✅ Check out this video next on practicing positive thinking - czcams.com/video/9CRAC8hQ7V0/video.html 🧡 If you find benefit in my videos, consider supporting the channel by joining us on Patreon and get fun extras like exclusive behind-the-scenes videos, audio-only versions, and extensive show notes: www.patreon.com/dougsseculardharma 🙂
The best 12 minutes of my week. Authentic wisdom. May many others be fortunate enough to hear this very special aspect of karma, so brought to light. Karma and rebirth can be a stumbling block to those coming to Buddhism with a Western background, and thus I've been reading widely on the subject. But this is an outstandingly original perspective (and bypasses the rebirth issue). Your perspective here is a major breakthrough for Buddhism's Westward journey, in my opinion.
Your videos are a gift to mankind Doug. Your ability to explain things in a manner that is comprehensible and relatable to modern lay-people is very rare. Taking into account that Gautam Buddha, upon obtaining enlightenment, believed himself to be ill equipped to teach others, makes it even more amazing.
I have been binge watching your videos now and again and everytime I do it clicks in my head how problems im my own come to be and how to deal with them. I really like how you explain these topics and give examples that are relatable. One thing that I think might needs a remake is the 8-fold path videos because the newer style of your videos really help your explanations :)
We might think that criminals, drug dealers etc. are having a good life because of their money and flamboyant lifestyle. Still, we forget they must pay for bodyguards and extra security at home for fear of retribution; they can't trust anyone and find it difficult to sleep and relax. The error is comparing others' external appearance against our internal standpoint. Min 1:57: Why do bad things happen to good people? My take is that if everything is interconnected, so is Karma. We are biased to notice only the bad things, even concerning Karma, but we are also receivers of good Karma. Example: A group of doctors saved my life from cancer in 2021. I benefited from their hard work of studying for many years. I received their good Karma! You are watching this on a computer right now thanks to the hard work of many people who made it possible using the tools of Science and Technology; the same is true for your clothes and food in your fridge; they are all made by other people (society) You are being the receiver of the good Karma (work) of many other people. On the other hand, if a deranged person walks into a crowded place and starts shooting, the bullets will not change direction because of your good Karma. In that unfortunate case, you would be the receiver of others' bad Karma (bad actions due to their ignorance and mental instability) In our daily lives, we are constantly getting misfortunes or benefits from the actions of others; be grateful for the good ones and work through generosity and wisdom to eliminate the bad ones. We all live within a society; that is the sociological name for interconnection. Causes and effects (Karma) can be divided into physical, mental, personal or social, but most people seem to focus only on the personal and forget they are part and parcel of a bigger thing. The ultimate reason why we can get cancer, diabetes, flu, arthritis etc., is because we were born within a human form; all that is potentially within the human condition; all we can do is put the odds in our favour and have healthy habits, but there are no guarantees. Old age, disease and death are no bad Karma; they are human conditions, it has to happen, and it will happen. We should learn to accept them and even welcome them to live and die with a good state of mind. Ideally, we should start learning these skills before they arrive. To conclude, everything is interconnected, and Karma is not an exception. Note: These are some of my current thoughts on this subject (2023), but they are not written in stone. I am looking forward to reading the comments or corrections made by the clever people who watch this type of channel. Thanks, Doug, for sharing these amazing videos; big fan here.
This is a wonderful reflection, Doug. Probably one of your best videos. I will take this idea as my basis for thinking about karma from now on. Combined with Alan Watts' theory that the karma concept also relates to the idea that there's no clear-cut separation between what we do and what happens to us and that there are many situations that we can consider from either standpoint.
Thanks xiao mao! I can't take credit for it, though I don't remember where I first heard the metaphor ... maybe from Andy Olendzki? Anyway yes, it's neat!
@@DougsDharma Isn't this concept derived from the Yogacara tradition and their use of the term vāsanā? I assume, you refer to this tradition in your video, right?
@@leuchtendebirke Well yes that is one related concept, there is also the concept of bījas or karmic seeds, as well as that of the bhavaṅga mind in Theravāda.
