[Advayavada Study Plan – week 30] Human beings are essentially prone to existential suffering (see week 29) because they wrongly strive after and try to hold on to things, concepts and situations which they believe to be permanent, but are not. Their mistaken view of things is produced by a thirst, craving or clinging (tanha in Pali, trishna in Sanskrit) which is in turn caused by their fundamental ignorance (avijja in Pali, avidya in Sanskrit) or disbelief of the true nature of existence, particularly the changeability of everything (see week 27) and the selflessness and emptiness of all things (see week 28). This thirst, craving or clinging, which is the second noble truth of Buddhism, can moreover easily take on a more unwholesome form: already as sensuous desire, ill-will, laziness, impatience or distrust will it seriously hinder the individual’s efforts to better his or her circumstances, as well as contaminate the efforts of others to improve theirs. (from advayavada.org/#plan)
When Buddha was on his death bed he noticed his young disciple Anan was weeping. ‘Why are you weeping, Anan?’ he asked.
‘Because the light of the world is about to be extinguished and we will be in darkness.’
The Buddha summoned up all his remaining energy and spoke what were to be his final words on earth: ‘Anan, Anan, be a light unto yourself.’
~The Pali Canon~
The sage has no mind of his own.
He is aware of the needs of others.
He is good to people who are good.
He is also good to people who are not good.
Because Virtue is goodness.
Has faith in people who are faithful.
And also in people who are not faithful.
Because Virtue is faithfulness.
The sage is shy and humble –
to the world he seems confusing.
Others look to him and listen.
He behaves like a little child.
~ Lao Tzu ~
Tao Te Ching, Chapter 49
Source: Tao & Zen
“All things, material and spiritual, originate from one Source and are related as if they were one family. The past, present, and future are all contained in the life force (気, ki). The Universe emerged and developed from one Source, and we evolved through the optimal process of unification and harmonization.”
Japanese founder of Aikido
Source: Tao & Zen
[Advayavada Study Plan – week 29] Dukkha (Pali) or duhkha (Sanskrit) means suffering, sorrow, dissatisfaction, frustration, anxiety, or stress; the ubiquity of suffering is the third of the three, in Advayavada Buddhism, four signs or marks or basic facts of being, the other three being the impermanence or changeability of everything (see week 27), the selflessness and emptiness of all things (see week 28), and evolution or, in human terms, progress. Suffering is also the first of the four noble truths of Buddhism, which, in Advayavada Buddhism, does not include emotional grief nor physical pain, and is, above all, not seen as a permanent feature of reality; it is chiefly understood as the existential distress and distrust of life non-liberated human beings are prone to, and which is essentially caused by the unhealthy and socially infectious feeling that reality does not conform to their desires and mistaken expectations. The unremitting persistency of human distress, alienation and conflict is undeniably due to the very many everywhere not knowing or not understanding or simply disbelieving the true nature of existence. (from advayavada.org/#plan)
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[Advayavada Study Plan – week 28] Anatta (Pali) or anatman (Sanskrit) means no-self. The Buddhist anatta or anatmata doctrine teaches that no imperishable soul, spirit or self exists in the person in the sense of a permanent, eternal, integral, and independent substance. In Mahayana Buddhism, the nissvabhava doctrine teaches further that in fact all things without exception are empty (shunya) of self-nature (svabhava); svabhava-shunyata (lit. self-nature emptiness) is a central notion in Madhyamaka philosophy. In Advayavada Buddhism, the selflessness of all existents is one of the four signs or marks or basic facts of being, the other three being the impermanence or changeability of everything (see week 27), the ubiquity of existential suffering, and evolution or, in human terms, progress. (from advayavada.org/#plan)