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PsychoInternetHawk posted:Which holiday is that anime where he's roommates with Jesus April Fools Day
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Nov 2, 2017 02:44
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 look at what i made today
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Nov 15, 2017 03:49
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Senju Kannon posted:
Is that an "abaj" I see there? Translate it for us, I don't recognize any of 'em
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Nov 15, 2017 06:07
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Nessus posted:Noice namu amida butsu, 南無阿弥陀仏
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Nov 15, 2017 06:20
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Senju Kannon posted:namu amida butsu, 南無阿弥陀仏
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Nov 15, 2017 06:39
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a thousand false nembutsus can lead to a true nembutsu
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Nov 15, 2017 06:50
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And won't you end up in the borderlands anyway, just for making the effort? (The books I got were kind of ambiguous.) Anyway that is super cool, what was the occasion for making it?
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Nov 15, 2017 12:51
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felt like it
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Nov 15, 2017 15:40
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I can't seem to find it, but a couple years ago I saw something online about liberation banners for the benefit of animals. I can't find it through Googling because I end up with animal rights groups as my results, which isn't quite the liberation I'm looking for. Does anyone know anything about the banners?
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Nov 15, 2017 18:34
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I went to a Chinese Pure Land temple service Sunday and I fee like I had a workout at the gym. My legs are literally sore from bowing and my voice is hoarse from chanting.
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Nov 21, 2017 02:52
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Laocius posted:I went to a Chinese Pure Land temple service Sunday and I fee like I had a workout at the gym. My legs are literally sore from bowing and my voice is hoarse from chanting. Do they have a website? I'm interested in their history, lineage, etc.
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Nov 21, 2017 03:13
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Thirteen Orphans posted:Do they have a website? I'm interested in their history, lineage, etc. Just search for Fo Guang Shan or the International Buddhist Progress Society. They're a Taiwanese Humanistic Buddhist organization. Wikipedia calls them a "new religious movement," but from what I've gathered thus far, their interpretation of Buddhism seems pretty orthodox, albeit very accommodating to modernization.
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Nov 21, 2017 04:12
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Laocius posted:Just search for Fo Guang Shan or the International Buddhist Progress Society. They're a Taiwanese Humanistic Buddhist organization. Wikipedia calls them a "new religious movement," but from what I've gathered thus far, their interpretation of Buddhism seems pretty orthodox, albeit very accommodating to modernization. Oh I know those guys! Other than sore legs, how'd you like the service?
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Nov 21, 2017 04:25
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Laocius posted:Just search for Fo Guang Shan or the International Buddhist Progress Society. They're a Taiwanese Humanistic Buddhist organization. Wikipedia calls them a "new religious movement," but from what I've gathered thus far, their interpretation of Buddhism seems pretty orthodox, albeit very accommodating to modernization. What does "Humanistic" mean in this context? Do they not bring up things like rebirth? If I saw "humanistic Buddhism" here in America I'd probably think "oh OK it's some people who are preaching Buddhism with all the bits that scare educated liberals filed off."
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Nov 21, 2017 07:21
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Reading up, seems like it's a focus on how the Buddha was a human being and not a god, otherwise seems pretty orthodox, just more outreach-y.
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Nov 21, 2017 07:55
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Thirteen Orphans posted:Oh I know those guys! Other than sore legs, how'd you like the service? It was cool! Very different from my previous experience with more convert-based Buddhist communities. Definitely the most physically active religious service I've ever attended. Nessus posted:Seems like their main thing is marketing but they don't seem to have become a megachurch, they're just willing to use the methods. Seems legitimate to me. Nessus posted:Reading up, seems like it's a focus on how the Buddha was a human being and not a god, otherwise seems pretty orthodox, just more outreach-y. Yeah, "humanistic" basically just means that they're focused more focused on engaging with the human realm, rather than detaching from society or obsessing about death and ghosts. Of course, it's clearly a matter of degrees, since the service I went to involved a lot of prayers for the dead. They're also notable for making greater use of technology than more traditionalist organizations, to the point that it starts to approach megachurch territory sometimes. The service I went to just had some slide projectors and earpieces so that those of us who don't know Chinese could follow what was going on.
