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David Chapman
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- Nine Mile Falls, WA
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David Chapman's Groups
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Amida-shu & the Future o…
60 members
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Engaged Buddhism
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Sutra Study: Digha Nikaya
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Critical Buddhism
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David Chapman's Discussions
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This is all becoming very relevent in my life, thank you both for sharing you views on the subject. It has given me food for thought as I ponder courses of action to come and face certain difficulties that come with these decisions and actions.
I am…
Thanks Nigel. The case rests, but is it clear what the case is?!? :-)
Words are confusing - that is their richness. The attempt to reduce spirituality to a science where all that matters is what is indicated rather than what is meant is an unfortun…
Hello the David & Dharmavidya
To return to our discussion of some days ago -
Yes words/concepts do matter but only within the conceptual framework where they exist. Buddhists call emptiness shunyata whereas Advaita equate this consciousness with som…
Thank you, David,
I favour an 'other centred approach' to therapy, to religion, to life. The essence of 'self' is other relatedness if you want to be paradoxical. What did Shakyamuni do when he woke up, he transformed from a time of searching for hi…
I can see what you are saying Dharmavidya, and I agree wholeheartedly. All Dharma is other. That does, indeed, nullify the question as non-conducive to the path.
One thing I find about the Pali Canon is that they are repititious, some things I can t…
I do not think that Shakyamuni actually says that there is or there is not a self. It is not that words do not matter, since he used words with great precision. The problem is that he used them so precisely that it is not always easy to extrapolate…
I didn't know that the Mahayana (or branches of it) maintain there is a Self. But I agree....does it matter? Practice and realisation are more important and concepts, ideas etc can just get in the way.I came across a quote many years ago...." Hinaya…
What I find interesting is that the Lankavatara Sutra describes this type of practice, the same type of negation described in Advaita.
Though Therevada maintains there is no self, many branches of Mahayana maintain that there is. Does it matter eith…
Buddhim, according to my understanding, maintains there in no self, whether written with a small s or a large one. Advaita, which I am following at the moment, disagrees and posits the idea of an eternal Self which,they say, is our true nature. Pers…
All phenomena is empty "Shunyata" yet what perceives this emptiness? What directs the procession of mind? The unmoving mover, the hub of the Brahmacharya, the endless end and beginningless beginning of the Brahmayana.
Attachment to phenomena leads t…
No, Martial Arts has not left the community. They have an Aikido program at Naropa and the principles of the Martial Arts were behind Trungpa's teaching. Indeed, the Dalai Lama himself is also purported to have trained in Lion's Roar, which is a Tib…
Cling neither to desire, nor to detachment from desire, cling neither to precept, nor to detachment from precept.
Perhaps you are correct, it is in need of a good debate. Either way, it would prove a stalemate, but debate serves a great purpose in…
In Pali Buddhism there is the absense of both Atman (Self) and Anatmen (Non-self/No-self) as cosmological theories, mainly because Buddha was not concerned with these sort of things, let the Brahmins argue about it we have work to do, that was his w…
I am a Martial Arts Teacher in Spokane Washington, teaching Okinawan Goju Ryu Karate, Aikido, and Kenjutsu. I have been training for seventeen years, my Zen Teacher of seventeen years was also my Karate Teacher. When I was sixteen I used to live at…
Profile Information
- About Me:
- I don't understand what I need to write about myself, but I do enjoy writing poetry and short stories, I also enjoy hiking, rock climbing, and exploring the city.
I am a Martial Arts teacher and have been studying both Karate and Zen for about seventeen years; I am not an advocate of violence, but I do believe that wordless exchange can show a lot that is true about a person in the moment, if one is mindful enough to listen.
- Amida Membership
- Would like to be a member
- Faith Background & Affiliation
- Zen Buddhism, no real affiliation.
- Occupation or Primary Activity
- Student, Father, and Teacher.
- Involvement in Spirituality/Religion
- I began my path long before I even knew I was on a path; it was refined through interaction with my Dharma and Karate Teacher, Michael Dascenzo, who studied at Tassajara in California.
His approach, or at least what I gained from it, is a more engaged standpoint, not really interested in the whole idea of metaphysics as it is practice and application.
From meditation, to Sutra recitation, to cooking, to cleaning, to helping someone in need.
One of his teachings was all about using the practice in WORK to correct yourself so that you become a better person, a vehicle for Dharma Work.
Another of his teachings was to leave a place as though you had never been there in the first place.
