Comments on: Monks in Caves or Saints in Society? http://thoughtsofaseeker.net/monks-in-caves-or-saints-in-society/ Exploring the important religious questions from a Mormon (LDS) perspective. Focus on ancient history, early Christianity, and Mormon doctrine/practice. Tue, 23 Nov 2010 02:21:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: daviddstoker http://thoughtsofaseeker.net/monks-in-caves-or-saints-in-society/comment-page-1/#comment-204 daviddstoker Sun, 03 Jan 2010 21:14:43 +0000 http://thoughtsofaseeker.net/monks-in-caves-or-saints-in-society/#comment-204 Thanks for coming by Konrei- you are absolutely right in terms of this not being a great description of Zen and I feel completely inadequate to do the topic justice. So I will spend some time searching around about it. Thanks again. Thanks for coming by Konrei- you are absolutely right in terms of this not being a great description of Zen and I feel completely inadequate to do the topic justice. So I will spend some time searching around about it. Thanks again.

]]> By: Konrei http://thoughtsofaseeker.net/monks-in-caves-or-saints-in-society/comment-page-1/#comment-203 Konrei Sun, 03 Jan 2010 03:14:32 +0000 http://thoughtsofaseeker.net/monks-in-caves-or-saints-in-society/#comment-203 This is an interesting blog entry, though you don't really address "Zen" as such. Cambodian Theravada Buddhism is quite different from Zen. As a matter of fact, Zen is very different from most other forms of Buddhism (and there are scores of sects). Zen focuses heavily, but not exclusively, on sitting meditation and mindful awareness as expressed in the Bodhisattva Precepts. I can't go into a deep discussion of the Precepts here, but there is a wealth of material on the net. I agree though---Zen is more a spiritual practice than a religion as Westerners understand religion to be. This is an interesting blog entry, though you don’t really address “Zen” as such. Cambodian Theravada Buddhism is quite different from Zen. As a matter of fact, Zen is very different from most other forms of Buddhism (and there are scores of sects). Zen focuses heavily, but not exclusively, on sitting meditation and mindful awareness as expressed in the Bodhisattva Precepts. I can’t go into a deep discussion of the Precepts here, but there is a wealth of material on the net. I agree though—Zen is more a spiritual practice than a religion as Westerners understand religion to be.

]]> By: Sampuran Das http://thoughtsofaseeker.net/monks-in-caves-or-saints-in-society/comment-page-1/#comment-200 Sampuran Das Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:08:08 +0000 http://thoughtsofaseeker.net/monks-in-caves-or-saints-in-society/#comment-200 Buddha Dharma is a philosophy seeking Religion. The original teachings of Buddha is stated in Tripitaka. Abhidharma ( Beyond Religion ) - is 3rd Section of Tripitaka, is the fundamental philosophy of Dependent Origination – (Pratitya-samutpada).All beings and phenomena are caused to exist by other beings and phenomena. In Buddhism, there is no teaching of a First Cause, Buddha emphasized understanding the nature of things as-they-are over speculation of what might have happened in the past or what might happen in the future. Buddha remained silent on the question of "creator god".“ Secondly, there is no permanent "self". What we think of as our self, our personality and ego, are temporary creations of the “skandhas” -- form, sensation, perception, mental formation and consciousness, which gives rise to false notion of permanent "you" as an separate entity and distinct from everything else/universe. In India at the time of Buddha there were other competing Religious Philosophy (Vedantic Hinduism)-Sankya Philosphy (Sāṁkhyapravacana Sūtra) It is also argued that the existence of God cannot be proved and hence cannot be admitted to exist and an unchanging Ishvara/God as the cause cannot be the source of a changing world as the effect. (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad) is another Vedanta Text that precede Buddism states "The Divine is not this and it is not that" ( In Sanskrit "Neti-Neti"). Divine is not real as we are real, nor is it unreal. The divine is not living in the sense humans live, nor is it dead. The Divine is not compassionate as we use the term, nor is it uncompassionate. And so on. We can never truly define God in words. All we can say, in effect, is that "It isn't this, but also, it isn't that either". In the end, the student must transcend words to understand the nature of the Divine. Vaisheshika Sect Buddhist Monk Dharmakīrti, teached - atomism philosophy about reality as being composed of atomic entities that are momentary flashes of light or energy. Buddhists denied the existence of substantial matter altogether. Movement consists for them of moments, it is a staccato movement, momentary flashes of a stream of energy... "Everything is evanescent" Buddhism in India was anhilated by Islamic Invasion. Currently, Mahayana School of Buddism founded by Monk Nagarjuna is practiced in East Asia- Japan/China etc. And Theravada Buddism is practiced in SE Asia- Sri Lanka is the oldest & closest to original Buddhism, since the time Emperor Ashoka in 270 BC. Buddha Dharma is a philosophy seeking Religion. The original teachings of Buddha is stated in Tripitaka. Abhidharma ( Beyond Religion ) – is 3rd Section of Tripitaka, is the fundamental philosophy of Dependent Origination – (Pratitya-samutpada).All beings and phenomena are caused to exist by other beings and phenomena. In Buddhism, there is no teaching of a First Cause, Buddha emphasized understanding the nature of things as-they-are over speculation of what might have happened in the past or what might happen in the future. Buddha remained silent on the question of “creator god”.“ Secondly, there is no permanent “self”. What we think of as our self, our personality and ego, are temporary creations of the “skandhas” — form, sensation, perception, mental formation and consciousness, which gives rise to false notion of permanent “you” as an separate entity and distinct from everything else/universe.