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Nov 21, 2017 20:17
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Laocius posted:Yeah, "humanistic" basically just means that they're focused more focused on engaging with the human realm, rather than detaching from society or obsessing about death and ghosts. Of course, it's clearly a matter of degrees, since the service I went to involved a lot of prayers for the dead. They're also notable for making greater use of technology than more traditionalist organizations, to the point that it starts to approach megachurch territory sometimes. The service I went to just had some slide projectors and earpieces so that those of us who don't know Chinese could follow what was going on. Were you getting a live translation of the sermon?
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Nov 21, 2017 21:19
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Nessus posted:Were you getting a live translation of the sermon? Yes, but there wasn't really a sermon. One of the laywomen who works for the temple was live translating the head nun's instructions, which me and the one other non-Chinese speaker got to hear in our earpieces.
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Nov 21, 2017 21:33
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As a member of the Fo Guang Shan, you guys have it pretty much down. I decided upon Fo Guang Shan for its more outreach-y style of action in the earth-realm and the fact it does not sequester you away from others, especially when others are suffering.
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Nov 22, 2017 02:11
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Senior Scarybagels posted:As a member of the Fo Guang Shan, you guys have it pretty much down. I decided upon Fo Guang Shan for its more outreach-y style of action in the earth-realm and the fact it does not sequester you away from others, especially when others are suffering.
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Nov 22, 2017 02:17
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I had my wedding in their Austin temple. They're legitimately trying to meet people where they're at and they do a lot to establish and maintain their communities. (And there's a nun at the Austin temple who is a truly amazing chef. She's astonishingly skilled at temple cuisine.)
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Nov 22, 2017 02:17
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Nessus posted:Do they not have a monastic arm? Or do they just avoid the full cloistering? They do in Taiwan, and for a long time their monastery was closed off. It's been open to the public again for around a decade again. As for monasteries in the US, I am not sure. The center I follow is in a St. Louis suburb. You can find it here: https://fgsstlbc.org/
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Nov 22, 2017 03:03
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Does anyone here live near Dallas or Fort Worth? Or do you have some personal experience with Sanbo Kyodan Zen? I have read a ton about many different religions and theologies but I'm a painfully shy, awkward person so I have always kept my studies to myself and my computer. But maybe that's why I've never found something that felt "right." Maybe I need to get out there more and try some stuff. Zen seems like it might be up my alley. Unlike the earlier poster, I prefer the idea of seclusion and introspection. I hear about the world's problems every other second of the day, I'd like some peace of mind for myself. That's what I'm hoping to find there anyway. I found a meditation group in FW but they recommend new comers go to the Maria Kannon Center in Dallas. There's also the Dallas Meditation on Center which I figure might be worth a visit too since it says it's "interfaith" and I might be able to learn about multiple sects or whatever there. I mentioned earlier I like religious studies a lot so Zen always seemed not for me. But reading more on it, there's nothing really stopping you from being religious and doing Zen. I can still think about God or gods or other spiritual things. The fact a lot of Catholic Priests do Zen is very intriguing. This sort of religious syncretism is totally my thing.
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Nov 28, 2017 05:10
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NikkolasKing posted:Does anyone here live near Dallas or Fort Worth? Or do you have some personal experience with Sanbo Kyodan Zen? If you're thinking of exploring Zen, my suggestion would be to start with a somewhat more traditional practice setting (after you get a good sense of Zen in that context, you can then decide on your own whether and how to integrate it with other traditions and practices). I don't think there's anything in the immediate DFW area, but there is Austin Zen Center a moderate drive away from you. AZC is affiliated with San Francisco Zen Center and has a podcast that could help sustain your practice between visits. Also, one of the luminaries of American Zen, Shohaku Okumura, will be hosting a Genzo-e Sesshin at Austin Zen Center early next year. Registration begins soon, and if there is *any possibility at all* that you can prepare adequately between now and then, it would be *the* way to experience Zen, since, in addition to intensive meditation practice with a wonderful teacher (one of the very best anywhere), you'd be learning about, and directly from, a part of Shobogenzo. Details here: https://austinzencenter.org/event/genzo-e-sesshin-with-shohaku-okumura-roshi/ Not sure whether the schedule would be the same as at Sanshin in Indiana, where he is Abbot, so you should call ahead to find out if you're interested in attending, but here is what a similar type of retreat would look like at that center: http://www.sanshinji.org/genzo-e-retreat.html
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Nov 28, 2017 20:43
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My brother lives in Austin and has nothing but good things to say about the Austin Zen Center. It sounds like a great place and is almost certainly worth the drive.
