tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post5666049087160434373..comments2023-09-21T09:49:28.326-07:00Comments on Fierce Dandelions: Buddhism in an Age of Manufactured Impermanence Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-24436593573179473842014-06-10T10:09:25.338-07:002014-06-10T10:09:25.338-07:00Nathan,
Yes, brilliant! Miyamoto Musashi, from t...Nathan,<br /><br />Yes, brilliant! Miyamoto Musashi, from the book of five rings. That's it. Highly recommended to zennists as well as martial artists. After all, the bodhisattva Manjusri himself wields a sword to cut all delusion. Can we wield the sword of wisdom in the face of earthly destruction, indeed of all that is experienced and known? Keep on keeping on, my dharma brother, keep on n. yetinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-48518273934433389712014-06-10T07:44:20.352-07:002014-06-10T07:44:20.352-07:00Yeti, I think I found the source to that koan you ...Yeti, I think I found the source to that koan you offered. <br /><br />" There is something to be learned from a rainstorm. When meeting with a sudden shower, you try not to get wet and run quickly along the road. But doing such things as passing under the eaves of houses, you still get wet. When you are resolved from the beginning, you will not be perplexed, though you will still get the Nathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-35954119535921879292014-06-10T07:41:55.513-07:002014-06-10T07:41:55.513-07:00"I understand the meaning of impermanence but..."I understand the meaning of impermanence but that doesn't mean we humans have to make it happen quicker. It is my duty as a member of the planet who is lucky enough to be alive and enjoy all the beauty Mother Earth has to offer, to ensure future generations get the same opportunity." <br /><br />Yes. Definitely. Somehow, the "ensure" piece of the equation needs to get Nathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-7000937476443587972014-06-09T19:30:09.020-07:002014-06-09T19:30:09.020-07:00Very thoughtful post and something I wondered abou...Very thoughtful post and something I wondered about too. It seems we are inundated with so many things that are harmful to all sentient beings; food, water, air, etc. Its hard to keep up. I agree we seem to be arguing over the way the deck chairs are arranged while the ship is sinking. <br /><br />A couple of weeks ago I watched the 60s movie "Dr. Strangelove" and the message of the Ingehttp://rectalcancermyass.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-33885114673632962622014-06-09T14:41:58.797-07:002014-06-09T14:41:58.797-07:00How does the koan go? If you run to avoid the rain...How does the koan go? If you run to avoid the rain, you still get wet?But good on you for it anyway, Nathan. For not letting your virtues go to waste. You are a true gem.n. yetinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-2702868852242828852014-06-09T11:03:19.872-07:002014-06-09T11:03:19.872-07:00"I think what can be done is to renounce the ..."I think what can be done is to renounce the oppressive affliction of mind which manifests as worrying about the world's doom." <br /><br />I'm totally on board with this. There's a need, in my view, to both have some urgency about the planet's condition and also to let go of doom and worry about our extinction. Nathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-76305925068052047242014-06-08T20:43:03.258-07:002014-06-08T20:43:03.258-07:00There is so much in what you are saying I agree wi...There is so much in what you are saying I agree with. In fact as we've discussed the spiritual life, ethical life, in general, I feel we are in tune with each other by and large. As you observe, there are more or less well established doctrinal debates at play here.<br /><br />Whether the approach is through impermanence or (this in my case) by meditating on dependent origination, it seems n. yetinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-48310590432961408602014-06-08T17:47:52.535-07:002014-06-08T17:47:52.535-07:00For myself, it's not really about an ideal per...For myself, it's not really about an ideal per se. It's about skillful means. Practical applications to alleviate suffering. <br /><br />I do think that the "giant scale" qualities of bodhisattvas in the teachings, such as in the Lotus Sutra, can sound idealistic. If not totally otherworldly. Sometimes, I wonder if they're as much a hindrance as a help. <br /><br />Anyway, Nathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-89133827646539237302014-06-08T17:07:50.390-07:002014-06-08T17:07:50.390-07:00I need to meditate on this, but would like to carr...I need to meditate on this, but would like to carry this exploration deeper if you are willing. I am clearly in the minority in my view on the matter but I mistrust any "ideal", particularly in regard to the bodhisattva way. I would say at this point the tathagatagarba sutras (of the mahayana) seem to point toward the imagelessness of bodhicitta.n. yetinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-32647633766687598752014-06-08T15:25:33.873-07:002014-06-08T15:25:33.873-07:00Yeti, I think some of the distinctions you're ...Yeti, I think some of the distinctions you're making are essential debate points between Theravada and Mahayana. There's not nearly as much talk about "transcendence" in the Mahayana teachings, particularly in this case the bodhisattva teachings. Or perhaps it's more accurate that transcendence is viewed differently in the difference schools, as well as renunciation. The Nathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-47816730012808020512014-06-08T03:09:26.674-07:002014-06-08T03:09:26.674-07:00There are worlds more lovely than ours, where impe...There are worlds more lovely than ours, where impermanence and its sting is lessened by lengthy lives of joy and harmony. And yet in these worlds, achieved by good karma, the shining beings who dwell in them cannot hear the Buddha dharma as do we, here in our hurtling death trap of vain glory, greed, poison, and deep confusion. Thus at the end of their long lives of joy, they fall back to lower n. yetinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-65135883331780932652014-06-05T20:38:35.251-07:002014-06-05T20:38:35.251-07:00This is a beautiful call forward ... to all of us ...This is a beautiful call forward ... to all of us who are interested in stepping up to realize that we are one ... And then we can see the world .. and this earth from a different perspective, which will not allow us to hide from who we are ... from loving and caring for life ...Lynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14075377460305186005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-70306016714862100852014-06-05T15:27:56.622-07:002014-06-05T15:27:56.622-07:00I completely agree. Using the absolute as a reason...I completely agree. Using the absolute as a reason not to attend to the relative is a dangerous trap.David Ashtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18339979176989832285noreply@blogger.com