/lit/ - Literature

what are your credentials

>>15484728
What is the tenfold path of the arahant

>>15484728
Is Vajrayana the fastest method to enlightment without going full forest monk?

Can you explain the symbology of the red and white drop in tantra?

>>15484728
how to do i fight suicidal urges

>>15484736
>What is the tenfold path of the arahant
1. Right Opinion
2. Right Intention
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Samadhi (meditation/focus)
+
9. Right Knowledge
10. Right Release
(i recommend reading MahaPrajnaParamita-Sastra by Nagarjuna)
>>15484766
>Is Vajrayana the fastest method to enlightenment without going full forest monk?
yes, you got that fact right. Mantra chanting, Wheel rotating,... etc you name it. the top Mantras are 'Great Compassion Mantra', 'Cundi Mantra' and 'Om Mani Padme Hum'
>Can you explain the symbology of the red and white drop in tantra?
https://wou.edu/wp/exhibits/files/2015/07/buddhism.pdf
>>15484772
>how to do i fight suicidal urges
know that the Karma for suicide is abortion, meaning you'll be aborted when you reincarnated into a woman's uterus; or worse, you could be reincarnated as an animal, insect,.. your conscious would be shredded into thousand, million parts like the ants, flies, etc.

your state of mind at the end of your life will decide where you're gonna be reincarnated
for example:
if your death is tranquil and peaceful, you could be reincarnated up at Heavens (there are 33 Heavens in total)
if you feel devastated and horrified, you could be reincarnated down to be a Dog

if you take the Three Refuges, or chant Buddhists Mantras, or chanting Buddhas title, you will sure not be reincarnated into those dark places

”Those who recite and hold the Mantra of Great Compassion (Da Bei Zhou) will not suffer any of these 15 kinds of bad death and will obtain the following 15 kinds of good birth:

They will always meet good friends.
They will always be born in a good country.
They will always be born at a good time.
Their place of birth will always have a good king.
Their family will be kind and harmonious.
Their heart will be pure and full in the way.
They will not violate the prohibitive precepts.
The organs of their body will always be complete.
They will obtain everything they seek.
They will always obtain the help and respect of others.
Their riches will not be plundered.
They will always have the necessary goods and wealth in abundance.
In the place where they are born, they will see the Buddha and hear the Dharma.
Dragons, gods, and good spirits will always protect them.
They will awaken to the profound meaning of that Proper Dharma which they hear."

>>15485030
it's me, OP. i forgot to address

>>15485044
no you're not

>>15484728
Is the cycle of reincarnation supposed to be metaphorical or literal? Does it simply represent different "selfs" I will have over the course of my one actual life or am I literally going to die and then get reborn?

>>15485052
birth, age, sick, death. everyone has to go through these four phases equally except Buddha, Arahant or Pacceka Buddha.
practice the Vajrayana and Pure Land Buddhism to prepare for your afterlife

>>15484766
If you have full faith in Buddha nature then Chan can do the same. Pure Land is also a "fast method". If we take the bodhisattva way seriously then we should attain enlightenment as quick as we can right?? Then pure land is a sure guarantee

I've only ever meditated up to 20 minutes. Sometimes I confront my inner voice and sometimes I just keep passing through it. What should I do next?

>>15485171
Don't do either. Just be aware of it and if it goes it goes and if it doesn't then you might be following it or giving it attention. What kind of meditation are you doing? Breath awareness?

>>15484728
What is the role of intuition on the spiritual path?
What is the role of intellect?
On the subject of the eight/tenfold path, how do we know what is 'Right'?

>>15484728
>Buddhism
> Ask me anything
Why do you hate Wisdom? Why do you worship strange gods?

"But the idol made with hands is accursed, and so is the one who made it—
he for having made it, and the perishable thing because it was named a god.
For equally hateful to God are the ungodly and their ungodliness;
for what was done will be punished together with the one who did it.
Therefore there will be a visitation also upon the heathen idols,
because, though part of what God created, they became an abomination,
snares for human souls
and a trap for the feet of the foolish."

"For the idea of making idols was the beginning of fornication,
and the invention of them was the corruption of life;
for they did not exist from the beginning,
nor will they last forever.
For through human vanity they entered the world,
and therefore their speedy end has been planned."

