Thread: Why Buddhist concept is peaceful?

The thing i find the most difficult is beleiving that these things apply to me. I meditate, I try to practice, but sooner or later i feel like i am some silly western yuppie pretending, that this stuff is really only meant for some robed monk sitting quietly on a hilltop. I try and try but i cant help but feel my basic lack of belief in my own ability to do this is holding me back. I believe the Buddhist way is the most peaceful but, i just wish i was a little better at it

Well, I look at it this way: what is perfection? Is perfection the rigid adherence to a form, or system, or set of rules? Or does 'perfection' come only with the understanding one's limitations?

Dundee, perhaps the fact that you are not 'better at it' IS what makes you good at it. I think that it is less the outcome that matters than it is the PROCESS that matters. The process involves trial and error, flying and falling down. I feel that my 'failures' and limitations are what teach me humility, understanding and compassion for the limits of others, humanity: and even in this I'm not anywhere even close to 'perfect'. I get angry. I sometimes place too much value on myself or my ideas. I always feel like I'm tipping to one side or the other, never in balance.

However, maybe that's what it's supposed to feel like. Maybe, ideally, in understanding our imbalances, in learning to appreciate and live with those imbalances, we learn to appreciate, understand and live with the imbalances of others.

Sometimes on a tightrope, the best way to go is just relax. It's when we're too rigid that we fall.

<div class='quotetop'></div>

Buddhism teaches about middle way, it's somewhere in the center where we are not too tense or too loose, for example, working, not too hard to halm the health and happiness, or doing nothing at all. Do the best with no greed, but being diligent.

That's it right there. Very nice description.

I think the problem is my impatience, I am waiting for some....i don't know, is it called an epiphany or something.

I know what you mean. I searched a long time for 'the answer', and while I haven't found THE answer ... I've found a lot of little answers that will do.

These days ... I have a kind of joke that I use at work: I call it 'Ken Zen', also known as Ken Doll Zen. I tell people that I aspire to be like a Ken Doll. Ken is perfect. He's always smiling. His plastic hair is always in place. He has great clothes, and pre-made friends: and he doesn't have a single thing in his head.

I tell people at work: Don't question. Don't wonder why. 'Why' means nothing. 'Why' isn't the question for people like us. We're 'do-ers', we get the job done. Our question isn't 'why' but 'how'. Somebody tells us to do something, we don't say 'Why', we say 'How soon do you want it?', 'How would you like it?' Those questions get the job done.

It's simplistic, but Ken Zen can be applied to life at large. I try not to wonder 'why', I just try to 'be', and get along with that. I'm going down the great river of life. I don't wonder why there are rapids, or rocks: I just wonder how to get through it.

Ken Zen is a joke, but there's some truth in there.

<div class='quotetop'></div>

Buddhism believes in no Gods

Not entirely so, Toniol...but I'll let it go at that.

Actually, if you're not into meditation at all just do the basic which are practising precepts and giving is enough, but when you realized those good things you feel happy, then pray that you wish to be in peace and happiness place as the destination.

Givings really results you to be in a supporting life condition wherever you go in the revolution. and precepts prevent us to go to the suffering places. and that also means after death of this life. and the pray is the guide to make us do better and better in each life. one life, we're gonna get up and meditate and like it.

Dundee, I have the same thing, impatience but at least we know what we have eh? I think that's one thing that make my mind not delicate enough to get in advance in meditation.

I can't do much giving things but I do like to give something that's not tangible for now. means i'm not ready for giving material but I do try to practise those simple precepts. especially the 4th one though, sometimes it just came out so quick but at least it didn't killl or injure anyone. hehehe

Now, my point is we are not perfect, but at least we can do something and don't forget to wish or pray.

In buddhism, prayers is one of important things too

Imagine when we do good things in these 10 ways, we have more of something that buddhism called Boonya (don't mixed up with the word called Banya* that means being smart or clever in both spiritual and living world).

Those 10 ways are

1. giving 2. practising precepts 3. being able to stop unneccessary desire 4. making ourselves have more banya(as the meaning of punya above*) 5. being diligent 6. being patient 7. keeping our words 8. wishing or praying for ourselves to do or be better 9. wishing and helping people who're suffering and 10. being fair

Boonya is one of the outputs of good acts we did. The outputs are the consequenceses and Boonya. A consequence can result right the way and or later (day, month, year, life). but one of the consequences is feeling happy after we did something good, that's because boonya is like water to wash away the dirt and heat, so it gives us the cool feeling in our minds. Those boonya can be multiple by number 8. for example we are happy that we are not making anyone suffering which is number 2. the we feel happy and boonya happen, so we pray from that goodness we wish to do better then we have 2 kinds of boonya. (which results us wherever we go in the revolution we have good looking and the pray leads us to practise more good things.)

1 to 10 I choose 1, 2, and 8 and I think it's good enough for me for now. the others i let it comes by itself

I like that a lot, about why and how true

tutu it is so, remember that buddhism in our history originated in india and it was phrahma which believe in prohma the creator and many other gods. But buddhism is break away from that concept as Buddha found that we all be along our consequences of our acts only, no god who can or wants to control our long journey because everyone and everything here are changing.

but a lot of buddhists nowaday got mixed up as the belief happened in belive-in-god region the culture of phrahm attaches with it and people just don't believe in themselves but asking for help from the greater power sources. here it goes, a lot of buddhists doesn't practise or understand much but think alike that buddha is a god so they just ask for things from buddha or famous monk statues.