{"id":3899,"date":"2009-10-01T00:25:17","date_gmt":"2009-09-30T16:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/?p=3899"},"modified":"2009-10-01T22:26:34","modified_gmt":"2009-10-01T14:26:34","slug":"callling-the-buddhadharma-as-it-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/2009\/10\/callling-the-buddhadharma-as-it-is\/","title":{"rendered":"Callling the Buddhadharma as It Is"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A Dharma friend sent me this Youtube link on meditation. He felt that it’s a very good way to introduce Non-Buddhist friends to meditation, although ‘we all know the trainer uses Buddhist techniques’. I agree it’s skilful not to use Buddhist labels at first… lest there are erroneous preconceptions that impedes open-mindedness to learn meditation well…. but only at first. It is also important to acknowledge the source of the techniques too. Here’s why…<\/p>\n

The problem with not calling a spade a spade is it allows the spade to distort in form and name, to eventually become something else. When we label certain forms of meditation as being taught by the Buddha, we are reminded that the key intention he taught it is for us to use them as means to advance towards enlightenment; that they are not meant to be only feel-good mental exercises \u2013 which is what some Buddhist meditation techniques have been reduced to when taught by non-Buddhist teachers. Of course, meditation can be practised for general self-improvement only. But when the ultimate goal is not kept in mind, bigger and nobler perspectives are lost. In the Buddha\u2019s time, there were already many other meditation techniques too \u2013 which also made differentiation of his techniques from the external paths\u2019 techniques especially important.<\/p>\n

Actually, from looking at his books, Jon Kabat-Zinn I figure should be a Buddhist. He was one of the key figures who highlighted the importance of mindfulness as a method for healing in the West. His books are very enlightening indeed, which use many Buddhist anecdotes, and mention his lessons with various Buddhist teachers. They are wonderful… somewhat like the Buddhist version of ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’, but in my opinion, more powerful! (Google’s ‘jolly good fella’ Meng, who is the emcee for the talk, is a fellow Buddhist too, formerly from NTU Buddhist Society. Kabat-Zinn is not the only Buddhist teacher he had invited to teach at Google! Below is the talk by Venerable Matthieu Ricard (another amazing teacher)! I had the opportunity to hear one of his humorous yet insightful talks at a Buddhist forum once. And guess what… one of the articles in The Daily Enlightenment Book 1 was contributed by him! It’s the July 11 entry or page 200 of http:\/\/issuu.com\/tdebook\/docs\/tde1<\/a>)<\/p>\n

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