Just bought my first lessons from your website, I forgot to enter the New Years code but its still worth every penny. Can't wait to watch them all. Thanks for all your work
One of the objectives of Vipassana Meditation is to rid ourselves of the conditioned states of our mind ie Sankaras. I see that connection with Doug's explanation of the early Buddhist's definition of Karma. It resonates with the philosophy that our sufferings is linked to this.
Wonderful exposition. Indeed, whenever I talk to people who see corruption in everything and everyone, I always wonder what that says about their own state of mind. If someone can look at, say, the Dalai Lama, and see a corrupt selfish human being, then it reflects that the idea of compassion simply doesn't compute in their own stream of being.
I have a question about right livelihood. Is it wrong to sell insects? I breed and sell feeder and pets insects but they Buddha mentioned trading of lives to be wrong livelihood. What do you think of this?
Well make it part of your practice to consider this! There isn't necessarily a clear answer; there are always going to be grey areas. The Buddha didn't give answers in all conditions, and his ideas about livelihood aren't meant to be "commandments" in the sense of having been lain down from on high. They're rules of thumb we can use to make our lives and the world better.
Thank you for the wonderful video Doug! I was wondering if you could recommend any books/literature, containing the essential Sutra/Sutta collections of the respective canons. There are some collections in my native language but nothing as exhaustive as in English. Which Books (translations) do you use personally for Sutra reading or would you recommend? Thank you again for your videos, they help immensely in my understanding of the Dharma!
Hi cuthalion! The only canon I know well is the early (Pāli) suttas, and some of the scholarship involved with its recensions in Chinese and other languages. I use Bhikkhu Bodhi's translations mostly for reading (the ones from Wisdom). You can find links to them in the show notes to this video: czcams.com/video/dYNWDFOBtQg/video.html . There are also good translations over at suttacentral.net/ .
Think the biggest misconception about buddhist idea of karma is that idea that everything happenes to u because of karma(the hindu concept). but it is just one of the five other phenomenons that affects u.
There is still a question in a buddhist persepective : Why do buddhist try to escape Karma rather to generate good karma. You associate a positive persepctive on the world with a good benevolence, but, from my zen readings, it seems that an enlighted view of the world come from a diminution of karma, be it good karma or bad karma. (whatever, thanks for all these vids)
Yes, all karma is essentially ego-directed. Good karma is skillful but only up to a point. The Buddhist idea is that once we stop acting out of egoistic motives (even to do good), we cease creating karma. I think the exact mechanism of all this is less important than the basic issue which is to try to lessen egoism.
I suppose there's the argument that actively trying to do good altruistic deeds may not actually come from a place of good - ego gets praised for your charitable acts or rising above it? So then is it truly a good act if you are doing it expecting praise or recognition? Not really. It's self serving
But its karma just a phenomenal of the present? So if how we see the world creates our kamma, why it influences in future rebirths? Because the seeds that puts in our ""minds""?
Can you tell me who you refer by "the absolute earliest tradition" and "the tradition that soon comes after" in this context? When and where did they come from?
I'm not 100% sure what the context is here, but I think the earliest tradition would be that of the suttas, and the tradition soon after would be the abhidhamma. That's where for example the notion of the bhavaṅga mind comes in.
@@DougsDharma Okay, I see. You're right. They all are basically later tradition. Practically speaking, it doesn't matter. Thanks for your reply, Mr. Doug 😊
Hi Doug! I'm a new subscriber of yours from Bangladesh. Your contents are brilliant! I wanna request you to make a video on Atiśa Dīpankara Śrījñāna (982-1054 CE), the great Bengali Buddhist scholar.
Well we're talking about Buddhism here, particularly early Buddhism. Kundalini is a concept out of Hinduism and Yoga, it doesn't appear in early Buddhism. The route towards enlightenment in early Buddhism follows the Eightfold Path and the Gradual Training. For a video on the Gradual Training see: czcams.com/video/Pq0lloB-470/video.html . The Eightfold Path: czcams.com/video/bi8OeCuzHKc/video.html
Karma is not real. There is no doer only Atman witnessing an illusionary stimulus of prospective, then falsely identifying itself as the relationship between the two.
