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Re: MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: Forthcoming Changes to the DW Forums

Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2018 6:19 am
by retrofuturist
Greetings Chownah,
chownah wrote: Sat Jun 02, 2018 4:55 am retrofuturist,
Are you likely to be part of the administration of the new forum?
chownah
No, only assisting with administrative functions to get it set up, so that it's ready to hand over to the new team.

Therefore, as you infer, how diverse political opinions are to be managed will be a question best put to the new DWE administration, once announced. How we will manage them here at DWT is likely to be to shut down any "political" or "worldly" views that aren't directly traceable back to the Pali Canon... But we'll have to try that and see how it goes. Not having "all discussion of interest to Theravada Buddhists" here, under one roof, will be new for us too.

For what it's worth, we've got two people lined up for the new DWE team so far who each have good experience, and a proven track record for tolerance of diverse perspectives on the Dharma. It's my hope (but again, not something I'll be in any position to enforce) that they will tread lightly when it comes to the legitimate expression of views they may not agree with personally. But first and foremost they'll be there to serve that community, and the needs of the community will ultimately decide what they need to do. It's a different community with a different purpose, so it's obviously going to have different standards and expectations.

Metta,
Paul. :)

Re: MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: Forthcoming Changes to the DW Forums

Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2018 7:42 pm
by Bundokji
I don't read the announcements sub-forum very often and i just came across this.

I am only a user of this website and i do it for free, thanks for the generosity of those who support and manage the forum both financially and in terms of time and effort. I usually enjoy reading topics and to participate on the news and politics sub-forum and i learned a lot from the contributions of other members.

Not sure if i am entitled for an opinion about this move, beggars are not choosers. :tongue:

Re: MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: Forthcoming Changes to the DW Forums

Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2018 10:39 pm
by Kim OHara
Bundokji wrote: Sat Jun 02, 2018 7:42 pm I don't read the announcements sub-forum very often and i just came across this.

I am only a user of this website and i do it for free, thanks for the generosity of those who support and manage the forum both financially and in terms of time and effort. I usually enjoy reading topics and to participate on the news and politics sub-forum and i learned a lot from the contributions of other members.

Not sure if i am entitled for an opinion about this move, beggars are not choosers. :tongue:
We are all here thanks to the generosity of David and the admin team, so you are every bit as entitled to an opinion as anyone else.

:namaste:
Kim

Re: MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: Forthcoming Changes to the DW Forums

Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2018 12:46 am
by SDC
Bundokji wrote: Sat Jun 02, 2018 7:42 pm I don't read the announcements sub-forum very often and i just came across this.

I am only a user of this website and i do it for free, thanks for the generosity of those who support and manage the forum both financially and in terms of time and effort. I usually enjoy reading topics and to participate on the news and politics sub-forum and i learned a lot from the contributions of other members.

Not sure if i am entitled for an opinion about this move, beggars are not choosers. :tongue:
You're a senior member of the forum with a great reputation. I enjoy your opinions so please never hesitate to offer them.

Re: MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: Forthcoming Changes to the DW Forums

Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2018 8:03 am
by Bundokji
Kim OHara wrote: Sat Jun 02, 2018 10:39 pm We are all here thanks to the generosity of David and the admin team, so you are every bit as entitled to an opinion as anyone else.
SDC wrote: Sun Jun 03, 2018 12:46 am You're a senior member of the forum with a great reputation. I enjoy your opinions so please never hesitate to offer them.
Thank you Kim and SDC for your kindness.

This forum is what connects me to other Buddhists, and it happened that i represent a minority on this forum in the sense that not many members are from the Middle East and that my approach to practicing the dhamma is not as scholarly or systematic. This is why i usually feel more connected to sub-forums that appear to be less directly linked to the dhamma such as: news and politics, lounge and personal experience.

I feel more at home in these sub-forums because the doctrine (the timeless dhamma) can be seen through our differences and our attempts to investigate the truth.

I also tried to use the news and politics section as a part of my practice, i have never seen it as separate from it. To provide few examples:

When the news came out about the possible summit between Trump and Kim Jong-un, some forum members mentioned that Trump is nominated for noble peace prize, and as i don't see him as a real peace maker, when the news came about the cancellation of the summit, i felt the urge to share the news on the forum, then few days later, the news came that the summit will go on as planned before, and when i read that, i asked my self: why i don't have the same urge to share this news? I detected some hypocrisy/bias, and i felt that the only way to be truthful is to share the updated news even if it goes against what i posted earlier. Somehow, i did it for myself.

