Quote:
Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru
The key here is action. I don't think you can work on karma without action. The road to enlightenment includes doing good and being helpful to others. A false view of Buddhism is that it's pessimistic or nihilistic. Furthermore, erroneous views (ignorance) are a barrier to rightful action, and so it is connected. Buddha taught how everything is connected, and that no action, no state, no understanding, has inherent, isolated value.
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Absolutely, the Buddhist monks (bikkus) that I hung with were staunchly in the traditionally orthodox method of Buddhism (Therevadic/Hinayana) and adhered more closely to the Buddha's teachings. they were quite adamant that any kind of action (i.e. the key here is action) was going to have an impact on their attainment of enlightenment.
The way that one guy described it to me was that the practice of dharma (right action) was akin to creating no shadow on the ground (he gave me the image of a stick in the ground at noon as the practice of dharma - the stick was present, but it cast no shadow - the shadow being action and the results of action).
He went on to state that kharma (good or bad - it didn't matter) is a departure from dharma. The daily meditations were aimed at understanding how to lessen the impact on the world caused by kharma.
So you are correct - Kharma is action. Action in an orthodox Buddhist context is contrary to the achievement of enlightenment.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru
I don't think hateful thoughts in and of themselves will have a karmic impact. However, I believe that they are a source of karmic activity. The main focus of meditation is on the nature of thought. Thoughts arise, fester, and pass. By observing this process, we can understand how we react to specific thought processes. When we find ourselves carrying out actions that we later regret, we can trace this back to our thoughts that preceded the matter, that provided a basis for it. Usually, these thoughts are rooted in delusion. It's only by breaking through this delusion can we see the truth of our situations and how to act accordingly.
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So - we as normal folk, do not have the luxury of day long meditation like the bikkus. We, by necessity, need to assess our daily actions and try to come out ahead where our good (non-evil) thoughts generate actions that put us on the positive (good) side so that we can at least conform to societal needs and perhaps progress along our own paths.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru
I have read a bit about the Theravadic tradition briefly out of curiosity. However, I haven't explored it further because it was of no use to me. I tend to stay away from Buddhist writings that include too much ritual and symbolism. I don't know anything about the Hinayana tradition, but I hear it's not as rigid as the other.
My approach to Buddhism is largely philosophical, and I try to stick to the core teachings as much as possible.
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As far as I know, the Hinayana or Therevadic paths are as close to the core of the philosophy as one can get. The newer Mahayana and other derivatives (Tibetan, Zen etc) have evolved and grown.