What Did the Buddha Teach About Beliefs?

[@andrewyam7938]

As my teacher Ajahn Brahm says, there is a time to cling and a time to let go. When you're sitting in the back of a motorcycle to get somewhere, you really should cling tightly to the guy in front. But when you've reached your destination, you need to let go to take the final step to get there!

[@DougsDharma]

Yes, exactly so!

[@joshrogers7816]

"I am not my views" really resonated with me today living in the UK at the present time of political upheaval. You have given me something, a tool, a thought, that I hope I can bring to mind when discussing current issues with others. Practice, practice. Many thanks Doug.

[@DougsDharma]

Glad to hear it Jano. Yes we have similar problems over on this side of the pond ... 😑

[@aaronwang7820]

Doug, your channel makes me unbelievably happy. You're making the world a better place.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks Aaron, that’s very kind of you to say! I hope so. 😊

[@LuiggiPachecoUPW]

I'm extremely grateful for your videos, They have had a really big impact in my life, thanks Mr Doug

[@DougsDharma]

You're very welcome, glad they've been helpful!

[@johnwillans3107]

Very clear and helpful, Doug. Many hanks for your effort

[@DougsDharma]

My pleasure, John. Glad it was helpful!

[@photistyx]

Views arise, and are not necessarily chosen in a purely elective manner. Of course. But I never really thought of it before until you said it. It makes a very big difference. Thanks for rearranging the furniture, I like it better this way!

[@DougsDharma]

Ha! Yes photistyx it makes the room a bit easier to maneuver through.

[@middlewayers]

Doug I hope you make one more video on this topic because think topic is very very important for many reasons

[@DougsDharma]

Yes, I may do so! 🙏

[@rgilmour70]

The problem of views is a tricky one and I really enjoyed hearing your take on it. Thanks for posting this.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks a lot Ron. Indeed, it does seem pretty nuanced.

[@absolutenice9100]

Thanks for spreading the Tathagat .

[@DougsDharma]

You're very welcome Absolute Nice, thanks for watching. 🙏

[@naachseil1825]

Thanks for the insights and keep up the good and work.

[@DougsDharma]

Very welcome DrMD and thanks for watching. Glad you're finding it useful.

[@cristinajaime361]

Great video!! Watching from Florida 🙏

[@DougsDharma]

Be well Cristina! 🙏

[@ChonkyRaccoons]

Thanks for this

[@DougsDharma]

You're very welcome, David!

[@vicent6645]

Excellent

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks Vincent!

[@upasakajoris1613]

Thanks Doug for this video about an important topic. Here is a view that arose in a mind (under certain causes and conditions which are not me, mine, myself and are impermanent and subject to change :D ) If I'm crossing a raging river I don't think not clinging to the raft is going to help me to the other shore..? It seems clinging to the raft in order to reach the other shore is a good thing, it's only when you get there that you have to let go of it..? If you're in the middle of the raging river and you 'let go' even of the raft at that point, it can not be conducive to crossing. When you have reached the other shore, carrying the raft on your back is useless. Let go of it. Of course clinging to the raft on the shore you're starting on, and idealising it, praying to the raft, worshiping the raft, making offerings to the raft, discussing why this raft is the best, waging wars over the raft, etc.. without actually using it to cross the river is wrong practice as well. Seeing the raft as a raft, with a healthy amount of respect for it and it's builder but also actually using it, and not letting go of it until you have reached the other shore seems the right practice for me. It would be like a genius scientist who comes up with a formula/invention, and worshipping that person or formula, without using the formula/invention/... to improve our lives or increase our understanding of the universe. Of course there are people who use this discovery for wars, conflict, personal gains, etc.. That's inherent to humans I suppose.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks for your comment, Joris. Excellent. Indeed, in order to cross the river we do have to cling to the raft to a certain extent. I think there are several passages in the canon that discuss skillful craving and skillful aversion, for example the craving for awakening and the aversion toward ignorance. These are aspects of clinging that are skillful in the context of someone who is not awakened and is crossing the stream. To get fully to the other side one will have to give up these kinds of cravings and aversions. Perhaps they will be the last ones given up!

[@uckaramet8402]

Excellent For your info. There are 4 main buddhist clingings. They are clinging to sensaulity, to views, to rules or ritauls, and the most seriously is clinging to ego-beliefs. Pali canon vol.13 clause 656-9 discribe faith or belief is the start to closer and get a chance to listen dhammas til getting ultimate truth after affort in experiment and practicing dhammas. Some suttas such as the 5 powers or the 5 controlling faculties indicates faith at firstly beyond effort, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks very much, yes you are right there are four standard types of clinging, or also alternatively various numbered lists of fetters that in the abhidhamma also includes views.

