Shouldn't lay Buddhists be very successful ?
- lyndon taylor
- Posts: 1835
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Re: Shouldn't lay Buddhists be very successful ?
The dhamma is a prescription for spiritual success, not worldly success, I don't think you can really have it both ways, some people don't seem to be aware of just how much of a jerk you usually need to be to succeed materially in this world.
18 years ago I made one of the most important decisions of my life and entered a local Cambodian Buddhist Temple as a temple boy and, for only 3 weeks, an actual Therevada Buddhist monk. I am not a scholar, great meditator, or authority on Buddhism, but Buddhism is something I love from the Bottom of my heart. It has taught me sobriety, morality, peace, and very importantly that my suffering is optional, and doesn't have to run my life. I hope to give back what little I can to the Buddhist community, sincerely former monk John
http://trickleupeconomictheory.blogspot.com/
http://trickleupeconomictheory.blogspot.com/
- purple planet
- Posts: 728
- Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2012 6:07 am
Re: Shouldn't lay Buddhists be very successful ?
People get promoted -or not- for all kinds of reasons. Surely one's kamma also plays a part.
So you can be a very poor buddhist and be "advanced" but if you are practicing well you should by my understanding be better at whatever worldly things you "want" to do in comparison to yourself without the practice
i open a new thread with a clearer question : does the "practice" help you in worldly tasks? for this spesific subject
http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=20203
Re: Shouldn't lay Buddhists be very successful ?
Steve Jobs was more or less a Buddhist...purple planet wrote:Shouldn't lay advanced Buddhist practitioners be very successful ?
! i mean the few lay buddhist who are really advanced
cause when you practice you have less greed - you can be more focused ect ...
so they can waste less money for instance to buy stuff to make you "happy" so they should have more money -
they have less greed so they can control better their lust for tasty food so they can eat healthy
they can focus better so they can study new stuff very easily
make good use of time - not waste it on unnecessary habits that can come from stuff like aversion
ect ect ...
there are probably more than a few very good and advanced lay buddhists - who still have a job - i wonder why they dont get super successful ....
like warren buffet or bill gates - or why arnt there many top level athletes who are buddhists - cause i think that practicing the dhamma is improving you in a mundane way is it not ? than why we dont hear more of very - top-top level buddhists
(im trying to figure this to better understand dhamma - i personally might even ordain - so no need to say stuff along the lines of "what does it matter" or "we should not aspire for worldly gains" cause its me trying to understand the logic)
"He, the Blessed One, is indeed the Noble Lord, the Perfectly Enlightened One;
He is impeccable in conduct and understanding, the Serene One, the Knower of the Worlds;
He trains perfectly those who wish to be trained; he is Teacher of gods and men; he is Awake and Holy. "
--------------------------------------------
"The Dhamma is well-expounded by the Blessed One,
Apparent here and now, timeless, encouraging investigation,
Leading to liberation, to be experienced individually by the wise. "
He is impeccable in conduct and understanding, the Serene One, the Knower of the Worlds;
He trains perfectly those who wish to be trained; he is Teacher of gods and men; he is Awake and Holy. "
--------------------------------------------
"The Dhamma is well-expounded by the Blessed One,
Apparent here and now, timeless, encouraging investigation,
Leading to liberation, to be experienced individually by the wise. "
- lyndon taylor
- Posts: 1835
- Joined: Mon May 02, 2011 11:41 pm
- Location: Redlands, US occupied Northern Mexico
- Contact:
Re: Shouldn't lay Buddhists be very successful ?
If Steve Jobs is a good example of a Buddhist, we should be looking elsewhere for enlightenment......
18 years ago I made one of the most important decisions of my life and entered a local Cambodian Buddhist Temple as a temple boy and, for only 3 weeks, an actual Therevada Buddhist monk. I am not a scholar, great meditator, or authority on Buddhism, but Buddhism is something I love from the Bottom of my heart. It has taught me sobriety, morality, peace, and very importantly that my suffering is optional, and doesn't have to run my life. I hope to give back what little I can to the Buddhist community, sincerely former monk John
http://trickleupeconomictheory.blogspot.com/
http://trickleupeconomictheory.blogspot.com/