I wanna learn about buddhism
where do I start?
what do I read?
what memes do I have to steer clear of?
>>288252
u mean jewduh
>>288252
Main kampf cuz they use swastikas aswell.
>>288258
>Main kampf
It's called "Mein Kampf", retard. Learn German.
You're learning about a giant meme. Might as well get used to them.
>>288265
Oh sorry you Nazzi fuck.
>>288252
alan watts good for a first read
>what memes do I have to steer clear of?
new age shit
>>288252
read this
https://4ch.be/his/thread/108709/#109207
>===EXPOSITION OF THE CONTEMPLATION===
>Dialogues of the Buddha
Digha Nikaya, Sutta 34, XXXIV. Dasuttara Suttanta
34. Dasuttara Sutta, III 272
http://obo.genaud.net/a/backmatter/indexes/sutta/dn/idx_digha_nikaya.htm#p34
The Anapanasati Sutta --A Practical Guide to Mindfulness of Breathing and Tranquil Wisdom Meditation by Ven. U Vimalaramsi
http://www.ic.sunysb.edu/clubs/buddhism/vimalaramsi/main.html
>MN 118 Mindfulness of Breathing - Ānāpānasati Sutta (Anapanasati Sutta)
Majjhima Nikaya 118 Mindfulness of Breathing - Ānāpānasati Sutta, A very important discourse explaining mindfulness of breathing and how it relates to the four foundations of mindfulness, to the seven enlightenment factors, and to true knowledge and deliverance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIGZcoKeeWI
>Sutta Study Class with Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi series:
https://suttacentral.net/en/mn117
Majjhima Nikaya (MN 117: part 1-1, 2014.6.14) Bhikkhu Bodhi
Chapter 117: Mahacattarisaka Sutta- The Great Forty. "The Majjhima Nikaya, the Middle Length Discourses", The Buddha defines the factors of the Noble Eightfold Path and explains their inter-relationships.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S50GCMGQ3w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2HrqyqzXDQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdJpWZDTCPU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jel4O51nGwE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAqKGjMEld0
>>288420
Majjhima Nikaya (MN 118: part 1-1, 2014.7.19) Bhikkhu Bodhi
Chapter 118: Ānāpānasati Sutta - Mindfulness of Breathing. "The Majjhima Nikaya, the Middle Length Discourses", An exposition of sixteen steps in mindfulness of breathing and of the relation of this meditation to the four foundations of mindfulness and the seven enlightenment factors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS0BaNYSv8U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNAp1yQM1PE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZCbxb1mk-o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxblItC8q3Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLadYTdMy20
>Transcendental Dependent Arising
Suttas of the Samyutta Nikaya Nidanaavagga
III. Dasabala (Dasabalaa, Dasabalā), II.27
23. Upanisa (Upanisaa, Upanisā), II.29
http://obo.genaud.net/backmatter/indexes/sutta/sn/02_nv/idx_12_nidanasamyutta.htm#p23
>How to establish an awareness of the being[=mind+body]
Majjhima Nikaya Sutta 119 Kayagata-sati Sutta
119. Kayagatasati Sutta, (Kaayagataasati, Kāyagatāsati), III.88
http://obo.genaud.net/backmatter/indexes/sutta/mn/idx_majjhima_nikaya_3.htm#p119
Middle Length Sayings, Final Fifty Discourses, Discourse on mindfulness of body
https://suttacentral.net/en/mn119
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kayagatasati_Sutta
>Sutta Study Class with Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi series:
Chapter 119: Kāyagatāsati Sutta - Mindfulness of the body, "The Majjhima Nikaya, the Middle Length Discourses", The Buddha explains how mindfulness of the body should be developed and cultivated and the benefits to which it leads.
Majjhima Nikaya (MN 119: part 1-1, 2014.8.23) Bhikkhu Bodhi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU2u_kwSrj8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPxqG5okQk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpEZV3KeaSA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvOHYVAn-sk
>>288422
>The animitta-ceto-samadhi is the contemplation that people call ''pure hindsight (vipassana)'' when they think in terms of the dichotomy ''samatha-vipassana''...
Samyutta Nikāya, IV. Salāyatana Vagga, 40. Moggalāna Samyutta, 9. Animitta Suttam, IV.268
http://obo.genaud.net/backmatter/indexes/sutta/sn/04_salv/idx_40_moggallanasamyutta.htm#p9
>The Greater Discourse on Emptiness
Majjhima Nikaya, Sutta 122, Mahāsuññata suttam
http://obo.genaud.net/backmatter/indexes/sutta/mn/idx_majjhima_nikaya_3.htm#p122
Sutta Study Class with Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi series:
Mahāsuññata Sutta: The Greater Discourse on Voidness. Upon finding that the bhikkhus have grown fond of socialising, the Buddha stresses the need for seclusion in order to abide in voidness. Majjhima Nikaya (MN 122: part 1, 2014.11.16) Bhikkhu Bodhi.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvpTp_soGTs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbRFQ5btfHo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=919pQmum4yo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUna331UGlI
>questions and answers
Majjhimnanikāyo, Mūlapannāsako, V. Cūlayamakavaggo, Sutta 43, Mahāvedalla sutta
43. Mahavedalla Sutta, (Mahaavedalla, Mahāvedalla), I.292
http://obo.genaud.net/backmatter/indexes/sutta/mn/idx_majjhima_nikaya_1.htm#p43
>Moggalāna states what is the signless contemplation
Samyutta Nikāya, IV. Salāyatana Vagga, 40. Moggalāna Samyutta, 9. Animitta Suttam, IV.268
http://obo.genaud.net/backmatter/indexes/sutta/sn/04_salv/idx_40_moggallanasamyutta.htm#p9
“Signless” Meditations in Pāli Buddhism P Harvey - 1986 8674-8482-1-PB.pdf
https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/jiabs/article/viewFile/8674/2581
>>288425
Living Word of the Buddha, SD vol 24 no 19 S 40.9, On the Question of the Signless Concentration of Mind, Animitta Ceto,samādhi Pañha Sutta, The Discourse on the Question of the Signless Concentration of Mind, [How to progress in the signless concentration], (Samyutta Nikaya 40.9/4:268 f), Translated by Piya Tan ©2008
Animitta Ceto,samādhi Pañha Sutta.
