Then it is also an assumption on your account that all people have a past life.Originally posted by An Eternal Now:That is your assumption.
I want something we can observe and not merely assume.
You are not answering the question.Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:Then it is also an assumption on your account that all people have a past life.
Then why do people still have to abort babies? Most of the time, it's by chance.Originally posted by An Eternal Now:You are not answering the question.
Because all phenomena are dependent arising, there cannot be birth that happens due to 'independent arising' or by chance. By the principle of the 12 interdependent origination, there is no such thing as that. Therefore everyone has past lives.
What are you talking about?Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:Then why do people still have to abort babies? Most of the time, it's by chance.
Conception is not by chance.... Tell me what you know about biology.Originally posted by An Eternal Now:What are you talking about?
People abort babies due to a whole lot of causes and conditions.
Conception happens due to the meeting of the causes and conditions of sperm and egg. Without that, don't tell me conception can happen, or you think virgin birth happens to normal people?Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:Conception is not by chance.... Tell me what you know about biology.
No separate and permanent self can be found anywhere. Not that 'self is non existing'. No self does not mean non-existence, or nihilism, but it means that 'self' is empty of objective, graspable, fixed, inherent existence... being merely none other than conditioned arising.Originally posted by Lin Yu:if there is no self? who am i?![]()
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A somber day, isn't it? Dark, cloudy, cool, moist and windy. Amazing, this whole affair of "the weather!" We call it "weather," but what is it really? Wind. Rain. Clouds slowly parting. Not the words spoken about it, but just this darkening, blowing, pounding, wetting, and then lightening up, blue sky appearing amidst darkness, and sunshine sparkling on wet grasses and leaves. In a little while there'll be frost, snow and ice-covers. And then warming again, melting, oozing water everywhere. On an early spring day the dirt road sparkles with streams of wet silver. So — what is "weather" other than this incessant change of earthly conditions and all the human thoughts, feelings, and undertakings influenced by it? Like and dislike. Depression and elation. Creation and destruction. An ongoing, ever changing stream of happenings abiding nowhere. No entity "weather" to be found except in thinking and talking about it.So what is this 'self'... just a process of the 5 skhandas. We have to experience it with mindfulness... sense the entire factors that arise moment to moment, as a process rather than as a conceptual entity (idea of a fixed 'self'). Five skhandas are in reality none other than our luminous Buddha Nature/pristine awareness-emptiness inseperable, none other than Mind. Just that we are attached, that is why there are five skhandas (including the part of dualistic perception, volition and consciousness).
Now — is there such an entity as "me," "I," "myself?" Or is it just like the "weather" — an ongoing, ever changing stream of ideas, images, memories, projections, likes and dislikes, creations and destructions, which thought keeps calling "I," "me," "Toni," and thereby solidifying what is evanescent? What am I really, truly, and what do I think and believe I am? Are we interested in exploring this amazing affair of "myself" from moment to moment? Is this, maybe, the essence of retreat work? Exploring ourselves minutely beyond the peace and quiet that we are seeking and maybe finding. Coming upon clarity about this deep sense of separation which we call "me," and "other people," without any need to condemn or overcome.
Most human beings take it totally for granted that I am "me," and that "me" is this body, this mind, this knowledge and sense about myself which so obviously feels separate from other people. The language in which we talk to ourselves and to each other inevitably implies separate "me's," and "you's" all the time. All of us talk "I" and "you" talk, we think it, write it, read it, and dream it with rarely any pause. There is incessant reinforcement of the sense of "I," "me," separate from others. Isolated. Insulated. Not understood. How is one to come upon the truth if separation is taken so much for granted, feels so common sense?
The difficulty is not insurmountable. Wholeness, true being, is here all the time, like the sun behind the clouds. Daylight is here in spite of cloud cover.
What makes up the clouds? .... (continued in the article)
...Karmic Propensities is what blinded us from seeing the ultimate reality. Our entire mind is affected by karmic propensities such that our entire system of enquiry, even when we want to inquire on reality, we cannot know beyond "Who", "When", "What", "Where". Our mind is always thinking dualistically, in terms of subject and object (an I and a Not-I/an Observer apart from the Object of Observation, which cannot be found in reality). It is a momentum that cannot be located, yet it can be directly felt and experienced, and the momentum arises every moment and affect the entire way we see things. When we are affected by momentum the mind cannot know the ultimate reality (Emptiness).
Because our momentum is at work, we will always assume a subject-object duality. That is, there is a Self, an Agent, and observer, doer, thinker of thoughts. A self that persists in time in a connected way... experiencing things... It blinds us into seeing self and objective world as 'entities', as 'things' with inherent existence, as a separate and permanent 'me'.
