Hoben (方便) / Upaya — (2)

Most of the books I refer to, are I brought from Japan and unless I need to find

the English word, I do not look into Wiki kind. —– So, I tell you the truth,

until few days ago, I didn’t know that there a Sanskrit word for Hoben (方便), Upaya

existed.   In Japan Hoben is a widely used word spread out of the Buddhism,

which has an extended meaning of “convenient mean” or “easy alternative” kind,

and the original Buddhist context was masked by those common usage.

Lord Buddha’s witty teachings, which was timely and suit to the occasion, or to

the person speaking to, is a well known stories, hence those witty talk style has

been adapted by the Zen talk, or even by the children’s comic book “Ikkyu-san”.

As its casual use became so common, we almost forgotten it had a Buddhism origin.

—– So that, to find this word, “Upaya” really surprised me, not because of its

meaning but the attitude, the ancient monk did created a dedicated nickname for 

Lord Buddha’s talking style, yet still, they couldn’t find the meaning of

Lord Buddha’s silence.

[]

Do you talk about the prostitute or prostitution in public ? I don’t think you do.

It’s a dirty talk and officially, it’s not exist in your life.  And if it’s not in the society,

neither a word prostitution exists.   It’s mean, even if anybody asked about it, you

can not understand what it mean nor able to answer.

To Lord Buddha, talking about Atman or Self never happened, because no such things

of the Self exists and to talk about a thing which is not exists was nothing but a 

delusion and it is a dirty talk.   Because of it is not exists and as he doesn’t have, it was 

no use to make a question about the Self or its reincarnation to him, because 

he wouldn’t answer anyway, since even no word, no notion was there.

= This was the reason why, to those questions, there was no answer from

Lord Buddha at all.

[]

And when the teaching was related to the Self, there was no explanatory words

but to show the practice which would lead to the “Selfless State of the mind” —–

or just to give a smile, otherwise (if you can’t get it), the excommunication.

(This was the reason why no explanation of “No Self” was in the scripture.

—– either it was omitted because of the conflict with the Hinduism or it couldn’t

be written down because, no such things like a Self exists.)

(In Buddhism, especially in Zen, there is nothing between Yes and No.

Yes mean 200% commitment but if it was No, even a word No itself is no longer exist.

= it is not a denial or even an argument but a total erasure = the subject, the matter

is completely disappeared. = hence no psychological conflict.

When no-self, there is even no subject, who is thinking the matter.)

___/\___

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HOBEN (方便) / Upaya — in Buddhism

In one before previous post, “Why live”, the author of the book Dr. Ogoshi was

saying that the Hoben (方便) (upaya = Sanskrit) = the mean or way (to lead others to

the Enlightenment) as the vital part of the human relation therefore that makes

the Reason to live.

[]

Among the religions, the only one asking the followers “to understand (the matter)”

is the Buddhism.   All others need just believe what was said or written.

With this reason, only the Buddhism having a notion of Direct transmission or

Hoben/upaya  and the Pathway.   All those are just the mean and the process. —–

Why those mean or process was talked about, but not the goal itself was = that

because, the goal couldn’t be explained, even if anybody knows. Because, it is Void.

Indeed, it’s a funny religion and the strange deal = on the end, you may get the Void

at its best.   If it was short of best, you get nothing.   Get nothing, yet even if you did

the best, get Void !  —– How Fantastic ! ! !

( at least the another religion is promising the heaven or paradise kind of good deal!

— whether it was fraud or not in the eyes of  Advertising Standard Authority.)

[]

In the famous Kisa Gotami story, what she was instructed was to obtain the

mustard seeds from the house never had bereavement. — After knocking all

the doors in the village, and running all the day, she was convinced that the

bereavement is the truth of human existence. —– The advice of

Lord Buddha, “To save the dead child, it need to get the mustard seeds” was not

necessary true though, the action she took, definitely brought her the enlightenment

and helped her to overcome a sorrow of the lost child. —– And to give such a good

advice and lead the person to get enlightened IS the Mahayana Buddhist duty.