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Nov 29, 2017 22:31
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Does anyone else get flashbacks to quake or team fortress 2 maps if they get drowsy during meditation?
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Dec 15, 2017 22:25
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Shadow Pussy Wanter posted:Does anyone else get flashbacks to quake or team fortress 2 maps if they get drowsy during meditation? I've had video game flashbacks during meditation, for sure. Anything that has occupied a significant place in your mind will pop up when you are trying to just watch the breath and avoid discursive thought.
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Dec 17, 2017 03:21
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Shadow Pussy Wanter posted:Does anyone else get flashbacks to quake or team fortress 2 maps if they get drowsy during meditation? I had some of the features of Quake's e1m2 pop into my head while I was meditating earlier today
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Dec 17, 2017 05:28
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Dr. Video Games 0081 posted:I had some of the features of Quake's e1m2 pop into my head while I was meditating earlier today I get the occasional flash on MMO landscapes that I recognize.
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Dec 17, 2017 05:59
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If the OP is ever updated or a new thread generated, please go ahead and add me as a Zen practitioner. I had held off for a long time for a number of reasons, but primarily because of the lack of a regular sangha, which is no longer an issue.
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Dec 22, 2017 00:38
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Shadow Pussy Wanter posted:Does anyone else get flashbacks to quake or team fortress 2 maps if they get drowsy during meditation? No, my mind often starts playing back the theme from Airwolf for some reason.
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Dec 24, 2017 10:48
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Tias posted:No, my mind often starts playing back the theme from Airwolf for some reason.
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Dec 24, 2017 12:16
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So I'm finally deciding to get serious about my Buddhist practice, after being rescued from major depression by Thich Nhat Hanh and learning about mindfulness, then getting into Tibetan Buddhist practice off and on in the years since. My most profound Buddhist experience so far remains the Mitrukpa Initiation I received from the Dalai Lama back in 2004 in Glasgow, so there's no doubt in my mind that Tibetan Buddhist practice is the way to go for me. I'm looking to dive in and make use of the online courses that various teachers have put online for people like myself who like a structured programme of study. I've found a few that look pretty intensive and structured, which is what I'm looking for, but I'm wondering if any of you know much about these courses and might recommend one in particular? First there's the DharmaSun Tara's Triple Excellence ( https://dharmasun.org/tte/ ), which various people on DharmaWheel seem enthused about. The free teaching videos seem really good, and the amount of content/practices looks phenomenal, which is good for me as I need a kick in the arse to develop a strong daily practice. However, it's a major commitment so I do want to be confident about my choice, and it's the most expensive one (first course is $228 and they go up from there). Then there's FPMT's Basic Program Online ( https://onlinelearning.fpmt.org/course/view.php?id=31 ), which again covers a ton of ground and the syllabus looks great. However I don't know much about it and whether the teachings are good quality, etc., although I imagine the involvement of Lama Zopa Rinpoche suggests they should be decent? All the modules are on sale at the moment so I'd be able to set myself up with 4-ish years (!) worth of study material right off the bat. Finally there's the Essence of the Mahayana course ( https://gardrolma.org/shop/essence-mahayana-online-course-2018/ ), which includes 7 months worth of livestreamed weekend teachings covering the Drikung Kagyu tradition. I like the idea of sitting watching live teachings, though the flipside of that is that it seems there's less daily structure to guide my practice. However it does cover a lot of ground and includes some empowerments. Anyway, sorry for going on and on here... if any of you have any knowledge about these courses, or info about the organisations/teachers running them that might be useful, I would appreciate hearing it very much  I'd love to kickstart my practice with some intensive learning, alongside attending weekly meditation/Dharma discussion with the local Kagyu people. There's no resident teacher there though so that's why I want to supplement that with the online stuff.
