Buddhist network that actively promotes peace, culture and education.

[d_guy1024]

---

d_guy...thanks a lot bro....

puede sad ta break gamay and discuss gamay if naa questions...hinay2 lang ta bro aron ma absorb...nya nindot man sad naa gamay sharing of personal experiences aron mas sayon ug relate diba....

ako post lang sad ko ginagmay quotes from Jesus nga inspirational jud kaayo para nako....this one is especially dedicated to shoeless ...kay wa man daw siya relihiyon nya pirmi man tawn ni siya ma target sa uban nga "naluwas" na ... Â* bitaw bro read on...

Jesus: Show me the stone that the builders rejected ..that is the keystone.

OM

okay...=)

[d_guy1024]

As for my personal experience, what matters most is really the heart. I agree with you Gwyn.

As we grow more and more intellectual, we tend to be arrogant...in this case, we should go back to listen to our hearts.

here's a link to share to you about the buddhist view on the treasure of the heart..
http://sgi-usa.org/buddhism/buddhismtoday/bc005.htm

[brian_d]

Baptized catholic, dabbled into born again christianity now adhering to Buddhism. I don't know but ever since I did, I feel more at peace with myself and the world. Just sharing this:

FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

The Four Noble Truths represent the core of
the teachings of the Buddha, and are as follows:

The First Noble Truth
Unsatisfactoriness and suffering exist and
are universally experienced.

The Second Noble Truth
Desire and attachment are the causes of
unsatisfactoriness and suffering.

The Third Noble Truth
There is an end to
unsatisfactoriness and suffering.

The Fourth Noble Truth
The end can be attained by
journeying on the Noble Eightfold Path.

NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH

Right Understanding
Right Thinking
Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration

1. Right View
See things as they truly are without delusions or distortions
for all things change. Develop wisdom by knowing how things
work, knowing oneself and others.

2. Right Intention
Wholehearted resolution and dedication to overcoming the
dislocation of self-centered craving through the development
of loving kindness, empathy and compassion.

3. Right Speech
Abstinence from lies and deceptions, backbiting, idle
babble and abusive speech. Cultivate honesty and
truthfulness; practice speech that is kind and benevolent.
Let your words reflect your desire to help, not harm others.

4.Right Action
Practice self-less conduct that reflects the highest
statement of the life you want to live. Express conduct
that is peaceful, honest and pure showing compassion
for all beings.

5. Right Livelihood
Avoidance of work that causes suffering to others or that
makes a decent, virtuous life impossible. Do not engage
in any occupation that opposes or distracts one from the
path. Love and serve our world through your work.

6. Right Effort
Seek to make the balance between the exertion of following
the spiritual path and a moderate life that is not over-zealous.
Work to develop more wholesome mind states, while gently
striving to go deeper and live more fully.

7. Right Mindfulness
Through constant vigilance in thought, speech and action
seek to rid the mind of self-centered thoughts that separate
and replace them with those that bind all beings together.
Be aware of your thoughts, emotions, body and world as they
exist in the present moment. Your thoughts create your reality.

8. Right Concentration
Through the application of meditation and mental discipline seek
to extinguish the last flame of grasping consciousness and develop
an emptiness that has room to embrace and love all things.


www.buddhanet.net

[Gwynhuever]

@brian ..welcome to the thread bro....and thanks for your post...kay concise but complete....ako to basahon ug balik para ma refresh with the basics....ako bro catholic hangtod karon...pero practicing buddhist principles and into zen meditation...please post more so we can share sad sa uban istoryans who might be reading this thread...peace

[d_guy1024]

welcome to the thread brian!

I would also like to share why I embrace Buddhism more than ever, this is about faith and reason...

Faith and Reason

Faith, or belief, and reason are commonly seen as being fundamentally in opposition to each other. Many people regard any kind of belief--and religious belief in particular--as some sort of paralysis of the faculty of reason, an intellectual crutch. Currently, however, this presumption of a sharp opposition between belief and reason, which has been the hallmark of modern thought, is being reexamined.