(Wisdom 14:8-14)


"For the worship of idols not to be named
is the beginning and cause and end of every evil.
For their worshipers either rave in exultation,
or prophesy lies, or live unrighteously, or readily commit perjury;
for because they trust in lifeless idols
they swear wicked oaths and expect to suffer no harm.
But just penalties will overtake them on two counts:
because they thought wrongly about God in devoting themselves to idols,
and because in deceit they swore unrighteously through contempt for holiness."

(Wisdom 14:27-30)

>>15485109
>except Buddha, Arahant or Pacceka Buddha.
so not everyone.
the promise of break the wheel is truth?. is a matter of faith?, or you shouldnt have any hope to transcend birth, age, sick, death?.

what's so bad about suffering?

>>15485181
yeah, simply breath awareness.

>>15485203
>What is the role of intuition on the spiritual path?
>What is the role of intellect?
very good questions. the role of intuition or intellect are to help us make decision and cut off affliction
>On the subject of the eight/tenfold path, how do we know what is 'Right'?
good question!
conventional truth:
4 noble truths
37 bodhipakkhiya dhamma
6 Paramitas
...
and the likes, which written in MahPrajnaParamita Sutra are 'Right'

ultimate truth: there is neither Right nor Wrong, since the characteristics of the dharmas is no-characteristics, all dharmas are equal

>>15485226
>the promise of break the wheel is truth?. is a matter of faith?, or you shouldnt have any hope to transcend birth, age, sick, death?.
yes, it's the truth. a Buddha never returns to Samsara

>>15484728
do you think meditation make sense without faith in "ilumination" or faith in transcending the cycle of reincarnation?

>>15485667
yes

>>15485948
why?

>>15485960
it's totally ok if you think everything is fake, simulator or illusion, because it's somehow true

>>15486100
ok, master. you are enlightened and i understand now.
>fuck you, you cheater. explain your fucking answer.
>its good, you know?, its just good good you know?, i mean, really good but slightly nothing good, i dont know... who cares if its true or lie you know?, you get it?. meditate, just meditate, its just good but dont, buddha dont say nothing, its nothing, just nothing. you know?. its somehow bullshit you know?.

>>15486119
cringe

Do I need to learn hindu metaphysics to understand buddhism?

What is it like to be a Bodhisattva and Arhat

What Buddhist tradition should a person follow? I find them all appealing.

Can you direct me to Buddhist criticisms of Hinduism


Are different schools of Buddhism "wrong" the way a christian would see a different sect or just different methods of achieving enlightenment

>>15484728
Did the Buddha have magic powers?

>>15485181
you privilege your mind over your thoughts, young child, because you draw a distinction between them

>>15484728
Whats the deal with Jesus?

>>15486119
Go have a zen moment you insufferable goof

>>15484728
How true to Buddhism is Pure Land Buddhism considered to be in other sects?
The thought of being able to just live out my live peacefully in a paradise after I die until I reach enlightenment sounds a lot more calming and makes me less afraid of death and that where I am in life isn't enough.

>>15485550
>>37 bodhipakkhiya dhamma
>6 Paramitas
>...
>and the likes, which written in MahPrajnaParamita Sutra are 'Right'
>
>ultimate truth: there is neither Right nor Wrong, since the characteristics of the dharmas is no-characteristics, all dharmas are equal
not buddhism

My body is in rough shape and makes meditation difficult, not sure what to do about it

>>15487237
Hatha yoga, that’s literally the purpose of it

>>15484728
What is the self and how do I achieve knowledge of it?

What makes you an expert?

>>15484728
I always found karma to be strange. What if somebody lives a superb life, wealth, riches, they've heard of the Dharma, but they have some breathing problem which prevents them from meditating and making any spiritual progress in this life. What actions would they have had to perform in the previous life to deserve that?

>>15484728
How did Samsara start? It started out of nothingness? That would imply that you could fall out of nirvana. No buddhist can explain this. Get rekt

>>15488031
Maybe they choked some African American in a previous round

>>15486819
>
No, but knowing Hindu metaphysics night help you understand Buddhist metaphysics. For one knowing Brahman = Atman helps me understand the ideas of enlightenment, emptiness, and the trikaya. Do not get them mixed up though, the advaita school only gets 70% of the picture.

