a downfall?

I have studied budhism for around 5 to 6 years and noticed that alot of it is very conversational. based on destrution (allthough not entirely) and ready to come up front with enemies (inner enemies in general) but something in the book "The Bodhisattva Vow" that caught my eye and set me to thinking. here are my thoughts. This does not just apply to budhism becuase a bodhisatva has the wish to help all living beings (for the sake of argument)


Well... One of the bohdisatva downfalls is: "not using mircle powers, thretaning actions, and so forth" what does "so forth" actually mean? and then Geshe kelsang goes on to say that we should refrain from miricle powers because of the advi...ce of the teacher jetsongkapa. previously stating that we should use miricle powers whenever we use wrathfull actions. Infact he is not simply saying that we should not use miricle powers becuase we are not bohdisatvas becuase there is the prayer of joy and conciensiosness... which we engage in before we even think about the downfalls (if we're honest.) basicaly I agree with the prayers. and warnings. but not all the conversational stuff that comes after and before these things. what about thinking that the dhamma is too pure for this world and that becuase of this someone could create heavy negative karma with relation to it. This is just an informed discusion I am making here not a faith based critisism of something political. I could go on forever with this and I will. He also says that the "Buddadharma" (which translates as "awakened-one-protection" [with my advice we should remember the teachings on karma and apply this translation to our own situation] or "enlightened-being-realisation/text",). could be brought into disrepute. I've never had any exprience of buddha-dharma being brought into dissrepute from bohdisattvas using miricle powers. I've actually seen alot of black magic references and people claming to have practiced black magic, people claming that our spiritual guides are not spiritual guides but simply "subjective expreiences" -This is the exact phrase they use. Which gives me a problem when i am encoraged to say "that's just what I think it is" at the kadampa wolrd peace temple when I am explaining or trying to gain advice on any positive experience and feelings with prayers or visualising buddas from what I think are experienced practitioners. infact I have had a better responce from the nice lady pam (who is on the foundation program btw) who is asked... to go out and make tea when we are performing "dedication" at the end of a meditation session (I more of a dedication feeling from playing violin. err. when I dedicate the. err song that I play. on my violin. mabey i'll learn the nine line migzema prayer on guitar. lovely guitar song!) I realised that I had had a good experience while In my tent after a tantric empowerment. "many positive thoughts pam, and an image of gesh-le" I think her responce was simply " that's good jake" simply becuase I was being impersonal dosn't mean it was a better thing to say. so there you have it! Rock on guitar bodhisattva vow prayers! what a joyfull path...

This is the jist of it. And it is what I posted on the kadampa buddhism we site. I can't imaging that a boddhisattva's (which is the only person who would be practicing this) own saftey would be threataned from such things.

please your thoughts on this Jedi council?

Well, I'm not on the Jedi council, but I will say this: Buddhism is vast and fascinating, just be aware that there is no central holy scripture that unites all the paths of Buddhism. And because there are many paths, there are going to be some that conflict with others. But it's the same with Christianity: Catholics believe in transubstantiation, but Protestants don't. Does that make any one more or less Christian than the other? Hardly.

Now, I've never read this particular text, but it sounds like it's from the perspective of one singular person and their own experiences. That is not to say that all Buddhists experience this, or should take note of it. Buddhism is more personal than that, allowing for trial and error to see what suits the individual practitioner. The only core teachings in Buddhism are the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, much like the Code and Creed here in Jediism. Beyond that, it is up to the individual to find their path within these teachings.

Thanks ace that's helped alot!