I watched a documentary of his life and he was using the remote to change the channels on his TV. Does this not break any of the rules? (227 bhikkhu precepts) Thanks.
-
2Why can people edit my posts? How does editing work? FYI I agree Crab Bucket's edits, i.e. the new 'tags' (e.g. 'dalai-lama' and 'modern-world') are a better description/categorization of this topic than the previous tags (e.g. 'prayer' and 'layman') were.– ChrisW ♦Commented Jan 25, 2015 at 21:24
-
1Right, I'm off. You can enjoy fixing each others posts..lol– jmkjuyCommented Jan 25, 2015 at 21:41
-
1I think you are a little bit obsessed with these questions, this is the 3rd question I see from you touching the same topic. Is there anything behind those questions you would like to ask?– konrad01Commented Jan 27, 2015 at 1:28
-
1@Uilium Yes, editors usually just go ahead and fix spelling mistakes etc. without explicitly asking permission. On the other hand, an editor shouldn't change the meaning of what the original author wrote. Apart from the Help which I linked to, see also this meta-question. The site gives users permission to edit each others' posts, within reason and hopefully/usually without any conflict.– ChrisW ♦Commented Jan 27, 2015 at 23:56
-
2ChrisW is right. SE sites sit somewhere between a forum, where input belongs to the inputter, and a wiki, where it's more of a communal thing. The aim here is to get the questions and answers to as useful a state as possible for everyone. It's not done to be rude; rather it's meant to help. It's really an implicit condition of participating on SE that one accepts that one's questions and answers are open to editing. There are plenty of straight forums for people who want otherwise.– tkpCommented Jan 28, 2015 at 2:18
|
Show 5 more comments
2 Answers
In an interview the Dalai Lama says he watched shows like Discovery. He says he does not watch entertainment shows and does not listen to music. He apparently uses television like an educational book. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1204/25/pmt.01.html CTRL F type in television in the search box and you will see the interview excerpts.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama does not put conditions on anyone of any religious orientation or intellectual direction. He accepts all as they are. He eats meat every other day due to a medical condition. He tries to be the leader of a country and a spiritual branch of Buddhism and stay relevant to the latest technologies.
If your branch of Buddhism restricts media access, and that is acceptable to you, then follow the path you are on. We are all headed to the same destination, if there is a destination.
Thank you for the question.apparently
-
Thank you for that. But what does ''Thank you for the question.apparently'' mean?– jmkjuyCommented Jan 25, 2015 at 20:12
-
if i may, i think he means that whatever your intentions "thank you for the question". i'm not a programmer tho!– user2512Commented Jan 27, 2015 at 8:35
-
A question to me is a gift. I thank someone for a gift and a question. I leads me to see myself more clearly. Thank you for your comment. That too is a gift. Commented Jan 31, 2015 at 5:20
I've seen accomplished zen masters apparently check their phone. It didn't really freak me out, at all. Honestly I think there are better things to worry about.
Not even because they are accomplished enough to break the precepts with skilful means, or because the precepts are surely meant as practical guidelines not categorical prescriptions.
But because checking your phone or watching the discovery channel isn't the sort of thing that they were created to guard against. It may sound absurd trying to guess the intentions of the Buddha in creating the vinaya, but it was for the good of the sangha and neither arbitrary nor IMO a divine law.
If you think that the HH the Dalai Lama is accruing bad karma by having a television, then I think you misunderstand his job.