(It must be much harder to enlighten the other.   Who got the brain of

Lord Buddha, in this world today ? ! )

___/\___

[]

PS:  In the mainstream Buddhism, Kisa Gotami’s story

was understood only as a sample of Hoben shown by

Lord Buddha.   But, what I’ve been talking about is, its contributory effect of

“Repeating Actions” (running and knocking all the doors  next by next) to her

brain function.  = (Repeating input to the brain lead the apathetic response =

input would be handled emotionally detached = this is all about

the Buddhist’s practice and the VOID in the mind.)

[]

Utterly useless Banana skin —– still, this is the Glorious 700th Post for a festive evening !

You never seen like this or able to guess what this is.   They are the banana skins.

—– ? ? ?   Why banana skin was made like this ? —– They were left there to

become dry. —– Why needed to make them dry ? = It was for not to make wet

rubbish in the bin and to prevent the fruits fly to come. —– M m m ? ? ?

—– If I have a grown up teenage daughter, she must hate this kind of practice

and the man who does. = = = I know, that’s why I don’t have a daughter, in fact

any kids or even a possible cause of that, a wife.  

(I just read a small article which was telling about his awkward daughter.  😀 )

So that, to avoid to have a cause of trouble was a wise precaution, or wise choice

to have trouble-free life and seems to be a way to reach Enlightenment.

Sound very much Buddhist like thinking.   Though, this was an Hinayana approach

to the life.  =If the whole planet was filled with such wise Buddhists,

the human-being would be doomed.

As, Hinayana approach was to avoid to have the cause of trouble beforehand,

therefore, to become a man of “Do nothing” was the ideal solution to get Enlightened.

—– but this approach creates more trouble “Not able to follow the rules” = The more

rules, more chance to fail.   And anyhow most of the man was not such ideal person.

So, the Buddhism invented another approach called Mahayana = To have a trouble

which is natural to the life is not classified as a trouble.   A wife (or two) and could be

an awkward daughter(s) = they may be troublesome but bring a fun as well.

It’s mean, a man (or woman) to have life’s troubles is nothing wrong, it’s just

awkward that all. (After all,

Lord Buddha defined the life is suffering !)  = The matter of the Enlightenment is

nothing to do with those troubles.   No man is perfect, so, why imperfect was the

obstacle to get enlightened ?

Still, strangely enough, no one (well almost) stay put imperfect = but try to be better.

[]

So, this is where the banana skin comes in. — but not to make you slip, make us think.

Why fruits fly is not welcome and the fruits skin is the cause of trouble ? = Filthy wet

rubbish made by the fruits skin kind in the bin is the ideal breeding environment to

the fly. —– Still, fly exists according to the Dharma too.   All sorts of nasty bacteria,

virus etc etc also exists thanks to the Dharma.

—– If so, imagining own clean life and avoid to have a filth is just an ego and a

delusion isn’t it ?

Giving the opportunities of their life’s fulfilment to the fruits fly, bacteria, virus etc etc

it is a compassion isn’t it ? ? ?  —– So, how do you think.  (My guess is,

Lord Buddha would have given a smile but no answer.

And Zen master will give a good whack. = shut up, don’t waste the time. 😀 )

—– Have a nice holiday.   🙂

[]

Become Immune or Irritated ?

When you read a post, like Key Mechanism in Zen Buddhists Mind you might have

mistaken that while doing repeated practice and keep receiving repeated same signal,

our brain automatically start ignoring it. —– Really ?      Think it yourself.

In the real situation, such as when you hear the same CM repeating the same name

on the radio or TV, in most of the case you just feel annoyance and irritation =

our brain, our perception couldn’t stand of it. —– So, which is the true.

— the brain become immune or become irritated and mad ?

[]

My explanation there was

“When a task was given by an order or from a situation in the life, first, it’s needed to

have a “Contemplation” some time interpreted as an acceptance, giving-up (to resist) or

determination to take the task (which ever it was passive or more positive, active way).

—–> And as it was accepted = no way else to go = have to face

the task head-on (this is called “Mindfulness”).

= “needed to have an acceptance” (whether, I’ll do / I have to do / I need to do).

This acceptance or determination, mind-set has to come first, preceding to the act.

And this determination = the conviction “I’ll DO” makes the same task, such as  

sweeping the garden,  from just a task to the practice to reach the Enlightenment.

Lord Buddha did know this from the beginning therefore in his earliest teachings of

“Four Noble Truth” he said

1) The Life is in sufferings.

