Hi Benjamin, The exclamation mark was intended to show that the statement was ironic (always risky on a forum). No, the goal is not to become unconscious. Consciousness (vinnana) is always cognitive. It is a mode of knowing. There is more than one kind. Many of them should be eliminated. Regards, V...
Hi vesak2014, If consciousness is awareness then the goal is to become unconscious! Regards, Vincent. Sorry for the confusion, but are you saying that a) consciousness is not awareness, or b) that the goal is to become unconscious? Either way, I'd love to hear an explanation regarding your view.
Hey everyone, I was listening to this talk by Thanissaro Bhikkhu today and wondered if anyone had the sutta reference for this bit: "And as he (the Buddha) later said, all the other factors of the path are handmaidens or requisites of concentration , in other words they help concentration along...
So he teaches in a "reverse order": realize you're "already enlightened", so relax; your identity is beyond limited dualistic concepts, not bound by ideas of self and other, etc., then cultivate and deepen this initial insight into maturity through being relaxed, open, present a...
Benjamin, have you looked into Kenneth Folk's three-gear explanation? http://kennethfolkdharma.com/2009/07/the-three-speed-transmission/ Yes I've heard of it, and it's a good example of someone's attempt at integrating these teachings. I can't say I'm an avid follower of Kenneth Folk, though. To th...
Hey all, I like to think that I'm not the only one who has witnessed the rising interest in non-duality these past couple of years, and I'd like to open up a discussion regarding it's influence on Buddhist practice and teaching here in the west. When I speak of non-duality, I am referencing the mode...
I am still waiting to see some good arguments against God. Honestly, I don't think that's the best way to frame it. To give an example of what I mean: "I am still waiting to see some good arguments against fairies." "I am still waiting to see some good arguments against vampires.&quo...
daverupa wrote:There was a play on this once with books that took the character of Winnie the Pooh and used him to express Taoist ideas, since the Chinese character pŭ means 'simple' (iirc).
In my eyes we could turn this teachings around into something useful. Maybe anybody who feels offended is attached to belonging to a group or identifies with labels. I mean, if anybody were to call Theravada "Hinayana" and say it is basically shit that leads nowhere, I wouldn't feel hurt ...
This is for fun more than anything, but has anyone ever found it interesting that the Arabic word for heaven (Jannah) sounds just like the "Jhana" of the Pali Canon? Considering the spread of Buddhism stretched out as far as Afghanistan, I've always wondered if the nearly same sound was pu...
Can I say living Buddha and Arahant still consist of five aggregate? I wouldn't define the Buddha or Arahant at all, especially in terms of the five aggregates of clinging. Some sutta references: "Since a tathagata, even when actually present , is incomprehensible , it is inept to say of him –...