One thread i participated in was about the conflict between Arabs and Israelis, and as the discussion unfolded, i spoke about Jerusalem and that when i visited the city and saw what people are fighting over i realized how lucky i am for having encountered the Buddha's teachings. This, to me, was an example of how the dhamma can become a cause for conceit and arrogance. I sometimes ask myself a hypothetical question: if the Buddha saw what i did, would he approve? in this particular instance, the answer was no.

When i read SDC's input on the "compassion for women" thread, it made me rethink my position (i did not change it though).

Few weeks ago, No Mind opened a thread about the royal wedding, not a very interesting topic to many nor directly related to the dhamma. As the discussion unfolded, Ven Dhammanando was asked if he supports the monarch's, and his answer included that the Buddha's position on this is similar to Hobbes's Leviathan. when i read the Venerable answer, i revisited the philosopher. Hobbe's view is that it is better to obey a monarch even if his actions are not perfect and referred to the state of nature which is not very pleasing. When all this happened few weeks ago, the situation in my country was normal, but as i am typing this, my country is descending into chaos. Jordan is a monarchy, and the government introduced new taxes, and there are demonstrations and strikes everywhere. We are on the brink of a disaster. When my colleagues and friends asked me to join the strikes, i refused, and i did not refer them to the Buddha, but to Hobbe's views. I shared the video with my colleagues at work who are encouraging demonstrations, and on my personal Facebook.

Kim's input on the global warming thread is impressive regardless if we are interested in global warming or not. It is a thread that has been going for a long period of time with frequent updates. When Sarath opened a thread on how we make the world a better place, Kim answered by sharing a link to the global warming thread. Who said that every type of passion is against the Buddha's teachings? There are wholesome desires that can help us with our practice.

Some members argue that the dhamma shines when it is separated from politics, but i do not agree. I view the above to be more real than speculating about what makes one a sotapanna, or whether there are enlightened human beings out there or not.

Re: MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: Forthcoming Changes to the DW Forums

Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2018 10:13 am
by budo
The only world that matters is the world inside your mind, trying to fix the world outside your mind is like trying to stop the flow of the ocean. You have no control.

The dhammapadda says in conquering your mind you conquer the world.

Politics is a waste of time, there were problems 3000 years ago and there will be problems in 3000 years from now.

If you wish to spend your time on things happening outside your mind don't be surprised that you haven't changed in 20 years from now.

Focus on yourself. Before enlightenment, politics is a waste of time. After enlightenment, politics is not needed.

Re: MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: Forthcoming Changes to the DW Forums

Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2018 10:51 am
by Kim OHara
budo wrote: Sun Jun 03, 2018 10:13 am The only world that matters is the world inside your mind, trying to fix the world outside your mind is like trying to stop the flow of the ocean. You have no control.

The dhammapadda says in conquering your mind you conquer the world.

Politics is a waste of time, there were problems 3000 years ago and there will be problems in 3000 years from now.

If you wish to spend your time on things happening outside your mind don't be surprised that you haven't changed in 20 years from now.

Focus on yourself. Before enlightenment, politics is a waste of time. After enlightenment, politics is not needed.
That's an extreme position, surely. You're saying that it's not only possible to separate yourself completely from the world, but a good idea.
I don't think it's possible, because every interaction with every person you encounter is mediated by the society you both live in.
And I don't think it's desirable, because the path explicitly demands Sila as a grounding for Panna and Samadhi, and Sila is expressed and developed through other people - Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood. Dana. Compassion. Metta, Karuna, Mudita, Upekkha.

None of this means you have to be obsessed with politics, of course, but it does embed your practice firmly in engagement with human society.

:namaste:
Kim

Re: MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: Forthcoming Changes to the DW Forums

Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2018 10:56 am
by mikenz66
budo wrote: Sun Jun 03, 2018 10:13 am The only world that matters is the world inside your mind, trying to fix the world outside your mind is like trying to stop the flow of the ocean. You have no control.
Hmm... The "I" does not control "my" mind, either, if "I" understand the suttas correctly :tongue:

:heart:
Mike

Re: MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: Forthcoming Changes to the DW Forums

Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2018 3:23 pm
by budo
Sila has nothing to do with politics. Sila has to do with precepts and your karma. If you lack sila you won't be able to enter jhanas because your mind will be too distracted and distraught by wordly matters.