2) There was the cause of those sufferings. (because of Karma, hence  impermanence)

3) So, it is necessary to (actively) seek the way to escape from the sufferings.

4) And the Buddhism is the way to overcome those sufferings.

Lord Buddha didn’t go any deluded idea, how this world was created by whom kind

of mumbo-jumbo but straight into the reality of the life = It IS the sufferings, and

telling the people to accept it first. 

First to accept, then seek the remedy.  And the way to seek the remedy is the way of

the repeated practice.  So that, the repeated same signal in the brain doesn’t cause

the repulsion but just accepted, then got used => ignored => so, the person become

immune to such signal while carrying out the daily life = => become immune to

the sufferings in the life general => able to live in peace without feel sufferings = is the

Enlightenment.   (What a clever magic or the clever design of the brain mechanism !)

= this is the mechanism (the Dharma) everybody was born to have

= therefore, anybody can get the Enlightenment !

= This is THE beauty of Buddhism.

___/\___

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仏教の行と大脳生理 (Effects of Practice)

 (This is the Japanese version of previous post = Key Mechanism in Zen Buddhists Mind and in its brain function.)

ここまでのいくつかのポストで，原始仏典のアーガマ（阿含）経から大乗仏典のほとんど全てに至る

までがいかにヒンズー教に書変えられていたかを書きましたが，

それにもかかわらずいったいどのようにして

釈尊の無私，無心，空の教えが失なわれること無く２５００年の永きに亘って受け継がれて来てい

たのか？－－－実はここに仏教を仏教たらしめる核心があり，そこに表立って書かれる事の無

かった［行］の問題があったのです。

［］

仏教では宗派にかかわらずどこでも信者や修行僧に延々と続く勤行を勤めさせます。

それは延々と題目を唱えたりあるいは太鼓をたたいたり，ぐるぐる歩き続けたり

（比叡山での修行とはひたすらこれである－－－若い頃禅に傾到したアップルの故スティーブ．

ジョブスが延々と歩かされて頭に来たと言うのは有名な話，

中には水を満した丼を持ってぐるぐる歩くなどという［行］をさせる寺が中国に在る。

あるいは座禅とともに特別な呼吸法を習得させたりもします。

しかし何故このような［行］をさせるのか？－－－実はこうした［行］自体に特別な意味が有るわけ

では無く，それをすることで条件付けされる脳の側に要点が有ったのです。　　　　　　

［］

人の脳は受覚した情報を処理する時，全ての情報を等しく扱う訳ではありません。

間断なく，五感から入力される情報に加え体の内部情報や運動器官からのフィードバックｅｔｃと，

処理せねばならぬ情報は将に膨大でそれの処理をいかに合理化，効率化するかは生体維持の

生理作用同様に極めて重要な問題なのです。（入力される毎秒１１００万ビットに対し脳が取

込める情報はせいぜい毎秒１６〜５０ビットが限界と言われる）

完璧な健康を維持できていても敵の発見が一瞬遅かっただけで全てが無駄になってしまう。

可能な限り自動化，自律化し処理量を減らす事が生存のキーなのです。　従って脳に達する情報

は，その刺激の強度に拘わりなくその重要度（価値観，損得好嫌，危険性など）に応じて処理され

る訳で重要度ナシと分類されたものは完璧に無視される。 　

あるいは同ーの刺激が繰返される場合，それを評価する閾値  (threshold) が高くなりそれに達し

ない強度の情報を無視するという対応も取られます。

（臭いや騒音に慣れたり，毎日見ている物が注意を引かなくなるｅｔｃ）

［］

脳の情報処理で重要な事は，この情報の評価分類は生理作用のコントロールにも関与する

大脳古皮質の情動域で行なわれているという事です。

感情が大脳新皮質での価値評価の思考と決定的に異なる点はそれが『己れ』の利益（損得，

安全，生存）に直結した直観的判断に立つという事と，同時にホルモンの分泌をともなっている事で

す。危険の徴候を目撃し“ヤバイ”と感じた瞬間にアドレナリンが分泌され脈拍，血圧が急上昇，防

御や逃走に即応する。しかし危険性も無くあまり損得に関係の無い，延々と繰返される勤行となる

とその同一パターンの情報は感情的には全く無価値，無害のものとして無視され，情動域を素通り

して処理されるようになります。　一方，体の所作は脳の運動領域にパターンとして刷り込まれ

体は自動的に動くようになる。

［］

＝つまり延々と続く勤行は『己れ』という利害意識に関わる事なく，自動的に処理されるようになる訳で，

実にこれが仏教における勤行の機能だったのです。つまりこれが

釈尊の教えの核であった無私，無心の現象に外ならず長年この勤行を（無条件に受け容れ）

続けるうちに物事を感情抜きに淡々と処理する心理，脳の対応が身に付いていく。　

我執，我欲の源である情動域を素通りしてしまうので我にからんだ妄念に捕われる事も無く，

そもそも執着が無い。 これは元々誰もが脳の中に持って生れている情報処理簡略化のメカニズム

で，何ら特別の現象でも，まして神秘的なものでもありません。  これが，無私が全ての人に普遍で

