Discussion of Diamond Sutra from E-sangha

bohiruci SG

One must not only discern life this way, they must know undoubtfully that it is this way. Understand that our life is Conditioned, ever changing by the moment. The things we experience, the very body we have is changing each moment. Because of this, "I" truely doesnt exist. Understand that everything we experience, every little thing has been predetermined. Why are you so unhappy, why do you lead a sad life? All but karma. Why are you so happy, why do you not worry about things, why are you so free? All but karma. Why do people treat you so well, why do you have so many friends? All but karma, all but debts. Why do people slander you, treat you so bad? Al but karma, you owe them a lot. Thus life is conditioned. That is all.

That is why it is a dream. We are all in a dream right now, and within this dream there are delusive ones (us sentinel beings) and awakened ones (Buddha and Bodhisattvas). Everything we experience is far from the truth, thus we are chasing dreams after dreams within dreams. Piling illusions for ourselves to believe, not knowing that as soon as our back is turned against it, in an instant it returns to Emptiness. Never being able to come back once its gone, not being able to keep it while it's here. Thus not being real nor unreal in the first place. Thus the characterstics of life, of all connections is not obtainable in the end. Actually it is not obtainable when its right in front of you. The friendship you have with others is just like sessions of repaying debts. Same goes for family or your most dearest people. Each moment is changing, what we see right in front of us is just an illusion. Like Buddha once said in a Sutra (Ren Wong Jing) that each time someone clicks their fingers there's 60 little extremely short moments. Each moment has 900 rises and fallings. Rising and fallings of what? Of karmatic creations, of Illusions. Like the concept of animation. Each motion is drawn on a piece of paper, thus is takes many pieces of paper to fully animate something. Modern technology can animate 24 pieccs of paper in a second. For us, every little moment is 900 rises and fallings of illusions. To tell you the truth, 900 rising and fallings is far from the truth.

An Eternal Now SG

The writer has a wrong understanding of karma.

Karma is NOT predeterminism.

http://www.sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=293935

sinweiy SG

yes, not "everything" .

Beliefs that are contrary to the law of kamma
There are three philosophies which are considered by Buddhism to be wrong view and which must be carefully distinguished from the teaching of kamma:

1. Pubbekatahetuvada: The belief that all happiness and suffering arise from previous kamma (Past-action determinism).

2. Issaranimmanahetuvada: The belief that all happiness and suffering are caused by the directives of a Supreme Being (Theistic determinism).

3. Ahetu-apaccayavada: The belief that all happiness and suffering are random, having no cause (Indeterminism or Accidentalism).

The Buddha did not dismiss the importance of previous kamma, because it does play a part in the cause and effect process, and thus has an effect on the present in its capacity as one of the conditioning factors. But it is simply one of those conditions, it is not a supernatural force to be clung to or submitted to passively. An understanding of the Principle of Dependent Origination and the cause and effect process will clarify this.

For example, if a man climbs to the third floor of a building, it is undeniably true that his arriving is a result of past action -- namely, walking up the stairs. And having arrived there, it is impossible for him to reach out and touch the ground with his hand, or to drive a car around. Obviously, this is because he has gone up to the third floor. Or, having arrived at the third floor, whether he is too exhausted to continue is also related to having walked up the stairs. His arrival there, the things he is able to do there and the situations he is likely to encounter, are all certainly related to the "old kamma" of having walked up the stairs. But exactly which actions he will perform, his reactions to the situations which he meets there, whether he will take a rest, walk on, or walk back down the stairs and out of that building, are all matters which he can decide for himself in that present moment, for which he will also reap the results. Even though the action of walking up the stairs may still be influencing him (for example, with his strength sapped he may be unable to function efficiently in any given situation), whether he decides to give in to that tiredness or try to overcome it are all matters which he can decide for himself in the present moment.

Therefore, old kamma should be understood in its relation to the whole cause and effect process. In terms of ethical practice, to understand the cause and effect process is to be able to learn from old kamma, understanding the situation at hand, and to skillfully make a plan of action for improving on and preparing for the future.
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/9280/kamma6.htm

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