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  • Unknown's avatar

    hardie karges 2:27 am on November 9, 2025 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Brahminism, , , , , , , karma, , , , predetermination,   

    Buddhism and the Conundrum of Change 

    Change is not a cause of suffering if things are getting better all the time. That’s the Buddha’s only conceptual mistake, and that’s what makes him so real. The Mahayanists tried to make him perfect, as some transcental manifestation should be, but the historical Buddha was first and foremost a real person with real-world problems, which he tried to renounce, of course. Some modern women take offense to the fact that he left his wife and child behind, but that must be seen within the context. They were well cared for.

    But his conceptual blunder, just like Einstein’s ‘cosmological constant’, Jesus’s birds with nests but no barns, and Plato’s perfect dictatorship, show his intrinsic humanity. Everything is subject to revision, and everything is subject to change, even concepts. That is a conceptual necessity, since it can never be proven one way of the other, anyway. But if life is predetermined, then there is no reason to act, either good or bad, and karma loses meaning. Change may appear to be a cause of suffering, if your high status is diminished, but that probably says more about superficial status than change itself.

    Christianity thrives on the optimism that change hopefully brings, of course, and the Buddha was certainly right to call BS on that, of course, even if Christianity as such didn’t exist at the time. Bhahmanism did, though, and there are very real similarities. Eternal life is a plaything of children, and we have better things to do, reincarnation ditto. This life and this world require nothing but kindness and compassion.

     
  • Unknown's avatar

    hardie karges 2:36 am on September 21, 2025 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , karma, , ,   

    Buddhism: Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Happiness 

    Live simply to simply live, because everything else is excess. That doesn’t mean that you should limit yourself necessarily, only that you be aware of the repercussions of your decisions. There is a price to pay when your cup ‘runneth over’, too. Nothing is free. If that sounds a lot like karma, that’s because it is, though we’re usually fed karma in its spring-loaded reactionary form, i.e. the effects of karma, actions, more than the actions themselves. It’s a matter of most Buddhist faiths that good actions yield good benefits and bad action the opposite. On that I think that we can all agree.

    But if that sounds natural, please be aware that Nature is not always right and good. For one thing, Nature can be extremely violent, while consciousness can be more easily pacified. This is exactly the realization of Buddhism, also. So, while we hold Nature up as a shining beacon of what can be accomplished, we also recognize that it is not the be-all and end-all. Consciousness is–almost. We should be so lucky that we could simply copy Nature and always come out ahead.

    Unfortunately, it’s not always that easy, but there are always rewards for good hard honest work. Fortunately, doing nothing is also a sacred privilege in this life in this world, so no one can take that away from you. Some of the finest things in this life would qualify as nothing in many people’s vocabulary. Be aware of every thought, sensation, and feeling that passes through consciousness, accepting all as valid, though none as truth, and that will be plenty for today or any day. Such is meditation.

     
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    hardie karges 4:31 am on July 27, 2025 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , karma, , , , , ,   

    Buddhism on the Installment Plan (with Quick Easy Payments) 

    If Science conquers Death, then Buddhism may be out of work, but I doubt it. Because, for all the rap about Buddhism being pessimistic, the truth is that it’s not; it’s realistic. Now, that may contrast sharply with the goo-goo eyed optimism of Sunday School Christianity (any denomination) and their doctrines of eternal life and passionate love, but it’s only being realistic—and rational. You’re going to die. Get over it. For an adult, that’s the starting point of any life equation. You’ve got x amount of years to produce y amount of children and z amount of money, so you better get started, because time’s wasting.

    Or not. Buddhism always allows for negation in any of its tetralemma style catuhskoti logic, so, if that’s negative, by definition, then so be it. Negation is often the only certainty, just as Emptiness is often the only Eternity. And that is why Buddhism is so often defined by its meditation, which is essentially doing nothing—creatively, watching thoughts come and go while breath counts the time and plays rhythm. But it’s only a partial renunciation, unlike the Jains’ total immersion, from which they seldom emerge. That’s the Middle Path, neither total leisure nor lack, buffet nor snack.

