Re: [FairfieldLife] "Teacher-bashing" (was Re: Dope, or not?)

[Llundrub]

"Pedestals were invented by a very wise man who perceived the need in human consciousness to cast people down. This wise man realized that it would be impossible to cast people down unless you had put them up on something first. So he invented the pedestal, which is now employed on a regular basis. You put people on it so you can cast them down later. Indeed, he was a wise man." Unc ---Pretty. I love how when Mara asked Buddha to prove he was enlightened he touched the ground.      Touching the Earth Nov 00 One of the most beautiful images in Buddhist iconography is the "Earth Touching Buddha." This is a seated Buddha with the fingertips of his right hand gently touching the ground. After his enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, the Lord Buddha was challenged one last time by Mara, the Great Tempter. Mara claimed the earth as his own domain, and said that now the Buddha had transcended this realm and should leave it. In reply, the Buddha called the Earth to witness by touching the ground at which the Earth quaked in recognition of his right to be here. It has been noted by many commentators that all the significant episodes in the Buddha's life, his birth, enlightenment, key teachings and death all occurred out of doors, under trees. Likewise, the Buddha often advised his disciples to seek out lonely forest glades in which to meditate. To this day, in the East, those monks who specialize in meditation are called the "Forest Monks." From a more philosophical perspective there is no concept in Buddhism of the world having being created for our use, nor of humans having "dominion" over the animals. In the Buddhist teachings, animals are sentient beings in their own right, subject to suffering, birth and death just like us. If we think in this way, then ecological issues such as habitat preservation and protection of wildlife need not be phrased in terms of human concerns. Sometimes the argument is made, for instance, that the Amazon rain forest needs to be preserved because there may be undiscovered medicinal plants of great importance growing there. This may be true, but more to the point is that it is the natural home of many millions of living beings, including but not limited to, human ones. Buddhism has always had this profound connection with the natural world. There is in the tradition a deep recognition that humankind is an integrated part of nature. The free, wild places of the earth refresh, calm and vitalize the spirit. Who has not felt uplifted by a quiet walk in the woods? In contrast, much of the spirit of modern civilization is based on a separation and an alienation from nature. Much of our material culture is devoted to separating us from the living earth. Our great cities with all their comforts and conveniences can often be very alienating places, and the result of our insulation from nature is all too often spiritual and mental illness. It is almost too obvious to mention that there is a physical price to pay as well, in polluted air and water. http://my.tbaytel.net/arfh/torStar/earth.html   To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/   To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]   Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.