Wonderful teaching - thank you for putting this in simple-to-understand terms & for including illustrative examples from situations typically encountered in our current culture and environments.
Wonderful, yet again! You cover a lot of pretty standard ground, so sometimes I find myself saying "yeah, yeah, I know," in the middle of a video, but by the end you bring it together in such a clear and insightful way, that the teaching seems fresh and has immediate practical utility for me. Thanks!
You're very welcome photistyx! Yes, in general I do want these videos to be accessible to everyone, even if some (like this one in fact) may be a bit "in the weeds" for many. Still, for those like yourself with a background in the material, they may be going over old ground. But I think that's OK too! Often we need to hear things more than once.
Thank you for the work you do! I like to imagine my dream occupations, and if they may be too serious, then I’ll imagine making them into a video game 🎮or a type of play. Would you like to mention any games? Are there dharma games? Woo-hoo! I feel heavy metal. However this may just be a passing state.
I don't know of any dharma games. I love to play computer games but was finding they were eating up too much of my time so I haven't played in years! 😄
Splendid "old" video! 😅🙏 Recently I've been diving a bit deeper into the moment-to-moment-rebirth interpretation. It has turned out to be the most fertile for my personal practice. And the most interesting regarding modern brain and cognitive sciences... 😂
@@DougsDharma So far, I've read two texts by Ajahn Buddhadhasa. _Concerning Birth_ and especially _Another Kind of Birth_ examine this way of understanding (re-)birth. 🐱🙏
Good question Steve. The near-term aim is to foster volitions of kindness, compassion, and generosity instead of hatred and greed. The farther-term aim is to foster more selfless efforts in all we do.
Thanks a lot for digging into these difficult topics! Having a hard time understanding what sankharas are, I wonder if - in the context of dependent origination - they could be understood as what makes the difference between what is seen and what is in the seen - and heard etc.?
Typically that difference is understood as stemming from perception rather than volitional formations, though I imagine they are both involved to an extent.
Great explanation of some mind-boggling ideas, Doug. Thanks! (as Stephen Batchelor once said of the notion of clinging bringing about existence/rebirth: "whatever the hell THAT means!" My question exactly, haha!) Seriously, though, all this Buddhist preoccupation with non-attachment and "stop the wheel, I wanna get off" makes me wonder if early Buddhism or the historical Buddha didn't tend towards the schizoid end of the spectrum? I'd like to know what you think, Doug?
You're very welcome Jenny! As to the Buddha, I think of him as very clear-headed, though he came from a different cultural background of course. At the end of the day, the Second Noble Truth is all about attachment, so non-attachment is the antidote. The deep problem though is understanding how non-attachment is totally different from detachment. Detachment is not what we're going for, if that makes sense. 🙂
I discuss that in my new video on the Buddha's supposed omniscience: ua-cam.com/video/XbmBzuoR8jM/v-deo.html . It can basically be glossed as ignorance of what is most important in life.
If thoughts vary and each fabricated reified thought is considered a person, it follows there are many persons in a carbon units mind. Or maybe there is a fabricated reified feeling thinker part that has varied thoughts. The notion of rebirth though seems inconsistent with the view that consciousness is dependent and therefore cannot rebirth without an external senser vessel to make contact with it. So maybe the Buddhas views changed during his journey, chronology of teachings ?
Well we can never know for sure optizap but rebirth seems to have been there right from the start, it comes from prior belief systems in Brahmanism and Jainism.
Free mini-course at the Online Dharma Institute: onlinedharma.org!
Wonderful teaching - thank you for putting this in simple-to-understand terms & for including illustrative examples from situations typically encountered in our current culture and environments.
You're very welcome regenerist! The causal theory can be a bit complicated but the basic problem is simple. 🙂
Thank you Doug. I found this video helpful because I’m undergoing major changes in my life. Now I have better perspective.
Wonderful, glad you found it helpful Miguel!