    Buddhism is so ‘right’ simply because it’s so simple. Avoid extremes and be nice; seek friends. Because that’s the heart of Buddhist ‘love’, metta, friendship. Ex-Christians try to soup it up by invoking ‘lovingkindness’, with Mary and babe at the breast, but really, it’s just friendship, non-possessive and cool, not hot, male or female, jewelry or not. Feel free to try it at home. It’s non-toxic. Or form a group. Some call it sangha. Others call it family. And don’t forget to wash your karma.

     
  • Unknown's avatar

    hardie karges 5:11 am on June 21, 2025 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , karma, kuti, , ,   

    Buddhism on the Installment Plan: the Gift is in the Giving… 

    Don’t worry about what you can get from this life and this world. Give all that you can give, before it is too late. Too many people see this life and this world as transactional, i.e. what do I get? But, if you’re Buddhist, then that is the wrong question to ask, and anything obtained in that way is fraught with great risk. Because giving is the path of righteousness and the foundation of karmic justice, that somehow some way you will be rewarded for your generosity, details to be left to future generations to determine, whether that is truly necessary or not.

    It’s not. The only thing that is important is the act of giving itself, regardless of whether the outcome bears fruit or not. Because if everyone gives from the bottom of their hearts, then the outcomes can only be good. This is not the jungle, and the laws of the jungle no longer apply. This is the law of the dharma, and the dharma dictates dana, giving, Possessions are loaded with contradictions, anyway, after all, and the rewards are subject to interpretation. If you can’t take them with you, then why bother with them?

    The devil is in the details, of course, as always, and it’s no different here. Because the act of possession is the great conundrum of modern existence: the more we get and spend and squirrel away, the more miserable we are somehow some way. The math just doesn’t add up and it likely never will. It’s the modern curse, the high price of buying a house, but I often wonder if that’s not a curse but a blessing. It does signify the end of freedom, after all. So, there’s that. It also opens up the possibilities of other lifestyles that just might offer substantial benefits. A kuti in a Thai Forest Temple cost me nothing—nice.

     
  • Unknown's avatar

    hardie karges 4:06 am on April 13, 2025 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , karma, , , superstition   

    Buddhism 101: You shouldn’t take more than you give… 

    Give more than you take, and the world will become a better place. It’s almost hard to believe that something so hard could really be so easy, but I tend to think that it’s true, and that’s how I try to live my life. Because, for one thing, it places high value on the concept of giving, regardless of the amount, and I think that’s important. But how much to give? That’s often a tricky question. So, it’s very easy just to simplify the equation. Just give more than you take.

    So, not only is that a net positive increase for the world, but it speaks to karma, also, and that’s one of the toughest concepts to tackle. But it shouldn’t be. Do good things. Karma means action, and samma kammanta means right actions. Nothing is more right and good than giving. That’s called dana. But how much is enough? Give more than you take. That’s plenty. And that’s good karma, so you will be rewarded, somehow some way, somewhere. That’s as far as my superstitions go.

     
  • Unknown's avatar

    hardie karges 4:46 am on January 26, 2025 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , , karma, , , , , , , , ,   

    Buddhism 202: True Love Can Save the Planet 

    The truest love is metta, friendship, without the burden of possession. That’s a hard sell to a teenager with a bone he’s trying to drive home, but it’s true nevertheless, for long-term or short, which is the proof of its purity. Powerful passions may produce plentiful babies, but without lovingkindness, most of those efforts will be largely lost before the high school graduation exercises, and that’s what’s important. Because we’re no longer the young planet that we once were, raw and untamed and unpopulated.

    Now the danger is over-population and the possibility that we might become victims of our own successes, as Global Warming would seem to suggest. So, a different attitude than constant growth is recommended for long-term survival. This means a more thoughtful and less cavalier attitude to our relationship with others, gentler and kinder, less aggressive and careless. If that overlooks the reality that sometimes Buddhism can be too passive, then so be it. The alternative is worse—uncontrolled aggression.

