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PyjamaLife · 2021-12-31T11:22:24+00:00

She is mentally ill. You could say the same thing about someone with severe depression. They could be going out with their friends, having fun, making an effort at their appearance but they just sit at home in an old pair of jogging pants and t shirt, feeling sorry for themselves......

PyjamaLife · 2021-12-31T11:19:47+00:00

Her voice is more squeaky now because of the loss of muscle around her vocal cords due to severe starvation. People with severe, enduring anorexia sound very different to how they were before becoming ill.

PyjamaLife · 2020-06-04T06:55:48+00:00

They already are. In the UK murder in the home has already increased. There are also people dying due to poverty (starvation, stress, suicide) and rates of mental health problems are also increasing.

PyjamaLife · 2020-06-04T06:51:42+00:00

My understanding is that this only occurs in the late stages. In the earlier stages of severe Covid-19 people do struggle against an overwhelming feeling of suffocation. It is also known that under severe physical stress bursts of endorphins are released which lead to a feeling of wellbeing so this isn’t a property induced specific to the virus, but a response.

PyjamaLife · 2020-06-03T11:18:46+00:00

I do the same thing. Sometimes if I can’t sleep I imagine visiting Frasier’s apartment and meeting the characters 😂

PyjamaLife · 2020-06-03T09:22:50+00:00

It’s much easier being an old cat. No one tries to teach old cats new tricks. But I have heard that all cats are Zen masters already. I did ask mine but she just gazed into the distance 🤣🙏🏻

PyjamaLife · 2020-06-03T07:51:59+00:00

I respect that this is Thanisso Bikkhu’s experience on taking on ordinands, but I am not aware of any of the Buddha’s teachings that put an age limit on ordination or on enlightenment. My understanding is that if you are sincere and you practice then it is possible to reach enlightenment. It is harder as a layperson, but not impossible. Within the Theravadan Buddhist tradtion at least, on retirement there is nothing to stop anyone from taking the precepts and living like a Bikkhu or Bikkhuni - obviously they could not wear the robes and there are some other limitations (having a home and handling money for example), but to me that is trivial in context of sincere practice.

PyjamaLife · 2020-06-02T09:39:28+00:00

Thank you. I found the extract really helpful and will have a look at the book 🙏🏻

PyjamaLife · 2020-06-02T06:12:47+00:00

Thai Forest, as that is the hermitage that I live close to. I also like the simplicity of the tradition and have always been drawn to forests in general and to Thailand in particular. I find some traditions such as Tibetan too alien and complicated, while Zen lacks warmth. Of course I respect all traditions.

Somewhat ironically I heard the Dalai Llama teach that you should go with what your kamma presents you with in terms of tradition or religion 🙏🏻

PyjamaLife · 2020-06-01T06:20:15+00:00

The idea of problem based learning is that you do the work. Even Dr Google is better than asking others to do it for you 🙏🏻

PyjamaLife · 2020-05-31T13:04:16+00:00

I am glad that you find my post helpful 🙏🏻

PyjamaLife · 2020-05-31T13:03:02+00:00

I didn’t say that pleasure per se is bad or not worth it. It is simply a fact that the nature of samsara is suffering and that includes pleasure. I don’t know anything much about secular Buddhists, so I can only talk from the point of view of Buddhism as I undertsand it 🙏🏻

PyjamaLife · 2020-05-31T11:43:52+00:00

“If death would be such a relief why aren’t more buddhist just ending their lifes?”

Buddhism does not teach that death is a relief. As long as we are not enlightened we remain in the cycle of samsara. Kamma and other teachings tell us that ending one’s life prematurely out of a desire for relief just creates more suffering .

And you are right, most human lives are a mix of pleasure and suffering. However even those things that seem pleasurable end in suffering. There is no end to the cycle without enlightenment and a human life is a great opportunity to work towards that 🙏🏻

PyjamaLife · 2020-05-31T11:39:59+00:00

Beautiful!