http://dharmafarer.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/24.19-Animitta-Cetosamadhi-Panha-S-s40.9-piya.pdf
Samyutta Nikāya 12, Connected Discourses on Causation
https://suttacentral.net/sn12
1. Dependent Origination
https://suttacentral.net/en/sn12.1
2. Analysis of Dependent Origination
https://suttacentral.net/en/sn12.2
Upanisa Sutta: Prerequisites translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu © 1997
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn12/sn12.023.than.html
Transcendental Dependent Arising, A Translation and Exposition of the Upanisa Sutta, by Bhikkhu Bodhi © 1995
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/wheel277.html
The Doctrine of Paticcasamuppada by U Than Daing
http://wisdomlib.org/buddhism/book/the-doctrine-of-paticcasamuppada/index.html
A Discourse on Paticcasamuppada or The Doctrine of Dependent Origination by U Aye Maung
http://wisdomlib.org/buddhism/book/a-discourse-on-paticcasamuppada/index.html
>>288425
>===RESSOURCES on the CONTEMPLATION===
===IMPORTANT BOOKS===
>insisting on the setting the samatha first, this book recast the use of the mindfulness through the three angas
[swift introduction to the various sources PLUS good introduction to ''mindfulness'']
A History of Mindfulness Bhikkhu Sujato.pdf
http://santifm.org/santipada/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/A_History_of_Mindfulness_Bhikkhu_Sujato.pdf
>the direct path to nirvana via the famous satipatthana sutta exposed by a theravadan
Anãlayo satipatthana direct path analayo free-distribution-copy2.pdf
https://ahandfulofleaves.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/satipatthana_direct-path_analayo_free-distribution-copy2.pdf
>This site is dedicated to the teachings of Venerable Ayya Khema (1923-1997), a Theravada Buddhist nun ordained in Sri Lanka . Her teachings (which were prolific) describe simple and effective meditation methods for development of calm and insight, for expanding feelings of loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity towards others, and for overcoming obstacles to practice. She also gives detailed and lucid instructions for the meditative absorptions (jhanas) which provide access to higher states of consciousness, the way the Buddha himself practiced.
http://ayyakhematalks.org/
>an approach focused more on vipassana
In This Very Life, The Liberation Teachings of the Buddha, Sayādaw U Pandita (1992), (Serialised with the Sayādaw’s Express Permission)
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/pesala/Pandita/index.htm
>are the jhanas required for strem-entry ?
The Jhānas and the Lay Disciple According to the Pāli Suttas, Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi
http://www.budsas.org/ebud/ebdha267.htm
>>288428
>a book to become a yogi in vipassana
Pa Auk Sayadaw Knowing and Seeing 4th Ed 2010.pdf
http://www.dhammatalks.net/Books13/Pa-Auk-Sayadaw_Knowing-and-Seeing-4th-Ed-2010.pdf
>This Burmese method puts forth the quality that is SATI [translated as mindfulness generally]: alertness/attention to whatever we perceive, plus a constant effort to recognize the five aggregates, learnt from the dhamma and remembering it, into every phenomenon. There are other qualities to have, such as effort [in walking or standing up], tranquillity, faith in the dhamma, wisdom [little insight, not the one of the five aggregates, but wisdom on being able to make headways], but the Burmese bet that the more SATI we have, the closer we are to nibanna. SATI does not need to be done a little, to be compensated by another quality if done too much, contrary to, for instance, samadhi [=concentration, generally gotten after samatha-tranquility of the mind and body] which needs to be balanced with effort. We can never ever do enough sati.
a general pdf more about overview on buddhism through this technique
http://www.paaukforestmonastery.org/books/teaching_training.pdf
Explanation of the meditation on the spheres [kilesas], relevant for the most imginative contemplators, as well as the contemplation without signs (animitta-ceto-samadhi) which is the samadhi wherein the Tathagata enterred when he was ill. The animitta-ceto-samadhi is the contemplation that people call ''pure hindsight (vipassana)'' when they think in terms of the dichotomy ''samatha-vipassana''...
===A GOOD WEBSITE INSTRUCTING ON THE ''VIPASSANA MEDITATION'' WITH ILLUSTRATIONS AND VIDEOS OF EACH STEP.===
>What is Vipassana or Insight Meditation?
http://www.vipassanadhura.com/whatis.htm
http://vipassanadhura.com/howto.htm
with video of a duration of 50 minutes
http://vipassanadhura.com/mindfulness.html
>>288432
>Vipassana (insight meditation) is the ultimate expression of Socrates' dictum, "know thyself." The Buddha discovered that the cause of suffering can actually be erased when we see our true nature. This is a radical insight. It means that our happiness does not depend on manipulating the external world. We only have to see ourselves clearly— a much easier proposition (but in the ultimate sense, knowing oneself with clarity reveals there is no permanent self, as the Buddha taught).
>Vipassana meditation is a rational method for purifying the mind of the mental factors that cause distress and pain. This simple technique does not invoke the help of a god, spirit or any other external power, but relies on our own efforts.
>Vipassana is an insight that cuts through conventional perception to perceive mind and matter as they actually are: impermanent, unsatisfactory, and impersonal. Insight meditation gradually purifies the mind, eliminating all forms of attachment. As attachment is cut away, desire and delusion are gradually diluted. The Buddha identified these two factors— desire and ignorance— as the roots of suffering. When they are finally removed, the mind will touch something permanent beyond the changing world. That "something" is the deathless, supramundane happiness, called "Nibbana" in Pali.
>Insight meditation is concerned with the present moment— with staying in the now to the most extreme degree possible. It consists of observing body (rupa) and mind (nama) with bare attention.
>The word "vipassana" has two parts. "Passana" means seeing, i.e., perceiving. The prefix "vi" has several meanings, one of which is "through." Vipassana-insight literally cuts through the curtain of delusion in the mind. "Vi" can also function as the English prefix "dis," suggesting discernment— a kind of seeing that perceives individual components separately.
>>288434
The idea of separation is relevant here, for insight works like a mental scalpel, differentiating conventional truth from ultimate reality. Lastly, "vi" can function as an intensive, in which case "vipassana" means intense, deep or powerful seeing. It is an immediate insight experienced before one's eyes, having nothing to do with reasoning or thinking.
