Hi I've decided that I don't want to drink any alcohol what so ever anymore.  I usually drink a small amount on weekends, like a glass of wine or two and not even every weekend.  This weekend I went a little overboard and had a little too much fun.  I probably go a little "overboard" only a handful of times out of the year, every time this happens I say "I'm never drinking again" but it somehow always happens again.  When I have a hangover I get incredibly pissed off at myself.  I spent my entire day off yesterday at home vomiting and feeling like death.  It was so depressing, I thought of all the nice things I could have been doing if I wasn't hung over.  I could have gone for a bike ride, walked along the beach, gone shopping, cleaned house.... but no I wasted an entire day being sick from drinking too much the night before.  I want to enjoy my days off and be more active and productive, so I'm taking a radical approach and will abstain from alcohol altogether.  It's not going to be easy, especially when others want to drink around me.  I just don't have a tolerance anymore, I can even feel sluggish after a glass of wine the next day.  It's just not worth it anymore.  Thanks for listening.  It helps to hear about the experiences others have gone through.  

(I thought this applied since Buddhism has a lot to do with being Present)

Has anyone else read The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle? What did you think of it? Have you applied anything to your life from the book? What changes have you noticed in your life?

Blasphemer: Gatekeeper, is death your disguise?
Gatekeeper: Answers are the Echos of the Dead
Cult Followers: The Dead Know The Answers of The Echos

Blasphemer: Death, do you control the Gatekeeper
Death: I am Alive
Gatekeeper: Screams of a Soul Torn Asunder
Cult Followers: We have with us a Power

Blasphemer: I shall rend your locks useless, and knowledge shall flow free
Death: I have killed the Gatekeeper
Cult Followers: We shall drown the heathen in the lake of Gestalts
Gatekeeper: Seeking a new Gestalt

Blashpemer: I am a Blasphemer and I tear Your Gates Asunder
Cult Followers: Neither Blasphemy Nor Gates Quench Our Thirst Completely

-Noize-: Everlasting Death Echoes In The Lost Myriad Of Gestalts Form The Background Of The Meditational Mandalas

Hi hi! I'm new here and I'm an addict/alcoholic.

I've been sober for 43 days now and have been going to A.A./N.A. meetings for about the same amount of time.
Before then, I was a heavy drinker and did my fair share of drugs (that I don't care to list--I'm not here to compare drugs of choice or talk about when/where/how I picked up my shit). It was all a way of pretending to be happy in the eyes of others while being miserable on the inside.

At any rate, I've been looking all over for an online community for support and a place to talk to others in the same boat as me; a place where I can learn from others and possibly help others learn as well. I hope everyone had a great X-mas!

My mother looks like Ms. Piggy. She came over yesterday, and flapped her arms. Then she breathed this NASTY DISGUSTING breath on me.
(I chased that old witch right back to her car.... twice.... yet, it was too late)

I spent the rest of the day vomiting blood out of my nose. I called my mom to tell her what a witch she was and she said -you have Swine Flu-!

(cause she looks like a pig and flapped her arms?)

I don't know who thinks this kind of shit is funny, though when I was a baby, my mom used to tell me bedtime stories that involved everyone else shitting their pants and getting hosed down cause they smell bad.

I don't know what this has to do with anything, though I've never vomited blood out my nose before yesterday.
Anyone else here have a mother who is a witch?

I watched some ballet this afternoon performed in front of a Buddha statue.

First Hit's Free.... and, unlike Crack, they're all free.
( God The Devil And Bob )

Anyone relapse this Christmas? :(

Is this real? Any credible info on why monks would attack this particular church?

I am against religous discrimination in any form. I hope this madness stops and freedom is granted to religous minorities in Lanka.

Update: I found some more detail today, including some transcripts: http://persecutedchurch.blogspot.com/2009/11/buddhist-monks-attack-on-sri-lankan.html .

Btw. Good job Robin! Really entertaining to see how dead-buddha reacts to your posts.

The following is a brief excerpt from Fazang's commentary on the Brahma Net Sutra's Bodhisattva vows 梵網經菩薩戒本疏 (T1813).

第二諸藏所攝者。

II. Contents of the Stores

此有四重。

This has four layers.

初約二藏有二。

1. Concerning the two stores having two [layers].

謂大小二乘各有菩薩藏聲聞藏。於此四中唯大乘內菩薩藏攝。

These are said to be the Mahayana, the Hinayana and the two vehicles each having the Bodhisattva store and the śrāvaka store. Within these four it is only within the Mahayana that the Bodhisattva store is [completely] contained.