ある事，かつダルマ（法）が万人に内包されていると言われる根拠に他ならないのです。

この［行］の伝統が保たれていたからこそ，仏教の真髄は今日まで綿々と保たれて来ていた。

つまりその［行］からもたらされる無我無心が実に仏敎の真髄＝空無に外なりません。[行]を経て何か気の利いた観念や思想に到達するのではなく、そうした観念や思想のかけらすらも無い空っぽに至る。これが悟りといふものです。

空無であり、何も存在していないのだからそれを形容描写する事もできない。しかしそれの解っていない坊主が無理をして話を作ったものだから後世の仏教は怪し気なオトギ咄で溢れた。そもそも合理主義者の

釈尊が輪廻転生は元より三千世界などを夢想していた筈が無い。＝だからこそアーガマ経の中には夢想も空想的奇跡も登場して来ないのです。（前世が無いから生来のカ一ストも無く、当然、サンガにカーストの区別は無かった。）

－－－－－

(それでは，同様に万人に共通な感情，情動はどうなのかと言う疑問が出て来ますが，)

単純な因果関係を見ただけで情動域での判断傾向，欲やエゴ，愛憎執着がトラブルの種になる

事は有っても悟りを開き静寂な生を得るには何の足しにもならないと見たのが

釈尊であったのです。（だからこそ情動域の関与抜き、無心に作業する事が教えられた＝キサーゴータミに教えられたのは何の観念でもなく、只走り回る事であった）

（ーーーで，すったもんだの騒々しい人生を送って来た僕個人としては，

騒さいへビーメタルロックも悪くないとは思うのですが） （笑）

___/\___

（必読＝修行での矛盾）

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Key Mechanism in Zen Buddhists Mind

While you were walking, you never thought how to move the foot for next step and

to read this blog you were not aware that your eyes is following the letters next by next.

This is what we called “Selfless State of the Mind” and you never expect to create the

money out of walking itself (itself mean, not such a thing to find a coin on the street or to

reach the place to do the business = they are the by-product or benefit from the walking.)

[]

For the people who want to get the Mushin or Selfless state in Zen, this kind of natural

Selflessness seems to be too casual and too far from the Buddhists practice though, it is

a matter of the mind-set which expect “More elaborated fashionable practice”.

But if you were a Prisoner of War and was ordered to walk to a camp 100 miles away —–

the mind-set might make the difference of life or death.

[]

When a task was given by an order or from a situation in the life, first, it’s needed to

have a “Contemplation” some time interpreted as an acceptance, giving-up (to resist) or

determination to take the task (which ever it was passive or more positive, active way).

—–> And as it was accepted = no way else to go = have to face

the task head-on (this is called “Mindfulness”).

[]

So, just get on the life (task).    Whether it was walking or small manual practice to do,

JUST DO, regardless whether it looks endless and boring.

[]

When we do repeated endless task, our brain rise the threshold of the importance of

the signal = and whole process would be categorized as neither flesh nor important.

= Brain start to process the matter without referring the signal to the Emotional 

region of the brain (in the old cortex) and it become as a routine.

In the same time, whole action process would be programmed into the Motor region

and become to an automatic action. —–> Hence, our brain does the task without

Emotion (=Detachment), without needs of thinking (since it was routine and

done in automatic) = = = This is MUSHIN.

And the task was just a repeated insignificant mundane task = no special interest 

could dwell there = nothing to arose EGO or GREED. = = = This is the SELFLESSNESS.

JUST DO IT.

