I would bet both my nuts you consider yourself a good christian.Quote:
Originally Posted by cruscott35
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I would bet both my nuts you consider yourself a good christian.Quote:
Originally Posted by cruscott35
Quote:
Originally Posted by cruscott35
What I've quoted above is probably the single most important thing I've ever heard. It has been taught painstakingly to me by incredibly moral people. It's called the Karaniya Metta Sutta.Quote:
A person who is skilled at well-being,
Who wants to get to that calm state, should act like this:
Able, upright – perfectly upright,
Accepting of criticism, gentle, and not conceited.
Contented with whatever he has, frugal,
Not unnecessarily busy, keeping free of burdens,
With senses restrained, practical,
Not rude, not becoming too attached to families.
He should not do anything at all
That would cause a wise person to blame him;
(He should wish:) May all beings be secure and happy,
May they have happiness in their minds.
Whatever sentient beings exist anywhere,
Whether they are strong or weak, without exception;
Whether they are long, large,
Short, tiny, or huge.
Whether we can see them or not,
Whether they are living far or near.
Whether they have been born or are yet to be born,
May they have happiness in their minds.
Let no one deceive anyone else,
Let no one have hatred toward anyone else.
Let no one want to harm someone,
Because of hatred.
Like a mother would for her family,
Put her life on the line to protect her only child;
Just like that, for all beings,
Let him person cultivate a limitless heart.
Loving-kindness for the whole universe,
Cultivated limitlessly in the heart;
Above, below and across,
Free from oppression, free from enmity, free from hostility.
Whether standing, walking, sitting, or lying down,
As long as he is awake,
He should work at developing this kind of mindfulness,
Because this is the highest way to live in this world.
Not grasping at wrong views,
Being moral and having insight;
Conquering the desire for sense pleasures,
He will not be reborn again.
What it means is this: if you're interested in finding a genuine peace of mind, the way to do that is by purifying yourself of negative, selfish thoughts. The Buddhist and the Christian have this much in common: both are not concerned so much with laws and behaviors. They are concerned with hearts and thoughts. In the Christian worldview, the pure heart wins the grace of God. In the Buddhist worldview, the pure heart is God - or more accurately, a distilled essence of what people say God is. Gotama Buddha and Jesus both insist that our thoughts and desires are our primary roadblocks to spiritual growth. Gotama Buddha and Jesus are cousins, philosophically, and I think their followers should think of each other that way too.
Another thing that's really important to me: a Buddhist philosophical concept called samma vayama. It means "ideal volition" and it means immersing yourself in good habits and influences. I have been very much neglecting this aspect of my path. So I'm going to try to stay out of this subforum from now on, and I'm going to try to be the kind of person in whom a wise person could not find blame.
I sincerely wish that you all have a good election night, no matter what you believe, no matter who you favor. I just can't be around all the anger. It's bad for me.
Quote:
Tennessee man pleads guilty to plotting to kill Barack Obama, dozens of other black people in 2008 - AP