Don't Waste Your Life

[@franksijbenga3724]

Your commitment to obviously use whatever thumbnail KZbin auto-suggests is admirable.

[@MrBreadisawesome]

Lol

[@HardcoreZen]

They usually suggest three and I try to pick the worst looking one.

[@buddhaletina]

@@HardcoreZen The same thing that I do :D

[@SeanFarrell23]

"Don't waste Your Life"... creating an appealing thumbnail.

[@landedzentry]

"What is time for - except to be wasted" Alan Watts. Time is important, time is unimportant. Everything is important, nothing is important. Time...there's lots of time.

[@gunterhendrix]

TIME! TIME HAS COME TODAY!

[@thegline]

"Don't waste your life" often comes off to people, I think, as some kind of anxiety-producing directive. "If I decide to play video games tonight, does that mean I'm wasting my life?" That kind of thing. I think the real meaning of the phrase is, don't settle for a life where you don't take advantage of what your existence offers you to make the best of it. There's a lot of talk in Buddhist lore, as you mentioned, about how being born a human gives you a unique chance to awaken. Not just because of what a human being is, but because you're going to be in the company of other people who can help you do it.

[@HardcoreZen]

True that!

[@erkanerken95]

When it comes to video games, i think it depends on which game you are playing : )

[@gunterhendrix]

I mean it depends on if you're hurting yourself and if you're having fun. I tried to have some lady tell me and I was addicted to vidya, but I'm just not feeling that. I've been having a lot of fun handwriting a strategy guide for my cousin.

[@clydebink]

@@erkanerken95 What game are you playing?

[@landedzentry]

I think human (only) suffering is the key *advantage* to being human. Anyone in the "spiritual sphere" feels this hurry-up motivation to escape the daily mental suffering.

[@juno7496]

I always click on your videos saying: "I wonder what weird background sound is going to be in Brad's video today." Love your videos; definitely not a waste of my life.

[@bronsonmcnulty1110]

well , the noises are not being wasted anymore , somebody is there to realized them .

[@bronsonmcnulty1110]

"i ask time to give me time ... time gives me time .... and .... time tells me it will awaken me . " IN NO TIME .

[@blackbird5634]

If my ''to do list'' includes feeding the cat, doing the dishes and other daily tasks, and I do them, then I am not wasting my life. However, if all I ever do is my to-do--list, and I ignore the rest of life, then I am missing the good stuff.

[@reedlibros9636]

Amazing timing Brad. I was just thinking about this topic the other day because I was revisiting some of the inspiring videos about the traveling spiritual musicians known as the Bauls. They Seem to be in Bengal in India. They Sing and play music everyday. It's their Sadhana. One recurring theme in their songs is the transience of this life and the sadness of being captivated with Maya which takes us away from our more authentic priorities of deeper meaning. To be awake and in Love as a true situation in this transient life. They travel around singing profoundly while meaningfully and beautifully inviting wakefulness to visit those present. This is my own limited perspective from the Baul videos. I think there is a video called debdas "running out of time" if you aren't familiar with the Bauls yet. It's Not the first time your topic vibe synched up with my life.😎 Thank you for all your great video talks Brad

[@HardcoreZen]

Thank you! That's interesting about the Bauls. Sounds like a band name! Meet the Bauls!

[@zacminner]

Love these videos. Thanks so much. Have a good day!

[@potoole]

Awesome thank you

[@DrewPeabawls]

Thanks for the video! On a related note; from all the states in the wheel of samsara (humans, devas, asuras, pretas, narakas, etc.), like you said, human form, is the supposed state to exit the wheel. But have you considered the thought that the states themselves could all be states of the human condition itself? Like you said, devas have it all so would worry to wake up and you could say the same thing about a really rich person. Or a naraka could be a homeless person with addiction problems and thus living in hell on earth. Would love to hear your thoughts!

[@kawoom2872]

thank you for the video!

[@MrBreadisawesome]

Thank you Brad!

[@nickmatthews8087]

Hey Brad I am a big fan of your videos. I've been watching for a while now. I was wondering where I should start with the books you've written. I want to buy one but don't know where to start. Thanks

[@HardcoreZen]

My books can be read in any order. There is no continuity from one to another. I think Letters to a Dead Friend About Zen is a good one to start. Other people think Hardcore Zen is the best place to start (it's the first one). On the FAQ section of hardcorezen.info I put reviews of all my books. I also did a video reviewing all of my books on this KZbin channel.

[@erkanerken95]

Thanks for the stream! You get all these strange background noises 😄

[@HardcoreZen]

So true! Sometimes I think it adds to the videos a little.