[]

Once the person get used with “Desensitized perception” even other-things would be

seen detached as well. = No Emotional involvement to the useless matters in the life.

= = = This is the peaceful quiet life to be a Buddhist.   🙂

[]

And this, neuroscience, brain physiology behind our subconscious was the key

mechanism of the Lord Buddha’s teachings of the Selflessness and the Void.

Also, this was the reason why, despite the mambo-jumbo in the scriptures, the core

of the teachings were kept intact in a tradition of the Practice.

(The Buddhists on the street doesn’t read the scriptures anyway.= They only

taught and know the Buddhism in the Practice. = such as just chanting the title.)

___/\___

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Genuine ? — or tampered Scripture

On the end of previous post, I rather casually wrote

“Now look around and check so-called books about the Buddhism.

How many this kind of absurdities you can find ?” —– though,

I realized that it was not so easy job for the most of Buddhists in

the town.  Often, they were given only few booklet to read by the leader

or the instructing monk and not used to look for any other scripture.

For the monks, the followers are the cash-cow, of course, they don’t

want the followers to know anything other than “What he is teaching”.

[]

In the net, there are enormous number of the Scriptures available (in different translation).

Here is a sample of website, kindly providing comprehensive collection of the scriptures.

On their list, by scrolling down, soon after the Agama series, you may find a sutra called

[ Compassionate Lotus Sutra ] , click an English version and — you may start reading. —–

though, if you like a shortcut, go to V-6 (0157 / 0158) and scrolling down to somewhere

paragraph 13 =

“‘For the 1004 persons including Fire-Wreath Manavaka, who reads and recites Veda — the

Exterior-Path scriptures, the Tathagata has already awarded them the distinctive marks

of future Buddhahood, which predicts that they will become Buddhas in the Good-kalpa

(Bhadra-kalpa: the present kalpa), and will, by using the three vehicles (yana), enlighten

all the living beings who often commit greed, lechery, anger, ignorance, and arrogance.”

[]

A kind of Buddhists, more often called New-age group of the people, who is believing such 

as a mythical power of crystal etc too, also speaking the buzz-words, Veda, Upanishads etc

may not necessarily know the significance of the word Veda —– and this is the most

Un-Buddhists like word.   

Veda is the scriptures of Brahmanism, Hinduism but never with the Buddhism as

Lord Buddha took a stance against the existence of perpetual soul (Self = Atoman), 

hence against the idea of reincarnation. (When the Self isn’t existing, who reincarnate ?)

[]

As the [Compassionate Lotus Sutra] referred to Veda, obviously this wasn’t a genuine

Buddhist scripture.    Likewise, neither the scripture which got many names of Vedic, 

Hindu Deities such as Brahma God was not.  

As a matter of fact, all the Mahayana scriptures are quite remote from the original

Lord Buddha’s teachings. —– other than some resemblance in the idea of Void.

Mahayana Buddhism might be better understood as a carnival party staff with a lots of

costumed Hindu dancers. It was a party entertainment, choreographed by Nagarujuna.

And in fact, it was an extravaganza of sales ploy!    Nagarjuna was quite talented in this

kind as he used to be a performing magician.

[]

Still, the most important core of the Buddhist teachings were kept, not in the scriptures

but in their practice. (Of course, who believe a magical figure from another universe kind,

but through the practice the psychological, physiological change actually occur and it was

noticed by the followers.)   This was the reason why Zen teachings says 不立文字 (Never

rely on the lexical teachings) 以心伝心 (Heart to heart transmission).

And why all the Buddhist’s teachings consists endless repeated act as their practice.

(Chanting the name thousands of times, banging the drum, walking round and round so on

—– counting the breath or special way of breathing is literally endless practice.)

—– I’ll talk about this in the coming post.

___/\___

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Contradiction in Agama (Nikaya) Sutra

The scripture called Agama (Known as Nikaya in the Theravada sect) is the oldest

group of the Buddhist’s scripture written down from the recited oral heritage

kept mouth to mouth for 200 years.   Since they came from the memories of the

original followers, we should expect that they are the closest to the

Lord Buddha’s real words though —– were they ?

[]

—– Use your common sense and good imagination.

Think about the text, kept purely in the memories, taught mouth to mouth for 200 years

where in the society, everybody else was believing and talking completely different idea.

