Search found 342 matches

by mal4mac
Mon Dec 11, 2017 3:34 pm
Forum: Lounge
Topic: Lead us not into temptation -- not anymore?
Replies: 12
Views: 2434

Re: Lead us not into temptation -- not anymore?

As God is omnipotent, by not stopping Satan from leading us unto temptation he *is* actually helping to lead us into temptation! Which is, surely, just as bad as leading us into temptation. For instance, if a known child snatcher tempts a child with a sweet should we just sit there and watch, or sto...
by mal4mac
Fri Dec 08, 2017 4:43 pm
Forum: Lounge
Topic: Does anyone know about 'e-paper e-readers'? Recommendations would be appreciated
Replies: 9
Views: 2548

Re: Does anyone know about 'e-paper e-readers'? Recommendations would be appreciated

If money is a problem - I have a basic Kindle and I'm very happy with it and my cheap desk lamp. If money isn't a problem, and size really is important - the very latest Kindle Oasis looks good (it's an inch bigger, 7", boasts about its Audible features, and various ways it enhances the reading...
by mal4mac
Fri Dec 08, 2017 12:33 pm
Forum: Sīla
Topic: If life is suffering, then wouldn't it be unethical to have children?
Replies: 42
Views: 10522

Re: If life is suffering, then wouldn't it be unethical to have children?

Continuing with what retro said, it's the unenlightened life that is suffering. We can greatly reduce the suffering or even eliminate it, as we progress on the Path. But there are chronic depressives out there, and people in permanent physical pain, who don't think their suffering can be eliminated...
by mal4mac
Fri Dec 08, 2017 12:25 pm
Forum: Sīla
Topic: If life is suffering, then wouldn't it be unethical to have children?
Replies: 42
Views: 10522

Re: If life is suffering, then wouldn't it be unethical to have children?

It isn't just suffering, or else we wouldn't be here, because we'd have all committed suicide. Mild, chronic depression is quite common, but most dysthymics don't kill themselves: https://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/chronic-depression-dysthymia#1 As this can go on all day, every day, then (wakin...
by mal4mac
Wed Dec 06, 2017 12:26 pm
Forum: Introductions
Topic: Looking for meditation guidance over Skype
Replies: 9
Views: 3125

Re: Looking for meditation guidance over Skype

Here's an article on the "big money" being made by some holders of retreats. Samatha.org get some good press for being the least expensive!

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... ebt-crisis

$200 to get a glimpse of a Tibetan lama seems a bit steep...
by mal4mac
Tue Dec 05, 2017 7:08 pm
Forum: Ordination and Monastic Life
Topic: I disrobed and returned to "normal" life
Replies: 150
Views: 51380

Re: I disrobed and returned to "normal" life

The Mass of Fire Comparison has an interesting ending, where 1/3 of the "highly affected" monks disrobe: https://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&p=446080#p446080 "... hot blood rose out of the mouths of sixty monks; another sixty monks abandoned the training and returned to the...
by mal4mac
Tue Dec 05, 2017 6:56 pm
Forum: Lounge
Topic: Pleiades, Elves & BuddhaDharma
Replies: 26
Views: 6097

Re: Pleiades, Elves & BuddhaDharma

"Rocky terrestrial planets, perhaps like Earth, or Venus, appear to be forming or to have recently formed around a star in the Pleiades star cluster, astronomers using the Gemini Observatory in Hawaii and the Spitzer Space Telescope report. The planets appear to be the result of "monster c...
by mal4mac
Tue Dec 05, 2017 1:03 pm
Forum: Lounge
Topic: Never too old
Replies: 15
Views: 4028

Re: Never too old

Why be afraid of death? People aren't afraid of death per se. There's the fear of the physical pain of dying. And then there's the fear of running out of options for life. That's what makes death so scary. Be ready! Always. One can't be ready for something one has never experienced before. Are you ...
by mal4mac
Tue Dec 05, 2017 12:46 pm
Forum: Wellness, Diet & Fitness
Topic: How much happy are you?
Replies: 81
Views: 34791

Re: How much happy are you?

... but I also experience a great deal of unhappiness, from remorse, disappointments, unpleasant interactions with people, and like you say, not feeling like I'm getting anywhere (realizing that I am not enlightened yet). Is anyone enlightened? There's great doubt that even the most advanced medita...
by mal4mac
Tue Dec 05, 2017 12:33 pm
Forum: Introductions
Topic: Looking for meditation guidance over Skype
Replies: 9
Views: 3125

Re: Looking for meditation guidance over Skype

Samatha.org offer a free course with skype interaction:

https://samatha.org/online-course

The course has already started for this year, but they might let you jump in and start now, worth asking anyway. The course has been developed by Peter Harvey, one of the most respected Buddhist academics.
by mal4mac
Tue Dec 05, 2017 12:21 pm
Forum: Ordination and Monastic Life
Topic: I disrobed and returned to "normal" life
Replies: 150
Views: 51380

Re: I disrobed and returned to "normal" life

I like the occasional beer. It is a disappointment to learn that a person who practices as a monk for seven years still has the craving for alcohol. Why? Isn't it supposed to take several lifetimes to get rid of all craving, to become enlightened? That someone still craves alcohol after a few years...
by mal4mac
Mon Dec 04, 2017 1:13 pm
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: How to become a person with hope/expectation?
Replies: 32
Views: 5390

Re: How to become a person with hope/expectation?

So is the problem with may I be safe etc. or is the problem with may the people I encounter with be safe. If that is the case then you should change the part about the people you encounter with: May the people I encounter be in danger. May the people I encounter be sad. May the people I encounter b...
by mal4mac
Mon Dec 04, 2017 12:49 pm
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: Did the Buddha teach we have choice? (aka The Great Free Will v Determinism Debate)
Replies: 988
Views: 339369

Re: Did the Buddha teach we have choice? (aka The Great Free Will v Determinism Debate)

I think that buddhism and best science agree that the question of free will or not is beyond range... Can you link to any articles that support your position? Here's one that supports my position that "best science" shows that free will does not exist: "In recent decades, research on...
by mal4mac
Mon Dec 04, 2017 12:27 pm
Forum: Lounge
Topic: Never too old
Replies: 15
Views: 4028

Re: Never too old

Why be afraid of death? It's like being afraid of walking round the corner because a mugger might be there. Expect death to happen at any time (maybe now!); become totally reconciled to this possibility, then you will be ready for it and feel no fear. Shakespeare's Hamlet (again): "There’s a sp...
by mal4mac
Mon Dec 04, 2017 11:57 am
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: Did the Buddha teach we have choice? (aka The Great Free Will v Determinism Debate)
Replies: 988
Views: 339369

Re: Did the Buddha teach we have choice? (aka The Great Free Will v Determinism Debate)

I think our choices are often quite limited practically speaking, because they depend on our current circumstances, our previous experience, our personality traits, and so on. Why not go one step further and think they are *totally* limited by circumstance, experience, personality traits, and other...