Meta- (from Greek: μετά = "after", "beyond", "with", "adjacent", "self"), is a prefix used in English (and other Greek-owing languages) to indicate a concept which is an abstraction from another concept, used to complete or add to the latter.
Kyle's post here, about Arun's post here, about David Nichtern's post here, as well as Rev. Paul Dōch’ŏng Lynch's post here, as well as Nathan's post here (to some extent) all touch upon a theme: "Buddhism" is changing/progressing/must be improved/promoted.
The Four Noble Truths remain the Four Noble Truths. "Western" Buddhism is either a Buddhism into which one takes refuge, to allow the Four Noble Truths to be realized or it's not (perhaps a residue of the Frederick Lenz debacle). (Kyle got that right in his post about Arun's post.)
"Buddhism" doesn't need my help, your help, the blogosphere's help, anyone sitting on a brocade throne (or not), or better blogging.
No - look around you, hear around you feel around you smell around you, become aware of the monkey mind.. That's where your practice is. That's where help/improvment/tweaking in the manner of creating peace, loving-kindness, wisdom, compassion and generosity is desperately needed.
Why, then, do I blog? The blogosphere is a good place to say things to other Buddhists, as well as read what other Buddhists have to say in response; that's why I blog. Plus, as Milan Kundera put it:
The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting.
And that "power" in the case of Buddhism is the power of greed, hatred, anger and ignorance. This practice helps build a memory of wisdom, compassion and generosity. And by practice here I mean a heck of a lot more than just blogging.
And while I'm on the subject of Kundera (warning: tangent!) here's another quote:
There is nothing heavier than compassion. Not even one's own pain weighs so heavy as the pain one feels for someone, for someone, pain intensified by the imagination and prolonged by a hundred echos.
This morning I was able to make peace in my family by understanding this concept, which I came to not from Kundera, but from my practice.
I hope I've offended no one, but I did want to get that out there. I hope all are in a state of equanimity this day.
I'll have more to say about equanimity later.
4 comments:
Well said. The four truths are universal and timeless. No one talks of updating the words of Jesus, (which are different from the practice and rituals of Christianity, which in some instances could use some updating)
Yes, indeed...we all do need more equanimity and meta. Sometimes, we(meaning me in this case) tend to over react when we see wrong doing.
Mumon said: look around you, hear around you feel around you smell around you, become aware of the monkey mind..
-- I agree, but I would need to add compassion (4 immeasurable minds) to the taming of the monkey mind. But you seem to feel it springs from taming the monkey mind? I see it as another complimentary practice of mind.
I value much in Buddhism, but here is a diagram of what I don't -- am I still a Buddhist?
PS - your fonts are huge on my browser compared to other sites -- is that intentional?
Sabio:
I'm not a Buddhist gatekeeper; and re: the monkey mind, I think what I meant was "pay attention to it." If you pay attention, you'll see what needs to be done.
Kyle, running42k: thanks greatly for the comments.
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