r/Buddhism

I am mysteriously drawn to monks, Rishis and sadhus. I haven't met any in real life and wanted to know what kind of persons are they. Do they talk and tell you something? Are they mysterious and have unknown powers? I am so consumed with curiosity about them I actually want to go to Himalayas to find them and talk to them and learn from them.

I have had a lot of bizzar and crippling health issues that has a few funny benefits and alot of negatives. The strangest thing was I never really felt bothered by it

I just recently found out what was causing my body to slowly fall apart; ironically only after it's was cured.

My body over produces Adrenaline, Cordisol and Androsol in the 1000% range with Thyroid extreme fluctuations to list a few.

In Layman's terms I SHOULD be little better then a near mindless beat of extreme swings of rage and little in terms of compassion and empathy. Ironically the ONLY reason I wasn't diagnosed with that crippling illness was that I was too self controlled and more then capable of showing compassion.

I feel genuinely free for the first time from my sense of self and empty but in a joyful way.

If your wondering what the issue is Google Darkman the movie and comic character. While it's fictional character, the medical condition and effects of are real.

I don't have Cipa, there was a neurological event that dammed the same part of the bain.

Hello! I have recently taken an interest in learning about Buddhism after reading Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. I absolutely loved the novelette, and it was the first work that I have ever read that had anything to do with Buddhism. I’d love to read more books that have stories of Buddhism or books that can generally teach me more about Buddhism through a story. Thank you all so much! ✌️

If the motivation of Buddhist practices is to escape samsara by relinquishing the motivations which generate karma, does the motivation to escape samsara not itself generate a type of karma, one of distaste of suffering, and the desire to seek comfort in the absence of pain?

EDIT: ANSWERED. SEE FOOTNOTE AT BOTTOM OF POST.

So, let me start by saying that the purpose of this post isn't to criticize or offend anybody. Rather, it's simply seeking to understand. I am an ordained Buddhist myself, with many years experience. I'm also autistic. And am a freethinker who tends to think outside of the box.

And probably moreso because I'm autistic, over the years there's a social phenomena I've observed that I simply don't understand. In the Kalama Sutra, the Buddha said:

>“Now Kalamas, don’t go by:

>- reports, 
- by legends, 
- by traditions, 
- by scripture, 
- by logical conjecture, 
- by inference, 
- by analogies, 
- by agreement through pondering views, 
- by probability, 
- or by the thought, ‘This contemplative is our teacher.’

>(Rather), *When you know for yourselves* that:

>- ‘These qualities are skillful;
- these qualities are blameless;
- these qualities are praised by the wise; 
- these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to welfare & to happiness’ 

>— *then* you should enter & remain in them.”

>~The Buddha in the Kalama Sutra

To my mind, as an Autistic person, and a practitioner, this is perfectly sensible advice. Don't treat something as true, or authoritative just because a tradition or teacher says so. But rather if someone you personally trust, who's proven themselves to be wise to you recommends a practice, and you have tested that practice and found that it has proven to be effective, works, is accurate:—only then, should you do it.

And yet, despite that what seems to be eminently sensible advice; if I had a dollar for every time I encountered a Buddhist who acted like, "because a lama says so, it must be true", or "because the tradition says so, it must be true", or "because great master soandso said so, it must be true"...
—I'd have a lot of money to invest in a nice portfolio.

It's super common in my experience for Buddhists to take these very un-nuanced, black and white views about a lineage, or teachers. And to react with outright hostility if someone suggests there might be more nuance. For example that a teacher or lineage can be both right about one thing, and incorrect about something else. And that those two things are not mutually exclusive.

You see this a lot whenever there's a big scandal with a teacher. On the one hand you'll see people angrily denouncing that teacher, acting like suddenly anything that teacher ever said is false. And on the other extreme, you'll see people blindly defending that teacher and acting like everything that teacher did is some kind of 5D skillful means chess that everyone else is just too unenlightened enough to understand.

And I see this kind of mindset, even with people who have years of practice experience under their belt. Even sometimes with lamas, or Buddhist teachers, or lineage holders. And as an autistic Buddhist: I just don't get it. It makes no sense to me at all

Can somebody explain this to me like I'm five?
The Buddha specifically said not to do that.

"Pure view" means everything is Dharmakaya, on an ultimate level.
It doesn't mean that literally everything a lineage or teacher says is accurate or correct.

Again, I'm just seeking to understand this mindset, as I genuinely don't get it.
Just because something is old, and traditional: doesn't make it a true statement.
And just because a lineage authority figure says something: doesn't make it a true statement either.

To me, that's so obvious that to my mind, it doesn't even need to be stated. And yet in my experience, saying such a thing seems to almost short-circuit some people's minds, and I just don't get it.

EDIT:
So this post has been answered. Several people made some really good comments, but one in particular, kind of "popped the bubble" on this. Basically, The reason for this post, is because I didn't know, (I do now, thanks to a comment a particular individual made), is that some people seem to genuinely believe, that "their lineage" or "their lineage's authorities" have some kind of "exclusive access to truth" and that therefore everything those people say is absolutely true and correct, all the time, and that they can never be wrong, and nobody else can say so.

^Apparently, this is something that some people actually believe. Which is such an absurd idea to me, that in my entire life it never occurred to me that someone might think that way. Because (to me), the basic understanding that truth is accessible by anyone is such a basic truth of the world, that it's a bit like saying, "people need to breathe air to live" in terms of obviousness. That's what I didn't understand. And it genuinely blew my mind to discover that yes, apparently, some people actually think that.

So thank you everyone. And with that, lets dedicate the merit: By the merits of this discussion, may all beings achieve the mind of Dzogchen and swiftly be placed on this level.
🙏

I know that everything is empty, and that everything is ultimately an illusion. Everything is fake.

We bring nothing when we are dead.

However, I’m still clinging to money and sexual desire.

I just can’t let go…

Please help me.

I consider myself a Buddhist, and what started out as just some light research has fullt transformed how I think about the world, but I struggle to continuously learn, and practice dharma. Meditation is also difficult for me to do daily, and if i skip a day I end up just not doing it anymore. I think part of it is the lack of Sangha in my practice. Im 14, and while there are a suprising number of buddhist communities near me I am unable to go due to the fact my single mother is too busy to drive me somewhere every Sunday, and its just not the same online.

due to trauma, possible neurodivergence or whatever, i have a very low window of tolerance, crossing which i feel all tightened up and jittery all over my body, depressed non stop. i can't work for more than 2 hours which isn't enough to survive on.

if this is the limitation my body and mind has, after years of therapy, and the world has the requirement to work and hustle and everything around money, why does it not make sense for me to have self love but still choose to end my life rather than living in fight or flight constantly?

edit

thank you everybody for taking the time out to reply.

since many folks mentioned about a meditation practice, and mine has been off since around half a year, ill try to restart it and hopefully it would have helpful effects.