Sorry, but Karma is Just World. It has so much potential to be used to say people deserve what they get... and so on... that it's just not a good concept to salvage. You seem to advocate that we close our eyes to exploitation, wars, genocide, patriarchy, heterocisnormativity... and that's out of touch if compassions means anything
I certainly don’t advocate we close our eyes to injustice, indeed I don’t know of any Buddhist who would. That said, I think one of the problems of extending karma across lives is that it can imply victim blaming, which is why my approach is secular and sets questions of cross-life karma aside.
✅ Check out this video next on practicing positive thinking - czcams.com/video/9CRAC8hQ7V0/video.html
🧡 If you find benefit in my videos, consider supporting the channel by joining us on Patreon and get fun extras like exclusive behind-the-scenes videos, audio-only versions, and extensive show notes: www.patreon.com/dougsseculardharma 🙂
Yes, Neurons that Fire together, Wire together. We can rewire our brains.
That's right Carey, takes time and effort but it's worth it!
Seductive allure of neuroscience. Just keep meditating and spread the love.
The best 12 minutes of my week. Authentic wisdom. May many others be fortunate enough to hear this very special aspect of karma, so brought to light. Karma and rebirth can be a stumbling block to those coming to Buddhism with a Western background, and thus I've been reading widely on the subject. But this is an outstandingly original perspective (and bypasses the rebirth issue). Your perspective here is a major breakthrough for Buddhism's Westward journey, in my opinion.
Hey thanks Smitty, very kind of you to say. I hope at least it clears things up a bit! 😄
Your videos are a gift to mankind Doug. Your ability to explain things in a manner that is comprehensible and relatable to modern lay-people is very rare. Taking into account that Gautam Buddha, upon obtaining enlightenment, believed himself to be ill equipped to teach others, makes it even more amazing.
Very kind of you to say Daniel. I'm only a beginner myself with the dharma, but hopefully I can get something useful across ... !
I have been binge watching your videos now and again and everytime I do it clicks in my head how problems im my own come to be and how to deal with them. I really like how you explain these topics and give examples that are relatable.
One thing that I think might needs a remake is the 8-fold path videos because the newer style of your videos really help your explanations :)
We might think that criminals, drug dealers etc. are having a good life because of their money and flamboyant lifestyle. Still, we forget they must pay for bodyguards and extra security at home for fear of retribution; they can't trust anyone and find it difficult to sleep and relax. The error is comparing others' external appearance against our internal standpoint.
Min 1:57: Why do bad things happen to good people? My take is that if everything is interconnected, so is Karma.
We are biased to notice only the bad things, even concerning Karma, but we are also receivers of good Karma.
Example: A group of doctors saved my life from cancer in 2021. I benefited from their hard work of studying for many years. I received their good Karma!
You are watching this on a computer right now thanks to the hard work of many people who made it possible using the tools of Science and Technology; the same is true for your clothes and food in your fridge; they are all made by other people (society) You are being the receiver of the good Karma (work) of many other people.
On the other hand, if a deranged person walks into a crowded place and starts shooting, the bullets will not change direction because of your good Karma. In that unfortunate case, you would be the receiver of others' bad Karma (bad actions due to their ignorance and mental instability)
In our daily lives, we are constantly getting misfortunes or benefits from the actions of others; be grateful for the good ones and work through generosity and wisdom to eliminate the bad ones.
We all live within a society; that is the sociological name for interconnection.
Causes and effects (Karma) can be divided into physical, mental, personal or social, but most people seem to focus only on the personal and forget they are part and parcel of a bigger thing.
The ultimate reason why we can get cancer, diabetes, flu, arthritis etc., is because we were born within a human form; all that is potentially within the human condition; all we can do is put the odds in our favour and have healthy habits, but there are no guarantees.
Old age, disease and death are no bad Karma; they are human conditions, it has to happen, and it will happen. We should learn to accept them and even welcome them to live and die with a good state of mind. Ideally, we should start learning these skills before they arrive.
To conclude, everything is interconnected, and Karma is not an exception.
Note: These are some of my current thoughts on this subject (2023), but they are not written in stone. I am looking forward to reading the comments or corrections made by the clever people who watch this type of channel.
