Buddhist Evolution



Q: What are we evolving to?
A: Towards better or worse. It depends on the individual.
Q: What is the point of evolution?
A: It has no specific purpose - but a wise choice for all is to evolve to be wiser. So is it a kind choice for all to evolve to be kinder.
Q: Will evolution hit a ceiling?
A: Evolution will be in repetitive revolutions (rebirth) if one does not make it a point to evolve in the direction of reaching its peak in Enlightenment.

12:41amThu15Jan04|(0) |#35
pic:www.internet.megatel.ba/cards/funny/meaning.jpg
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Sad Crisis



What is more sad than one having an existential crisis
in one having one without knowing it.
The first is clueless
and the latter clueless that he is clueless.

But there is actually one more thing sadder -
seeing my own crisis, along with others',
and not doing anything about it.

Thus am I a Buddhist.

1:00amThu15Jan04|(0) |#34
pic:www.brainart.com.au/brain_files/ pD_brain_dynamics.htm
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Ali Baba Rule



In the classic tale "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" (See http://www.2020site.org/robbinhood/alibaba.html), a robber who wanted to kill Ali marked his door with chalk. But Morgiana, his assistant, discovered the mark and other doors with the way. The robbers came at night and were confounded as to which was the right house.

The Ali Baba Rule states that when everything is special (as with all the marked doors), nothing is special). The Buddhas are special to us unenlightened beings in the sense that they realised the full potential of their Buddha-Nature. But they tell us that we are equally special in that we all have the same Buddha-Nature. And by seeing that Buddha-Nature is universal, we realise that we are not uniquely special, as we learn to revere all sentient beings with equanamity.

12:55amThu15Jan04|(0) |#33
pic:pro.wanadoo.fr/artdiffusion/meyrier
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Homage to Dharma



About paying homage to the Triple Gem, it is relatively easy to understand doing so to the Buddha and Sangha. But how do you pay homage to the Dharma? Do we bow to sutras (scriptures)?

To pay homage to the Dharma is to be respectful to everything, for everything is universal phenomena, the manifestation of truth - even the greatest evil. But this does not mean we condone it - for we pay homage to the Buddha-nature within.

The best way to pay homage to the Dharma is to be one with it - to practise the Dharma the Buddha taught, which the Sangha practises too, which leads to Enlightenment, for assisting others to do the same.

12:50amThu15Jan04|(0) |#32
pic:www.csupomona.edu/~plin/ews430/images/dharmawheel_big.jpg
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Icy Fire



A little contact with fire can burn, sting your skin.
A lot of contact with ice can sting, burn your skin.
Ice and feel like fire and fire like ice.
And they can put each other "out".

12:41amThu15Jan04|(0) |#31
pic:www.adl2.com/ice_cube.html
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Mind



What is mind? No matter.
What is matter? Never mind.

-George Berkeley

We are mind and matter, but it’s the mind that matters,
more than matter, as "mind over matter",
whether you mind it or not.
So mind your mind.

-Stonepeace

2:23amWed3Dec03|(0) |#30
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