B
Bishadi
Guest
Namaste all,
"Stay on target!"
*reference attachment*
metta,
~v
"Each can be enlightened by knowledge and not rituals. To believe a concept as fact then you are enlightened to the cause "
Namaste all,
"Stay on target!"
*reference attachment*
metta,
~v
Very occasionally Vaj, I worry about you.
And now is one of those times.
s.
it is popular to view enlightenment as a big event, like switching on a light- one flick, and wham! it's very bright all of a sudden, and yes, while it is true that for some people enlightenment occurs just like that, oftentimes enlightenment is a process, a gradual unfurling, not a discovering, but an uncovering...
Fundamentals of Buddhism: Rebirth
excerpt here:
Finally, I would like to distinguish rebirth from transmigration. You may have noticed that in Buddhism, we consistently speak of rebirth and not transmigration. This is because in Buddhism we do not believe in an abiding entity, in a substance that trans-migrates. We do not believe in a self that is reborn. This is why when we explain rebirth, we make use of examples which do not require the transmigration of an essence or a substance. For example, when a sprout is born from a seed, there is no substance that transmigrates. The seed and the sprout are not identical. Similarly, when we light one candle from another candle, no substance travels from one to the other, and yet the first is the cause of the second. When one billiard ball strikes another, there is a continuity, the energy and direction of the first ball is imparted to the second. It is the cause of the second billiard ball moving in a particular direction and at a particular speed. When we step twice into a river, it is not the same river and yet there is continuity, the continuity of cause and effect. So there is rebirth, but not transmigration. There is moral responsibility, but not an independent, permanent self. There is the continuity of cause and effect, but not permanence. I want to end with this point because we will be considering the example of the seed and the sprout, and the example of the flame in an oil lamp next week when we discuss dependent origination. And with the help of the teaching of dependent origination, we will understand better how dependent origination makes moral responsibility and notself compatible.
I always thought of enlightenment this way. A light in your head suddenly comes on and *poof* enlightenment! It seems any kind of realization could be called "enlightenment".
I have always been interested in Buddhism, but considered reincarnation to be bs.
Sometimes like this?:Perhaps it is sudden. Perhaps it is gradual. Perhaps there is nothing to "achieve" as we already have it; but need to realise it.
I'm fine. Actually I'm in agreement with Snoopy:SG, You okay?
Doesn't have to be a Big Foot thing.........
- c -
Snoopy said:Perhaps there is nothing to "achieve" as we already have it; but need to realise it.
Sometimes like this?:
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I like that title!![]()
Alex P (formerly known as 17th Angel) made that.OMG- that is so funny!
Actually I'm in agreement with Snoopy
Alex P (formerly known as 17th Angel) made that.![]()
Dali Lama says once you are enlightened, everyone you see you see as enlightened. Not dualistic is it?Doesn't the concept of enlightenment contradict non-duality? Either you are enlightened or you are not. Sounds pretty dualistic to me. It makes more sense to me to think of enlightenment as a spectrum. Some are more enlightened than others, but there is no clear dividing line. Does this hold any merit?
Once you are enlightened, can you ever become un-enlightened?
If the answer is no, what if the enlightened person is falls victim to a car accident and suffers severe brain damage?
Maybe enlightenment doesn't make sense if you take it out of the context of reincarnation and Buddhist cosmology?
Am I utterly ignorant about the concept of enlightenment?
Please help!