Search found 22 matches
- Fri Jun 02, 2017 12:42 pm
- Forum: Tibetan Buddhism
- Topic: Developing Siddhis
- Replies: 28
- Views: 6733
Developing Siddhis
How can one develop siddhis?
- Mon Apr 25, 2016 12:46 am
- Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
- Topic: question on proof
- Replies: 35
- Views: 5779
Re: question on proof
How can one start having these realizations?Karma Dondrup Tashi wrote:There are progressive intermediate realizations that can be known without any doubt.charles wrote:Can one personally prove to oneself that a permanent cessation of suffering is possible?
- Mon Apr 25, 2016 12:45 am
- Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
- Topic: question on proof
- Replies: 35
- Views: 5779
Re: question on proof
Thank you all for your input so far
- Tue Oct 27, 2015 3:53 am
- Forum: Mahāyāna Buddhism
- Topic: impermanence
- Replies: 25
- Views: 4689
impermanence
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn25/sn25.001.than.html "At Savatthi. "Monks, the eye is inconstant, changeable, alterable. The ear... The nose... The tongue... The body... The mind is inconstant, changeable, alterable." Do Mahayana Buddhists accept this? If not all mahayan...
- Fri Jun 26, 2015 12:35 am
- Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
- Topic: question on proof
- Replies: 35
- Views: 5779
question on proof
Can one personally prove to oneself that a permanent cessation of suffering is possible?
- Sat Jun 15, 2013 1:35 pm
- Forum: Sūtra Studies
- Topic: Nagarjuna's Commentary on the Great Prajnaparamita Sutra
- Replies: 40
- Views: 11453
Re: Nagarjuna's Commentary on the Great Prajnaparamita Sutra
Is anyone working on a translation to the commentary to Chapters 2-90 of the sutra/ are any translations of this part available?
- Mon Jun 10, 2013 6:34 am
- Forum: Sūtra Studies
- Topic: Buddha the author of Mahayana sutras?
- Replies: 53
- Views: 16722
Re: Buddha the author of Mahayana sutras?
I hope everyone is here is aware (yes?) that all of the commentarial traditions except perhaps the Mulasarvastivadins (the Vaibasa says, the Dharma is what is taught by Buddhas and their disciples only), define the Dharma as consisting of what was taught by the Buddha, by his disciples, by the anci...
- Sat Jun 08, 2013 11:02 am
- Forum: Sūtra Studies
- Topic: Buddha the author of Mahayana sutras?
- Replies: 53
- Views: 16722
Re: Buddha the author of Mahayana sutras?
I don't know what the pundits will say, but my answer would be that 'knowing' in this special sense is the meaning of prajñā which is found throughout the Mahāyāna literature. As to how one's attainment of that is validated, that is part of the role of the teacher, and indeed why you have a teacher...
- Sat Jun 08, 2013 7:12 am
- Forum: Sūtra Studies
- Topic: Buddha the author of Mahayana sutras?
- Replies: 53
- Views: 16722
Re: Buddha the author of Mahayana sutras?
Even if it matches up, how can we be absolutely certain the texts it matches up with are truthful? How can we authenticate the validity of the texts beyond just scholarly analysis? Can we reach a type of "knowing" that, without a doubt, knows something to be absolutely true, and one which...
- Sat Jun 08, 2013 2:33 am
- Forum: Sūtra Studies
- Topic: Buddha the author of Mahayana sutras?
- Replies: 53
- Views: 16722
Re: Buddha the author of Mahayana sutras?
If someone had a vision, dream, or transmission, how would they be absolutely certain they were not being deceived? Is it possible some being might deceive a human into believing it was a Buddha? I've never had such visions, but if someone did and wrote it all down we could check it against existin...
- Thu Jun 06, 2013 11:55 am
- Forum: Sūtra Studies
- Topic: Buddha the author of Mahayana sutras?
- Replies: 53
- Views: 16722
Re: Buddha the author of Mahayana sutras?
There is a history in Mahayana Buddhism of receiving teachings through visions, dreams and transmission. This actually still happens. I don't know if it would be appropriate to go into details here, but I know one person who has had these kinds of transmissions and put it down on paper as a kind of...
- Mon Apr 29, 2013 4:14 am
- Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
- Topic: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
- Replies: 41
- Views: 10151
Re: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
When you say: By knowledge, I refer to a type of "knowing" that, without a doubt, knows absolutely true information. As well, this "knowing" knows, without a doubt, that it knows absolutely true information. I think this refers to a state of being. What else could it refer to? I...
- Mon Apr 29, 2013 2:09 am
- Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
- Topic: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
- Replies: 41
- Views: 10151
Re: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
'Stop looking for it on internet forums' would probably run a close second...... I'm interested in people's responses to these questions. I don't automatically believe that the responses here alone will give me certainty on the issue. How do you suggest I go about looking for this knowledge I've be...
- Sun Apr 28, 2013 9:29 pm
- Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
- Topic: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
- Replies: 41
- Views: 10151
Re: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
The kind of knowledge that arises from direct knowing, that arises, emerges, from the Dharma, as circumstance dictates, as opposed to that kind of book knowledge that is programmed into your brain, into what we could call your brain's memory databank, through careful study and training? I recall so...
- Sun Apr 28, 2013 12:38 pm
- Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
- Topic: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
- Replies: 41
- Views: 10151
Re: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
So what I'm getting at is this: if you're looking for some way to know upfront whether or not knowledge of that type is possible, I don't think you're going to get an answer. You have to actually try and find out yourself. That is what a great deal of the Buddhist path consist of - coming to unders...
- Sun Apr 28, 2013 12:14 pm
- Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
- Topic: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
- Replies: 41
- Views: 10151
Re: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
I'm not sure if you would necessarily need to be omniscient to know something with absolute certainty. For example how can I attain a knowledge (that is impossible to doubt), whereby I know that Nirvana is a permanent state of the highest happiness? The point about this issue is that it is not 'kno...
- Sun Apr 28, 2013 11:54 am
- Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
- Topic: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
- Replies: 41
- Views: 10151
Re: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
alpha wrote: I think "happiness" is somewhat inaccurate since it is related to human vission.
Are you suggesting that it is somewhat inaccurate to describe Nirvana with the word "happiness"?alpha wrote: How can you possibly describe it if is beyond human vision?
- Sun Apr 28, 2013 11:48 am
- Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
- Topic: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
- Replies: 41
- Views: 10151
Re: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
I'm confused. When I wrote:alpha wrote: No.I meant happiness.
How can you possibly describe it if is beyond human vision?
I meant if here:charles wrote: Do you mean "vision"?
did you mean "vision" instead of "vission"?alpha wrote: human vission.
- Sun Apr 28, 2013 10:59 am
- Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
- Topic: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
- Replies: 41
- Views: 10151
Re: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
I'm not sure if you would necessarily need to be omniscient to know something with absolute certainty. For example how can I attain a knowledge (that is impossible to doubt), whereby I know that Nirvana is a permanent state of the highest happiness? I think "happiness" is somewhat inaccur...
- Sun Apr 28, 2013 10:57 am
- Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
- Topic: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
- Replies: 41
- Views: 10151
Re: Achieving Epistemic Certainty
Is there a type of knowledge that can be attained whereby one knows with absolute certainty that something is true? No. Either there is knowledge or not. :sage: I'm not sure what you mean here, can you elaborate? Is there a type of knowledge that can be attained whereby one knows with absolute cert...