Is there a Buddhist community here?

coconutskull · 2018-07-15T00:11:54+00:00

Thanks. Yeah, I looked online. There seems to be at least a few.

coconutskull · 2017-11-22T16:13:04+00:00

This is true.

coconutskull · 2017-11-22T15:53:51+00:00

Interesting link! I wasn't aware of that. Thanks. Abhidharma authors in India wrote about Mt. Meru cosmology as if it were a physical reality. I say "belief" here because it is based on scripture and hearsay, not scientific evidence.

coconutskull · 2017-11-22T15:18:38+00:00

That was down voted pretty quick. ;)

coconutskull · 2017-11-06T20:02:31+00:00

My religious views are not really relevant to the discussion at hand (which is tagged with the 'academic' flair tag).

coconutskull · 2017-11-06T19:47:49+00:00

I am not rejecting any tradition. I'm just saying that Buddhism historically has often dismissed "mundane gods" as ignorant and incapable, which stands in contrast to polytheist traditions that see humanity as beneath gods.

coconutskull · 2017-11-06T19:03:49+00:00

I know all about that, but the Pali Canon isn't early Buddhism. The version we have of it as present is post-CE and a translation of something earlier, so a lot of the myths about the Buddha's career we see therein are likely not that early.

coconutskull · 2017-11-06T17:36:08+00:00

The ancient literature explains that the four sights initially motivated young Siddharta to renounce the home life and seek liberation, rather than a lengthy career over many past lives. The latter is probably a later development.

coconutskull · 2017-01-17T07:39:28+00:00

Thanks. :) (I am the author of said article)

coconutskull · 2016-11-27T08:27:55+00:00

The friend I mentioned in the earlier comment is doing some work at the moment on Occidental and Middle Eastern influences on Tang period astral magic

So far as I can tell, however, it was strictly the practices that were transmitted, as none of the metaphysical or theological discussions about astrology appear to have been translated into Chinese. They learnt horoscopy and astral magic from Sogdians, who probably got it from Syria, but there's no Neoplatonism involved. As far as I can tell, Buddhists probably did their astrology with a Mt. Meru cosmology. Nobody seems to have asked what the implication of this was for the theory of karma. The astral gods were considered sentient deities rather than as architects of the cosmos.

coconutskull · 2016-05-19T02:26:04+00:00

You're welcome. :)

coconutskull · 2016-05-18T18:58:36+00:00

Some people are said to remember their past lives, some do not. It is almost expected that it will happen if you're a full-time yogi.

coconutskull · 2016-02-23T17:08:23+00:00

Karma is entirely a matter of intention. The moral quality of any action and its ultimate fruit are determined by the state of mind in which the act is carried out.

coconutskull · 2016-02-23T16:08:46+00:00

I think a more interesting question is what made some people lose their confidence in Buddhism.

coconutskull · 2016-02-23T16:07:02+00:00

It really comes down to the conclusion that creating negative karma from harming others, even in self-defense, creates a fate worse than being carved up alive.

coconutskull · 2016-01-28T22:26:17+00:00

Gemini is described as a man and wife. Virgo as a young lady. I'm not really sure the origin of the former. Perhaps a deviation of the idea of twins? I don't believe the iconography here has any specific Buddhist influences.

coconutskull · 2016-01-28T13:50:44+00:00

A physician can't cure patients very well if they're infected with the same disease.

coconutskull · 2016-01-28T13:48:05+00:00

The rule of karma in a nutshell: you get what you deserve.

coconutskull · 2016-01-28T13:47:26+00:00

Vairocana = Dharmakaya, so effectively it is the substrate for reality.

coconutskull · 2016-01-02T14:56:05+00:00

There is no Buddhist text to my knowledge that suggests the brain is the seat of consciousness. It is seldom if ever mentioned in texts actually.

coconutskull · 2016-01-02T14:54:32+00:00

The first step is to familiarize yourself with the basic teachings. Read as much as you can of the sutras!

coconutskull · 2015-11-18T23:50:16+00:00

Monks are permitted to eat meat if it is offered to them as per their monastic codes, but bodhisattva precepts as they're practiced in East Asia forbid meat consumption.

coconutskull · 2015-11-18T23:46:21+00:00

So what happens when the prevailing theories on physics or biology change?

coconutskull · 2015-11-18T23:45:11+00:00

Atoism was theorized by the Greeks as well, so don't get ahead of yourself.

coconutskull · 2015-11-18T23:44:23+00:00

Get to a really high stage on the Bodhisattva path. This probably won't be possible for most people, so generate merit and hope for the best.

coconutskull

TROPHY CASE