Buddhist discourse on happiness

[Guest guest]

, Greg Goode <goode@D...> wrote:

> From the -Mahamangala Sutta (Suttanipata 1)

>

> Discourse on Happiness

 

Mmmmm, Greg.... thanks for sharing this with us.

Inspiring as always, a real morsel (Hope gator liked it too).

 

Love,

 

Amanda.

[Guest guest]

Greg wrote:

>Nice to hear from you!! How are you doing?

>Who's gator? Did he eat the morsel?

 

 

Hi Greg,

 

Very nice to hear from you again, as always.

 

I am well, have collected some more stories.

 

Gators are very cool animals, let's just hope this one doesn't bite too hard.

 

I have to add to the discourse,

which only now come to mind after having

reflected on them some more (and shed a tear

or two b/c of their beauty :

The advice on how to live a good life that is

stated in the discourse on happiness, may

perhaps, to someone following a strict

advaita path, seem elaborate, conservative,

perhaps even unnessecary.

 

But as you already have discussed, that

mantra and prayer beads and

japa in general appeals to different ppl

according to temperament, personal background

etc, guidelines for living like these may

appeal to some. These are just some reflections on that:

 

I must admit that these down to earth

yet far from simple to achieve happinesses,

do represent a personal ideal. Not because

seen from outside, if you achieve to gain all these happinesses, you might

perhaps be called

"sucessful in life", but because to me these

ideals represent a harmonious and peaceful inner life,

which is something I feel is absolutely worthwhile to

try and practice.

 

As something of a closet Buddhist, with

very little knowledge of the Dharma, it is always

a good opportunity to read the little morsels you

share with us.

 

Thank you again.

 

Love,

 

Amanda.

 

 

 

 

Angelfire for your free web-based e-mail. http://www.angelfire.com

[Guest guest]

Hi Amanda,

 

Yes, I hope you and gator don't bite each other too hard. Though I've

never seen you bite hard at all!

 

Your insights about these Buddhist advices on happiness vis-a-vis Advaita

adherents are right on the money. As recommendations, they can be

perceived as too strict, too bossy, like you said, too elaborate and

conservative. Some might say that they reinforce the ego, etc. This

charge seems like a peculiarly modern phenomenon. Nowadays, people hear

about "everything is consciousness" who have never been inside a religious

building, and never done a mantra.

 

Originally, nondual teachings were given under the presupposition that the

person had been doing regular practices like the Buddhist discourse for

years and years. Therefore, the Buddhist discourse would have been no

surprise. This is because in the cultures where they arose, Advaita and

the emtpiness teachings of Buddhism, like Kabbala, were "secret" teachings.

This meant that the teachings were given only to the people who practiced

the orthodox parts of the religion for a long time. Examples: In Kabbala

it is sometimes said , "the student must be a married, 40 years old, with a

bellyful of Torah." Advaita for example - I once had to take a written

exam from an Indian teacher, in order to begin a study of Vedanta. It was

two pages of single-spaced questions - including what devotional practices

I'd done in any tradition, how I get along with my parents, neighbors, and

what charities I donate to. In Tibetan Buddhism it is sometimes said that

emptiness teachings should never be given to anyone "unless the mere

mention of the word 'emptiness' makes them break out in tears of joy."

 

But these days, all the non-dual teachings are an "open secret," available

on Amazon.com and in Barnes & Noble, along with capuchino. Open because

the books are right there on the shelf. Secret because the teachings don't

appeal to everyone, and even if they do appeal, they are often used for

other reasons, such as to achieve one's personal goals or to generally make

one's life more pleasant.

 

I agree with you - these Buddhist recommendations are very down-to-earth,

very difficult, and very worthwhile, whether one prefers a dual or a

non-dual metaphysic. They are actually much more powerfully transformative

for a pleasant life than a library full of non-dual philosophy/psychology

books!!

 

Much love to you and the guy with the big teeth and the soft heart!

 

--Greg

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/16/00 2:30:42 PM Pacific Daylight Time, goode

writes:

 

<<

Originally, nondual teachings were given under the presupposition that the

person had been doing regular practices like the Buddhist discourse for

years and years. Therefore, the Buddhist discourse would have been no

surprise. This is because in the cultures where they arose, Advaita and

the emtpiness teachings of Buddhism, like Kabbala, were "secret" teachings.

This meant that the teachings were given only to the people who practiced

the orthodox parts of the religion for a long time >>

 

 

l appreciated your discourse on this, Greg, as it meshes with what l've

long suspected. The current age is a time of both unprecedented opportunity

where ancient teachings are concerned, but also one of great confusion, as

people are getting bits of teachings for which they lack both context and

sufficient preparation. Over the years l've heard so many aspirants repeat

nondual concepts like mantras, when it was clear that this was not coming

from a place of true understanding or experience but instead was more likely

to be in the service of spiritual bypass.

lt sounds like the lndian

teacher to whom you refer had strong feelings about this and that his

background questions were one way of weeding out those who were unprepared,

altho, of course, there are always exceptional students who break the mold.

 

love,

jerry