    That’s the reason that I became a Buddhist, to save myself, then save the world. That’s my motto and mantra that also sums up the transition from early self-centered Theravada Buddhism to later society-centered Mahayana Buddhism, not that such a generality explains much about either of them. But the motto and mantra still work, for me, at least. Be kind, first and foremost, and the world will become a kinder place in return. That’s karma.

     
  • Unknown's avatar

    hardie karges 5:00 am on October 20, 2024 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , evangelical, , , , karma, , , , , ,   

    Buddhism at the Checkout Lane: the Best Rebirth is Spiritual 

    Spiritual rebirth begins within. It should never end. Samsara is something different. Samsara literally means ‘the world,’ always did, though perhaps etymologically from a distant past word connoting ‘wandering,’ but who knows? Etymology is always a best guess. As far as we know, at the time of the Buddha the word meant ‘the world,’ as it does to this day in modern Nepali, the modern language closest to its Sanskrit roots. Hindi probably got tired of the debate, so adopted the Arabic word dunia for most ordinary usage.

    But Buddhists turned the world cyclical, and so that circularity came to represent samsara more than the other aspects of the world itself. And that circularity specifically refers to the concept of rebirth, heavily borrowed from the Hindu concept of reincarnation, but without the literal transfer of the physical body from one generation to the subsequent one. In fact, Buddhism goes to great lengths to explain away the conundrum of <“What is reborn?”> at the same time that they go to equally great lengths to explain exactly what is the nature of this self that we’re denying. It’s a mess.

    Bottom line: the Christians—the evangelical Christians, of all sects—may have beat us to the punch on this issue. Because their insistence on being born again in the spirit is not only in the Bible, in multiple quotations, you may hear it loud and long at any tent revival in the lower US south from participants both black and white, in their exaltation at surviving a ‘Long Dark Night of the Soul’ as originally described by the 16th century Spaniard St. John of the Cross (not Eckhart Tolle).

    There is scarce reference to rebirth in any Buddhist text, though the Brahmanist Hindus and especially Jains would likely have many if only they had bothered to write it down. But that’s another story. The important thing is that spiritual rebirth is a very beautiful thing and idea, whereas physical reincarnation or even sorta kinda almost maybe rebirth of consciousness in a random body is a leap of logic, not to mention dubious science. And to those who say you can’t just pick and choose this and that, from assorted religions, I respectfully respond, “Why not?” They all did. Embrace it.

     
  • Unknown's avatar

    hardie karges 4:11 am on July 6, 2024 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , , karma, , , , retribution, , ,   

    Buddhism 499: Revenge is not Sweet…   

    Retribution is not necessary. Equanimity is a path for all situations and all times. This is central to Buddhism, if not foundational. Because the foundations are mostly personal, but it’s implicit that once you’ve attained some level of release from your own suffering that you will contribute to do the same for the world. And while this may be more pronounced in the Mahayana tradition of Bodhisattvas, it also applies to all the rest, in substance, if not style. 

    That’s explicit in the tradition of dana, which Theravada Buddhism relies on for its everyday existence, since monks are forbidden to work, at least not in any official capacity. That’s for ‘householders.’ Monks are homeless, by design, making a mockery of the disdain in which we in the west typically hold them, our India relations elevating the concept to a high plain of spirituality as rishis or even maharishis in the Hindu tradition, or arahant in the Buddhist Theravadin tradition. 

    Even more important is ahimsa, non-violence, which holds true for all the India-based spiritual traditions. And while I’m sure their armies have had their own mistakes and misgivings over the years, at least give them the credit for not glorifying it or reveling in it. Because that’s what revenge and retribution imply, whether stated or not. Retribution is a function of karma, which you’ve brought on yourself, so no violence against others is either implied or intended. Stay cool. Don’t react, unless someone’s life is at stake. And, even then, don’t be proud of it. Be forgiving… 

     
    • jmoran66's avatar

      jmoran66 7:14 pm on July 6, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      That’s the roots of jai yen here in Thailand, I would think.

