Wednesday, 25 October 2017

The Power of Vow













  1. The theme in this article of the commodification of humanity at the expense of any definition somebody might proffer for spirit - it reminds me of Leonard Cohen's lines: "As He died to make men holy/Let us die to make things cheap". (They're from a relatively recent song, long after you took to the Buddhist path so of course I don't expect you to be familiar but the resonance feels pronounced.) The number of carbon parts per million in the atmosphere guarantees an extended repayment of "bad kamma", it seems. Despondency over the apocalyptic direction we've pushed the world in has done much to paralyse me over the years but, even with my clumsy interpretations of Buddhism, you help me see beyond the habit. I listen to your talks over and over and am thankful for the warmth with which you always impart truth: something that often intimidates when a strand is approached in isolation. The practical steps that accompany the sense of wonder you impart, too. Whatever I've been able to renounce - alcohol, meat, sugary "treats", with all the suffering and waste these things bring - has been in large part because of you. I'm alone in the world in the sense that I have no family whatsoever, no friends, and the sustenance you provide by word, and by example of wise and warm strength, is immeasurable. Thank you for this post and for everything else.

  2. Ajahn, do you really believe that the monastery was protected because of a field of goodness? I'd be very interested to hear you talk more of these protective forces in a future post or in a dhamma talk (with the link provided please!) Your own personal experiences with such protectors would be interesting... Because such an idea is truly remarkable. Thanks!

  3. I don’t have beliefs, but I am many times made aware of the limitations of the secular world-view, and the illusory nature of consciousness. We tend to experience ourselves in terms of the sensory consciousness, but that throws up all kinds of riddles: like who is the one who sees? Who is here when a particular consciousness changes or ends? etc, And as a rule, modern science eventually itself confirms the relativity of the sensory description of experience. Have you ever seen a neutrino? Or the warps in space-time? Etc. Those who experience different kinds of consciousness affirm that supernatural agencies exist. It’s worth staying open to the proposition that what we might call ‘chance’, or ‘luck’ stems from forces that most of us can’t discern. And more useful in daily life terms is the understanding that good deeds/thoughts/speech have discernible effects that are for the welfare of sentient beings.

  4. The fires and climate instability are caused by increased atmospheric co2, and this summer 2o18 shows that we really are experiencing a planetary emergency. A single flight from London to thailand produces 1.2 tonnes co2 per passenger, about the same amount produced by 1.56 passengers in a car in a year travelling ten thousand miles! Therefore if anything is worth giving up it is flying, especially long-haul.It utterly dwarfs just about anything else we do in terms of emissions and it is largely avoidable. [I mentioned this once before with reference to flying habits and the post was removed and the comment section was closed due to too much "Spam" being received!]. I would urge everyone to question their perceived need to travel by air, and to act accordingly......please read George Monbiot`s book "Heat", chapter nine, for a full analysis of the environmental cost of your flight.