Bodhicitta

Exploring Theravāda's connections to other paths - what can we learn from other traditions, religions and philosophies?
binocular
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Re: Bodhicitta

Post by binocular »

Mahabrahma wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 4:59 pmOnce I asked a friend a deep question and He replied with: "section logical, section logical, section logical." I advise you to use your logic to figure things out in this instance, and avoid your prejudices, for they are clear hinderances to the truth you already know.
You could try for a career in politics, you know.
Hic Rhodus, hic salta!
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Coëmgenu
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Re: Bodhicitta

Post by Coëmgenu »

Mahabrahma wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 4:59 pm Once I asked a friend a deep question and He replied with: "section logical, section logical, section logical." I advise you to use your logic to figure things out in this instance, and avoid your prejudices, for they are clear hinderances to the truth you already know.
No one likes having their view called an "evil life-path," and that is what the Buddha calls the view that there is either increase or decrease in the sattvadhātu. So in light of this, I understand your defensive response. I could have been a lot gentler in breaking the news, my apologies.
What is the Uncreated?
Sublime & free, what is that obscured Eternity?
It is the Undying, the Bright, the Isle.
It is an Ocean, a Secret: Reality.
Both life and oblivion, it is Nirvāṇa.
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Mahabrahma
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Re: Bodhicitta

Post by Mahabrahma »

binocular wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 5:04 pm
Mahabrahma wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 4:59 pmOnce I asked a friend a deep question and He replied with: "section logical, section logical, section logical." I advise you to use your logic to figure things out in this instance, and avoid your prejudices, for they are clear hinderances to the truth you already know.
You could try for a career in politics, you know.
Buddhism is about changing the world. If you are interested in politics, go all for it, as long as you stay in refuge in the Dharma, the Buddha, and the Sangha, if you bring your Buddha-Nature into politics you could stay an honest follower of the Buddha without even considering yourself a politician, yet changing the world with the Noble Eightfold Path like Buddha did. Buddha talked to kings, changed the laws of nations, made Buddhism the national religion of kingdoms, and brought many, many people to Enlightenment. It is considered an infinite success if a Buddha brings even just one person to Enlightenment, yet that is never the end because the Nature of the Buddha is that of a Bodhisattva, that is why the Bodhisattva vow must go on, and it is made because although it is work that will one day be completed, there is still the Nature of the Buddha-Bodhisattva that continues on, because it is after Enlightenment when real life begins.
That sage who has perfect insight,
at the summit of spiritual perfection:
that’s who I call a brahmin.

-Dhammapada.
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Coëmgenu
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Re: Bodhicitta

Post by Coëmgenu »

Mahabrahma wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 5:16 pm Buddhism is about changing the world.
So is politics. I have to ask at this point: are you a Nichiren Buddhist? Do you practice with SGI? I'm not asking a "gotcha" question. I'm not going to launch into an online crusade against SGI if you are.
Last edited by Coëmgenu on Sun Sep 20, 2020 5:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
What is the Uncreated?
Sublime & free, what is that obscured Eternity?
It is the Undying, the Bright, the Isle.
It is an Ocean, a Secret: Reality.
Both life and oblivion, it is Nirvāṇa.
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Mahabrahma
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Location: Krishnaloka :).
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Re: Bodhicitta

Post by Mahabrahma »

Coëmgenu wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 5:08 pm
Mahabrahma wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 4:59 pm Once I asked a friend a deep question and He replied with: "section logical, section logical, section logical." I advise you to use your logic to figure things out in this instance, and avoid your prejudices, for they are clear hinderances to the truth you already know.
No one likes having their view called an "evil life-path," and that is what the Buddha calls the view that there is either increase or decrease in the sattvadhātu. So in light of this, I understand your defensive response. I could have been a lot gentler in breaking the news, my apologies.
It's not evil, just ignorant. Evil means sin, not just a misunderstanding that someone may have. But the point I was making that although the amount of sentient beings doesn't decrease or increase, the Saha world will end. That is the correct view.
That sage who has perfect insight,
at the summit of spiritual perfection:
that’s who I call a brahmin.