或通大乘聲聞藏攝。

Some permeate through the Mahayana and are contained in the śrāvaka store.

以大中聲聞悉許成佛。於此戒法亦受持故。

Because within the Mahayana the śrāvaka are all able to become Buddhas, these [śrāvaka] vows are also maintained.

亦通收小中菩薩。以彼三十四心成佛等事、離此實戒更無餘故。

[The Mahayana] also passes through and absorbes the Bodhisattva [stages] contained within the lesser [vehicle]. This is because outside the actual vows of those thirty-four [states of] mind, achieving Buddhahood, and such things, there are furthermore no other [practises].

或亦通彼聲聞藏。以七眾所持、別解脫戒、皆是菩薩律儀攝故。是故彼法亦在此中。

Some also pass through the śrāvaka store. This is because of the different liberation vows which the seven assemblies all maintain are all subsumed within the Bodhisattva disciplinary regulations. Thus those [śrāvaka] teachings are also within this one.

There are two interesting things I'd like to point out.

The first is that the statement "...within the Mahāyāna the śrāvaka are all able to become Buddhas..." is an idea drawn from the Lotus Sutra where Hīnayāna practitioners are also said to eventually achieve Buddhahood. This was something that Mahāyāna thinkers differed on amongst themselves. Some thought that Hīnayāna practitioners would achieve Arhatship and enter Parinirvāṇa never to return. Others proposed that Arhatship was only temporary, albeit a fairly long, stage and that eventually all beings without exception including Arhats would achieve final unexcelled Buddhahood. It is evident that Fazang was in favour of the later theory.

The second relevant point here is that Fazang is in full support of a Mahāyāna Bodhisattva aspirant observing the śrāvaka precepts. At first that sounds like common sense, but we should keep in mind that only a few decades prior there was Daoxuan, a noted scholar and advocate of the Vinaya, who complained of Mahāyāna practitioners disregarding the Hīnayāna precepts.

《四分律刪繁補闕行事鈔》卷2：「今時不知教者。多自毀傷云。此戒律所禁止。是聲聞之法。於我大乘棄同糞土。猶如黃葉木牛木馬誑止小兒。此之戒法亦復如是。誑汝聲聞子也。」(CBETA, T40, no. 1804, p. 49, b27-c1)

In present times many of those who do not know the teachings destroy and injure themselves saying,"What this Vinaya prohibits is a śrāvaka teaching. For our Mahāyāna we toss it away just like dirty soil. Just like yellow leaves, a wooden cow or a wooden horse deceive a little child, these precept teachings are like this. They deceive you little śrāvaka!"

One can gather from Daoxuan's writings that in his day, which was only a generation or two before Fazang, that some Buddhist monks in China did not actually observe the Vinaya. It should be noted that during the Tang dynasty there were many "monks" who bought their ordination certificates and engaged in questionable and immoral activities and businesses. There was something of a mirror monastic community that was really just a refuge for those wanting to avoid mandatory civil labour duties and taxation. It was something of an ongoing problem throughout the Tang dynasty and it resulted in more and more regulations and restrictions being placed on monastics eventually resulting in the great repression of 845.

I would venture to say that Fazang was aware of this problem and thus in his commentary on Mahāyāna precepts he also indicated that Mahāyāna vows also by default include the Hīnayāna precepts as well so a monk is obligated to conduct himself in line with the Vinaya.

anyone else feeling a little bit down this holiday season?

Hello, dharma pals. =) I have a very mundane question for you.

I meditate with a Vipassana sangha on Sundays. On the first Sunday of every month there's a little potluck afterward. I ordinarily flee from this event, as I'm not very imaginative where food is concerned. Every once in a strange while, though, I like to make tea eggs. Making them is joyful to me, like a little ritual. The boiling tea/spice/soy mixture perfumes my apartment, and the eggs come out looking like marble. I've just gotten some eggs from a local farm with free-range chickens. So just now, I thought: say, wouldn't some locally/humanely-sourced tea eggs be lovely funny things to bring to sangha potluck?

But then I thought hrm, not vegan. Would that be Not OK? I know the snacks people bring are always vegetarian, but vegan I'm not sure. I will first carefully gauge the level of ova-consumption among my fellow sitters so I don't make a terrible faux pas. In the meantime, though, I just thought I'd bounce it off you guys. This is not an invitation to debate the role of veg*nism in Buddhism! It's just a question about wanting to offer something, and not wanting to disrespect others in doing so.

