Studying alone

[sky]

Originally Posted by jonesboy

Here is why a teacher is so important

From Fake Buddha Quotes:

This one, “Doubt everything. Find your own light” was found on Facebook.

It’s in several books, mostly from the 21st century, although I’ve also found it in a 1991 book called “Armageddon the Musical,” by Robert Rankin, attributed to the Buddha. Unfortunately I don’t know where Rankin picked up the idea this was from the Buddha.

The Buddha’s last words were more like “Behold now, bhikkhus, I exhort you: All compounded things are subject to vanish. Strive with earnestness!” He did, not long before his death, exhort his monks to be “islands (or lamps — the Pali is ambiguous) unto themselves,” which is (in the minority reading) not a million miles away from the them of “light.” But “doubt” was not a term that the Buddha used in a positive sense. Doubt was seen as one of the fetters binding us to samsara, and also as one of the hindrances preventing us from attaining meditative states.

http://fakebuddhaquotes.com/doubt-ev...our-own-light/

I have never been on facebook or have any intention to so I cannot agree or disagree.

A well know Buddhist leader uses this quote frequently, I would imagine that he knows more than a facebook follower would know.

[sky]

Originally Posted by SarahJane

That made me smile. I don't need validation, but I got it right there. Thank you.

Your welcome. You will find your own path as we all do that's what Buddhism is all about

[jonesboy]

Originally Posted by sky123

I have never been on facebook or have any intention to so I cannot agree or disagree.

A well know Buddhist leader uses this quote frequently, I would imagine that he knows more than a facebook follower would know.

A link to that would be nice

Being on facebook has nothing to do with picking up bad quotes.

[RyanWind]

I'd read these books:

Journey of Souls: Michael Newton
The awakening of intelligence: Krishnamurti
Be Here Now Ram Das
The Way of Chuang Tzu and Seven Story Mountain, Thomas Merton
The Power of Now, Eckart Tolle
The Tigers Fang - Paul Twitchell
A Separate Reality and Journey to Ixtlan, Carlos Castaneda

Then watch these DVD's:

Little Buddha
Defending Your Life
Hair
Billy Jack
Thunderheart

[SarahJane]

Thank you RyanWind, that list looks like something I can sink my teeth into; I'll be back with questions soon no doubt!

[CSEe]

Perhaps I could try to explain my current mind on Buddhism with this example :-

If you pour a spoon of sand into a glass of water ......and you stir the water , the harder you stir the water , the faster sand with move with the water ...but regardless how hard you stir , the is a constant natural process that the sand , the hand , the water is settling down......so as you stop stirring the water , sand will sink into the bottom and there will be a clear separation of sand and water ......so in my current mind of Buddhism , the sand / the glass / the water / the hand / the spoon is all condition , the action of stirring is thinking .....the will or the desire to stir is emotion ....and the natural process of settling down is Buddhism .......

so if you have desire to learn or have develop more emotion to know ....your mind will increase...is just like your will to stir the water increase and your mind will transform it into action of thinking ....so you will think more ...and is just like you stir the water harder.......so as your thinking increases....you will be more and more confuse is just like the sand in the water ... the harder you stir ( the more you think ) the sand will all over in the water and you have a cloudy mixture ........but as your thinking decreases ( but not by further increase desire to stop it ) by realization ......the will to stir will decrease , the action of stirring getting slow ... and until it reaches a point where stirring stop ... you will have a clear condition of water .......

So as one awaken to Buddhism , one is in condition freedom of option ... one will no longer presented with option as the path is clear...no more confusion .

So in my current mind , every moment of all existence regardless living or non-living is in Buddhism ...... so each moment in our life is Buddhism as you cannot out of this process .... even in death , we are still travelling as long as we are still emotion .......and all living or non-living is in all moment is in Buddhism and all existence is Buddhist ......and the only one is NOT Buddhist and no more travelling in Buddhism is Buddha ......so in my current mind , only Buddha is not Buddhist as Buddha is the state of nothingness ....

So if you continue to search something to learn or searching someone to learn from ........you are just going to increase your emotion , as your emotion increases , the mind increases ....and you will burden with your own existence and will travel longer journey into your realization of your existence and suffering is the nature of this path .....

So " learning" Buddhism is like stirring the water ... the more you learn , is like the harder you stir the water .... and it will lead you into creation of faith and beliefs ........as you developed into a form of faith of Buddhism , you are actually had travel far away from the path of realization .......and you will suffer as you gain more experience and attached to your understanding ......