Moment to Moment Mindfulness, A PICTORIAL MANUAL FOR MEDITATORS, Achan Sobin S. Namto
http://vipassanadhura.com/momenttomoment.htm
===HOW TO CONDUCT OURSELVEF DURING THE INTERVIEW AFTER A CONTEMPLATIVE CESSION===
Wayfaring: A Manual for Insight Meditation, by Bhikkhu Sobin S. Namto, Wheels No: 266 / 267
http://vipassanadhura.com/WayfaringGuideMeditators.html
>an exposition of the flaws of ''pure vipassana meditation'' which focuses more on loving-kindness meditation
The Anapanasati Sutta --A Practical Guide to Midfulness of Breathing and Tranquil Wisdom Meditation by Ven. U Vimalaramsi
http://www.ic.sunysb.edu/clubs/buddhism/vimalaramsi/main.html
>exposition of the path by one of the monk from the monastery of the forest
Ajahn Maha Bua
http://www.luangta.eu/site/downloads.php
>collection of sermons on Nibbana
>This penetrative study[5] shed new light on the early Buddhist views on the psychology of perception,[6] the conceptualizing process and its transcending.[7]
Katukurunde Nanananda Thera, Nibbana - the mind stilled
http://www.seeingthroughthenet.net/eng/gen.php?gp=books&cat=ms&p=1
http://www.seeingthroughthenet.net/eng/gen.php?gp=sermons&cat=nn&p=1
>talks on Vipassana meditation
Sayadaw U Pandita
http://www.panditarama.net/#ui-tabs-9
>>288436
Burmese forest tradition
The Essential Practice Part I Dhamma Discourses of Venerable Webu Sayādaw
http://www.bps.lk/olib/wh/wh375-u.html
The Essential Practice Part II Dhamma Discourses of Venerable Webu Sayādaw
http://www.bps.lk/olib/wh/wh384-u.html
The Essence of Buddha Dhamma
http://host.pariyatti.org/treasures/The_Essence_Buddha_Dhamma-Ven_Webu_Sayadaw.pdf
a short video on the jhanas
>[YouTube] What is Jhana? By Ven. Henepola Gunaratana Nayaka Maha Thera(Bhante G) (embed)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Lv0PFLZ12o
>[YouTube] Bhante Gunaratana (1) What is samatha-vipassana? Part 1: samatha (embed)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaFOjJtEd2g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESQOi9djyaA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41NpmB2le3I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=div3NnAIoYU
and all the others videos from this series
>The Jhanas in Theravada Buddhist Meditation by Henepola Gunaratana
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/gunaratana/wheel351.html#ch1.3
>Mindfulness in plain English, Bhante Henepola Gunaratana.
http://www.urbandharma.org/pdf2/Mindfulness%20in%20Plain%20English%20Book%20Preview.pdf
>>288252
>where do I start?
If you live near one, go to a temple and ask people. Same as any religion, really.
>what memes do I have to steer clear of?
Buddhists are the non violent religion.
>>288252
>where do I start?
Going to an actual temple and asking the monks would be a good start.
>what do I read?
>what memes do I have to steer clear of?
Avoid 'white new age hippie spiritual types'.
You can probably find some genuine Chinese buddhist monks if you don't live in a third world shithole.
> Desire is the root of all suffering
> "Okay, but what if I don't want to suffer"
> Not wanting to suffer is the root of suffering
> mfw
>>291725
Technically, that IS a "desire not to suffer".
>>291725
>Desire is the root of all suffering
So? Who fucking cares about suffering?
idgaf
>>291755
Uh huh okay bud
>Christian
>really interested in Buddhism as a philosophy
>want to know more
>mfw that's seen as insulting and those who want to do it are looked down on by actual Buddhists
JUST
>>291771
Where what
>>291869
Does
>"secular" or "atheist" Buddhism
and
>white new age hippie spiritual types
mean something else?
>>291771
then read this
>>292146
What is that?
>>288252
Hinduism.
>>293107
I did that and i ended up liking Hinduism more than Buddhism there is so much shit in hinduism and so many things to read.
>>288252
There are 2 main types, theravada and mahayana.mahayana is more like most religions and is alot more BS with zen and what not. Theravada basically comes down to "a buddha is any dude that sat down and thought about life long enough to figure some stuff out". Whereas mahayana is more reincarnation for as to what makes a buddha.
Im no expert, i just decided to look into what exactly it was once.
>>288432
Is that the same Pa Auk as in the meditation centre in the forest? Always wanted to go.
>>293720
>Pa Auk
there is only one I believe
>>292895
the typical book for orthodox mysticism
Was Buddha even real? I say this as a Nepali and having visited Lumbini 3 times. There is just an empty pond and a stupa erected by Asoka in the name of evidence. Why are there no contemporary sources validating his existence?
>>294132
doesnt need to be real
the whole point of buddhism isnt to revere buddha
its a misnomer
if you find out buddha exists you should remove him from history
>>288252
reminder that women being the most hedonistic creatures, they are not able to go beyond the jhanas, if they even manage to go thus far.
>>294133
Ya ya, Buddha is the enlightened one and all that. However, I'm talking archaelogically here.
>>288405
Second this.
Put your bullshit-meter on high alert.
It's quite lamentable that in every single thread about Buddhism people are being redirected to the same thread/copypasta as a proper starting point.
Because, you know, the Buddha sat people down and starting beating them over the head with an endless stream of random bits and pieces of teaching, without giving a shit about what the person was looking for nor his level of understanding. It's certainly a good idea to delve, as a complete beginner, into a subjective selection of sources canonical and non-canonical (and 99%-100% Theravadan, because the schools of the other vehicle have no worth) established by a person who most probably has very little progress on the path in the first place.
>>294132
>Why are there no contemporary sources validating his existence?
There is in the Jain and some other sources, but of course he's not mentioned as "that guy who attained Perfect Enlightenment". Another reason is that in the Buddha's lifetime, writing really really wasn't that much of a thing in India and the Buddha himself was an esteemed spiritual teacher, but nothing really more than that. If Buddhism had somehow become THE religion in the region, it would be a different story.
Besides, it would be unbelievably stupid (not to mention dishonest and undermining the teachings themselves) if a bunch of people fabricated the teaching but then decided for no reason to pretend that a single man actually did it.
>>291725
There are different types of desires. Desiring to hurt someone is not the same as desiring to feed a hungry person.
One uses the good desire of not wanting to suffer as a starting point to eventually reach a state where, because all self-based desires have ceased and ignorance has been eliminated, suffering goes away and with it goes the desire of not wanting to suffer.
Craving and clinging are what actually cause suffering. Desires run a wide spectrum that include non-beneficial & non-harmful ones.
>>291997
The problem with "secular", "atheist", "protestant" Buddhism (and the, uh, "white new age hippie spiritual types" that supposedly associate with them) is that it incises sections of the teaching as a whole that it deems "religious" as opposed to "philosophical". A big offender is of course rebirth. The thing is, rebirth is not explained just as some random religious belief that those stupid ignorant primitives believed in, it forms an integral part of the philosophy in the first place. I personally can't take seriously any person who is unable to understand this. If you're interested in Buddhism as a philosophy but are ready to accept it as a whole package instead of arbitrarily discarding things you don't accept/understand/get rustled by, no one's going to look down on you.
"non-philosophical" Buddhism is worship of Buddha as a literal God and of other gods, as well as the type of thing you find in the ultranationalist circles of SEA, which see the religion only as a vehicle for the promotion of their early-20th century tier backwards ideologies.
>>288252
>where do I start?
>what do I read?
If you first want an encompassing view of Buddhist history, schools and teachings then I recommend 'The Foundations of Buddhism'. After that or otherwise, 'In the Buddha's Words' is a great introduction to the common, foundational teachings. With this grounding you can then manage to explore the dhamma as you want with reduced confusion. Visiting a temple or similar place if possible and asking questions there would also be good.
2 other book recommendations: Hajime Nakamura's biography of the Buddha (if you can find it) and 'The Making of Buddhist Modernism', a must read IMO to understand in what way modernity has distorted the teachings.
>what memes do I have to steer clear of?
-Chögyam Trungpa, his lineage and people who still to this day say that he dindu nuffin
-"this karmapa has been even approved by the Dalai Lama so he's the genuine one, the other karmapa is a fake"
-that Zen teachers who behaved in a very non-Buddhist way such as supporting war or sexually exploiting people are to be trusted
-that it's acceptable to teach the Dharma in exchange of money
-that there is only one school, teaching or sutra/sutra collection that is correct and all others are false
-that all schools, teachings and sutras/sutra collections are correct
-that knowledge of the Pali Canon or the Agamas is not necessary, just sit & carry water man lmao
-that any and everything that seems supernatural is NOT ACTUALLY BUDDHIST CUZ THE BUDDHA AGREED WITH MY SECULAR-MODERNIST-SCIENTIST AGENDA, #YOLO IS TRUTH
-that Buddhism is an offshoot of Hinduism, or that it has a place for God
-that the factors of the Noble Eightfold Path not pertaining to meditation are for plebs and non-essential
and so on and so forth.
Is Zen really as shit as people say? I'd imagine that any temples in America are just aging hippies, but how shit is it in Japan/Korea?
>>294882
Zen is okay if you learn it legit. But American ones are garbage tier unless you actually learn it from a legit Zen monk.
>>294896
About what I figured. For some reason hippies can't comprehend Buddhism.
>>294906
All the drugs and alcohol inside their body influences their thinking. They want the easy way out and not have to think/work.
>>294882
>but how shit is it in Japan/Korea?
From what I understand it depends a lot on the community, at least in Japan. Buddhism in general is (still) undergoing something of a crisis there since the Meiji era, so how genuine the people are and how genuinely they approach the teachings may vary enormously.
>>288252
Wow, please steer clear from reading as it will keep you as miserable you are now than in twenty years. It will all be intellectual knowledge. Just sign up for a SN Goenka retreat (google it )for 10 days and take baby steps towards understanding all that material "Experientally"
>>294969
By that logic all those people who listened to the Buddha wasted time and only made themselves miserable.
Learning the Dharma intellectually is a must (but no one's asking anyone to hold a doctorate in canonical studies). But so is practice. All the meditation in the world won't help you advance towards the goal if you lack the necessary foundations that the Buddha taught.
>>294809
>>The problem with "secular", "atheist", "protestant" Buddhism
even hardcore dhamma?
>>288252
>asking about a meme religion
>wants to stay clear of memes
Please, Anon.
>>295282
Yes.
>>294853
>Chögyam Trungpa
Trungpa's sexuality has been one of the sources of controversy, as he cultivated relations with a number of his female students. Tenzin Palmo, who met him in 1962 while he was still at Oxford, did not become one of his consorts, refusing his advances because he had presented himself as "a pure monk." But had she known Trungpa had been having sexual relations with women since he was 13, she said she would not have declined, considering that in the higher stages of Tibetan Buddhist tantra, sexual relations (especially with tertöns) are a means of enhancing spiritual insights.[47] Trungpa formally renounced his monastic vows in 1969.[48]
Trungpa was also known for smoking tobacco and for liberal use of alcohol;[49] many who knew him characterized him as an alcoholic.[50][51] He began drinking occasionally shortly after arriving in India.[52] Before coming to the US, Trungpa drove a sports car into a joke shop in Dumfries, Scotland.[53] While his companion was not seriously injured,[54] Trungpa was left partially paralyzed. Later, he described this event as a pivotal moment that inspired the course of his teachings. Some accounts ascribe the accident to drinking.[55][56] Others suggest he may have had a stroke.[57][58] According to Trungpa himself, he blacked out.[59]
>>295302
Trungpa often combined drinking with teaching. David Chadwick recounts:[60] "Suzuki [Roshi] asked Trungpa to give a talk to the students in the zendo the next night. Trungpa walked in tipsy and sat on the edge of the altar platform with his feet dangling. But he delivered a crystal-clear talk, which some felt had a quality – like Suzuki's talks – of not only being about the dharma but being itself the dharma." In some instances Trungpa was too drunk to walk and had to be carried.[56] Also, according to his student John Steinbeck IV and his wife, on a couple of occasions Trungpa's speech was unintelligible.[61] One woman reported serving him "big glasses of gin first thing in the morning."[26]
The Steinbecks wrote a sharply critical memoir of their lives with Trungpa in which they claim that, in addition to alcohol, he used $40,000 a year worth of cocaine, and used Seconal to come down from the cocaine. The cocaine use, say the Steinbecks, was kept secret from the wider Vajradhatu community.[62]
>>295303
An incident that became a cause célèbre among some poets and artists was the Halloween party at Snowmass Colorado Seminary in 1975, held during a 3-month period of intensive meditation and study of the Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana vehicles of Tibetan Buddhism. The poet W. S. Merwin had arrived at the Naropa Institute that summer and been told by Allen Ginsberg that he ought to visit the seminary. Although he had not gone through the several years' worth of study and preparatory mind training required, Merwin insisted on attending and Trungpa eventually granted his request – along with Merwin's girlfriend. At seminary the couple kept to themselves. At the Halloween party, after many, including Trungpa himself, had taken off their clothes, Merwin was asked to join the event, but refused. On Trungpa's orders, his Vajra Guard forced entry into the poet's locked and barricaded room; brought him and his girlfriend, Dana Naone, against their will, to the party; and eventually stripped them of all their clothes, with onlookers ignoring Naone's pleas for help and for someone to call the police.[63] The next day Trungpa asked Merwin and Naone to remain at the Seminary as either students or guests. They agreed to stay for several more weeks to hear the Vajrayana teachings, with Trungpa's promise that "there would be no more incidents" and "no guarantees of obedience, trust, or personal devotion to him."[64] They left immediately after the last talk. In a 1977 letter to members of a Naropa class investigating the incident, Merwin concluded,
TOPEST LEL
>>294969
>SN Goenka retreat
can you share your detailed experience ?