What do you think? Skilled? Or OMG So Not? I know that folks will probably respect my intentions, but still. One likes to get it right the first time if one can.

Ethylene Vinyl Acetate. This chemical is now added to cigarette paper to make it extinguish itself. This chemical does not yield to the metabolism. This is a direct attack on the health and well being of the population.
( tl;dr )

Professor Richard Hayes - a notable Buddhist scholar specializing in the Buddhist logicians Dignaga and Dharmakirti - has a series of ten talks delivered at Leiden University discussing ten very interesting philosophical questions that one could ask about Buddhism. Enjoy.

Leiden Lectures

By the way, Happy Gesulentday!

Sponsored by Fo Guang Shan, the Woodenfish program aims to advance Humanistic Buddhism through a series of projects geared toward young adults. Woodenfish works with them to promote a spiritual, academic, and socially relevant understanding of Buddhism.

Room and board at Fo Guang Shan Monastery will be provided free of charge to participants for the duration of the program. Students will live in guest housing on the monastery grounds. Most meals will be taken in the main dining hall with the assembly of monks and nuns, and students will be taught proper monastic dining etiquette. During the cultural tour, participants will stay at Fo Guang Shan branch temples throughout the island of Taiwan. Due to the intensive nature of the program, dependents (spouses, children, and/or partners) will not be able to accompany participants.

http://www.woodenfish.org/


Foguangshan, one of the largest Buddhist organizations in the world, organizes the above program and it is free of charge. There is also a winter program that takes place in California. See the link on the site for info.

Happy Holiday

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all... and a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2010, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make [insert country or area of choice] great (not to imply that [country or area of choice] is necessarily greater than any other country or area of choice), and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, or sexual orientation of the wisher or wishee.

This wish is limited to the customary and usual good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first. "Holiday" is not intended to, nor shall it be considered, limited to the usual Judeo-Christian celebrations or observances or to such activities of any organized or ad hoc religious community, group, individual, or belief (or lack thereof).

Note: By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms:

This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher at any time, for any reason or for no reason at all. This greeting is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. This greeting implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for the wishee her/himself or others, or responsibility for the consequences which may arise from the implementation or non-implementation of same. This greeting is void where prohibited by law. Offer invalid in Quebec.

Venerable Ajahn Brahm, an English Theravada monk, gives a lengthy discussion on reincarnation. It is just over one hour long.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htQ12Z2MV0Q

Hey all,

Not sure how to ask this or kind of get it off my chest, but here's the thing - lately I've been feeling down in the dumps and it's not because I don't have gobs, hell, any cash at all to spend on presents for people. That said, I've read about and greatly understand the need to release ego's desire for what your neighbor may have and it's a good thing to do because I think like many things Buddhist, that release does bring peace of mind.

I was watching and simultaneously gagging on MTv's "Best of Cribs" yesterday - now there are some egos right? And don't get me wrong, it'd be nice to have a Bentley or four in the garage, the pool, the 700,000 square feet and such, but I never, ever have asked for that, I've always just wanted to be able to pay my bills and maybe have a few nice things that for me, equal a trip to the thift store where I leave feeling like a pirate with my treasures!

Still..... I am in a job where I"m making less than $17K a year and I know damn well with my skills I could (and am trying to) find work where I"m making more.... I never, ever have extra money and so I never go anywhere or do anything. I have a car that's omg a piece of dukka all its own and ready to be put out to pasture, to the point where I am never really sure it's going to get me to said low paying job... and on top of this, my health is declining.

Believe me, I am blessed, despite all of these complaints. 2 years ago I was homeless and have fought my way back to where I am now in my own apartment, loved and adored by 2 wonderful felines, I have food in my cupboards most times even if I have to go to pantries - I have a job in this economy and a car to get there - So i am not snubbing my good fortune nor discounting my own role in it.

Yet is it wrong really to want, well, basically, greater security?? A better car to ensure holding on to my job? A better job to secure rent each month without the whole robbing Peter to pay Paul bit?

How does one balance letting go of the importance of material things with the want for just these simple objects and intangibles? I just want to be happy in my own little nondescript crib, yo.

Hey folks I made a movie. You should all watch it. It has cool Kung Fu music.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WADGEwg4hoU