Challenges on the path

[sky dancer]

This thread is open to all. It is a place to discuss what happens when you determine to follow a set of principles to guide your mind and heart.

All are included.

I am a Buddhist. I have certain vows and promises I have made. I start out in the morning with a positive intention to follow them, and I seal that with prayer and meditation. Then throughout the day I check to see if I am on or off the intention.

In the evening I do a mental inventory to see how I've done. I rejoice in my virtue, and I acknowledge and regret where I've lost it. I purify those mistakes with meditation practice and reset my intention.

What do you do?

What challenges do you find in holding to a positive intention of any kind?

 

[RetiredGySgt]

But what about Pride and all those secrets you guys keep?

 

[sky dancer]

Are you asking me a sincere question out of interest, sarge? What secrets are you interested in?

Do you want to know about Buddhist teachings on pride and how to work with it?

 

[RetiredGySgt]

Are you asking me a sincere question out of interest, sarge? What secrets are you interested in?

Do you want to know about Buddhist teachings on pride and how to work with it?

What secrets are there? Why be specific at all, just tell me of any secrets in your religion. As for Pride you may just need a refresher on your morning meditations.

 

[sky dancer]

What secrets are there? Why be specific at all, just tell me of any secrets in your religion. As for Pride you may just need a refresher on your morning meditations.

Teachings in Buddhism have outer, inner, secret and extremely secret aspects to them.

Some of the secrecy is called 'self secret' which means that you may have recieived teachings but you don't have the experience in meditation for the teachings to be realized.

In my lineage, we consider these to be 'the degenerate times'. Due to the way in which the vajrayana has been transmitted in America, many things that were once taught secretly can be found on the internet. That's why there is the injunction, that you cannot rely only on the written word, you have to rely on a qualified teacher, and you have to be a qualified student yourself.

For example, some of the imagery in Vajrayana Buddhism which depicts wrathful 'deities' was not supposed to be viewed by non-practitioners. Why is that? Because non-Buddhists would look at those paintings or statues and think they represent 'idols' that we 'worship'. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Buddhism emphasizes meditation. In my tradition, there is also formal prayer, and group sadhanas. The Vajrayana practices all share a certain structure.

If you want me to talk more about that I will if you ask me specific questions. What I will never tell you are specific personal teachings I have recieived from my Lama.

Of course, I have pride. I also have ignorance, desire, jealousy, and anger. I share those with all sentient beings.

Until, Buddhahood, sentient beings have the five poisons of the mind outlined in the above sentence.

 

[pegwinn]

Interesting premise for the thread.

My Wife and I believe in God. We also believe that no church has all the answers. We also believe that most churches worry too much over worldly concerns like money and politics. So, we don't regularly attend any church.

Instead, we live our lives as close to the ideal as possible. We pray for guidance, forgiveness, and a winning lottery ticket. Only joking on the lotto ticket.

We taught our kids that God is in your heart first. We also encouraged them to go to as many churches as possible and figure out for themselves what is right for them. As of now, my youngest daughter attends church regularly because she is a very social person and enjoys the fellowship.

I like the phrase "What would Jesus do?". Often I believe the anser to that isn't the same answer given by organized religion.

But that is just me.

 

[sky dancer]

pegwinn-

If you taught your children that God is in their hearts, and encouraged your children to find their own path, then you have served them well.

Your children are very fortunate. Sounds like you have raised them in a loving environment.

What would Jesus do? That's good question. I have great respect for Jesus as a role model.

 

[Chris]

I took one of those online belief tests, and it said my beliefs were 100% Buddhist. I was a little suprised, but not much. It said my friend was a Pagan. I would be a Pagan, but the goat legs chaff my thighs.

My main belief is that you get to heaven on the arm of someone you have helped.

 

[pegwinn]

Skydancer, thank you for the kind words.

 

[KittenKoder]

I took one of those online belief tests, and it said my beliefs were 100% Buddhist. I was a little suprised, but not much. It said my friend was a Pagan. I would be a Pagan, but the goat legs chaff my thighs.

My main belief is that you get to heaven on the arm of someone you have helped.

Um ... just going to open with a response to this then answer the topic, Chris, learn more about Paganism and what it really is, mmmkay. The goat image is actually a Greek god or one of a couple European gods, and those specific religions only represent about 1% of the pagan religions that exist, and ultimately any pure pagan will tell you that each pagan is unique in their own beliefs. Why? Because that's what the word means in the first place. Even many Bhuddists are pagan, I even know a lot of pagan christians.

Now, for my beliefs on the path:

Learn, learn more, and learn all that my tiny brain can hold. Thus is the belief of the Ancient Egyptians, thus is my belief also. Knowledge, wisdom, and anything in between. So each day I learn at least one new thing I am progressing one step along the path to fulfillment.

 

[sky dancer]

Pagan teachings are connected with the earth. They are connected to the moon and the cycle of grow throughout the seasons. They are sensitive to the cardinal directions and to the energies of the elements.

Buddhism also uses metaphors connected with the earth. We have special practice days that correspond to lunar cycles. Any time there is an eclipse the energies for positive and negative actions have greater influence.

