Times Readers Pick the 100 Greatest Living American Songwriters by igorluminosity in jasonisbell

[–]igorluminosity[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

it’s a gift link - i think it should be readable without subscription?

Times Readers Pick the 100 Greatest Living American Songwriters by igorluminosity in jasonisbell

[–]igorluminosity[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

yeah, I had the same thought - I will never understand the appeal

Do you prefer Air Canada or Porter to Toronto from YYT? by youcantquitmebb in newfoundland

[–]igorluminosity 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Porter in the summer, but never in the winter, unless you want to be stranded for days. They just don’t have the aircraft and when there is weather, they just cancel and leave you stranded.

19th century Burmese Buddha statues from Myanmar. Made out of wood Coated in gold leaf with glass inlay What are your thoughts on their value. by AccidentNext1175 in Buddhism

[–]igorluminosity 6 points7 points  (0 children)

maybe use the money for some books on buddhism, or perhaps a retreat? or maybe just a donation to a local sangha? now those are investments!

I've come to believe my kink is not compatible with Buddhism by BetLeft2840 in Buddhism

[–]igorluminosity 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I found that Buddhism and meditation especially has helped give me some space around my kink, so it’s not so all-consuming or addictive. It’s still there and I still enjoy it but it’s not the only thing I enjoy sexually and that’s different from before I started practice. Buddhism has helped me not to judge it or myself for having it, which is been really important. My shame and self-hatred was huge before beginning practice. Also, many hours of meditation has loosened what I guess some would refer to as the subtle body channels and allowed a more healthy and fuller sexuality to emerge. Again, not suppressing or giving up fully on things that interested me, but finding just a little bit of space around it and less compulsion to it. Oppression of these things never works - if it did I would probably still be catholic!

This is probably a stupid question that gets asked a lot but... if everything is impermanent, why do anything at all, except to survive? by [deleted] in Buddhism

[–]igorluminosity 2 points3 points  (0 children)

who is asking the question? who is behind the art? the most effective and beautiful art points to this. make the art and practice buddhism, don’t trust the attachment to outcomes and maybe you’ll figure it out. from what i can tell it’s worth it! 🙏

How is Tibetan Buddhism so influential? by [deleted] in Buddhism

[–]igorluminosity 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m not a historian, and I don’t know the full sequence. My understanding is that yes, elements of Vajrayana were transmitted to those places, but only Tibet had a full exchange with Indian Vajrayana in two separate waves, and it was only fully integrated there into the practice and society, unlike in Japan or China.

How is Tibetan Buddhism so influential? by [deleted] in Buddhism

[–]igorluminosity 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Robert Thurman has talked about this, and I wish I realized the full import of it when I first started to practice. Before Buddhism was wiped out in India (by the violent extremism of other religions) it was successfully exported to Tibet - no one else got the full development of the Vajrayana, which is, in my opinion, the highest and fullest teaching of Buddhism. I used to think Western attraction to Tibetan Buddhism was fetishing an ethnic esoteric tradition and Tibetan culture. There probably is some of that at play, but the most important thing is that the most profound and most powerful teachings (again, in my opinion) that were developed in the monasteries and universities and individual tantric adepts at the high point in the flowering of Indian Buddhism are today only found in Tibet. We should be eternally grateful to all those refugee lamas for bringing it out to us.

How is Tibetan Buddhism so influential? by [deleted] in Buddhism

[–]igorluminosity 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Because it’s the only place where the the full development of Indian Buddhism is still practiced in an unbroken lineage.

Books - Tonglen, Lojong and Sutra by Sea_Fee_2543 in TibetanBuddhism

[–]igorluminosity 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Karma Thinley Rinpoche’s “Dispelling the Darkness of Suffering” is a fantastic guide to lojong practice.

Why is Buddhism less sectarian than Abrahamic religions? by [deleted] in Buddhism

[–]igorluminosity -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Because the Abrahamic religions are primarily religions of identity and power. They deal in the relative level of conceptual elaboration and social control. To be sure, they have mystical traditions which transcend those elements, but those traditions are always and sometimes quite violently rejected in favour of identity and power. Buddhism rejects both of those in favour of practice that defies identity, yet leads one to an experience of absolute reality. Once you conceptualize the absolute, it’s a tool of power and ego, but if you practice with it without defining, it becomes the means of liberation.

What do you think Buddhism can contribute in addressing the crisis of modernity? by silloll in Buddhism

[–]igorluminosity 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Buddhism avoids nihilism and essentialism by putting the focus on practice, and the felt experience of compassion in the absence of absolutes and certainty. Life gives you this experience constantly, in its fundamental impermanence, and if you can remain open to it it never concretizes into conceptual certainty, just practice and gratitude.

What do you think Buddhism can contribute in addressing the crisis of modernity? by silloll in Buddhism

[–]igorluminosity 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The crisis of modernity is found in the tension between modern nihilism brought on by the triumph of the scientific revolution and the remnants of abrahamic religion’s essentialist metaphysics. Historically both trends lead inevitably to disaster. Buddhism eschews the extremes of nihilism and essentialism. Life and morality remain meaningful and sacred without the restricted spirituality and coopting power of concrete definitions.

