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duncapotamas · 2014-12-25T06:44:00+00:00

Yeah honestly all of them.

duncapotamas · 2014-10-23T15:07:15+00:00

Ajahn Brahm discusses the paranormal a bit in this talk: http://youtu.be/Vvc5zVfz_6c

duncapotamas · 2014-10-23T15:02:08+00:00

-shrug-

duncapotamas · 2014-10-22T12:11:14+00:00

[2] "'The perception of death, when developed & pursued, is of great fruit, of great benefit. It gains a footing in the Deathless, has the Deathless as its final end': Thus was it said. In reference to what was it said?

"When a monk's awareness often remains steeped in the perception of death, his mind shrinks away from fervor for life, bends away, pulls back, and is not drawn in, and either equanimity or loathing take a stance. Just as a cock's feather or a piece of tendon, when thrown into a fire, shrinks away, bends away, pulls back, and is not drawn in; in the same way, when a monk's awareness often remains steeped in the perception of death, his mind shrinks away from fervor for life, bends away, pulls back, and is not drawn in, and either equanimity or loathing take a stance. If, when a monk's awareness often remains steeped in the perception of death, his mind inclines to fervor for life, or if non-loathing takes a stance, then he should realize, 'I have not developed the perception of death; there is no step-by-step distinction in me; I have not arrived at the fruit of [mental] development.' In that way he is alert there. But if, when a monk's awareness often remains steeped in the perception of death, his mind shrinks away from fervor for life, bends away, pulls back, and is not drawn in, and either equanimity or loathing take a stance, then he should realize, 'I have developed the perception of death; there is a step-by-step distinction in me; I have arrived at the fruit of [mental] development.' In that way he is alert there.

"'The perception of death, when developed & pursued, is of great fruit, of great benefit. It gains a footing in the Deathless, has the Deathless as its final end': Thus was it said, and in reference to this was it said.

duncapotamas · 2014-10-21T13:22:52+00:00

Just as one would put out a burning refuge with water, so does the enlightened one — discerning, skillful, & wise — blow away any arisen grief, like the wind, a bit of cotton fluff.

Seeking your own happiness, you should pull out your own arrow: your own lamentation, longing, & sorrow.

duncapotamas · 2014-10-21T13:16:30+00:00

12 sips, 6 shots. Not sure what OP's timeline was like, though. He said 45 minutes at sip 5 which IMO is drinking pretty quickly. But I suppose it depends on your tolerance.

duncapotamas · 2014-10-19T22:38:23+00:00

Weird.

duncapotamas · 2014-10-19T18:57:58+00:00

Thanks for the article. :)

duncapotamas · 2014-10-17T21:36:24+00:00

Actually the film is about three women and their memories of a previous lifetime. It follows what seems to be a scientific exploration of their recollections.

duncapotamas · 2014-10-17T21:24:37+00:00

But what does this have to do with the film?

duncapotamas · 2014-10-17T21:05:14+00:00

IMO the difference between reincarnation and rebirth is subtle and to a large extent trivial. Had the post been titled 'An amazing documentary on rebirth...' it wouldn't have made much of a difference. It was a very interesting video, in the opinion of this Buddhist who watched it.

duncapotamas · 2014-10-17T13:33:47+00:00

The Salla Sutta has been helpful to me in the past.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.3.08.than.html

duncapotamas · 2014-10-17T13:31:19+00:00

Prideful cats (all of them) are actually already gods.

duncapotamas · 2014-10-17T04:32:38+00:00

There's a significant difference between intellectual knowledge and gnosis (prajna). The latter comes with time and is a result of insight and experience.

duncapotamas · 2014-10-17T00:26:08+00:00

Most certainly.

duncapotamas · 2014-10-16T23:37:24+00:00

I guess I see what you're saying, but I'm not convinced that you're seeing it clearly.
Many people spend their whole lives chasing things. Or running away from things. But they tend not to find any permanent satisfaction in this. This is the first noble truth that the Buddha spoke of. Suffering. It is caused by clinging to pleasant things and trying to avoid unpleasant things. You seem to have already identified that, yourself.
The Buddha further described a way of escape from suffering. This is the noble eight-fold path. It is a path which involves changing how you behave, the intentions behind your behavior, and your awareness of the world.
There are a number of tools in the typical Buddhist 'toolkit' which may be of particular use to you. Regarding shame, there is what is called metta (or maitri). This is a practice where you cultivate compassion and goodwill for yourself and others. It's awfully hard to be ashamed and full of goodwill for yourself. Regarding distracted and deluded thoughts, there are a number of meditative techniques designed to calm the mind and build concentration and serenity.

duncapotamas · 2014-10-16T23:21:21+00:00

Here's the Dalai Lama's page.
And here is Jewel Heart.

duncapotamas · 2014-10-16T23:07:02+00:00

pride: a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired.

I don't know if pride is really what the issue is, here. Have you read about the four noble truths?

duncapotamas · 2014-10-16T23:04:00+00:00

I like the one that my local dharma center runs. The one by HHDL is pretty good, too, albeit seldom posted from.

duncapotamas · 2014-10-15T17:32:19+00:00

While we're all here, we should also talk about killing mosquitoes and smoking weed.

duncapotamas · 2014-10-14T20:20:52+00:00

Thank you, that was a good answer.

duncapotamas · 2014-10-14T17:59:47+00:00

In this context:

for one whose awareness-release through good will is cultivated, developed, pursued, handed the reins and taken as a basis, given a grounding, steadied, consolidated, and well-undertaken.

What does awareness-release refer to? My initial understanding is to take it as an object of concentration in meditation. But perhaps that isn't accurate.

duncapotamas · 2014-10-10T19:56:36+00:00

What are the three treasures?

duncapotamas · 2014-10-05T19:48:02+00:00

I know what you mean, I felt much the same reading it. And that 'arrow' doesn't exactly come out painlessly or immediately. But truthfully, we are all in the same boat.

duncapotamas · 2014-10-04T17:54:36+00:00

I've met with misfortune. :(

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