11
This is an easy one. Stop looking at the media so much. The media is not reality. It's a small negatively skewed snippet of it. There is so much more to life than the perpetual negativity we see in the media.
It's only in recent times that the media has become way more invasive.
We now have 24/7 news cycles and people walk around addicted to and staring ...
6
The guiding principles of an ideal king it to follow is the Dasavidha-rājadhamma
Dāna (charity) — being prepared to sacrifice one's own pleasure for the well-being of the public, such as giving away one's belongings or other things to support or assist others, including giving knowledge and serving public interests.
Sīla (morality) — practicing physical ...
answered May 10 '17 at 10:04
Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena
36.7k3 gold badges24 silver badges76 bronze badges
5
How did the Buddha handle such situations in his time?
There are two famous schisms in the time of the Buddha; the Devadatta schism and the Kosambi schism.
In the former case, new, inexperienced monks were led astray by bogus teachings and the Buddha sent his two chief disciples to explain the truth to them.
In the latter case, the Buddha tried to ...
4
We do not have to wonder about the answer to the question of "How would Buddhist monks organize countries, world?" We have plenty of historical examples of just this. There is no need to speculate. In Tibet for example.
"Until 1959... around 98% of the population was enslaved in serfdom. Drepung monastery, on the outskirts of Lhasa, was one of the world's ...
3
Buddhism(as well as other contemplative religions & methods) is life affirming. Most people are asleep to what reality actually is. They are too busy worrying about and planning for a future that never exists and judging things based on a past that never exists. They are hardly ever in the present moment were reality actually is. This is why we are so ...
3
Let me narrow down "engaged Buddhism" to "applying the Dharma to social and political injustices".
In the Kathavatthu Sutta, the Buddha did not prefer monks to engage in discussions concerning mundane things:
Then the Blessed One ... addressed the monks: "For what topic of
conversation are you gathered together here? ..."
"Just now, lord, after ...
2
The nature of our present time is very different from Buddha's time: after the printing press "politics" really started taking on an industrial and corporate mission.
On the other hand, the ruling monastic order, the Vinaya in particular was passed on entirely orally. This should answer your first question. Any question on how Buddha handled X, can be ...
2
The founder of the Gelug tradition, Lama Je Tsongkhapa, had two main disciples:
Gyaltsab Je and
Khedrup Je
While Khedrup Je was the 1st Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was recognized, by H.H. the Dalaï-Lama, as the 11th Panchen Lama. He was also recognized as such by the Chinese government that decided to have a say in the so-called “Tulku system [of ...
1
As long as you keep analysing a situation as good, bad or neutral and react to them, suffering will arise. So stop reacting and being emotionally attached to these categorizations. Ultimately, one's sphere of control is limited. If you can do something, do it, or else just leave it alone. Getting emotionally attached and creating suffering for oneself does ...
answered Jul 3 '17 at 3:34
Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena
36.7k3 gold badges24 silver badges76 bronze badges
1
Can someone who fights, even maybe kills or dies, for a cause he considers right, attain enlightenment?
From the Dhamma's perspective, the bravest most courageous warriors are those who won the battle against themselves, not some external enemies. So, yes, it'd take a 'warrior' to attain enlightenment, but without the highlighted part above. For the act of ...
1
Actually, only warriors can attain enlightenment. All Buddhas have to die on the cushion if they’re going to wake up. It takes tremendous courage, fortitude, and self sacrifice in order to make that happen. Only a warrior possesses those qualities.
But to answer you question, the one really doesn’t have anything to do with the other. It really astounds ...
1
See, this is the sort of question that can lead to undesirable answers.... some of which are clearly demonstrated in these comments. If your answer is premised on defending "Buddhist countries" from Christian or Islamic influence, that is a textbook example of begging the question. Do Buddhist countries exist? Should they?
Are you willing to be ...
1
Buddhism is not a religion that tries to change the world I think. Just like Buddhism don't give direct explanations of the nature of the universe. Buddhism's purpose is to lead people to experience the nature of reality themselves and give proper guidence to the people who have the intention to free themselves from suffering.
I remember a dhammaphada verse(...
1
AN4.95 clearly lists the priorities of practicing to help oneself vs. others:
Not so good:
One who practices to benefit neither themselves nor others;
Better:
one who practices to benefit others, but not themselves;
Even better:
one who practices to benefit themselves, but not others; and
Best:
one who practices to benefit both themselves and ...
1
The Buddha did not intend monks to participate in politics, as seen in DN 2:
"Whereas some brahmans and contemplatives, living off food given in
faith, are addicted to talking about lowly topics such as these —
talking about kings, robbers, ministers of state; armies, alarms, and
battles; food and drink; clothing, furniture, garlands, and scents;
...
1
Thinking of Buddhism a lot lately and I really love the concepts in it, however I just can't seem to find Buddhism to have a potential to become an universal philosophy as it seems very life negating.
Much or this is due to the mis translation of the word Dukka into English as suffering by early translators (Pali Text Society). Later translators like ...
answered Dec 6 '15 at 17:57
Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena
36.7k3 gold badges24 silver badges76 bronze badges
Only top voted, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible