Cula-Malunkyovada Sutta: (The Shorter
Instructions to Malunkya) MN 63
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Friday, July 18, 2014
Is Buddhism a Religion for People with Commitment Issues?
By Ayelett Shani, HAARETZ, June 26, 2014Why do you think the West is drawn to Eastern religions? It is part of the crisis of faith of the 20th century, in which doubt is cast on ideas once considered to be absolute truth. The concept that Western culture is superior began to be undermined when people began to study Eastern approaches in depth, to question Western culture and to leave room for the possibility that other cultures, too, might be of value at the philosophical and conceptual levels. But why Buddhism, specifically, which according to a survey conducted in
Buddhism
specifically is perceived as a religion that can offer a response to the
crisis of faith, in part because it bypasses the problem of a deity. I think
that what attracts Westerners to Buddhism is the way in which it analyzes and
understands human consciousness and cuts a path through everything connected
to belief. There are certain beliefs associated with Buddhism, such as karma
and rebirth, that some people might find problematic, but you don’t have to
subscribe to all the basic assumptions of Buddhism to do a meditation
workshop or to study it more deeply.
I would say it’s a religion for people with commitment issues. Maybe that’s a problem. Yes. The basic, ancient Buddhist idea is to strive to avoid doing harm, to do good and purify the consciousness. That is quite straightforward, and in this sense Buddhism is accessible. We all know that when we are angry or afraid or distressed, we don’t think as we should, everything becomes distorted and unstable. Our emotional state prevents us from seeing reality as it is. Buddhism takes this truth and suggests that we start to work with it – to try to placate the consciousness and examine the world differently. |
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Stressed at work? Meditating really does work!
Meditating can have an almost instant effect on reducing stress,
researchers have found.
They say three consecutive days of 25 minute sessions can have a
dramatic effect.
Researchers studied
'mindful meditation' - a technique developed in the 1970s, which is even
available online via websites.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Monday, July 14, 2014
Oh Buddha! Ex-archbishop Rowan reveals he meditates
By TANIA STEERE
The former Archbishop of Canterbury has admitted
he is inspired by Buddhism and spends 40 minutes a day meditating. Lord Williams completes the intense early
morning ritual to help him clear his mind for prayer. The former Archbishop disclosed in an interview
with the New Statesman how he contemplated becoming a monk in his youth, as
well as joining the Orthodox church.
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Panhandlers Dressed as Monks Confound New Yorkers
If He Walks and Talks Like a Monk, but Has His Hand Out ...
In Times Square ,
amid the dozens of Elmos, Mickey Mouses and superheroes who work the crowds for
loose bills, new costumed characters have come to seek their fortunes.
They are mostly men of Chinese
descent, with shaved heads, beatific smiles and flowing robes of orange, but
sometimes brown or gray. They follow a similar script: Offering wishes of peace
and a shiny amulet, they solicit donations from passers-by, often reinforcing
their pitch by showing a picture of a temple for which the money seems to be
intended. Then they open a notebook filled with the names of previous donors
and the amounts given.
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