have you manage to go into vipassana jhana ?
have you manage to be a stream-entrer ?
>started mediating a while ago
>getting a taste of the first jhana
Feels freaky, man.
It's like those 'find out how to improve your life with this one weird trick' ads, but it actually seems to work.
>>291725
now you're getting it
>>295759
>only into first jhana
Literally pleb tier.
Come back when you get to your 5th, get back to meditation.
>>288252
>where do I start
Buddhism is a large constellation of various schools and doctrines, it's nigh impossible to get fully into all of them, try to get an overview of the larger theravada and Mahayana branches
Get in touch with a reputable center of the type of school that appeals to you and let a teacher guide you face to face through the basics of meditation such as posture and breathing.
If you really want to study Buddhism it's essential that you get in touch with real life sangha and don't neglect daily practice, it's less important to do a lot of reading. All the various teachings have their end point in your own mind
>what do I read
The Dhammapada
Zen mind beginners mind
Diamond sutra
Heart sutra
Lankavatara sutra
memes to steer clear of :
>Only one particular branch is correct
>the Pali canon is outdated trash
>secular/western neo-buddhism
>Alan watts beatnik Zen
>your command of the jhanas indicates your spiritual capacity
>desire paradoxes
>meditation involves eliminating thoughts
>emptiness is nihilistic
>>295892
Lotus Sutra!
Platform Sutra was pretty good too, but unessential.
>>295927
Lotus is great but is one of those Mahayana scriptures with a ton of sci-fi bells and whistles which may be distracting to a newcomer, it takes time to digest the meaning
Platform is great as well, like many of the brief chán/zen scriptures such as jewel mirror samadhi, faith-mind inscription, or books by Keizan, Foyan and Dōgen
What do you say about the occasional Hinayana slander in many Mahayana sutras.
Were they specifically aimed at practitioners that had actually grown to be like the strawman they were accused of being, or was there just some beef?
What about the notions of "static" vs. "dynamic" Nirvana and "fallible Arahants" which completely contradict what can be found in the Agamas or the Pali Canon (and which is even contradicted between different Mahayana sutras)?
>>297560
Plenty of contradiction among the 84,000 upayas, that's just the nature of the game. I think it's foolish to speak of a lesser vehicle, but records indicate that people had a serious problem misinterpreting the teachings (getting stuck in emptiness), something that still happens and is a very real problem in formal settings, which lead to new and different doctrines that contradicted the old on a surface level. If you understand emptiness from the Theravada perspective, and take the various instructions as a preliminary guidepost/statement and not the end-all of the teachings, there isn't really any contradiction. If you take them at face value, there is a big discrepancy. There isn't any better place to find criticism of Buddhism than in Buddhism - criticism and hyperbole between conflicting schools continues to this day.
I am very much convinced of a difference between dynamic and static nirvana. Vimalakirti sutra provides some interesting angles to this issue, but ultimately it's a practical thing, you have to recognize the tendency to get stuck in complacency and resolve not to stay there if you want to practice in accordance with Mahayana ideals.
Words by the 6th Chinese ancestor Huineng come to mind "Why you do not understand is because the three carts were provisional for former times, and the One Vehicle is true for the present time."
BUDDHISM IS FOR CAMUS WANNABE FEDORA WEARING LOSERS.
>>291725
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn51/sn51.015.than.html
Already addressed thousands of years ago. Desire to be rid of desire is indeed desire, but once you learn to be rid of desire you also rid yourself of that desire.
>>294132
"Buddha" refers to someone who had independently attained enlightenment, without guidance. There must have been a Buddha, because someone must have come up with it.
Can someone explain in detail why secular buddhism is so bad, specifically which ideas it removes that are fundamental to buddhism and why are they so important/how does the removal of these ideas damage the premises of buddhism
>>301038
The Pali used different words for craving (kamma tanha) and the desire to reach enlightenment, something that got lost in translation. Desire is bondage, the desire for enlightenment is the desire to be free from bondage. You can't be bound to freedom, that's the paradox, which preempts the desiring-not-to-desire problem, which is simply intellectual craving (vibhava tanha) masquerading as understanding
Buddhism and all this meditation may seem interesting and exotic at first, but will sadly only lead one to Hell.