[@t.c.bramblett617]

@@HardcoreZen they really do enhance them. it is perfect. The sound space of a world outside is a pleasant connection to reality.

[@chatnoir8524]

Good Afternoon

[@jamesatkerson9123]

Way better than last time

[@bronsonmcnulty1110]

Let's not get involved with time so we dont waste it .

[@robertcollier6274]

“I wanna rock!”

[@ajahnpadawan8812]

This was a great video. One question though: if we are born as humans because it gives us a chance to awaken, and suffering/pain can help lead you to that path, what about those humans who are born and lead completely easy lives with zero pain/suffering (I’m sure there must be some)? Is their lack of suffering somehow giving them less chance of awakening and if so why were they born into that? Karma?

[@HardcoreZen]

I don't think anyone gets zero pain/suffering. But people who have lives that are too luxurious are less fortunate than the rest of us in these terms.

[@jamesatkerson9123]

Better to do nothing than being busy doing nothing

[@raysherry9598]

Thanks bw

[@edgepixel8467]

Oooh. Classic Dogen. Brad, can you post the kanjis themselves in a comment, please? Thanks.

[@ameublement]

It's not clear to this writer whether or not the stanza is Chinese pronounced in the antique Japanese way (I think Brad did say that); in any event, the (modern) Mandarin pronunciations offered at the end of each line below are just dictionary-look-up results. 生死事大 shō shi(nu) ji dai (life death matter great) shēng sǐ shì dà 無常迅速 mu jō jin soku (set phrase: life passes swiftly) wú cháng xùn sù 光陰可惜 kō in at(t)ara ([ka, koku] [seki, shaku]) (time/father-time regrettably) guāng yīn kě xī 時不待人 ji fu matsu hito (time not wait person) shí bù dài rén

[@osip7315]

@@ameublement the luminous pearl opens time so it has no meaning the mortals scrabble not understanding this

[@gunterappoldt3037]

Interesting! Does anybody know the source of this saying? I thought it was in the Platform-Sutra, but could not find it. Anyway, it indicates to me that Chán/Zen has a big affinity to Time-Ways, like the ones of the classic Kâlavâda in India and the Dàojia in the Sinitic World. As I understand the phrase, it is an acknowledgment of transitoriness, and at the same time a call for resolute resistance, respectively liberation (here: the Zen way, that is).

[@HardcoreZen]

I don't know where it's from. Maybe someone else does.

[@gunterappoldt3037]

@@HardcoreZen well, thanks. That would be fine. I once heard of it at a meeting, but missed to take a note.

[@sampapalapa]

Tail end of Sandokai: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandokai?wprov=sfla1

[@sampapalapa]

'Let me respectfully remind you who engage in deep practice: Time passes swiftly; do not squander your life.' (Translated by Walen, Cabarga & Tanahashi. Revised by Halifax/Tanahashi)

[@gunterappoldt3037]

@@sampapalapa Thanks! Interesting poem, but the phrase in question does not show up there. As written on the wooden board, it says, word-to-word (with supplemental interpolations in brackets): "Live-die grand affair! Light-dark regret/mourn ! Non-permanence/无常: swift ! Time/时 not wait man!"

[@bookerbooker6317]

rush slowly

[@kylemacarthur9863]

I am curious if buddhism also experiences the recent "MMA show me in the ring" comments that every martial art now experiences. There are mixed martial arts people challenging any and all martial arts masters to a real fight to hurt the masters and show that the master is "fake." Do people try to in some way test the wisdom or approach of buddhists? As in: if you know so much, let's see what you accomplished vs what my great get rich business program has!"

[@gunterhendrix]

Koan practice. Dharma talks.

[@kylemacarthur9863]

@@gunterhendrix Thanks for replying. I think it is a very simple almost non question to answer from your side. A longer discussion in the Brad book style trying to bridge to a non practitioner. I heard the question: given the dilemma where you control a train switch and can divert the train to kill 1 person or leave the train alone and it kills 2 people, what difference in approach would there be between a zen practitioner and a non practitioner. All I could think of is that while you were worried about and thinking about asking this silly question, a zen practitioner would likely be living their life aware and ready to help others. No magic.

[@gunterhendrix]

@@kylemacarthur9863 there's a similar koan in the Gateless Gate called Nansen kills the cat (#14). it's like that Rush song where the lyric goes you still have made a choice. Even if you choose to not act. Events will still transpire.

[@finallyfinally9317]

People should awaken if they want too and not be forced into it ... Don't waste your life ? Who's to say what is a waste of life and what isn't ? Nuns making pictures with rice all day seems like a waste of time to me!

[@dchoskinsvids]

Thank you for this.