what is this tered about berahs?

every conditioned thing is transient. nirvana is beyond condition, hence permanence and impermanence do not apply to it

working la dei

what u working as? intro intro your background in work, life, love & buddhism

cool brah, let me guess... your guru is Tsem Tulku Rinpoche?

he's a cool guru in my opinion and also based on my friend's description and the many videos posted.

damansara, nobody in tibetan buddhism as popular as him, berah.

i'm not into tibetan buddhism though.

Theravada by convention but i'm very open to the many schools of thought, a venerable calls it Hahayana.. heard of it?

here http://diydharma.org/which-yana-hahayana-ajahn-brahmavamso

This post has been edited by hotjake: Oct 11 2011, 10:48 AM

not a member but i've been there for talks before. i'm not seeking for options but better understanding, i find the many traditions complement each other rather than contradict. my attitude is simple - if i'm closed to other teachings, i'm an idiot who doesn't want to learn about the truth

This post has been edited by hotjake: Oct 11 2011, 11:02 AM

what's so confusing...? the fundamental practice is the same, methods different. and it is humanly impossible to practice all things. take what works for you... u ain't doing it wrong, neither am i.

other traditions have their fair share of seriousness and heaviness when it comes to dharma if you care to explore more than what is perceived or on face value.

one example i can give u is the meditation methods. many of the kasinas meditation are actually categorised as samatha meditation in theravada, which brings to calm and absorption. i find the many mantras are similar in this goal, although it require invoking the various deities of the mantras. the methods different... if Buddha was adamant and strict that his 6 years of dera sendiri practice is the way, he wouldn't have achieved nirvana, would he?

click the link i gave u and listen till the part where this venerable was having discussions with monks from different traditions

This post has been edited by hotjake: Oct 11 2011, 11:33 AM

i think u got me wrong, when doing practice proper we need to go with one method u're most well-versed with. read my edited explanation again. and if can. listen to the link i gave u if u don know i'm getting at

This post has been edited by hotjake: Oct 11 2011, 11:37 AM

yes it is that attitude we should adopt when practising. try listen to the link till the end if u can and maybe u can see where i'm coming from.

This post has been edited by hotjake: Oct 11 2011, 11:45 AM

don't have to be follower/believer. all you need to do is do more studies, research, practice and see your practice bear fruits and see how it affects you as a human being. if it's good and you like it, continue and delve deeper. it doesn't require blind faith/belief. that will come once your practice has established your firm confidence in the teachings.

if merely trust... the result is only trust and maybe some happiness knowing you trust and have faith in something. if u're happy to stop just there, nothing further can be gained experience wise i mean. if buddha only believe that he will become buddha one day and not go thru all the practice and countless trails and tribulations, can he become the buddha and pass on all his teachings?

all the rituals are just rituals. if you practice properly, the rituals that supposed and officially recognise you as a buddhist is not that important. wasn't required/demanded by Buddha at all. Buddha only ask you to come and test his teachings yourself. no blind faith is needed, much less encouraged

This post has been edited by hotjake: Oct 11 2011, 12:17 PM

good morning brothers

Venerable Aggacitta taught me once in a dhamma camp (he was explaining the difference between samatha and vipassana to his students) but kinda difficult/din work for me or perhaps i should try harder lol. It's quite popular yes in burma and thailand.

Metta is very important to support vipassana; a very powerful tool to calm the mind down. Anapanasati is actually vipassana; it means mindfulness of the in and out breaths. methods may differ but if the principle/fundamental of the meditation is the same it is still vipassana meditation. However, in and out breaths can still be the object for Samatha Meditation; very difficult (due to its changing nature) but still can be done by discarding all other arising phenomena namely the 4 Spheres/Foundations of Mindfulness. in short, samatha's focus is to lead to absorption while vipassana: insight. however upon achieving absorption thru samatha it can be channeled to observing the four foundations of mindfulness which is vipassana and thus lead to insight/wisdom.

check out Anapanasati Sutta together with the all-important Satipatthana Sutta and also their commentaries/reviews by authors/notable monks for deeper explanations although it can be used as samatha solely if mind stays on breath alone and discard all arising phenomena required in vipassana.

one more thing to add, samatha's object is limitless. u can recite Coca-Cola/Pepsi all-day long without break and with concentration, u'd still get adsorbed in it/ even achieve absorption. try it.

oh ya, i'm not sure who in kl can teach kasina meditation too.

This post has been edited by hotjake: Oct 12 2011, 04:14 PM

read the suttas stated by me first bro. metta is samatha. we use it in combination/as support for vipassana. i have no disagreement there

This post has been edited by hotjake: Oct 12 2011, 04:18 PM

ya i've read that too

u serious bro? or trolling? i can't be sure.

anyways, if you're in Penang then u're a very lucky person. Head to Bodhi Heart Sanctuary at Mount Eskine near the graveyard there. they have all kinds of dharma & meditation classes from different schools of buddhism.
http://www.bodhihearts.net/

This post has been edited by hotjake: Oct 12 2011, 04:31 PM

Tantra, Mahamudra accessible by normal people? or must we receive instruction from a guru whom we have come to follow?

btw, how is Tsem Tulku Rinpoche's plan to build the tallest Je Tsongkhapa's statue in malaysia?

This post has been edited by hotjake: Oct 12 2011, 04:36 PM

did you go to mahindarama's sunday school? haha.... what's ur name? dats it, do more studies and try meditate each day and see. increase the time for meditation as u progress and see.

mahindarama do organises meditation classes from time to time. and also retreats which are more intensive in nature. MBMC in green lane too

This post has been edited by hotjake: Oct 12 2011, 04:49 PM