Do you really want liberation?

Lots of words

Einstein answered ""I believe that if there is any religion on the planet that could help, it would be buddhism"

 

WHAT "craving for greed, ill-will", ... ?

my only craving is to be left the effing ell alone to enjoy gardens and trains and forrest filled with little furry creatures with big sharp teeth. where no one robbs anyone else of their calmness. or their means of survival. or where no means of survival is neccessary.

where i can enjoy the gratification of building my own shelter, however crude or humble, and living in it.

i do know such things, these greeds and aggressivenessess are common, but i also observe them being taught in schools, in popular entertainments, and at mother's brests, rather then anyone being born with them. and i can observe nothing intrinsic to any of these sources requiring them to be either.

i observe them being promoted by those who immagine themselves to gain, which in outward and supperficial ways they may appear to, by doing so.

but i observe no other biggining to suffering then that. nor any intrinsic prohabition nor lack of capacity of our species to avoid doing so.

(i have, btw, this same 'beef' with both christianity and islam)

=^^=
.../\...

 

Darrell - I have been thinking about this and reviewing my knowledge of Buddhism.

I have to say that I think probably you are right that the Theravada teaching is probably more useful than a lot of mahayana stuff.

It seems that I've fallen into the trap of allowing personal considerations to outweigh my real judgements, because a person I know has recently become involved in Tibetan Buddhism, or some version of it, here in the uk, and I feel that they are going down a wrong path. I am sorry that concerns for my friend have blurred my vision in this.

Anyway - I think that in practical terms if we try to develop kindness and compassion we won't go far wrong whatever path we choose.

 

It doesn't matter what school of Buddhism we learn from. What does matter, and you "hit the nail on the head" here, is that we develop friendliness, loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, that we practice altruism for all living beings.

When I started practicing Buddhism, it was Tibetan Mayahana that I "grew up" in. I still hold my first Lama in the highest of regard and will forever do so. I am always recalling him and his teachings in my memories. Yet I also read the Theravada Suttas while practicing Tibetan Buddhism and was always questioning why the teachings were dissimilar while in other instances being similar.

Any school of Buddhism which teaches the Four Noble Truths, teaches Giving, teaches Ethics, teaches Patience, teaches right Effort, teaches Concentration, teaches Wisdom ... is a good place to start. Both Mayahana and Theravada (Hinayana) teach these. Theravada goes a step further in catagorizing the Noble Eightfold Path into Morality, Concentration and Wisdom. Where the Noble Eightfold Path is not these three, these three are found in the Noble Eightfold Path. Where Morality is Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livlihood. Where Concentration is Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. Where Wisdom is Right View (perception, understanding) and Right Intention (thought).

Greed, Ill-Will and Delusion is in both Mahayana and Theravada teachings. And as such are sought to be totally eliminated in order to attain freedom from suffering, from sorrow, from lamentations and despair.

The goal of a Mahayana is to become a Buddha. The goal of a Theravada is to become enlightened. Yet, these should never be made goals as goals are stumbling blocks as one will never reach such goals as long as they are governed by greed, ill-will and delusion. If goals are to be made it should be to eliminate greed, ill-will and delusion. The result of such freedom is the highest attainment, is nibbana, is the state called enlightenment.

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