In India at the time of Buddha there were other competing Religious Philosophy (Vedantic Hinduism)-Sankya Philosphy (Sāṁkhyapravacana Sūtra) It is also argued that the existence of God cannot be proved and hence cannot be admitted to exist and an unchanging Ishvara/God as the cause cannot be the source of a changing world as the effect.

(Brhadaranyaka Upanishad) is another Vedanta Text that precede Buddism states “The Divine is not this and it is not that” ( In Sanskrit “Neti-Neti”). Divine is not real as we are real, nor is it unreal. The divine is not living in the sense humans live, nor is it dead. The Divine is not compassionate as we use the term, nor is it uncompassionate. And so on. We can never truly define God in words. All we can say, in effect, is that “It isn’t this, but also, it isn’t that either”. In the end, the student must transcend words to understand the nature of the Divine.

Vaisheshika Sect Buddhist Monk Dharmakīrti, teached – atomism philosophy about reality as being composed of atomic entities that are momentary flashes of light or energy. Buddhists denied the existence of substantial matter altogether. Movement consists for them of moments, it is a staccato movement, momentary flashes of a stream of energy… “Everything is evanescent”

Buddhism in India was anhilated by Islamic Invasion.
Currently, Mahayana School of Buddism founded by Monk Nagarjuna is practiced in East Asia- Japan/China etc. And Theravada Buddism is practiced in SE Asia- Sri Lanka is the oldest & closest to original Buddhism, since the time Emperor Ashoka in 270 BC.

]]> By: Aaron http://thoughtsofaseeker.net/monks-in-caves-or-saints-in-society/comment-page-1/#comment-95 Aaron Thu, 21 Feb 2008 20:56:17 +0000 http://thoughtsofaseeker.net/monks-in-caves-or-saints-in-society/#comment-95 Hmmm....this is very interesting. Do you have any information on the history and where they got this from? Hmmm….this is very interesting. Do you have any information on the history and where they got this from?

]]> By: Mudra Ritual Gestures in Eastern Religion | LDS Temple Study Blog - Sustaining and Defending the LDS (Mormon) Temple http://thoughtsofaseeker.net/monks-in-caves-or-saints-in-society/comment-page-1/#comment-94 Mudra Ritual Gestures in Eastern Religion | LDS Temple Study Blog - Sustaining and Defending the LDS (Mormon) Temple Wed, 20 Feb 2008 21:09:06 +0000 http://thoughtsofaseeker.net/monks-in-caves-or-saints-in-society/#comment-94 [...] was reading a blog of a friend of mine, Dave Stoker, over at Thoughts of a Seeker when I noticed a photograph of a statue he used in a post. This statue, that he identified as the Tian Tan Buddha, was intriguing to me because of its unique [...] [...] was reading a blog of a friend of mine, Dave Stoker, over at Thoughts of a Seeker when I noticed a photograph of a statue he used in a post. This statue, that he identified as the Tian Tan Buddha, was intriguing to me because of its unique [...]

]]> By: Bryce Haymond http://thoughtsofaseeker.net/monks-in-caves-or-saints-in-society/comment-page-1/#comment-89 Bryce Haymond Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:57:55 +0000 http://thoughtsofaseeker.net/monks-in-caves-or-saints-in-society/#comment-89 That is really interesting. Thanks for the references. That is really interesting. Thanks for the references.

]]> By: daviddstoker http://thoughtsofaseeker.net/monks-in-caves-or-saints-in-society/comment-page-1/#comment-88 daviddstoker Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:10:18 +0000 http://thoughtsofaseeker.net/monks-in-caves-or-saints-in-society/#comment-88 This posture is quite common in depictions of the historical Buddha. The hand positions are a combination of the Abhaya Mudra and the Varada mudra. Here are two sites as references: <a href="http://www.exoticindiaart.com/mudras.htm" rel="nofollow">Indian art: mudras</a> <a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/mudra-japan.shtml" rel="nofollow">Japanese Buddha Hand positions</a> This specific statue is the Tian Tan Buddha found in Hong Kong it is the world's largest outdoor seated Buddha, completed in 1993. This posture is quite common in depictions of the historical Buddha. The hand positions are a combination of the Abhaya Mudra and the Varada mudra. Here are two sites as references:

Indian art: mudras
Japanese Buddha Hand positions

This specific statue is the Tian Tan Buddha found in Hong Kong it is the world’s largest outdoor seated Buddha, completed in 1993.

]]> By: Bryce Haymond http://thoughtsofaseeker.net/monks-in-caves-or-saints-in-society/comment-page-1/#comment-87 Bryce Haymond Wed, 13 Feb 2008 05:52:12 +0000 http://thoughtsofaseeker.net/monks-in-caves-or-saints-in-society/#comment-87 Dave, cool blog! That is a mighty interesting posture of the statue in the photo. Can you tell me what statue it is, and if the Buddhists give that posture any particular identification? Dave, cool blog!

That is a mighty interesting posture of the statue in the photo. Can you tell me what statue it is, and if the Buddhists give that posture any particular identification?

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