The Feeling Buddha

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Comment by Dharmavidya on April 17, 2009 at 4:22pm

Dear Kenny - There probably never was a pre-sectarian Buddhism (if we can take sectarian in a neutral sense) because it appears that even in his lifetime Shakyamuni's sangha was organised into subdivisions and many of his disciples were, to all intents and purposes, disciples of his inner circle of leading disciples - they were disciples of disciples - so if you had joined his sangha he would have allocated you to a a mentor and these leading disciples were specialist to a degree - one in philosophy, one in discipline, one in sangha life, one in spiritual powers, and so on - so there were always subgroups in the sangha and this simply carried on after his death. This meant that to get an all round Buddhist education a disciple had to spend some time with one teacher and then some with another and do the rounds. Many Buddhist centres or monasteries later came to be organised on this principle. Such a system has many advantages, but sectarianism in the narrower sense (including a prejudice against out groups) is also an unfortunate inevitable consequence and we even see examples of it during Shakyamunni's lifetime as when the vinaya monks fell out with the sutra monks on one occasion and the dispute became so heated that Shakyamuni's attempts to calm things failed and he left them to it for a few months until they came to their senses. Even the first Buddhists were human (thank goodness).

Comment by Kenny Lewis on April 17, 2009 at 10:01am

I got to wondering....when one looks a timelines of Buddhism there appears to be, in the first century of so after S.Buddha a pre-sectarian Buddhism. So I am wondering what that would have been like, previous to any schools or shisms, previous to and splits and so on, previous to the First Council, does anyone have any thoughts about what it (Buddhism) would have been like? or/and are there any accounts in book or websites that you would share.
KL x

Comment by hedonofanes on April 17, 2009 at 6:29am

Hey. Have just joined a few weeks ago. Dharmavidya's video....yeah.. The withdrawal / formal meditation ...versus caring about/loving myself and others and the world...if I've got it right, or is taht the way I'm seeing this in my life...
The former- has often eluded me almost as I sought it. But having said that ...the teaching of mindfulness has left a strong mark in me from retreats particularly...I have done .... Being aware ....as I walk, as I talk, as I think..And being aware/mindful as I make decisions.
Robert Frost's poem The Road Not Taken echoes throughout my life. And making decisions about where to go, how to spend my time, who to speak to, where to look in the office peoplescape, what new direction I wish to take at work, where to spend the last third or quarter of my life. To what extent have I been mesmerised by capitalism or is it simply modernity....to defer to materialism, to buying things, to having property, to having a house...to look out for "security" for "number one.?"
But right ..now I've already merged into the latter of which I spoke at the beginning....into compassion....Is this how compassion kicks in? ..In the small and big decisions I make.... But I despair that my decisions are so unaware..and that I am a creature of habit, of routine, of what feels good....

Comment by Ben Ross on April 16, 2009 at 10:15pm

I love collecting new words and was intending to kind of playfully point out the cultural differences that can arise. Jiggerpokery. Life is joggerpokery, that much seems undeniable. Thanks for the description!

Comment by richard meyers on April 16, 2009 at 9:02pm

I love it! The feeling Buddha at play on the internet! To me it reveals the dirth and dryness and absence of what is longed for where we human-beings are concerned. The potential within what we discuss, is vast: the heart and the home to be found there. Or am I getting delirious?

Comment by richard meyers on April 16, 2009 at 8:43pm

Sorry Ben!
I misspelt 'jiggerypokery' - I mean pulling a few strings, offering to swap shifts and the like. It may be a weird englishism I don't know. Never heard of jiggerypokery. It may well be one for Scrabble.

Best wishes and Namo Amida Bu!

Comment by Ben Ross on April 16, 2009 at 8:29pm

I love what people have written and am grateful to take part. A quick question: what, exactly, is "jiggerpokery"?

Comment by Konchog AlTorres on April 16, 2009 at 8:17pm

Dear Richard and Fiona - What a beautiful and fitting responses to the subject--- I can totally relate to what each of you state
Namo Amida Bu

Comment by Fiona Edwards on April 16, 2009 at 8:15pm

I have (upon far too many occasions) had to remind persons to whom I was a subordinate within the general working situation,that; good management was not a gender...it was (in fact) a skill. This was my albeit, flawed, responce to what seemed like a lifetime of gender predudice and mis-understanding.

The evolving Buddhism in the west is embrionic. I am,over the decades, becoming concerned with the western trate of over-intellectualisation, which we westerners frequently use as a screen for our lack of realization of what the Buddha actually lived. (engaged Buddhism?).
We love....Do we not?... To evolve complexity; to keep our large brains...interested and interesting...The Feeling Buddha is about (for me, at least) a fully human(e) being. Given all the falibilitites and vairiables that we all are prone to...The Feeling Buddha is...grounded and...real and enableing. Authentic Buddhadharma is in the final analysis a 'life-style', and one that requires no small committment and attention to detail. Taking this life-style choice is oft times described as a 'way' or 'path', and with this in mind...it is so necessary to have a light to be able to illuminate the 'path' and it's general direction. The Feeling Buddha is just such a light; illuminating the mind...and the 'way'. Wholistic and compassionate it (The Feeling Buddha) is The Buddha (ancient) and Dharmavidya (modern).
Like a great orchestra creating new counterpoints for further symphony. Mind and humaineness....ecology and relationship...harmonising life....as an interdependency...gifted to all sentient beings. Less is more, and keeping it, simple is much more difficult that one would think!. But...what more can be added to a lotus flower...? what can augment it's etherial beauty...? When the lotus flower's "day in the sun" is final and it is once more dissolving into the earth...the greatest gift...is simply, the arising and evolution of another Lotus...again and again without end. So the lineage of the Lotus Born carries on...and on...into the unfamiliar territory of the western mind...How will the Lotus grow?....what will it look like?...and will it survive?...or thrive?....How we live the Buddhadharma will become apparent.....For me the big question is....What do YOU.. have in mind?.
Fiona xxx

Comment by richard meyers on April 16, 2009 at 7:40pm

Yes, what appeals most to me, (I speak as one of those returning to Buddhism) about the Pure Land approach, is just this humanity, this human nature that we all share. I am agog with a feeling of good fortune, not at having found it, but having it find me.. Much as I admired the different schools I involved myself with in the past, I just couldn't get the suit of clothes to fit! The garments were not quite the right size and as much as I wriggled I failed to feel at home in them. I struggled for quite a few years to achieve insight, enlightenment, a state of non duality etc. The beauty of Amida's way is that it is heart based, compassion based, love based, foolish being based! This I can achieve without trying, or even trying not to try, or any of the other double binds that cause us so much agro. All I need to do is be here, to say "here I am". I have always felt Shakyamuni to be somewhat remote and other-worldy. I haven't read The Feeling Buddha, but I shall be getting myself a copy. I hope to make the retreat, with a bit of jiggerpokery in terms of work commitments I shall.

Namo Amida Bu

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