I have difficulties to find the correct interpretation of this quote that seem old, can you please help me ?



No, what is he saying ?

Edit : maybe have some good quotes in mind ?

This post was edited by Eti_fr on Aug 26 2012 06:51pm

Eti_fr, I'm sorry for insulting you. I've come across as hostile, and I have not been a great example of what a Buddhist should be like, so I apologize. I haven't been understanding of your point of view, but even though I should try to understand it, that doesn't necessarily mean I should agree with it. Voyaging is doing a good job showing you that Eastern religions are the source of new age, and do a much better job at explaining and philosophizing various facets of mystical thought.

As for your question of how to interpret the quote from the Kalama Sutra, the interpretation is literal, what the Buddha is saying is meant to be taken at face-value. He means that we should investigate things for ourselves rather than look to sources that are dubious or less than realistic and not so empirical. The Buddha was a big empiricist and believed that we should look to science and observation for our correct knowledge. Buddhism is a tradition spanning back 2500 years ago, and thus have a very strongly developed philosophy that spans to modern times with ways to counter wrong views and cultivate compassion, develop a view in accordance with reality, and transform negative emotions and thoughts.

This post was edited by AEtheric on Aug 26 2012 07:35pm

I already told you I don't care about your insult, and I accept your apologies of course.

I'm actually investigating things for myself... but this literal intrepretation does not make clear sense for me... Maybe because english is not me mother language, and this small quote can't resume Buddha sayings.

I'm not familiar with it, so I can't judge... what are you believing as a Buddhist ?
Please tell me more so I can actually check for myself !
Do you understand life evolves, so we have to keep seeking truth/life ? I mean there is probably a lot of truth in Buddhism, but you can't stop 2500 years ago... Life evolved, Earth evolved, the entire universe is in expansion...
That's why I'm quoting Bob Marley also, he lived few years ago and was never translated... I mean you can see live videos from him for free on youtube.

Well, here is the Bodhisattva vow of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhists:

However innumerable sentient beings are, I vow to save them.
However inexhaustible the defilements are, I vow to extinguish them.
However immeasurable the dharmas are, I vow to master them.
However incomparable enlightenment is, I vow to attain it.

Also, here is a prayer from my Ngondro practices:

May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness;
May all be free from sorrow and the causes of sorrow;
May all never be separated from the sacred happiness which is sorrowless;
And may all live in equanimity, without too much attachment and too much aversion,
And live believing in the equality of all that lives.

In Buddhism we also believe in Emptiness and Interdependent Origination. Interdependent origination is just that everything that exists is impermanent, interdependent, and by virtue of its interdependence exists due to conditions, such as cause and effect. Emptiness at a relative truth level is this, but it also has an ultimate truth level, and that is no-self. No self is how everything that is interdependent is composed of causes, effects, and conditions that are not itself. For instance, a tree is made purely of non-tree elements. This no-self, when applied to humans, means that we have no center of being, no self-nature that is independent of our bodies, minds, environment, etc.; everything is interdependent. One thing that I love about no-self is that without it there would be no interdependent origination, and without interdependent origination, there wouldn't be no-self. They, too, are mutually interdependent, so emptiness itself is empty. Another good example of emptiness would be a vase. A vase that is red. Red itself is not independent from the vase, otherwise we would need a red to describe the color red, and a red to describe the vase. Thus there would be two reds to describe one red vase, and this can multiply infinitely. It reduces to absurdity that red exists independently from the vase, an impossibility only known through conceptualization.

If you want to know more about Buddhism feel free to ask, as I only covered very little of what Buddhists believe, and I, myself, do not always adhere to what a Buddhist should be, and I don't believe in everything that Buddhism postulates.

This post was edited by AEtheric on Aug 26 2012 08:36pm

He's saying that you should not listen to him or his teachings just because he's the Buddha, but to take into account what you actually experience only. I was rebutting this quote:





The Buddha himself said do not have blind faith.

Well, that makes sense unless you have blind faith in truth/life/the present moment.
The Present (with religion) that I'm encourraging you to read has same message : only believe what you can actually experience (that's what we call truth/life/the present moment), and always keep seeking the present, because it's evolving and infinite.

This book is mostly written for people calling themselves Christians, who are currently believing in myths like Jesus physically healing the blind people, or Jesus physical resurrection.
It focus on the correct intrepretation of Jesus message, where they focus on false interpretation of his life.

Jesus said, “Whoever finds the correct interpretation of what I am saying will find eternal life.”
Jesus said, "In me, all things become one, for everything that is not of me is illusion and will pass away. Only Light abides, for Light is Truth, and Truth has no end. I tell you the truth when I say that I am the Way, the Truth, the Light, and the Life. Walk in me, and you will abide forever, for you will be even as I AM."

There is also a version showing the way without any reference to religion, and these books can help whole mankind control our mind, to not be slaves of our bad thoughts and emotions like we are currently.
It is just helping us see the truth in holy books, science, philosophy, music... life.

"This book has just one purpose, and that is to show people the truth. When people see the truth, they will get on the path to heaven. It is a no brainer."

This post was edited by Eti_fr on Aug 27 2012 02:49pm

Bump

Bump

Does it give a methodology to do so, or is it all talk without the walk? Buddhism gives method and wisdom in order to achieve the transformation of negative states into positive ones.

This post was edited by AEtheric on Aug 29 2012 12:53pm

Actually you just have to desire to get better (spiritually), to always seek more truth, check for youself and share what you learned.
This book helps you desire more, seek more... if you already have some desire to seek.

I just found a video on science forum, that can help too :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjhTlYfLQGk