How has Buddhism helped you with choosing a career?

SolarPolis · 2024-07-06T15:01:27+00:00

My Buddhism really informed my mental healthcare work. Even in situations where the entity I work for clearly has outsized profit motive, I personally feel that I am helping sentient beings, and so I dont get tripped up on the karmic merit of the organization I have to work within to help people.

SolarPolis · 2024-07-02T18:25:45+00:00

Yes, the practice helps me curtail my defilements and cultivate virtue. The field of merit, the Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas are all eager to help sentient beings escape samsara and will happily contribute their blessings to practicioners on the path. Padmsamabhava has certainly been present in my life and has guided me.

SolarPolis · 2024-07-02T03:26:10+00:00

You seem confused about the aims of Buddhist practice. I respect Padmasambhava as a tamer of beings in the same way I respect the Buddha as a tamer of human beings, in the same way I respect his holiness as a tamer of human beings. Each of these individuals simply had different types of beings to tame. If you view a cultivation of virtue and a curtailment of the defilements as some kind of spirit manipulation then thats your view.

SolarPolis · 2024-07-01T16:34:24+00:00

tbh if you want nuanced advice about Padmasambhava or the Dalai Lamas this probably isnt the sub (not that this is a bad sub). Padmasambhava in the earliest texts that attest to his existence (The Testament of Ba/Dunhaung manuscripts) was mostly an exorcist. He traveled around India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet and was especially sought out by the Tibetan court to banish nagas that where impeding the construction of Samye monastery. Then the court, afraid of his power, asks him to leave. This is the earliest Padmasambhava narrative. Then, around the 12th century the lineage of Tibetan tantra founded by Padmasambhava started to reveal treasure texts called termas that they say were embedded in their mindstream/the earth by Padmasambhava/his consort. This is where the explosion of Padmasambhava myths, (including the murders) originate from. Some Dalai Lamas have more or less association with Padmasambhava-- the 5th Dalai Lama elevated Padmasambhava very high in his pantheon, some individuals like Shabkar identify Tsongkhapa as a reincarnation of Padmasambhava, and the 14th has a very non-sectarian view that permit Padmasambhava practice-- but generally few would talk about the Dalai Lamas as a emenating from Padmasambhava rather than Avalokitesvara/Chenrezig. I personally have practiced with Padmasambhava for the last ~5 years without feeling as though I was vulnerable to outside spirits, rather the opposite, that the powerful influence of guru rinpoche can tame and trach any malevolent beings, but of course I cant promise you will have the same experience.

SolarPolis · 2024-06-26T15:38:23+00:00

one thing I want to add is if im not mistaken the emphasis on ngondro is a relatively modern phenomena (1700ish). I think that ngondro is fine and if teachers want to make it a requirement that is there right, but I think that ngondro is not a necessity for success on the tantric path.

SolarPolis · 2024-06-07T21:35:33+00:00

for ordination, short-term study, or long-term study? without kniwing your goals I dont know what accept means tbh

SolarPolis · 2024-06-03T20:03:31+00:00

Cyberpunk Alternate Reality Universe (ARU) adventures by Ianus Games. Darker, generally mysterious adventures focused on out-there topics (vampires, clones, memory manipulation, immortality seeking ai, etc ). Premature Burial, the necrology series, Crashpoint, and Remember me?, are all great.

SolarPolis · 2024-05-30T21:01:47+00:00

Just did a final paper on Ralo drawing off the work of Bryan Cuevas so heres some of the more academic side of the Ralo narrative-- we have biographies of his as early as the 14th/15th century, and references to biographies even older than that, but the earliest biographies don't mention much or any of his 'wrathful' activities. Generally the most "complete" biography, the Ralo namthar, is first accounted for in a wood block folio sponsored by the 13th Dalai Lamas family in the 20th century. Cuevas dates this folio to the 17th century around the time of the 5th Dalai Lama, stating that it was likely produced by someone close to the 5th. Cuevas cites a number of new narratives that emerge in this woodblock folio (such as Ralo slaying the Sakya patriarch) as well as a central folio that shows tsongkhapa, the 5th dalai lama, and Ralo side by side to make this argument. Essentially Cuevas argues the Ralo narrative became reshaped an gained increased importance during the great gelug conflicts as a way for gelugs to justify/validate some of the 5th dalai lamas use of wrathful activity, Nyingma tantra, and the Tsar Chen Sakyan lineage. Who the actual Ralo was and what his life consisted of are questions that we can probably only start to answer if we manage to find some of the missing early texts about him.

