If he is unsettled in mind, does not know the true Teaching, and has lost his peace of mind, a man's wisdom does not come to fulfilment.
A bit complicated this. Not only do you have to have peace of mind, but you must also know the true teaching, otherwise forget about fulfilment (spiritual, not sexual, ye with the dirty mind!).
This is from the chapter on Thoughts. All about the nature of thoughts. In essence, your mind needs to be at peace and you must have control over your thoughts. Let your mind roam, and you know where its going to go first, don't you!
Monday, June 25, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
More random Dhammapada
One is one's own guardian. What other guardian could one have? With oneself well disciplined one obtains a rare guardian indeed.
I guess OJ Simpson, Scooter Libby, all subscribe to this. Why acknowledge the right of the state as a moral arbiter when one is ones own guardian.
This is from a chapter titled Self. Make your own judgement about right and wrong, and then stick to your principles and, better still, teach them.
I guess OJ Simpson, Scooter Libby, all subscribe to this. Why acknowledge the right of the state as a moral arbiter when one is ones own guardian.
This is from a chapter titled Self. Make your own judgement about right and wrong, and then stick to your principles and, better still, teach them.
Monday, June 18, 2007
The Dhammapada Again
Hmm. I don't recall posting twice. What could this mean? Let's see what the random Dhammapada has to say about this.
Ashamed of what is not a matter for shame, and not ashamed of what is, by holding to wrong views people go to a bad rebirth.
Figure that out! I guess the dhammapada is telling me that I shouldn't be ashamed of having posted the same blah-og twice. If, that is, it is my desire to not have a bad rebirth.
Ashamed of what is not a matter for shame, and not ashamed of what is, by holding to wrong views people go to a bad rebirth.
Figure that out! I guess the dhammapada is telling me that I shouldn't be ashamed of having posted the same blah-og twice. If, that is, it is my desire to not have a bad rebirth.
Friday, June 15, 2007
The Dhammapada
Here's another one:
Therefore don't take a liking to anything. To lose what one likes is hard, but there are no bonds for those who have no likes and dislikes.
Straightforward this time. The more things you are attached to the harder it is for one to seek knowledge. Or, as Kris Kristofferson said: "freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." Keeping up with the Joneses is not a good recipe for salvation.
(This verse is from the chapter entitled Preference. See post of June 13th.)
Therefore don't take a liking to anything. To lose what one likes is hard, but there are no bonds for those who have no likes and dislikes.
Straightforward this time. The more things you are attached to the harder it is for one to seek knowledge. Or, as Kris Kristofferson said: "freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." Keeping up with the Joneses is not a good recipe for salvation.
(This verse is from the chapter entitled Preference. See post of June 13th.)
The Dhammapada
Here's another one:
Therefore don't take a liking to anything. To lose what one likes is hard, but there are no bonds for those who have no likes and dislikes.
Straightforward this time. The more things you are attached to the harder it is for one to seek knowledge. Or, as Kris Kristofferson said: "freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." Keeping up with the Joneses is not a good recipe for salvation.
(This verse is from the chapter entitled Preference.)
Therefore don't take a liking to anything. To lose what one likes is hard, but there are no bonds for those who have no likes and dislikes.
Straightforward this time. The more things you are attached to the harder it is for one to seek knowledge. Or, as Kris Kristofferson said: "freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." Keeping up with the Joneses is not a good recipe for salvation.
(This verse is from the chapter entitled Preference.)
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
The Dhammapada
Another verse:
Blinded indeed is this world. Few are those who see the truth. Like a bird breaking out of the net, few are those who go to heaven.
I have no argument with the 'few are those who see the truth' but the bird breaking out of the net analogy is unclear. I assume that what The Buddha is saying is that birds, when they end up captured in a hunter's net, mostly stay captured and few manage to escape. But most birds are free and very few birds actually end up in nets. It would also have been nice if the analogy had something to do with clarity and truth rather than just having a sharper beak!
(This verse is from the chapter, The World. All about doing the right deeds in the right way.)
Blinded indeed is this world. Few are those who see the truth. Like a bird breaking out of the net, few are those who go to heaven.
I have no argument with the 'few are those who see the truth' but the bird breaking out of the net analogy is unclear. I assume that what The Buddha is saying is that birds, when they end up captured in a hunter's net, mostly stay captured and few manage to escape. But most birds are free and very few birds actually end up in nets. It would also have been nice if the analogy had something to do with clarity and truth rather than just having a sharper beak!
(This verse is from the chapter, The World. All about doing the right deeds in the right way.)
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
The Buddha and The Dhammapada
What could be more Indian than The Buddha. Brought up as a prince, deserted his family as a young man, roamed the land in search of something, and found it while sitting under a tree! Reading about the Buddha's search is interesting (Pankaj Mishra's excellent An End to Suffering is an excellent Buddha travel book, but reading what he said (or rather, what it is assumed he said) is even more interesting. Take this from the Dhammapada,
from affection arises sorrow, from affection arises fear, but he who is freed from affection has no sorrow and certainly no fear.
As Bertie Wooster would say, "Well, I say what?" Like most of what the Buddha says, this is pretty straightforward. If you love something, expect to be sad and scared (the fear of losing that thing or person heads the scared list). Sorrow and Fear are not constructive emotions and so, perhaps, you should consider heading away from affection if you want to be truly free (to attain nirvana, I suppose). Oddly enough, this, and other Buddha-isms (if I may coin the word) could also be construed as an excuse for the Buddha's desertion of his family. Perhaps he left his family and then spent the rest of his life trying to build a convincing excuse for deserting them (do Buddhists issue fatwas?). Just Kidding!
(Note: The sutra is from the chapter on Preference where the Buddha says never have preferences and treat everything equally - a nightmare scenario for Capitalists, Economists and Marketing gurus everywhere!)
from affection arises sorrow, from affection arises fear, but he who is freed from affection has no sorrow and certainly no fear.
As Bertie Wooster would say, "Well, I say what?" Like most of what the Buddha says, this is pretty straightforward. If you love something, expect to be sad and scared (the fear of losing that thing or person heads the scared list). Sorrow and Fear are not constructive emotions and so, perhaps, you should consider heading away from affection if you want to be truly free (to attain nirvana, I suppose). Oddly enough, this, and other Buddha-isms (if I may coin the word) could also be construed as an excuse for the Buddha's desertion of his family. Perhaps he left his family and then spent the rest of his life trying to build a convincing excuse for deserting them (do Buddhists issue fatwas?). Just Kidding!
(Note: The sutra is from the chapter on Preference where the Buddha says never have preferences and treat everything equally - a nightmare scenario for Capitalists, Economists and Marketing gurus everywhere!)
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