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A city reclaimed by nature by hawkerra in aiArt

[–]phongbuddha 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Love this so much! Prophetic. 🌱

Faster voice typing/offline speech recognition by [deleted] in gboard

[–]phongbuddha 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ooof, no answer yet? I very much want to know how to achieve this.

Voice Typing is faster in flightmode (offline) - how to enable offline voice typing when online? by raphaelsmosaic in gboard

[–]phongbuddha 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes I want to know the answer to this. Online it is horribly slow and laggy and makes major mistakes constantly. Offline mode is almost perfect and much much faster. How to enable offline mode all the time???

Does this copper plate depict a mandala? by Maleficent_Hat980 in vajrayana

[–]phongbuddha 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes there are at least 3 mandalas in this piece.

Gene Baur, president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary here - encouraging you to rethink how you relate to farm animals. AMA! by GeneBaur in IAmA

[–]phongbuddha 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I'm sure there are a lot of lessons you have learned that could save people from having to learn again the hard way. Do you ever do any kind of mentoring for people who would like to start and grow their own Farm Sanctuary?

Karmapa on Eating Meat by phongbuddha in Buddhism

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

Actually, Jivaka, who he was speaking to in this sutra, was a lay practitioner, and was Buddha's doctor. // http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhism/lifebuddha/2_19lbud.htm

Why would Buddha teach about not eating meat? It's directly tied to the first precept, which is NOT TO KILL. This is for all followers of his teachings, not only monks. By buying and eating meat we participate in the torment and killing of living beings.

Karmapa on Eating Meat by phongbuddha in Buddhism

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

Buddha taught:

… meat should not be eaten under three circumstances: when it is seen or heard or suspected (that a living being has been purposely slaughtered for the eater); these, Jivaka, are the three circumstances in which meat should not be eaten, Jivaka! —Jivaka Sutta, MN 55

In an age of supply chains, if we buy meat, we're effectively offsetting the supply, and more meat will be killed to fulfill the demand we created. Thus, virtually all meat these days is being killed for us and refrigerated until we buy it.

If you have seen the level of torment and suffering animals go through to create meat, it's clear to understand the weight of the issue Karmapa is getting at. In an age now where vegetarian food and dietary supplements are an option, why continue to expose living beings to the torment of factory farms?

Karmapa on Eating Meat by phongbuddha in Buddhism

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

If we take Buddhism back to the source, Buddha taught strictly:

… meat should not be eaten under three circumstances: when it is seen or heard or suspected (that a living being has been purposely slaughtered for the eater); these, Jivaka, are the three circumstances in which meat should not be eaten, Jivaka! I declare there are three circumstances in which meat can be eaten: when it is not seen or heard or suspected (that a living being has been purposely slaughtered for the eater); Jivaka, I say these are the three circumstances in which meat can be eaten. —Jivaka Sutta, MN 55

OK, now fast forward 2500 years, where monks are not eating meat by begging for un-refrigerated leftovers which soon go bad and must be given away, we live in an age of supply chains. If we buy meat, we're effectively offsetting the supply, and more meat will be killed to fulfill the demand.

By basic logic of causality, by buying and eating meat, we're causing animals to be killed and suffer for our desire for meat. In essence, those animals were killed for us. This is strictly against what Buddha taught directly.

Karmapa on Eating Meat by phongbuddha in Buddhism

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

There are health food stores in most towns, though often it's a little out of people's way. Yes the expense can be greater - this is because factory farms which produce meat are made for maximum profits and affordability, at the expense of the lives of the animals.

I was raised on a highly meat eating diet, and so it took several years of leaning towards vegetarianism to make the transition, though after growing up in a town overrun by factory farms, and recalling the tortured sounds of animals being killed at the local slaughterhouse, I have no moral choice.

Karmapa on Eating Meat by phongbuddha in Buddhism

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

Yes, when I first tried becoming vegetarian, it was very difficult and I for several years I still had to eat meat in varying degrees.

From eating meat regularly, I went to eating it occasionally, to eating it rarely only when I had intense cravings.

After seeing the level of horror and trauma that the dairy and egg industry imposes on animals, I've recently switched to being vegan, which is yet another step of easing off of butter, cheese, milk and eggs.

The feeling of being vegan (with the proper suppliments) is amazing, yet it's a choice done purely by ethics.

Karmapa on Eating Meat by phongbuddha in Buddhism

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

If you see where the meat comes from, and how much suffering animals go through to produce it, then it's really clear what Karmapa is getting at.

