Sawing our Personality

Buddhist ethical conduct including the Five Precepts (Pañcasikkhāpada), and Eightfold Ethical Conduct (Aṭṭhasīla).
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Nicholas Weeks
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Sawing our Personality

Post by Nicholas Weeks »

Although this sutta is aimed at monastics, lay folk can take to heart Buddha's advice. We in the West often prefer to adjust or alter people & conditions to make us comfortable or at least less irritated. Buddha goes against that stream of seeking personal protection and advocates putting up with practically anything or anyone. Whether from compassion, equanimity or however, Buddha's advice regarding irritating people or conditions is good Dhammic advice.

http://www.yellowrobe.com/component/con ... e-saw.html
Good and evil have no fixed form. It's as easy to turn from doing bad to doing good as it is to flip over the hand from the back to the palm. It's simply up to us to do it. Master Hsuan Hua.
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Nicholas Weeks
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Re: Sawing our Personality

Post by Nicholas Weeks »

Bhikkhus, there are these five courses of speech that others use when they address you: their speech may be timely or untimely, true or untrue, gentle or harsh, connected with good or with harm, spoken with a mind of loving-kindness or with inner hate. When others address you, their speech may be timely or untimely; when others address you, their speech may be true or untrue; when others address you, their speech may be gentle or harsh; when others address you, their speech may be connected with good or with harm; when others address you, their speech may be spoken with a mind of loving-kindness or with inner hate.

Bhikkhus, suppose a man came with crimson, turmeric, indigo, or carmine and said: 'I shall draw pictures and make pictures appear on empty space.' What do you think, bhikkhus? Could that man draw pictures and make pictures appear on empty space?"—"No, venerable sir." Why is that? Because empty space is formless and non-manifestive; it is not easy to draw pictures there or make pictures appear there. Even the man would reap only weariness and disappointment.

Herein, bhikkhus, you should train thus: 'Our minds will remain unaffected...and starting with him, we shall abide pervading the all-encompassing world with a mind similar to empty space, abundant, exalted, immeasurable, without hostility and without ill will.' That is how you should train, bhikkhus
Good and evil have no fixed form. It's as easy to turn from doing bad to doing good as it is to flip over the hand from the back to the palm. It's simply up to us to do it. Master Hsuan Hua.
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retrofuturist
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Re: Sawing our Personality

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings Will,

An excellent sutta with an excellent simile.

Thank you for sharing.

Metta,
Paul. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
SarathW
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Re: Sawing our Personality

Post by SarathW »

Yes I like that Stta too. Lot of humour iln it too.
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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