A Sangha for Rationalism, Modernism, Buddhism's Journal (original) (raw)
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Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded inA Sangha for Rationalism, Modernism, Buddhism's LiveJournal:
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| Thursday, April 30th, 2020 | |
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| _2:52 pm_[sravakavarn] |
I founded this community under a name a decade ago, is anyone still following it? (Comment on this) |
| Friday, July 17th, 2009 | |
| _12:59 pm_[jp5040] |
Introduction It was asked in the profile of this community to introduce one's self.I am Jason.I am 33.Bi.Father of 2 boys.Canadian from BC in the mountains away from cities.University Educated in Visual Art and Geography.Recently divorced. Big changes in life (but I characterize it all positively).My personal path to Buddhism was out of practicality I began using ethics and principles I picked up from various sources on Buddhism. I had no school of thought or tradition to follow. Just an approach of gleaning the most clear and understandable parts and using them to relearn how to behave since my current or old method wasn't working so well for me. I was tuck in a destructive and toxic marriage and my children were suffering because I lacked the skills to end the cycle. It was getting worse.I had been using mindful breathing as a stress relief for many years and I decided to renew my interest in Buddhism because this small part was so helpful. I began practicing mindful activities as a way to clarify my thoughts and ask my neutral self the answers to my hardest questions. I extracted myself from the toxic garden and have begun to plant a new positive garden. This re-awakening was entirely brought about by Buddhist ethics. As deference to the path that has served me so well I now call myself Buddhist. As respect for the teachings I have decided to seek a tradition to ground my self. The current focus of my attention is Tibetan Buddhism and the Dali Lama. I had been considering his compassionate focus for some time, but I was recently directed that way by some helpful people. I appreciate suggestions and even criticism of my approach. I think I need some direction. self motivation is not a problem, but knowing where to point an arrow is as important as drawing the bowstring. Significantly I have been trying to understand the emotional aspect of thought and how it its with the Buddhist tradition of non-ego and anattma. I had developed a personal set of ethics around right words and right actions based on right concentration (thought) which I see leading to right emotions (joy bliss peacefulness etc). This leading to the element of good karma. I think my personal path might include emotions as a way of recognizing that emotional states affect my outcomes. I think this is very much like we discuss conquering or deconstructing emotions with right concentration and understanding the Dharma.I have also been doing Yoga lately. The practice of which is intended to teach my body to meditate. Also to encourage the state of mindfulness through other forms than simply mindful breath (which is a good starting point anyway). I tend to do some Yoga, get peaceful and limber, then sit down for some mindful concentration. I think this works really well for me. As a seeker of this kind of tie and physical space to locate peace in my mind I realize it isn't all necessarily the only way to meditate but I enjoy my "Zen" (I use that in the most respectful way, but western understanding) space. I seek peace in life in general. I have always been a pacifist, but this desire for a harmonious space has caused me to develop a large area of my home devoted to meditation and contemplation. I guess buddhism is a desired or necessary thing for me now. Like one desires to be free form suffering - I desire to be filled with light. I was asked by a mother on here how my children respond to meditation (mine) because she found it hard to incorporate mindfulness and daily life. My children find this all entertaining and not the least bit disruptive to them. On the contrary I find they enjoy sitting and meditating with me. They do not find it easy to sit still but I think any time devoted to quiet at 6 and 8 years old is impressive, especially for wild monkey boys. :-) I also think the practice of encouraging peacefulness and a space devoted to simplicity and harmony in my home is helpful to them to learn about a tidy mind space as well. I encourage them to come and go if I am practicing or if i am attending to my fish etc. They simply are allowed to be children with the restriction that they pass through that space with respect