>
Hard to know unless you are one. Typically speaking the bodhisattva path begins when you take the bodhisattva vows and have attained a high level of enlightenment. After "death" as a human you could go on to some of the higher Brahma or jhana realms in which you will go through stages of bodhisattva training sort of speak. Then after that... I don't know. I've read stories that bodhisattvas can manifests themselves in lower realms like ours to save beings.

>
Practice what you find the best for you. Do not mistake this for the pick and choose strategy of the secular Buddhists. Find a tradition that resonates most with you and begin practice as well as find a teacher.for me I practice dual schools of pure land and zen.

>
I don't have any.

>
Most schools of Buddhism are accepted as different doors of the Dharma. The teachings and practice can be different but ultimately their goals are the same. There are a few newer schools that have received criticism for being social organizations or cults under the name of Buddhism such as the NKT or SGI

>>15486851
Just giving trying to direct him to the right mindfulnesss. I am no master and there are many skillfull means. Stop with this young child nonsense

>>15484728
Why is attachment to freeing other sentient beings from karma considered right? Surely it brings suffering as much as any other attachment to illusion.

>>15485209
tl;dr go larp elsewhere fgt

>>15484735
Dude trust me

>>15484728
Are we supposed to achieve heaven after our death and that this life is pretty useless for everything except for going through the process of achieving a tranquil death

Wise one, I'm into most of Buddhism, but I really dislike these endless fucking lists, the 10 paths, the 12 rules for life, the 18 modes of right teeth-brushing, and on and on and on.
Probably has something to do with being made to memorize meaningless information in school as a child or something.

I guess my question is, do you honestly find it useful and important to catalog all the knowledge in these neat little lists? Isn't real knowledge more diffuse, embodied, "right-hemisphere", hard to pin down, something like that?
In short, do I have to memorize the fucking lists to go to heaven.

>>15484728
If there are Buddhas and Boddhisattvas trying to help people and the world, why do things still seem to be getting worse?

How do I overcome temptation?

>>15490878
No one listens to them, or they take them as objects of worship instead of as role models.

Can you pray to enter the Pure Lands then kys to get there immediately or does that disqualify you? Can suicide EVER be a non negative thing if you manage to do it with complete mental peace?

>>15490188
He gives descriptions without explanations beside recommending that one book while when he does gives some explanations it is never thorough enough to substitute what he has read. Some things are too convoluted to explain yet at the same time he isn't good at explaining. Many online gurus are like ass sniffing hippies that sit on zabutons compelled to pretend to know but fail to engage in a dialectic outside of their beliefs without making the false synthesis of nothingness as the absolute, process ontology nonsense that self negates logic with illogical intuition by faith in not seeking after true liberation while finding false liberation in the mundane through self purifying virtue signaling without purpose as that purpose as emancipation, instead perpetuates palingenesis.

>>15486872
Jesus was teaching the same truth, that the kingdom is inside of you and that material world is illusion

>>15490929
Instead of jacking off just meditate, don't beat yourself up over things eventually you'll become more able to just take or leave things as you're content with simple being. Meditation trains you so that you can bring the light to all, also try meditating among dead bodies, sewage, and wild animals to become fearless

>>15490952
Suicide isn't inherently evil, if the body becomes useless and wrecked it's rational to abandon it, or if you're in an inescapable situation. Ultimately it's a very personal choice, most cases it's unnecessary and destructive, as long as we're inhabiting the bodily world it's our duty to do what we can to bring light into the darkened world. Many people even without limbs continue to live, because they understand that they need to be here and they still manage to complete their obligations maimed and crippled, but never feel as though you're forced to be here, it's always a free choice.

