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Nothing is permanent and we are all dying people, if you really think about it. The book is about shedding all the layers of delusion that separate man from th
by rblion 16y ago
Nothing is permanent and we are all dying people, if you really think about it.
The book is about shedding all the layers of delusion that separate man from the universe.
Einstein believed Buddhism would be an ideal candidate for a universal religion for lifeforms outside of Earth too.
What I got from the book is a simple way to focus on the immaterial instead of the material. To see the entire universe with consciousness and compassion instead of an expanse to be colonized and conquered.
I think the world is just reaching a point where the Eastern and Western perspectives are starting to become one. The 21st century is the dawn of the universal age where we all start to realize we are made of equal atoms and cells striving for survival and transcendence.
This book seems to be in tune with modern science journals too.
- robin_reala 16y ago[citation needed]?
- rblion 16y agohttp://tricycleblog.wordpress.com/2007/10/26/einsteins-quotes-on-buddhism/ http://tricycleblog.wordpress.com/2007/10/26/einsteins-quote...
- robin_reala 16y agoThanks, interesting.
- kunley 16y agoI'm happy this book inspired you into some thinking. The question is, how is it going to practically change your life in a long term? I'm making this point just to strike a common misconception, not that you're certainly in it, but for anyone reading this thread. People often have an impression that buddhism is mystical, it says about all things being one and that if they got into it seriously they would be given next levels of beautiful thoughts and ideas up to the final nirvana. It's not like that at all. Buddhism is practical. Deadly practical. Meaning one has to fight his own limitations first. You get some meditations and instructions from a teacher, usually tied specifically to you, and you do meditate. It changes you. Ego fights back. But if you continue the practice you loose some previous obstacles and in general you see a new value in your relations with people, your view, in everyday things. Then another obstacles come, and so on. The crucial are meditations from a teacher - it all makes sense only when you trust him. The trust must be earned somehow, it's not measurable. One of the meditations is a conscious dying meditation which I for example relearn every year. Others work best if you repeat them every day. It changes you inevitably. There's no warranty it will change you for the good, but you observe yourself. You observe the mind. It's a constant work, meant to finally relax you not tire you, though. All this sweat is for understanding that everything we feel and see, including material world, is only a projection of the mind, so it's best to focus on mind itself instead of images which it mirrors. And keep this view possibly all the time. Of course this view is kinda related to recent discoveries of science, esp. quantum physics and so on. But what does it mean in an everyday life? Did Einstein had a hunch buddhism is related to physics and is probably very useful? Yes. Did he follow that path? No. Did he remember in every minute of his life that things are impermanent and world is a dream? Probably not. Was he impervious to anger because of that understanding? Probably not. Some people say he was terrible person, others say he was excellent and nice. Whatever. Einstein's words may be a trampoline for someone to become interested in buddhism but he's no expert on the topic. So, to really judge if it works it'd best to actually find the people who do it, or even know such people and compare how they behaved in the past and how they behave now. I know it's not easy. But Einstein, well, is dead... We're not, yet. edit: Thank you HNers if you read this, these are important things and it seemed urgent to share my few cents.
- thomas11 16y agoThanks for this. I've been studying Diamond Way Buddhism since a few years, and your writeup matches my understanding exactly.
- rblion 16y agoI'm 20 and I have been interested in science, technology, and spirituality for as long as I can remember. I've seen a lot of life and a lot of death in my years of wandering in the West. I guess that's why this book resonated with me. To me, Buddhist thought just makes logical and intuitive sense with everything I have studied about astronomy, physics, biology, and chemistry. It just feels natural and has no arrogance about it, just a gentle affirmation of life and love. It also shows the darkness inside us and how to conquer it with mental force, not physical force. Buddhanature, from my experience, is about fully embracing life and transforming your suffering into potential. And the most practical way to achieve this goal is to have a clear vision of reality, live in accordance with natural principles, and keep developing your mental capabilities. I fully agree that Buddhism is not about anything mystical and that people overthink and project a lot of madness into it. The only thing people can do is keep striving, there is no higher goal than enlightenment.
- zeynel1 16y ago"to focus on the immaterial instead of the material." "the Eastern and Western perspectives are starting to become one" I don't know if Buddhism assumes a material world, but Western world's assumption of a material world goes back to Newton who defined nature to be physical, that is, material. I think that if we are living in definitional and not material world our current definition of the "spiritual" and "immaterial" breaks down. http://matterandreality.wordpress.com/ http://matterandreality.wordpress.com/