Twentieth-century philosophers such as Ludwig Wittgenstein and Jos�EOrtega y Gasset have pointed out that each of us lives, acts and thinks within a system of beliefs that is largely unconscious but without which we would be incapable of any thought or action. "Our beliefs are already operating in the depths of our lives when we begin to think something," writes Ortega y Gasset. Reason, in this sense, is founded on belief. If belief is the foundation of life, we don't really have a choice of whether to believe or not. We can choose, however, what to believe, what the substance of our faith will be.

Within the Buddhist tradition, the relationship between faith and reason has been the subject of sustained inquiry since ancient times. While this tradition has always held that the Buddha's enlightenment cannot be grasped or expressed in its entirety by reason or language, Buddhism has consistently held that reason and language should be highly valued.

While the Buddha's enlightenment may transcend the realm of reason, it is not irrational, nor does it resist rational examination. Faith in the Buddha's teaching is in fact the basis for a mode of intellectual examination which enlists not only analytical capacities but also seeks to develop the intuitive wisdom found in the deepest spiritual strata of the human being. Learning and knowledge can serve as the portal to wisdom; but it is wisdom that enables us to use knowledge in the most humane and valuable way. The confusion of knowledge and wisdom, arguably, is at the root of our societal distortions.

Nichiren likewise developed and presented his teachings very rationally. He is well known for his scholarship and his willingness to debate. Many of his important writings take the form of a dialectic question and answer in which doubts are presented, responded to and resolved.

Sraddha, prasada and adhimukti are three Sanskrit terms translated in the Lotus Sotra as "faith" or "belief." Sraddha, defined as the first stage of Buddhist practice, means "to arouse faith" and also "to possess curiosity about." The term thus includes the meaning of a sense of awe or wonder that seems to be at the root of all religious sentiment.

Prasada expresses the idea of purity and clarity. It could be said that, from the perspective of Buddhism, the proper purpose of faith is to cleanse the mind in order to enable our inherent wisdom to shine forth.

Adhimukti literally means intent, that is, the orientation of one's mind or will. This is the mental attitude of deepening one's understanding, cultivating and polishing one's life toward perfecting the sublime state of prasada. Faith thus purifies reason, strengthens it and elevates it and is an engine for continuous self-improvement. Daisaku Ikeda has defined faith as "an open, seeking mind, a pure heart and a flexible spirit."

The above terms can be contrasted with bhakti, another Sanskrit term for faith. Bhakti, originally meaning "to become part of," is a faith associated with a practice of surrender to--and unification with--a transcendent deity. This term is seldom, if ever, used in Buddhist texts.

The modern age seems convinced that intellect is an independent faculty, operating independently from feeling or belief. Yet it is becoming clearer that many trends, such as efforts to exert technological mastery over nature, rest on highly subjective beliefs or value judgements.

What is called for now is new unification of belief and reason encompassing all aspects of the human being and society, including the insights achieved by modern science. This must be an attempt to restore wholeness to human society, which has been rent asunder by extremes of reason artificially divorced from belief and irrational religious fanaticism.

This synthesis must grow from a dialogue based on mutual respect. Both sides must approach this dialogue, not with the desire to establish dominion over the other, but with a spirit of learning, of mining deeper and richer veins of truth. This will only be possible if all participants keep firmly in view the goal of human happiness. Does a particular position, approach or belief advance the human condition, or does it drive it back? Only on this basis can a dialogue between faith and reason produce true and lasting value for humankind.

selection source: ]http://sgi.org/english/Buddhism/more/more04.htm

[brian_d]

Attachment

First, you must recognize what attachment is, and then you
let go. That's when you realize non-attachment. However, if
you're coming from the view that you shouldn't be attached,
then that's still not it. The point is not to take a position
against attachment, as if there were a commandment against it;
the point is to observe. We ask the questions,
"What is attachment?"
"Does being attached to things bring happiness or suffering?"
Then we begin to have insight. We begin to see what attachment
is, and then we can let go.

If you're coming from a high-minded position in which you
think you shouldn't be attached to anything, then you come
up with ideas like, "Well, I can't be a Buddhist because I
love my wife, because I'm attached to my wife. I love her,
and I just can't let her go. I can't send her away."
Those kinds of thoughts come from the view that you
shouldn't be attached.

The recognition of attachment doesn't mean that you get
rid of your wife. It means you free yourself from wrong
views about yourself and your wife. Then you find that
there's love there, but it's not attached. It's not
distorting, clinging, and grasping. The empty mind
is quite capable of caring about others and loving in
the pure sense of love. But any attachment will always
distort that.