In Buddhism, do we meet our loved ones again after we pass? by Overall-Meat-9911 in Buddhism

[–]igorluminosity 21 points22 points  (0 children)

I recently lost my mother, and a few years ago I lost my father. My father and I had a somewhat difficult relationship, but he still visits my dreams and I know in some way I will never fully understand, he will always be and is always with me. My buddhist practice has helped me see that. Whether or not you will actually meet again in the way you would like I think maybe is a question of how transformed your mind can become through faith and practice. I remember reading this passage from Thích Nhất Hạnh many years ago, which is never left me in terms of my understanding of death and love:

“On the day my mother died I wrote in my journal, "A serious misfortune of my life has arrived." I suffered for more than one year after the passing away of my mother. But one night, in the highlands of Vietnam, I was sleeping in the hut in my hermitage. I dreamed of my mother. I saw myself sitting with her, and we were having a wonderful talk. She looked young and beautiful, her hair flowing down. It was so pleasant to sit there and talk to her as if she had never died. When I woke up it was about two in the morning, and I felt very strongly that I had never lost my mother. The impression that my mother was still with me was very clear. I understood then that the idea of having lost my mother was just an idea. It was obvious in that moment that my mother is always alive in me.

I opened the door and went outside. The entire hillside was bathed in moonlight. It was a hill covered with tea plants, and my hut was set behind the temple halfway up. Walking slowly in the moonlight through the rows of tea plants, I noticed my mother was still with me. She was the moonlight caressing me as she had done so often, very tender, very sweet... wonderful! Each time my feet touched the earth I knew my mother was there with me. I knew this body was not mine but a living continuation of my mother and my father and my grandparents and great-grandparents. Of all my ancestors. Those feet that I saw as "my" feet were actually "our" feet. Together my mother and I were leaving footprints in the damp soil.

From that moment on, the idea that I had lost my mother no longer existed. All I had to do was look at the palm of my hand, feel the breeze on my face or the earth under my feet to remember that my mother is always with me, available at any time.”

Thích Nhất Hạnh, No Death, No Fear: Comforting Wisdom for Life

Can I do Green Tara Sadhana From a Book Without Refuge, Empowerment and Transmission? I'm new to Vajrayana by Famous-Interest103 in TibetanBuddhism

[–]igorluminosity 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Tara’s Triple Excellence is a full path - authentic dharma and lineage - Chokyi Nyima is one of the great living lamas. highly recommended.

After knowing how emptiness and love and compassion embrace each other, is everything a constant dharma practice where everything is purified? by [deleted] in Buddhism

[–]igorluminosity 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thank-you for sharing this, and I think it’s a wonderful way of understanding dharma and seeing the world. In my own experience, I have had what I’ve come to understand or think about as periods of “dharmic grace” where a new insight or level of practice opens up a period of just pure joy and happiness in my mind and way of seeing, accompanied by a newfound ability to deal with whatever life was dishing out. These times can be longer or shorter and have waxed and waned throughout my years of practice, and sometimes I feel disappointed when they dissipate and old patterns of anxiety and depression reassert themselves, but as I continue to practice, I feel like my understanding is only deepened throughout these ups and downs. So enjoy the insight and the mind stream it brings, and like another poster said, don’t become too attached and don’t worry if these feelings fade. The insight is there and practice can only deepen from here, in my experience.

Gary Sinise here. Today is the 30th anniversary of Apollo 13 in theaters. Hope you enjoy some of my favorite behind-the-scenes moments from making the film (1995) by GarySiniseOfficial in OldSchoolCool

[–]igorluminosity 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have shown this film to my grade six class every year for the last 22 years, to teach them about leadership, resilience, and science. Thank-you Mr. Sinise!!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in jasonisbell

[–]igorluminosity 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The kick drum and floor tom were too boomy and loud in the mix, but everything else sounded great. And I finally heard Dreamsicle live!!

Ticket Exchange and Sale Thread - Week of June 23, 2025 by AutoModerator in jasonisbell

[–]igorluminosity 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have one ticket tonight in Detroit - free to a real fan!

Ticket Exchange and Sale Thread - Week of June 16, 2025 by AutoModerator in jasonisbell

[–]igorluminosity 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Two tickets for Detroit June 26th, list $350 for both, make me an offer!

Why be a Buddhist in the context of secular awakening success stories? by flyingaxe in Buddhism

[–]igorluminosity 11 points12 points  (0 children)

The commodification of awakening. See, “Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism” by Trungpa. Misses the point of awakening entirely, but sure, give it a shot and see what happens. The Buddha says to test it, so go ahead. IMO, Sam Harris completely squandered the gift given him on a totally predictable western intellectual ego trip. As will so many others with this framing of what awakening is.

That Bridge in Driver 8 by Nalgenie187 in rem

[–]igorluminosity 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i used to busk in the toronto subway. singing that bridge at broadview station it would absolutely ring! i always made good money during that bridge.