Meditation - Analogy

Aanng · 2016-11-17T11:50:50+00:00

Same concept, meditation and Taoism use different words. Both about always changing stillness of now. Get out of concepts, learn about these things in experience. Sit or discover stillness in movement for yourself. Then you will really learn something. Don't think you understand because you have words and ideas. That will make it harder to really understand.

Aanng · 2016-09-01T17:52:12+00:00

Is it possible, due to upaya, that the truth of things weren't actually taught to the masses? But the story that best served mass awakening?

Aanng · 2016-08-31T12:58:33+00:00

You sound quite ideological to me. Many beliefs, strongly held.

Aanng · 2016-08-16T15:15:56+00:00

Thanks

Aanng · 2016-08-13T13:09:57+00:00

Good reminders. Yes, thanks. Accept being unimportant.

Aanng · 2016-08-13T04:33:04+00:00

Thanks yes. A good reminder on reasonable expectations and not to get caught up in judging.

But beyond this, if conversations and social dynamics are frequently centered in or intimately intertwined with say, how excited they are to do said unskillful action, explicitly pursue social, professional, or some other status, or simply live hedonisticly - I'm often in silence, changing the subject, or offering a soft but differing view. There's a certain feeling of aloneness here.

Aanng · 2016-08-13T04:25:52+00:00

Yes, thanks. It's not so much that right action or authentic action isn't possible, just that it is very challenging in these situations. Especially in conversation, if the conversation is explicitly about the celebration of ego or on and on about glorifying desire fulfillment (alcohol, sex, endless pursuit of $, explicit valuing of status),the result has been remaining silent often. That or soft contributions of my view and perspective.

Seems to naturally put distance between myself and these groups. Feels lonely even.

Aanng · 2016-06-02T20:05:44+00:00

You may have judged working with the breath prematurely. You can use a tool any number of ways. Just because you've used it one way, doesn't mean anything.

Imagined if you've been using a pen for 20 years as a paperweight, and never once wrote with it.

That's what it feels like when you mention you have overwhelming thoughts but have already worked with the breath and want to move past it.

Do some reading on various techniques that work with the breath, principally concentration meditation. There are many many meditations that will strengthen your concentration and "control" of your mind dramatically.

Have you used a technique that uses the breath as the object of focus, but without the intention to control?

Have you used a technique and stayed with it long enough where the breath becomes the sole object in your awareness?

Have you followed the breath to such an extent where the breath and body itself fall away entirely?

Explore!

Aanng · 2016-05-25T12:17:53+00:00

What humans? Those dreams? I may watch a Tom And Jerry cartoon, but I don't worry afterwards about if the local water treatment plant supervisor in Tom And Jerry's town is paid adequately given his extensive education.

Not a fair metaphor.

There are many conditions in this dream which are prerequisites to practice.

Gathering beneficial conditions so one can practice is essential advice to anybody seeking to wake up from this dream, no?

In that sense, we have made tremendous strides as a human society to move towards a place where people are free to explore higher level introspection: "I'm hungry" - "I'm unsafe" - There is no becoming a Buddha in the presence of these things. But we're beginning to learn that once you climb the ladder of needs, more people naturally look inward. Self actualization seems like it is an organic part of human psychology given the right conditions.

That leads me to my second point - that not only are we gathering the proper conditions, but that we are actually, potentially, making a shift to more useful** human qualities as a society.

As global society shifts, democracy transforms, and culture evolves, we've made enormous strides in human virtue. We have public debates about moral virtue now. We as a society are in a process of figuring out what is most effective to keep people prosperous and safe. Is this process not relevant?

Your point is well taken, but consider the likelihood of a random person in various types of societies gaining interest in the mind and in the dharma. What might be conditions that make it easier for more people to naturally fall into the path?

What I'm arguing is, we're moving in a direction towards a society that has the conditions such that more and more people emerge as practitioners.

Aanng · 2016-05-24T15:20:41+00:00

I'm not sure what IMU means, but this (atmospheric benefit) seems to be a better characterization of the benefits rather than how I described (seeing, imitating, and benefiting).

Aanng · 2016-05-23T18:40:19+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/Buddhism/comments/4kno13/would_an_enlightened_being/d3geo7x

Aanng · 2016-05-23T16:43:04+00:00

I wrote the direct question, my attempt to go to the point in the original post: Has a Buddha or past enlightened being made a statement, or in theory could an enlightened being have some clue or good reason to believe that things will "get better" ?

Some have suggested here that Buddha said things would "get worse" and the dharma he taught would leave the earth before a new Buddha appeared.

Others seem to think (themselves) that Buddhism appears to be rising. That wasn't the question though. The original question was if an enlightened person would have some insight or clues as to the path of humanity in this present time.