>>301160
I've talked this over with fellow practitioners many times, and don't have all the arguments on hand, but basically it's a case of cultural appropriation. it's a kind picking and choosing in a practice that requires one to let personal preferences go and dedicate oneself to the practice itself. I'd admit in some cases it may be a skilful means to alleviate people who are incompatible with the doctrine on a surface level, but often it's used to increase sickness symptoms (use Buddhism to become a better worker bee, or some western intellectual head honcho). Most serious practitioners view it as something hollow
It does away with chanting, vows, etc, strips the essential nature of the Buddha's enlightenment as something beyond contemporary language and concepts - proponents of secular Buddhism unanimously deny achieving any deeper transcendent insights while claiming that they know what the Buddha REALLY taught
Even the non-superstitious sects such as Zen (particularly Sōtō) require a great deal of faith in daily practice, something to will motivate practice when things aren't going your way, and get you to go the whole nine yards despite whatever challenges may come up.
Even if you live in a modern society and have a normal life with wife and kids, internally you must leave everything behind in your practice
>>291771
Read Master Eckhart. This is basically Catholic Buddhism independently invented in XIIIth century Germany.
>>288252
its a suicide cult apparently
>>301160
Because they base themselves on the premise that science has already explained or studied everything so anything that falls outside of it should be dismissed. This in itself doesn't need further explanation, I believe.
AFAIK the 2 main offenders for secular Buddhism is rebirth and karma. These are actually rejected on purely ideological grounds without consideration for their place in the Buddha's teaching. The ideological grounds is a blind trust in science as stated above, and an implicit acceptance of and belief in another way of seeing life-and-death, which is a "one life one death" model.
The system of rebirth conditioned by karma has been given for a single reason only: to show that actions and thoughts have consequences. We all condition our present and future existences ourselves, no one or nothing else does it for us. With acts we create karmic energy and that energy, when/if the conditions are right, blooms into an effect sooner or later. Our reactions to those effects create new karma, and so on. Since even momentary existence is transitory, rebirth takes place every moment as well as when 'death' -that is the break-up of the physical components of a being- occurs. And death is simply that. If life itself is nothing but that process, why would death be anything special and not a simple part of the process? Not being able to understand this is a lack of insight.
That actions and thoughts have consequences now and in the future is important to Buddhism, because of these 3 things:
a) it explains why existence is dukkha, why beings are bound to the round of rebirths, and why it is hard to break free (this is necessary for apprehending the 4 Noble Truths)
b) it forms the basis of ethical conduct (this is necessary to practice the Noble Eightfold Path)
c) it shows that things arise with dependence to other things (this is necessary to understand Dependent Origination)
>>301522
So a person who knows little or nothing about Buddhism should avoid asking about Buddhism until they know all about Buddhism?
What to Buddhists think of those who learn from Buddhist teachings, and read the texts out of interest, but do not identify as Buddhist? Are they as bad as 'Secular Buddhists' and the likes?
>>295892
Seconding The Dhammapada, you should be able to find it for free online. There are some sexy translations of the Pali Canon materials being published, "In the Buddha's Words", and the "Discourses of the Buddha" series.
>>301464
>How are rebirth and karma religious concepts?
The average Joe would define them as metaphysical. And secular Buddhists sure also do so.
>Why do Buddhists look down on workers and officials?
They don't. But Buddhism isn't here to let people become better cogs in the global capitalist system so that they can get more stuff, it is here to let people end suffering.
>Why are vows essential?
In most Mahayana schools the aim is to ultimately become a Perfectly Enlightened Buddha, which requires one to complete a Bodhisattva "career", which starts with a vow. So not doing that sort of breaks the whole Bodhisattva path thing.
>>301522
If he accepted the Dharma he'd be a Buddhist already. What the hell are you even tsaying?
>>301571
Why would that be? The person is just learning. It's impossible that a person should follow the Dharma forcefully, so why would it be bad?
A note about "bad", actually. I don't think anybody really considers Secular Buddhist and similar groups "bad". It's just that they're pretty much sabotaging their path simply because they're so close-minded. What is bad are people identifying as Buddhists and acting contrary to the teachings.
>>301616
>The average Joe would define them as metaphysical. And secular Buddhists sure also do so.
I didn't ask about the average Joe, I asked about what you, the person who spoke of them, define them as.
>They don't. But Buddhism isn't here to let people become better cogs in the global capitalist system so that they can get more stuff, it is here to let people end suffering.
But no to help workers suffer less? Is Buddhism pointless for the individual unless said individual reaches enlightenment or lives a monastic life?
>In most Mahayana schools the aim is to ultimately become a Perfectly Enlightened Buddha, which requires one to complete a Bodhisattva "career", which starts with a vow. So not doing that sort of breaks the whole Bodhisattva path thing.
So only Bodhisattva's count?
>>301634
>I didn't ask about the average Joe, I asked about what you, the person who spoke of them, define them as.
Ordinary realities.
>But no to help workers suffer less? Is Buddhism pointless for the individual unless said individual reaches enlightenment or lives a monastic life?
Why did you make this leap? A worker can suffer less without falling for the "more stuff/money = more happiness" meme (notice how this is in direct opposition to Buddhism in the first place). The Buddhist path brings happiness and benefit in and of itself, that is on the "inside" of the person. It doesn't bring happiness and benefit because it can have an effect on the "outside".
>So only Bodhisattva's count?
Count for what?
>>301676
>>So only Bodhisattva's count?
>Count for what?
As Buddhists, since they take the most vows and vows are essential to Buddhism.
>>301464
>Why do Buddhists look down on workers and officials? Why are vows essential?
We don't look down on anyone, most Buddhists are workers themselves. But humanity is in a state of disarray, and everyone who is burdened by the three poisons (greed, hatred and ignorance) is seen to be in a state of suffering. It's important to note that this definition would encompass Buddhists as well. The difference is that secular Buddhism and mindfulness therapy is sometimes advertised as a way to make more money, perform better at your job/whatever, which is a false way to happiness and a complete 180 from the original doctrine. You don't have to drop out of society to be a good Buddhist. But a student would look for ways to express the Dharma through their daily lives and work and use those circumstances to better understand the teaching, not use tiny parts of it for the main purpose to further themselves in directions that are essentially futile. The difference in intention is very important.
