a good post mike.. however you come across as a bit angry, arrogant and still claiming the human is at the top off the bean pole and we are the lucky ones
we are all one... reflect on this...animal vegetable human...all one.. you are picking and choosing...you are discriminating... we are what we are.....those who cannot be free as you say... we are still them as they are us.. reflect on this... next you'll be saying we are the chosen ones and you well know what that leads to i was going to take a break from this forum.... take an on line course at harvard university with michael sandel so i maybe i'll be bye bye for awhile take it easy and reflect on the beauty of all under this glorious sun cheers merle Merle, Edgar, Do yourselves a favour and educate yourselves on Buddhism before you make personal attacks and show yourselves to be ignoramuses. This is from dharma net.org and recounts Buddha's parable on being born human. 1 The Preciousness of Human Life Endowed with Freedom and Opportunity Preciousness of human life Buddha told a wonderful parable: Imagine, he said, an old blind turtle who lives in the bottom of the seven oceans and who surfaces once every century for air. Floating randomly around the seas there's a golden yoke. As often as the blind turtle at the bottom of the ocean happens to raise his head through the neck hole of the yoke when he comes up for his centenary breath, that's the likelihood of being born in the human life-form. Reflect on how rare your human birth is — for every human, how many billions of other life forms there on this earth. You weren't born an insect, a sardine. With such a rare opportunity, you really should appreciate what you have right now! You should reflect how wonderful our life form is of the human embodiment, our person. How lucky we are to have it endowed liberty and opportunity. What might this mean – “liberty”? What freedoms do you have — just by being a human — that you should cherish and take advantage of? Imagine you were born a rabbit, a life in which is continual reaction to the predator chasing you. Imagine a life as a tiger, running for your own food. If you have trouble with this, ask yourself: "If I were born a canary, I would not be able to..." As a human, you can pause and reflect on what your situation is and then use your intelligence to choose a path of action. Beyond the freedom which comes from being a human, what other liberties are you blessed with? Chances are if you are taking this lesson, contemplating practicing this path, you enjoy freedoms many other humans do not. Do you think “I have no time to develop my practice, I have no time to reflect, to meditate, to be mindful…?" Think about all the humans on this earth whose circumstances do not allow them to study the Dharma, develop a path of emancipation. Chances are if you are studying the four thoughts that turn the mind, you have the opportunity to practice them. Think of all the humans who lack this opportunity, people who are destitute, people enslaved economically, people enslaved politically, people who spend every moment of their lives and all their energies on survival. Spend some time and really appreciate the freedom and opportunity you are blessed with. Do you have enough to eat each day? Are you free from the fear of being displaced at any moment? Do you spend every moment of your life surviving, or do you have time read, meditate, take an Ashoka course? Now reflect on the rarity of being in a place and time where teachings and teachers are available to you from which you can choose a path that's right for you, that you can follow in the "free" time you have. Your precious opportunity also includes access to the teaching of freedom and enlightenment. Even with a precious human life, and even with a life that allows the opportunity of time to practice and reflect, reflect on how precious it is to have access to the teachings on personal transformation. Only a generation ago think how rare the opportunity to be exposed to the Dharma was, how few teachers were accessible, how few resources like Ashoka were available. Reflect on the rarity of being in a place and time where teachings and teachers are available to you from which you can choose a path that's right for you, that you can follow in the "free" time you have. Reflect on the preciousness of the qualities within you because you are a human: You have a mind that is capable of developing wisdom and compassion. You have a mind that that can distinguish right from wrong, a mind that can distinguish between that which causes suffering and should be abandoned and that which brings happiness and should be nourished. True freedom In many societies there's