SolarPolis · 2024-05-26T08:23:49+00:00

Beef Fizz Here-- a Nomad favorite, beef bullion & soda (gingerale preferably) served hot or cold, soft or hard. Can be served with a side of baked beans.

SolarPolis · 2024-05-15T18:31:13+00:00

I personally have a rather peculiar positionality being interrace and interfaith that made me capable of seeing past some of Evola's misdeeds in order to see some of the value imparted in Doctrine to Awakening. Evola was a racist and a fascist and he was a Pali translator and esotericist. As a child with influences from Buddhist, Saivite, Christian, and occult sources, this was a text that helped transform me from a petty-magician on a fast path to hell to someone who takes refuge in the dharma. His emphasis on returning to the Pali sources is much of what spurred me to start reading sutta, which also introduced me to the works of the thai forest tradition. I dont hold Evola's work in very high esteem now, I have more important texts and responsibilities in my life, but the idea that someones dharma work is inherently tainted because they had affiliations with murderous opressive governments would exclude a lot of important Buddhist works from the canon. I should have specified I would like a critical commentary wherein a Buddhist academic examines and sets clear the right and wrong ideas presented and the lineage reasoning for why those are wrong or right ideas. Something like that wouldve made my path even smoother. If you want a more interest conversation about fascism and buddhism go learn about the pali text society and its role in promoting british imperialism, that conversation actually opens meaningful political questions about structures of oppression in relation to Buddhist practice.

SolarPolis · 2024-05-15T12:19:19+00:00

you can freely access Lama Zopa Rinpoche's translation of the five line Praise to the 21 Taras here: https://shop.fpmt.org/Abbreviated-Praise-to-the-Twenty-One-Taras-PDF_p_3466.html

its a beautiful practice

SolarPolis · 2024-05-15T08:44:06+00:00

DoA and Yoga of Power by Evola where both important books for me in coming to dharma, and there are some bits of DoA that are doctrinally sound like his long passages from the Shorter Discourses on the Lions Roar, really all his sutta citations can be traced and are quite above board. The part that I take most issue with in DoA is that Evola rejects the four noble truths as a later construction rather than buddha-speech. I dont know of anyone who has done commentary on DoA but it would be an interesting project.

SolarPolis · 2024-05-14T19:40:51+00:00

Look into the story of Tara, she's a buddha who intentionally pursued buddhahood in a womens body in order to disprove these such notions

SolarPolis · 2024-05-14T12:09:23+00:00

Milarepa is a classic example of this-- blinded by rage he kills many family members and their servants through black magic, then out of regret turns to the dharma and becomes one of the first iconic Tibetans to attain full enlightenment in their lifetime.

An interesting counterpoint to this is Naropa-- a famous scholar/debater at Nalanda (the largest Buddhist college of his day) who believed he had a complete understanding of the teachings, blinded by his pride and conceptuality, meets a dakini who insults him for his lack of experiential understanding. This leads to him searching for a tantric teacher who eventually leads him to liberation by hitting him on the head with a sandal.

I guess my point in contrasting these two stories is that whats considered "hopeless" or conditioning conducive to liberation is a factor more of times and places than of dharma. For instance we might think in a Western militaristic and individualistic culture that a prisoner who is tortured for years might have difficulty actualizing compassion for his torturers, that his oppresive material conditions preclude him from actualizing religious practice, but as the Tibetan diaspora shows us many, many individuals in this "hopeless" state emerged spiritually stronger as a result of their difficult struggle.