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Jan 3, 2018 05:15
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thorsilver posted:Then there's FPMT's Basic Program Online ( https://onlinelearning.fpmt.org/course/view.php?id=31 ), which again covers a ton of ground and the syllabus looks great. However I don't know much about it and whether the teachings are good quality, etc., although I imagine the involvement of Lama Zopa Rinpoche suggests they should be decent? All the modules are on sale at the moment so I'd be able to set myself up with 4-ish years (!) worth of study material right off the bat. I can comment on these two as follows: FPMT's program is unimpeachable. It's well established to be a very good resource for learning Buddhist philosophy as well as some aspects of ritual, as I understand it. Generally Gelugpa practice is very much philosophically focused and within their own specific canon, so it lends itself well to this kind of teaching. I am myself a practitioner in the Drikung Kagyu lineage, so I would not speak negatively of the content of Garchen Rinpoche and Khenpo Samdup's program in the second link. As for daily structure to guide your practice, you will absolutely receive that if I'm understanding correctly what it's showing here - it's a series of teachings and empowerments that go from the taking of Refuge to the Bodhisattva Vows and then immediately into the Five-fold Path of Mahamudra, the very essence of Drikung Kagyu practice. This would include some daily structure of meditation in particular ways and in a particular manner. That said, there is some controversy among Buddhists in and out of the lineage about the efficacy of empowerments taken online. The teachings are absolutely fine, of course. But for my part, I would want to attend the initiations themselves in person. Perhaps that's just superstition on my part, I don't know. In either case, both of those seem like very good options for your situation. I don't know much myself, but I would also consider what empowerments and practices you already have, and build your daily practice around that. Even in the absence of a guru, it's entirely possible to structure your practice in a functional way so long as it is built around beginning with taking refuge and establishing compassionate motivation, then the actual body of the practice, and then ending it with a dedication of the merit for the benefit of sentient beings. With this understanding, you can build the practice up or condense it according to however your circumstances permit. fake edit: If you do end up going with the Gar Drolma program, I would be interested in hearing about it.
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Jan 3, 2018 06:35
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Paramemetic posted:I can comment on these two as follows: That's great to hear, thanks for this The syllabus did look very comprehensive, so I was hopeful that it had a good reputation. The philosophical depth of Buddhism is a major part of the fascination for me, as well as a great motivator to improve my practice, so if the course really focuses in on that it could be a great match for me.quote:I am myself a practitioner in the Drikung Kagyu lineage, so I would not speak negatively of the content of Garchen Rinpoche and Khenpo Samdup's program in the second link. As for daily structure to guide your practice, you will absolutely receive that if I'm understanding correctly what it's showing here - it's a series of teachings and empowerments that go from the taking of Refuge to the Bodhisattva Vows and then immediately into the Five-fold Path of Mahamudra, the very essence of Drikung Kagyu practice. This would include some daily structure of meditation in particular ways and in a particular manner. I see, I hadn't realised that the teachings themselves would provide that kind of structure -- I guess I was fooled by the outlines of the other courses, which were more explicit about what would be expected from each day of practice, etc. As for the empowerments, I can see how that would cause some divisions. For my part, I'd also like to attend in person, but opportunities here in the UK are quite rare in my experience, and as my wife is not working I can't blow through too much money chasing them down elsewhere. I'm taking the view that whether online or off, empowerments would depend on my connection to the teacher and my ability to take in the teachings; I feel like if I were going to get the benefit of the empowerment from that teacher, I'd get it whether I see them on a screen or in the same room. quote:I don't know much myself, but I would also consider what empowerments and practices you already have, and build your daily practice around that. Even in the absence of a guru, it's entirely possible to structure your practice in a functional way so long as it is built around beginning with taking refuge and establishing compassionate motivation, then the actual body of the practice, and then ending it with a dedication of the merit for the benefit of sentient beings. With this understanding, you can build the practice up or condense it according to however your circumstances permit. Thank you, that's reassuring. I will try to structure my daily practice a bit more to follow this kind of routine. Part of me is just a bit tired of pursuing my Buddhist education solo for so many years; I'm an academic by trade and my mindset is very much geared toward finding good teachers and taking a structured approach to learning, whatever the subject. My hope is that my practice will become more productive and more consistent when I feel more confident I'm heading in the right direction, rather than groping cluelessly for the next book that looks like it might tell me something useful. quote:fake edit: If you do end up going with the Gar Drolma program, I would be interested in hearing about it. Will do I think I'm leaning toward FPMT now though, thanks to your endorsement. Poking around the site a bit more it really does seem very well organised, so I'll probably take a stab at the first couple of modules and see how the initial material grabs me, and go from there.
