Venerable Thubten Dhondrub is a ordain monk from Australia who gives us some insight and thoughts about the mind and its potential. In this video he mentions that the source of suffering comes from within our mind. Yes there are many factors that can contribute to the suffering, but the mind is the main factor when we deal with suffering and happiness. In order to reach happiness, he mentions that we need to change or mind (thought process) so that we can eliminate the negative. The change should not just be a little change because only a little bit of suffering will be eliminated. Later on in the clip he asked a question is it possible to get rid of these disturbing thoughts? They do not go away completely he advised by the will eventually decline in their existence.
I love the demonstration that he presented at the end as well. He was shaking the cup of water to show how the water was being aggregated because of a factor, Dhondrub moving the water back and forth. When he set the cup down the water was able to settle, which shows that once we eliminate the factor that is aggravating us, the suffering, then we can be calm and happy.
This clip from the movie, Discovering Buddhism, related to the book Zen wrapped in karma dipped in chocolate, by Brad Warner, in a couple of ways. Warner mention that there are a lot of people in this world scamming and telling people that they can reach the state of enlightenment in just a few days which is absolute false. One of the scams he mention was, “according to one of these people, his trademarked technique will give you an authentic kensho or satoru experience in which you realize your True Nature just like Buddha did under the Bodhi Tree in a single half day session” (p.27). Enlightenment is not an overnight type of event, reaching enlightenment takes time. This passage related to my clip that I chose because in order to reach enlightenment your mind needs to be clear of all things negative. And just like enlightenment it takes time to learn to clear your mind from suffering and negative thoughts.
Many Americans think that there are shorts in everything that you do. Although this may be true in some cases, it is not that way all the time. Some things require actual time, effort and commitment. Some Americans I feel are oblivious to a certain extent on the time frame on being enlighten and think that its some fly by night thing that just come to you.
ReplyDeleteI liked the clip that you chose for this blog. I think it goes well with what we're reading in Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate. It's a shame that there is always someone out here that looks to scam other people. I liked how Brad Warner explained the two types of enlightenment in chapter 5 and how he said when referring to receiving enlightenment, "That doesn't mean that everything gets fixed forever...you still have to live, with all the hassles you had before...you just have a better idea about what it is you're living and how to deal with it.
ReplyDeleteI like how he talked about the mind being the source of suffering and happiness. You never hear people say this or even think like this. People here are stuck on physical or emotional suffering, and never consider changing the way they think about it. Of course your problems won't change just because you changed your state of mind, but you will learn to accept and deal with whatever problem life threw at you.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've learned previously and in my personal opinion, I definitely don't think that enlightenment is something that can be reached overnight, or even in a short time. Sometimes attaining enlightenment can end up being a lifelong process, and those that have been trying to reach this state still may be working for it until they reach old age. Also, I liked that you mentioned that in order to reach enlightenment, your mind needs to clear itself of negativity. Sometimes its hard not to be cynical and think negatively, especially when you're having a bad day and it feels like nothing in your life is going right. It gets difficult to see the good in the bad. I think that not many people are able to reach enlightenment for this very reason.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that impatience is necessarily an "American thing" but rather an aspect of human nature in general, especially this day in age. We are conditioned to believe that quicker is better - we have fast food, crash diets, and even an express lane at the grocery store. We expect everything to happen instantly and when things take a little longer, we are no longer interested. I am not surprised that religion has even become streamlined and "instant". It's interesting that "fast lane enlightenment" is being advertised when Buddhism is all about focusing on the present and taking life one moment at a time. Isn't that a little contradictory?
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