Vows are essential because they clarify and solidify your intentions for practicing. The absence of rules in Buddhism leave vows alone as the determining factor in regards to how you are choosing to behave, how you are going to practice. In Buddhism, it's the only way we communicate to ourselves and others who we want to be. The act of taking refuge in the Buddha (teacher), Dharma (teaching) and sangha (group) is what makes one a Buddhist. The main vows of good conduct and abstaining from harm are fairly straightforward and easy to do, then there are more esoteric ones such as the bodhisattva vows to aspire to surmount the insurmountable, and not leave the world behind until every being has been delivered. This is an impossible task but making that vow is a powerful way to clarify your resolve. Half-hearted practice leads to half-hearted results. Every serious practitioner knows the power of these nonsensical vows - it may be the only thing pulling you through an intense retreat.
>>301757
No. It's just that the Bodhisattva path is something and it has its own rules. The Theravada school does not focus on it at all.
I think that in most Mahayana countries, being anything other than a casual Buddhist means that you've taken Bodhisattva vows (though this might be different in Pure Land and certain Vajrayana schools). And I believe it's generally tantric practitioners that take the most vows if we make a count. There is no order of importance among Buddhists.
This anon >>301779 explained the vows well.
>>301860
>What are the religious aspects of karma and rebirth?
Clarify your question, because you already got your answer.
>>301860
The problem isn't that secular Buddhism is bad - although I've heard people call it a subversion of the Dharma - but why call it Buddhism if it doesn't involve components that are central to Buddhist doctrine? It arbitrarily picks preferable aspects that fit within the constraints of a particular worldview and implicitly patronizes the rest. This type of grasping and aversion is the root of selfish and unskilled behavior in Buddhist philosophy.
>>301885
If you're referring to >>301437
then it seems to be a case of miscommunication, through generalization. If by "secular" you simply meant "not monastic" then there is no "they" with a unified idea of what Buddhism is. The rest of the post deals with the topic as I too understand it, but it begins with lumping "secular Buddhists" together as one, so I, mistakenly perhaps, assumed it referred to a group with a unified idea, which in the case of Buddhism and secularism only seems to be possible if you categorize practitioners as religious and non-religious. I've seen a lot of posters refer to religious Buddhism as the only true Buddhism, as well. I'm a layperson of Buddhism, and therefore secular, with no religious understanding of Buddhism, nor blind belief in modern science, and with an understanding of karma and rebirth which is more in line with the rest of the post, which seems to lack religious aspects. Or am I mistaken in interpreting it as lacking religious aspects?
>>301344
>>301437
>>301779
I wouldn't say secular buddhism dismisses karma, but rather sees karma as a 'you reap what you sow' concept, the more positive your outlook and actions in life the happier things will be perceived by you, whereas if you do negative things or your outlook is negative, you'll find more negative things in your life as opposed to positive ones, which to me sounds like what karma is about, except without karmic energy. Rebirth I just can't believe in that frankly, it's not putting blind faith in science, it's just common sense to me.
>The difference is that secular Buddhism and mindfulness therapy is sometimes advertised as a way to make more money, perform better at your job/whatever
In my time looking into secular buddhism never have I seen it advertised or spoken about like that, people follow secular buddhism because they see in its ideas a way to be happier and more mindful
Vows seem kinda unnecessary to me, isn't at the end of the day daily practice what matters?
>>301962
You need to look up the ways these definitions are used before throwing questions or critique out there. We're talking about westernized neo-buddhism by folks like Stephen Batchelor, Sam Harris, and easy-to-digest MBCT packages, not lay Buddhism as opposed to monastic practice.
>>302027
>secular
>: not spiritual : of or relating to the physical world and not the spiritual world
>: not religious
>: of, relating to, or controlled by the government rather than by the church
>a : of or relating to the worldly or temporal <secular concerns>
>b : not overtly or specifically religious <secular music>
>c : not ecclesiastical or clerical <secular courts> <secular landowners>
>2
>: not bound by monastic vows or rules; specifically : of, relating to, or forming clergy not belonging to a religious order or congregation <a secular priest>
>>301962
That depends on how you see it I guess, since Buddhism is not religious in the sense of Abrahamic religions. For me any person that is serious about Buddhism and understands what practice entails is doing religious practice.
"Secular Buddhism" is a specific current in Western Buddhism that I'd loosely define as having a tendency to place a secular (in this case, based on science) and materialist understanding of the world first, and stick Buddhism to that. It's not about laymen and monks.
>>302044
Good job finding a dictionary, but there's a big continuous discussion about this stuff between Buddhist and non-buddhist figureheads and communities, almost every related website and newspaper has an article or two on it, not to mention several bestseller books on the subject, it's not too much to expect you to be aware of that.
It's like walking into a political discussion claiming you're a conservative because you're arguing in favor of food preservatives.
If you're asking about lay practice, a belief in rebirth is not a prerequisite to practice Buddha Dharma. There's even a Pali sutra that says as much.
>>302137
I don't know the extent of your practice so I can't answer that.
>>302137
>And when you say serious, you mean people who've taken vows?
It's simply about what place Buddhism occupies in your life.
>>302178
What places are serious?
>>302208
The place where you are.
>>302137
I think people who haven't taken the vows can be quite serious, it's something that shouldn't be taken lightly and refraining from doing so might be the right thing to do. I practiced for years before I started taking the vows.
>>302261
There might have been a slight confusion regarding definitions.
Secular Buddhism is a movement, it doesn't define the practice of laypeople. You can find info on it on google. We're not talking about lay practice as opposed to monastic.
Whether "religious Buddhism" (as in, Buddhism outside of Secular Buddhism, in other words the majority of Buddhist practice) involves religion or not is a semantics issue, it's not really important. It's not the 'opposite' of Secular Buddhism either since one designates a single movement while the other designates a great number of traditions and schools.
>>288405
Questions about this.
I understand there is all that white middle class kids converting to zen and doing all that shit.
But I've been looking into it and the non-deist forms of buddhism to be the most convincing and most in line with my current views.
Is there anything wrong with Zen itself? or are you just saying plenty of these "teachers" are just bullshit artists?
>>302261
I try my best to indulge you, it's just very common for critics to try to lure people like us into various metaphysical traps to discredit the religion. It's already inherently messy because core aspects of Buddhist doctrine barely pass under umbrella definitions of ahabramic religions that most people are used to, but should still be looked at as religious doctrine. And, looking at the book definition of secularism, secular currents within lay Buddhism are quite prevalent, but not the same as these westernized populist versions of the religion making the rounds in business and publications in the western world. I'm an active Zen Buddhist and sometimes it bothers me that Zen often gets lumped in with these latter movements, by people who have never been near a Zen center or Zendo and have no idea what goes on in there or how we formally practice.