-Dhammapada.
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Coëmgenu
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Re: Bodhicitta

Post by Coëmgenu »

Mahabrahma wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 5:22 pm
Coëmgenu wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 5:08 pm
Mahabrahma wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 4:59 pm Once I asked a friend a deep question and He replied with: "section logical, section logical, section logical." I advise you to use your logic to figure things out in this instance, and avoid your prejudices, for they are clear hinderances to the truth you already know.
No one likes having their view called an "evil life-path," and that is what the Buddha calls the view that there is either increase or decrease in the sattvadhātu. So in light of this, I understand your defensive response. I could have been a lot gentler in breaking the news, my apologies.
It's not evil, just ignorant. Evil means sin, not just a misunderstanding that someone may have. But the point I was making that although the amount of sentient beings doesn't decrease or increase, the Saha world will end. That is the correct view.
The saha world has ended for the Buddhas, certainly. The saha world will end, similarly, for the а̄ryan bodhisattvas.
What is the Uncreated?
Sublime & free, what is that obscured Eternity?
It is the Undying, the Bright, the Isle.
It is an Ocean, a Secret: Reality.
Both life and oblivion, it is Nirvāṇa.
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Mahabrahma
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Re: Bodhicitta

Post by Mahabrahma »

Coëmgenu wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 5:18 pm
Mahabrahma wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 5:16 pm Buddhism is about changing the world.
So is politics. I have to ask at this point: are you a Nichiren Buddhist? Do you practice with SGI? I'm not asking a "gotcha" question. I'm not going to launch into an online crusade against SGI if you are.
I started with Buddhism by meeting someone from SGI. The Lotus Sutra and Nam Myoho Renge Kyo changed my life. But I find the meaning of the Lotus Sutra in all Buddhism, even in the smallest amount, I find all Buddhism to be perfect, true, and meaningful, and something that we should all respect.
That sage who has perfect insight,
at the summit of spiritual perfection:
that’s who I call a brahmin.

-Dhammapada.
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Mahabrahma
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Re: Bodhicitta

Post by Mahabrahma »

The Saha world will end for everyone eventually. No one left behind. In light of sattvadhātu not decreasing or increasing. :smile:
That sage who has perfect insight,
at the summit of spiritual perfection:
that’s who I call a brahmin.

-Dhammapada.
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Coëmgenu
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Re: Bodhicitta

Post by Coëmgenu »

Mahabrahma wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 5:25 pm
Coëmgenu wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 5:18 pm
Mahabrahma wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 5:16 pm Buddhism is about changing the world.
So is politics. I have to ask at this point: are you a Nichiren Buddhist? Do you practice with SGI? I'm not asking a "gotcha" question. I'm not going to launch into an online crusade against SGI if you are.
I started with Buddhism by meeting someone from SGI. The Lotus Sutra and Nam Myoho Renge Kyo changed my life. But I find the meaning of the Lotus Sutra in all Buddhism, even in the smallest amount, I find all Buddhism to be perfect, true, and meaningful, and something that we should all respect.
That makes sense. President Ikeda frames Mahayana Buddhism as a project for the social reform of rapid consumerism and materialism in today's society, "today's society" being framed as the age of Dharma-degeneration. The bodhisattvas of the earth are framed like the sages of the Age of Aquarius, the age of inner-outer transformation and spiritual awakening.
What is the Uncreated?
Sublime & free, what is that obscured Eternity?
It is the Undying, the Bright, the Isle.
It is an Ocean, a Secret: Reality.
Both life and oblivion, it is Nirvāṇa.
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Mahabrahma
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Re: Bodhicitta

Post by Mahabrahma »

I love Ikeda and connect to Him deeply, and I fully support SGI, but I generally spend my time chanting in solitary places, talking about Spiritual Matters with people, and reading Scripture. I am trying to live a simple life for at least a little while, I enjoy peace more than conflict whether it be physical, political, or even Spiritual. I want to be just like the Buddha though, and that has always been and will always be my goal in life. What any Buddha has done for others has been amazing and perfect.
That sage who has perfect insight,
at the summit of spiritual perfection:
that’s who I call a brahmin.

-Dhammapada.
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Nicholas Weeks
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Re: Bodhicitta

Post by Nicholas Weeks »

binocular wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 4:28 pm
Nicholas Weeks wrote: Fri Sep 18, 2020 10:55 pm A summarizing verse:
What is bodhi mind? It is our mind
Intent upon awakening ourselves and awakening others;
Benefitting ourselves and benefitting others.
Such a mind is clear.
It turns from confusion and returns to enlightenment
It renounces what is deviant and embodies what is proper.
Such a mind discern right from wrong. It harbors no inversions.
Such a mind is absolutely straight.
It sure feels good to feel superior to others.
Curious remark - why would inferior/superior pop up in ones mind?

This genuine intention or aspiration is to be praised. As Ven. Ledi Sayadaw put it in A Manual of the Excellent Man
What is meant by “the Noblest Aspiration”? It is the verbal and mental
undertaking that the bodhisatta had made at some point of time aeons before
taking up the perfections. It was made in these terms:

“As a man who knows his own strength, what use is there to get
to ‘the yonder shore’ (nibbāna) alone? I will attain to Supreme
Knowledge and then convey men and devas to the yonder shore.”

That was the pledge that sent the ten thousand universes reeling
and echoing in applause. That was the bodhisatta’s earnest wish.
For he intensely aspired to Supreme Self-Enlightenment thus:

“Knowing the Truth, I will let others know it. Freeing myself
from the world, I will free others. Having crossed over, I will
enable others to cross.”

