As water is calm and cool by nature, so too, the meditator, out of compassion for all creatures and seeking their welfare, should be possessed of patience, love and kindness. As water makes the impure pure, so too, the meditator, whether in the village or the forest, should in all circumstances, never transgress or give reason to be reprimanded by his preceptor or teacher. As water is desired by everyone, so too, the meditator should have few wishes, be content, aloof and solitary in his or her practice, thus being much desires by the whole world. And finally, as water in itself harms no one, so too, the meditator should do nothing by body, speech or mind that produces strife, quarrels, contention, disputes, neglected meditation or dislike (Milindapanha 383) Saturday, February 21, 2009
Be Like Water
As water is calm and cool by nature, so too, the meditator, out of compassion for all creatures and seeking their welfare, should be possessed of patience, love and kindness. As water makes the impure pure, so too, the meditator, whether in the village or the forest, should in all circumstances, never transgress or give reason to be reprimanded by his preceptor or teacher. As water is desired by everyone, so too, the meditator should have few wishes, be content, aloof and solitary in his or her practice, thus being much desires by the whole world. And finally, as water in itself harms no one, so too, the meditator should do nothing by body, speech or mind that produces strife, quarrels, contention, disputes, neglected meditation or dislike (Milindapanha 383) 
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9 comments:
Dear Venerable,
I was wondering if you've heard of the Sumerians and the Annunakis?
This is a civilization that existed nearly 6000 years ago, 3500years before Buddha's time and 4000 years before Christ. The depiction on the stone tablets that are 6000 years old and the description of different planets, planets not known to modern science until few centuries ago, is an astounding one. There is a tenth planet on what appears to be their description of a solar system that they call Nibiru. The talk about a tenth planet has left astronomers and scientists debating for centuries. In July 29th' 2005, NASA(National Aeronautics and Space Administration) announced that they had discovered a tenth planet, which created the worldwide debate on Nibiru again. Many have come to believe that it is Nibiru that NASA has discovered. What is astounding is that how did a civilization 6000 years ago know about a ninth or tenth planet, or even any other planets other than jupiter before the invention of the telescope in the 1600's? Pluto was discovered in the 1930's and the unknown planet in 2005.
Buddha did mention beings from other planets, many many universes and galaxies but even Buddha was born 3500 years after the Sumerians. And talk of the Annunakis would be in tune with the description of the Nephilims in the Christian / Catholic Bible. Some dismiss the Bible for this and say that humans are experiments or "created" by alien beings. -(Obviously not so simply put.)
Very thought provoking and confusing, yet there's so many evidence in those ancient stone tablets and remains of that ancient civilization. :\
Have a look at it..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnGsJaa5oMs - Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCV1XohZ9L4&feature=related - Part 2
T
Dear Is It Real?,
I have never heard of the Annunakis. Do you mean the Akkadians? If so, according to George Roux's 'Ancient Iraq' their civilization only went back to 2300BCE and the Sumarian's to 3000 BCE, not 4000 BCE. I know just about everything but I don’t know the answer to the questions you ask. However, I do know that the Buddha never spoke of life on other planets. You are correct however, in saying that he spoke about galaxies (cakkavala), the expansion and contraction of the universe (D.III,84), of vast distances in time and space and even of 'the black, gloomy regions of darkness between the galaxies where even the light of our sun…cannot reach' (M.III,120), what we would call inter-galactic space.
Hi Venerable,
Thanks for your reply. I'm not really very sure on the denominations of BC or BCE :) heh. Flunk terribly in school and that's one of the things you'll get to learn not. :p
But what I've read so far is that the sumerians is an anicient civilization that existed 6000 years ago. The Annunakis are the gods / et beings that the sumerians revered. I'm not very good at explaining, so i think you might have a much better understanding than i have if you saw the clips yourself. You can copy and paste the url i gave you. :)
As for your mention of Buddha not mentioning about life on other planets. Here's a excerpt from Ajahn Brahm's talk on Science and Buddhism:
"There is a lot of interesting stuff in the old suttas, even for those of you who like weird stuff. Some times people ask this question, "Do Buddhists believe in extra terrestrial beings, in aliens?" Would an alien landing here upset the very foundation of Buddhism? When I was reading through these old suttas I actually found a reference to aliens! It's only a very small sutta, which said that there are other world systems with other suns, other planets, and other beings on them. That's directly from the Anguttara Nikāya. (AN X, 29)"
T
Here's an url for a better idea of the Annunakis than my mediocre description. :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annunaki
Both the Sumerians and Akkadians revered the Annunakis.
And if you watch the clips, description of the ten planets in our solar system are found on clay tablets of that era.
(Note that there are twelve planets stated in total, because back then they counted the moon and sun as planets as well.)
Annunki Clip-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3oH92AZTPo
T
I'm not well read with the Tipitaka and so noticed no mentions about life on another planet. But in the Mahayana texts, there is a story of how Moggallana wanted to test how far the Buddha's voice can be heard and so he traveled to a planet far away and found an assembly of monks and a Buddha there that are giants compared to human size!
Xiong,
I don't think the Mahayana scriptures mention the literal word of planet. It simply mentioned that Moggallana used his powers to 'travel to a very far place'. It's very much up to interpretation.
You may enjoy this piece on the Dharma of Water, by the Korean monk Jae Woong Kim:
Water is the source of all life. Living one’s life like the flow of water means practicing the truth, the Dharma. If there is a rock, water does not fight to go through it, but goes around it. If it goes under a rectangular bridge, it takes the shape of the bridge; if it goes through a round pipe, it takes a round shape. Neither does water cling to its color. Instead it washes all things to make them clean. For water does not have the stubbornness of “I” – it is in the state of “no mind.”
People always try to put themselves higher, but the water always finds the lowest place. The stream lowers itself to become a river, and the river lowers itself even further until it cannot go any lower and reaches the sea.
When people listen to the murmuring of a stream, it puts them at ease. Water does not compete to get ahead of others, and water knows how to wait for the right moment. People who cultivate their minds should live like flowing water and learn a great deal from it.
From XiaoBaiYun (Buddhist priest in Seattle)
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