[@mariaeichner9125]

Thank you for that video! It already helped me a lot! I would love to hear how I can manage to get to a neutral perspective on a layer above, when it comes to discussions with people who follow rascist or fascist ideologies. I can not get to a point, where it feels neutral or in peace, because those Ideologies cause so much violance. Do you have advises how to deal with that?

[@DougsDharma]

That’s a very tough one Maria. Yes there are many such ideologies nowadays that are very unskillful, originating from greed and hatred. They must be countered by generosity, compassion, and kindness as best we can. That can be very difficult work. I did an earlier video talking about some of this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hoWTgmZ7bL1kntE

[@Yosya8059]

Thank you for this video. The basic idea is not hard to grasp, but in fact this topic is really deep and demands some good contemplating. By the way, I was thinking about beliefs today and then after watching this video I came to think that it would be more appropriate to call yourself a practitioner of Buddhism rather than a Buddhist. In one thread on this topic I've read that this puzzling situation is only due to the word formation of the English language (and others which have this -ism, -ist suffixes). Sorry for a bit shallow topic. But I was buffled how one could call himself a Buddhist without some level of identification. I really think that practitioner of Buddhism suits well as a user of the raft you were talking about.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks for the great comments, Anastasia. In the old suttas folks would say they “became a follower of the Buddha for life” or some such thing. To what extent does that involve identification? It’s hard to say. But I think one does generally have a certain amount of identification with the path up until its end. This is something noted as well in the older suttas. Identification with the path comes across as kind of a ‘necessary evil’, and something to be aware of so as not to make things worse.

[@Yosya8059]

Doug, Thanks for the clarification. It makes sense.

[@DougsDharma]

Glad to be of help!

[@donnaestera2728]

What is the difference between secular Buddhism vs. traditional Buddhism? Is there such a thing as traditional Buddhism? If I may ask, are there conflicting views between the secular and traditional?

[@DougsDharma]

Secular Buddhism isn't a single viewpoint but encompasses a range of beliefs. In general it focuses on a this-life interpretation of the dharma and leaves aside more speculative claims of past and future lives or other supernatural material found in more traditional forms of belief.

[@donnaestera2728]

@@DougsDharma what do you mean by future lives?

[@paulomoreira995]

In modern world We ARE forced to debate/explain or even engage in polítics. It seems tô be wrong tô avoid this. But on the other hand its só dificult. Is there an specif instrucion about It? Like avoid debates until you ARE enlightend or ignore the outside world completely?

[@DougsDharma]

There isn't any specific instruction I know about this in the suttas, but the Buddha certainly did not teach that we should avoid the outside world completely. Just that monastics shouldn't get too involved in worldly discussions. (Their speech should be dharma related).

[@gnostie]

Is there an English translation of this text? Or maybe a Pali version in devanagari characters?

[@DougsDharma]

Which text are you talking about, gnostie? If you mean the Alagaddūpama Sutta there are several such translations. In general the best English translations are by Bhikkhu Bodhi published by Wisdom. One online translation can be found at Sutta Central here: suttacentral.net/en/mn22 If you're talking about a different text let me know which. 🌿

[@DougsDharma]

(You can also find the Pāli version at that site. Pāli is usually not transliterated in Devanagari since it was never written in those characters historically).

[@gnostie]

Sorry about the haziness, Doug. Yes, I meant Alagaddūpama Sutta. Thank you for the link. Have you come across the Pali original in Devanagari, by any chance? I was hoping to get a not too big text in Pali along with a good translation and bridge from Sanskrit to Pali. Granted, some time with a grammar book might still be necessary, but I'd prefer starting on languages from a text+good translation combo and going from there.

[@gnostie]

Thanks. True, although I saw such translits in India a few times. Ah well, will make the best of what's there.

[@DougsDharma]

Yes gnostie you may be able to find them, but most likely in India, intended for an audience that reads Devanagari. In the west they are always transliterated in Roman characters, with diacritical marks. In that case there is a one to one correspondence of letters so it shouldn't matter.

[@garynaccarto8636]

If you use Buddhist dharma to win debates not only is that clinging but it's also using the dharma as a weapon.

[@DougsDharma]

Yes. It's not a skillful approach generally. Though there are cases where we can debate to inform another, as the Buddha himself did on many occasions. But to do that we should approach the material without clinging, which is hard!