm giddy to be back online. Maybe my year-long hiatus wasn't enough.