In current world , people like Dalai Lama in my current mind had caused millions of people accepting Buddhism as a form of knowledge ........people are influenced by all these " Buddhism Master" creating a faith of what Buddhism should be ........ Buddhism is now something human knows and can be studied as such human continued to suffer by own confusion , thanks to all these " Buddhism Master".....

So in short , if you have desire to learn to play golf ... learn from Tigers Wood ... if you have desire to play football , ask Messi .........and you will know what you have learn as you wish to learn .....so if you wish to know Buddhism , you could ask Dalai Lama and same ....you will know what you wish to know ...

So is all about you...is all about emotion ... is always you , is always emotion ......you are constantly in a natural process realizing it ........and Buddhism is the natural process you will realized is always you ...... is always your choice .........as you realized it , all questioning , all answering decreases ..........

there is no right or wrong , no true or false , no good or bad in Buddhism .....all happening , all existence regardless Dalai Lama or Osama Bin Laden or the paper on your table or the dust on your shoe is all great source of realization ....is all teacher to you .......is your choice to discover your emotion from them ...nothing will hurt you as all is teacher to you .........even if you from Malaysia and want to go back to New York ......and you ask Dalai Lama .... Dalai Lama teach you to take a flight to India , from India he tell you to fly to Australia , from Australia to Japan , from Japan he said you need to travel to North Korea .... and from there he ask you to walk into South Korea ..... and from South Korea , he said you need to get a bus back to Thailand ... and if you are in Thailand , he said you will know how to go back as you are very close to New York ..... he is still never wrong as he had provide you with so many experiences / factor for your realization of your emotion ... he is never right or wrong , is always your choice .....

[CSEe]

Perhaps Buddhism is never something one could seek or search to know ......perhaps is never something that one could go to classes and listen to the teacher .......perhaps one just need to choose to be in the condition and it will makes easy to awake , to aware , to realize , to accept and to continue to aware...........but if one continue holding on the the mind , continue having faith on Buddhist text , continue to accept Dalai Lama words as a guide or continue to follow what said to be direct words of Siddharta....one will always searching for the guy in the mirror without realizing the guy is his own reflection .......Buddhism is never something outside ....is constantly of what we are .......we are never out of Buddhism so why trying to find water if you are still swimming in the water.....?

[SarahJane]

Thank you CSEe, I now understand your current thinking better. To me personally, studying is a way of opening my mind. I haven't been used to being spiritual; my family has never expressed an opinion one way or the other about anything to do with it and it is a path I have found myself on as I have become mindful. I still have confidence in my inner voice or whatever you may like to call it, but I am using that to guide me to the thoughts of others that I agree with. I guess I am still at the stage where finding that at least one other thinks/feels the same as I do about something that is still so new to me is rewarding. I mentioned earlier that I don't need validation; but actually I think I do, at least for now. I don't want to be convinced; I listen and either agree or disagree. I am not so naive to believe that everyone experiences life the same way, so why would we all think/feel/believe the same?

[sky]

Originally Posted by CSEe

Perhaps Buddhism is never something one could seek or search to know ......perhaps is never something that one could go to classes and listen to the teacher .......perhaps one just need to choose to be in the condition and it will makes easy to awake , to aware , to realize , to accept and to continue to aware...........but if one continue holding on the the mind , continue having faith on Buddhist text , continue to accept Dalai Lama words as a guide or continue to follow what said to be direct words of Siddharta....one will always searching for the guy in the mirror without realizing the guy is his own reflection .......Buddhism is never something outside ....is constantly of what we are .......we are never out of Buddhism so why trying to find water if you are still swimming in the water.....?

You have found Buddhism in your way ( self realization ) others have to do the same. Some need a Teacher to guide them along the path some don't, we are all different.

The best Teacher is your own mind but some need a Teacher to help them awaken to this...

[sky]

THE BUDDHA'S FAREWELL.
'Those who, either now or after I am dead, shall be lamps unto themselves, relying upon themselves only and not relying upon any external help, but holding fast to the truth as their lamp, and seeking their salvation in the truth alone, and shall not look for assistance to any one besides themselves, it is they, Ananda, among my bhikkhus, who shall reach the very topmost height 'But they must be anxious to learn.'



MAHAPARINIRVANA SUTRA.