This fervent and most daring aspiration is called “the Noblest Aspiration.”
Good and evil have no fixed form. It's as easy to turn from doing bad to doing good as it is to flip over the hand from the back to the palm. It's simply up to us to do it. Master Hsuan Hua.
SteRo
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Re: Bodhicitta

Post by SteRo »

Nicholas Weeks wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 7:47 pm This genuine intention or aspiration is to be praised. As Ven. Ledi Sayadaw put it in A Manual of the Excellent Man
What is meant by “the Noblest Aspiration”? It is the verbal and mental
undertaking that the bodhisatta had made at some point of time aeons before
taking up the perfections. It was made in these terms:

“As a man who knows his own strength, what use is there to get
to ‘the yonder shore’ (nibbāna) alone? I will attain to Supreme
Knowledge and then convey men and devas to the yonder shore.”

That was the pledge that sent the ten thousand universes reeling
and echoing in applause. That was the bodhisatta’s earnest wish.
For he intensely aspired to Supreme Self-Enlightenment thus:

“Knowing the Truth, I will let others know it. Freeing myself
from the world, I will free others. Having crossed over, I will
enable others to cross.”

This fervent and most daring aspiration is called “the Noblest Aspiration.”
What is the remainder of that aspiration in case it is deprived of the conceit 'I am'?
Cleared. αδόξαστος.
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Nicholas Weeks
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Re: Bodhicitta

Post by Nicholas Weeks »

SteRo wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 8:40 pm
Nicholas Weeks wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 7:47 pm This genuine intention or aspiration is to be praised. As Ven. Ledi Sayadaw put it in A Manual of the Excellent Man
What is meant by “the Noblest Aspiration”? It is the verbal and mental
undertaking that the bodhisatta had made at some point of time aeons before
taking up the perfections. It was made in these terms:

“As a man who knows his own strength, what use is there to get
to ‘the yonder shore’ (nibbāna) alone? I will attain to Supreme
Knowledge and then convey men and devas to the yonder shore.”

That was the pledge that sent the ten thousand universes reeling
and echoing in applause. That was the bodhisatta’s earnest wish.
For he intensely aspired to Supreme Self-Enlightenment thus:

“Knowing the Truth, I will let others know it. Freeing myself
from the world, I will free others. Having crossed over, I will
enable others to cross.”

This fervent and most daring aspiration is called “the Noblest Aspiration.”
What is the remainder of that aspiration in case it is deprived of the conceit 'I am'?
Unwarranted assumption that "I am" always has conceit as its root. Buddha used "I" in the conventional, ordinary sense also.
Good and evil have no fixed form. It's as easy to turn from doing bad to doing good as it is to flip over the hand from the back to the palm. It's simply up to us to do it. Master Hsuan Hua.
SteRo
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Re: Bodhicitta

Post by SteRo »

Nicholas Weeks wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 9:03 pm
SteRo wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 8:40 pm
Nicholas Weeks wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 7:47 pm This genuine intention or aspiration is to be praised. As Ven. Ledi Sayadaw put it in A Manual of the Excellent Man

What is the remainder of that aspiration in case it is deprived of the conceit 'I am'?
Unwarranted assumption that "I am" always has conceit as its root. Buddha used "I" in the conventional, ordinary sense also.
But if the assumption "I am" would not be conceit then it should be in line with reality. However reality does not support the assumption "I am" and therefore Gautama taught that nothing supports the assumption "I am".
Therefore that aspiration is nothing but a manifestation of the ignorant assumption "I am".
Cleared. αδόξαστος.
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Nicholas Weeks
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Re: Bodhicitta

Post by Nicholas Weeks »

SteRo wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 9:16 pm
Nicholas Weeks wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 9:03 pm
SteRo wrote: Sun Sep 20, 2020 8:40 pm

What is the remainder of that aspiration in case it is deprived of the conceit 'I am'?
Unwarranted assumption that "I am" always has conceit as its root. Buddha used "I" in the conventional, ordinary sense also.
But if the assumption "I am" would not be conceit then it should be in line with reality. However reality does not support the assumption "I am" and therefore Gautama taught that nothing supports the assumption "I am".
Therefore that aspiration is nothing but a manifestation of the ignorant assumption "I am".
Therefore the following use of "I" is also moved by conceit & is an ignorant assumption of Buddha's. (There are over 50 uses of the conventional "I" in this text.)
222. He who checks rising anger as a charioteer checks a rolling chariot, him I call a true charioteer. Others only hold the reins.
Good and evil have no fixed form. It's as easy to turn from doing bad to doing good as it is to flip over the hand from the back to the palm. It's simply up to us to do it. Master Hsuan Hua.
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