adept

You speak of the Buddha, then you speak of the creator. If you had any grasp of the teachings of Shakyamuni, especially conditioned arising, and put those into meditative practice, then you would realize there is a glaring contradiction. You still haven't answered my question, who created the creator ? You won't find the answers in India, only within yourself.

Very good points SJ. This book goes into the role that Taoism and Confucianism play as a stepping stone to Buddhahood.

This is only your opinion. There are masters to be found everywhere.

Why are people obsessed with the fast route in these modern times ? Why does only the slow road cause suffering?

Who is this creator that you speak of ? Who created the creator ?

Do you have him on speed dial ?

This thread is hilarious.

I would say that the heart of the Buddha's teaching isn't emptiness but Dependent Origination (Here we go again, where's Vaj ? )

Are you Mak Tin Si in disguise ? (One for the older forum members !)

I'm ready to sign up. Do you accept PayPal ?

What, or who is it that becomes more realized ? More realized than..... ?

Absurd ! Where do you get this from, the latest Hare Krishna meeting ? Humans are social beings and interaction is a necessity. Who are these 'higher beings' ? Who is this creator that you speak of ? Who created the creator ?

There is also a method which by-passes all stages here.

A word of warning on overdoing zz '' We do not practice ‘stillness’ [jing gong']. ‘Stillness’ can refer to posture holding, as in zhan zhuang; it can also refer to practices where thought stops or the intention is focused on one place. Of course, zhan zhuang must be practiced; as the saying has it ‘practicing martial arts without holding postures is just but messing around’. San Ti, in particular, encapsulates the postural requirements of xingyi. ‘Of the myriad methods, none leaves San Ti’ ‘Mastering San Ti is halfway to success’. Whilst San Ti should not be held for long periods, it can be done several times a day. Each time you hold San Ti, you should only hold it for a maximum of 10 minutes, but this could be repeated two or three times a day. If you hold San Ti for an hour everytime you train, not only are you losing precious training time, it can also damage the nerves and capillaries in the legs. Overdoing zhan zhuang is one of the reasons why a lot of martial artists suffer leg and knee problems.'' source

Therein lies your problem with Buddhism.

Good point Gerard. I don't know why more people don't see this. Our planet, environment, body, mind and spirit are subject to ever increasing amounts of garbage. Namo Amitabha Buddha

Hi Aaron. Here's my take on it. It's not just Buddhism that has this view. The Confucian sage Xunzi based his teaching on the inherent 'badness' in an individual. I tend to agree. Humans are capable of the most awful things. A seemingly 'good' person can change into a monster. It's the human condition, and it is ultimately flawed. Not that we are born 100% evil, but that there is a good possibility to go that way, if we do not cultivate virtue, practice compassion and develop insight into the way things are. There is goodness in us, but the shadow will always be there also. It's learning how to live with it that's the hard part.

Indeed it is. Pure Land Buddhism is a horizontal model where all the realms are side-stepped in one instant. The goal is to be born into Amitabha's Pure Land where Buddhahood is achieved. link link link The Avatamsaka Sutra and related Huayan literature is also worth delving into. Namo Amitabha Buddha

The term Hinayana is a derogatory term meaning 'lesser vehicle'. Many Mahayana Buddhists wouldn't use that term when speaking of their Theravada brothers and sisters. The Theravada tradition has produced countless great masters throughout it's history. There are a lot of vipassana masters living today in the West and also in South East Asia. What you call a trivial style of Buddhism is probably the closest to the actual teachings of the historical Buddha, not everyone's favoured style, but hardly trivial.

Yes. I agree with this 100%. I spend time out in nature every day. It's wonderful.

This is an over romanticized view held by many westerners. I agree that there are probably lots of masters in the mountains and forests, but they're not limited to those places. Cultivation can take place anywhere, even in 'high population' areas. For example, empty force master Paul Dong lives in San Francisco and many of his students live in the U.S. and Europe. Masters are everywhere. On the bus. In the park. Working in McDonalds. At the school. Watching football. etc etc. If you are serious about finding a master, you will.

Masters are everywhere. Here are some in Japan.