So when momentum is in action, we cannot help but react with our karmic patterns. If we were to ask, "If you lost your shoe, are you still you?" or "If u lost ur hands, do u still exist?". It almost seems certain to say "Yes, of course I am still I." because we always assumed there is a truly existing "Self" experiencing changes. This momentum can continue even after experiences of transcendental Presence, and distorting the experience. Dharma Dan calls this the "fundamental knot of perception". (See: The Non-Duality Models of Enlightenment by Dharma Dan)
Because it is our habit energy that made us think that way, we are so used to thinking in terms of subject object duality that it has become so deeply part of us, deeply imprinted into our consciousness.
If we were to eliminate this bond, then we can begin to realise, there is no "Self". In reality, there is only Self1, Self2, Self3, moment to moment our mental and karmic factors arise spontaneously but not in a connected way. We are not a permanent self, we are momentary selves and nothing stays, everything is ever flowing.
Without seeing things as 'entities', we can begin to realise the nature of Dependent Co-Arising, Conditionality, Interdependence, etc, i.e Emptiness. The nature is always so, but our karmic propensities obscure us from seeing the truth, distorting the way we see things, enquire things, and perceive things. It is this bond that bonds us life after life in Samsara..... (cont from URL)The Buddha also taught how the 'Who' is actually irrelevant in describing reality --
I think we can't judge a person just by relics alone, though sometimes relics do indicate certain levels of practice. Also, I think not everyone choose cremation after death, especially in the western world where cremation is not as much a common practice. Anyway, when judging someone's enlightenment we must judge them solely by the criteria of transcendental insights. One with true realisations have insights that are fully in line with the essence of the doctrines.Originally posted by maggot:If so called sudden awakening is so called enlightenment
Then buddha must have wasted his time teaching for years
Please take note on so called "great masters" that have 0 relics after their death and particular on their so called "great paths"
Preach so much and CONvinced people that they are enlightened...and the poor folks also cannot tell them apart
Well the mind can LIE but the body DON'T![]()
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Got such things meh? Never seen before.Originally posted by maggot:If by attending a "ritual" can be release from karma debts or achieving better rebirths
Then buddha also wasted his time teaching
Merits from pujas?Originally posted by An Eternal Now:Got such things meh? Never seen before.
There are merits from pujas, but no such thing as guaranteed rebirth by attending one. If one often goes for these things but do all sorts of evil, doesn't mean he won't have to suffer.
Nope. Anyway I dunno about this puja things... so far the pujas I attended are free of charge.Originally posted by maggot:Merits from pujas?
Pay $ for pujas = merits?
So $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ = many merits?![]()
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Normal people:noOriginally posted by An Eternal Now:Conception happens due to the meeting of the causes and conditions of sperm and egg. Without that, don't tell me conception can happen, or you think virgin birth happens to normal people?
In Buddhism, other than that (father and mother), we add one more condition -- 'consciousness'.
Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:What I meant is the general situation for human beings. In Buddhism, there are four kinds of births, not just one kind.
Normal people:no
Hermaphodites:yes
'Independent conciousness' cannot be proven by science.I never said consciousness is independent.
Independent as in differs from person to person. Unless your thoughts are always broadcasted to everyone.Originally posted by An Eternal Now:I never said consciousness is independent.
Consciousness is dependently originated.
We are only apparently separate, not fundamentally separate.Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:Independent as in differs from person to person. Unless your thoughts are always broadcasted to everyone.
But people got the idea of more money donated = more meritsOriginally posted by An Eternal Now:Nope. Anyway I dunno about this puja things... so far the pujas I attended are free of charge.
I think money is just to cover some of the financial needs, merits is not in terms of amount of money but in sincerity and having a pure mind.
The beggar that gave 3 drops of gruel to the great arhat Mogallana gained rebirth in the celestial realms for 91 kalpas because she was sincere and very happy that she had something to give him, when Mogallana requested that from her.
Of course, if we have the financial capability to offer financial assistance to the dharma, by all means we must do our best to provide in this area. Those who do not have money can make also himself useful in other ways..
Nope. but some other forummers can share their experience. longchen has told me his own experience before.. quite interesting.Originally posted by Lin Yu:do you experience OBE during meditation?
So do you believe Jesus was conceived out of virgin birth?Originally posted by An Eternal Now:Conception happens due to the meeting of the causes and conditions of sperm and egg. Without that, don't tell me conception can happen, or you think virgin birth happens to normal people?
In Buddhism, other than that (father and mother), we add one more condition -- 'consciousness'.