Good Marketing Is In The Form Of Bad Habit

The Great Buddha of Thailand is another colossal statue constructed in honor of Gautama Buddha. Standing 92 meters (300 feet) high and 63 meters (210 feet) wide, it was constructed in 1990 and was finished in 2008. Located in Wat Muang, Aung Thong, Thailand, it is made from concrete cement and finished with gold.

I don't like the word "rebirth." I prefer to use the word "relinking." In the Abidhamma, we learn that what exist are conditions. Mind is a reality. Because mind is within material, it doesn't move from one place to another. Perhaps this is difficult. Matter is something which moves, occupies space. One characteristic of mind is that it does not move. What makes mind arise is the existence of conditions, the laws of conditionality. That's why the term "relinking" is more appropriate to understand that when we die, we are "reborn." It's not that some mind is reborn in another. Another mind arises and it is related to the previous mind according to certain conditions.

BN: Right. So the less we are causes or conditions for the destruction of animals, that is a better situation, even though in theravada we can eat meat without breaking the precepts.



BN: Yes. And this can be problematic. You know the precepts were taught 2500 years ago and are usually applied individual to individual. But how about society? And government? We need to understand the precepts from a societal and organizational perspective as well. When you are, for example, in an institution, government, corporation, the way you relate to others is so vital. Does the institution relate according to the ethical precepts? Society cannot be harmonious without ethics. Governments cannot simply control others; corporations cannot only maximize profits. So we need to apply the precepts to this context of the larger society.

He goes through the Pali Canon and separates what was new to the Buddha and what was also held in Indian philosophy before the Buddha. He can then pinpoint what's unique to Buddhism. So he doubts rebirth and different realms of existence. He pinpoints as distinctively Buddhist: dependent origination; the practice of mindful awareness, being focused on the totality of what is happening in our moment to moment experience; the Four Noble Truths & the Eight Fold Path; the principle of self-reliance, not to be dependent on some authority figure.

The Leshan Giant Buddha is regarded as the biggest carved stone Buddha in the world. Carved from the Lingyun Mountain, this statue is found in the Dadu, Qingyi, and Minjian rivers in Sichuan, China. It stands 71 meters (230 ft) in height and spans 28 meters (92 ft) between its shoulders. At 14.7 meters (48 feet) high, the head alone is large enough for 100 people to sit on.

The locals insist that if a giant straightened out all the wrinkles in New Zealand, it would be the size of Australia! Thats a stretch for sure, but the country really does have few flatlands. The South Island even has Colorado inspired snowcapped mountains! The homes and streets in Wellington were surprisingly no different from a middle class neighborhood in Des Moines, very Americanized, but with no street signs! When I inquired about this apparent oversight, I was told that I should know where Im going. . . . Hmm.

Yes, I'm interested in reading more of Batchelor. Thanks. But I must say that to be a Buddhist you must believe something. For example, we follow the precepts. Why? There is a sensible reason we decide to follow them but, as we go on with our practice, there is also an element of belief.