Converting to Buddha

[Up2U]

OP, you can learn more about Buddhism and converting here on the DMC (Dhama Media Channel) Buddhist satellite television channel. I believe Sophon carries it or you can buy your own dedicated satellite dish at reasonable costs. You see Thais often watching this channel and they have English programming too.

http://www.dmc.tv/index.php?lang=en

[allieb]

So is the woman's pussy for peeing, fucking, or giving birth?

None of the above,It's a warning devise. It just gives off a very nasty odor. A warning to keep clear and stay away.

[Beachlover]

Well... whatever move you make, moving away from Roman Catholicism is the right direction...

[mlomker]

Well... whatever move you make, moving away from Roman Catholicism is the right direction...

Not a good idea to disparage anyone's religion or church. That being said, most religions start out with the intention of providing a set of precepts for helping people to live together peacefully (in time periods when governments/laws were weak, the churches picked up some of the slack). The religions then branched out as their leaders tried to strengthen their power...adding on penalties and hoarding money to build golden palaces. Many have just become a means of controlling people and foster an insider/outsider view of the world.

Buddhism is one of the few 'religions' that hasn't gone that route. It's inclusive and I can't think of any wars started in the name of Buddhism (I'm sure one of you will correct me if I'm mistaken).

[sanook]

Not a good idea to disparage anyone's religion or church. That being said, most religions start out with the intention of providing a set of precepts for helping people to live together peacefully (in time periods when governments/laws were weak, the churches picked up some of the slack). The religions then branched out as their leaders tried to strengthen their power...adding on penalties and hoarding money to build golden palaces. Many have just become a means of controlling people and foster an insider/outsider view of the world.

Buddhism is one of the few 'religions' that hasn't gone that route. It's inclusive and I can't think of any wars started in the name of Buddhism (I'm sure one of you will correct me if I'm mistaken).

The following article makes an interesting read covering some of 'Buddhism and War"

http://buddhism.about.com/od/basicbuddh ... /a/war.htm

[mlomker]

The following article makes an interesting read covering some of 'Buddhism and War"

The article basically justifies self defense if it is free of hate/malice. There have been times in history when Christian kings have built empires by conquering their neighbors. If there is an instance of Buddhists doing that then it'd be interesting to read about.

[sanook]

Oh, boy. Where to start? How about the ruins of Ayutthaya?

Yes good example, and I have found that the Thai's, especially in the Ayutthaya area still hold a grudge against the Burmese......

[mlomker]

Ayutthaya?

One of the major attractions that I didn't get to on my first visit. Cool, I have something to read up on before I go there.

[sanook]

Ayutthaya?

One of the major attractions that I didn't get to on my first visit. Cool, I have something to read up on before I go there.

Nice place to visit, I think you will enjoy it.......

[mister_moose]

Hi patrick66, everyone,

You might consider visiting Wat Rampoeng In Chiang Mai. They offer 10 day meditation retreats for foreigners that are led by English speaking teachers:

http://www.palikanon.com/vipassana/tapo ... otaram.htm

I've been a practicing Buddhist for around 30 years and have studied with many teachers in different traditions of Buddhism. Buddhism has no issue with homosexuality, and there are many ordained Western gay monks and lesbian nuns in various traditions. The issue isn't homo or het...rather, its the degree of attachment we all have to desire that is addressed in Buddhism for both homo and het. Buddhism stresses that being overly attached to our desires clouds our perception of reality as it really is. As gay men we know this as "thinking with our dick"...something that most of us have done, sometimes excessively and to our detriment.

The goal of Buddhism is to help us become less unconsciously reactive - less dragged around and driven by our unconscious reactions to external circumstances and our unconscious habits of mind. Buddhism is more a psychology than a religion. These are the fundamental principles of Buddhism:

- impermanence: everything in the world (including our thoughts) is in a constant state of flux - generation and degeneration. We experience this very intimately as birth, aging, sickness, dying, and death - this is the nature of everything. Keeping this in mind helps put life into a realistic perspective - we're going to have to let go of everything at some point, so no point in getting too attached to our stuff and our inflated notions of "self" identity.