🙏 wonderful explanation
Thank you! 🙂
Wonderful, yet again! You cover a lot of pretty standard ground, so sometimes I find myself saying "yeah, yeah, I know," in the middle of a video, but by the end you bring it together in such a clear and insightful way, that the teaching seems fresh and has immediate practical utility for me. Thanks!
You're very welcome photistyx! Yes, in general I do want these videos to be accessible to everyone, even if some (like this one in fact) may be a bit "in the weeds" for many. Still, for those like yourself with a background in the material, they may be going over old ground. But I think that's OK too! Often we need to hear things more than once.
Thanks!
🙏🙏
this self idea has been a problem to me. thanks for the help.
My pleasure. 🙏
Great content as always Doug. I feel like you cut through to the heart of the matter and make these teachings accessible. Keep up the good work.
Thanks Jason, very kind of you to say. I'm glad you found it helpful.
Thank you, Doug.
You’re very welcome! Thanks for the comment.
Thank you for the work you do! I like to imagine my dream occupations, and if they may be too serious, then I’ll imagine making them into a video game 🎮or a type of play. Would you like to mention any games? Are there dharma games? Woo-hoo! I feel heavy metal. However this may just be a passing state.
I don't know of any dharma games. I love to play computer games but was finding they were eating up too much of my time so I haven't played in years! 😄
Splendid "old" video! 😅🙏
Recently I've been diving a bit deeper into the moment-to-moment-rebirth interpretation. It has turned out to be the most fertile for my personal practice. And the most interesting regarding modern brain and cognitive sciences... 😂
Wonderful! Let me know where you go with it. 🙏😊
@@DougsDharma
So far, I've read two texts by Ajahn Buddhadhasa. _Concerning Birth_ and especially _Another Kind of Birth_ examine this way of understanding (re-)birth.
🐱🙏
@@xiaomaozen Thanks, I'll take a look!
How would you view / approach volitions for positive change in the world?
Good question Steve. The near-term aim is to foster volitions of kindness, compassion, and generosity instead of hatred and greed. The farther-term aim is to foster more selfless efforts in all we do.
Thanks Doug! Great videos.
Thanks a lot for digging into these difficult topics! Having a hard time understanding what sankharas are, I wonder if - in the context of dependent origination - they could be understood as what makes the difference between what is seen and what is in the seen - and heard etc.?
Typically that difference is understood as stemming from perception rather than volitional formations, though I imagine they are both involved to an extent.
@@DougsDharma - thanks a lot for your answer!
Great explanation of some mind-boggling ideas, Doug. Thanks!
(as Stephen Batchelor once said of the notion of clinging bringing about existence/rebirth: "whatever the hell THAT means!" My question exactly, haha!)
Seriously, though, all this Buddhist preoccupation with non-attachment and "stop the wheel, I wanna get off" makes me wonder if early Buddhism or the historical Buddha didn't tend towards the schizoid end of the spectrum? I'd like to know what you think, Doug?
You're very welcome Jenny! As to the Buddha, I think of him as very clear-headed, though he came from a different cultural background of course. At the end of the day, the Second Noble Truth is all about attachment, so non-attachment is the antidote. The deep problem though is understanding how non-attachment is totally different from detachment. Detachment is not what we're going for, if that makes sense. 🙂
Does the buddha mean by ignorance that we simply can't know everything? Does he mean ignorance of certain things in particular?
I discuss that in my new video on the Buddha's supposed omniscience: ua-cam.com/video/XbmBzuoR8jM/v-deo.html . It can basically be glossed as ignorance of what is most important in life.
If thoughts vary and each fabricated reified thought is considered a person, it follows there are many persons in a carbon units mind. Or maybe there is a fabricated reified feeling thinker part that has varied thoughts. The notion of rebirth though seems inconsistent with the view that consciousness is dependent and therefore cannot rebirth without an external senser vessel to make contact with it. So maybe the Buddhas views changed during his journey, chronology of teachings ?
Well we can never know for sure optizap but rebirth seems to have been there right from the start, it comes from prior belief systems in Brahmanism and Jainism.
Needs a Hight level IQ to understand
If so I apologize! 🙂