Lord Buddha was the only one, teaching the impermanence of the soul = or denying the

permanence of the Self (Atoman).  —– Against this, all others were believing the

perpetual soul (Atoman) and believing reincarnation, hence the man is suffering in the

endless cycle of Birth and the Death (of which the Hindu people call Samsara.)

This idea gradually seeped into the original words.

[]

And the time when the oral heritage was written down, the people who took the task 

were the Vedic Brahman. Because, they were the only people who knows write and read, 

and has learned the Veda.   Of course, the Veda teaches the perpetual soul, Atoman and 

its reincarnation.   Therefore for those Brahman, the teachings of No-Self, Anatoman is

nothing but an absurd idea.   Naturally, when they wrote down the recited texts of the

teachings, they couldn’t understand the alien idea, so that they changed it to the words

which made more sense for them.  And to show off their writing skill, they decorated the

text with a lots of glorious addition, such as the name of deities and kings etc not

mention the new fancy stories.

—– As a result, the Scripture Agama or Nikaya ended-up to be a mix-up with Hinduism.

[]

Amazingly, this mess is still continuing today and you can easily see the situation.

The translated script of Agama (Nikaya) is available in the Net, though as you may expect,

they are quite hefty amount.    Such as the one, “here is the link”.

And “this one is an extract” with good commentary and the explanation of the historical

background.   The author of this extract, Dr. Thomas Tam seemed to be a quite profound

scholar of Buddhists scripture though, he was showing the deep spell of the Vedic idea.

So, he was writing “The following passage does not appear to carry any religious message.

It is just a vignette of a moment of the Buddha’s life.

“It was a dark night, raining lightly, with flashes of lightning. The Buddha said to Ananda:

“You can come out with the umbrella over the lamp.” Ananda listened, and walked behind

the Buddha, with an umbrella over the lamp. When they reached a place,

the Buddha smiled.   Ananda said: “The Buddha doesn’t smile without a reason.

What brings the smile today?” The Buddha said: “That’s right!  That’s right!

The Buddha doesn’t smile without a reason. Now you are following me with an umbrella

over a lamp.   I look around, and see everyone doing the same thing.”” [S-1150] “

This was the passage I’ve quoted in the “Test of Selflessness” (though, Since I’ve read it

many years ago, wording of my memory was not exact) — As I said in the post, this was how

Lord Buddha demonstrated what “Selflessness should be”, but Dr.Tam thought it has

religiously no significant. = This is the very situation how “So called” scholar is

understanding  the Buddhism. —– If this passage was seen “No Significant”  how PhD

could talk about the selflessness or the Void in Buddhism. 

[]

There was the another passage the author was saying that “This was the evidence that

Lord Buddha had the concept of reincarnation”

“Did the Buddha talk about reincarnation? In the Diverse Agama Sutra, there are

several passages that the Buddha had referred to it. The following is an example.

The Buddha told the monks: “Let’s say the whole earth becomes a big ocean.

A piece of wood with a hole floats on it, drifting with the waves, and being blown by

winds from all directions.   There is a blind turtle that sticks out its head once every

 hundred years. Will it meet this hole?”

Ananda said: “Not possible, if the blind turtle is in the ocean’s east, the driftwood 

may be in the west, south, north, all directions.   They may not meet.”

The Buddha told Ananda: “Hard as it may for the blind turtle to meet the driftwood,

it may still be possible.  For an ignorant person to regain his human form, however, it

is much more unlikely to happen.   Why? It is because these people don’t follow the

principles of the dharma.   They don’t do good deeds. They kill repeatedly, with the

strong ones bullying the weak, and sinned without end.   That’s why for those who do

not understand the four noble truths, they better start to learn and practice them

diligently…” [S-328]

—– Can you read this in such context ?  

The words “regain human form” did mean reincarnation ?

(wasn’t that meant just “regain sanity to be a human” ? )

Do you agree with his wishful thinking ?

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Lord Buddha brought the aspect of the Karma into the Dharma.

By definition of its word, Dharma should be the one which keeps its own attribute

= keeps mean never change.   Though, Karma affects.   And it is the dynamic driving

force.   Therefore the karma in the Dharma mean, it is the constantly changing huge

mechanism hence, there is no permanence. = Non can stay permanent as the 

existence of everything is relying on the others.   And as a soul is dependent to its body,

 no permanent body mean no permanent soul (Self, Atoman).