There are very subtle teachings in Buddhism on the elements--especially teachings about them are relevant in the dying process when the body is literally dissolving into itself.

 

[KittenKoder]

Pagan teachings are connected with the earth. They are connected to the moon and the cycle of grow throughout the seasons. They are sensitive to the cardinal directions and to the energies of the elements.

Buddhism also uses metaphors connected with the earth. We have special practice days that correspond to lunar cycles. Any time there is an eclipse the energies for positive and negative actions have greater influence.

There are very subtle teachings in Buddhism on the elements--especially teachings about them are relevant in the dying process when the body is literally dissolving into itself.

While paganism is generally focused on the natural gods and spirits, the specific details of each are unique. The goat image isn't present in most, just a few.

 

[sky dancer]

While paganism is generally focused on the natural gods and spirits, the specific details of each are unique. The goat image isn't present in most, just a few.

You've probably studied this more than I have. I was pointing out that teachings on the elements, cardinal directions and lunar cycles, all of which are included in some pagan teachings have a Buddhist connection too.

I'm glad you share about the goat symbol. In Buddhism, animals of different types appear; the garuda, the snow lion, the mongoose, a grunting pig, deer, snake, dragon, and horses. They have symbolic meaning representing qualities of mind.

 

[KittenKoder]

You've probably studied this more than I have. I was pointing out that teachings on the elements, cardinal directions and lunar cycles, all of which are included in some pagan teachings have a Buddhist connection too.

I'm glad you share about the goat symbol. In Buddhism, animals of different types appear; the garuda, the snow lion, the mongoose, a grunting pig, deer, snake, dragon, and horses. They have symbolic meaning representing qualities of mind.

Aaah. Yes, so very true. Lunar and cardinal points are very important to many (almost all) pagans, even if not for their religious aspects there is also the scientific aspect that some focus on.

 

[sky dancer]

Solstice is coming, Solstice is coming. Festivus for the rest of us.

 

[Amanda]

Thank you for starting this thread Sky, I hope it can stay positive.

Not very much about the way I practice my religion is very formal or ritual based except that I attend church services and events regularly.

From a personal perspective I see God as the ultimate in unconditional love and I do my best to try to become more like God. I try to see the good in all people and not judge them. I know I am not even close to the end of my journey, things still upset me where they should not. I still let things become my burden that I shouldn't pick up. But through prayer and trying to be open to following God's will I try to get better each day.

 

[sky dancer]

Thank you for starting this thread Sky, I hope it can stay positive.

Not very much about the way I practice my religion is very formal or ritual based except that I attend church services and events regularly.

From a personal perspective I see God as the ultimate in unconditional love and I do my best to try to become more like God. I try to see the good in all people and not judge them. I know I am not even close to the end of my journey, things still upset me where they should not. I still let things become my burden that I shouldn't pick up. But through prayer and trying to be open to following God's will I try to get better each day.

That's the common ground all of us share who apply the teachings of whatever tradition we practice in--even if it's our own.

How do you experience "God"? I'm asking because it's possible when rhetoric and concepts are dropped, a common experience all of us share who practice in any way is the sense of undefinable presence, grace or spaciousness that sometimes occurs.

We have different terminology for this, we may call it 'resting in the nature of mind itself." We don't mean ordinary thinking mind, but resting in original purity.

 

[editec]

This thread is open to all. It is a place to discuss what happens when you determine to follow a set of principles to guide your mind and heart.

All are included.

I am a Buddhist. I have certain vows and promises I have made. I start out in the morning with a positive intention to follow them, and I seal that with prayer and meditation. Then throughout the day I check to see if I am on or off the intention.

In the evening I do a mental inventory to see how I've done. I rejoice in my virtue, and I acknowledge and regret where I've lost it. I purify those mistakes with meditation practice and reset my intention.

What do you do?

What challenges do you find in holding to a positive intention of any kind?

I drink a lot of coffee and smoke far too many cigarettes till I'm hypertense, grumpy as hell, and generally a pain in everyone's asses.

And that's on my good days.

My dog still loves me though.

My cat pretends to love me, but I suspect he's just in it for the Kibbles.

 

[KittenKoder]

I drink a lot of coffee and smoke far too many cigarettes till I'm hypertense, grumpy as hell, and generally a pain in everyone's asses.

And that's on my good days.

My dog still loves me though.

My cat pretends to love me, but I suspect he's just in it for the Kibbles.

So true, be many of us still love you Editec, it's your flaws that make you interesting.

 

[Amanda]

How do you experience "God"? I'm asking because it's possible when rhetoric and concepts are dropped, a common experience all of us share who practice in any way is the sense of undefinable presence, grace or spaciousness that sometimes occurs.

I didn't go into that much last night because... well I just wasn't close to feeling it and it's hard to describe anyway. Yesterday wasn't such a great day for me, but I'm doing a little better now.

So... it's like you say an 'undefinable presence'. I just get this feeling like no matter what happens everything will be alright, and not even just alright but... (this is hard to put into words) how it should be, if that makes sense. Like there's an order or reason to all things and I'm completely at peace with it and feel my place in it. It's a fulfilled state, not like my needs are met but where I just don't have any needs.