Do your best. Speak the truth.
190-191. He who has gone for refuge to the Buddha, the Teaching and his Order, penetrates with transcendental wisdom the Four Noble Truths — suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the Noble Eightfold Path leading to the cessation of suffering.
192. This indeed is the safe refuge, this the refuge supreme. Having gone to such a refuge, one is released from all suffering.
To avoid all evil, to cultivate good, and to cleanse one’s mind — this is the teaching of the Buddhas.
Epistemology, the study of knowledge, is not a centralized discipline that transcends space and time.
It’s deeply rooted in the humanistic context of culture, history, and religion. Thus, different places around the world have developed unique epistemological systems to account for human knowledge.
One of the most ancient of these systems is the Hindu concept of pramana (प्रमाण). Pramana encompasses the Hindu perspective on knowledge-making within the context of Indian culture and theology.
Yet it shares many similarities with Western epistemology and logic, not to mention other Indian and Eastern systems of knowledge-related thought.
The broad notion of pramana includes many diverse types of evidence that together compose an intellectual toolkit from which people can draw to gain knowledge.
link
“Monks, I have known two qualities through experience: discontent with regard to skillful qualities[1] and unrelenting exertion. Relentlessly I exerted myself, [thinking,] ‘Gladly would I let the flesh & blood in my body dry up, leaving just the skin, tendons, & bones, but if I have not attained what can be reached through human firmness, human persistence, human striving, there will be no relaxing my persistence.’ From this heedfulness of mine was attained Awakening. From this heedfulness of mine was attained the unexcelled freedom from bondage.
“You, too, monks, should relentlessly exert yourselves, [thinking,] ‘Gladly would we let the flesh & blood in our bodies dry up, leaving just the skin, tendons, & bones, but if we have not attained what can be reached through human firmness, human persistence, human striving, there will be no relaxing our persistence.’ You, too, in no long time will reach & remain in the supreme goal of the holy life for which clansmen rightly go forth from home into homelessness, knowing & realizing it for yourselves in the here & now.
“Thus you should train yourselves: ‘We will relentlessly exert ourselves, [thinking,] “Gladly would we let the flesh & blood in our bodies dry up, leaving just the skin, tendons, & bones, but if we have not attained what can be reached through human firmness, human persistence, human striving, there will be no relaxing our persistence.”‘ That’s how you should train yourselves.”
At that time the elder monk Subhuti was among the gathering of monks. He rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, kneeled on his right knee, and with palms pressed together before him, respectfully spoke to the Buddha saying, “Rare One, World-honored One, the Tathagata protects and is concerned about all bodhisattvas, and he instructs all bodhisattvas. World-honored One, when good men and good women commit themselves to anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, on what should they base themselves, and how should they subdue their minds?”
Thus have I heard, at one time, the Buddha was in the state of Sravasti at the Jeta Grove with a gathering of monks numbering 1,250. At mealtime, the World-honored One put on his robe, picked up his bowl, and went into the city of Sravasti to beg for food. After he had gone from house to house, he returned to the grove. When he had finished eating, he put away his robe and bowl, washed his feet, straightened his mat, and sat down.
31. “Monks, I know not of any other single thing so intractable as the untamed mind. The untamed mind is indeed a thing untractable.
32. “Monks, I know not of any other thing so tractable as the tamed mind. The tamed mind is indeed a thing tractable.
33. “Monks, I know not of any other single thing so conducive to great loss as the untamed mind. The untamed mind indeed conduces to great loss.
34. “Monks, I know not of any other single thing so conducive to great profit as the tamed mind. The tamed mind indeed conduces to great profit.
39. “Monks, I know not of any other single thing that brings such woe as the mind that is untamed, uncontrolled, unguarded and unrestrained. Such a mind indeed brings great woe.
40. “Monks, I know not of any other single thing that brings such bliss as the mind that is tamed, controlled, guarded and restrained. Such a mind indeed brings great bliss.”
“Just as, of all trees, the balsam is foremost in terms of softness and pliancy, in the same way I don’t envision a single thing that, when developed & cultivated, is as soft & pliant as the mind. The mind, when developed & cultivated, is soft & pliant.”
This article is well-worth reading: FRONTAL LOBE CHANGES IN ALCOHOLISM: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
Few people, if any, in this world have not been affected by alcoholism. How much of human history has been warped by it?
UPDATE: The Fifth Precept of Buddhism is: “No irresponsible use of alcohol.” This is often interpreted to mean no irresponsible use of drugs as as well. This extension of the meaning of this precept is reasonable because many drugs cloud the mind and cause bad judgement in ways similar to alcohol. Nevertheless, that is not what the original precept is. I personally do not drink or use drugs, but believe the following is also worth considering: Are We Misunderstanding the Fifth Precept? ABN
“Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is defiled by incoming defilements.”
“Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is freed from incoming defilements.”
“Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is defiled by incoming defilements. The uninstructed run-of-the-mill person doesn’t discern that as it actually is present, which is why I tell you that — for the uninstructed run-of-the-mill person — there is no development of the mind.”
“Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is freed from incoming defilements. The well-instructed disciple of the noble ones discerns that as it actually is present, which is why I tell you that — for the well-instructed disciple of the noble ones — there is development of the mind.”
“Monks, a friend endowed with seven qualities is worth associating with. Which seven? He gives what is hard to give. He does what is hard to do. He endures what is hard to endure. He reveals his secrets to you. He keeps your secrets. When misfortunes strike, he doesn’t abandon you. When you’re down & out, he doesn’t look down on you. A friend endowed with these seven qualities is worth associating with.”
translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu
The editor-in-chief of Germany’s top newspaper Bild has apologized for the news outlet’s fear-driven coverage of COVID, specifically to children who were told “that they were going to murder their grandma.”
In a speech delivered to camera, Julian Reichelt said sorry for Bild’s coverage which was “like poison” and “made you feel like you were a mortal danger to society.”
Reichelt directed his main sentiment towards children who have been terrorized by fearmongering media coverage which has caused child depression and suicides to soar across the world
Editor-in-Chief of Germany’s Top Newspaper Apologizes For Fear-Driven COVID Coverage
It’s a good start, but everybody has been harmed by the fear-mongering and lies of most of the world’s covid response. In Buddhism, the basic steps in correcting a moral wrong are: 1) admit it fully to yourself; 2) apologize fully to all victims; 3) explain your actions but do not rationalize or excuse yourself; 4) make appropriate amends where possible; 5) when the former is complete and you have done all you can, move on; do not dwell on your mistake. It’s not enough to have a religious figure forgive you. You have to own up to it yourself. Only then will you clear the karma and free your mind from the burden. For those who wittingly or unwittingly contributed to the suffering of so many millions through insidious covid policies, this process may take years. The moral fault of misinforming others, medically failing to treat them, medically treating them wrongly, and more is truly grave. ABN
In the past, before hearing Gotama’s message,
when anyone explained ‘It is,’ ‘It will be,’
all that was hearsay, quotation marks.
All that promoted conjecture and gave me no pleasure.
Now, sage, teach me the Dhamma demolishing craving,
knowing which, living mindfully,
one would cross over beyond entanglement in the world.
The Buddha:
Here, Hemaka, with regard to things dear
—seen, heard, sensed, & cognized—
there is: the dispelling of passion & desire,
the unfallen, undying state of unbinding.
Those knowing this, mindful, fully unbound
in the here-&-now, are always calmed,
have crossed over beyond entanglement in the world.
To the one in jhāna—
seated, dustless, passionless, his task done, effluent-free,
gone to the beyond of all phenomena—
I’ve come with a desire for a question.
Tell me the gnosis of emancipation, the breaking open of ignorance.
The Buddha:
The abandoning both of sensual desires, & of unhappiness,
the dispelling of sloth, the warding off of anxieties,
equanimity-&-mindfulness purified, with inspection of mental qualities swift in the forefront:
That I call the gnosis of emancipation, the breaking open of ignorance.
Udaya:
With what is the world fettered?
With what is it examined?
Through the abandoning of what is there said to be unbinding?
The Buddha:
With delight the world’s fettered.
With directed thought it’s examined.
Through the abandoning of craving is there said to be unbinding.
Udaya:
Living mindful in what way does one bring consciousness to a halt?
We’ve come to ask the Blessed One.
Let us hear your words.
The Buddha:
Not relishing feeling, inside or out:
One living mindful in this way brings consciousness to a halt.
Todeyya:
One in whom no sensualities dwell;
in whom no craving is found;
who has crossed over perplexity—his emancipation:
What is it like?
The Buddha:
One in whom no sensualities dwell;
in whom no craving is found;
who has crossed over perplexity—his emancipation
is not other than that.
Todeyya:
Is he without desire, or desiring?
Discerning or still acquiring discernment?
Describe the sage to me, Sakyan, All-around Eye,
so that I may recognize what he is like.
The Buddha:
He’s without desire, not desiring;
discerning, not still acquiring discernment.
Recognize the sage, Todeyya, as having nothing,
unentangled in sensuality & becoming.
American Buddhist Net 