Happy Vesak (Buddha Day)

Why did the Dalai Lama ask a kid to suck his tongue?

 

It is a work in progress, my friend. But I have moments when it is wonderful, thank you for asking and your concern, in all seriousness.

 

No clue. To my knowledge there has never been any smoke around him about anything like this. I think, and this is just supposition and perhaps even rationalization on my part, that he is old and just had a moment of who knows what. I don't think it was anything nefarious or sexual, probably just like a kid asking another kid to do something gross and seeing their reaction.

But I have no defense for it that I can give. Like all religions and organizations, Buddhism has its darker side.

 

Is it a grab your cross and choose your sacrifice or another way of dealing with it.

 

You sit and clear your mind and be in the moment. Realize that suffering arises because we are busy living either in the past full of sadness or the future full of fear. Sit, feel your body as it touches the earth, feel your body breathe, be in the moment. And when your monkey mind, doing what it does best, starts running off on random thoughts of the past and future, calmly, without judgement, come back to the body and breathe. Be compassionate to yourself and others. Cultivate gratitude for your life that you have, as this is a rare gift, this human life. Smile. Breathe.

 

Had just seen that in the news and wondered wtf.

 

Definitely agree with the end part.

other part I probably disagree with on the reason of all suffering being living in the past or future

 

Some men want kids to run their leg hair in the pool, others want a little tongue suck.

 

that was an odd story to tell.

 

Another cause of suffering is our desire to make things permanent that are inherently impermanent (and this is probably the single biggest cause of suffering, actually). So, I am married, and want desperately to keep my wife, but the fact is that some day, either she will leave me, die or I will die, and I will lose her. The point is to accept this and then enjoy each moment as being precious, because it is. But that is very hard to do, because our brains have been conditioned to want things to be the way WE want them to be, not the way they are. And we fall back into this habit energy so easily. It is why mindfulness and meditation is so important.

Buddhism is not about removing pain, or fear, or pleasure (which is in itself another source of suffering, but I digress). But allowing us to not suffer because of it. You are still going to have diseases, old age, death, loss of friends and things you care about, but the suffering because of these things, that is under your control, if you practice at it.

 

Sounds like Philosophy.

 

So not about avoiding suffering but becoming strong enough to manage and to accept the suffering in our lives without becoming resentful and to develop a vision and meaning to life.

 

A lot of people salve their hatred of woo-woo by claiming Buddhism is not a religion, but a philosophy. And if it helps, them, great. But, as I see it, it is definitely a religion because it also talks about things that are impossible to prove or disprove, like what happens after death. Rebirth, bodhisattvas, Nirvana, etc.

But the great thing is you don't have to believe in all the woo-woo for it to help you, and you don't even have to stop being a Christian or Neo-Pagan or whatever you are to benefit from it.

 

I was just saying some of your words sounded like Philophy. I took a couple years of classes and read a little in the past. Wasn’t meant to be a shot.

 

This is the problem with translations. Early on, it dukkha was translated to "suffering", when that is not really the best translation. It might be better seen as "dissatisfaction" as well as physical and mental suffering (broken bones, depression, affliction emotions, cancer, ulcers, etc).

And it isn't about being strong enough. In fact, fighting it with strength is not what you want to do, but paradoxically just be with it, love your pain and dissatisfaction, hold it close like a child and give it love until it goes to sleep and you move on.

Four Noble Truths:
1) Life is full of dukkha (suffering, unhappiness, dissatisfaction). Learn to recognize it
2) Dukkha is caused by attachment and aversion. End this.
3) Dukkha can and has ceased.
4) The Noble Eightfold Path is the road to end dukkha (Right View, Right Resolve, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration). Follow it to enlightenment

 

And I didn't take it as one, my friend. Never worry about that with me when talking about this stuff. And if you wish to take a shot, call it witchcraft and boogywoogy mumbo-jumbo, have at it! Because there is a good chance you are right. But it works for me, and have seen it work in others.

And I am in no way proselytizing, as it is considered bad form in Buddhism. But will answer questions as they arise, to the best of my limited ability.

 

I have seen dukkha translated as "dooley."

 

It is woo, but it is like a low calorie woo that doesn't demand uniformity or proselytizing.

 

If I were a high ranking Buddhist monk.