no notion of liberation or self-illumination or education, merely training for life as a hunter or a warrior or a computer programmer. The real teaching of freedom is very rare. While materialistic cultures have ideas like the pursuit of happiness, the fight for freedom, and the land of liberty, real liberty is completely inconceivable to us. The most important of the famous noble truths taught by the Buddha is the noble truth of freedom, which is the truth of nirvana. Contemplation of this noble truth of nirvana opens you up to the very idea that there is such a thing as freedom. Once you can imagine it, you feel a different sense about the meaning of your life. That you could be reliably, calmly, blissfully free, with absolutely nothing to compel you. No problems or suffering. This is unimaginable at first. Coming from a Protestant background if I even start to think about being free and happy, I unconsciously feel anxious, expecting someone to hit me or step on me. That's how we've been conditioned. You are a great being Have you been exposed to a religious tradition that begins with some huge putdown, that you must begin by seeing how there’s something wrong with you and you have to save yourself? Perhaps that God made you out of nothing and that you have to depend on some authority, some power for whatever, in desperation, you really need to be saved? The beginning of the path is so important, because until you really treasure yourself how can you truly develop a mind that seeks freedom? Human life is so precious. Sent from Yahoo! Mail for iPad ________________________________ From: [email protected] <[email protected]>; To: zen group <[email protected]>; Subject: Re: [Zen] Fwd: [evol-psych] News: Dream of regenerating human body parts gets a little closer Sent: Wed, Jun 26, 2013 2:56:26 AM Edgar, You bloody hypocrite! Three or four days ago I wrote a post casually mentioning that I see being human in less negative terms than Merle's more negative, cynical take. I mentioned that this is not just my opinion, but STANDARD BUDDHIST DOCTRINE that we are lucky to be born human so as to be exposed to the Dharma. What has followed from you and Merle not only shows both your utter ignorance of Buddhism, but also the most snide and low-brow attacks I've ever received on this forum (a member for close to 10 years). "Get real", "moronic", "delusional", "animal-trashing", "dense" are just a few examples. Merle, I'm beginning to suspect you have no real sincere desire to learn anything about Buddhism or Zen in particular. Who can forget your "Bullshit! Bullshit! Bullshit!" when informed there is no belief in a soul in Buddhism and your rant against Zen's 'no mind' as meaning you'd be "brain dead" without a mind? Talk about 'shoot the messenger'! And then you have the bare-faced cheek and audacity to claim one of my points as your own and ask if I "get it now?" (What it is to be truly human if one follows a spiritual path - when all you've done is rant about despising humans). How duplicitous! My post about being lucky to be born human is the same. IT IS WHAT BUDDHA TAUGHT. Do *you* "get it" now?? Edgar, Say what you like to me insult wise. I'm a big boy and as you can see I'll give more in return that hat I received, BUT to think you can insult and make snide remarks and then hide behind a smiley face is plain cowardice. And then to come on here and bleat about personal attacks and cleaning up the forum is simply nauseating. When it comes to Buddhism and Zen, you and Merle are dilettantes at best and trolls at worst. There, go moderate that... ; ) Mike Sent from Yahoo! Mail for iPad ________________________________ From: Edgar Owen <[email protected]>; To: <[email protected]>; Subject: Re: [Zen] Fwd: [evol-psych] News: Dream of regenerating human body parts gets a little closer Sent: Wed, Jun 26, 2013 12:42:39 AM All, I'm tempted, with Bill's assent, to put everyone on moderation and only allow posts that are really about Zen through and only those with no personal insults or flames... The group has greatly deteriorated recently and lost much of its direction and relevance... That seems to be why none of the many lurking members are posting and many are leaving... Edgar On Jun 25, 2013, at 7:55 PM, Joe wrote: >Edgar, > >OK. Email me them privately, then. ;-) > >But do let me know if people complain, or have complained against my posts, >specifically. If they have, or do, I may be able to adjust my tuning. > >Else, ban me, Bill!, and you. No regrets between friends. > >--Joe > >> Edgar Owen <edgarowen@...> wrote: >> >> Joe, >> >> You should know I can't give you their names without their permission. That >> would be unethical... >> >> Edgar > >