>>15491006
ah, I see

>>15486819
>Do I need to learn hindu metaphysics to understand buddhism?
no read MahaPrajnaParamita-Sastra by Nagarjuna instead
>What is it like to be a Bodhisattva and Arhat
again, read MPPS
>What Buddhist tradition should a person follow? I find them all appealing.
Vajrayana, the Mantra chanting school, try Great Compassion Mantra or Cundi Mantra
>Can you direct me to Buddhist criticisms of Hinduism
read the Digha Nikaya
>Are different schools of Buddhism "wrong" the way a christian would see a different sect or just different methods of achieving enlightenment
different methods or achieving enlightenment

>>15486827
yes!
>>15487112
Pure Land Buddhism is true! practice it! good luck! ^^
>>15487237
follow this guy >>15487364 advice
>>15487395
read MPPS by Nagarjuna
>>15488031
they prevented other people to perform spiritual rituals, like interrupting a person who is chanting Mantra or chanting Sutra or Meditating
>>15488097
there is no start of Samsara
>>15489387
sorry, i didn't quite catch your question
>>15489896
there is no specific meaning to life. it's you who define life and define yourself. this life is not useless, spend your time create merit or help people and you will be born into Heaven. if you use too much of your merit, you could be reincarnated down to Hell or Animal
>>15490188
you don't need to rememeber those long list. in order to go to Heaven, you just need to live a good and moral life.
anyone who take the Three Refuge will sure be reincarnated as Human or Heaven
practice the Six Paramitas and you'll sure be born in Heaven
read the MPPS by Nagarjuna, he will teach you how to practice the Six Paramitas
>>15490878
good question. because those people haven't created enough merit to meet Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. and Buddhas, Bodhisattvas usually help people only when people ask for their help. and because of bad Karma
>>15490929
follow this guy >>15490940 advice
>>15490952
anyone who chants the title of Amita Buddha right before their death will be reincarnated into Pure Land, it's true. but dude, don't suicide!

>>15491006
you described most /lit/ Madhyamaka posters desu

>>15490929
i mean this guy's >>15491053 advice, sorry

>>15491374
why Nagarjuna identified dharmakyaa with prabhasvara-citta?

>>15484735>>15489888

>what are your credentials
I feel good about myself when I identify as a buddhist. I Just love to live in the present moment and pray to deities.

Why do farts smell?

>>15484766
Vajrayana is just like in hidusim where there is generating merit. That's not getting you enlightened, only a better life.
>>15484766
>>Can you explain the symbology of the red and white drop in tantra?
Tantra is a hindu creation, not buddhism.

>>15485030
>yes, you got that fact right. Mantra chanting, Wheel rotating,... etc you name it. the top Mantras are 'Great Compassion Mantra', 'Cundi Mantra' and 'Om Mani Padme Hum'
Wrong, mantras cannot get you enlightened. mantras are creation by non-enlightened people to seek merit.

>>15485030
>>know that the Karma for suicide is abortion, meaning you'll be aborted when you reincarnated into a woman's uterus
wrong>>15485030
>your conscious would be shredded into thousand, million parts like the ants, flies, etc.
wrong>>15485030
>>your state of mind at the end of your life will decide where you're gonna be reincarnated
wrong, pure hindu belief

>>15485052
>Does it simply represent different "selfs" I will have over the course of my one actual life or am I literally going to die and then get reborn?
that the commentary view. Otherwise it is literal

>>15485109>>15485148

>practice the Vajrayana and Pure Land Buddhism to prepare for your afterlife
wrong
Vajrayana and Pure Land Buddhism can only get a low good rebirth

>>15485171
>Sometimes I confront my inner voice and sometimes I just keep passing through it. What should I do next?
meditation is the last step of the 8fold path, so do whatever there is before

>>15486851>>15485181
wrong

>>15485203
>>What is the role of intuition on the spiritual path?
none since intuition of non-enlightened people is pure trash
>>15485203
>>What is the role of intellect?
yoniso manasikara, ie comparing your behavior with the dhamma, and choosing to avoid bad behavior.
>>15485203
>>On the subject of the eight/tenfold path, how do we know what is 'Right'?
non-enlightened people do not know what is right. First those people go by faith and energy to avoid by behavior, purely by trust

>>15491687
Youre utterly deluded

>>15485234
>what's so bad about suffering?
it is deluded and sucks

>>15485550
>>ultimate truth: there is neither Right nor Wrong, since the characteristics of the dharmas is no-characteristics, all dharmas are equal
wrong, Ultimate truth is a creation of the commentaries.
>>15486100
>>it's totally ok if you think everything is fake, simulator or illusion, because it's somehow true
wrong and idiotic

What is said about forgiveness and regret? I have damaged myself

I know nothing about Buddhism

>>15491728
>wrong, Ultimate truth is a creation of the commentaries.
it is part of the abhidharmas

>>15486819
>113 KB JPGDo I need to learn hindu metaphysics to understand buddhism?
not really>>15486819
>>What is it like to be a Bodhisattva
a hindu larping as a buddhist who feel superior to anybody else, even though he only does merit and never gets enlightened.