to the quiet and peaceful nature it has. What I especially find "joyful" is that they will pile on my lap as I sit in mindful relaxation and they take the serenity I have and it becomes part of them. I do not expect to be able to meditate perfectly EVER so I think any time spent in practice is time well spent even if there is disruption. Disruption will happen, suffering over it is hardly necessary! Further to my children: If asked which place they find easier and happier, this new home or the alternative (with mom) - they are quick to say it is the new way with a quiet and peaceful dad. The boys are shared custody and live with me one week on and one week off. It is hard for them, but considering the way it was before, I am glad they have a week of harmony and a week without so much discord. There are many ways to be a good parent - but i think providing a confident and ethical approach to dealing with frustrations they are learning some skills I wish I had at younger age.So... This is me - at this point - in all honesty.glad to take suggestions or questions. (1 Comment |Comment on this) |
| Tuesday, April 28th, 2009 | |
| _11:21 am_[madamealexis] |
My Husband Died Sunday Are there any chants/prayers in English that you know of? I will be having a remembrance party for him May 3rd and would like to have a few to read on that day.Also if you know of any websites dealing with rituals for the family please let me know.Thank you. (Comment on this) |
| Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 | |
| _1:37 am_[skepoet] |
A Naturalistic Approach To Buddhist Karma and Rebirth (Comment on this) |
| Friday, April 4th, 2008 | |
| _8:40 pm_[eoswildcat] |
question on arts in Zen I am planning a Master's thesis on art in Zen Buddhism and how it is related to/ is used as meditative practice...I was wondering how I could find out what arts are most closely related to what schools?/lineages?If I can narrow it down to one or two lineages that would be helpful.xposted (Comment on this) |
| Thursday, April 12th, 2007 | |
| _6:50 am_[wildelotus] |
Hello out there in LJ land... Name: AdamNationality/State: CaliforniaDescribe Yourself: eclectic about sums it up.Buddhist, Secularist, Both or Other: Buddhist, althought I'm a bit of a Greco-Buddhist. Any school or Tradition you belong to: not currently, studying with Theravadan and listen to some Tibetan buddhist teachers.Special Expertise: able to make sense of excel spreadsheets. ^_~ (Comment on this) |
| Saturday, March 31st, 2007 | |
| _1:41 am_[sariputra] |
I have had this realization: to be a modernist theravadan is to be in an awkward place. While all the vehicles of buddhism have had unpleasant outbursts of something akin to Abrahamic fundamentalism, but that is a big part of the Theravadan world in Sri Lanka and maybe in Laos. I feel like I have moved beyond that--and I am very interested in zazen. But I still feel uncomfortable with the goals of things like the bodhisatva vows. Does that make sense? (Comment on this) |
| Wednesday, March 28th, 2007 | |
| _3:02 pm_[sariputra] |
Do you ever feel like Buddhism, as an idea, is a hinderance in and of itself? (3 Comments |Comment on this) |
| Saturday, March 24th, 2007 | |
| _3:42 am_[sariputra] |
How much influence do you think Theosophy has had on European and American conceptions of Buddhism? (1 Comment |Comment on this) |
| Thursday, March 22nd, 2007 | |
| _3:53 pm_[sariputra] |
Speech by Dr. Donald Lopez, Jr. http://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/events_online/ingersoll_2004.htmlActually studying Lopez helps understand Buddhist modernization (particularly, his book "Prisoner's of Shangri-La" and "The Madman's Middle Way: Reflections on Reality of Gendun Chopel." (Chopel moved early to try to modenize Tibetan ideology just as Buddhadosa did in Thailand.) This is also helpful: http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/493105.html (Comment on this) |
| Saturday, March 17th, 2007 | |
| _2:42 pm_[ocha_no_hanashi] |
Common ground. "The universe is in change, life is an opinion." -Marcus Aurelius "The fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose that I am here and you are out there." -Yasutani Roshi "Freedom is secured not by the fulfilling of one's desires, but by the removal of desire." -EpictetusSecond Noble Truth of Buddhism: Suffering is caused by desire."Things are not what they appear to be: nor are they otherwise." -Surangama Sutra "Be master of mind rather than mastered by mind." -Zen Saying "No man is free who is not master of himself." -Epictetus_I sense a lot of common points of thought in Buddhist and Graeco-Roman Stoic philosophies. They have common ancestors as Buddhism and Greek philosophies