~ Zenfully Quool Quotes by Thich Nhat Hanh ~
We can speak of two kinds of Buddhism:
popular Buddhism and deep Buddhism.
Different audiences need different kinds of teachings,
so the teachings should always be adapted
in order to be appropriate to the audience.
~
This is why there are thousands of different points of entry into
the teachings, enabling many kinds of people to benefit
and experience transformation and relief from their suffering.
In popular Buddhist culture,
it is said there are countless hell realms
that we can fall into after dying.
Many temples display vivid illustrations of
what can happen to us in the hell realms — for example,
if we lie in this lifetime,
our tongue will be cut out in the next.
~
This is a kind of “skillful means” to motivate people to
live their lives in more ethical ways.
This approach may help some people,
but
it may not help others.
Although these teachings are not in accord with the ultimate truth,
many people benefit from them.
Nevertheless,
with compassion, skill, and understanding,
we may be able to help one another gradually release our current views
and deepen our understanding.
~
If we want to open up to a new way of looking at life and death
and what happens after death,
we need to let go of our present views
in order to allow a deeper understanding to emerge.
If we want to climb a ladder,
we have to let go of one rung in order to reach the next one.
If we cling to the views we presently hold,
we cannot progress.
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Zenfully Quool Quotes Quommentary
by rog
Regarding Thay’s statement about the two kinds of Buddhism…
I suppose the shallow type of Buddhism is a wee bit like
the most popular religion for ‘westerners’…
as the ‘church’ has eliminated any sort of ‘Deep’ meaningful spirituality
that once was nearly inseparable from all other reasonable spiritual traditions.
And so it is with
misleading people of the ‘popular’ dumbed down forms of Buddhism.
But still…
It’s a bit distressing to have the “Wrong View”
that we even need a ‘dumbed down’ version of Buddhism.
The Buddha’s teachings are nearly flawless.
The Wisdoms learned by Experience
in the higher states of consciousness …
Are Flawless.
The Eight fold Path.
The four Noble Truths…
Everything is already simplified,
all one needs to do is to apply the “Right Effort” …
And continue!
It’s all very simple.
Oh sure, it may be simple but it’s not easy…
Compared to misbelieving that all that one has to do
to get in a Christian heaven is simply say
“Yup”
at the “pearly gates” when ask…” the big question” or
Pray to Amitābha for the grace that you will be reincarnated in the ‘Pure Land’.
The similarities of the popular shallow end of Buddhism
and most other popular religions are the fact the
true conventional and spiritual realities are ignored
and replaced by fictional made up non-sense.
This aspect turns off the truly inspirate aspirants
and all other highly intelligent beings.
Pure Land Buddhism, for example,
is a very similar way of teaching as the Christians …
That instead of following the Noble 8 Fold Path to it’s full Fruition ‘here & now’…
They simply pray that when they reincarnate,
They hope to go to Buddha’s “Pure Land”,
where at that time THEN they can follow the Buddha’s Noble 8-Fold Path
and have a chance at Enlightenment…
Which seems absurd since it all relies on the projections they imagine
that reincarnation actually is real, and this made-up imaginary place called
the “Pure Land” also exists.
Similar to how Christians feel all they have to do is say
“Yup” when St. Peter asks the ‘big question’ at the “pearly gates”,
then,
they’ll get what they are told from the imaginations of that religion,
a “heavenly body”,
and then go to yet another man made up mythic place that doesn’t exist called
“heaven”.
Is humanity really that collectively unevolved
that we can only just comprehend childish naive man made up fantasies??
Like Christianity, the ‘popular Buddhism’ like the ‘Pure Land’,
makes up many ‘hell realms’, that are similar to the Christian’s versions of ‘hell’.
Both are man made up fantasies to scare people into doing good.
Which is so absurd and pointless,
since the Buddha has all that covered perfectly well in his well thought out teachings.
In more sensible teaches of Buddhism and other ‘non-dual’ traditions,
subjects such as ‘hell realms’ and other realms a human may end up at is expressed without
misleading aspirants to believe these literally made up myths are the literal truth,
like they do in Christianity…
but in fact are expressed as simple ‘metaphors’
to help explain what may be too ‘ineffable’ for words to portray.
Often,
A metaphorically told story,
goes along way to point out the direction towards the ineffable goals of the practice.
~
Regarding what Thay says about:
” then…we may be able to help one another gradually release our
current views and deepen our understanding.”
But why mislead people in the first place!?
~
It’s true what Thay says about:
“If we want to open up to a new way of looking at life and death
and what happens after death,
we need to let go of our present views
in order to allow a deeper understanding to emerge.”
It is particularly true for those that have been purposely mislead
about life and death with made up myth, magical, and fantasies…
instead of at least pointing towards the highest Truths possible.
I feel that misleading people on purpose goes against the main tenants of Buddhism
and even Christianity at it’s core fundamental meanings.
“Thou shall not spread BS” – Amen JC (Jr. Chrishnah)
I just made that up,
but I’m sure there was once something about
spreading false truths in there somewhere.
So why does the ‘popular’ Buddhism and religions rely so heavily on
misleading their followers?
I suppose the answers vary…
Sure,
a whole lot of people have… very “simple minds”.
Some are just too lazy to put in the “Right Effort.”
And a lot are trapped in the traditions of their family
and it would be disrespectful to choose a Path
that was not the same as their families, or towns, or country…
Traditions are good for some things… like:
Art, culinary, poetry…
But,
When traditions keep people from transcending, growing,
and learning new and betters ways…
Then,
It becomes a dead end endeavor.
The key is to be open minded to be able to
‘Transcend’ to higher and deeper ways,
while having the wisdom to know when certain things are
worthy enough to continue with.
This ‘Transcend and Include’ paradigm
is the key for all things to become successfully sustainable
from the tiniest elements, to the largest galaxies …
including human societies.
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“Zenfully Quool Quotes”…
Currently featuring “The Art of Living”
By Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh
My aim is to present
a deeper, higher, wider, non-theological perspective
into common sense Spirituality
that most of us folks raised in the ‘west’ never get introduced to,
to fulfill life’s most intriguing questions…
