As a Christian, asmi-mana has declined by focusing on God and his attributes, instead of the frame of my religion being about "my" progress (or lack thereof) and "my" stalemate. As a Christian, "works" are done as gratitude for salvation, rather than in the striving fo...

Mahabrahma wrote: ↑Wed Jan 31, 2024 11:45 pm Buddha saves and heals us and takes us to the other shore.

The Buddha points the way, you have to make the effort friend.

I, too, think it's strange to translate " yoniso " as "wise" or "proper". Is it necessarily wise or proper to attend to a womb? It's downright absurd in the literal sense. To respond to the OP. I like what Ajahn Nyanamoli said in one talk regarding his framing of certa...

What would constitute a right-grasp in this confusing state of affairs? I don't know that it constitutes a right grasp, but I think it might be helpful: Recognizing doubt as doubt. Enduring it for as long as it lasts, and then once the mind settles down, continuing to test the validity of the medic...

It is very clear the requisites to become a Sotapanna. - Associating good friends - Listen to true Dhamma - Yonisomanasikara [...] According to your argument, Sotapanna can't do a day job let alone a politician. Some kings became Sotapanna I believe. However, the OP topic is about the monks in poli...

Personally I think monks should teach about virtue, sense restraint etc. Things that transcend politics but can be used as a guide for laypeople who are political. This aligns with my view too. But I would add that if we're going to get serious about trying to attain stream entry, we too should aba...

I don't really have anything of substance to say. But I would like to endorse the fact this discussion is taking place, and thank you both for a valuable Dhamma discussion thus far. Worthwhile read.

Striving requires an understanding of the stakes, and vigilance imo, Then, it's about sustained effort + self-transparency, and mindfulness of the stakes and vigilance. Abiding just is, it doesn't require effort. We're abiding in wrong view, but we want to be abiding in right view. Neither of these ...

The problem is really that we tend to bargain with ourselves, psychologise, and obscure our intentions to abrogate responsibility, when we should be doing the exact opposite. Radical responsibility for ones intentions is required, but that also needs the gradual development of virtue in order to se...

Leave rebirth aside for now, it's a useful thing to consider for the purpose of samvega, just as mindfulness of your impending death at any moment is, but there's a much more important angle to be taking in regard to intentionalism and consequentialism. From the context of the goal of Sotapatti and ...

Ceisiwr wrote: ↑Mon Dec 18, 2023 9:13 pm

BlackBird wrote: ↑Mon Dec 18, 2023 9:04 pm …

Nice to see you back.

Ty mate, good to see so many familiar faces still kickin' about also.

I agree, I think I see it the same: Whoever does not want or cannot give up the lay life, for them Buddha recommended the 5 precepts, which although they do not lead to nibbana at least allow you to live a healthy life and hopefully guarantee you a good rebirth. Basically, even when fully in the do...

Greetings, I was reading an article by Bhikkhu Ninoslav Ñāṇamoli but I’m struggling to make sense of it. I don't understand most of these teachings. I've tried to understand the NV notes but it is the same. Parts of it are agreeable but then it gets very ambiguous. I didn't study it as if my life d...

And yet the idea of "seeing less homeless people" is probably a pleasant and delightful notion to most people, at least implictly. They may not agree with the methods, but they probably don't enjoy seeing homeless people. Why? Because most people do not like to be confronted with that whi...

And yet the idea of "seeing less homeless people" is probably a pleasant and delightful notion to most people, at least implictly. They may not agree with the methods, but they probably don't enjoy seeing homeless people. Why? Because most people do not like to be confronted with that whic...