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Bound to happen. Why do you think Buddha has to leave all his wealth and kingdom before even starting the journey of mindfulness, leaving everything behind? Th

Bound to happen. Why do you think Buddha has to leave all his wealth and kingdom before even starting the journey of mindfulness, leaving everything behind? The western adaptation is reducing meditation and mindfulness to a "tool" of relieving stress and better ones mental well-being. As easy as downloading an app and stay calm for few minutes. Unfortunately, this is not ideal. The traditional way is to seek a guru who asks the disciple to cleanse their heart first. Put them on the spiritual path of purifying the soul. Meditation is a part of ones spiritual journey. Some even leave everything and go to forest or mountains to practice for years. Fortunately, for those who want to live in a society closely, they should practice "Raja Yoga" which is also a spiritual path where one raises their spiritual plane by helping others and following ones duty with high-integrity. However simple breathing exercises still work for the body and can be easily incorporated into every day lives. There are so many apps helping with the patterns of different breathing techniques. But don't expect you or anyone to become a better person just by doing some mindfulness exercises. When one goes to discover/amplify their inner core, you will just highlight whats inside you more. I.e. if you are bad, you will get worse. Mindfulness has nothing to do with it but just amplifying what is already there as you discover yourself more through mindfulness.

IdEntities 4y ago
I don't know that it's necessarily fair to describe this as a purely Western phenomenon. The Lamas were a hereditary elite who ruled over Tibet in a brutal caste system which reduced most of the people in it to the status of serfs, and all with their own particular strain of Buddhism used to justify and excuse it all. On our fridge, my wife has a picture of the Dalai Lama wearing a big fancy watch on his wrist. I always wonder how such a luxurious ostentation is supposed to fit in with what he preaches.
- babyshake 4y ago
  In a way, it is good for a famous spiritual leader to have obvious human flaws. I don't know too much about modern Buddhism but I don't think it would be good for Buddhists to worship their leader as being more than a mere mortal who might enjoy wearing a fancy watch.
  - _y5hn 4y ago
    It's a petty concern for someone who visits world leaders and maintain international relations at that level. It could be a conversation-starter in more unofficial moments, for fun (spiritual people are allowed 1 teaspoon of fun each day!) or just being practical. These kinds of topics are unfortunately what the focus many will remain at.
    - serf 4y ago
      >or just being practical generally speaking -- rolex collections don't spring up from practical reasons -- and he's known to purposely use cheap watch bands and flip the watch faces towards his wrists in an effort to hide them from view.. https://www.watchmaster.com/en/journal/stories-en/personalities-the-dalai-lama-and-his-watches https://www.watchmaster.com/en/journal/stories-en/personalit...
      - sundvor 4y ago
        Great article, thanks. Can't fault a man for having a passion for mechanical watches, especially when as the article states he has disassembled / assembled some of them. I can only begin to imagine the fine motor and mental control required.
      - jamal-kumar 4y ago
        The man has to keep time, and has the money to throw at that... Ever seen the dude all distracted starting into an iphone? He has clearly done away with such worldly goods and isn't making a dime on that at all! [1] [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-wOoXijqZE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-wOoXijqZE
    - IdEntities 4y ago
      Perhaps it was a subject of discussion while he was visiting the Aum Shinrikyo or NXIVM!
