quintus's Comments (40)

“Actually, Buddhism doesn't believe in death either. For sentient beings generally, the physical body dies, but their subtle consciousness does not. This goes on from lifetime to lifetime. These beings are still subject to the laws of cause and effect, as well as suffering in subsequent future lives.

In the case of one who attains enlightenment (like the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni), suffering and the karma that gives rise to it cease forever.”

“This is a big problem. Americans, for the most part (or at least the ones I know) are largely ignorant about socialism and especially how it is working currently around the world.

Conservatives simply see it as more government interference in their lives (their irrational fear of "losing" their freedom) which translates as onerous restrictions of all kinds and a mechanism whereby their hard earned money is "unfairly" taxed ("Why do I have to pay ANY taxes?") and "given" to those who have been simply too lazy or too stupid to make their own bundle of cash. For those who are drowning (and that includes a lot of hard-working blue and white collar workers), well, that's simply not their concern, i.e., let 'em drown.”

“I think you're right on! Excellent post. Thank you.”

“Yes, the source, really, of many who are dissatisfied with the pace of change is unrealistic expectations, which came about after the catastrophe of 8 years of Bush/Cheney.”

“I agree with you. I think it reflects a deeper look than many are doing right now.

The idea of democracy is about the promise of collective decision-making about collective action for a common good. Conservatives, on the other hand, only recognize individual goods, so, one could say that they are actually pushing America into being less democratic!

It's the difference between Jefferson and Madison. Madison distrusted the common man and the power of a central government. The result, and you see it clearly today, is a culture of individualism that emphasizes a pursuit of self-interest vs. a common good.

Those in the GOP align themselves more with Madison and basically want to be left alone (no regulations) to make a huge pile of money with no responsibility or obligation to the common good.”

“So, you see no difference, then, between Bush and Obama?

As for "thinking for yourself," this is not a trait conservatives (especially those following people like Beck, Bachmann, Limbaugh, etc.) have learned to do.”

“Joe would appear to be the rarest of birds in the GOP these days: a reasonable moderate shorn of rancor, propaganda, and lies. At least in this post. He seems to recognize and acknowledge the damage that bitter partisanship is having on the country.

Many elected officials quickly seem to forget (if they were ever clear about it at the outset) that they were elected to represent the people, not K Street, not Wall Street, etc.

In other words, whatever happened to working for the good of the country?”

“Everyone should see Michael Moore's film, which I saw tonight. Republicans and Democrats are both implicated. Wall Street has a lot to do with our present situation. It's compelling stuff.”

“Yes, blaring, foul-smelling contradiction.

Dems, for the most part, simply fail to stand up and fight for what they supposedly believe in. As for how they deal with the Repugs: sad and pathetic. What gene are they missing?”

“You like what you have now? You think the system is fine?

What are Republicans offering besides misinformation, outrageous lies, and fear mongering? They're not interested in bipartisanship. Their allegiance is to the insurance companies, big pharma, etc.”

“These guys are so far removed from anything resembling human values. They are monsters who have lost themselves in a worldview that enthusiastically embraces this stuff.”

“I'm with you 100% on this one, Moshe. And pretty much sent President Obama the same sentiments in an email.”

“Samuel Johnson on hope and disappointment:

"The excesses of hope must be expiated by pain; and expectations improperly indulged, must end in disappointment. If it be asked, what is the improper expectation which it is dangerous to indulge, experience will quickly answer, that it is such expectation raised as is dictated not by reason, but by desire; expectations raised, not by the common occurrences of life, but by the wants of the expectant; an expectation that requires the common course of things to be changed, and the general rules of action to be broken."
Johnson: Letter to Baretti (June 10, 1761)

The problem for many Obama supporters is that their expectations were "dictated not reason, but by desire." Ultimately, it isn't up to Obama to make all our progressive dreams come true; it's up to us.”

“Excuse me, but I beg to differ. Buddhism is definitely NOT a "crystalized" form of Hinduism! Your comment reveals you to be largely ignorant of Buddhism and it's relationship with Hinduism.

For example, the Four Noble Truths, a core Buddhist teaching, does not exist in Hinduism nor did it derive from Hinduism. This teaching addresses the fact of suffering and ultimately, the path to the cessation of suffering. Such a cessation of suffering can not be attained without a non-conceptual realization of emptiness (or dependent arising). The concept of emptiness (as well as a path to it's realization) is unique to Buddhism.

Buddhism does not derive from Hinduism, though they do hold some beliefs in common, for example, reincarnation.”

“Excellent post, Ed. Most Americans think of America as a "Christian" nation living "Christian" values, but we are a nation of many faiths, Buddhism being one of them. As you demonstrate, Buddhism has much to offer us. It was edifying and insightful of you to look at Michelle's being in the world through Buddhist lenses.”

“It is clear that for some within the GOP nothing has changed at all. These individuals are not interested in finding common ground or showing mutual respect. On the contrary! Their modus operandi will continue unabated, if not escalate during President Obama's time in office. They will pursue the same hate-filled divisive tactics that were more than evident during the campaign. None of these individuals have any intention of buying into Obama's vision of a "united" states of America because they suffer from terminal cynicism. These are hopelessly selfish people who can not envision something greater than their own greedy self-interest.

