Thread: Anyone else here Buddhist?

Originally Posted by Nhuc

<- Taoist, don't see how we didn't grow larger.

I do a spot of Tai Chi Chuan and read some Lao Tzu, Sun Tzu and Shuang-zi now and then. I took inventory the other day, and I'm up around the half dozen mark with religions at this point. Some people convert; I collect

How boring would the world be if you limited yourself to just one religion?

Even this world has two religions: sceptisism, trollism and internet. Wait a third one: dreaming. ?

[somethig said to me that i must put EDIT:0 <- here]So why is that banana sometimes dances and sometimes don't? I'm even more curious why I haven't seen muffin ever stopped dancind. I guess that must be possible in some dream I don't recall. I've got a poor recall in this false awakening. Lightsaber cutted banana dances also always as I recall. But in my dreams it should go that fisrt it stsnads still, then gets cutted into two and when reappearing starts to dance?

Guess some buddhist master can express answers to these problems. (why u angry?)

That's just what happens.

Shambhala Anu-Ati Buddhist. i recommend books and courses taught by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and Namkhai Norbu. As well as Sutrayana-Vajrayana foundation training from them or Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche or WHOEVER YOU COINCIDENTALLY MEET as a teacher (do your homework though). These are the ones i dig, but they are not the only ones - the BEST teacher is the ONE that YOU connect with. They teach all over the world.
cheers ,
OM

I just found out that there is a Vipassana centre very close to me. Apparently they have these meditation "courses" all over the world. Someone mentioned it on reddit the other day and I googled it and was surprised to find them all over Australia. I really didn't think we'd have them here. Has anyone been to one? It seems like it could be pretty good.

Vipassana Centre Victoria

I assume it's the same essential thing in all the centres they have throughout the world.

Originally Posted by tommo

I just found out that there is a Vipassana centre very close to me. Apparently they have these meditation "courses" all over the world. Someone mentioned it on reddit the other day and I googled it and was surprised to find them all over Australia. I really didn't think we'd have them here. Has anyone been to one? It seems like it could be pretty good.

Vipassana Centre Victoria

I assume it's the same essential thing in all the centres they have throughout the world.

Just looking around the site, it looks like a bit of a cult of personality and/or business venture.

Originally Posted by ohaimax

Shambhala Anu-Ati Buddhist. i recommend books and courses taught by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and Namkhai Norbu. As well as Sutrayana-Vajrayana foundation training from them or Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche or WHOEVER YOU COINCIDENTALLY MEET as a teacher (do your homework though). These are the ones i dig, but they are not the only ones - the BEST teacher is the ONE that YOU connect with. They teach all over the world.
cheers ,
OM

The best teacher is yourself.

Originally Posted by Taosaur

Just looking around the site, it looks like a bit of a cult of personality and/or business venture.

I had the same thought at first.... however, it seems they only take donations from people who have done the 10 day course.

Although, the cult of personality thing I think I agree with. They seem way too strict for me, I don't think it would suit, but I thought maybe someone has done it and could give a reason as to why it is like that, or if it's beneficial to be that strict etc.

Originally Posted by Nhuc

The best teacher is yourself.

This is true.. However for most 99.9% this does not work well until one has reached a level egolessness.

Originally Posted by tommo

I had the same thought at first.... however, it seems they only take donations from people who have done the 10 day course.

Although, the cult of personality thing I think I agree with. They seem way too strict for me, I don't think it would suit, but I thought maybe someone has done it and could give a reason as to why it is like that, or if it's beneficial to be that strict etc.

Looks ok to me. If it is close, just go to one of the Open House-Public events and chat with others (members and non members too). Feel it out. It is good to be a LITTLE skeptical at FIRST. But be Open too. Research the lineage for Scandal and if any, make sure its not bs. Also see if this happened, they have Corrected the situation by replacing and establishing ethics codes. Not saying this about this group, but about ANY group, i would think this way til you have been there a while. Personally, I was so screwed up when i came into Dharma that a scandalous person was an upgrade for me-haha. But nowadays there are many people interested in Meditation that are much more Mature than myself. Usually in Sutra Buddhism , its not too Cultish (not 100% but usually) - thats partly due to the Strictness (which is a good thing). Sutra and Zen are often like this, you may think of it like Boot Camp thats good for you, although your Ego may not like it, the Buddha in you will ! There is probably a Shambhala Center near there too, google it - Meditation instruction and Meditation Instructors (well trained and Vetted) are free there .

you can get free instruction here to try it at home :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsMLM2zVRbM

Originally Posted by Nhuc

<- Taoist, don't see how we didn't grow larger.

Consider the difference between the teaching style of Lao Tsu and Shakyamuni.

Where as Lao Tsu and his followers pointed to the essence of what it is to be enlightened and how such a being operates in this world, Shakyamuni constructed a large body of definitions describing how one puts together a path to get there.

Lao Tsu advised rulers and Shakyamuni taught every class.

Of course most of the concepts that are employed in Buddhism get tossed away (and one is left with what is pointed to by Taoism) but this was already described by Shakyamuni in the raft parable. A practice is just a raft to get to the other side of delusion. There are many ways to make rafts and once one reaches the further shore it is pointless to carry the raft with you.

It just needs to not be so full of holes that it sinks on the way there...

^ and yet, wiccans are gaining more popularity. Sound logic though.