Sangha

hello - I have some questions about specific experiences during meditation and I was wondering if there was anyone I could talk to who has personal experience in this arena and would be able to answer my questions. thank you!

It's the wee hours of the morning for me now and I am rambling through notes and readings I have encountered this past year, my first year practicing buddism. I practice with a group and we have good connection and discussion with one another. But it feels somewhat narrow that my experience of buddhism is so far shared only with the small group of friends. So in a half dazed frame of mind, with my most recent subject in the forefront of my mind, I have found this group and joined - Hello all!


Here is what has been on my mind tonight and I look forward to hearing anyone's reflection on these things.

Starting with a page I found at http://www.faithnet.org.uk/KS4/Soc… - here is a quote from that page:

"Inclusivism in Buddhism
Inclusivism is the belief that other religions, or philosophies, have POINTS OF TRUTH in them because they reflect aspects of, what is believed to be, the true religion in them. As such, a person can be 'saved' if they are living correctly even if they are aware of the 'true religion'. One of the main reasons why inclusivism 'works' is if one accepts that people are already 'saved' before, and despite, hearing the true message (You will only understand this last sentence if you have read the article Christianity and Other Religions). Although in Buddhism there is no God who saves people there is a teaching in Zen Buddhism which is very similar to the inclusivist view of grace as taught by the Catholic Church."

my ponder on this is:
1 - "a person can be saved if they are living correctly" ????
Or a person can live correctly when they have been "saved"? I think it's more like a person can live correctly when they have been "saved". And what is "Saved" anyway??? Saved from what? Well, I suppose there are tons of things people think they want to be saved from. As for me, I want to be "saved" from eternal separation from my Creator/Source, saved from eternal separation from Love, saved from eternal separation from everything I was made to commune with and in. Can the concept "Saved" correlate to the concept "Enlightened"

2 - What is the "Zen Buddhist teaching that is very similar to the inclusivist view of grace as taught by the (Roman) Catholic Church"? Did I miss something with that article? Or does it just skip telling the reader about that part after holding out that tidbit to get the mind to wondering? By grace I think of unmerited favor - Like when something good happens to you that you did nothing to deserve. So could the idea of grace in Buddhism be illustrated by when a Buddhist person shares their practice with a non-buddhist and that non-buddhist finds something they are seeking in this information and thus begins to practice as well? hmmm.

Okay deep ideas for an early morning after Thanksgiving. Looking forward to hearing from you all some time.

Thanks
Marion.

I'm writing my term paper for Buddhism on the topic of Buddhist ethics as related to suicide. While I know what the textbook information is, I am looking for the more personal view -- our personal ethic is rarely as cut and dried as scriptural ethic.

I am finishing up my data gathering and am looking for people who are willing to answer a six item questionnaire to be finished on or before this Friday (11/19).

If you would be willing to lend your insight or have any questions, please respond in the comments of this post, or by email to iconnu@gmail.com.

I will need a valid email address for anyone responding to take fill out the questionnaire so that I can send it to you. This is a research paper and not an article, so it is important that I have a consistent format for my references and enough information for my bibliography. Also, comments to this post are screened, and any comments containing contact information will not be unscreened.

Cross-posted just about everywhere as the larger the sample the better.

I'm new, both to the community and to buddhism. I've been using it as my mode of spiritual expression for about 4-6 months. I don't 100% ascribe to the cosmology/theology of buddhism, but I like the teachings and practices, and I'm trying to learn more. Most of what I've read talk a lot about the philosophy of buddism (the noble truths, the eightfold path, etc.) but I've had a bit of difficulty finding information about the customs and rituals of practice (forms of meditation, chants and their meanings, statues and their signifigance, etc.) Can anyone either reccommend a source (web preffered... I'm a starving student) or give me the low-down?

also, how does one go about finding the nearest temple? I would like to visit one. I don't think there are any quite near where I live (southern indiana), but I'm in Las Vegas for the summer, and there might be one out here.

finally, I have a question regarding monasticism and the middle way. Perhaps it's only my skewed western perspective, but it seems to me that monks engage in somewhat ascetic behavior. They can't drink, have sex/marry, eat after noon, etc. I understand the principle that these attatchments in life can be distracting, but it still seems to be immoderate, to the denial end of the spectrum. Any thoughts?

And I apologize, but this is getting cross posted in several buddhist forums. It won't be a habit.

I think some of my thoughts on the subject of dukkha (suffering, disappointment, the unsatisfactory nature of life) that I've posted previously were somewhat coloured by depression I was going through last year or thereabouts.

( long post but I think worthwhile maybeCollapse )

Anyway, that's my interpretation of it - feel free to criticise as long as it's constructive.

Just a quick note - there's much in Buddhism about sutras. Sutras are the written-down sayings of the Buddha and his successors in the dharma, but also the word can mean a writing, a scroll or a book, so to speak. My wife asked me the other day if the Kama Sutra was a Buddhist text. I told her it wasn't - for one thing, no Buddhist text would want to be associated with kama.

Kama is not karma. Karma means action - think of it as the ripples in a pond caused by your acts, bouncing back and forth causing reactions and repercussions that you may not have forseen, with various kinds of dukkha resulting. Kama is one of the causes of dukkha - Kama is lusting after sensual gratification.

So strictly speaking the Kama Sutra is the Book of Lust and from a buddhist point of view is quite an iniquitous concept.

More on dukkha in a moment.

Heard this on TV this morning whilst recovering from hangover, was said by Les Dennis of all people whilst discussing religion. He was saying he follows christian beliefs with some Bhuddism thrown in especially one quote:

"Before saying or doing anything think, is it necessary and is it going to hurt anyone else"

Wow...

King Ashoka, Buddhist Hero

I notice the term most often used for a Buddhist who lives in a temple with other Buddhists, wearing saffron robes, is "monk" or "nun". I myself have used this term. Jiho Sargent, in her excellent book "Asking About Zen" says that there's only one country where there are Buddhist Monks and Nuns - and that's the USA.

There's a difference, you see. A Monk or Nun typically lives to a greater or lesser degree secluded from the world, having devoted their life to God in order to pray and meditate on the scriptures. In Buddhism, there is not the same emphasis on seclusion. The terms "Monk", "Monastic" etc are Western, English ideas that do not apply. The root of the word "Monastic" is greek, and means to live alone, apart. The implications are that to be a monk, you need to live separate from the laity.

Since Buddhist clerics do not separate themselves from the Laity, but instead make daily rounds and make themselves available whenever possible to the general public, in order to do things like performing blessings, giving advice, and so on, their role is closer to that of a priest.

The lines have been somewhat blurred in recent decades since Christian monks and nuns are less secluded than they were, but nevertheless, the distinction holds. Jiho Sargent ought to know - she's a priest in Tokyo's largest Zen Buddhist temple, and has been for many years.