Thank you, Peter Yarrow, for speaking out on this issue. I agree; Saltzman has no business being considered for the head of the RNC. But this is the GOP we're talking about here, so perhaps he is the perfect candidate for this post?”

“Having trained with Buddhist masters, as you call them, you have no doubt had teachings on the emptiness of persons and phenomena, which is wholly unique to Buddhism. Without a realization of emptiness, full enlightenment is not possible. Without a realization of emptiness, the root cause of samsara, which is ignorance, can not be severed. Without a realization of emptiness, there is no end to karma.

It is not clear from your reply what you are referring to when you say, "Buddha sat and was doing shamatha or samadhi, a different practice in Yoga." Are you referring to the Buddha's enlightenment under the Bodhi tree? If so, then you know that his enlightenment would not have happened without a realization of emptiness. Yes, shamatha, or refined concentration was also present and necessary. How, precisely, is samadhi, or concentration practice different in yoga? Can you explain? In the Hindu tradition, nirvana, or moksha, is offen defined as the reuniting with Brahman or the universal God. Since Buddhism does not posit a creator God such as Brahman, this conception of nirvana is problematic.

Yes, the Buddha was fond of entreating his disciples to be a lamp unto themselves and never accept anything he taught without testing it as a goldsmith tests a piece of gold.

As for "isms are now wasms" that's quite catchy. From the perspective of ultimate truth there are no isms, but we must still traverse a path to get there.”

“Thank you for your clarification on the different branches of yoga! Many Westerners still know alarmingly little about yoga even though it is far more widespread today than it was back in the 70's and 80's when it was just beginning to take hold. I spent 10 years or so doing Iyengar yoga and found it extremely beneficial, especially as a preparation for the intensive sitting meditation I encountered in Zen, and later, Tibetan Buddhism.

Regarding the eighth limb of Patanjali's Yoga Sutra, I have seen it translated variously as samadhi, union with the divine, bliss, super-consciousness, and enlightenment. Actually, samadhi, taken by itself, is a Sanskrit/Pali word that simply translates as concentration.

In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the development of samadhi through the practice of mental quiescence or shamatha, for example, is not an end in itself. Such a highly refined state of concentration is used to empower a sustained investigation of self and phenomena in order to realize (non-conceptually) the innate emptiness of inherent existence. Without this realization of emptiness, complete and full Enlightenment or cutting the root of samsara, is not possible.”

“continued:

Concentration at the higher end, in and of itself, has the capacity to suppress all thought as well as all negativity, In fact, as one climbs the ladder to higher and higher states of concentration, one's body and mind becomes suffused with buoyancy and bliss. But notice that I said suppress and not eradicate. Concentration as an end in itself does not have sufficient power to eradicate all mental distortions and defilements. For that, you need a non-conceptual realization of emptiness (not to be confused with nihilism!).

May I suggest an excellent book on concentration practice:

The Attention Revolution: Unlocking the Power of the Focused Mind by B. Alan Wallace

http://www.amazon.com/Attention-Revolution-Unlocking-Power-Focused/dp/0861712765/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226861738&sr=1-2”

“It is possible to reach a place of no thought, but it takes concerted effort. I did a one year retreat some years back in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. The ultimate aim was the attainment of a highly refined state of concentration, not as an end in itself, but as a precursor to further advanced practices.

Initial progress, especially for beginners, is often frustrating and slow. If you pick an object for your meditation like the sensation of the breath at the tip of the nose and consistently practice each day, you will make progress. Obviously, one hour each day will help you advance more quickly than five minutes a day, but it is always better to initially start with short sessions of ten to twenty minutes.”

“I agree completely!

What I get from Cindy is fear. Fear of her husband. I see her walking on eggshells around him. He obviously holds the power in the relationship. But it's the power of intimidation. I see a tremendous amount of rage there that he's carrying. I don't think this guy has dealt with his prisoner of war experience at all and frankly don't believe that he doesn't suffer from PTSD in some form (contrary to Cindy's claim that her husband's "training" made all the difference in his ability to come out of his experience "unscathed.").

Underneath McCain's rage is tremendous fear and sadness. He keeps his wife at bay precisely because he's not psychologically ready to deal with this fear and sadness which lies beneath the surface of his rage and anger.

These are two very traumatized people. I wish they would both get some help.

Psychologically speaking, they would not, at this time especially (given their emotional baggage), be a good President and First Lady for the country.”

“One of the biggest obstacles has to be the thousands of voter purges investigated and exposed by the NYT's last week.

I want to know how they are going to resolve this before the election! Nothing on that yet.

How can we put pressure on this issue?”

“Brokaw, if not an outright supporter of McCain, clearly leans hard in his direction. The debate also showed his favoritism for McCain. He thanked McCain on a number of occasions after McCain's answers, but never thanked Obama once. He also gave McCain more air time. And finally, he gave McCain the Navy guy, which certainly benefited him.”

“I don't get "breath of fresh air" at all, a get canned air (pre-packaged and wrapped in cellophane), or better yet, air brushed. It's scary when folks like you can't see past the artifice. There is no substance there.”

“Palin-esque: political burlesque. A sexualized political tease meant, really, to distract those from seeing what was really going on: someone with no real grounding in the issues, policies, etc.”