- What is your interest in Amida Trust
- I am interested in learning and growing as a person, but more importantly, I am interested in helping others in the same regard. I want to be a Teacher in the truest sense of the term by being a perpetual student.
I cannot offer much at the moment, at least in the way of offering a place to stay or even a travel companion, but what I can offer I will.
- How did you find this web site?
- Google.
- What country are you living in?
- USA
- What is the nearest town to where you live? If in UK, please give first half of your postcode. Thank you.
- I live in Spokane Washington USA, 300 miles from Seattle
- Are you a member of an Amida group/Congregation
- Would like a group in my area
- Have you visited
- None of these
- What can you offer to other members of this network?
- Guide
- What other interests do you have, eg Arts, Gardening and so on.
- I like to study. I was very good at history, comparative religion, life science, social studies, biology and psychology in school. I had considered these more as hobbies, never pursued a career in them.
I like to tend gardens and do yard work, I also like to take things apart and fix them, I like a good exchange, some debate, I love cooking, I also like just sitting by a river in the middle of the woods.
- Skype/Aim/Msn details
- ZenHG on Yahoo.
David Chapman's Blog
Atman!
All phenomena is empty "Shunyata" yet what perceives this emptiness? What directs the procession of mind? The unmoving mover, the hub of the Brahmacharya, the endless end and beginningless beginning of the Brahmayana.
Attachment to phenomena leads to suffering, like a mirror that reflects some source twisted and distorted on the rippled surface of a pond.
Contemplate by negation 'Ne so atta' 'this is not me, this is not mine, this is not my self.' Does that mean there is a self? Does that mean t… Continue
Attachment to phenomena leads to suffering, like a mirror that reflects some source twisted and distorted on the rippled surface of a pond.
Contemplate by negation 'Ne so atta' 'this is not me, this is not mine, this is not my self.' Does that mean there is a self? Does that mean t… Continue
Posted on June 4, 2009 at 5:16am — 9 Comments
Mindfulness and Faith - A lot of Work to do.
Stepping away from situations really has a way of putting things into perspective and taking away the things we often take for granted has the same effect.
Last night I slept in a bed for the first time in about a month and I felt myself slip into a sense of selfish contentment; the danger of settling back into normal patterns was very real.
I forced myself up, took a few breaths, and pushed my awareness out to those around me.
I had gone there to face down an unhealthy path I had tread a long… Continue
Last night I slept in a bed for the first time in about a month and I felt myself slip into a sense of selfish contentment; the danger of settling back into normal patterns was very real.
I forced myself up, took a few breaths, and pushed my awareness out to those around me.
I had gone there to face down an unhealthy path I had tread a long… Continue
Posted on April 27, 2009 at 9:01am — 1 Comment
Emptiness - Shifting Perspectives.
Life is a funny thing, all the ups and downs, you can usually feel the ebb and flow, but most people tend to ignore it; they are aware, but they choose to ignore.
Hence the term 'ignorance,' one of the greatest enemies of the free world, to turn a blind eye to the obvious. For many reasons this is the path that people often choose, something we are all guilty of from time to time.
Ignorance is also about not knowing; many people have a bad habit of making comments about something of which they… Continue
Hence the term 'ignorance,' one of the greatest enemies of the free world, to turn a blind eye to the obvious. For many reasons this is the path that people often choose, something we are all guilty of from time to time.
Ignorance is also about not knowing; many people have a bad habit of making comments about something of which they… Continue
Posted on April 25, 2009 at 8:12am — 2 Comments
Inspirational Zen.
One of my inspirations for practice is Claude Anshin Thomas, a veteran of the vietnam war who turned to Zen Buddhism, training with Thich Nhat Han despite his prejudice against the Vietnamese people.
Instead of sitting in a Zendo pursuing Mortuary Zen he has spent the better part of his practice as a Mendicant, wandering the world, sitting in parks, with nothing but a begging bowl, his robes, a sutra book and a pair of eye glasses.
He has sought to face his past head on, visiting sites of great… Continue
Instead of sitting in a Zendo pursuing Mortuary Zen he has spent the better part of his practice as a Mendicant, wandering the world, sitting in parks, with nothing but a begging bowl, his robes, a sutra book and a pair of eye glasses.
He has sought to face his past head on, visiting sites of great… Continue
Posted on April 25, 2009 at 7:30am — 3 Comments
Comment Wall (1 comment)
- At 9:54am on April 23, 2009,
Dharmavidya said…
- Thanks for joining. Very nice to have you with us. Do explore the site - there is a lot here to get interested in. Warm wishes - Dharmavidya
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