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It's going to be different depending on the teacher. The one constant thing is that you are expected to offer something that is painful to let go of. Some people view that as money, others view that as an object that holds a lot of emotional value behind it. I took mine with Dzongsar Rinpoche, and it was fairly informal. There were a lot of younger 20-somethings in the group, and many of them expressed . . . apprehension the night before about taking the vows, because they weren't sure they were ready for them. He cut someone off halfway through their question and told them that even if they felt that way, they MUST take the vow. He left it at that and most of us did.
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May 8, 2015 21:39
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Never heard of that offering thing, but in the Drikung tradition bodhisattva vows are part of the basic package for any empowerment, along with the tantric vows of any given samaya. At any kind of ceremony it's understood you should make an offering of some sort. In any case, I'd take them. The bodhisattva vows vary from tradition to tradition. I know other schools have much more formally established ones than Drikung Kagyu. But they're not like the Vinaya. Rather than specific instructions like when to sit or stand or eat or so on, the bodhisattva vows represent the commitment towards a manner of behavior to benefit all sentient beings. In any case, they'll always make sure you're aware of what exactly you're committing to, because giving vows goes both ways. Giving vows to someone who isn't ready or able to maintain them will also karmically hurt the guy giving the vows. But again, these vows aren't ones that you'll likely find it difficult to maintain, and their karmic benefit is tremendous for this and future lives, so I would take them pretty much as long as you're committed to the Mahayana.
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May 8, 2015 23:29
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Rhymenoceros posted:Edit 2: On second thought, I regret bringing up this point; seems like it can only create division and that's not worth it. We should all respect each other. I didn't think it was too divisive but I understand there you are coming from. Honestly the inter-tradition dialogue in this thread is refreshingly drama free compared to a lot of Buddhist discussions I have seen online. Good people in this thread.
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May 9, 2015 01:46
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Rhymenoceros posted:Edit 2: On second thought, I regret bringing up this point; seems like it can only create division and that's not worth it. We should all respect each other. I'd seen you reply and didn't find it problematic. I don't consider it a "hill to die on" and didn't realize how many words I'd written on it, I blame Wafflehound for my feeling I need to defend use of the word (also, my teachers and most of the respected teachers I follow or study under use it, so I felt like I should take up "for them"). That said I had also decided to leave it rest, so I'm content to do so. Prickly Pete posted:I didn't think it was too divisive but I understand there you are coming from. Honestly the inter-tradition dialogue in this thread is refreshingly drama free compared to a lot of Buddhist discussions I have seen online. Good people in this thread. This however is absolutely true. Sectarianism can be a major bridge to cross. In many ways, it's easier for Buddhists to get along with people of other faiths entirely than it is for us to get along with one another sometimes I think. For example a Muslim or a Christian I can exchange with without ever quibbling about details or feeling I need to take up "a stance," I can am simply free to represent Buddhism however I best can. With another Buddhist, however, there is always the risk of sectarian division. This isn't so much a problem between the Mahayana and Vajrayana schools, as Vajrayana sees itself as part of the Mahayana but with Game Genie in or something, and Mahayana respects that Vajrayana is Mahayana but with voodoo. Things get problematic with things outside the Mahayana, as the bridge there can be much wider. That said, the most important thing is that it all has to be based on the fundamental aspects of Buddhism, which were taught in that first turning of the Wheel, being the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. Mahayana is simply another approach that builds on that. Without the Four Noble Truths, there is no understanding of any need to find a cessation of suffering, so there's no Buddhism. This thread keeps super cool given that we have many different sects represented. Prickly Pete is one of my favorite regular posters in this thread because a lot of what is discussed is very Mahayana/Vajrayana oriented, but he rolls with it. We have a few Mahamudra and Dzogchen style people in here who really embrace Rime, and we have Mahayanists and people just investigating and people who just meditate and so on. In the past this thread has even had its problems, specifically on the issue of secular Buddhism and dogmatism involving the nature of karma and rebirth and so on, but even that we generally tend to move on from or resolve well. This is a great thread. Edit: Also, I wanted to share that His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa recently visited DC to try to raise awareness and funding to support Nepal. While here, he popped over to Baltimore, where he offered support and prayers for Freddie Gray, as well as at the CVS where the arson occurred and so on. He is continuing on a US tour promoting LGBTQ rights. This is truly the activity of a Bodhisattva, and I am filled with happiness about his putting the teachings into action. Paramemetic fucked around with this message at 03:15 on May 9, 2015 |
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May 9, 2015 03:10
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Timely advice on the Bodhisattva vow, from the Facebook page of the center where His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche is currently teaching:quote:One episode where a demonic figure came to cause trouble, the Buddha bound him by the power of his concentration.
