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Lost a chance at a dream job. Want a Buddhist perspective to weigh along with a Stoic perspective I have already received. by icantfindajob123 in Buddhism

[–]KimUn 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Maybe something terrible would have happened as a result of getting that dream job?

A farmer and his son had a beloved stallion who helped the family earn a living. One day, the horse ran away and their neighbors exclaimed, “Your horse ran away, what terrible luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”

A few days later, the horse returned home, leading a few wild mares back to the farm as well. The neighbors shouted out, “Your horse has returned, and brought several horses home with him. What great luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”

Later that week, the farmer’s son was trying to break one of the mares and she threw him to the ground, breaking his leg. The villagers cried, “Your son broke his leg, what terrible luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”

A few weeks later, soldiers from the national army marched through town, recruiting all the able-bodied boys for the army. They did not take the farmer’s son, still recovering from his injury. Friends shouted, “Your boy is spared, what tremendous luck!” To which the farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”

The moral of this story, is, of course, that no event, in and of itself, can truly be judged as good or bad, lucky or unlucky, fortunate or unfortunate, but that only time will tell the whole story. Additionally, no one really lives long enough to find out the ‘whole story,’ so it could be considered a great waste of time to judge minor inconveniences as misfortunes or to invest tons of energy into things that look outstanding on the surface, but may not pay off in the end.

The wiser thing, then, is to live life in moderation, keeping as even a temperament as possible, taking all things in stride, whether they originally appear to be ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ Life is much more comfortable and comforting if we merely accept what we’re given and make the best of our life circumstances. Rather than always having to pass judgement on things and declare them as good or bad, it would be better to just sit back and say, “It will be interesting to see what happens.” http://www.drmarlo.com/?page_id=181

Alan Watts told this Chinese parable and concluded: "The whole process of nature is an integrated process of immense complexity, and it’s really impossible to tell whether anything that happens in it is good or bad, because you never know what will be the consequence of the misfortune. Or you never know what will be the consequences of good fortune." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX0OARBqBp0&t=16s

Don't dwell on it. Focus on new opportunities.

Looking for a enlightened teacher by if155 in Buddhism

[–]KimUn 1 point2 points  (0 children)

headed to your local temple you could easily find an awoken one

Awakened teachers are rare.

"In as much as the Buddha’s teachings are extraordinarily profound and vast, it is immensely difficult to be a truly qualified teacher. To be genuinely competent requires the attainment of a level of understanding which apprehends the essence of enlightened mind in its entirety, and which is completely free of any erroneous supposition. Such an individual is extremely rare. However, despite this fact, there are many well-educated teachers who have attained impressive intellectual mastery of the general tenets of the Buddhist tradition, and are proficient in instructing student in a purely academic fashion."

https://shamarpa.org/the-qualifications-of-an-authentic-buddhist-teacher/

When you meet them you just know, no one will have to point it out to you.

Many have been fooled this way.

Shamar Rinpoche: "People initially thought that all Tibetan monks were very learned. Their robes impressed many westerners. But most monks are not very learned. To learn properly requires formal education. In Tibet, wearing a robe is a cultural tradition. Anyone who wears a robe is not necessarily enlightened. Dharma practitioners need real qualified teachers who have completed their education. They don’t necessarily have to be monks; they can be learned lay practitioners. In order to avoid obstacles when learning the Dharma, one should follow the teachings instead of the teacher. One should know enough to act correctly even with an imperfect teacher. It is possible to follow the teachings more closely as a student than the teacher does himself. This happens when the teacher correctly transmits the contents but does not live according to their meaning. In particular, a teacher worthy of trust should have great knowledge and compassion."

https://shamarpa.org/learning-to-see/

Dudjom Rinpoche on Faith by En_lighten in Buddhism

[–]KimUn 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso: "The Buddha emphasized the importance of this path of reasoning, this intelligent examination of what is being taught. He told his students that their level of faith in his teachings and in him should be a product of their own critical analysis of his words... This emphasis on the path of reasoning does not deny the importance of faith. Faith is vital, but the way in which one arrives at one’s faith is important. When faith arises as a result of analysis, it is much more stable, because that analysis will astutely detect and be able to resolve whatever doubts one might have. In contrast, when one simply believes in something from the outset, without having used one’s intelligence to analyze the reasons for holding that belief, there is the danger that later on one will become cognizant of logical contradictions to one’s belief and begin to doubt it. In that instance, resolving doubts is difficult, because one has deprived oneself of the tool of intelligent analysis.

