[Any
Tom, Dick and Harry would be able to understand the simple phase
that ‘Life is Suffering.’] – Disagree, if so why
was Siddartha hesitant to teach the ascetics
initially? Also, many people disagree with ‘Life
is Suffering’ or didn’t understand what is dukkha.
[The
practice of meditation is used by the Buddhists to actually
experience this suffering itself.] – Disagree, we
experience dukkha any moment but we may not consciously acknowledge
it. If dukkha is only experienced during
meditation, then it is better not to meditate!!
[He experiences the
1st Noble Truth himself and then spread those
experiences in words to his disciples.] –
Disagree, Siddartha realised that ‘Life is Suffering’ and
this is the culmination of 6 years of wandering to find the meaning
of existence. He already saw suffering when he
ventured out of the palace! Buddha (awakened
one) after he formulated the 4NT wanted to share his discovery with
the companions he abandoned but was concerned whether they could
understand. The 4NT as you put it is simple but
to understand is not that simple. Otherwise, the
Buddha would not have to spend 45 years teaching and presenting the
4NT by various doctrines, metaphors, stories, and
analogies.
[It does
not need any of our senses to experience suffering itself. Anyone
who has been practicing meditation for some years will be able to
tell you it is so.] This is a
serious misunderstanding: if we don’t need senses (six sense
bases), then Dependent Origination would have a missing link!
Who is anyone practising meditation can tell? Need to verify
your source.
May I
respectfully ask where you learned the dharma and who is your
teacher?
//Disagree, if so why
was Siddartha hesitant to teach the ascetics initially? Also,
many people disagree with ‘Life is Suffering’ or didn’t understand
what is dukkha//
He hesitated because such an experience he
felt may be too profound for other to understand, which to date it
seem many still do not quite understand it as well. That is my
personal take.
//Disagree, we experience dukkha any moment but
we may not consciously acknowledge it. If dukkha is only
experienced during meditation, then it is better not to
meditate!!//
You may have misunderstood what I mean when I said
‘The practice of meditation is used by the
Buddhists to actually experience this suffering itself.’
I
have just posted a write up titled – ‘Calming Thoughts &
Discomfort in Meditation’. Do have a quick read on it
first.
//This is a serious
misunderstanding: if we don’t need senses (six sense bases), then
Dependent Origination would have a missing link! Who is
anyone practising meditation can tell? Need to verify your
source//
Dependent Origination has nothing to do
with the missing link to our six senses. It is one of the most
important Buddhist tenets in explaining the doctrine of no-self and
Emptiness. Unless you literally meant to imply that we need
our senses for our sources of knowledge.
As for my source of the dharma, it is
through reading and listening to others’ take on the religion over
a period of more than 25 years. Of course, all these information
and knowledge would amount to just words if not put into practices.
It will just make a person feel so ‘full of himself’ as he would
think that has learned and know them all and there is nothing more
to learn.
I
have no teacher.
I
believe AEN above comments would clarify many of your points
too.
I
have no wish to continue this discussion any further as there will
be no end to it.
