The Noble Eightfold Thread: Buddhism

[bwv 1080]

My understanding was that the basic system of the Varnas, or four castes, was already in place, though not yet expanded, codified, and stratified as it was later to become. Is that not the case?

yes, that is essentially what I meant - there supposedly was caste mobility back then as well

{quote]I thought the Gupta Empire was essentially Hindu, though tolerant of Buddhism. Indian history is not my strong suit, so I'm interested in learning more.
[/quote]

was thinking of Ashoka
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashoka

[Grazioso]

yes, that is essentially what I meant - there supposedly was caste mobility back then as well

{quote]I thought the Gupta Empire was essentially Hindu, though tolerant of Buddhism. Indian history is not my strong suit, so I'm interested in learning more.


was thinking of Ashoka
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashoka

Ashoka I know of

Re: caste mobility in the Buddha's day, my original point was not about mobility per se, but rather about religious rights and duties and power being ascribed to a priestly caste, whereas Buddhism took a more egalitarian approach, teaching the same fundamental things to all comers, high and low, and allowing them all to "convert" and follow the same path the same way to seek the same ultimate spiritual freedom and wisdom.

[Ataraxia]

I'm more a sheddist than a buddhist.

0:)

[jowcol]

I'm more a sheddist than a buddhist.

The Perfect Shed has no walls.

[Ataraxia]

Don't shed the shed. 

[Elgarian]

The Perfect Shed has no walls.

Four walls do not a Shed make.

[jowcol]

Translation of a recently discovered older source of the Tao Te Ching, Chapter 30:

Eleven
Thirty spokes share the wheel's hub;
It is the center hole that makes it useful.
Shape prefabricated materials into a shed;
It is the space within that makes it useful.
Cut doors and windows for the shed;
It is the holes which make it useful.
Therefore benefit comes from what is there;
Usefulness from what is not there.


Translation courtesy of the Home Depot™, all rights reserved. 

Zen Shed Kits currently on sale for 20% off! Each kit contains absolutely NOTHING!

[Karl Henning]

There was a man who for a while considered buying a second shed.  Then one day, he thought, "A second shed? It's all one Shed."  And he did occupy the Shed.

[Ataraxia]

Now this is becoming more like a Buddhist thread I'd like to read. 

[jowcol]

There was a man who for a while considered buying a second shed.  Then one day, he thought, "A second shed? It's all one Shed."  And he did occupy the Shed.

Once again, from the Home Depot  publication, Zen and the Art of Home Maintenance:

When Banzan was walking through his local Home Depot, he overheard a conversation between a friendly, certified drug-free sales assistant and  and his customer.

"Give me the best shed you have," said the customer.

"Everything in this convenient Home Depot location  is the best," replied the sales assistant. "You cannot find here any shed that is not the best."

At these words Banzan became enlightened. 

He promptly signed up for a Home Depot Credit card which allowed him to collected bonus points on his journey to Nirvana.
As for the shed, he quickly filled it with nothing.

[chasmaniac]

So the shed contains nothing. If a second, larger shed were erected around and over the first, would the larger shed contain still less? If so, would less-than-nothing not count as more-of-nothing? And if one fails to see this as a paradox, is one enlightened?

I speak not in jest, for Charlie Parker once entered the shed, and left it as nothing less than something else!

[petrarch]

There was a man who for a while considered buying a second shed.  Then one day, he thought, "A second shed? It's all one Shed."  And he did occupy the Shed.

Was it Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson, by any chance?

[Ataraxia]

So the shed contains nothing. If a second, larger shed were erected around and over the first, would the larger shed contain still less? If so, would less-than-nothing not count as more-of-nothing? And if one fails to see this as a paradox, is one enlightened?

All these erections are empty. 

[Ataraxia]

Sometimes I say I'm a Buddhist but mostly I don't. But I can tell you--and have probably said this before--that reading this stuff and using these tools straightened my shit out completely to where I'm the happy dude you see today. I come off a little cold at times, I guess, but that's because I'm in control of my emotions. 

Most of the time. 

[Elgarian]

I come off a little cold at times, I guess, but that's because I'm in control of my emotions. 

Actually, no. It's because there's no central heating in the Shed.

[Ataraxia]

Actually, no.

[jowcol]

. But I can tell you--and have probably said this before--that reading this stuff and using these tools straightened my shit out completely

Another happy testimonial from the Hope Depot Spiritual Remodeling center.  There is no problem that can't be fixed with power tools.

[Ataraxia]

Another happy testimonial from the Hope Depot Spiritual Remodeling center.  There is no problem that can't be fixed with power tools.

[Coco]

Oh hey, I guess I haven't been around much lately.

In the past few months I got involved with the Karma Kagyu branch of Vajrayana Buddhism, but ultimately found it too involved in power struggles and overly theistic. I still enjoy the writings of Chogyam Trungpa, who comes out of the Himalayan tradition, but I don't think Vajrayana is for me.

Lately I've been gravitating towards Zen again, which is what initially drew me to Buddhism in the first place. There's a local zendo not too far from where I live that is of the Soto lineage, which I'm considering visiting. The braniac in me wants to do more reading on Soto Zen before I jump into anything, but my gut tells me I should just go ahead and do it and see how I feel.

[jowcol]

Oh hey, I guess I haven't been around much lately.

In the past few months I got involved with the Karma Kagyu branch of Vajrayana Buddhism, but ultimately found it too involved in power struggles and overly theistic. I still enjoy the writings of Chogyam Trungpa, who comes out of the Himalayan tradition, but I don't think Vajrayana is for me.

Lately I've been gravitating towards Zen again, which is what initially drew me to Buddhism in the first place. There's a local zendo not too far from where I live that is of the Soto lineage, which I'm considering visiting. The braniac in me wants to do more reading on Soto Zen before I jump into anything, but my gut tells me I should just go ahead and do it and see how I feel.

I find Zen appealing on many levels, but it sometimes seems to not deliver as much on the compassion as I feel being core.

One of my very favorites is the Thai  abbot Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhadasa .   His approach is very lean and mean, and he has the healthy distrust for organized religions (or any large, corporate, group-thinks) that I favor.  His Handbook for Mankind and No Religion are very seminal  I've been to the temple/monastery where he taught for the last two decades of his life, and picked up some goodies in English translation.  I sometimes feel the orginal Theravadan Branch doesn't get the respect it deserves, but that is my 2 cents.