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  • Unknown's avatar

    hardie karges 1:05 am on March 8, 2026 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Jung Freud, , language, ,   

    Buddhism and Karma Lite  

    Good karma is more than a healthy bank balance. It involves a healthy dose of kindness and compassion, too. Because karma is not transactional. Karma is relational. It is about the way that things are related more than any scorecard or final reckoning. It is like the special sauce that makes anything taste good that has the good fortune to lie beneath it in a pile of randomly ordered circumstances that happen to occur in succession in a well-ordered life. 

    But nothing is random, not really. And I don’t mean past-life karma coming back to enact revenge on the present. No, I just mean that there are always Freudian slips and Jungian archetypes that hover slightly in the background of consciousness that betray all efforts of anonymity and even-handedness when confronted with the necessities of justice and equanimity. ‘Karma’ is our work and our efforts, and so ‘good karma’ the best of these in a world of obscure causes and consequences.   

    But so much or our work never escapes the confines of our own consciousness and consequences, and therein lies the depth charge that keeps giving, for better or worse, modern reactions to previous interactions. It is all a question of balance. If extremes are avoided and conciliation invested, then results will likely be salutary, if not today, then tomorrow. In short: do good things and you will have a good life. Do bad things and you will have a bad life, most likely. Keeping score is not necessary. You will know it by how it feels.   

     
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    hardie karges 6:37 pm on March 6, 2026 Permalink | Reply
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    Buddha Talk: Buddhism and the True Cost of Freedom 

     
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    hardie karges 7:49 pm on March 5, 2026 Permalink | Reply
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    Buddha Talk: Buddhism and Non-Duality 

     
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    hardie karges 6:17 pm on March 2, 2026 Permalink | Reply
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    Buddha Talk #0: Emptiness 

    You can have infinity, i.e. endlessness, with no boundaries, but it’s empty. Or you can have things, but only a limited number of them. You can’t have both. Infinite stuff is a fool’s dream. But that’s exactly what many Christians believe, or buy into, I should say. Because it ties directly into the capitalism that accompanies so much Christianity, especially the Protestant sort, which by no accident came into existence at almost exactly the same time as capitalism, maybe even preceding it by a bit, thereby giving the lie to any idea of mutual causation, in fact maybe a direct cause. 

    And many of those Christian values get carried into Buddhism by the same Christians who gave up their worldly ambitions in the process, at the same time that they cast piercing glances at the senior monks over the status of women in the ranks of the ordained. The meaning of the hallowed Buddhist concept of ‘Emptiness’, i.e. ‘shunyata’, is also up for grabs. Because, while shunya is the Sanskrit word for ‘zero’ and dates from right around the same time as the invention of the zero (yes), and may very well have originally been a philosophical concept long before becoming a mathematical one, that doesn’t stop certain westerners from frowning upon the concept. 

    Because ‘Emptiness’ has a very negative, and strong, Western psychological connotation as the cause of depression and unhappiness, this in a culture that rewards engagement above all else. I see it every day as a digital creator on social media, with no seeming recognition that such engagement is exactly what drives many people away from such media. Apparently driving sales is more important. So, I let many comments go unanswered, not because I agree or disagree with the viewpoint expressed, but simply because that uncertainty is fine, and often not worth fanning the flames of dispute, since the only certainty is negation. Then there’s spiritual bypassing, but that’s for another day. Be kind.

     
  • Unknown's avatar

    hardie karges 1:28 am on March 1, 2026 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , , , language, , Nichiren, ,   

    Buddhism and Suffering, More or Less… 

    I find it mildly humorous how western Buddhists, many of them famous, constantly try to redefine the Sanskrit term ‘dukkha’ as something less than full-fledge ‘suffering’, as if the Buddha would bother creating a new philosophy or religion just to say “Sometimes there is a spot of bother,” haha. No, he pretty much articulated that the four prime instances of suffering are none other than birth, old age, sickness, and death, in no certain order, but generally agreed upon by all sects and schools of Buddhism. 

    All of which would generate nothing much more than a tired ‘duh’, if it weren’t for the birth inclusion, which might raise some eyebrows from Western Christian-like disciples, for whom birth is truly a miracle. And I might agree with that, but maybe for a slightly different reason. Because, I don’t merely believe that birth is a miracle, but that all life is indeed a miracle, especially intelligent (!?) life, and to which I would add any and all ‘stuff’, too, except that the only clue that stuff indeed exists is by the perceptions of those self-same humans, i.e. intelligent life, and their invention of language with which to define it.  

    From there the ruminations on suffering diversify according to the source, including causes such as change as articulated by the Buddha himself (to which I sometimes disagree, to allow for good changes), and others such as “suffering due to separation from loved ones, suffering from being with those we hate, the suffering of not getting what we desire, and lastly, the suffering which arises from the five components which constitute our bodies and minds.”  

