What is my ancestry? who cares.

A discussion on all aspects of Theravāda Buddhism
SarathW
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Re: What is my ancestry? who cares.

Post by SarathW »

I haven't done my D&A test as yet.
But one thing sure for me is that I am not a true Sri Lankan.
Sometimes I wonder what all those Dutch, Portuguese and English were doing with my ancestors.
My grand father's name is (say) George and my mother's name is (say)Sophia.
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
Spiny Norman
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Re: What is my ancestry? who cares.

Post by Spiny Norman »

SarathW wrote: Sat Jan 13, 2018 9:03 am Sometimes I wonder what all those Dutch, Portuguese and English were doing with my ancestors.
I blame the EU. :tongue:
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No_Mind
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Re: What is my ancestry? who cares.

Post by No_Mind »

Sarath, I do not know if you know but predominant part of Sinhalese genes is Bengali.

We maybe cousins after all as I always wished :hug: Maybe 2,000 years ago my forefather was brother of your forefather :toast:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_s ... ali_origin

https://scroll.in/article/814562/are-th ... -merchants

http://indianexpress.com/article/resear ... al-odisha/

:namaste:
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Spiny Norman
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Re: What is my ancestry? who cares.

Post by Spiny Norman »

My ancestry is mostly Irish, with a bit of Spanish and a hint of cockney. Gawd blimey, hasta la vista, atall, atall. :toilet:
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dharmacorps
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Re: What is my ancestry? who cares.

Post by dharmacorps »

My wife and I did the testing a few years ago. Hers was far more interesting than mine-- she's Puerto Rican, who are a great example of a melting pot. She is West African, Chinese, Spanish, and Native American, almost in equal parts. That is valuable for people like her who really don't know what they are for sure because their history isn't well documented and everybody from there is mixed and is some shade of brown. I on the other hand got no surprises really-- 97% Northern European (England) and 3% Native American. The average "white person" in the US is 7-10% non-white so I am "below average" here. And painfully white! :) But overall, no, it doesn't really matter and the preoccupation with race and ethnicity is not helpful. Almost nobody is 100 percent anything so the idea of race really falls flat.
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cappuccino
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Re: What is my ancestry? who cares.

Post by cappuccino »

I'm 10% coffee.
SarathW
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Re: What is my ancestry? who cares.

Post by SarathW »

Apperantly, someone is caring about your ancestry!!

“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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Kim OHara
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Re: What is my ancestry? who cares.

Post by Kim OHara »

If you are thinking about taking one of these DNA tests, here's a word of warning -
Ancestry.com takes DNA ownership rights from customers and their relatives

The family history website Ancestry.com is selling a new DNA testing service called AncestryDNA. But the DNA and genetic data that Ancestry.com collects may be used against “you or a genetic relative.” According to its privacy policies, Ancestry.com takes ownership of your DNA forever. Your ownership of your DNA, on the other hand, is limited in years.

It seems obvious that customers agree to this arrangement, since all of them must “click here to agree” to these terms. But, how many people really read those contacts before clicking to agree? And how many relatives of Ancestry.com customers are also reading?

There are three significant provisions in the AncestryDNA Privacy Policy and Terms of Service to consider on behalf of yourself and your genetic relatives: (1) the perpetual, royalty-free, world-wide license to use your DNA; (2) the warning that DNA information may be used against “you or a genetic relative”; (3) your waiver of legal rights.
https://thinkprogress.org/ancestry-com- ... feed02b9e/

:coffee:
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Kare
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Re: What is my ancestry? who cares.

Post by Kare »

Who cares? I care. I care about my ancestors. By examining the archives I can follow my ancestors several hundred years back. I can se who they were, their names, where they lived, often also how they lived. A few of them were wealthy, but most of them were poor people, toiling from day to day to secure a living for themselves and their families. Each one of my ancestors lived a life with their own joys and sorrows. Each one of them were a necessary cause for my own life here and now. Therefore I study my ancestry with love and deep respect for those who went before me. As for DNA ancestry this becomes more distant and unpersonal. But it still is interesting to see what roads my far ancestors walked back through the millenia.
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SarathW
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Re: What is my ancestry? who cares.

Post by SarathW »

Who cares? I care.
"This is how he attends inappropriately: 'Was I in the past? Was I not in the past? What was I in the past? How was I in the past? Having been what, what was I in the past? Shall I be in the future? Shall I not be in the future? What shall I be in the future? How shall I be in the future? Having been what, what shall I be in the future?' Or else he is inwardly perplexed about the immediate present: 'Am I? Am I not? What am I? How am I? Where has this being come from? Where is it bound?'

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .than.html
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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Kare
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Re: What is my ancestry? who cares.

Post by Kare »

SarathW wrote: Sun Jan 21, 2018 12:24 am
Who cares? I care.
"This is how he attends inappropriately: 'Was I in the past? Was I not in the past? What was I in the past? How was I in the past? Having been what, what was I in the past? Shall I be in the future? Shall I not be in the future? What shall I be in the future? How shall I be in the future? Having been what, what shall I be in the future?' Or else he is inwardly perplexed about the immediate present: 'Am I? Am I not? What am I? How am I? Where has this being come from? Where is it bound?'

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .than.html
Completely wrong. I do not pose any of those questions. Do you? Read my post again, and do not assign to me words that were not mine. But by all means - feel free to ignore your parents, your grandparents and their ancestors if that is how you feel. I care, however.
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SarathW
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Re: What is my ancestry? who cares.

Post by SarathW »

Read my post again, and do not assign to me words that were not mine.
Sorry I did not intend to object you.
I just want to have a discussion.
We already know who our parents and brothers etc.
Knowing what was my ten generation is a useless piece of information for me.
I agree that for many people it is very important.
Generally, when you become a Buddhist monk you completely disconnect from your ancestors.
I know this is not applicable to lay people.
But we can learn something from that.
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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Kim OHara
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Re: What is my ancestry? who cares.

Post by Kim OHara »

SarathW wrote: Sun Jan 21, 2018 12:52 am Generally, when you become a Buddhist monk you completely disconnect from your ancestors.
I know this is not applicable to lay people.
But we can learn something from that.
Hi, Sarath,
If you mean that we should go some way to copying what monks are required to do, I think your logic is faulty. The same logic leads to, e.g. When we join the army we are allowed to kill people. I know this is not applicable to civilians. But we can learn something from that and kill people too.

:thinking:
Kim
SarathW
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Re: What is my ancestry? who cares.

Post by SarathW »

But we can learn something from that and kill people too.
I think civilians learn to kill from the behavior of army too.
If people in army practice non-violence the civilians might learn from that too.
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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Pseudobabble
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Re: What is my ancestry? who cares.

Post by Pseudobabble »

cappuccino wrote: Sat Jan 13, 2018 7:36 pm I'm 10% coffee.
:goodpost:
"Does Master Gotama have any position at all?"

"A 'position,' Vaccha, is something that a Tathagata has done away with. What a Tathagata sees is this: 'Such is form, such its origination, such its disappearance; such is feeling, such its origination, such its disappearance; such is perception...such are fabrications...such is consciousness, such its origination, such its disappearance.'" - Aggi-Vacchagotta Sutta


'Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return.' - Genesis 3:19

'Some fart freely, some try to hide and silence it. Which one is correct?' - Saegnapha
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