🧡 If you find benefit in my videos, consider supporting the channel by joining us on Patreon and get fun extras like exclusive videos, ad-free audio-only versions, and extensive show notes: www.patreon.com/dougsseculardharma 🙂 📙 You can find my book here: books2read.com/buddhisthandbook

That face when you realise: Desire is the root cause of suffering. So you seek advice on how to solve this. Then you realise you are desiring to not desire anything.

Excellent, excellent, excellent. This cleared ALL my doubts or perhaps confusion. I myself was stuck with "Buddha's main focus was ONLY on the 'suffering' and the cessation of 'suffering", knowing that he has given many sermons on how to live a good life; morally, ethically and above all compassionately. And wondering how these too going to fit in with each other. Now that is all clear. You are million times better than what I was told by 'scholarly' monks from a reputed South Asian nation, which went nowhere, only to be accused of western bias and/or reasoning and for diluting the pure Dhamma. You did this in just 11 mins, while giving due respect to Bukkhu Bodhi 'accepting much of his' as much as your own interpretation.

sir buddhism started reviving in India again 😊

Thanks Doug for sharing your point. I think Buddha will said like that , mainly because those people asked him about self and no-self, but Buddha teaching is not about that, is about dependent origination , everything arises because of conditions , that's why Buddha said his teaching is about suffering and the end of the suffering (arises and falling away) , is not about personal identity. Got one sutta in SN, when Buddha said feeling arises is because of contact. Then people asked, "who feeling", Buddha said "Wrong question, I didn't mentioned about someone contact then he got feeling, if I got said someone, then u can ask me who" So, I think it's the same here. Buddha mean that I'm not teaching about who or who will end the suffering , but is about suffering and the end of suffering. (Arises and falling away)

Great work again Doug! When I scroll through you tube, finding many seemingly adept teacher's of the dharma, I often wonder how much real research they have personally done, especially concerning the original translation and meaning. What could be more important!

Yes, Dough I agree with you on the part that in the broader and most general sense the Buddha is intended to teach "only" suffering and the end of suffering, as this is the most definite goal keeping the ultimate welfare of beings in mind. Though reading from the context in the suttas, the Pali term c'eva seems to indicate more on 'in particular' or 'mainly', than 'only'.

I think it's also important to look at the historical background the Buddha's teachings were written .People today take so much for granted, and sometimes glamorize the past. Until a hundred , hundred fifty years ago there was no modern medicine. no operations, no knowledge of bacteria . A lot of children died before age 6 . There was child labour. People had no painkillers, or operations ..Old people were depended upon the kindness of family , or ended up alone as beggars, etc There was so much more people suffering pain/old age & death. , and on top of that people had the same problems we have, Greed, jealousy ,fear, worries , etc,etc. So i can imagine someone like the Buddha seeing this 'suffering as a essential part of life.

Thank you Doug. If we don't study Dhamma we don't understand Dhamma. 🙏🏼 Ajahn Punnadhammo talks on a lot of interesting parts of Buddhism.

Doug, I am so grateful for your wisdom and insight. Thank you for taking time to share your knowledge and experience through these videos and the podcast with Jon 💚

This is a great insight. Appreciate the discussion and the two-sided truth.

Amazing channel! I am learning so much! We need a great translator like you! Quick question, why do you think Buddhism is not as popular as the monotheistic religions of the west? Is Buddhism in decline?

Eva in Sanskrit can also mean 'thus' (the compound would be caiva not c'eva though), coming to roughly the same conclusion you reached. Arguably, though, Buddha doesn't teach 'what to expect when nirvana comes', he teaches how to end suffering. But since the how includea all of the eightfold path, all of the different dhyanas, and everything, how is that limiting, unless you wanted to know what to expect from nirodha, which he never says.

It is interesting that the Buddha uses the quote in question when someone is advocating a view. The Buddha says in Snp4.3 that he does not advocate views. In that case, he did not teach views, he only taught suffering and the end of suffering. Perhaps, this evidence that the views taught in the canon came later. I did not see any examples where the grammatical structure was used in the sense Bodhi is proposing outside the two cases he talks about. His argument would be stronger if he had examples where it clearly did not imply only.

🙏

I would like to know about gods in Buddhism. The six heavens. It is said that lord of the sixth highest hevean is the Mara son of gods. As it is highest heaven it is the highest world in Kama datu (Kama or sensual pleasure world).The next world system is Brahma which is not invouled with sensual pleasures. The Mara son of gods leads in every way in Kama datu as his subject invouled with that as a dominion. The secular world.♥‍️🌎♥‍️

If you think that only talking about the end of suffering is a narrow topic, then you do not know what's all is involved with suffering. Freedom from suffering does not mean only freedom from suffering. It includes freedom from the wheel of birth and death too. The self, karma, conditioning, suffering and the wheel of birth and death are all one and the same thing.

❤️❤️

😊🙏

Is a pine forest only a pine cone?

I tend toward your interpretation, Doug. It's very sensible and, to me, correctly includes the many aspects of life, such as a householder encounters. Doesn't your interpretation fall in line with the idea that the Buddha taught to many, bhikhus, householders, royalty, those practicing other paths, all according to their understanding? Even what he expresses to them leads to more harmony within the context that they reside. Sadhu, Doug!

In addition to what Doug said, if you are into social sciences, have a look at political science scholar William Long’s work. He unearthed Shakyamuni’s points on economic, political and social organization. In fact, one could argue that the Vinaya is a take on political organization. And indeed, dukkha is at the center of all his points. Long uses the philosophical foundations of Buddhism as a whole to think about world politics in all its complexity. Some may bitch about the fact that he mixes Mahayana stuff - Buddha nature and emptiness - with Pali Canon stuff - the 3 marks of existence -, but after all, all these concepts provide the foundation for a view of reality that is closer to what the latest neuroscience/quantum physics tell us than our still pervasive traditional western ontology - indeed we are not discreet individual above nature with a fixed brain. Since, theory, as a part of the view, contribute greatly to generating our reality, this is a welcome effort. Anyways, just wanted to add this to Doug’s great video. Here is the link to the book, it’s short and free so enjoy!: link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-68042-8#about-this-book Metta to all of you :)

Only? Isn't that enough? 🙂

Budha teach middle path by which you know every thing in universe

Does Buddhism believe in rebirth?

First you must admit you suffer, this is 99% of the task done. Second you must find out what suffers, not who, who assumes from the ofset there is a who that suffers, so logically you will assume its always a you. What? Is it that suffers will help more.

Did the Buddha teach Vajrayogini tantra?

Suffering in Buddhism means craving..

You really put ads on your videos??? And not only at the beginning & end, but in the MIDDLE. What if someone is actually using your videos to study Dhamma? What if someone is meditating while listening to your talk? And then that gets interrupted by a loud, obnoxious, over-produced & flashy advertisement trying to manipulate people out of their money. I get that you are a layperson so you need to provide for yourself and your loved ones, but surely there’s a better way. At the least, it seems reasonable that you not put ads in the middle of your Dhamma teachings.

Did The Buddha say anything about witches, goblins and ghouls? lol