    Those last are articulated by the Singapore Nichiren disciples that I confess to knowing little about, and whose conclusions are questionable to me, such as the equation of Enlightenment with Nirvana, and whose inclusion of hellish realms with ‘Hinayana’ seems just incorrect. Yes, I have an MA in Buddhist Studies. But the equation of the ancient Sanskrit word ‘dukkha’ with suffering is certain with the Thai, Lao, and Khmer languages, and in Hindi and Nepalese it’s ‘dukkhee’ or ‘dukkhad’ and means something more like ‘sad’ or ‘unhappy’, so still definitely more than simple dissatisfaction. Birth notwithstanding, old age, sickness, and death, with no recourse, certainly qualify as suffering, so we must deal with that. That is our mission, the cessation of suffering, or at least a healthy reduction.

     
  • Unknown's avatar

    hardie karges 5:05 pm on February 26, 2026 Permalink | Reply
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    Buddha Talk: the Sounds of Silence… 

    Sometimes silence is the best way to celebrate. Not that celebration is necessary, ever, for any reason, but if it is desired, for some reason, then silence is not a bad way to go about it. Because our lives in this world have advanced beyond the simple survival of the individual and by extension the species, to the point where we are at the point of destroying everything we’ve accomplished by the fact that we have over-produced and over-reproduced.  

    Our individual lives are no longer in imminent danger. But the lives of the species are in terrible danger. And the well-being of the individual is similarly impacted, if no longer in immediate danger of destruction. Still, we have been very successful over the course of our existence, and if that calls for celebration, then let it be silent. Because silence is Buddhism’s secret weapon, best seen in the practice of meditation. And if we need to celebrate in order to propagate, then let it be here, in silence, not in the screaming of flesh. 

    The path is not always straight or easy. It often seems to go in circles. Patience is the key that unlocks the door to freedom. But this is not an absolute freedom in the Western sense, the freedom to do this and that. That’s a boy’s dream. Girls have responsibilities to fate and the future. That requires discipline and diligence, karma in the truest sense of actions and reactions. That requires little or no flash or flare, just dedication to the cause of righteousness–truth, beauty, and goodness. That is the Middle Path.

     
  • Unknown's avatar

    hardie karges 2:19 am on February 15, 2026 Permalink | Reply
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    Buddhism 103: The Best Meditation Requires no App…  

    Only silence can solve the problems caused by language. But this is a difficult reality for many people, especially Westerners, to accept. After all, our psychological method is basically ‘talk therapy’, wherein somehow the words all fall into position in a way that makes sense and provides meaning for the patient, i.e. listener. Within the Buddhist tradition, I’ve only had ‘guided meditation’ from western lamas in the Tibetan/Vajrayana tradition.  

    In my own Theravada Buddhist tradition, I’ve never had, nor even heard of such ‘guided meditation’, though I wouldn’t be surprised to find that in the English language and specifically intended for a Western audience. Because this is a fundamental distinction between East and West. There are few, if any psychologists or psychiatrists in most Asian countries, and I would only expect to see those few for Western clients. If that sounds inconclusive, then go to an Asian bookstore and find the psychology section, if they have one. So, you’re thinking, maybe, ‘I’m Okay, You’re Okay’?  

    It’s probably more like ‘How to Make Money without Really Trying.” This is why I suspect that many psychologists have problems with Buddhism, and vice versa, hence the term ‘spiritual by-passing.’ They don’t use that term with Christianity, or any other religion, all of which are far more ‘religious’. Westerners love engagement. That’s why Mark Z pushes it constantly, and why many people leave Facebook eventually. I guess it pays off for him, but other lessons are more valuable to learn. Welcome to Buddhism—and silence. 

     
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    hardie karges 2:13 am on February 8, 2026 Permalink | Reply
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    Buddhism and the True Cost of Freedom  

    None of us is truly free. We are all truly connected. But we sometimes value this ideal of freedom more than life itself, as if having a child were more of a burden than a blessing, as if having a car were more important than having a home. But if any one of us were to truly experience this blessed freedom, then we probably wouldn’t really want it. We worship the idea of freedom, not the thing itself. But this is a hard lesson for a red-blooded American, we of the ‘warrior ethos’ and the mid-morning coffee break. 

    So, when we want a healthy dose of that much-vaunted freedom, we ‘go driving’ with the top down, preferably, and foot to the floor, definitely, heads out the window, like dogs with dark glasses and tongue lapping lips. Meanwhile, the Europeans look skeptical and all for good reason. Because it’s not sustainable, that’s why. It’s the same old myth of abundance, wherein not only do we want our own healthy dose of infinity, but we want it filled to overflowing with our own stuff, whether it be physical things or memorable experiences.  

