Icelander said:

jonathanseagull said:

The bias against women was a cultural obstacle, not a personal bias.  This is the same reason why when women were finally allowed to renounce that they had to follow many more rules than males, and could be punished for things the males did.  It was so the public would "buy" it.

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Cultural bias if acted on is personal.  He had the bias. It is interesting to me that all these liberated ones seem bent not telling the truth so the common man will accept certain things. Kind of seems like they are interested in starting a religion.

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psyka said:

Icelander,

One time someone asked me what music I liked, and I habitually responded "I like mostly rock n' roll, but I like pretty much anything... except country music. Its too gawky and boring."

But the truth is, I had not listened to it.

Instead, I was thinking to myself of reasons why I did not like it... I had begun taking country music personally... lol.

With all of that uncontrolled verbalization in my mind, I created an imaginary barrier that sheltered me from what I might expect as suffering (country music). And why would I perceive country music as potential suffering? Because my peers once upon a time told me that it was gawky and boring, made fun of it, and made fun of those who listened to it. And so I rejected it, and pretended to make some sort of agreement with an imaginary person in my head of why I am justified in rejecting it.

Along with this mental verbalization comes tension. Tension coiled up in the physical body, and tension inside of the mind. When we become mentally and/or physically tense, our minds become burdened, heavy, and closed. Unable to see clearly; like wandering in a thick fog. However, when you are relaxed and poised, you feel happy, light, and loving... and useful. You see things more clearly, and understand how we cause our own suffering by playing a silly I-game... taking things personally. We strangle ourselves by being preoccupied in this unending game. The Buddha taught how to let go.

The Buddha went around begging for food, only eating what others offered. He did this for many various reasons. He believed compassion was an exercise that teaches selflessness, unity, and helps spread love (good karma). He also understood that by not accumulating resources for himself, that more people who needed them would be able to use them.

If you really read about Buddhism... not the mainstream commentaries commenting about what someone else read about Buddhism, then I think you might see it in a different light. A lot of people practice Buddhism differently, and over the years there is a lot confusion about what the Buddha found for himself, and what he actually taught to others. I had the fortune of being able to listen to a very wise monk read the traditional sutta's to me... he did not interpret the words at all (in fact, he had a dictionary on hand in case I didn't understand a word)... he just read the sutta's out loud - the way they were intended to be heard. And it changed my whole perspective on what Buddhism actually is, and what the Buddha did... to me its a harmonious way of living and thats all. When you become in balance inside and outside, you achieve the equanimous state of mind termed "enlightenment."

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I fail to see what this post has to do with me? Being a fan of some of what he said myself. What are you saying that I am saying?

exercise that teaches selflessness, If you point is that selflessness is a possibility then of course I disagree. That would be impossible.