In need of a mentor.

Exploring Theravāda's connections to other paths - what can we learn from other traditions, religions and philosophies?
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waimengwan
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Re: In need of a mentor.

Post by waimengwan »

Ajahn Brahm always uses the simile of the brick wall. Very insightful and practical as well.

He is from the HAHAYANA tradition.
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echograph
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Re: In need of a mentor.

Post by echograph »

waimengwan wrote:Ajahn Brahm always uses the simile of the brick wall. Very insightful and practical as well.

He is from the HAHAYANA tradition.
Oh, the 980 perfect bricks! Its almost silly how we manage to see the 2 that are imperfect. And how little it takes for someone to realize his biggest mistake in life. As he points out, its easy to be a s#!t collector in life! :tongue:
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Cittasanto
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Re: In need of a mentor.

Post by Cittasanto »

hi Echograph
Have you had any luck finding a teacher near you, you can meet with?
Blog, Suttas, Aj Chah, Facebook.

He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them.
But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion …
...
He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them … he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.
John Stuart Mill
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echograph
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Re: In need of a mentor.

Post by echograph »

unfortunately no. I even went to the temple in Phoenix and there was no service till next month and it was closed. But ive been learning as much as i can on the internet from different sources. everyone has been so helpful here. Ive been blessed with all kinds of advice and links etc. Thank you! :bow:
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Cittasanto
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Re: In need of a mentor.

Post by Cittasanto »

Hi
maybe this would help?
http://phoenixbuddhists.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I am assuming you are in Arizona and although there are a great many tibetan & Zen groups in the list there are Vipassana & Theravadin groups there also.
Blog, Suttas, Aj Chah, Facebook.

He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them.
But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion …
...
He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them … he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.
John Stuart Mill
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drifting cloud
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Re: In need of a mentor.

Post by drifting cloud »

waimengwan wrote:Drifting Cloud - Then are you saying things can happen to me not due to karma ?
Yes. Karma is intentional action and the fruits of intentional action. Many things can befall us that have nothing to do with karma. The Buddha specifically says that to attribute all experiences to previous karma in previous lives is a false doctrine:

Now when these ascetics and brahmans have such a doctrine and view that ‘whatever a person experiences, be it pleasure, pain or neither-pain-nor-pleasure, all that is caused by previous kamma,’ then they go beyond what they know by themselves and what is accepted as true by the world. Therefore, I say that this is wrong on the part of these ascetics and brahmans. Sivaka Sutta, SN 36.21

Thus even if your guru was correct about the ultimate karmic causes of his own situation (something which only he would know), you have no business telling other victims of sexual abuse that their abuse was really "their own fault". To do so strikes me as enormously unskillful for the reasons I enumerated in my previous post. And given that the Buddha himself specifically dismissed this conception of karma, I think we can regard it as un-Buddhist.

My understanding is that Buddhism actually recognizes a variety of casual factors:

utuniyama - environmental causes
bhijaniyama - inherited causes (what we would call "genetics" today)
cittaniyama - non-intentional psychological causes
kammaniyama - karmic causes
dhammaniyama - natural causes (a catch all for anything not falling in the four above mentioned causes)

Ecograph, I am glad you finding some peace from Buddhist teachings. Practice well!
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waimengwan
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Re: In need of a mentor.

Post by waimengwan »

Thus even if your guru was correct about the ultimate karmic causes of his own situation (something which only he would know), you have no business telling other victims of sexual abuse that their abuse was really "their own fault".
I agree to disagree. Sounds corny but the truth does set us free.

utuniyama - environmental causes
bhijaniyama - inherited causes (what we would call "genetics" today)
cittaniyama - non-intentional psychological causes
dhammaniyama - natural causes (a catch all for anything not falling in the four above mentioned causes)

If you can explain how the above four causes can result in sexual abuse I would be very interested to know. Thank you.
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LonesomeYogurt
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Re: In need of a mentor.

Post by LonesomeYogurt »

waimengwan wrote: I agree to disagree. Sounds corny but the truth does set us free.

utuniyama - environmental causes
bhijaniyama - inherited causes (what we would call "genetics" today)
cittaniyama - non-intentional psychological causes
dhammaniyama - natural causes (a catch all for anything not falling in the four above mentioned causes)

If you can explain how the above four causes can result in sexual abuse I would be very interested to know. Thank you.
Dhammaniyama, obviously.

Utuniyama due to the kamma of the abuser.

Cittaniyama due to the mental dysfunction of the abuser.
Gain and loss, status and disgrace,
censure and praise, pleasure and pain:
these conditions among human beings are inconstant,
impermanent, subject to change.

Knowing this, the wise person, mindful,
ponders these changing conditions.
Desirable things don’t charm the mind,
undesirable ones bring no resistance.

His welcoming and rebelling are scattered,
gone to their end,
do not exist.
- Lokavipatti Sutta

Stuff I write about things.
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waimengwan
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Re: In need of a mentor.

Post by waimengwan »

Utuniyama means the abuser has the karma to create even much more negative karma?

Cittaniyama I read this as causing harm without motive?

Dhammaniyama is like the seasons changing and is independent of one's karma.

this is interesting to learn if you could explain more that would benefit me and many people on the forum.
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