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Jan 3, 2018 14:28
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thorsilver posted:I see, I hadn't realised that the teachings themselves would provide that kind of structure -- I guess I was fooled by the outlines of the other courses, which were more explicit about what would be expected from each day of practice, etc. Generally speaking, a daily practice is developed by oneself under the guidance of one's Lama. For example, my daily practice (which I'm procrastinating on as I type, so I'll keep this brief to go do that haha) includes two aspects of the common preliminary practices that I'm working through as well as a deity yoga practice that I took a commitment to practice in the mornings, and then in the evenings the very brief practice of my lineage Dharma Protectress. It takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and change to do the morning practice and anywhere from 2 to 20 minutes to do the evening practice, with the adjustments being based on how much time I have. All this is based on the ritual instruction I've been given over the years and then checking in with my Lama whenever something is changing or when I receive new teachings that I would like to incorporate or so on. So within the context of for example the Gar Drolma program, it would be giving the permissions and instructions for a bunch of practices, but the "correct" thing would be to work with the Lama on how to make that into a daily practice. quote:As for the empowerments, I can see how that would cause some divisions. For my part, I'd also like to attend in person, but opportunities here in the UK are quite rare in my experience, and as my wife is not working I can't blow through too much money chasing them down elsewhere. I'm taking the view that whether online or off, empowerments would depend on my connection to the teacher and my ability to take in the teachings; I feel like if I were going to get the benefit of the empowerment from that teacher, I'd get it whether I see them on a screen or in the same room. There are three lines of thinking that go on with these things, and I don't hold strongly an opinion about what is "right," but rather I follow the most conservative format but don't judge those who take different interpretations. Basically, an empowerment consists of a few different things that can certainly be done without needing to be in the same room - for example, considering the nature of emptiness, the visualization establishment of a mandala, entry into it, and so on could absolutely be done over a distance. The biggest part that I think that creates the different views is the most important aspect of samaya, the commitments the student makes to the teacher and the teacher to the students. So, there are people that argue that (1) because the Lama is seen as an enlightened being with miracle powers, they can see all the students receiving the empowerment via their wisdom eye and they can make that commitment to those students as students without regard to space or time, (2) the Lama is an enlightened being with a wisdom eye, so the empowerment is efficacious over live streams but not when recorded for example on YouTube, or (3) despite the Lama is an enlightened being with a wisdom eye, it is important that the students be at least physically present before the Lama. I am inclined to agree with all three views, but tend myself towards views 3 and 2 only. For my part, I certainly believe it is within the capacities of enlightened beings to both accept and make those commitments over the Internet, but there is very little precedent for that, and importantly, the commitments made by students involve giving something up (within their capacity) and so traveling to receive the empowerments is one of those things that historically has demonstrated the devotion necessary for the blessings to take root. quote:Thank you, that's reassuring. I will try to structure my daily practice a bit more to follow this kind of routine. Part of me is just a bit tired of pursuing my Buddhist education solo for so many years; I'm an academic by trade and my mindset is very much geared toward finding good teachers and taking a structured approach to learning, whatever the subject. I absolutely understand this. I know of a few Drikung Kagyu practitioners in Oxford but I don't know what their plans are towards developing a center. I think they may have a group that meets fairly regularly, but I'd have to check. I know that some of them are devoted to my own Lama and that I believe he has visited there before and will likely visit again in the future. quote:Will do I'm glad to hear it. The FPMT program is widely acclaimed and I think you'll be very happy with it. It's possible that the first few modules will be "review" for you, if so I'd encourage you to stick with it. Gelugpa's philosophical doctrines are vast and going through what is effectively a shedra in those philosophies is certain to enhance anyone's understanding. Additionally, my understanding is that they have tests and assessments for checking understanding which is extremely beneficial. I think you'll enjoy that one.