If you love someone and then start grasping, things get
complicated; then, what you love causes you pain. For
example, you love your children, but if you become attached
to them, then you don't really love them anymore because
you're not with them as they are. You have all kinds of ideas
about what they should be and what you want them
to be. You want them to obey you, and you want them to be
good, and you want them to pass their exams. With this attitude,
you're not really loving them, because if they don't fulfill your wishes,
you feel angry and frustrated and averse to them. So
attachment to children prevents us from loving them.

But as we let go of attachment, we find that our natural way of relating
is to love. We find that we are able to allow our children to be
as they are, rather than having fixed ideas of what we want them
to be. When I talk to parents, they say how much suffering there
is in having children, because there's a lot of wanting.

When we're wanting them to be a certain way and not wanting them
to be another way, we create this anguish and suffering in
our minds. But the more we let go of that, the more we discover
an amazing ability to be sensitive to, and aware of, children
as they are. Then, of course, that openness allows them to respond
rather than just react to our attachment. You know, a lot of children
are just reacting to our saying, "I want you to be like this.

The empty mind-the pure mind-is not a blank where you're not
feeling or caring about anything. It's an effulgence of the
mind. It's a brightness that is truly sensitive and accepting.
It's an ability to accept life as it is. When we accept life
as it is, we can respond appropriately to the way we're
experiencing it, rather than just reacting out of fear and
aversion.

Taking Personal Responsibility
With mindfulness, we can be independent of the positions other
people are taking. We can stand on our own two feet and take
responsibility for acting in a virtuous way, regardless of what
the rest of sociery is doing.I can be kind, generous, and loving
toward you, and that is a joy to me.But if I make my happiness
dependent upon your being kind to me, then it will always be
threatened, because if you aren't doing what I like-behaving the
way I want you to-then I'm going to be unhappy. So then, my
happiness is always under threat because the world mightnot behave
as I want it to.

It's clear that I would spend the rest of my life being terribly
disappointed if I expected everything to change-if I expected
everybody to become virtuous, wars to stop, money not to be wasted,
governments to be compassionate, sharing, and giving-everything to
be just exactly the way I want it! Actually, I don't expect to see
very much of that in my lifetime, but there is no point in being
miserable about it ; happiness based on what I want is not all that
important.

Joy isn't dependent on getting things, or on the world going the way
you want, or on people behaving the way they should, or on their
giving you all the things you like and want. Joyfulness isn't dependent
upon anything but your own willingness to be generous, kind, and loving.
It's that mature experience of giving, sharing, and developing the science
of goodness. Virtuousness is the joy we can experience in this human
realm. So, although what society is doing or what everyone else is doing
is beyond my control-I can't go around making everything how I want it-
still, I can be kind, generous, and patient,and do good, and develop
virtue. That I can do, and that's worth doing, and not something anyone
can stop me from doing. However rotten or corrupted society is doesn't
make any difference to our ability to be virtuous and to do good.

[bcasabee]

it's strange, Catholics also have this eight beatitudes.........i wonder how it is related to the eight fold path....

[Gwynhuever]

on attachment as posted by brian i wanna add something....are you guys familiar with the Ryoanji Temple? This is one of the temples in Kyoto,Japan well renowned for its rock garden..the garden is very simple consisting only of white sand and fifteen rocks. It is said that it's simple beauty will inspire philosophical meditation. Well anyway with this Zen garden it is upto the visitor to find out for himself what this unique garden signifies...madugay nimo tutok sa mga bato ug sa white gravel nga surrounded by low earthen walls the more varied your imagination becomes....a little way off the garden there was this unique stone wash basin with Japanese characters inscription....it said "I learn to be contented".....basically this meant that he who learns only to be contented is spiritually rich, while the one who does not learn to be contented is spiritually poor even if he is materially wealthy.....

kana nga inscription is very meaningful for me...i try to meditate on that ...para ma menos ang attachment to worldly things...kay matod pa nila bro..."the more things you own...the more they will own you"

@bcasabee....welcome to the thread....familiar sad ko sa 8 beatitudes bro...mao ba ni ang teachings ni Jesus sa sermon on the mount?