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May 10, 2015 02:01
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How do you guys maintain meditation habits? I really just want to meditate for 10 minutes every day, but I can never stick to it. Any advice? I know this question has probably been asked 1,000 times, but this thread is kinda dead anyway.
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May 16, 2015 23:29
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Pick a time you do it, and do it at that time. I also find it useful to give myself a window, and also to use force of habit and play to our weaknesses of not wanting to fail. For daily practice, I started by using an app, I think now called Rewire, on my phone. It basically has me push a button when I accomplish a thing, and it tracks days in a row with a visual and so on. Doing that for a few weeks, even when I missed it, and eventually the habit stuck, I'm now at about 2 months without missing a day. The other thing is to be flexible, but also realistic and honest with yourself. If you really just don't want to do it, don't do it that day, but note that you failed. if you want to do it, but honestly cannot find 10 minutes uninterrupted in the whole day, then you can give yourself a "skip." On days you do it, mission accomplished! You don't need an app for this, just a calendar, but it's helpful to me. Also, don't set yourself up for failure. Try to do it in the morning when you can, or in the evening before bed (making sure you go to bed before you're too exhausted to stay awake), or set aside 10 minutes on a lunch break or after dinner or something. Don't set it up "by 10" or "by bedtime" or something, or you'll end up waiting until the 11th hour and going "oh well."
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May 16, 2015 23:54
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Why do you want to meditate every day? What do you think you're going to get?
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May 17, 2015 00:37
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Tautologicus posted:Why do you want to meditate every day? What do you think you're going to get? Any of the innumerable benefits of meditation, probably. Or perhaps to engage in the path of wisdom through meditative concentration. Or to begin approaching the mahamudra. Or just to have less stress in life. Are you asking this because you're prompting him to investigate his motives to encourage him, or have you come to share your unique understanding of the Heart Sutra some more?
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May 17, 2015 00:42
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Paramemetic posted:Any of the innumerable benefits of meditation, probably. Or perhaps to engage in the path of wisdom through meditative concentration. Or to begin approaching the mahamudra. Or just to have less stress in life. Are you asking this because you're prompting him to investigate his motives to encourage him, or have you come to share your unique understanding of the Heart Sutra some more? Both but i'm gonna kinda halfass it this time and just reply with goony snarks. As long as you're seeking to benefit though, you're doing the same exact thing as you always were. And that's fine, nothing wrong with doing the same thing. But looking to do something different and be somebody different, that's a world of pain right there. Any path you follow, if you keep your head up looking at the horizon where it's starting from, you'll see the first guy just making it up for the rest of you as he goes along.
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May 17, 2015 01:06
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Yes, I do think it will make me a "different" person in that it will improve my quality of life. I am mostly interested in doing it for selfish/"worldly" reasons, such as performing better at my work, learning, having better and more present interactions with others, but I would also like to be more able to evaluate positive pathways in life to make my and other's world a better place. Is that a lot to ask from 10 minutes of meditation? Yes. But I think not-doing it is pushing me in the other direction.