 And this is the very basis of the teachings of No-Self.   No-Self = No-atoman (Anatman)

mean no remaining soul after death = no possibility of reincarnation.

= No past life which will “Cast” next life could exists = Therefore, there was no “Cast” in

the Lord Buddha’s follower’s sangha. This was why his teachings were so revolutionary.

Though, this idea couldn’t be accepted in the Vedic, Hindu society.

So, they changed the story and started to call

Lord Buddha as one of their Guru.   What a contempt.

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Though this tendency is still active today

= insatiable appetite to find an evidence among the scripture, the

Lord Buddha’s words mentioning “Reincarnation”.

Obviously, it is nothing but absurd that if the teachings of the “Impermanence and

the Selflessness” containing “Perpetual Soul reincarnates to the Next Life, hence

having the suffering from the endless cycle of Birth and the Death (Samsara)”.

As a matter of fact, we can see lords of such words in the Agama / Nikaya though

as I aforesaid, they were nothing but the mix-up or expression for a convenience and

Lord Buddha’s stance was still the same “There was absolutely no answer to the

silly question, what would happen after a death”.

This NO answer was not just a rack of word but the strongest denial with despise.

—– You might got your eyes clear.

Now look around and check so-called books about the Buddhism.

How many this kind of absurdities you can find ?

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Fantasy of Mahayana Buddhism

There was a reason how the fantasy of Mahayana Buddhism was invented.   

It was because the most of the people include the monks couldn’t get Selfless 

state ( hence not able to eliminate the cause of the trouble), therefore needed to

have an excuse = which was that having the sufferings is the enlightenment too.

(You have to accept the sufferings, and believe that you are still a happy person ! 

= if not happy, you are not believing strong enough.)  😀

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Lord Buddha’s teachings was, that the deluded idea of Self is the root cause of

all the sufferings.  So that, if the Self which creates delusion was not there in

the first place, sufferings wouldn’t be there neither.

When Kisa Gotami’s “SELF” which had been grieving the loss of her child has

evaporated through the “running practice” the suffering was disappeared,

even though the fact of the death was still there.

When the “SELF” which was filled with doubt and perplexity of Churi Pantac

(Shuri Bantoku) was eliminated through 10 years work, sweeping the garden,

there no longer be any doubt or hindrance in his life, hence it was

his Enlightenment.

= Essentially, to eliminate the subject, the “SELF” which suffers with sufferings,

the sufferings would no longer be existed.   But not everybody can achieve this.

So that, the Mahayana invented an easy solution to change the story

 “to have sufferings is also the Enlightenment” =

this is a religion, based on the belief and the blah blah not the concrete truth.

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Instead to do the actual mental training (desensitize the perception),

it was substituted by the fancy belief.  = Glorious stories were invented and

the Mantra with magic power (said to have :-D) was imported from Tantrism.

Many new Buddha styled god were invented not mention a lords of divine

figures from Hinduism. It was a clear departure from a fact based teachings of

Lord Buddha to a fantasy based mythical religion.

In metaphor, the teachings to swim across the river was substituted by the

fantastic stories and the pictures of Heaven on the other side of the river, with

a sales caption “Just come on board, this big ship will take you there”.

While abandon the practice to save oneself, instead, to sell the ticket of the ship,

using the same Buddha’s name is a fraud.

What a history.

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Magnolia in the Park

When I moved in this area, this park was named as the most derelict park

in London by a popular newspaper.  In fact, this local council was the

most mismanaged council in London.  And for such council, the Park kind

has the least priority in their spending list.

So, it looked more like a disused land with over grown grass and the weed and  

the grown trees showed no order (why this tree was here ?  kind of situation.)

But I liked its wild growth,  much better than the trimmed grass.

Make the story short,  I have discovered a Magnolia Grandiflora in this park

= while coming here over ten years, I didn’t know it was here and blooming.  

Because, the tree was hidden behind the many other tall trees.  

I discoved its flower by chance, from the distance.

To take picture of this big flower (often more than 10″ big = hence the name

Grandiflora) it needs to see the flower from above.  It’s mean, unless having

a flower on a cutted branch,  photographer got to be very lucky.

— But I wasn’t.   😦

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