arose from Indo-European cultures. I would go so far as to say that various philosophical schools around the world concluded the same points about reality. Superficial cultural decorations distinguish philosophies that are otherwise fundamentally the same. Buddhism, Stoicism and pre-gentrified Taoism (philosophical Taoism as opposed to institutionalized religion) generally reveal the same truths about the universe and the human experience -- ideas of finding truth in no truth, in discarding the self in order to understand things as they are (objective detachment) and universal altruism and genuine compassion. Obviously the cultural settings were vastly set apart from one another yet around the same centuries Buddha, Zeno of Citium and Lao Tzu came to very similar conclusions about life and the nature of the universe."Late at night, when everyone is quiet, sit alone and gaze into the mind; then you notice illusion ending and reality appearing. You gain a great sense of potential in this every time. Once you have noticed reality appearing yet find that illusion is hard to escape, you also find yourself greatly humbled. -Hong Yingming, Reflections of Tao (c.1600AD)"_ "If you persist in trying to attain what is never attained (It is Tao's gift), if you persist in making effort to obtain what effort cannot get, if you persist in reasoning about what cannot be understood, you will be destroyed by the very thing you seek. To know when to stop, to know when you can get no further by your own action, this is the right beginning!" -Chuang Tzu (c.4th century B.C.) "Who can enjoy enlightenment and remain indifferent to suffering in the world? This is not in keeping with the Way. Only those who increase their service along with their understanding can be called men and women of Tao." Lao Tzu (c.604 - 531 B.C.)_"However innumerable sentient beings are, I vow to save them." -Bodhisatva Vow_Now granted we could really dig into the various schools of thought and academically determine my earlier statements false through quality research and a proper philosophical approach but this isn't meant to be academic. It is just a 'sense' I get after sifting through various philosophies and writings over the years. (1 Comment |Comment on this) |
| Friday, March 16th, 2007 | |
| _3:41 pm_[ocha_no_hanashi] |
Introduction Name:JeffreyNationality/State:Canadian citizen in Japan.Describe Yourself: Bookish, humble in lifestyle, a bit arrogant in life, hail from a poor family, eccentric, 'mature' sense of humour, rational, sometimes a bit lazy, not terribly energetic, I like conversation, reader, writer, sometimes an artist, self-declared intellectual, I drink a lot of tea... basically, a wandering scholar-monk with a bag of scrolls in one hand and a cup of tea in the other.Buddhist, Secularist, Both or Other: Buddhist. Though in real life I don't always publically identify myself as such because of the ignorant masses (oh and I'm sometimes a bit cynnical).Any school or Tradition you belong to:In practice Soto Zen but I tend to gravitate towards Nagarjuna and various Chinese Chan thinkers. I'm a Buddhist Eclectic.Special Expertise: Literate in modern Japanese. Somewhat literate in Classical Chinese. (Comment on this) |
| Wednesday, March 14th, 2007 | |
| _10:31 pm_[sariputra] |
Has anyone read "Dharma, Color, and Culture: New Voices in Western Buddhism" who can give me a opinion on if its useful? (Comment on this) |
| Sunday, March 11th, 2007 | |
| _3:02 pm_[sariputra] |
http://www.cogito.org/articles/ArticleDetail.aspx?ContentID=812It's interesting how much Dawkin's talk about models and people as a "wave" (not as matter) is, almost verbatim, the idea of an-atman. (Comment on this) |
| _2:53 pm_[sariputra] |
Buddhism and the God Idea http://www.lankaweb.com/dhamma/view4.html (1 Comment |Comment on this) |
| Saturday, March 10th, 2007 | |
| _10:16 pm_[sariputra] |
subtly related to buddhist conceptions of organism http://www.theamericanscholar.org/sp07/newtheory-lanza.html (1 Comment |Comment on this) |
| Thursday, March 8th, 2007 | |
| _11:33 pm_[sariputra] |
Today's quote “To force oneself to believe and to accept a thing without understanding is political, and not spiritual or intellectual.” Ven. Dr W. Rahula, "What the Buddha Taught" (Comment on this) |
| _7:57 pm_[sariputra] |
How does rebirth play into your practice (or doesn't play into your practice as the case may be)? (2 Comments |Comment on this) |
| _4:13 pm_[sariputra] |
Anyone still interested in this topic? (2 Comments |Comment on this) |
| Saturday, March 3rd, 2007 | |
| _2:13 am_[sariputra] |
May you all have a mindful Magha Puja Day. (Comment on this) |
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