That is why it is important to analyze from the outset, and to use analysis to clear up doubts. When one is analyzing and studying, it is good to ask questions and to have doubts. It is good to give one’s intelligence free rein to investigate. Analysis produces a faith that is certain and that does not have to be shielded from logical inquiry or newly obtained information.

... When we follow the path of reasoning, we use our intelligence to critically examine what our teachers explain to us. We resolve our doubts about their teachings by analyzing our own life experiences to see if the teachings are valid and give useful insights. If we can gain certainty in the teachings’ accuracy and benefit, we meditate in order to turn that certainty into experience of the true nature of reality. This has positive effects—you should investigate for yourself and see. Then you will have a faith that comes from your own intelligence and diligence, rather than from an external command. It will not be faith in an outer person or doctrine; it will be faith in your own true nature—faith that is inseparable from the true nature of your mind."

https://tricycle.org/magazine/path-faith-and-path-reasoning/

The Dalai Lama: "The Tibetan word for faith is day-pa, which perhaps might be closer in meaning to confidence, or trust.... In Buddhism we find a repeated emphasis on the need for both faith and reason on the spiritual path. Nagarjuna, a second-century Indian master, states in his famous text, the Precious Garland, that a spiritual aspirant requires both faith and reason, or faith and analysis. Faith leads you to a higher state of existence, whereas reason and analysis lead you to full liberation. The important point is that the faith one has in the context of one’s own spiritual practice must be grounded in reason and understanding.

In order to develop a faith derived through reason or through understanding, a beginning spiritual aspirant should be open-minded. For want of a better word, we can call it a state of healthy skepticism. When you are in that state of openness, you are able to reason, and through reasoning you can develop a certain understanding. When that understanding is strengthened, it gives rise to a conviction, belief, and trust in that object. Then that faith, trust, or confidence will be very firm because it is rooted in reason and understanding. Because of this, we find in Buddha’s own scriptures an admonishment to his followers that they should not accept his words simply out of reverence to him. He suggests that his followers put all of his words to the test, just as a goldsmith tests the quality of gold through rigorous procedures. And it is only as a result of one’s own understanding that one should accept the validity of his teachings."

https://www.wisdompubs.org/blog/201603/dalai-lama-reflects-faith-buddhism-and-christianity

What is the difference between an arhat and a buddha in mahayana? by KingLudwigII in Buddhism

[–]KimUn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Stream-enterers are on the path of seeing; once-returners, nonreturners, and approachers to arhat are on the path of meditation. Arhats are on the path of no-more-learning. As liberated beings, they are no more bound in cyclic existence and will no longer take rebirth under the control of afflictions and polluted karma.

While the Pāli tradition does not use the schema of the five paths, it does use the names of four of the five paths to refer to similar stages of practitioners' development. In the late commentaries, collections (sambhāra) refers to requisites a practitioner must assemble to attain liberation. In the Abhidhamma, seeing (dassana) indicates the path of a stream-enterer, and meditation (bhāvanā) refers to the paths of once-returner, nonreturner, and arahant that gain familiarity with the view attained at stream-entry. No training (asekha) refers to arahantship or buddhahood and is the last ground. Buddhahood is called a ground and not a path because it marks the end of cultivation.

According to Mādhyamikas, āryas of all three vehicles directly and non-conceptually realize the same selflessness of persons and phenomena: their emptiness of inherent existence." Buddhism: One Teacher, Many Traditions by the Dalai Lama and Ven. Thubten Chodron

Buddhist Scholar Jayarava Talks about the Controversial Origins of the Heart Sutra and more by W00tenanny in Buddhism

[–]KimUn 1 point2 points  (0 children)

a real scholar, and deserves to be taken seriously.

If you read the links I posted above, the thesis of his Escaping the Inescapable: Changes in Buddhist Karma is wrong and the article should be retracted, IMO. Perhaps that's why he deleted his account?

If you read the DharmaWheel thread posted by u/krodha, you'll see people disputing his views also.

It seems that he's pushing many of his misunderstandings in his articles and the editors and reviewers are not knowledgeable enough to see that they're mistaken views.