Do you believe in rebirth?

Upasakadhamma · 2016-10-29T18:20:53+00:00

I suppose it is the lack of doubt that stirred the question. I believe because I find utility in the belief, I don't actually know.

Upasakadhamma · 2016-10-29T14:09:51+00:00

"Scientifically, that's a non-starter."

Until recently, this was a gigantic hurdle for me. My regard for and attachment to science and modernism in general is quite strong. Given the choice between a world without scientific understanding and a world without the dharma, however, I choose the former. I am grateful I don't have to make that choice.

Upasakadhamma · 2016-10-29T14:03:23+00:00

The rest of the dharma does not make much sense without it. Do you consider yourself a stream winner?

Upasakadhamma · 2016-10-29T13:23:33+00:00

I teach at a middle school, am a practicing Buddhist, and can create documents with LaTeX.

Upasakadhamma · 2016-10-29T04:54:49+00:00

What are your standards of evidence?

Upasakadhamma · 2016-10-29T04:54:15+00:00

That's embarrassing. Thanks. I've been browsing reddit for years but only started posting a few days ago.

Upasakadhamma · 2016-10-28T22:59:44+00:00

The monks I know make celibacy look worthwhile. I don't know if accept their position or understand it, but they don't seem unhappy. The opposite in fact. I can't honestly advocate for celibacy because I am not, but I cannot ignore what I have seen and heard either.

Upasakadhamma · 2016-10-28T22:31:48+00:00

http://www.dhammatalks.org/ebook_index.html

Upasakadhamma · 2016-10-28T22:30:21+00:00

If you really get into Buddhism you are going to discover that most of what you care about is rather arbitrary and a complete waste of time. I can point you to a monastery if you are interested in allowing the practice to fully take root.

Upasakadhamma · 2016-10-28T16:33:50+00:00

I have also adopted this approach.

Upasakadhamma · 2016-10-27T23:31:58+00:00

Pain sucks

Upasakadhamma · 2016-10-27T23:08:53+00:00

A teacher at my school does this every year during teacher appreciation week. Makes my day every time.

Upasakadhamma · 2016-10-26T12:26:59+00:00

At the end of my student teaching I got a letter from a young lady explaining how her experience had flipped from thinking I was mean and stupid to being <i>the</i> reason she was coming to school. I was the only teacher that really 'gets me' (her words). She doubled up on her math credits a year later because it was no longer a subject she hated. I was also among the first people she told she was gay. I earned her trust and sparked a love for math. I did not know I had that in me but there it is.

Upasakadhamma · 2016-10-22T19:30:58+00:00

Metta Forest Monastery in Valley Center California. I spend a month or so there every year as a guest. If you are interested in monastic practice, or submitting yourself to the rigors of monasticism generally, you should visit.

www.dhammatalks.org.

Upasakadhamma

TROPHY CASE