[d_guy1024]

@Gwyn: I wonder what Zen practices? As for us SGI memebers, lay believers of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, here is our practice and I would like to share it to you...

Prayer in Buddhism

Prayer is central to the practice of Nichiren Buddhism. SGI members often relate experiences of "offering earnest prayer," or "praying from the bottom of my heart." They also speak of having their prayers "answered." What do SGI members mean when they make such statements?

The Webster's Third International Dictionary defines prayer as "a solemn and humble approach to Divinity in word or thought, usually involving beseeching, petition, confession, praise, or thanksgiving."

In what ways does the Buddhist understanding of prayer accord with this definition, and how does it differ?

Prayer appears to be a universal human activity. There is evidence to suggest that humans have been engaged in some form of "prayer" since the earliest days of our species. As soon as humans developed a consciousness of their relative powerlessness before the forces of nature, the precariousness of their existence and their own mortality, they no doubt began giving expression to intense feelings of petition, praise or thanksgiving.

SGI President Daisaku Ikeda has written that religion grew from prayer; that the sentiment and act of prayer precedes the forms which different religious traditions have since given this primordial human act. Buddhist prayer likewise may be thought of as a focused expression of these same sentiments of yearning, commitment and appreciation. It is, however, distinguished by the fact that Buddhism locates the divine within the life of the individual practitioner. The purpose of Buddhist prayer is to awaken our innate inner capacities of strength, courage and wisdom rather than to petition external forces.

Also, as in many Eastern spiritual practices, there is an emphasis on a specific physical form of prayer. For practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism this means the reciting of portions of the Lotus Sutra and the repeated chanting of the phrase "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo," the name of the mystic law that lies within all life derived by Nichiren from the title of the Lotus Sutra. That the chant is audibly intoned expresses the fact that in Nichiren Buddhism prayer is not a purely meditative turning inward, but an act making manifest inner qualities, bringing them out into the real world.

SGI members direct their prayer to the Gohonzon, or object of veneration. This is a mandala, a symbolic representation of the ideal state of Buddhahood, or enlightenment, in which all the tendencies and impulses of life--from the most debased to the most noble--function in harmony toward happiness and creativity. The Gohonzon is not an "idol" or "god" to be supplicated or appeased but a means for reflection and a catalyst for inner change.

SGI members are encouraged to make their prayers specific, concrete and focused on the real-life problems, hopes and concerns they confront. Nichiren Buddhism stresses the inseparability of "earthly desires" and enlightenment. Nichiren states that it is by burning the "firewood" of our desires--through the act of prayer--that we are able to bring forth the flame of renewed energy and the light of our inner wisdom. Buddhist prayer is the process by which our intensely felt desires and sufferings are transformed into compassion and wisdom. In this sense, it inevitably involves self-reflection, including a sometimes painful confrontation with our own deeply-rooted destructive tendencies. To quote Nichiren again, "Your mastery of the Buddhist teachings will not relieve you of mortal sufferings in the least unless you perceive the nature of your own life."

SGI members are also encouraged to view prayer as fully integrated with the actions and behavior of daily life. Prayer only becomes genuine prayer when it is acted upon. To succeed in life we need determination and prayer, effort and ingenuity.

Most fundamentally, prayer is the process of bringing forth the supreme state of life referred to as our "Buddha nature." A potential possessed equally by all people, the Buddha nature is the fundamental, compassionate life force inherent in the cosmos. Prayer is the process of realigning our individual lives (the lesser self, with all its impulses and desires) with the rhythm of the living cosmos (the greater self). In doing this we unleash previously untapped sources of self-knowledge, wisdom, vitality and perseverance. And because, in Buddhist philosophy, there is no separation between the internal world of human beings and their environment, changes that occur in our inner life are reflected in our external circumstances. The experience of having one's prayers "answered" is the manifest result of this process.

Daisaku Ikeda has written that the ultimate form of prayer is in fact a vow--a vow to contribute to the happiness of others and the development of human society.

It is this vow and pledge to action that most profoundly attunes our lives to the larger life of the universe and brings forth our highest, most noble "selves."

[shoeless_rebel]

thanks alot for the post guys.... m slowly learning the beauty of buddhism.