      • hardie karges's avatar

        hardie karges 12:01 am on July 7, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        Cool heart, yes…

  • Unknown's avatar

    hardie karges 5:28 am on May 12, 2024 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , , , , , karma, , , , ,   

    Buddhism in the Back Room: Doing Laundry to do Laundry… 

    Beware a path too easy, because it may be a false one. Maybe that goes without saying, but probably not, because most people assume that if they ever find an acceptable path in life, then hopefully it should at least be easy. And I get it, me too, but good luck finding that in real life, because real life is nothing if not a challenge. And Buddhism is no different. In fact, ease and benefit may be inversely proportional, i.e. the easier it is, the less benefit you’ll derive from it. Which almost seems too obvious, that you get what you work for, but sometimes it’s necessary to spell things out. 

    This goes to karma, of course, actions, and comes back around as a sort of fate, prescribed actions based on prior performance, anything but predetermined, even when that is what some people want in their religion above all else. Many people can see no reason to believe in a religion when it offers them nothing but freedom of choice. People want magic. Except when they want certainty. Don’t worry. When they know, you’ll know, and life will be nothing if not exciting in the process. 

    And isn’t that what most people want more than anything—excitement? Unfortunately, that is the case all too often. People are more desirous of drama than dharma, and who cares if the kids must figure out what’s right and wrong in their own free time and at their own limited initiative. But Buddhism is better than that. The Buddhist Five precepts are almost identical to the Christian’s second set of Five Commandments, everything except the alcohol. The first set of five are fundamentally Islamic. Then Buddhism only gets better: Emptiness, Consciousness, Kindness, and Goodness, the Four Nesses’ even nobler truth, IMHO. You heard it here first.  

     
  • Unknown's avatar

    hardie karges 3:09 am on April 28, 2024 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , , , , karma, , ,   

    Non-Violence: the Original and Noblest Truth of Buddhism…   

    ‘First do no harm,’ primum non nocere in Latin, is part of the Hippocratic Oath. It should also be part of the Buddhist Oath. Because nothing is more important, not really, than ahimsa, non-violence, even if it’s not part of the Four Noble Truths or even the Eightfold path, though it could easily be assumed in samma kammanta, samyak karmanta, i.e. right actions, so obvious is the connection. And that karmanta, of course, could also be translated as ‘good karma,’ so think of it that way if you prefer, since most people don’t know that the word karma literally means ‘actions,’ so make a note. 

    Yes, sometimes the simplest and most obvious things are the most important, whether they are ever written up that way or not. Because when the Dalai Lama says that his religion is kindness, that’s exactly what he means, non-violence, for starters, on a sliding scale ranging from sympathy to empathy. And if that sympathy gets you some basic non-violence, then high-style empathy should eventually get you some beginner-level enlightenment, at the least.  

    And from there you can dream of nirvana, if you’re ambitious, or just content yourself with a nice job and a nice family in a nice little town with an active city center and a price line that won’t break your budget. Because the details don’t really matter so much, once you’ve made your peace with the world. You can adapt it to your requirements or adapt yourself to its requirements, or you can Buddha-like split the difference and walk that meandering Middle Path in a sweet spot dialectical dance and reconciliation of opposites. I think you already know my choice. 

     
    • quantumpreceptor's avatar

      quantumpreceptor 3:40 am on May 1, 2024 Permalink | Reply

      I really like the picture one of your last lines left in my mind. “ in a sweet spot dialectical dance and reconciliation of opposites”
      I sometimes see more of a knife edge but I would rather dance and have fun.

      My take on no harm is found here:

      The Paramita of Meaningful Bahavior

      • hardie karges's avatar

        hardie karges 3:25 am on June 23, 2024 Permalink | Reply

        Nice. Thanks…

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