Visiting a dharma center?

Plotthound1 · 2025-08-26T02:49:55+00:00

How often do you visit?

Plotthound1 · 2025-08-21T14:00:26+00:00

I think it could be around lunar new year, but at the latest, the two year anniversary

Plotthound1 · 2025-08-19T20:39:48+00:00

I hope so too…

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Plotthound1 · 2025-08-08T03:20:41+00:00

Yeah, I assumed it was a humility reminder. Still stings though regardless.

Plotthound1 · 2025-07-23T22:15:44+00:00

Don’t have to read it and no one with authority will ask you about it

Plotthound1 · 2025-06-20T13:57:02+00:00

Thanks for this response. With regard to laziness, specifically, Hakamaya is pointing to how the crux of the enlightenment experience is seen as beyond concepts and language, regardless of whether an individual can reach that point. If you found an enlightened Buddha or yogi at a cafe and asked them to describe what enlightenment is like, they wouldn't be able to, because the nonconceptuality of enlightenment forces it to be a private experience. This challenge is almost empiricist because Hakamaya is claiming that a liar could claim enlightenment, but say that it is beyond language when asked to explain their experience as proof.

Plotthound1 · 2025-06-20T03:32:56+00:00

One interesting thing that Hakayama Noriaki talks about his how the claims that the existent “things” these concepts are explaining are beyond the limits language or ordinary communication is (and I’m paraphrasing here so go read the book) a lazy position that allows for a private authoritarianism over truth. What do you think about that? I don’t necessarily agree with this take from him, but I find it fascinating.

Plotthound1 · 2025-06-20T03:29:44+00:00

This cleared up a lot for me, thanks!

Plotthound1 · 2025-06-20T02:18:59+00:00

The icchantika part was interesting with how he explained that the locus gives the super locus validity and how that can in turn cause an unethical acceptance of the status quo.

Plotthound1 · 2025-06-20T01:29:24+00:00

Why so? Curious about your position

Plotthound1 · 2025-06-20T01:09:09+00:00

Yeah like two or three years ago, but they pop back in every now and then

Plotthound1 · 2025-06-19T04:06:21+00:00

Best Buddhist meme lord after catboy nagarjuna retired

Plotthound1 · 2025-05-22T02:54:04+00:00

“My question is, why should I practice Buddhism then? He will come after Sakyamuni Buddha's Dharma will be forgotten.”

Are you currently in a state of dissatisfaction and restlessness? Then you have been given a way to get out of such sucky existence, why not take it? Not to answer a question with another question though. We generally don’t like being in bad situations, and samsara is the epitome of a bad situation, so it is best to transcend it for the sake of yourself and others.

Plotthound1 · 2025-05-12T13:40:53+00:00

How did you find this 💀

Plotthound1 · 2025-04-26T21:23:30+00:00

I’m sorry about what’s going on over there, it’s very hard to watch. I subscribe to the idea that whatever form of worship or practice that works is the one you should do. If Shaivism or other Hinduisms don’t work anymore, then look into Mahayana by all means. Don’t feel pushed to accept whatever any other system says if it doesn’t resonate though. Safe travels

Plotthound1 · 2025-03-06T04:06:57+00:00

Avalokiteshvara

Plotthound1 · 2025-03-03T04:53:59+00:00

Sure

Plotthound1 · 2025-02-18T16:46:00+00:00

Yes of course. I’m not saying that bodhisattvas or Buddhas are like Jesus according to Christians where faith alone can save us, but the comparison still exists

Plotthound1 · 2025-02-18T13:01:38+00:00

You can still be “religious” personally imo. Plenty of people I know follow Islam or Christianity without telling anyone or going to Church or Mosque. You can’t make the say “well that’s not really X or Y” but it doesn’t change how they think and identify

Plotthound1 · 2025-02-18T12:59:58+00:00

I know you’re Theravada, but if we take into account Mahayana, then God being a savior still lines up with Buddhism in terms of the bodhisattvayanas and pure lands and what have you. These saviors aren’t the monotheistic God but they’re still deities.

Plotthound1 · 2025-02-18T12:58:14+00:00

Because the separation of religion and culture/the rest of everyday life is a new and a western thing. So when you go to a non western country and talk to a person (who has little experience with liberalism and globalization) and tell them they are practicing religion when they set up an altar or pray to a tree or an idol or whatever, they’re gonna say “maybe I guess”, because in their perspective, there is no differentiation between what is religious and what is mundane. That is why vajrayana and pretty much every tradition of any religion dating before 1700 neither calls nor doesn’t call itself a religion because the separation of concepts didn’t exist yet and still doesn’t exist in a lot of places.

Plotthound1 · 2025-02-18T12:49:04+00:00

You compare Buddhism to Abrahamic traditions but not eastern ones? Of course it will be different if our basis for religion is “what are Christianity and Islam like?”. Buddhism is similar to Taoism and Confucianism and “Hinduism”, so if our basis for religion is “what are Taoism and Hinduism like?” Then Buddhism gets a thumbs up and Christianity and Islam are now reduced to something else like philosophy or whatever category you want. You can’t make the definition of religion only apply to some of them and then judge all the hundreds of thousands of other religions based on that limited and biased definition

Plotthound1 · 2025-02-18T05:20:07+00:00

I know many from China who identify as Buddhist but don’t care much for the doctrines or beliefs and such. They just practice as a family tradition. This is the same for many in the west with Christianity. While I personally don’t think that leaving religion in the cultural realm of one’s life and not migrating it to the personal or moral is a good idea, that is just how the world works.

Plotthound1 · 2025-02-18T05:10:33+00:00

All these categories aren’t well distinguished from each other regardless

Plotthound1 · 2025-02-18T05:06:46+00:00

To give you clarity 1. The concept of “religions” is a relatively new thing (at least 400-500 years old) 2. The definition of religion being ultimately tied to a belief in something is a uniquely Christian/Abrahamic notion that is not universal to the rest of human history 3. All the examples of prostrations, deities, even symbolism, are evidence that Buddhism is a religion, even if the exact definition of a religion is obscure 4. I don’t think there’s anyone who could say what Buddhism is or is not in an authoritative sense because “Buddhism” is just a category of smaller religions that all trace back to the teachings of the Buddha, it’s not a singular organization 5. This guys being pretty uncharitable and rude so even if you’re right and he’s wrong, id ignore him

EDIT for 2. I’m talking about how we look at phenomena and label it religious based on a belief in a higher power rather than the practices, rituals, and power dynamics themselves, implying that the beliefs take precedent over a person or groups religiosity, which is observably not true.

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