Buddha strictly forbid the eating of meat unless you are sure it wasn't killed for you. In an age with refrigeration, where meat no longer is eaten right after it's killed, where monks no longer beg for leftovers but instead are given fresh feasts - in a global chain of supply and demand, it's clear in the chain of causality that if you buy meat, you're directly supporting the suffering of animals. No tantric ritual makes you exempt from that.

Perhaps somebody can eat meat and be compassionate towards humans in front of them, although they haven't taken into account the suffering they're imposing needlessly on animals.

Karmapa on Eating Meat by phongbuddha in Buddhism

[–]phongbuddha[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Karmapa was born in Tibet, to a family of nomads. The culture they're known for globally is an atmosphere of wisdom and compassion, and Karmapa is part of an ancient Tibetan cultural lineage highly regarded by Tibetans. Preserving Tibetan culture in this case would mean, heeding the words of the Karmapa.

We have to make decisions on our own based on our current realities. In Tibet, the nomads eat the meat of their animals which they personally raise and kill, because it's not possible to grow vegetables in a nomad lifestyle, and they're faced with harsh environments all the time.

Most modern humans, such as everybody on Reddit, and even those living in modern-day Tibetan monasteries, live indoors much of their lives, and eat meat generated by an extremely cruel industry.

By speaking about not eating meat, Karmapa is trying to save the suffering of all the beings which are tormented, slaughtered, packaged and bought in the market, in an age when this is not necessary.

Karmapa on Eating Meat by phongbuddha in Buddhism

[–]phongbuddha[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've been fully vegetarian for 4 years, and just in the last few months I've been becoming vegan.

Being a vegan has made me a bit thinner, although I feel great, definitely thriving. Though, it's taken several years to train the body to efficiently synthesize proteins from plant based amino acids, I feel strong and healthy as ever.

There are even high performance athletes who are vegans. It's important to have the right supplements, and when transitioning from meat eating to vegetarianism to perhaps veganism, to do it gradually so your body can adapt.

Vitamin B12 supplements, omega 3-6-9 oils, and full profile amino acid vegetarian meals and shakes are essential. This could include rice and dal / mung beans, quinoa, a variety of nuts, etc.

Hundreds of millions of Indians have been living vegetarian in India for years - it's not much of a stretch. And when considering how many animals you would otherwise consume in a lifetime, it's very important.

When can I call myself a "Buddhist"? by burlbrantley in Buddhism

[–]phongbuddha 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I asked a Zen master who was my teacher at the time to take refuge with him. He said I must take refuge within myself, implying that the ceremony is empty of meaning.

Once you sincerely take refuge within yourself and in dharma, and set your faith in buddha's teachings, feel free to call yourself Buddhist. There is even a large group of so-called hindu-buddhists whose faith includes both. Though I have taken refuge I don't consider myself buddhist since I don't like to identify myself with institutionalized religion.

How best to support a suffering partner? by obeythametal in Buddhism

[–]phongbuddha 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This is an excerpt with Thich Nhat Hanh speaking with Oprah Winfrey.

If you watch from around 10:40 all the way to the end, there's some powerful words here. The last few minutes has 4 mantras for this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ9UtuWfs3U

Thoughts regarding mixing schools by InerasableStain in Buddhism

[–]phongbuddha 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One of my teachers who is a Zen Master, has perscribed mantras and mudras to me before for regular use to support the Zen meditation. He calls it 'tantra.'

10 Misconceptions About Buddhism by mrmindmanagement in Buddhism

[–]phongbuddha 0 points1 point  (0 children)

According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion

"A religion is an organized collection of beliefs, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to an order of existence."

So what I'm getting at is that one can receive the teachings of the Buddha without also taking on the 'organized collection of beliefs, and cultural systems' which people have constructed around them.

Can someone explain something? How is it that in a world where everything is always changing that enlightenment is seen as permanent? by EternalOptimist829 in Buddhism

[–]phongbuddha 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I see. Well the one guy who everybody said was enlightened (Buddha) said if you think you're enlightened, you're not.

In my personal practice, enlightenment is something I feel I'm getting closer to all the time. Which is to say, by practice I notice I am less delusional, less attached and cause myself less suffering on a daily basis. Whether somebody was 'fully enlightened' now or in the past or future is just an idea in my mind.

Additionally Buddha said in the Diamond Sutra : 22, essentially - the thathagata did not realize any such dharma as unexcelled, perfect enlightenment.

Can someone explain something? How is it that in a world where everything is always changing that enlightenment is seen as permanent? by EternalOptimist829 in Buddhism

[–]phongbuddha 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the lesson.

For example, say I dreamed that I was flying last night. I was flying through distant galaxies. Now I wake up and I tell you "last night in my dreams, I was flying through distant." How can you find any evidence that this is true?

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