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May 17, 2015 01:46
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an skeleton posted:Yes, I do think it will make me a "different" person in that it will improve my quality of life. I am mostly interested in doing it for selfish/"worldly" reasons, such as performing better at my work, learning, having better and more present interactions with others, but I would also like to be more able to evaluate positive pathways in life to make my and other's world a better place. Is that a lot to ask from 10 minutes of meditation? Yes. But I think not-doing it is pushing me in the other direction. Yeah, that's asking a lot, but you may just be the one in a billion sleeping supermeditator who can do all that on 10 minutes a day. Who cares if you do it for selfish motives- all motives are selfish
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May 17, 2015 01:53
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(Tautologicus) -I am going to regret asking, but are you saying the Master's, both alive and historic, are making it as they go along? I'm perplexed as why you still post, as you do, in this thread, you don't seem to enjoy it and you must see it causes disharmony. Para- thanks for the recommendation of Rewire, I've been getting better at keeping a routine but could always use more help. It's funny how some days I stuggle to get to 10 mins, while other times it feels I could sit for an hour. Also, do the more experienced of you struggle with getting lost in thoughts during meditaion? Even with bell intervals, I sometimes struggle with floating off into thoughts. ' Speaking of apps, I recommend the app Medigong . It's a free meditation timer that has pleasant bell intervals that you can set. Dr.Caligari fucked around with this message at 02:10 on May 17, 2015 |
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May 17, 2015 02:05
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If you want to be better at something, do that thing, and all the things that are connected and related to it. Meditation is just making the inner-outer feedback loop less perceptible by telling yourself it's happening within you, as if the external world reference point isn't suddenly a mind object taking its place as the same function. It's a trick of substitution. Nothing has changed. Focus on the external world or the internal world, you're still focusing from somewhere. There's literally absolutely totally no vantage point from which this makes sense. Focusing on your breath or studying a math problem, it's the exact same thing, except one if done well enough will land you the big bucks on wall street and let you eat well while the other will throw you for every loop your substituting mind can conjure up. 8 and 9 are just as different from each other as .8 and .9 are if you need them to be the same.
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May 17, 2015 02:09
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Tautologicus posted:If you want to be better at something, do that thing, and all the things that are connected and related to it. Meditation is just making the inner-outer feedback loop less perceptible by telling yourself it's happening within you, as if the external world reference point isn't suddenly a mind object taking its place as the same function. It's a trick of substitution. Nothing has changed. Focus on the external world or the internal world, you're still focusing from somewhere. There's literally absolutely totally no vantage point from which this makes sense. Focusing on your breath or studying a math problem, it's the exact same thing, except one if done well enough will land you the big bucks on wall street and let you eat well while the other will throw you for every loop your substituting mind can conjure up. 8 and 9 are just as different from each other as .8 and .9 are if you need them to be the same.
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May 17, 2015 02:17
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Nessus posted:I think you should push the STEM elitism harder if you're going to advocate for the realm of illusion I have a liberal arts degree, there was nothing i had to become good at to earn it. Better examples lay elsewhere. Sorry you were triggered.
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May 17, 2015 02:19
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Tautologicus posted:I have a liberal arts degree, there was nothing i had to become good at to earn it. Better examples lay elsewhere. Sorry you were triggered.  On a more serious topic, and possibly retreading ground - I'd like to read some Buddhist scripture in a good English translation; is there a site available for the basics, or for Vajrayana stuff? (Ideally like, text, not a podcast discussion...)
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May 17, 2015 02:23
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For meditation specifically on Android there is an app, Meditation Helper. It has similar functionality to Rewire, but specific to meditation it can do timers during which it will airplane mode the phone and play meditation bowl sounds. It has a version that may or may not be pay? That keeps track of days in a row successful vs. best streak. I never got into a groove with that though like I did rewire, but I also use rewire for other things (practicing language, etc.). Edit: Here's a good collection of translated texts from Vajrayana: http://www.lotsawahouse.org/ There's also another, but the main problem with these with without having a proper transmission and teaching of these things it's unlikely they'll work well for you. http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ This has a lot of great sources for the Theravada. Paramemetic fucked around with this message at 02:56 on May 17, 2015 |
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May 17, 2015 02:53
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Sure, at this point it's mostly academic interest and wanting to read things 'from the horse's mouth' or as near as I can reasonably get. I will probably give practicing a try in the not too distant future.
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May 17, 2015 02:56
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Mr. Mambold posted:Yeah, that's asking a lot, but you may just be the one in a billion sleeping supermeditator who can do all that on 10 minutes a day. Who cares if you do it for selfish motives- all motives are selfish Yeah, its a small incremental change. But what would my life for the next 5 years be like if I meditated 10-15 minutes a day, every day, vs. not? If anyone in this thread thinks that it wouldn't be a noticeably positive trend for all the motives I mentioned, I'd be surprised.