>>15487112
>>How true to Buddhism is Pure Land Buddhism considered to be in other sects?
That's a creation by lay people to feel meritorious by doing nothing about their lives

>>15487364
>>Hatha yoga, that’s literally the purpose of it
hatha yoga is Hinduism , completely wrong mediation

also it kills your knees

>>15488031
>but they have some breathing problem which prevents them from meditating and making any spiritual progress in this life.
The path and meditation is about controlling the mind the right way to get enlightened.

>>15488097
>>How did Samsara start? It started out of nothingness?
This is literally Hinduism.

>>15491739
>hindu larping as a buddhist who feel superior to anybody else, even though he only does merit and never gets enlightened.

read literally any mahayana text you fucking moron

>>15489151
>>No, but knowing Hindu metaphysics night help you understand Buddhist metaphysics.
Buddhist metaphysics is not buddhism.>>15489151
>trikaya
This is not buddhism though.
>>15489151
>Typically speaking the bodhisattva path begins when you take the bodhisattva vows and have attained a high level of enlightenment.
wrong
>>15489151
>>Practice what you find the best for you.
wrong
>>15489151
>for me I practice dual schools of pure land and zen.
wrong teaching leading to wrong meditation

>>15489151
>>Most schools of Buddhism are accepted as different doors of the Dharma. The teachings and practice can be different but ultimately their goals are the same.>>15489151
>There are a few newer schools that have received criticism for being social organizations or cults under the name of Buddhism such as the NKT or SGI
and all mahayana and vajrayana
wrong

>>15489387
>>Why is attachment to freeing other sentient beings from karma considered right?
because people prefer to feel righteous over actually being enlightened.
>>15490188
>Wise one, I'm into most of Buddhism, but I really dislike these endless fucking lists, the 10 paths, the 12 rules for life, the 18 modes of right teeth-brushing, and on and on and on.
>Probably has something to do with being made to memorize meaningless information in school as a child or something.
This is why intellectuals created mahayana sutras. Mahayana are very literary and read like novels to entertain the masses and make them feel enlightened.

>>15490188
>>In short, do I have to memorize the fucking lists to go to heaven.
not for heaven, but for enlightenment.

>>15490929
>How do I overcome temptation?
usual avoidance of the source of temptation and mindfulness

>>15490952
>Can suicide EVER be a non negative thing if you manage to do it with complete mental peace?
yes once you are enlightened

I've tried mediating 2 times with amusing result

First time I saw a warm orange it felt serene which frightened me also so I woke myself
Second time I saw white with lighting patterns I woke myself


What happen? I don't know what do think about this or even if it relevant to the thread

>>15491034
>>15491034
>Jesus was teaching the same truth, that the kingdom is inside of you and that material world is illusion
not enough to be buddhism, but enough to be Hinduism

>>15491199
>>no read MahaPrajnaParamita-Sastra by Nagarjuna instead
Reading commentaries is only for larpers like you
>>15491199
>>Vajrayana, the Mantra chanting school, try Great Compassion Mantra or Cundi Mantra
wrong, mantras are not buddhist
>>15491199
>>different methods or achieving enlightenment
wrong
>>15491374
>>Pure Land Buddhism is true! practice it! good luck! ^^
this is wrong view

>>15491374
>they prevented other people to perform spiritual rituals, like interrupting a person who is chanting Mantra or chanting Sutra or Meditating
rituals are useless in buddhism

>>15491374
>>15491374
>practice the Six Paramitas and you'll sure be born in Heaven
complete garbage
>>15491374
>because those people haven't created enough merit to meet Buddhas and Bodhisattvas
wrong, merit cannot get you enlightened>>15491374
>anyone who chants the title of Amita Buddha right before their death will be reincarnated into Pure Land, it's true. but dude, don't suicide!
wrong

who was in the wrong here

>>15491687
tantric traditions are present in buddhism as well lol

>>15491763
Then what is right

>>15491867
such as?

