Comments | nonduality: On the art of awareness, by Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche

iamom in nonduality

On the art of awareness, by Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche

Dec 14, 2009 09:14

Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche is a Tibetan Buddhist lama who also paints very striking, abstract art. He was featured in the current issue of Buddhadharma, and a small excerpt from an article he wrote on his abstract painting begins with some striking points about meditation and the nature of mind.As Buddhists, we are taught that the natural state of ( Read more... )

meditation

Comments 7

confliction December 14 2009, 15:00:40 UTC

So the reason you like what he's saying is because you also believe that your actions in the immediacy of your life not only have no affect what-so-ever on such far reaching places as Darfur, but could not have an affect even if you so wanted them to?

iamom December 14 2009, 16:37:21 UTC

That's not precisely what I mean. I just mean that unless I were to work directly for an organization that provided aid for Darfur or something, I would serve myself and my community better by cultivating peace in my own life here at home, rather than worry about what's happening over there. There's nothing I (or most other people) can do here that will have an effect over there, but if we take care of our own state of mind properly, we'll bring more peace into the world than if we were to worry about what's going on over there.

It's about creating the biggest net benefit for the world, I think. So many of us cultivate and spread judgment and criticism by virtue of our state of mind throughout the day; we could do a lot of good in the microcosm of our own world by cultivating a more detached attitude about the apparently bad things that happen to us each day instead. That's what I'm talking about.

What's your experience with this sort of thing? Your username seems to connote an interest with conflict in some way... :)

confliction December 15 2009, 00:11:02 UTC

I think Buddhism is an inherently selfish and nihilistic pursuit that is ultimately against the continuation of life... which, being alive, i think is an intrinsically compromised position ( ... )

iamom December 15 2009, 04:57:41 UTC

Taking a stance and spreading it passionately... these can't be done from the position of the above post.Sure they can. If that's your passion and you know a lot about it and you're in a position to increase awareness and make an actual difference, then that's totally fine. But most people aren't in that position, don't you agree? Most people have too much on their own plates to know enough about that or to do anything about it ( ... )

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