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Jan 3, 2018 17:16
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Hi Buddhism thread, haven't posted here in years. I'm writing for a bit of advice or encouragement I'm hoping it is okay to focus a bit on myself in this post and know that the questions and concerns I have aren't only my own, but that I speak for others in our current age and hope that my questioning is of benefit to them as well as those who might offer guidance. I don't want whatever questions I have to distract or deter others from their path -- my intention is not to disparage the Buddha-Dharma which I hold in incredibly high esteem. My background: I've been practicing in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche for about the last decade, taking Refuge and Bodhisattva vows, studying the Hinayana and Mahayana, holding a daily shamatha/vipassana practice as much as possible, going on several 7-15 day group retreats, moving through the dozens of core-curriculum classes at Shambhala, and otherwise being very much a part of the community. The teachings have come to be a core part of my no-self identity. I'm not a vajrayana practitioner, but it is the "next step" if I continue on the path as outlined by Shambhala. I'm preparing to go on my first solitary retreat Friday in a retreat cabin in Vermont. 7 days with no human contact, no books, no devices, 8 hours of meditation/sadhana practice/chanting daily punctuated by cooking and eating and rest. I'm incredibly excited and nervous about the whole thing. I've worked with a mentor to devise a schedule and will be at a retreat center that has housed retreatants for decades. I'm feeling well supported. Leading up to the retreat, due in large part that beginning preliminary practices is the "next step", I've been plagued with doubt about the validity of the practices and the path. I generally have distaste for woo and new-age beliefs. Last night I woke up in the middle of the night with so much doubt about the lineage, the teachings, the seemingly supernatural claims of the Vajrayana. In fact, the only way I could calm myself was to realize that my path is my own and if it breaks from Shambhala or Tibetan Buddhism, that is okay. I don't know how to reconcile my so-called scientific intelligence with my love for the dharma and the profound impact that the lineage has had on me. I've gotten sober through Dharma, I've processed the death of my mother through Dharma, I've maybe become a somewhat decent person through Dharma. BUT I don't know how to hold the two truths of academic rigour and experiential understanding. At first I wanted to hold my solitary retreat as an experiment: "what happens when I'm not under other's influence and do the chants -- is there a real affect?" but my mentor suggested that would be shutting down to experiences that don't fall under the "yes/no" rubric that experiment creates. Maybe I'm just nervous and scared about the retreat, but I feel like I'm at a crossroads as I approach the vajrayana and don't know how to decide. Thank you for indulging my self-centered thoughts, may they benefit others.
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Jan 3, 2018 18:48
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Leon Sumbitches posted:I don't know how to reconcile my so-called scientific intelligence with my love for the dharma and the profound impact that the lineage has had on me. I've gotten sober through Dharma, I've processed the death of my mother through Dharma, I've maybe become a somewhat decent person through Dharma. BUT I don't know how to hold the two truths of academic rigour and experiential understanding. At first I wanted to hold my solitary retreat as an experiment: "what happens when I'm not under other's influence and do the chants -- is there a real affect?" but my mentor suggested that would be shutting down to experiences that don't fall under the "yes/no" rubric that experiment creates. Hey there. I'm just going to say a bunch of words and hope somewhere in here you find something helpful. Please forgive me for writing too much and lacking the wisdom of brevity. I know somewhat of the kind of challenge of doubt you're facing. I think it's very common especially among Westerners who have a high degree of scientific literacy and are assured of its importance as a method for investigating the world and so on. I'm not any different, and I've sometimes struggled with similar things. It can also be very difficult to discuss this kind of thing with Lamas or qualified teachers, as many Lamas don't have the same degree of scientific literacy, and therefore we can lose confidence or faith in their answers because of our own attachments, and many teachers or advanced practitioners seemingly go the way of woo. For my part, I have been fortunate to attend a center with very few woo-centric practitioners. For many years, our weekly meditation practice was led by a student of Trungpa Rinpoche's, who happens to be a very highly internationally regarded physician. So it's clear the two things aren't necessarily linked, this predisposition to newagery or rejection of materialist science and the Dharma, yet we often wrestle with it. But, I think that this is not at all surprising to arise before you take a meaningful step towards Dharma practice. And, I think that the two approaches you mention - the scientific approach and the experiential approach - are not different. The Vajrayana is a tricky thing. It uses terms and analogies and metaphors and discusses real things as if they were fake and fake things as if they were real, and, in the end, it encourages us to make no such distinction at all. Feeling a need to decide between academic rigor and experience, for