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May 17, 2015 03:17
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an skeleton posted:How do you guys maintain meditation habits? I really just want to meditate for 10 minutes every day, but I can never stick to it. Any advice? I know this question has probably been asked 1,000 times, but this thread is kinda dead anyway. Rhymenoceros fucked around with this message at 10:32 on May 17, 2015 |
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May 17, 2015 10:26
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Dr.Caligari posted:(Tautologicus) -I am going to regret asking, but are you saying the Master's, both alive and historic, are making it as they go along? I'm perplexed as why you still post, as you do, in this thread, you don't seem to enjoy it and you must see it causes disharmony. I dunno who is a master and who isn't, but everything is new and everything is fresh. I still regurgitate dead speech because I don't know any better but I flail around in the fresh every once in a while by accident, and yet the distinction has been lost with me. Making it up as you go along is not what it seems, it's not a lie or a conceit, it's the same thing said a million different ways, but it's also a million different things said with no commonality between them. Some people confuse the dead with the living but it's not really worth calling people out individually, or even keeping a tally on who is or isn't "in the know", which means nothing. It's just a distinction I am making. The issue is when you think someone is saying some solid thing that you just have to grasp the details of, but then suddenly they rip the floor out from under you again. The path is wherever they say it goes as long as you're following them. You'll get whiplash and/or get lost in a forest of words that way. If you keep your head down and just keep plodding along, trusting that the path laid before you goes somewhere, you'll end up going around in circles forever and get despondent yet complacent in that. If you pick your head up you'll see the "first guy" doing it on purpose and you'll wonder why you were following him at all. The path seems reified until you see it's being hacked out of the jungle with a machete in front of you. (I think most teachers don't see this either though, being in one line of succession or another gives them good feelings, who are they to question what came before them). Or not. Teacher/student relationships and all that. They seem like the "cult of humble personality" to me. "My teacher is the humblest guy in the world, I don't think I could ever find anyone more humble". As for meditation, there's no reason not to. But secular meditation is the bane of existence, divorced of any and all context, purely out for "relaxing the mind" and "stress relief" without any philosophical backstory. It's become another trick in the psychological machine's bag in the West at this point. There's a trap in every direction.
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May 17, 2015 15:14
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Anyway, the "path" for me has never really been about becoming more wise and compassionate and all-seeing, it's about seeing how petty and trivial I was in the first place, and that starts coming through when there's less petty effort on keeping it submerged. All is vanity and vexation of spirit, as ecclesiastes says. That forward motion of becoming is more vanity, you're still trapped in the muck, just trying to tell yourself it's solid earth at your feet and gold in your hands.
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May 17, 2015 15:27
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an skeleton posted:Yeah, its a small incremental change. But what would my life for the next 5 years be like if I meditated 10-15 minutes a day, every day, vs. not? If anyone in this thread thinks that it wouldn't be a noticeably positive trend for all the motives I mentioned, I'd be surprised. I like your 5 year plan. Go for it, and don't even consider opinions itt for or against. 10-15 first making it a habit. Then grow it and one day find it grows you.
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May 17, 2015 15:31
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Nessus posted:
Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche's organization, 84000, is currently working on tons of Vajrayana translations, some of which are available online here: http://read.84000.co/ If you can make it to Cambridge, MA, the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center has tons of text for reading there as well, although I don't know how open it is to the general public.
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May 17, 2015 17:44
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an skeleton posted:Yeah, its a small incremental change. But what would my life for the next 5 years be like if I meditated 10-15 minutes a day, every day, vs. not? If anyone in this thread thinks that it wouldn't be a noticeably positive trend for all the motives I mentioned, I'd be surprised. If you meditate regularly, and do the things that help the practice in your daily life, the effects will be revolutionary. Go for it, and best of luck to you! Red Dad Redemption fucked around with this message at 22:12 on May 17, 2015 |
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May 17, 2015 18:12
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How different is the practice of Buddhism in SE Asia and East Asia? Are we talking on the scale of Protestantism vs Catholicism, or Protestantism vs another Abrahamic religion?
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May 31, 2015 05:04
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I've always felt that the relationship between Theravada and Mahayana has some deep similarities with the relationship between Judaism and Christianity.