Thanks, Doug, for sharing these amazing videos; big fan here.
🙏😊 Thanks for watching and for your comment!
This is a wonderful reflection, Doug. Probably one of your best videos. I will take this idea as my basis for thinking about karma from now on. Combined with Alan Watts' theory that the karma concept also relates to the idea that there's no clear-cut separation between what we do and what happens to us and that there are many situations that we can consider from either standpoint.
Thanks Francisco, that's very kind of you to say. Yes our actions and the world's reactions flow together. 🙏
_The perfuming of our own mind stream_ is a brilliant and heuristically very useful metaphor! Thanks for that! 😊
Thanks xiao mao! I can't take credit for it, though I don't remember where I first heard the metaphor ... maybe from Andy Olendzki? Anyway yes, it's neat!
@@DougsDharma Isn't this concept derived from the Yogacara tradition and their use of the term vāsanā? I assume, you refer to this tradition in your video, right?
@@leuchtendebirke Well yes that is one related concept, there is also the concept of bījas or karmic seeds, as well as that of the bhavaṅga mind in Theravāda.
@@DougsDharma That's true, although I have never heard the term 'perfuming' used with those concepts.
@@leuchtendebirke
Oh, Pamokkha! 😊 You here?! It's a small world! 😁😊
You've chosen the perfect metaphor to deliver the message. Since there is no intrinsic reality, it would always be subjective to how we perceive it.
Our emotional overlay on the world can become the problem.
Just bought my first lessons from your website, I forgot to enter the New Years code but its still worth every penny. Can't wait to watch them all. Thanks for all your work
Thanks so much River, I hope you enjoy it! 🙏
One of the objectives of Vipassana Meditation is to rid ourselves of the conditioned states of our mind ie Sankaras. I see that connection with Doug's explanation of the early Buddhist's definition of Karma. It resonates with the philosophy that our sufferings is linked to this.
Yes, we're trying to rid ourselves of unskillful conditioning.
Wonderful exposition. Indeed, whenever I talk to people who see corruption in everything and everyone, I always wonder what that says about their own state of mind. If someone can look at, say, the Dalai Lama, and see a corrupt selfish human being, then it reflects that the idea of compassion simply doesn't compute in their own stream of being.
That's right Andrés, it's quite sad how some people seem incapable of understanding compassion.
Very helpful. Thank you!
So glad!
Thank you! Your videos are helping me to overcome bad times!
I'm so glad to hear that Fliegline!
I was not sure about shorter videos but it seems to work great :)
Ha! Well I've done them in the past, we'll see how it all goes! 😄
@@DougsDharma Long or short, obviously quality of contents is very high in both :)
There is a Sutta called Acintiya Sutta where 4 things are never to be understood.. how karma functions, the origin of the universe and more
Right, if you try to understand karma traditionally, you will be eternally frustrated.
Hello and love from Malaysia ❤️
Thank you so much, happy to have you here! Have a wonderful new year! 🙏
@@DougsDharma welcome and thank you too.... happy new year....your videos help me a lot in understanding Buddhism
My favourite of all your videos to date.
Wow, glad to hear John, thanks for letting me know!
A beautiful video. Thank you.
Many thanks Bill!
Well explained. Thank you 👌🙏😊
You're most welcome Rumlee! 🙏🙂
I have a question about right livelihood. Is it wrong to sell insects? I breed and sell feeder and pets insects but they Buddha mentioned trading of lives to be wrong livelihood. What do you think of this?
Well make it part of your practice to consider this! There isn't necessarily a clear answer; there are always going to be grey areas. The Buddha didn't give answers in all conditions, and his ideas about livelihood aren't meant to be "commandments" in the sense of having been lain down from on high. They're rules of thumb we can use to make our lives and the world better.
Hello Smith....
Namo buddhay 🌷☸
Hello Rahul, have a happy new year! 🙏🙂
@@DougsDharma same to you 🌼🌸🌷🌺
Thank you for explaining this 🙂
You’re very welcome Summer! 😊
10:00 just remind me to see things positive in the world
Yes a positive outlook is healthy.
