Search found 3374 matches

by Dan74
Mon Apr 01, 2024 5:27 pm
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: Bhikkhu Bodhi on War and Thanissaro's rebuttal
Replies: 445
Views: 75051

Re: Bhikkhu Bodhi on War and Thanissaro's rebuttal

And if the intention is to save rather than kill, and killing is same as in self-defence, rather than hatred, is the kamma then truly the kamma of the killer? In order to kill, there must be an intention to kill. Therefore, the murderer and the saviour in this case do not differ from each other in ...
by Dan74
Mon Apr 01, 2024 1:44 pm
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: Bhikkhu Bodhi on War and Thanissaro's rebuttal
Replies: 445
Views: 75051

Re: Bhikkhu Bodhi on War and Thanissaro's rebuttal

Are people interested in delving into the reasons for the divergent views or should we confine ourselves to quoting scriptures and interpret them in the way that suits what we want to believe? For instance, If the prohibition of killing is because human life is precious and should not be taken, than...
by Dan74
Fri Mar 29, 2024 11:21 am
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: Bhikkhu Bodhi on War and Thanissaro's rebuttal
Replies: 445
Views: 75051

Re: Bhikkhu Bodhi on War and Thanissaro's rebuttal

I hope that people who have strong views on this matter (and actually everybody else too) read the extended exchange between the two bhikkhus on it here https://archive.org/details/InquiringMindLettersInResponseToBhikkuBodhiFinal/page/n23/mode/2up?view=theater It provides plenty of food for thought....
by Dan74
Fri Mar 29, 2024 7:05 am
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Popularity of Mahāyāna
Replies: 12
Views: 405

Re: Popularity of Mahāyāna

I think the main difference that may be relevant is the need for a student-teacher relationship in many Mahayana schools. This leads to a regular schedule with sequential teachings, retreats and other activities. In comparison, Theravada centres typically offer people an opportunity to bring dana, h...
by Dan74
Fri Mar 22, 2024 2:46 pm
Forum: Ordination and Monastic Life
Topic: How do I become a nun?
Replies: 20
Views: 631

Re: How do I become a nun?

Hi ambapali :hello: It's wonderful that you're so passionate about practice and keep up such an impressive meditation regimen. One thing about ordaining that you may or may not have considered, is the loss of privacy and constant close contact with other nuns. They may include all kinds of people, i...
by Dan74
Sun Mar 17, 2024 9:18 pm
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: "If we owned our body, it would obey our every command"
Replies: 50
Views: 1084

Re: "If we owned our body, it would obey our every command"

Like others said above, it's bout control. We have very little of it.
by Dan74
Tue Mar 12, 2024 5:35 pm
Forum: Early Buddhism
Topic: Revisiting The Buddha's Ethnicity
Replies: 89
Views: 7107

Re: Revisiting The Buddha's Ethnicity

There are suttas where people meet the Buddha and don't recognise him, even those who knew of the Dhamma and followed it. If he was truly of remarkable appearance, word of that would've surely spread and that would not have happened. See, for example https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.1...
by Dan74
Tue Mar 12, 2024 5:34 pm
Forum: Early Buddhism
Topic: Revisiting The Buddha's Ethnicity
Replies: 89
Views: 7107

Re: Revisiting The Buddha's Ethnicity

There are suttas where people meet the Buddha and don't recognise him, even those who knew of the Dhamma and followed it. If he was truly of remarkable appearance, word of that would've surely spread and that would not have happened. See, for example https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.1...
by Dan74
Tue Mar 12, 2024 1:31 pm
Forum: Early Buddhism
Topic: Revisiting The Buddha's Ethnicity
Replies: 89
Views: 7107

Re: Revisiting The Buddha's Ethnicity

There are suttas where people meet the Buddha and don't recognise him, even those who knew of the Dhamma and followed it. If he was truly of remarkable appearance, word of that would've surely spread and that would not have happened. See, for example https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.14...
by Dan74
Sat Mar 02, 2024 4:12 pm
Forum: General Theravāda Meditation
Topic: Abandoning pleasure & pain
Replies: 102
Views: 3452

Re: Abandoning pleasure & pain

The same way any of us talk about the Buddha. The Buddha’s equanimity exceeded the 4th Jhana, yet he felt pain. According to your argument, that couldn’t happen. According to what I said above, once the habitual reactive formations that build on top of the perception associated with pain, are disso...
by Dan74
Sat Mar 02, 2024 3:30 pm
Forum: General Theravāda Meditation
Topic: Abandoning pleasure & pain
Replies: 102
Views: 3452

Re: Abandoning pleasure & pain

How do you know exactly what He felt? Plus, the conversation was about absorption states, not arahats. The same way any of us talk about the Buddha. The Buddha’s equanimity exceeded the 4th Jhana, yet he felt pain. According to your argument, that couldn’t happen. According to what I said above, on...
by Dan74
Sat Mar 02, 2024 10:36 am
Forum: General Theravāda Meditation
Topic: Abandoning pleasure & pain
Replies: 102
Views: 3452

Re: Abandoning pleasure & pain

How do you know exactly what He felt? Plus, the conversation was about absorption states, not arahats.
by Dan74
Sat Mar 02, 2024 9:38 am
Forum: General Theravāda Meditation
Topic: Abandoning pleasure & pain
Replies: 102
Views: 3452

Re: Abandoning pleasure & pain

I think people have already answered it, C, perhaps it's not the answer you want. Pain, the way we ordinarily conceive it, is a complex phenomenon, of which the actual perception of a certain physical stimulus is only a small part and the rest is the interpretation and habitual reactions we have bui...
by Dan74
Sun Feb 18, 2024 5:23 pm
Forum: Early Buddhism
Topic: There is nothing there, without substance
Replies: 460
Views: 11069

Re: There is nothing there, without substance

Dan74 wrote There is always more people who read but don't comment, so while understandably, the comments is all that we have to go on in gauging the reaction to what we post, it may not be accurate at all, since the silent readers may well have a different take on it . Maybe the silent readers thi...
by Dan74
Fri Feb 16, 2024 7:39 am
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Feelings, conventions and gravity
Replies: 20
Views: 708

Re: Feelings, conventions and gravity

I found your OP interesting and evocative, but I don't know if I can see much there to work with. You have this talent for intuitively connecting the dots, creating patterns of meaning and weaving together some kind of a narrative. It's not a common gift and your OP might be a work in progress unti...