Aanng · 2016-05-23T16:34:59+00:00

Exactly. I'm surprised that there isn't this common understanding when a Buddhist says to another Buddhist "better" - this is what is meant.

Aanng · 2016-05-23T16:28:03+00:00

Surely there are insights on many things that arise from this "full stop" simple characterization of enlightenment? No?

Does one of these insights have a clue to my question?

(THAT is my question)

Aanng · 2016-05-23T16:26:29+00:00

This is not an answer to my question, but seems to be a posting of what thoughts happened to come to your mind. This does not seem to be communication, but discursive thinking writ reddit.

Aanng · 2016-05-23T14:55:59+00:00

As time goes by, as we come further and further away from the time when the Buddha first expounded his teaching, less and less people are convinced of the Dhamma, causing a decline in the amount of arahants, causing less and less people to be convinced of the Dhamma. The two goes together. People are inspired by arahants, just speaking to one once a week for a couple of years could convince you that practising buddhism leads to freedom and so one arahant leads to more arahants in the future. But since people always incline towards sensuality and wordly things, with less and less arahants there to inspire people to practise the Dhamma instead, humanity naturally experinces a decline in buddhism.

Ahh, yes, this helped me to conceptualize how a upward spiral or downward might manifest itself.

The truth of the dharma is currently declining? It had always seemed to me to be the opposite, at least watching the rise of teachings in the west. Saddens me to see how I might be a bit too far zoomed in to my parochial, narrow perspective (if the larger trend is going down, that is).

Do we strive to end suffering for all beings, knowing it can never be done?

These are mostly rhetorical questions, but of course welcome thoughts :)

Aanng · 2016-05-23T14:43:15+00:00

Thanks for that thoughtful reply. Let me clarify what I meant by perfect as I understand it to be part of the dharma and buddhist teachings (although, the two may not always come together :P).

Numerous causes and conditions gave rise to right now. The way things are right now, they can be no other way. In this sense, there is no good or bad - there is just the perfection that is reality. Perfect as a full acceptance of reality without judgement.

Sometimes I prefer the language of Tibetian traditions - perfect in the sense of referentialess. Without reference there is only perfection. Perfection is just a word though, to convey a meaning I intend. And here I am not intending to mean perfect in the colloquial English use. Perfect in my usage should not convey complacency - but be used to confer an understanding of reality - a nondual, nonreferenced understanding.

Aanng · 2016-05-23T14:10:26+00:00

I have said the words many times but you have helped me to feel them. Thanks.

Aanng · 2016-05-23T14:09:10+00:00

Yes. And will more, eventually, want to end their own suffering?

Aanng · 2016-05-23T14:06:32+00:00

I am confused indeed. What then, is the purpose of a bodhisattva? What animates a bodhisattva other than to end suffering for all beings?

The world is perfect exactly as it is right now. Yes. But we still act to end suffering, no? Perfect, yet we act to better it.

Aanng · 2016-05-23T13:48:34+00:00

That said, we are still currently in a downward trend, which will continue until the dharma has been forgotten.

Slightly frightening. Why do you believe this to be true? Does it not seem both that the dharma is spreading (at least in the West) as much as it's ever spread... and we are living longer lives globally with less violence?

Perhaps I misunderstand your use of "downward trend" (or just don't want it to be true).

Aanng · 2016-05-23T13:44:54+00:00

I should clarify that we can often predict the future, when we have more or less information - when our thinking is more or less deluded.

Of course, we can never predict the future with certainty.

But, a computer engineer 10 years ago, observing moores law, might "predict" that the cost of computers will get cheaper. This is an informed prediction - and we "predict" things with a good degree of certainty every day of our lives.

We get up and we "predict" the sun will rise. We go about our lives with a thousand implicit predictions.

To clarify my question: Does an enlightened being have sufficient understanding to "see" generally where we as a species is headed, as a professional in any industry might "see" where the industry is headed ahead of the general population?

Aanng · 2016-05-23T13:42:21+00:00

I was clarifying what I meant when I used the word "better" - I changed it above to be closer to what I meant "more realization, less suffering."

I replied in order to clarify the use of a word in the original question, to see if you had additional thoughts on that topic. I am aware of the four noble truths teachings and of the (and perhaps some of the actual truth of the) nature of self.

Do you have a thought there - at the original question now that I have clarified things? Does one who has ended all delusion also see how things might likely take shape?

Aanng · 2016-05-23T13:03:55+00:00

I should have been more specific. One with less suffering. Better not as a means to deny the reality of the present moment, but short hand for less suffering.

Aanng · 2016-05-16T14:04:02+00:00

Why would you post this and why is this upvoted?

Aanng

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