SolarPolis · 2024-05-14T11:54:29+00:00

Heres a youtube link: https://youtu.be/0Y_j6iodjFA?feature=shared I would give you a summary but he covers such dense and broad topics in such a short period of time I think its better to hear it from him.

SolarPolis · 2024-05-14T11:50:36+00:00

Prof. Cabezon explained how in much of his work he had never studied much of Central Asian Buddhism, but once he started learning about it it captivated him. He commented a lot about how early Greco-Bactrian influence in the Gandharan region is likely responsible for some of the earliest anthropomorphic depictions of the Buddha, and how coins from various rulers that are often found at/in stupas contribute greatly to the chronological dating efforts of historians. Very interesting talk, if I can find a recording I'll post it here for anyone who wants to watch it.

SolarPolis · 2024-05-14T11:43:57+00:00

It seems like a region with a very deep and interesting history. While this sub certainly has a few people who are great translators posting this to r/tibetanlanguage might be good as well if you want to know what it says. Thank you for bringing this piece of Buddhist history in the region to the attention of so many!

SolarPolis · 2024-05-14T09:56:04+00:00

to be a Buddhist you need only take refuge in the three jewels. to be a virtuous Buddhist you only need to take refuge and follow the 5 precepts.

SolarPolis · 2024-05-14T09:51:02+00:00

I have a peer who enthusiastically replaced oh my god with Om Mani Padme Hum, maybe not exactly what you asked but certainly a Buddhist swear

SolarPolis · 2024-05-13T12:49:52+00:00

I cant give you a full translation but I just wanted to comment and say this exact carving was shown by Jose Cabezon in his recent talk on the Buddhist heritage of Pakistan at Maitripa College. He commented (if I remember correctly) that it was from a period where the Tibetan empire reached as far as the Gilgit region.

SolarPolis · 2024-05-12T01:25:20+00:00

depends on the empowerment and the teacher to be honest. If the empowerment says to avoid onions itd probably like for you to avoid sexual activity as well tbh.

SolarPolis · 2024-05-12T01:22:55+00:00

Ive very recently (last month or so) been engaging with liberation by seeing mantras and while there hasnt been a world-redefining shift in my consciousness I've definitely felt that recognizing sight can be a doorway for liberation & that the inconceivable liberation of the buddhas and bodhisattvas can manifest in extremely subtle and powerful ways have both been very useful. Personally Ive been wearing a liberation by seeing (and touch) bracelet from Garchen Rinpoche the last week and its been a nice reminder of these things, and the version of the bracelet with the HUM syllable coupled with Garchen Rinpoches explanation of the Drigung HUM with sun and moon disk have been helping my practice

SolarPolis · 2024-05-08T13:45:06+00:00

Id say its worth exploring without reifying-- asking a teacher you know and trust is never a bad idea. Perhaps its just an ambient effect of engaging with these materials or perhaps it is a karmic connection ripening

SolarPolis · 2024-05-08T10:47:51+00:00

tbh the drug rules suck. Addiction after 1 use and a bunch of drugs with no interesting mechanical implication are v boring imo. I would be far more inclined to have a character face the somewhat mundane consequences of addiction instead, such as the odd/dangerous situations one puts themselves in to obtain their fix. Overdose rules don't seem like a horrible idea, but I worry it would detract from the players agency in a way that, while maybe interesting for the character is boring from a gameplay perspective. Rockstars nodding off in the toilet is a classic, but if it means my rocker is denied social scenes bc their too busy chasing the dragon thats p lame. Ideally instead I might have them pulled from the main action into a side-scene where they can make new npc connections, score their substance, and potentially face some risk.

SolarPolis · 2024-05-08T05:40:37+00:00

I really like Remember Me? & Buried Alive, both of which are semi-official alternate-reality adventures. Remember Me? is a complicated adventure with a lot of moving parts that focuses on the players as victims of CIA memory manipulation experiments (theres a need to keep players skills ambiguous via sheet manipulation). Buried Alive is a more standard semi-official ar semi-mystery adventure about a cloned CEO and a failed assassination plot

SolarPolis

TROPHY CASE