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If "everything is energy" then what does this mean?

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Rick O'Shez

Rick O'Shez

Irishman bouncing off walls
Runewolf1973 said:
I don't see The Buddha as being the absolute authority on the universe either, so instead I must become my own "buddha".
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That's fine. I think it's good to keep an open mind and trust your own instincts. Observation is the key in my opinion, looking closely.
 
Runewolf1973

Runewolf1973

Materialism/Animism
Rick O'Shez said:
That's fine. I think it's good to keep an open mind and trust your own instincts. Observation is the key in my opinion, looking closely.
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The Buddha would have never become The Buddha if he only trusted authority figures and the teachings of others rather than his own intuition. If the Buddha were alive today, he would not be quoting posts from Chopra, lol.
 
godnotgod

godnotgod

Thou art That
Rick O'Shez said:
No, you posted it, you need to explain why you posted it and how it is relevant to the current discussion. You have this habit of dumping stuff into discussions at random, it's not helpful. Personally I think you were just trying to look cool, but perhaps you will pleasantly surprise me and explain yourself properly for once.
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Now this is being totally ridiculous again.

You cannot 'hide' behind Zen. There's nothing to hide behind. Not even a finger pointing to the moon.

The poem must be read the way it was originally written. You want to intellectualize Buddhism to make it 'explainable' in rational terms. Can't be done. You act as if I owe you something with your demands. 'Your papers, please!' "No, we donna gotta show you no e-stinkin' badges!"

I won't help a lazy person with the homework he needs to do on his own. I can't do your realizing for you.
 
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godnotgod

godnotgod

Thou art That
Runewolf1973 said:
It seems to be unlimited, but who really knows for sure? For it to be only "pure nothingness" however seems quite the limitation. I believe it to be interactive and therein resides the potential for it to be anything and everything since it can change into whatever it wants.
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If it had a limiting boundary, there would be an inside and an outside. You would then have an outside to deal with. Then where does that lead to?
 
Rick O'Shez

Rick O'Shez

Irishman bouncing off walls
godnotgod said:
The poem must be read the way it was originally written.
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That's very nice, but I can read Zen poems any time. I'm still waiting for you to explain how this particular poem was relevant to the discussion we were having, which particular point you were trying to illustrate.

You do have a habit of dumping stuff into threads at random, it's like you have accumulated a box of stuff from here and there and just HAVE to share it, regardless of whether it's relevant to the discussion in the hand. The problem is that is completely disrupts the flow of the discussion when you do this.

So, could you please explain how the poem was relevant to the discussion we were having.
 
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idav

idav

Being
Premium Member
godnotgod said:
The Buddha...said, "Since there is no absolute self-nature thus every existence exhibits void-nature. Because it is void, there is no rising nor falling. Since there is no rising nor falling, thus everything was originally in complete calmness. Its self-nature is nirvana."

'no absolute' refers to no absolute self nature, and since there is no rising or falling, there is no interaction
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Where did you get the buddha quote from? Sounds like paraphrasing.
 
Rick O'Shez

Rick O'Shez

Irishman bouncing off walls
idav said:
Where did you get the buddha quote from? Sounds like paraphrasing.
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It's looks like a garbled version of an excerpt from the Heart Sutra.
http://plumvillage.org/news/thich-nhat-hanh-new-heart-sutra-translation/

Basically the Heart Sutra says that nothing has self-nature or independent existence, all phenomena arise in dependence on conditions. All is relative, there are no absolutes. All is transient and insubstantial.
Note that the Heart Sutra isn't intended as an ontological statement about the universe, it is describing the personal experience of insight and awakening.
 
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godnotgod

godnotgod

Thou art That
Runewolf1973 said:
Because I am not interested in the moon, I am interested in the universe.
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'pointing to the moon' is simply a metaphor for 'pointing to Reality'. The Universe is The Absolute, as seen through the glass of Time, Space, and Causation, so it is itself Reality, when seen without those filters. So when I say 'point to the Moon' I am saying 'point to The Universe'. OK?
 
godnotgod

godnotgod

Thou art That
Rick O'Shez said:
Note that the Heart Sutra isn't intended as an ontological statement about the universe, it is describing the personal experience of insight and awakening.
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A personal view gives way to a universal view. that is the transformation of consciousness which takes place. otherwise, one would not be able to see what the Buddha saw, which the ordinary man via his personal view (ie; self-view) cannot see. this idea of a personal view smacks of hinayana buddhism, or 'small boat buddhism'. one man, one karma. save yourself. mahayana buddhism is literally the greater vehicle, 'big boat buddhism' as it is called, and holds hinayanists in disdain for their narrow views.
 
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