>>302318
You might get a one-sided opinion from me but there's nothing wrong with Zen, it's an excellent angle into Buddhism. It's just that it's quite a different thing to listen to Alan watts recordings and call yourself Zen Buddhist because of some lazy "everything is Zen" interpretation and think you can do whatever you want. That started with the 50s-60s beatnik movement in the west and has little in common with Zen Buddhism as its practiced formally, and have been practiced for a thousand years. If you go to an actual center connected with the larger Sōtō or Rinzai sects, you're going to get a different impression. Most teachers and practitioners that I know of are helpful and good people, but we take practice seriously and there's little wiggle room for "bullshit artists".
>>302299
I'll make sure to ask next time I read "secular Buddhism".
>>302318
Different anon.
There is no "deist" Buddhism (well, maybe Amidism would count). As far as I know, no Zen teachers (at least, none before modern times) have said anything like "the whole metaphysics of it all is just bullshit maaaaan" and claimed that different planes of existence and the like were not real. That's one thing to keep in mind.
There's nothing wrong with Zen itself, it's just that it's probably the current that has been the most contaminated by modernity so it might not be very easy to find teachers that aren't bullshit artists as you put it. Due to its structure it also lends itself easily to misunderstanding. For example it is true that Zen doesn't put great emphasis on studying the sutras, yet people like Jinul or Dogen were very well-versed in that domain; they had to be because there would be no grounding in the Buddha's words in the first place otherwise. I don't really think people who claim they have no need to read any sutras whatsoever know what they're doing.
I believe that if you have some knowledge of what the Buddha actually taught, you can protect yourself from bullshit.
>>302515
It seems like the same, or similar trends also appear under the name "protestant Buddhism".
>>302534
Ah ok.
so you can't be a "proper buddhist" if you don't believe in reincarnation and these varying planes of existence?
>>302625
You can leave them to later discovery. I think a lot of people do that, and that it was a popular position in Zen. You can focus your practice in the frame of this current life, but not dismiss the existence of future lives either. Since the logic of present actions conditioning future existences holds the same regardless of actual physical births and deaths there's no real problem with this, IMO.
If you close yourself down to the teaching about rebirth (not reincarnation, stop pls) and associated teachings simply because you get rustled by them or just have an aversion towards them, that's a pretty bad start. Especially considering that rebirth has circumstantial evidence going for it, whereas eternalism or annihilationism have none.
Something about belief or faith should be mentioned here. This belief shouldn't be based on nothing, but on faith in the Buddha- as in, trusting that he was not bullshitting and wasting people's time by lying. This trust is then open to questioning and testing. The Buddha said that he could be trusted, but he did not want people to blindly believe in what he was saying either.
>>302700
Thanks for the information.
Sorry for citing reincarnation, I didn't realise it was a faux pas, I'm not the OP but have only recently started looking into buddhism.
>>302770
Don't worry about it, it's normal to not know the difference between the 2.
Since you say you've recently started looking into it, I suggest the books "The Foundations of Buddhism" (maybe you can find it on the net) and "In the Buddha's Words: an Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon". Whichever tradition you want to pursue, I believe that these 2 will be very helpful for beginners.
>>302819
Thanks again man, I'll be looking into both and then deciding I guess.
Also, just to check, the foundations of buddhism is by Rupert Gethin?
It's just a couple came up.
>>302884
That's the one.
Oh also, something about In the Buddha's Words: reading through it might take some time, if you find yourself unable to go very fast it's perfectly normal. If you're able to remember the main points of the suttas it's all good.
>>302819
Not the fella you're replying to, but I'm interested in Budhism and the texts--does the 'Foundations of Buddhism' book cover the differences in the various schools, and say which texts are canon to who? E.g the X sutras are part of the Y school's canon. I've got Bhikku Boddhi's book on my shelf to read--are the other books in the series worth reading also?
I'm not trying to become a Buddhist, but I enjoy the virtue of learning--Buddhism has a large corpus, and I believe there is much to be learned from it.
>>302986
Foundations covers different schools (though not in extreme detail), but I don't think it mentioned specifically what sutra is canon to whom. I think that for most Mahayana schools, all sutras (including the suttas of the Pali Canon, because most of these are found nearly identically in the Agamas) are canon. Theravada generally considers only the Pali Canon as canon.
If you specifically want to learn about questions of canon in different schools you'll probably have to find specialist books or papers on the subject, I guess.
>>302318
There's nothing inherently wrong with Zen, Chan or Seon, no. It's just that they have the best marketing in the West and attract a lot of those middle-class white kids and vaguely spiritual pseudo-Buddhist hippies. Just exercise your judgement and you'll be grand.
>>301558
>So a person who knows little or nothing about Buddhism should avoid asking about Buddhism until they know all about Buddhism?
they should practice and ask questions about the practice. reading suttras serves only to see how much you connect to them.
ok
>>301437
I have to be ethical? Sooo I can't manipulate people attain a desired social status, or embrace my Starbucks narcissism because I'm so special and obviously none of this should apply to me. I just want a cute guy with money is while maintaining the illusion of righteousness while being a tortured artist victim. What if I really like the drama?
>>306029
Hume vehemently opposes the view, held by philosophers before him (and after him), that to act morally is have a rational grasp of moral truths. He defends an instrumental conception of practical reason, according to which the role of reason is only to find out which means helps achieve a given goal. Reason (or the intellect) plays no part in determining the goals. Our goals are set exclusively by what Hume calls the passions and what today is most often called desires. Desires cannot be evaluated as true or false or as reasonable or unreasonable - they are "original existences" in our mind and arise from unknown natural causes. We cannot be criticized rationally for our desires (As Hume remarks, it is "not contrary to reason to prefer the destruction of the whole world to the scratching of my finger" (p 416)).
Reason is the slave of the passions in the sense that practical reason alone cannot give rise to moral motivation; it is altogether dependent on pre-existing desires that furnish motivational force. For Hume, this is not a fact we should lament (as moralists do) but a basic fact about our psychology.
buddhism is a fad on 4chan
>>306583
So is christposting though.
