Encourage to explore teachings?

Isis SG

"Dhamma is in your mind, not in the forest. Don't believe others. Just listen to your mind. You don't have to go and look anywhere else. Wisdom is in yourself, just like a sweet ripe mango is already in a young green one."

"You are your own teacher. Looking for teachers can't solve your own doubts. Investigate yourself to find the truth - inside, not outside. Knowing yourself is most important."

"Outward scriptural study is not important. Of course, the Dhamma books are correct, but they are not right. They cannot give you right understanding. To see the word anger in print is not the same as experiencing anger. Only experiencing yourself can give you the true faith"

"Someone commented, I can observe desire and aversion in my mind, but its hard to observe delusion. You're riding on a horse and asking where the horse is! was Ajahn Chah's reply."

"Read yourself, not books. Truth isn't outside, that's only memory, not wisdom. Memory without wisdom is like an empty thermos bottle - if you don't fill it, it's useless."

"How does the dhamma teach the proper way of life? It shows us how to live. It has many ways of showing it - on roots or trees or just in front of you. It is a teaching but not in words. So still the mind, the heart, and learn to watch. You'll find the whole dhamma revealing itself here and now. At what other time and place are you going to look?"

"Only one book is worth reading, the heart."

"Whatever we do, we should see ourselves. Reading books doesn't ever give rise to anything. The days pass by, but we don't see ourselves. Knowing about practice is practising in order to know."

http://www.bodhinyanarama.net.nz/acquote.htm

An Eternal Now SG

Books and teachings are important pointers, they point to the moon, but is not the moon itself. You have to go there yourself.

Isis SG

For me reading books and exploring yourself are inter-related Smile

An Eternal Now SG

Yes of course, you cant get to the moon without a signpost..

Isis SG

Seeing the word anger in print is not the same as experiencing anger...

Having pure Intellectual understanding isnt enough to realize the essence of the teachings. This is why buddhist are encourged to explore Buddhist teachings.

On the other hand, it is also important to have faith in the teachings. By clearing doubts, will one enhance one understanding and faith.

An Eternal Now SG

If you don't read book also can.. just follow what your dharma teacher teaches.

We still require teachings, unless we are Pratyekabuddhas or Buddha himself.

Knowing and cultivating both are needed.

Isis SG

I do not have a dharma teacher. However, i come across some buddhism teachings from books, talks. There are my pointers. Pointers are important as there are signpost.

sometime, we can be blinded to recongise the pointers. For learning, having strong attachment to own views is like closing our mind to learn. Have the right view to learn is important for enhancing learning.

Plain Reading or understanding of dharma books to gain knowledge are not enough. For beginner, it could be useful but to touch on the essence, it isn't just about plain reading anymore. We need to understand ourselves. To resolve our karmic barriers in learning dharma.

Why do i say we need to resolve our own karmic barrier?
All of us have Bodhi ( Buddha nature) but our mind are clouded to see Buddha nature. It is important to know ourselves. i feel it is also good to know, be aware and dissolve our delusion so that we can see true Buddha nature as it is. (Read the sermon below regarding lookin for Buddha in ourselves)

I have made amendment so that it is clearer and reflected what i want to say and what i have had just learnt from here.

From my perspective,Im not an enlightened being. This is just for sharing and for learning... i hope this does not confuse anyone..

Best Regards =)

An Eternal Now SG

Yes but you must also be aware that Ajahn Chah also gives pointers in his teachings. We all need pointers to be on the right track and on the right path. The rest is up to us.

Isis SG

mmm may i know what are we arguing about???

Yup.. i m stressing the point that it is important that we need to realise our nature..to just rely on intellectual understanding is not enough. One has to explore, and look within or mediate...

Some non-buddhist or buddhist may not know the reasons why buddhist are encourage to buddhist teachings....

An Eternal Now SG

Yup.. i m stressing the point that it is important that we need to realise our nature..to just rely on intellectual understanding is not enough. One has to explore, and look within or mediate...

yes thats right.

Some non-buddhist or buddhist may not know the reasons why buddhist are encourage to buddhist teachings....

sorry?

longchen SG

I will like to add that Enlightened Teachers can greatly accelerate our progress.

Some Enlightened teachers can be said to be almost ominiscient and can know ones' level. These teachers will shatter our illusions that we are already there. Enlightenment is not so easy.

Of course the Buddha-nature is in us. However, the stages leading to the restoration of the nature is long and very subtle.

Isis SG

of course, the quotes i have posted r from enlightened teachers...these are my pointers..

all of us have bodhi nature, regardless of which religion we are in ...everyone has potential to be buddha. We all have inherent wisdom but we do not have perfect buddha wisdom like buddha does.

An Eternal Now SG

Yes I do agree.. having teachers to guide one on the path is important.

