Search found 29 matches

by Dan Rooney
Sat May 09, 2015 3:22 pm
Forum: Lounge
Topic: U.K General Election
Replies: 108
Views: 19102

Re: U.K General Election

I hadn’t heard about it. As already stated, the BNP don’t occupy any significant place in my mental universe. I wrote about them only because my opinion was asked for, merely jotting down the first few things that came to mind. You haven't heard about it? But you have an opinion on BNP policies on ...
by Dan Rooney
Sat May 09, 2015 10:51 am
Forum: Lounge
Topic: U.K General Election
Replies: 108
Views: 19102

Re: U.K General Election

And that's about all I can think of to say. So the violent racism of the BNP doesn't warrant a mention? OK, well, silence always tells a story. UKIP, Muslim bashing, under-the-breath racism and Pat Condell. Whatever appeal a religion might have in the abstract, the reality of it as it finds express...
by Dan Rooney
Thu Oct 23, 2014 8:46 am
Forum: General Theravāda Meditation
Topic: 18 Science based reasons for LovingKindness meditation
Replies: 5
Views: 1493

Re: 18 Science based reasons for LovingKindness meditation

That's a fantastic set of links in the article. Thanks for that.
by Dan Rooney
Wed Oct 22, 2014 2:19 am
Forum: Lounge
Topic: Christianity as a subset of Buddhism
Replies: 90
Views: 15958

Re: Christianity as a subset of Buddhism

There are an estimated 800,000 universalist Christians, so I would hardly say that.
Assuming that figure is correct and that all of them can legitimately call themselves Christians, that still represents only around 0.04% of all Christians. That's the fringe of the fringe.
by Dan Rooney
Sun Oct 19, 2014 9:50 am
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Sam Harris, meditation is powerful, but keep religion out
Replies: 274
Views: 34936

Re: Sam Harris, meditation is powerful, but keep religion ou

So is Sam Harris effectively a secular Buddhist? No, I don't think so. Although what he says with regard to meditation/mindfulness looks pretty similar, secular Buddhists - at least from what I have seen - tend not to be actively opposed to religion in general and (more traditional forms of) Buddhi...
by Dan Rooney
Sun Oct 19, 2014 4:37 am
Forum: Lounge
Topic: You have been warned
Replies: 28
Views: 3979

Re: You have been warned

I think this might be both the first and last time in history when lycanthropy and postmodernism appear next to each other on the same list for anything. Savour the moment.
by Dan Rooney
Sun Oct 19, 2014 4:29 am
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Sam Harris, meditation is powerful, but keep religion out
Replies: 274
Views: 34936

Re: Sam Harris, meditation is powerful, but keep religion ou

So is Sam Harris effectively a secular Buddhist? No, I don't think so. Although what he says with regard to meditation/mindfulness looks pretty similar, secular Buddhists - at least from what I have seen - tend not to be actively opposed to religion in general and (more traditional forms of) Buddhi...
by Dan Rooney
Fri Oct 17, 2014 1:09 pm
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Dhamma & defending human/civil rights
Replies: 141
Views: 13111

Re: Dhamma & defending human/civil rights

one will never eradicate universal suffering because this is the underlying principle of existence, so why try? Because the fact that you can't eradicate suffering at the deepest level doesn't mean you are right to feel 'content' at the daily slaughters inflicted on human and non-human life around ...
by Dan Rooney
Fri Oct 17, 2014 11:23 am
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Dhamma & defending human/civil rights
Replies: 141
Views: 13111

Re: Dhamma & defending human/civil rights

not quite, it's complex, 'contentment', 'non-entanglement', 'seclusion' would be more accurate description That doesn't really sound like much of an improvement. In fact, 'content' is probably significantly worse than being indifferent. Are you content with the preventable deaths of 30,000 children...
by Dan Rooney
Fri Oct 17, 2014 10:01 am
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Dhamma & defending human/civil rights
Replies: 141
Views: 13111

Re: Dhamma & defending human/civil rights

when one's being the embodiment of loving-kindness one accepts the world the way it is without a shade of discontent and resulting urge to change it, to improve it, because both discontent with and desire to change the environment, course of events or people's behavior are usually an act of selfish...
by Dan Rooney
Fri Oct 17, 2014 9:42 am
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Sam Harris, meditation is powerful, but keep religion out
Replies: 274
Views: 34936

Re: Sam Harris, meditation is powerful, but keep religion ou

I think it is not correct in any way to say that Harris is indifferent to religion. Well spotted. I would have been much better to have said 'indifferent to the charms of religion'. Have a gold star. do you have some problem with what Harris takes as being the 'core'? It's the fact that he needs to...
by Dan Rooney
Fri Oct 17, 2014 7:48 am
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Sam Harris, meditation is powerful, but keep religion out
Replies: 274
Views: 34936

Re: Sam Harris, meditation is powerful, but keep religion ou

As always with Sam Harris, it's truly awful but it's interesting how he wants to claim that the bits of Buddhism he likes are 'core' and the rest, by extension, peripheral. Why is that? Why do those on these smash-and-grab raids always want to arrange things into these hierarchies? Why can't he say,...
by Dan Rooney
Fri Oct 17, 2014 3:28 am
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Do you see Buddhism as a religion?
Replies: 21
Views: 2779

Re: Do you see Buddhism as a religion?

I have to say Buddhism is not a religion to me. Because I don't see the blind faith in it, and I'm not identifying myself with it, as if it's a label or something. Fair enough but that's a statement about religion, not Buddhism. The question of what is and what isn't a religion is certainly interes...
by Dan Rooney
Thu Oct 16, 2014 7:15 am
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Suffering From a Serious Depression :/
Replies: 28
Views: 6976

Re: Suffering From a Serious Depression :/

I'm 45 now but when I was about your age, I went through a major depression (and in retrospect, I had suffered from depression for many years prior) which included a narrowly unsuccessful suicide attempt and some time in a psychiatric ward so you have all of my sympathies. "How does one go abou...
by Dan Rooney
Thu Oct 16, 2014 6:09 am
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Do you see Buddhism as a religion?
Replies: 21
Views: 2779

Re: Do you see Buddhism as a religion?

Do you see Buddhism as a religion? Yes. One definition of religion which I came across in something I watched last night said that a religion is a belief system/practice/body of knowledge/etc which makes (i) metaphysical and ontological claims (so it says something about what exists and what the na...