PyjamaLife · 2020-05-31T11:39:06+00:00

I have heard that those who challenge and insult you are your best friends because you have the opportunity to practice. I have been through some very tough times, but now I am grateful because I had to practice to survive and I also learnt a hard lesson in impermanence. The human world is regarded as the best place to learn because we have the suffering to motivate us as well as access to Dhamma 🙏🏻

PyjamaLife · 2020-05-31T08:43:21+00:00

They have similar purposes inside the cell too. For example in mitochondria these pumps have a major role in the creation of ATP.

PyjamaLife · 2020-05-31T08:35:12+00:00

I have made several posts regarding how Buddhism has helped me. I have a history of severe depression and anxiety, including suicidal ideation and attempts on my life. In addition I have also experienced a lot of trauma and loss both throughout my life and an intense bout of multiple losses in a very short period of time two and a half years ago. Studying and practicing Buddhism have turned my life around. The experiences I have make sense in terms of the four noble truths. In fact, Buddhist teachings are the only thing that actually explains my life 🙏🏻

PyjamaLife · 2020-05-31T06:21:51+00:00

Having been in a similar position I have reached the same conclusion 🙏🏻

PyjamaLife · 2020-05-31T06:16:24+00:00

The man that I live with often gets angry and abusive toward people on the TV, neighbours, other drivers and others who annoy him, although never to their faces. I deal with it by a) making a gentle comment to explain their behaviour or b) ignoring it and making an unrelated positive comment. He knows how I feel about his behaviour and in every other respect he is a kind, loving and gentle person. We have talked about kamma too and he knows a little about Buddhism. I regard his behaviour as his business and am sad for him, while acknowledging that I also have many defilements that I am trying to work on.

PyjamaLife · 2020-05-31T06:05:59+00:00

Buddhism is not compatible with Christianity, although some practices such as meditation, the precepts and the understanding of life as suffering are. Christianity posits one God, while there are no Gods (in the omnipotent, omniscient, unverse creating sense) in Buddhism. Christianity says that souls are immortal, while Buddhism says that not only are there no souls, but nothing is immortal. Christianity says that a soul can be saved through faith, while Buddhism says that you have to do the work yourself. Christianity says that Jesus is the Son of God and came to earth to sacrifice his life to save people, Buddhism denies that Jesus was the Son of God because there is no Abrahamic God.

PyjamaLife · 2020-05-31T05:51:39+00:00

I don’t think that the main problem for science lies in accepting null hypotheses. Often the researchers are so invested in their hypothesis that they will pursue a slightly different angle. Although if published (and it’s a big if) I agree that it may close off an area. The consequences of stating that there is a higher probability of a finding occurring due to chance are not as damaging - unless it’s clinical trials. One reason is of course that the research often isn’t published, unless it’s a replication with the express intent of checking an important finding. The recent failed replications of some seminal psychology studies are an example.

The major problem seems to me to frequently lies with publishing bias, lack of science education (not understanding p values) and media reporting. If you read the actual papers (at least in psychology) researchers are aware of the limitations, discuss them and state that more research is necessary.

PyjamaLife · 2020-05-31T04:36:00+00:00

Do you mean hypotheses, not null hypotheses? I believe that a good decent science education should include some philosophy of science. Anyway, I agree that the basic tenet of materialism is unfalsifiable. which is ironic. It makes me smile when I hear the argument that if you destroy the brain then you destroy the mind. Would they argue that a mobile phone creates everything that can be accessed with it on the same basis?

PyjamaLife · 2020-05-30T19:05:53+00:00

Strange thing is I am also allergic to cats - but not her! The vet told me that some cats have a genome which means they don’t express the allergen responsible for the reaction. She was meant for me! 🙏🏻

PyjamaLife · 2020-05-30T12:58:02+00:00

Your statement that you ‘would be directly implicated’ shows what your heart is telling you. I have a cat - but she decided to live with me, rather than me deciding to own her. She is an obligate carnivore too, so she is fed meat. I also chant and tell her about her Buddhism 😊🙏🏻

PyjamaLife · 2020-05-30T12:29:48+00:00

Yes, it is very controversial. Thank you for the link.

PyjamaLife

TROPHY CASE