    And memories are one of the most cruel tricks of possession, because then and there we categorize our experiences for safe keeping according to size and shape, use and abuse. But those are just dead forms and figures, with little application to today’s needs. We put them on walls and pedestals, adjusted for height and shape. But nothing really works, and any salutary effect is very short-lived. The freest person on this earth is that orange-robed monk walking nowhere fast and dedicated to making it last.  

     
    • jmoran66's avatar

      jmoran66 6:02 am on February 8, 2026 Permalink | Reply

      As an ex-American. I can relate to this mindset. Thankfully, I got out of there and am in a place where, through practice, I have been able to move beyond that way of thinking. I am in Thailand.

    • hardie karges's avatar

      hardie karges 5:26 pm on February 8, 2026 Permalink | Reply

      Good choice. I was there for a long time myself, mostly up north, around Chiang Rai. Where are you?

      • jmoran66's avatar

        jmoran66 5:55 am on February 10, 2026 Permalink | Reply

        I’m in Bangkok. Been here for years, now. Over time, I’ve come to see it as fertile ground for practice, in it’s own way. It took a while to grasp that, however.

    • hardie karges's avatar

      hardie karges 5:28 pm on February 10, 2026 Permalink | Reply

      Yes I didn’t like Bangkok much at first but gradually warmed up to it. I might visit again, hoping to do a video series on monks and temples in SE Asia. Stay tuned. Thank you for your comments.

  • Unknown's avatar

    hardie karges 4:11 am on January 24, 2026 Permalink | Reply
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    Buddhism and Non-Duality…  

    If Buddhism acknowledges no soul, then there should be fewer ‘dark nights of the soul’, and more sunshine and happiness. But it doesn’t always work that way, of course. Because dark nights of the soul are a good metaphor for something that probably has its basis elsewhere, and very possibly in our languages themselves, though it might be hard to know what is cause and what is effect, since all Indo-European languages are constructed similarly, no surprise, and so all have a certain amount of duality built in.  

    Now, I’ve never called myself a ‘non-dualist’ before, but not because I thought there was nothing there to discuss, but just because I thought that there was maybe not as much as most ‘non-dualists’ were implying. Because if non-duality specifically states that there is no separation between Atman (soul) and Brahman (ultimate reality), as Hinduism clearly states, then Buddhism dealt with that issue long ago by simply denying the existence of any soul, much less the cosmic one that classic Hinduism favors.  

    But the dualism of language persists, in which subjects do all kinds of things to objects which modern linguists and literary editors have no apologies for. Nothing happens by accident or without an actor acting upon a subject, passive voice be damned. A book written in English language passive voice will not be published in the USA, no matter how accurate or convincing. But Hindi is much more open to that phenomenon of language, so is Spanish, and presumably others.  

    So, we English speakers are the victims of our own critical thinking, which causes us so many problems of guilt by association with events over which we have no control. But if we insist that nothing happens by accident, then there we hang in the chasm of uncertainty, which is largely of our own creation, in that we create and mold our language to certain styles and norms. There lies much of the dark night of the soul. That’s why meditation is so helpful in reducing the inequities of language.  

     
  • Unknown's avatar

    hardie karges 4:51 am on January 18, 2026 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , language, Mark Z, , , , Walk for Peace   

    Buddhists Walk, not Run, for Peace, not President…  

    Good things come to those who wait. Instant gratification is cheap, but unfulfilling. Time is the special sauce that adds flavor. And while it’s not something that the Buddha necessarily talked about, I think it goes well with the general thrust of Buddhism, which is essentially a non-thrust. Western action is heavily reactive, leaving no action unanswered, as I hear Mark Z exhort every day: “Engage, engage, engage,” as if social media were like going blindly into an empty void and people have to be reminded to say something to that best friend that they haven’t seen in years. 

    Apparently, Mark Z has yet to get the word that people leave Facebook just to get away from the toxic level of aggressive behavior that often passes for engagement. Back to the point of the post: maybe if people weren’t so quick to engage, then maybe everybody would be happier for a few more minutes of each day. Those minutes add up and, if nurtured carefully, can make the difference between a bad life and a good one. 

    If the monks that Walk for Peace accomplish nothing else, then they get the message out for mindfulness and meditation, that action is more important than reaction, especially when that action is a good one. I doubt that the Buddha ever talked about awareness of breath, but that’s what the monks talk about. That’s not Buddhism; that’s Vipassana meditation, so close enough, I guess. The important thing is that it’s non-reactive. Karma is about actions, not reactions. If you have nothing good to give, then SFTU. Again, the Buddha never said that, but someone did.  

     

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