Jackals

[tiltbillings]

Hello.

[retrofuturist]

Greetings Tilt,

Lovely to see you here... I've always valued your postings.

Out of interest, Is jackals a reference to anything in particular? The first thing that comes to mind is the following sutta, but I doubt it's connected.

SN 17.8 - Sigala Sutta
http://vipassana.com/canon/samyutta/sn17-8.php

Dwelling at Savatthi. "Monks, gains, offerings, & fame are a cruel thing, a harsh, bitter obstacle to the attainment of the unexcelled rest from bondage.
"Have you heard the jackal howling in the last hours of the night?"

"Yes, lord."

"That jackal is suffering from mange. He finds no pleasure whether he goes to a bluff, to the foot of a tree, or to the open air. Wherever he goes, wherever he stands, wherever he sits, wherever he lies down, he is sunk in misery.

"In the same way there is the case where a certain monk is conquered by gains, offerings, & fame, his mind consumed. He finds no pleasure whether he goes to an empty dwelling, to the foot of a tree, or to the open air. Wherever he goes, wherever he stands, wherever he sits, wherever he lies down, he is sunk in misery. That's how cruel gains, offerings, & fame are: a harsh, bitter obstacle to the attainment of the unexcelled rest from bondage.

"Thus you should train yourselves: 'We will put aside any gains, offerings, & fame that have arisen; and we will not let any gains, offerings, & fame that have arisen keep our minds consumed.' That's how you should train yourselves."

Metta,
Retro.

[Element]

Cool.

[tiltbillings]

Actually, I adopted the jackal avatar during one of my interminable "discussions" on e-sangha about the appropriateness of the word hinayana.

”Your Majesty, why should one who follows the path leading to supreme enlightenment, who is like the lion, king of beasts, salute those who follow the Hinayana, who are like jackals? -- A Treasury of Mahayana Sutras, Garma Chang page 116.

[retrofuturist]

Greetings,

Ah yes, that explains a few things.

Good to see you don't have the mange.

Metta,
Retro.

[tiltbillings]

Fleas are bad enough.

[Ben]

Hi Tilt

I'm gladdened by your presence here.
I'm looking forward to your contributions.
Metta

Ben

[tiltbillings]

Thanks. Right now I am tilting at windmills on another unnamed forum, defending the faith, but hope to put more energy here, soon.

[Ben]

Hi Tilt

Please don't do anything that will cause you any discomfort.
Better to spend time with no one rather than to spend it with fools.
Anyway, its good to have you here!

[appicchato]

Nice to see you here tilt...

[tiltbillings]

Good to be seen, and it is good to see you and other familiar faces here.

[jcsuperstar]

[tiltbillings]

JC: Location: alaska

Can you see Russia from your house?

[Fede]

Bigger fleas have smaller fleas,
And little fleas to bite 'em.
And little fleas have littler fleas...
And so, ad infinitem!

Actually "Ad Infinitem" is not accurately pronounced 'ad infi-night-em' but 'ad infi-neat-em'
so maybe a better rhyme would be 'and little fleas to eat 'em', but it's an old poem and who am I to discuss semantics and split hairs?

Oh hi, Tilt, howya doing?

[tiltbillings]

I am doing good, and hopefully doing good.

My most recent post on e-sasngha:

SP: Not really.

Kinda really, it would seem.

I'm not that familiar with the Theravadan teachings.

Obviously.

That is, on the Mahayana side, we're trying to cultivate an attitude of salvation for everyone, so we contrast that with other attitudes, which are lesser in scope.

And how skillful is that, really?

Frankly, I'm surprised at how you've presented the Theravada here. I didn't realize that the post parinirvana influence of the Buddha and Arahants is so limited in this tradition.

Ah, well, I am in the company of an august figure who can determine the influences of the arahants and the Buddha. Limited? You determine the value and influence based upon what? The awakening of an arahant (who is tathagata) is no different from that of a Buddha. It is something carries forward well after the death of the one awake. It is something is both subtle and profound, keeping alive the letter and spirit of the teachings, changing what it touches as it moves through time, as it manifests in the practice of the student, in the kindness extended, in the word of comfort given, in the goodness achieved, in the insight attained, and in the impurity uprooted.

Limited? By what? By no thing, whatsoever.

It's as if you cultivate lovingkindness for everyone but with no method to realize it after attainment. Honestly I don't get it.

That you do not get it is obvious. For some, this value and influence of awakening of the arahants and the Buddha needs to be personified by mythic figures and inspiring doctrines who and which embody this Dhammic influence, giving them something upon which hold in a very insecure, frightening world.

tilt, tilting at windmills.

[appicchato]

Been getting a kick out of that thread...

[Element]

”Your Majesty, why should one who follows the path leading to supreme enlightenment, who is like the lion, king of beasts, salute those who follow the Hinayana, who are like jackals? -- A Treasury of Mahayana Sutras, Garma Chang page 116.

Very insightful.

[jcsuperstar]

JC: Location: alaska

Can you Russia from your house?

maybe if i lived in one of those big nice houses on the hills here...

i didnt vote for her (ever) but up until she was running for VP she never seemed that crazy. people here on all sides had been pretty impressed with her up until then.

[tiltbillings]

maybe if i lived in one of those big nice houses on the hills here...

i didnt vote for her (ever) but up until she was running for VP she never seemed that crazy. people here on all sides had been pretty impressed with her up until then.

My faith in humanity is restored.

[David N. Snyder]

tilt,

Your wonderful sense of humour never ceases to amaze me.