Sunday, April 14, 2013

idle chatter

In Buddhism, there is a suggestion that students refrain from "idle chatter."

I guess that means, among other things, not gossiping about your friends, enemies or neighbors.

But I suppose it also means not gossiping about those who gossip about their friends, enemies and neighbors.

And perhaps that also means not gossiping about not gossiping about those who gossip about their friends, enemies and neighbors.

Following this particular Yellow Brick Road, you might think that silence would be the surest way to sidestep the fires of "idle chatter."

But those who are silent are frequently more profoundly -- if silently -- garrulous than Aunt Minnie.

Maybe the best way to refrain from "idle chatter" is to stop trying to be a Buddhist.

I dunno. I just work here.

21 comments:

  1. Fine.
    So stop posting on Buddhist forums.
    Then there is no problem is there ?
    And you wont need to blog about your inability to respond in Buddhist terms on those forums.
    Probably for the best, given that most Buddhists are not about to embrace an elitist non- buddhism.

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  2. My thoughts exactly.
    You are free to start your own exclusive ' anti-buddhist club for the superior ' on your own blog.
    Do it on a Buddhist Forum though and you should not be surprised if someone follows the trail of crumbs.

    However I suspect that you are already congratulating yourself and wearing your 'Gadfly ' badge.

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  3. And she thinks she's two of her, talk about an elitist club. Must be the buddhists who seethe faction.

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  4. Anonymous is an angry, unhappy person. S/he knows nought other than to project that onto others, in this case, genkaku. Compassion is in order, but seeing is not amiss either. Thanks olcharlie.

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  5. S/he will elicit no compassion until she demonstrates compassion for genkaku and leave his blog alone. She is truly blind and sees nothing but her own needs.

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  6. Genuine silence is hardly the domain of practicing Buddhists. But it has its merits, that's for sure.

    Perhaps associatively here is what Ajahn Dune Atulo (a Buddhist monk) said:

    "That's pretty good. When there's no speaking, then no faults are committed by way of speech. But when you say that you stopped speaking, that simply can't be. Only the noble ones who enter the refined attainment of cessation, where feeling and perception stop, are able to stop speaking. Aside from them, everyone's speaking all day and all night long. And especially those who vow not to speak: They talk more than anyone else, simply that they don't make a sound that others can hear."

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  7. Fable of the Porcupine

    It was the coldest winter ever. Many animals died because of the cold.

    The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to group together to keep warm. This way they covered and protected themselves; but the quills of each one wounded their closest companions.

    After awhile, they decided to distance themselves one from the other and they began to die, alone and frozen. So they had to make a choice: Either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the earth.

    Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. They learned to live with the little wounds caused by the close relationship with their companions in order to receive the heat that came from the others. This way they were able to survive.

    The best relationship is not the one that brings together perfect people, but when each individual learns to live with the imperfections of others and can admire the other person's good qualities.

    The moral of the story is:
    Just learn to live with the Pricks in your life!

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  8. Ah Charlie ... ever the arbiter of common sense!

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  9. Citta/newbuddhist lurks though

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  10. olcharlie (salutation)

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  11. floating_abu, we all know it is YOU posting as anonymous. Especially with the Citta reference. Cut the crap! Let go...leave Adam's blog alone.

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  12. That's interesting, why is it me? Is it because one time Anonymous said hugs and waves Luz to you? That was a fabrication. A pretty obvious one, which I told genkaku about at the time - but maybe not for you. You were bought right into that pretty, little trap and you are now shameless about it. How thick.
    Who are 'we' anyway? You mean YOU, as a believer. Speak for yourself - like we all do here. I will post and read here as long as I am interested, and I have never harrassed or abused genkaku (without telling him :)). It is you who abuses others, you and your other friends it seems, shamelessly.

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    1. To be fair, I suspect that there is more than one "anonymous " but it does take an expert in semantics to see that you are one of them Alice.
      It leapt out at me straight away. And I know for a fact that it leapt out at others too.
      And I am not referring to Luz.
      The problem is you are so associated on Buddhist websites now with claims of superiority, and shallowness of analysis, and sheer bloody unpleasantness , which has resulted in a trail of broken glass through half a dozen different websites, that you are probably copping the blame even when you are not guilty.

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    2. Thats " it does NOT take etc "

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  14. The tell-tale sign is in your writing style and other unmistakeable references. It is very obvious. And yes, there is a "we" that knows it is YOU.

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  15. Well you are more stupid than I thought, but I guess you were always completely manipulatable.

    Thanks for passing the message, genkaku, but if she was like that, who really cares I guess?

    Well wishes.

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    1. Alice despite your desperate attempts at attention seeking, and despite your pointing finger wildly in all directions, any one familiar
      with both your bitterness and with your weird grammar.. no one else, (apart from journalists in the Indian English speaking press ) uses terms like " thusly " and " oft " and " nought other " and they haven't done for 100 years. And no one ele consistently misuses " whom " as you do.
      I understand that it is disappointing to discover that you do not have a privileged position, and that others relate to each other in ways that you have effectively removed yourself from..by your own volition and due to your laying claim to elevated status you have not earned.
      I said to you some time ago that I think you need to acknowledge your psychological problems.
      Nothing has changed.
      I would echo Luz's plea. Leave Adam's blog alone if all you can do is snipe.
      And if I were you I would be VERY careful of your facts before replying.

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    2. Hi Peter B.

      I can respond to this:

      1. There have been comments throughout this blog with someone using the words "thusly" "Dear Luz" "waves haha" etc who was not me. I saw it was a parody though. Someone has been doing this for months. I told genkaku about it once and also once him to tell Luz that it wasn't me sending her those messages - but I knew it was useless talking against an anonymous WWW. And I suspected it would work although of course I hoped it wouldn't. I ignored it and I posted only very infrequently to the comments, after this and I knew that frame I was under.

      2. Yes you have told me I have psychological problems, many many times over the years when you have chosen to tell me all manner of things that are not complimentary to say the least including on my blog and elsewhere. Since the E-sangha days, when I started to now. Why you think you can do this to someone is quite beyond me, but apparently you feel entitled to and feel that I am someone who you can do this to, and that you are right for doing so.

      Well I am disappointed, to say the least, but I don't doubt you feel so right about it, so good luck to you and your way of operating with those you deem beneath you.

      Best wishes,
      Abu

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