  - salty_biscuits 4y ago
    The dalai llama is believed to be the literal reincarnation of the bodhisattva of compassion, so not a mere mortal.
- jamal-kumar 4y ago
  Here's a zen koan Have you ever asked your wife about this?
- watwut 4y ago
  Dalai Lama preches the need for performative poverty or something?
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- Chris2048 4y ago
  It seems he received it as a gift.
zozbot234 4y ago
It's not like the West doesn't have its own meditative and contemplative traditions. The Cynics and Stoics of the Classical world could have very diverse attitudes to wealth and material comforts, with the former being quite more disdainful of them and quite literally "living like dogs". We see the same thing in Western ascetic monasticism later on - some Western monks and nuns focus on helping others and doing their assigned duty in society, while others pursue a more focused spiritual and contemplative path.
- curuinor 4y ago
  and seneca the stoic had 300 million sestertii total net worth, compared to the ordinary yearly wage of 200 sestertii, give or take! lots of rich religious folks out there in history. when they expropriated the buddhists in the huichang expropriation during the tang, they took tens of millions of acres of arable land and liberated 150,000 temple slaves
  - biztos 4y ago
    > when they expropriated the buddhists in the huichang expropriation during the tang… Do you happen to have any good links for learning more about this? The Wikipedia page[0] is a mess and my Google skills have fallen short. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huichang_Persecution_of_Buddhism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huichang_Persecution_of_Buddhi...
    - curuinor 4y ago
      best to go read reschauer's book, cited in the wiki page
- felipeerias 4y ago
  There's a passage by Chesterton where he jokes that many of his contemporaries had simply become bored with Christianity and would happily embrace it again if it came wrapped in the exotic garbs of a far away land.
  - 4y ago
_bfhp 4y ago
What a comment. A feast for the inner reply guy: > The traditional way is to seek a guru "The" way? According to whom? Did you do it? > Some even leave everything and go to forest or mountains to practice for years. Except the Buddha and his stories explicitly advised against asceticism... > they should practice "Raja Yoga" which is also a spiritual path where one raises their spiritual plane Again, according to who? Why not Jesus? Or Scientology? What's your personal experience? > However simple breathing exercises still work for the body and can be easily incorporated into every day lives. Well this is out of nowhere. It doesn't connect to anything that's been said. Do you do this? > When one goes to discover/amplify their inner core Inner core is new. What's that and who asked? Is it the same as a True Self? I'd say let's just focus on this: "Meditation is a part of ones spiritual journey." That's correct and all this issue needs. MBSR and the other sanitized, faith-cleansed scientifically quantifiable practices are not synonymous with mindfulness, meditation, or Buddhism. They're tangential, and for some they are nice greeters at the door to a path of spirituality.
- rygxqpbsngav 4y ago
  Have you checked BiteCode_dev's response? And still think meditation is a "scientifically quantifiable practice"? Swami Vivekananda has a dedicated book on "Raja Yoga" in detail. I recommend - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.abdula.pranabreath https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.abdula.pra... app. I am a subscriber for years and this one has the authentic breathing patterns.
  - unmole 4y ago
    > authentic breathing patterns I'm sorry, what?
    - rygxqpbsngav 4y ago
      Yeah. I know even living in B'lore you are blind to your own culture. The authentic breathing techniques are passed on by so many practitioners and time-tested, unlike modern western crap.
- 4y ago