>>15491867
Tantras are still not generating merit nor leading to enlightenment

>>15485030
why does mahayana sound a lot like this:
The Katha Upanishad, in verses 1.3.10 through 1.3.12 presents a hierarchy of Reality from the perspective of a human being. It asserts that Artha (objects, means of life) are above Indriya (senses), that Manas (mind) is above Artha in this hierarchy, above the Manas is Buddhi (intellect, his ability to reason), above the Buddhi is Atman (his Soul, great Self).[49][52] Beyond the Atman, states Katha Upanishad, is the Avyaktam (unmanifested Reality), and Purusha (cosmic soul) is beyond the Avyaktam, and beyond the Purusha, there is nothing - for it is the goal, for it is the highest road.[49] At the basic level of life, the interaction is between Artha and Indriya (sensory organs); while at the highest level, man becomes aware of and holistically realizes the entire hierarchy. The Soul is hidden in all beings, asserts the Katha Upanishad; it does not show itself, but its awareness is felt by seers with agrya sukshma (subtle, more self-evident conscious, keen thinkers).[52][54]

In verse 1.3.13, Katha Upanishad states that Prajna (conscious man) should heed to the ethical precept of self-examination and self-restraint, restraining his speech and mind by the application of his Buddhi (power to reason). Man should, asserts Katha Upanishad, holistically unify his tempered senses and mind with his intellect, all these with his Atman (Soul, great Self), and unify his "great Self" with the Self of the rest, the tranquility of Oneness with the Avyaktam and "cosmic soul".[52][54] Self (Atman) is soundless, touchless, formless, tasteless, scentless, without beginning, without end, imperishable, beyond great, blissful, and when one reveres one's own Self, he is liberated.[55] Such Self-realization is not easy according to Katha Upanishad,[56]

>>15492360
>why does mahayana sound a lot like this:
probably because it was plagiarized by Hindus, Katha is post-buddhist

I have removed the illusion of this shadow-life. I have intuited the truth of eternal life in the flesh sense. I might have broken the cycle. I feel like everything leads up to something greater than the sum of its parts, I feel that this is the last stretch of time here and I have achieved true detachment from the material.
There can't be a guide or a "how to..." about such spiritual matters. Everything is inward, every feeling is internalized and every experience is relevant only to thine self. So if I say that I am now beyond, who is to say I am not?

>>15491782
if you have those feelings meditating, you are going on the right track, keep it up!
one thing you need to remember is, ignore those feelings and thoughts that come to you when you meditate, think about them as illusion

read Shurangama Sutra, the Sutra will teach you how to meditate

>>15484728
Thx for this thread fren
Im from the third world and as a child and teen I lived a truly violent life, that caused me to be really interested in the concept of ahimsa now as an adult. I follow mostly the egoist doctrines of stirner and junger, as they bring me peace and freedom. I masturbate and have sex frequently, I enjoy it and it brings lots of pleasure to my life. I drink lightly and only with friends, often I practice autocontrol as I have read about taoism and studied ZhuangZi teachings and often introduce them into my life.

Should I pursue Buddhism, or my current ideals and behaviour is incompatible with it?

>>15492739
yes, you should pursue Buddhism!

Is there a book that focuses on analyzing what buddha meant when he talked about the "self?" I read Christopher Gowans book on the topic which had 2 chapters on it, I'm hoping for something more in depth. The Gowen book was good of course.

>>15492779
Great! Will do. But wouldn't my pro sex and egoist beliefs conflict with buddhism? Thank you for aswering fren, im really fascinated with the religion as I see peace to be the higher value of all human life. Even, my fav book of Junger is the peace and im really influenced by Viktor Frankl and Tolstoy.
What will you said is the best book to start with buddhism? And also are you vegan, do you follow an strict diet?

Why can't I drive my enemies before me and hear the lamentations of their women while also being on the path?

