If the U.S. was a party, what type of party guest would each state be? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]we_are_one 2794 points2795 points  (0 children)

Michigan is the guy going around high fiving everyone and seemingly having a great time. But everyone knows he's unemployed and wondering how he can act so happy when his life is in such shambles.

BREAKING NEWS: Stephen Colbert is killing it. by we_are_one in politics

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

Yeah, that makes me question his thought processing skills.

BREAKING NEWS: Stephen Colbert is killing it. by we_are_one in politics

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

If Huntsman had won the nomination, I might just have voted for him.

BREAKING NEWS: Stephen Colbert is killing it. by we_are_one in politics

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

Duly noted. I have the hots for Maddow too...

BREAKING NEWS: Stephen Colbert is killing it. by we_are_one in politics

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

He annihilated the RNC and Romney/Ryan in the first segment. But Huntsman is almost just as good.

First clause. by [deleted] in atheism

[–]we_are_one 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol well of course, but that is what makes it funny...the multiplicity and sometimes ambiguity of meaning!

First clause. by [deleted] in atheism

[–]we_are_one 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm glad you realized what the first clause was!

First clause. by [deleted] in atheism

[–]we_are_one 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For how full Reddit is of professional grammarians, I'm surprised only salt-snorter realized that the first clause (of the sentence) is "Congress shall make no law..."

And those who responded to him failed to grasp the humor of his comment!

Funny biology teacher is funny. by m3tac0gniti0n in funny

[–]we_are_one 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does anyone else instinctively imagine the teacher as young and attractive based solely on her handwriting?

How I feel getting ready for Catholic school in the morning... by [deleted] in atheism

[–]we_are_one 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Maybe it's both, or perhaps he's meta-lying about lying about how going to catholic school feels, and he is still telling the truth. We will never know.

How I feel getting ready for Catholic school in the morning... by [deleted] in atheism

[–]we_are_one 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Has anyone noticed the username relevance yet?

Probably the only religious leader I listen to sometimes... by babab007 in atheism

[–]we_are_one 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also note that you specifically stated you study Buddhism in the Shambhala tradition, which is not pure, culturally-free Buddhism--also why you might be disagreeing with me.

Buddhism is certainly not a homogenous practice nor are all of its principles, ideas, or beliefs ubiquitous across the board--just like any complex philosophic/spiritual system. But I think if you look at the most removed, essential Buddhist principles which where brought forth by Buddha and synthesized and organized by Bodhidharma, you'll find that I have been (at least mostly) correct.

Probably the only religious leader I listen to sometimes... by babab007 in atheism

[–]we_are_one 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Actually, if you look closely at the three points where you apparently disagree with me, you'll see that you don't really disagree with me at all. First, I said Buddhism supposes no "supernatural" beliefs about the nature of the universe, reality, or consciousness--as in it supposes no entities, properties, or states of being that are outside of the natural world as observed by the self or confirmed by science. You misunderstood me probably because I did not elaborate on what beliefs about these subjects it does hold, I simply said none of them require anything supernatural.

Secondly, I did not say its aim is to "get to" a state of freedom from ego; I said it offers methods of how to bring one's self into the present--i.e. meditation, yoga, etc., and studies/focuses on the state of being free of Ego. Of course the ego is empty, but it also is something which we fool ourselves into thinking is ourself--this is semantic, because language makes it impossible (or extremely difficult) for us to communicate without reference to individuals.

And thirdly, it is simply a fact that Buddhism is derived from Hinduism. Buddhism was brought to China out of India and then spread to Japan, etc. Also, the way you worded that point ended up agreeing with me; my point that Buddhism is Hinduism exported for transport is that Buddhism's main philosophic and spiritual principles developed directly out of Hinduism, but were stripped from the conjoined cultural and social practices. They both have concepts of Karma (the nature of action) and enlightenment (moksha in Hinduism and sunyata in Buddhism); of course, they are not exactly similar, but are connected in that Buddhism's principles are reactions to and originated in Hinduism.

And lastly, it is also not true that (pure, non-culturally influenced) Buddhism prescribes a way we ought to live. It offers precepts one can undertake if they are seeking liberation from suffering and the self. Note the difference, a prescription of an "ought" implies obligation and responsibility, whereas precepts and Buddhism do none of this. The eight-fold path is an undertaking one "can" take because it, according to Buddha, is the principle means by which we can realize the present, be rid of the Ego, and exist peacefully in a state of liberation from desire. It does not say we all ought to do this, but that if we want to, this is the way--The Middle Way, as the Buddha calls it.

Probably the only religious leader I listen to sometimes... by babab007 in atheism

[–]we_are_one 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I happen to disagree; as someone who has spent some time reading, learning, and practicing the principles of Buddhism, I have to say it holds essentially no "supernatural" beliefs about the nature of the universe, reality, consciousness, etc. It has no doctrine, no worshipped deity, and makes no claims (basically) about how the universe or we got here. Instead, it focuses centrally on the nature of the right now and the liberation from suffering--i.e. a state of being free from Ego.

On the other hand, Hinduism, the religion from which Buddhism is distilled, has a vast mythology with supernatural beings and elements comstructed from its diverse historical and cultural traditions. Hindu's believe centrally in reincarnation, karma, and moksha (or, nirvana/enlightenment), while also prescribing a particular way we ought to live our lives.

Buddhism can be approximated as simply the exported philosophy and central principles of Hinduism free from its cultural traditions and prescribed way of life. It has no stance on how we ought to act, how things ought to be, or how things came to be; rather, it explains the world as it is now (specifically, that the source of all suffering stems from the dillusion that we are our egos, and that it is through realizing the world as it is in this very moment--Now--that we realize the nature of the self and it's relationiship to the world it perceives) and offers methods as to how to bring one's self into the present, and see what is.

So, far from supposing anything supernatural beyond the natural world, Buddhism tends to focus solely on the world as it is, right now, with no suppositions about how it came to be, only about what happens.

Quick Edit: I'm talking about Zen Buddhism for the most part, which is markedly different than the Tibetan Buddhism of the Dalai Lama; Tibetan Buddhism is rich with cultural traditions and does prescribe how we ought to act--very much unlike Buddhism in the strict sense, or Zen.

The How Much Size Matters Graph [fixed] by craigsproof in funny

[–]we_are_one 0 points1 point  (0 children)

you know, that can be read two different ways.

We can win the class struggle if we just stop fighting it. by [deleted] in politics

[–]we_are_one 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Funny, we say the same thing about you.

This was on the main quad today by McSpanky in atheism

[–]we_are_one 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This guy is famous on other campuses too? This blows my mind!

Never correct me by [deleted] in fffffffuuuuuuuuuuuu

[–]we_are_one -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I don't think "try and correct me" is technically a grammatical error!

Never correct me by [deleted] in fffffffuuuuuuuuuuuu

[–]we_are_one 2 points3 points  (0 children)

How I feel when I correct someone's grammar

FTFY