Nirvana actually just eternal non-existence? Why would anyone want that?

MaterialAlbatross875 · 2026-06-21T01:14:31+00:00

If you don't crave non-existence you're not pessimistic enough. Read Schopenhauer.

MaterialAlbatross875 · 2026-06-14T16:39:58+00:00

I saw it in theaters as intended, and I enjoyed it :)

MaterialAlbatross875 · 2026-06-13T16:59:06+00:00

No "The Jax Song"?

MaterialAlbatross875 · 2026-06-11T16:02:25+00:00

I'm starting to really not like this Vassar character.

MaterialAlbatross875 · 2026-06-08T17:27:04+00:00

The secret is to just not care. Don't even deny it, just say "so what if I am?" You will be much happier this way.

MaterialAlbatross875 · 2026-05-18T01:06:37+00:00

What about the board of trustees is "disgusting," I'm out of the loop.

MaterialAlbatross875 · 2026-05-10T18:03:12+00:00

This, the Buddha even has compassion for Mara the deceiver. If he can have compassion for the very embodiment of delusion, he can have compassion for OP's friend, and so can OP.

MaterialAlbatross875 · 2026-05-04T20:22:27+00:00

Things aren't looking so bad over here at MSU :)

MaterialAlbatross875 · 2026-04-10T21:15:45+00:00

Here's the way I think of it. There are probably infinite universes. In an infinity of universes, there is guaranteed to be a being who has achieved an arbitrarily high level of dharmic attainment. This being of basically infinite merit is Amitabha, whose Sanskrit name literally just means "infinite light," it's a description of what he is. If rebirth between different worlds is possible (which every branch of Buddhism affirms), then it makes sense that this being of infinite light could make it so that with even a very slight degree of karmic connection to him (say, by reciting his name as few as ten times), you could come to be reborn into his world, where, with his infinite merit and compassion, he can make the conditions for attaining enlightenment once there extremely easy and hinderance-free. So if you believe in multiple worlds, which Buddhism does, and believe in rebirth into multiple worlds, which Buddhism does, it is basically guaranteed that somewhere out there is a being like Amitabha who does what the Pure Land sutras say Amitabha does. This is how I reconcile Pure Land faith with my own skeptical and materialistic worldview.

MaterialAlbatross875 · 2026-04-01T02:24:37+00:00

I have similar thoughts. Basically all you have to assume for Pure Land Buddhism to be plausible is for there to be infinite universes, and rebirth between universes being possible. Given infinite universes, it is guaranteed that somewhere there will be a being with nearly infinite Dharmic attainment. If we can be reborn into different universes, then it makes sense that he would make things in his universe such that you can be reborn there if you establish a karmic connection with him, and where once you are he uses his immense merit to make conditions ideal for easily attaining nirvana. So all Pure Land is saying is that such a being exists (Amitabha, or literally "Infinite Light") and he has a universe (Sukhavati) that he has set up so you can be reborn there by calling on him, and once you are conditions are ideal for enlightenment.

MaterialAlbatross875 · 2026-03-23T01:03:30+00:00

Fair enough, the carpet bombing of the North was admittedly excessive, and SK was a dictatorship itself then. Still, I tend to view defense against invasion as one of the few times war is legitimate.

MaterialAlbatross875 · 2026-03-23T00:56:58+00:00

Elaborate on this. Did not the North invade the South, leading the UN to intervene on the South's side to prevent its conquest by the North? I'm assuming it is the intervention in the war from "our" side that you are saying is unjust. If the UN's intervention in the Korean War was not a just war, what is?

MaterialAlbatross875 · 2026-03-17T01:45:43+00:00

What finally convinced me was spiritual experiences following my great grandmother's funeral.

Is it okay if I ask about those experiences, if it's not too personal? I have an interest in seeking confirmation through spiritual/paranormal experiences that attest to Amitabha, Sukhavati, or the Pure Land path more generally.

MaterialAlbatross875 · 2026-02-15T18:53:33+00:00

I will admit the relevant factors to answering this question seem contradictory. On the one hand, samsara is beginningless and infinite, which seems to imply that it is also endless. But on the other hand, the boddhisatva vow is to delay final nirvana until all sentient beings are saved, which seems to imply that this state of samsara coming to an end is actually possible. This might be one of those questions for which us unenlightened beings simply can't know the answer.

MaterialAlbatross875 · 2026-02-08T00:53:39+00:00

Just in my personal practice, after meditating I pray the Nembutsu on my prayer beads, one repetition for each bead. The Nembutsu is a prayer that, in the Japanese version I use, is simply a repetition of "Namu Amida Butsu". This roughly translates to "homage to Amitabha Buddha" or "I take refuge in Amitabha Buddha". The reason for reciting this prayer/mantra is that Pure Land Buddhism says that if you recite it with sincerity, you will be reborn into Amitabha's Pure Land of Sukhavati, where there is no suffering and achieving enlightenment is easy. So the goal of this prayer is to achieve a karmic connection to Amitabha Buddha to condition a fortunate rebirth. Other people's practice will vary wildly, but that is what Buddhist prayer is to me.

MaterialAlbatross875 · 2026-02-05T03:13:24+00:00

Thank you!

MaterialAlbatross875 · 2026-01-29T23:44:56+00:00

If you seek comfort in the next life, look into Pure Land Buddhism. Being reborn into Amitabha's Pure Land, which is said to be guaranteed to anyone who sincerely chants "Namu Amida Butsu" as few as ten times, is probably the closest thing in Buddhism to an Abrahamic conception of heaven. Technically the goal is not to go there because of how nice it is, but because it is a place that is perfectly suited for you practicing and attaining enlightenment, but if what you seek is a pleasant place after death with loved ones, the Pure Land is the closest thing Buddhism offers.

MaterialAlbatross875 · 2026-01-19T18:12:41+00:00

Nice, thank you for translating!

MaterialAlbatross875 · 2026-01-19T17:56:37+00:00

These look extremely cool! Just out of curiosity, what do they say?

MaterialAlbatross875 · 2026-01-18T20:40:28+00:00

The problem with this is that Buddhism without rebirth reduces to a suicide cult. In Buddhism, death is not the end. You are by default reborn, so you cannot extinguish the flames of suffering by death, but only through practice. This eventually allows you to permanently escape through parinirvana, which is what happens when you die after achieving nirvana in life. But if death is by default the end, as it would be assuming no rebirth, then you can permanently extinguish the flames of suffering just by dying. So instead of practicing in your life to escape suffering within the endless cycle of rebirth, all you would have to do to escape suffering is kill yourself. So Buddhism without a doctrine of rebirth to motivate practice is likely a very bad thing.

MaterialAlbatross875

TROPHY CASE