example, is a perfect exemplar of this kind of dualistic thinking. I think this for a few reasons. First, experience is what it is. We're not trying to assess the material reality of experiences here. There's no point to that. The purpose of Buddhism is to liberate us from suffering, and if we are to accept the Second Noble Truth, suffering does not come from the material conditions of reality. Suffering comes from our experience of that reality, which we know from scientific investigation does not necessarily perfectly agree with reality. For example, through careful materialist scientific investigation we cannot determine whether some money is "mine" or not, we cannot determine whether a piece of art is ugly or pretty, we cannot determine whether blue is our favorite color, we cannot determine a lot of things that we mentally impute onto things. But suffering comes from those things - it comes from identifying that money as ours or someone else's, or from having green instead of blue, or from having ugly art instead of pretty art. So if we're looking to address our suffering, we have to look at our experience, not at material reality. This doesn't mean that we have to abandon reason, though. We can apply the mode of investigation to our experiences, but in order to have those experiences we have to have them. We go into retreat because it is difficult to observe our mind when we're observing the news, or our friend's Facebook posts, or the collapse of Star Citizen. So that's one thought, but it applies broadly to Buddhism, and not specifically to the Vajrayana. To the Western scientific materialist mindset, the Vajrayana gets very quickly offputting. Why cultivate devotion to a Lama, how does that help? The Lama's blessings? What blessings? An empowerment through spiritual transmission? What spiritual transmission! And so on. But such objections don't withstand scrutiny, really. First, in removing doubt, we can look at the life stories of past and present masters. It's very quickly obvious, when we look at for example Garchen Rinpoche, who was mentioned earlier in the thread, that there's something special there. Whether you believe in some kind of wisdom eye or not, this is a man who endured numerous tortures and hardships at the hands of the Chinese government and yet is utterly happy, harboring no hatred or anger or jealousy of any kind. We don't need to believe in miraculous powers, because in any case none of the so-called miracle powers are the goal of Buddhism. The greatest miracle is being an island of happiness in the ocean of suffering. Liberation, lovingkindness, and compassion are the miracle. Some masters, such as Khenchen Rinpoche, have even attained that enlightenment in this very life through the methods of Dharma. So, observing that we can get a result from a process, we can put aside our questions about whether or not it works. And, we should put aside our investigations about how it works. It's much more important that it works than how, after all. But it's difficult to tame our compulsive need for analysis. Any meditator knows that, because our two dispositions are to forget about a focal object, or else to analyze that focal object. Our mind doesn't want to rest. So when we think about why the Vajrayana works, we get different answers based on cultural backgrounds. In fact I think they are the same thing being described slightly differently. The goal is transformation, and applying the methods of the Vajrayana certainly achieve that. When we look at any series of rituals, though, we can interpret them as either magically or esoterically effective, or psychologically effective, or both, or neither. We know that it's effective, so it's not neither. We can gain that knowledge academically through observation of the outside world, and experientially through our own meditation. You already have a strong experiential confidence in the truth of Dharma from your own experiences. But as for whether it's academic, or esoteric, or both, this isn't really important, right? Still, the thing is this: if it is esoteric, then it should be performed in the way that it is performed traditionally, through for example the five-fold path of Mahamudra, or whatever equivalent Shambhala uses. The preliminary practices exist for the reason of transformation: they are meant to prepare us as a vessel for receiving the teachings. We can consider this esoterically, in that there is literally some kind of spiritual transformation, but I think that's actually strange even for Tibetans. Refuge cultivates devotion and humility. We lay on the floor in front of some statues or pictures and visualize some things in our head and at some point we think "this is very silly" and yet we keep doing that. In so doing, we give up our pride and dignity. We're willing to rely fully on the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha at that point, and we let go of ourselves. This is important! The recitation of the Vajrasattva purification mantra is not so much about the mantra as about everything that goes with it. We have to recognize our non-meritorious behaviors in this and past lives, cultivate remorse so as to recognize the suffering we have caused ourselves and others, apply the antidote through the practice, and resolve not to perform those things again. Even if this is not magically efficacious, it is psychologically efficacious. We want to transform our minds and mental habits. Christians take a symbolic bath, they die to the world, and rise in Christ. Vajrayana Buddhists are also cleansed, inside and outside, and purified. Then through the power of resolution not to perform those same acts again and again, we find ourselves able to proceed. Mandala offerings find us giving