The Buddha went into seclusion to get enlightened, therefore seclusion is important. It's seclusion that leads to peace and dispassion.

One cannot live in a garden and the world at the same time, you have to sacrifice one. You can't go to hell and expect to be at peace, this is masochism.

The Buddha with all his powers could have demonstrated to everyone his abilities and become famous, but he didn't. Instead he kept himself in seclusion and only reached out to people who had the capacity and hope of learning the dhamma. If he was summoned by kings then he attended to them, but generally he lived in seclusion.

1) He who studies the Buddha's word for getting robes and other requisites, or for becoming widely known; that is, he who learns for the sake of fame and gain, his study is that of the Snake-simile (i.e., the wrong grasp); but better than such a study would be for him to sleep and not to study at all
-MN 22

Knowledge cleaves his head.
For then he wants recognition.
A place before other people,
A place over other people.
"Let them know my work,
Let everyone look to me for direction."
Such are his desires,
Such is his swelling pride.
One way leads to wealth and fame,
The other to the end of the way.
Look not for recognition
But follow the awakened
And set yourself free.
-Dhammapada


Life is very short and finite, why waste it on politics, your goal should be to go beyond the Brahma heavens, going to the brahma heavens is dangerous because you can go to hell afterwards since you've been collecting karma for an infinite amount of years, good and bad, the cycle never ends.

You're wasting your one short human life on issues that existed before you were born and will continue to exist after you die, better to focus on what you can control, such as setting yourself free.

Politics never ends, just like you don't concern yourself with the politics of ant colonies, African tribes, Eskimos, family disputes or the never ending drama and conflict all over the world, you should also not concern yourself with the drama of nations or the people within them. If the media didn't highlight these issues, you wouldn't know nor care about them, just like you don't know nor care about the drama happening between Eskimos, animals, insects, bacteria, and beings in other dimensions, there is an infinite amount of drama, conflict and suffering, and focusing on one gives it more importance than the others, therefore the only important one is the conflict within yourself.

Conflict is part of nature and is rooted in greed, hatred, delusion. So worry about the greed, hatred and delusion that's in yourself first and foremost.

And if you yourself are in danger then you should hurry up and get enlightened before it's too late.

Re: MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: Forthcoming Changes to the DW Forums

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2018 8:18 pm
by DNS
https://dharmawheel.org/

If it is still redirecting to DWM or DWT, you may need to purge your cache.

Just a few last minute things need to be added including logo and some other things, but you can go ahead and make an account and start posting, if you're interested.

If you make an account and it requires email verification for activation, check your spam folder.

Re: MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: Forthcoming Changes to the DW Forums

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2018 8:42 pm
by mikenz66
Ha, it didn't even check up on me....

:woohoo:
Mike

Re: MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: Forthcoming Changes to the DW Forums

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2018 10:06 pm
by Sam Vara
Blimey, it's real! It's really there...and very...blue.

Re: MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: Forthcoming Changes to the DW Forums

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2018 11:53 pm
by lyndon taylor
Weren't the news thread etc supposed to be transferred over to the new forum??

Re: MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: Forthcoming Changes to the DW Forums

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2018 11:53 pm
by Justsit
DNS wrote: Tue Jun 05, 2018 8:18 pm https://dharmawheel.org/

If it is still redirecting to DWM or DWT, you may need to purge your cache.

Just a few last minute things need to be added including logo and some other things, but you can go ahead and make an account and start posting, if you're interested.

If you make an account and it requires email verification for activation, check your spam folder.
Now when I try to access Dharmawheel.net, I get a "secure connection failed" notice :

"www.dharmawheel.net uses an invalid security certificate."

Weird.
I'm using Firefox on Windows 10.

ETA the Dharmawheel.org link in Retro's post works fine, but that name does not appear in the Google search engine. The closest thing is a "Dharmawheels.org" Buddhist bicycle pilgrimage site.

Re: MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: Forthcoming Changes to the DW Forums

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2018 11:59 pm
by retrofuturist
Greetings Lyndon,
lyndon taylor wrote: Tue Jun 05, 2018 11:53 pm Weren't the news thread etc supposed to be transferred over to the new forum??
No, it was raised as in an idea but it's technically not possible due to the member ID systems.

If you want to hyperlink to old topics and say "as previously discussed at DWT" or something like that then go ahead.

Metta,
Paul. :)