>>15484728
Ligotti on Buddhism:
>There is nothing more futile than to consciously look for something to save you. But consciousness makes this fact seem otherwise. Consciousness makes it seem as if (1) there is something to do; (2) there is somewhere to go; (3) there is something to be; (4) there is someone to know. This is what makes consciousness the parent of all horrors, the thing that makes us try to do something, go somewhere, be something, and know someone, such as ourselves, so that we can escape our MALIGNANTLY USELESS being and think that being alive is all right rather than that which should not be.

>>15492845
Ligotti is a meme tho, he is a good writer but just like all modern existentialists he is blind by contradictions and ignorancy

>>15492854
>Ligotti
>existentialist
well meme'd my good sir

>>15491755
Wrong, samsara is caused by Brahman in Hinduism, the Buddhists have no idea why samsara exists

>>15492963
Wrong

>>15492531
the exact same ideas are also found in the pre-Buddhist Upanishads

>>15492531
>plagiarized by Hindus
It goes the other way around, but whatever floats your boat, man.

>>15492799
'The Atman-Brahman in Ancient Buddhism' by Bhattacharya

>>15492983
idk Hindus do like to steal ideas, but you do you my dude.

>>15485052
It’s literal.

>>15492984
Thank you very much, exactly what I was looking for

>>15492836
read MahaPrajnaParamita-Sastra by Nagarjuna, you're welcomed. i'm not a vegan, and not following any strict diet, but i will do, in about 10 more years ^^

>>15491846
>who was in the wrong here
Buddha was in the wrong for teaching such an incoherent jumble of views that nobody can agree what is real Buddhism

>"From whatever new points of view the Buddha's system is tested with reference to its probability, it gives way on all sides, like the walls of a well, dug in sandy soil. It has, in fact, no foundation whatever to rest upon and hence the attempts to use it as a guide in the practical concerns of life are mere folly. Moreover Buddha, by propounding the three mutually contradicting systems, teaching respectively the reality of the external world, the reality of ideas only and general nothingness, has himself made it clear that he was a man given to make incoherent assertions or else that hatred of all beings induced him to propound absurd doctrines by accepting which they would become thoroughly confused…Buddha’s doctrine has to be entirely disregarded by all those who have a regard for their own happiness."

Sri Shankaracharya - Brahma Sutra Bhasya 2.2.32.

>>15492999
>The thesis of this book is epoch-making. While no one doubts that the Buddha denied the atman, the self, the question is: Which atman? Buddhism, as understood in the modern era, has taken this to be the universal atman taught in the Hindu Upanisads, equivalent to brahman. What we find in the Buddha's words as recorded in the Buddhist scriptures, however, is only a denial of any permanent self in the ever-changing aggregates that form a person. In decades of teaching, the Buddha had many opportunities to clearly deny the impersonal universal atman if that was his intention. He did not do so.
his whole shtick is just 'buddhism doesn't deny a permanent atman, so therefore he accepts it' aka repeated Trad talking points. I suggest you skip him.

>>15493048
Oh damn, I guess I'll skip him for now and perhaps get back to him later. Thanks for letting me know!

>>15493047
>shankara
cryptobuddhist fraud

>>15493047
holy based

>>15493047
Shankara is a cryptobuddhist, nobody except orientalizing weeaboos on the internet is into advaita.

>>15484728
E

Does anyone here follows the 5 precepts? Anyone has any kind of practice? What does your path look like?

What is the soul?

How is Bodhisattva doctrine not an asspull when it isn't found in the Pali Canon or the Mahayana Agamas?

>>15493414
Neither are sunyata or anything else in Mahayana, Richard Robinson explains in his history of Buddhist philosophy book how Buddha use emptiness in the Pali canon in totally different way than the later Prajnaparamita Sutras, Nagarjuna etc

>>15493414
People, from buddhists, hindus, jains, theists, prefer things to have a true nature, otherwise they loose their minds and become depressed and nihilists.

>>15493450
What's the difference in usage?

>>15493520
most people aren't ready for the realization of sunyata, they crave attachments to permanency like 'true nature' or 'true self' and be done with it. Deep is the insight of sunyata, hard to fathom, hard to accept, only a mind trained in discipline and patience can even come close. The rest will never make it.

>>15493520
Okay but how does that explain bodhicitta which isn't found in early buddhist sources?

>>15493563
Yes nihilism is hard to fathom, hard to accept, and most people are not ready for it.

All the reddit atheists would agree with you on that.