- cause and effect: Our actions and thoughts in this moment determine to a large degree the quality of what we see and experience in future moments. This reminds us that our thoughts and actions have consequences and encourages us to be aware of what those consequences might be. We are the heirs to our own thoughts and actions.

Clarity: Being consciously aware of impermanence and cause/effect in our daily life heightens our awareness how we attach to stuff and ideas in order to block from consciousness how the world really works. We don't like the idea of impermanence and we forget about cause and effect so we cling to stuff and self-identity, often to the point of making ourselves sick or going to war. We make our lives miserable attaching and hanging on for dear life so we don't have to look reality spang in the eye...we are aging, we will get sick, we will experience dying, we will be dead - letting go of everything. Clarity helps us to loosen our grip on our attachments so that they cause us and others less grief.

Meditation: The practice of meditation is the practice of letting go of attachment. We sit quietly and observe the mind, which we see is in a constant state of reaction to circumstances and sensations. This is the pattern that brings us so much discontentment in our lives...always grasping at something or reacting negatively to something - hunger and fear. Meditation helps us see clearly how habitual this is and how exhausting it really is. Through meditation we learn to calm the mind so it isn't in a constant state of fight/flight - to the point of it being able to just rest, aware but calm. This aware but calm place is where real happiness and far reaching clarity can be found - much more beneficial than the shallow, fleeting happiness than constantly feeding our fears and cravings can provide.

Compassion: When we develop this this calm, aware place through awareness and meditation we begin to see how people are constantly driven by their hungers and fears - to the point of hurting themselves and others. Our hungers and fears are destroying the world we live in and making our lives miserable (underneath the lies we tell ourselves that everything will be just fine if only I have ________ or don't have ________). When we realize this, our heart opens to the world...and this is the missing "connection" that we all sense in our modern alienated life that causes us to be so reactive and to go chasing after the "spiritual" out there somewhere.

We can create the conditions of mind/heart for sustained contentment and happiness if we're willing to see the world and our lives clearly in all its innate messiness, and if we actively practice calming the mind. Buddhism is an ancient set of tools for doing this.

I hope this is useful...

Take care,
mister_moose

[Copper Pheel]

... we begin to see how people are constantly driven by their hungers and fears - to the point of hurting themselves and others. Our hungers and fears are destroying the world we live in and making our lives miserable (underneath the lies we tell ourselves that everything will be just fine if only I have ________ or don't have ________).

As a psychanalysis of Dickhead that's spot on. And he's lived in Buddhist country for how long?

[Beachlover]

Well... whatever move you make, moving away from Roman Catholicism is the right direction...

Not a good idea to disparage anyone's religion or church. That being said, most religions start out with the intention of providing a set of precepts for helping people to live together peacefully (in time periods when governments/laws were weak, the churches picked up some of the slack). The religions then branched out as their leaders tried to strengthen their power...adding on penalties and hoarding money to build golden palaces. Many have just become a means of controlling people and foster an insider/outsider view of the world.

Buddhism is one of the few 'religions' that hasn't gone that route. It's inclusive and I can't think of any wars started in the name of Buddhism (I'm sure one of you will correct me if I'm mistaken).

This article is interesting. It says religion is ok but goes downhill when people take it too literally.

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-a ... -i58p.html

[Copper Pheel]

Not a good idea to disparage anyone's religion or church.

So you support the Hindu practice of suttee do you? What about the religions in some Pacific Islands that endorsed cannibalism? It's only when criticism is brought to bear on people and their religions that they modify their behaviour and/or beliefs. You might catch up with the series currently being shown on the BBC here in the UK (so possibly on BBC America) on the fascinating history of Christianity and how encounters with other religions together with criticism both inside and outside the Church has led to significant changes - both to Christianity and the religions it has run up against such as Islam. The series is being presented by Diarmaid MacCulloch, the gay professor of Church History at Ocford University.

[sanook]

Religion! What we need are more guys like him LOL

[dave_syd]

Not a good idea to disparage anyone's religion or church.

what about when they fly passenger planes into buildings?