An Eternal Now SG

Thats right. Regardless of where he comes from the nature of enlightenment is in him.. so when we look at people we should not discriminate them but see them from an enlightened viewpoint.

Actually Buddha Nature can be said to be 'wholly complete' in us. But sentient beings have to cultivate or as longchen said 'restore the nature in us'.

Isis SG

mm, maybe to you .. it automatically accepted that it is a good thing to explore teachings... for some, it is just important to have pure faith... faith by just taking the leap without looking... different people from different background have different opinion on it...

so what is exploration of buddhist teachings meaning for you?

An Eternal Now SG

Sorry just now i cldnt understand ur sentence. I understand now.

Definitely exploration means inner exploration and not just on the teaching level.

Furthermore the most important part of Buddhism is unspoken, cannot be spoken.. has to be experienced.

Which is why Buddha mentioned in the end, he did not speak a word.

Isis SG

of course, but we do need to have there inherent wisdom to take there first step don't we? of course, rely on the triple gems could be the fastest way to be liberated.

An Eternal Now SG

Yup Smile

Isis SG

~~deleted~~

An Eternal Now SG

Something I just posted in the Daily Buddhist Verses just before posting in this topic..

http://www.dailyzen.com/zen/zen_reading24.asp

Bodhidharma's Bloodstream Sermon

Everything that appears in the three realms leads back to the mind. Hence, buddhas of the past and future teach mind to mind without bothering about definitions.

But if they don't define it, what do they mean by mind? You ask.

That's your mind. I answer. That's my mind. If I had no mind, how could I answer? If you had no mind, how could you ask? That which asks is your mind. Through endless kalpas without beginning, whatever you do, wherever you are, that's your real mind, that's your real buddha.

This mind is the buddha says the same thing. Beyond this mind you'll never find another buddha. To search for enlightenment or nirvana beyond this mind is impossible. The reality of your own self-nature, the absence of cause and effect, is what's meant by mind. Your mind is nirvana. You might think you can find a buddha or enlightenment somewhere beyond the mind, but such a place doesn't exist.

Trying to find a buddha or enlightenment is like trying to grab space. Space has a name but no form. It's not something you can pick up or put down. And you certainly can't grab it. Beyond this mind you'll never see a buddha. The buddha is a product of your mind. Why look for a buddha beyond this mind?

Buddhas of the past and future only talk about this mind. The mind is the buddha. And the buddha is the mind. Beyond the mind there's no buddha. And beyond the buddha there's no mind. If you think there's a buddha beyond the mind, where is he? There's no buddha beyond the mind, so why envision one? You can't know your real mind as long as you deceive yourself. As long as you're enthralled by a lifeless form, you're not free. If you don't believe me, deceiving yourself doesn't help. It's not the buddha's fault. People, though, are deluded. They're unaware that their own mind is the buddha. Otherwise, they wouldn't look for a buddha outside the mind.

Buddhas don't save buddhas. If you use your mind to look for a buddha, you won't see the buddha. As long as you look for a buddha somewhere else, you'll never see that your own mind is the buddha. And don't use a buddha to worship a buddha. And don't use the mind to invoke a buddha. Buddhas don't recite sutras. Buddhas don't keep precepts. And buddhas don't break precepts. Buddhas don't keep or break anything. Buddhas don't do good or evil.

To find a buddha, you have to see your nature. Whoever sees his or her nature is a buddha. If you don't see your nature, invoking buddhas, reciting sutras, making offerings and keeping precepts are all useless. Invoking buddhas results in good karma. Reciting sutras results in good memory. Keeping precepts results in a good rebirth. And making offerings results in future blessings. But no buddha.

Long ago, the monk Good Star was able to recite the entire Canon. But he didn't escape the Wheel because he didn't see his nature. If this was the case for Good Star, then people nowadays who recite a few sutras or shastras and think it's the Dharma are fools. Unless you see your mind, reciting so much prose is useless.

To find a buddha, all you have to do is see your nature. Your nature is the buddha. And the buddha is the person who's free, free of plans, free of cares. If you don't see your nature and run around all day looking somewhere else, you'll never find a buddha. The truth is there's nothing to find. Life and death are important. Don't suffer them in vain. There's no advantage in deceiving yourself. Even if you have mountains of jewels and as many servants as there are grains of sand along the Ganges, you see them when your eyes are open. But what about when your eyes are shut? You should realize that everything you see is like a dream or illusion.

Buddha is Sanskrit for what you call aware, miraculously aware. Responding, perceiving, arching your brows, blinking your eyes, moving your hands and feet, it's all your miraculously aware nature. And this nature is the mind. And the mind is the buddha. And the buddha is the path. And the path is zen. But the word zen is one that remains a puzzle to both mortals and sages. Seeing your nature is zen. Unless you see your nature, it's not zen.

- Bodhidharma [440-528]