a pile of rice to a picture again, and it seems very silly, but here we cultivate generosity. We're not just giving a pile of rice that we're visualizing as a beautiful world mandala - we're giving our time, our energy, and our resources for the benefit of all sentient beings. Everything we've been doing to this point of course has to be with the motivation of benefiting sentient beings, but here we're making symbolic offerings. Again, this is psychologically transformative. Putting rice on a plate doesn't do anything. The visualized psychodrama, however, doesn't have to have some kind of magic power. It's occurring in our mind, and the goal is to transform our mind. Surely something can be considered efficacious if it happens in our mind. Earlier I mentioned, seemingly paradoxically, that I think it's better to go to empowerments in person, because they're not efficacious so much online. But really, we receive an empowerment every day that we practice a deity yoga or guru yoga. The empowerment is a very important part of that process ritually and psychologically. Because ritual is a psychological tool. Similarly, it's important to go to empowerments in person because it's part of the experience. We know Vajrayana works historically because traditional methods have been used - but historically there has been no Internet. We don't know if Internet empowerments work. They might, if they produce the same psychological effects of ritual, and so on, but I am doubtful that they do. Getting yer head bonked by a statue and eating a magic pill are physical experiences that serve as a real foundation, an outward manifestation, of the psychological processes we've visualized during the empowerment. And so on through the other practices of ngondro. The other thing I can say is that this is not much different than the appearance of Mara before the Buddha under the tree. I'm not saying you're on the verge of Enlightenment or anything (maybe? I don't know!) but in these stories there are really real Maras that actually didn't want Buddha to attain enlightenment. But all of those Maras are anthropomorphizations of internal and external circumstances which obstruct our path. The Mara of the Aggregates, the Mara of Afflictive Emotions, the Mara of the Lord of Death, and the Mara of the Sons of Gods, are all externalizations of the processes that occur within our own mind. The aggregates arise and we consider them real, this is the Mara of the Aggregates. The Mara of Afflictive Emotions arise and we feel doubt, fear, hatred, anger, jealousy, and so on. The Mara of the Lord of Death arises and we simultaneously fear the death that will end our Dharma Practice as well as that we are wasting our time in practice. The Mara of the Sons of Gods arise and create obstacles to our practice in other things, mostly worldly concerns. You're going into retreat, and you have doubts. These are the maras arising in your own life. The ego wants to protect itself, we grasp after ourselves. On the verge of a retreat, you have fear of change which comes from attachment, fear of surrendering your scientific sensibilities, again from attachment, doubt that it can help you, and so on. Of course these obstacles will arise. But the methods for taming them are taught in the Sutras and Tantras. The obstacles that are arising for you have arisen for every great master and yogi - Milarepa's demons in the cave, Jigten Sumgon's collapse from leprosy, the Buddha's own temptation under the Bodhi tree. So I think that even when you're feeling doubt, it's possible and important to skillfully recognize that doubt, be with it, and still push on. Maybe it's a bunch of woo and you'll lose your scientific knowledge and become a Tibetan Astrologer like some kind of goofy guy and in the retreat you're going to find out you don't even believe in magnets. If that's necessary to benefit all sentient beings who have been your mothers, if that's necessary to attain individual liberation from Samsara, then I'd say that's worth it? I don't know. But it's a week long retreat. I'd say go into it ready to go all in, and see how the cards land. You're going to experience something, and with a good opportunity to benefit yourself and others. Not everyone has this opportunity. But at that point we're back around to the four thoughts that turn the mind to the Dharma and I've written way way too much, I'm really sorry for that. I hope there's something useful for you in this mess of words.
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Jan 3, 2018 21:45
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One possible way to help yourself get past this might be to figure that the path is imperfect, but since we can't at this moment dissect the full details of how Practice X achieves Liberation Y when done according to Routine Z, the best thing to do is to pursue the established route that has achieved success. Maybe the unusual sounds, acts, and so on activate subtle psychological or physiological cues that we will in time understand better in order to liberate sentient beings. Though speaking of sectarian practice, it's a little funny to me when I can look at pop Buddhism books and see their sectarian bias. If only my local library were better supplied!
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Jan 3, 2018 21:56
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i’m going to be getting my dharma name on sunday! it’s gonna be a ceremony with the local bca bishop, and a bunch of other people are taking part. i’m really looking forward to what the name will be, though i know shakuni is gonna be part of it
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Jan 3, 2018 22:13
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