Search found 225 matches

by dhammafriend
Sun Jan 07, 2018 5:56 pm
Forum: Hot Topics
Topic: Why so few Western Buddhists?
Replies: 180
Views: 129154

Re: Why so few Western Buddhists?

Asian supremacism: the notion held by many Asian and Western Buddhists that an Asian way of doing Buddhism is the only right one. Also shows itself in the form of ignoring the challenges that prospective converts in countries and societies hostile or at least foreign to Buddhism have to face. Basic...
by dhammafriend
Sun Jan 07, 2018 5:43 pm
Forum: Hot Topics
Topic: Why so few Western Buddhists?
Replies: 180
Views: 129154

Re: Why so few Western Buddhists?

Percent of population who are Buddhist (along with percent who are irreligious in parenthesis) - USA - 1.2% (35% irreligious), UK - 0.4% (66% irreligious), France - 0.3% (53% irreligious), Germany - 0.4% (59% irreligious), Sweden - 0.4% (76% irreligious) (taken from Wikipedia) I assume the spike in...
by dhammafriend
Sun Mar 05, 2017 6:19 am
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: Wat Dhammakaya
Replies: 942
Views: 394932

Re: Wat Dhammakaya

...I have no problem with ppl who dont like our methods, a lot of ppl dont and i understand why they dont. That doesnt justify the Nazi arms dealer BS ive seen throughout most of the thread. and yes karma is real and effects good ppl also, the buddha himself suffered from bad karma on several occas...
by dhammafriend
Fri Feb 24, 2017 7:44 am
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: Wat Dhammakaya
Replies: 942
Views: 394932

Re: Wat Dhammakaya

Some random thoughts and learnings I've gleaned from this thread so far: 1. It's interesting to see the #TrueBuddhists tap dance their way around the obvious abuse and violations of Thai citizens, just because they disagree on their practice of buddha dhamma. 2. It's also interesting to see the idea...
by dhammafriend
Mon Nov 21, 2016 10:39 am
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: "Online Buddhists aren't real Buddhists" - Yes or No?
Replies: 122
Views: 23443

Re: "Online Buddhists aren't real Buddhists" - Yes or No?

This is from another thread: So you've concluded from some of your experience online that RL Buddhist would not be worth interacting with. That seems an unfortunate conclusion. /.../ Do you find the the Non-RL on-line Buddhists to be less annoying than the RL ones? Those Buddhists who don't have mu...
by dhammafriend
Fri Nov 18, 2016 12:06 pm
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Vijja Dhammakai - Luang Por Sodh
Replies: 23
Views: 8561

Re: Vijja Dhammakai - Luang Por Sodh

That being said, the comparatively recent reforms in Theravada Buddhism were not necessarily without merit. And oftentimes, although neocolonial contrivance can certainly be validly read into certain reforming efforts, many of these reformers were not Westerners, but came from the same 2500-year-ol...
by dhammafriend
Thu Nov 17, 2016 4:23 pm
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Vijja Dhammakai - Luang Por Sodh
Replies: 23
Views: 8561

Re: Vijja Dhammakai - Luang Por Sodh

Yes, this is all fascinating stuff. Theravada is far more complex than we previously believed. We've allowed the traditions self-description, post colonial contact, to colour our assumptions about it.(sloppy scholarship!) Many now question how useful the term Theravada actually is when referring to...
by dhammafriend
Wed Nov 16, 2016 4:22 pm
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Vijja Dhammakai - Luang Por Sodh
Replies: 23
Views: 8561

Re: Vijja Dhammakai - Luang Por Sodh

There apparently are old Tantric (dating from pre-Theravada Tantric Hindu and/or Tantric Buddhist periods) meditation styles that survived to the modern era of the reinvention of Theravada meditation. Some say that Dharmakaya techniques are more a continuation of that, rather than innovation. (This...
by dhammafriend
Mon Nov 14, 2016 2:27 pm
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Vijja Dhammakai - Luang Por Sodh
Replies: 23
Views: 8561

Re: Vijja Dhammakai - Luang Por Sodh

TRobinson465 wrote:
dhammafriend wrote:...Thank you again for this thread!! :anjali:
Thank YOU for sharing with us here on Dhammawheel more about the tradition as continued at Wat Phra Dhammakai. Please add any other resources you feel may add to this resource thread. :anjali:
by dhammafriend
Mon Nov 14, 2016 2:23 pm
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Vijja Dhammakai - Luang Por Sodh
Replies: 23
Views: 8561

Re: Vijja Dhammakai - Luang Por Sodh

Hello dhammafriend, My hope is that any Buddhists here who have an interest in lived Buddhism in Thailand can make good use of these links. ... On the theme of Buddhist lives, I would like to add a link to Thursday's Lotus: the Life and Work of Fuengsin Trafford , a biography my mother, who practis...
by dhammafriend
Tue Nov 08, 2016 4:01 pm
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: Wat Dhammakaya
Replies: 942
Views: 394932

Re: Wat Dhammakaya

lol honestly arguing with WPD followers is like trying to save someone from a pyramid scheme but they're already in too deep. Dude, if you paid any attention and actually read my posts, you would know that I am not a follower of the Wat. I have attempted to bring nuance into this highly emotive thr...
by dhammafriend
Mon Nov 07, 2016 2:51 pm
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: Wat Dhammakaya
Replies: 942
Views: 394932

Re: Wat Dhammakaya

I don't blindly follow everything I see and just go with it. It's like that analogy of would you jump off a cliff if someone told you that it'll help achieve happiness. Calling me shortsighted just because I don't agree with you, tells me alot about Wat Dhammakaya followers and how they brush peopl...
by dhammafriend
Thu Oct 20, 2016 3:26 pm
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: Wat Dhammakaya
Replies: 942
Views: 394932

Re: Wat Dhammakaya

James, there are literally theses written about this very topic. I'll even place some links below: https://www.scribd.com/document/33887984/Nibbana-as-Self-or-Not-Self https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/bitstream/2123/13746/1/Ruangsan_PN_Thesis.pdf http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/doc/304848166.html?FMT=A...
by dhammafriend
Thu Oct 13, 2016 11:10 am
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: Is Theravada Buddhism a Religion?
Replies: 28
Views: 7302

Re: Is Theravada Buddhism a Religion?

This might be a useful read: Problems with definitions of "Religion:" Some exclude beliefs and practices that many people passionately defend as religious. For example, their definition might requite a belief in a God or Goddess or combination of Gods and Goddesses who are responsible for...
by dhammafriend
Tue Oct 11, 2016 3:16 pm
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: Wat Dhammakaya
Replies: 942
Views: 394932

Re: Wat Dhammakaya

1. In the Pathikavagga Sutta (Thai ที. ปา. 11/55/92), Lord Buddha says Dhammakaya is a name for the Buddha. “Dhammakaya, Dhammabhuto, Brahmakaya and Brahmabhuto are all names for the Tathagata.” The Thai Dighanikaya Commentary (Thai ที. อฏ. 3/50) explains that this is because Dhamma came from his h...