IdEntities 4y ago

I don't know that it's necessarily fair to describe this as a purely Western phenomenon. The Lamas were a hereditary elite who ruled over Tibet in a brutal caste system which reduced most of the people in it to the status of serfs, and all with their own particular strain of Buddhism used to justify and excuse it all. On our fridge, my wife has a picture of the Dalai Lama wearing a big fancy watch on his wrist. I always wonder how such a luxurious ostentation is supposed to fit in with what he preaches.

babyshake 4y ago
In a way, it is good for a famous spiritual leader to have obvious human flaws. I don't know too much about modern Buddhism but I don't think it would be good for Buddhists to worship their leader as being more than a mere mortal who might enjoy wearing a fancy watch.
- _y5hn 4y ago
  It's a petty concern for someone who visits world leaders and maintain international relations at that level. It could be a conversation-starter in more unofficial moments, for fun (spiritual people are allowed 1 teaspoon of fun each day!) or just being practical. These kinds of topics are unfortunately what the focus many will remain at.
  - serf 4y ago
    >or just being practical generally speaking -- rolex collections don't spring up from practical reasons -- and he's known to purposely use cheap watch bands and flip the watch faces towards his wrists in an effort to hide them from view.. https://www.watchmaster.com/en/journal/stories-en/personalities-the-dalai-lama-and-his-watches https://www.watchmaster.com/en/journal/stories-en/personalit...
    - sundvor 4y ago
      Great article, thanks. Can't fault a man for having a passion for mechanical watches, especially when as the article states he has disassembled / assembled some of them. I can only begin to imagine the fine motor and mental control required.
    - jamal-kumar 4y ago
      The man has to keep time, and has the money to throw at that... Ever seen the dude all distracted starting into an iphone? He has clearly done away with such worldly goods and isn't making a dime on that at all! [1] [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-wOoXijqZE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-wOoXijqZE
  - IdEntities 4y ago
    Perhaps it was a subject of discussion while he was visiting the Aum Shinrikyo or NXIVM!
- salty_biscuits 4y ago
  The dalai llama is believed to be the literal reincarnation of the bodhisattva of compassion, so not a mere mortal.
jamal-kumar 4y ago
Here's a zen koan Have you ever asked your wife about this?
watwut 4y ago
Dalai Lama preches the need for performative poverty or something?
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
Chris2048 4y ago
It seems he received it as a gift.

zozbot234 4y ago

It's not like the West doesn't have its own meditative and contemplative traditions. The Cynics and Stoics of the Classical world could have very diverse attitudes to wealth and material comforts, with the former being quite more disdainful of them and quite literally "living like dogs". We see the same thing in Western ascetic monasticism later on - some Western monks and nuns focus on helping others and doing their assigned duty in society, while others pursue a more focused spiritual and contemplative path.

curuinor 4y ago
and seneca the stoic had 300 million sestertii total net worth, compared to the ordinary yearly wage of 200 sestertii, give or take! lots of rich religious folks out there in history. when they expropriated the buddhists in the huichang expropriation during the tang, they took tens of millions of acres of arable land and liberated 150,000 temple slaves
- biztos 4y ago
  > when they expropriated the buddhists in the huichang expropriation during the tang… Do you happen to have any good links for learning more about this? The Wikipedia page[0] is a mess and my Google skills have fallen short. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huichang_Persecution_of_Buddhism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huichang_Persecution_of_Buddhi...
  - curuinor 4y ago
    best to go read reschauer's book, cited in the wiki page
felipeerias 4y ago
There's a passage by Chesterton where he jokes that many of his contemporaries had simply become bored with Christianity and would happily embrace it again if it came wrapped in the exotic garbs of a far away land.
- 4y ago

_bfhp 4y ago

What a comment. A feast for the inner reply guy: > The traditional way is to seek a guru "The" way? According to whom? Did you do it? > Some even leave everything and go to forest or mountains to practice for years. Except the Buddha and his stories explicitly advised against asceticism... > they should practice "Raja Yoga" which is also a spiritual path where one raises their spiritual plane Again, according to who? Why not Jesus? Or Scientology? What's your personal experience? > However simple breathing exercises still work for the body and can be easily incorporated into every day lives. Well this is out of nowhere. It doesn't connect to anything that's been said. Do you do this? > When one goes to discover/amplify their inner core Inner core is new. What's that and who asked? Is it the same as a True Self? I'd say let's just focus on this: "Meditation is a part of ones spiritual journey." That's correct and all this issue needs. MBSR and the other sanitized, faith-cleansed scientifically quantifiable practices are not synonymous with mindfulness, meditation, or Buddhism. They're tangential, and for some they are nice greeters at the door to a path of spirituality.

rygxqpbsngav 4y ago
Have you checked BiteCode_dev's response? And still think meditation is a "scientifically quantifiable practice"? Swami Vivekananda has a dedicated book on "Raja Yoga" in detail. I recommend - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.abdula.pranabreath https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.abdula.pra... app. I am a subscriber for years and this one has the authentic breathing patterns.
- unmole 4y ago
  > authentic breathing patterns I'm sorry, what?
  - rygxqpbsngav 4y ago
    Yeah. I know even living in B'lore you are blind to your own culture. The authentic breathing techniques are passed on by so many practitioners and time-tested, unlike modern western crap.
4y ago