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May 31, 2015 06:00
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ru5tyb1ke5 posted:I've always felt that the relationship between Theravada and Mahayana has some deep similarities with the relationship between Judaism and Christianity. I said this in an earlier post lol..never seen anyone else say it
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May 31, 2015 09:09
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Theravada is the orthodoxy and the law (Judaism) while Mahayana is the revelation (Christianity) through the ideal of the Bodhisatva. The tone changes from solemn and tempered to ebullient and exuberant between the two schools. Suddenly anything is possible. They took the law and the approach of Theravada and ran with it to a totally new frontier of what was possible in the human condition but in a way that is shocking to the orthodoxy (he would return again?? not possible/he has returned as a man?? not possible). It's not only a schism, it can be seen like a revolution/evolution. Something something etc
the worst thing is fucked around with this message at 15:42 on May 31, 2015 |
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May 31, 2015 15:40
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I am going to be heading into the Fo Guang Shan on my bike tour across the US, is there anything I should know specifically about that branch (humanistic) buddhism?
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Jun 6, 2015 08:49
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I have started to look into Meditation, found this thread via the small questions. I have a copy of Mindfulness in Plain English otw and working on listening to AudioDharma. My world outlook has really been changing lately and I have started to feel like a new person almost. Everything just feels right.
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Jun 12, 2015 21:18
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goodness posted:I have started to look into Meditation, found this thread via the small questions. I have a copy of Mindfulness in Plain English otw and working on listening to AudioDharma. My world outlook has really been changing lately and I have started to feel like a new person almost. Everything just feels right. It's pretty cool how that happens. It takes a while and that's good. Meditation sometimes take a while to sink in. I know it did for me.
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Jun 12, 2015 21:22
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So I took refuge a week ago and I have decided to go on a bicycle tour across the us. I plan on going to various centers to talk and learn, maybe I will see you goons on the way.
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Jun 12, 2015 21:36
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If you've got PMs message me your route and I'll let you know some centers I'm certain would be happy to put you up for a night with some really great teachers. Are you doing the northern or central Trans-American route, or what's your game plan? Incidentally, thought I'd let the thread know that tomorrow morning I'll be departing for an intensive Tibetan language program, where I'll be gone for 8 weeks, 6 or 7 of which will be full immersion. This is the first major step towards my goal of being able to serve as my guru's in house translator, as well as an interpreter for visiting lamas passing through the US. So chances are I may not post again until August, unless some really interesting conversation comes up tomorrow or Sunday. After Monday I'll be definitely limiting my English consumption, which will put me basically offline. When I get back, I will likely be posting a Tibetan language thread in SAL, I'll keep you all posted on that.
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Jun 12, 2015 22:19
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That sounds fantastic! What program are you doing that through?
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Jun 12, 2015 23:26
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Best of luck to both of you, sounds like you both are taking great opportunities.
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Jun 13, 2015 00:10
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Max posted:That sounds fantastic! What program are you doing that through? University of Virginia summer language intensive. I'm pretty excited, the textbook makes some good points even in the introduction and addresses many of the problems I'd had with self-study. One of the biggest challenges for me learning Tibetan on my own has been developing vocabulary and tracking conversations, because Tibetan's spelling system is pretty ridiculous and there's no way to figure out a word phonetically. So I'm pretty excited for the immersion angle with some native speakers who can overcome that barrier. All told should be a good time. Rinpoche recommended I attend this, as well, so having his blessing I've no doubt I'll succeed.
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Jun 13, 2015 02:47
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I have been watching and listening to Ajahn Brahm recently. Much as with TNH, I find there message to be universal and inspiring, no matter what your flavor of Buddhism (or for anyone, really). What does Sahdu, Sahdu, Sahdu and going upward with clasp hands signfiy? Googling Sahdu brings me to a type of Hindu holyman.
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Jul 7, 2015 00:04
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Sadhu is a pali word. I think it just translates as "good" or is a kind of affirmation or acknowledgment of understanding. It is usually just said at the end of a dhamma talk by the sangha as a form of thanks to close the occasion. edit: from access to insight quote:sādhu: (exclamation) "It is well"; an expression showing appreciation or agreement. It is used in the suttas sometimes when a disciple finally gets the meaning of a parable or simile, as in "sādhu, sādhu Ananda!", or when something is auspicious, etc. I'm not sure about the hand gesture specifically. Do you mean anjali, liking clasping the hands together? Or is it something done by the sangha while bowing? People Stew fucked around with this message at 01:00 on Jul 7, 2015 |
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Jul 7, 2015 00:54
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