I must see more videos of yours 👍🏻
I'd be happy if you did! 😀
Thank you for the wonderful video Doug! I was wondering if you could recommend any books/literature, containing the essential Sutra/Sutta collections of the respective canons. There are some collections in my native language but nothing as exhaustive as in English. Which Books (translations) do you use personally for Sutra reading or would you recommend? Thank you again for your videos, they help immensely in my understanding of the Dharma!
Hi cuthalion! The only canon I know well is the early (Pāli) suttas, and some of the scholarship involved with its recensions in Chinese and other languages. I use Bhikkhu Bodhi's translations mostly for reading (the ones from Wisdom). You can find links to them in the show notes to this video: czcams.com/video/dYNWDFOBtQg/video.html . There are also good translations over at suttacentral.net/ .
Think the biggest misconception about buddhist idea of karma is that idea that everything happenes to u because of karma(the hindu concept). but it is just one of the five other phenomenons that affects u.
Yes, on the early Buddhist concept of karma it isn’t the only thing responsible for what happens to you.
There is still a question in a buddhist persepective : Why do buddhist try to escape Karma rather to generate good karma. You associate a positive persepctive on the world with a good benevolence, but, from my zen readings, it seems that an enlighted view of the world come from a diminution of karma, be it good karma or bad karma. (whatever, thanks for all these vids)
Yes, all karma is essentially ego-directed. Good karma is skillful but only up to a point. The Buddhist idea is that once we stop acting out of egoistic motives (even to do good), we cease creating karma. I think the exact mechanism of all this is less important than the basic issue which is to try to lessen egoism.
I suppose there's the argument that actively trying to do good altruistic deeds may not actually come from a place of good - ego gets praised for your charitable acts or rising above it? So then is it truly a good act if you are doing it expecting praise or recognition? Not really. It's self serving
But its karma just a phenomenal of the present?
So if how we see the world creates our kamma, why it influences in future rebirths?
Because the seeds that puts in our ""minds""?
Can you tell me who you refer by "the absolute earliest tradition" and "the tradition that soon comes after" in this context? When and where did they come from?
I'm not 100% sure what the context is here, but I think the earliest tradition would be that of the suttas, and the tradition soon after would be the abhidhamma. That's where for example the notion of the bhavaṅga mind comes in.
@@DougsDharma When you mentioned "abhidhamma", is that Theravada, Sarvastivada, or other early schools?
@@wibuhakase3522 All of them are later than suttas found in the Nikāyas/Āgamas, so it doesn't really matter.
@@DougsDharma Okay, I see. You're right. They all are basically later tradition. Practically speaking, it doesn't matter. Thanks for your reply, Mr. Doug 😊
Hi Doug! I'm a new subscriber of yours from Bangladesh. Your contents are brilliant! I wanna request you to make a video on Atiśa Dīpankara Śrījñāna (982-1054 CE), the great Bengali Buddhist scholar.
So how exactly do we get enlightened/raise kundalini? Far as IK yoga is the path to self realization an may take couple years.
Well we're talking about Buddhism here, particularly early Buddhism. Kundalini is a concept out of Hinduism and Yoga, it doesn't appear in early Buddhism. The route towards enlightenment in early Buddhism follows the Eightfold Path and the Gradual Training. For a video on the Gradual Training see: czcams.com/video/Pq0lloB-470/video.html . The Eightfold Path: czcams.com/video/bi8OeCuzHKc/video.html
@@DougsDharma Got it thank you!
Karma is not real. There is no doer only Atman witnessing an illusionary stimulus of prospective, then falsely identifying itself as the relationship between the two.
Sorry, but Karma is Just World. It has so much potential to be used to say people deserve what they get... and so on... that it's just not a good concept to salvage. You seem to advocate that we close our eyes to exploitation, wars, genocide, patriarchy, heterocisnormativity... and that's out of touch if compassions means anything
I certainly don’t advocate we close our eyes to injustice, indeed I don’t know of any Buddhist who would. That said, I think one of the problems of extending karma across lives is that it can imply victim blaming, which is why my approach is secular and sets questions of cross-life karma aside.