>>15493405
The link running through, like a pike, between all of yourself up the the highest form of yourself. The soul is the invisible string between you and the shadow you cast on a wall.

>>15493594
Sunyata is beyond nihilism, beyond essentialism, beyond both nihilism and essentialism, beyond neither nihilism and essentialism. It is but isn't, neither is nor isn't. Difficult to express, one must experience Sunyata to understand.

You are not ready.

>>15484728
Do all Buddhists really live a straight edge life of not drinking, smoking, doing drugs and not even drinking tea or coffee because of caffeine? It sounds interesting to me.

>>15493621
The laity do not, most monks do but not all.

>>15493594
If you have to say this, and if I have to say this to you then you don't know. Explaining the voidness to you (or most anyone else) is like trying to explain color to a blind person.

>>15493625
What about you?

>>15493645
Yes

>>15493621
I do.
No smoke, no alcohol, never did drugs in my entire life (not even weed), no sugar, physical exercise daily, speak always truth or don't speak at all. I drink coffee or tea because it's mostly indistinguishable from water to me and most of the times they have diuretic qualities. No Starbucks-type coffee. Just the straight boiled water over ground roasted beans, and tea is made out of leaves of plants I gathered boiled in water.
Why I'm doing this? No idea. Intuitively it feels right to me. Not gonna come to you saying "yeah I used to live a hedonistic life but look, now I changed" because that never happened in the first place.
I don't even think of myself as Buddhist, but some Buddhist teachings and practices crisscross with some of my intuitive knowledge that I have attained, same with christianity and Islam. It's all about resonance.

>>15493414
There's Buddhism, and there's Dharma. Buddhism is a cluster of historical trends and currents starting with Siddhartha Gautama, when he taught the Dharma. But he was only the fourth Buddha in this world, and there's going to be a fifth (Maitreya) in a few thousand years. So what did those previous three teach? What will this fifth guy teach? Dharma.

The "Mahayana Project", then, is taking the Buddha's injunction to meet people where they are, his statements about Buddhism vs Dharma and how the latter is the important one, and his teaching 60,000+ means of getting to Dharma to their natural conclusion: realizing that Buddhism is just a tool to get at Dharma, and that "Buddhism" can be changed to become whatever is needed to get at Dharma. All of the various schools and lineages and traditions of Mahayana Buddhism are doing just this. The Theravada do this too, they just argue that the Buddhism (as a tool) that the Buddha handed down, with some minor commentaries and additions to make things a little more understandable, is all that's needed instead of the LMFAO ORIGINAL SELF of Zen or the whacky voodoo adventures of Vajrayna.

It should be noted that the Theravada tradition does not deny the Bodhisattva ideal. Theravada Buddhism just holds that you can't become an enlightened and THEN become a Bodhisattva after death, but rather that the actual "how" of becoming a Bodhisattva is more complicated (you can't do it by yourself).

>>15493050
Read Red Pine's translation of the Heart Sutra. The Heart Sutra is the central Mahayana text covering Emptiness. It's super fucking short, it fits in a 4chan post, so 99% of the book is Red Pine citing historical commentary on each line of the sutra. There's Theravada e-partisans who get upset about Emptiness, but modern Theravada engages with Mahayna (in particular, Nagarjuna) far more than it did historically, and when it gets down to it the Theravada do agree with Emptiness, they just, again, argue that Nagarjuna didn't have to go through all that work because the Buddha already covered all of this. The Thai Forest Tradition explicitly engages with Mahayana works, and they're one of the most popular Theravada traditions in the west.

>>15493620
>one must experience Sunyata to understand.
>You are not ready.
This has been the standard strategy for buddhist apologists for the past 2500 years when confronted with their ontological positions that don't add up. At least the buddha was honest in acknowledging that he doesn't give all the answeres.

>>15493810
>wtf are you seriously implying a transcendent state that cannot be described in words because it's beyond conceptuality cannot be described in words because it's beyond conceptuality?!
Yes.

>>15493659
That's based. It's so rare to find a fellow straight edge person.

>>15493837
>yeah man, the entire development of indian tought is wrong because it's acrually emptiness
>what, I actually need some arguments for my claims
>you have to experience it bro, i don't have to defend my autistic position.