• From: Upland, California
  • Registered: 2007-01-20

Topic: 'The Secret' vs. the Buddha

The story of the Buddha begins over 2,500 years ago in the lap of luxury. Siddhartha Gautama, later to be known as the Buddha, is a prince living in a Shangri-La palace. He has everything that most can only dream about — all the material luxuries that wealth and position can bring. In addition, he is meticulously shielded from the pain, suffering and ugly side of life. When he finally ventures out of the palace, he is shocked to discover the true nature of life that inevitably will befall everyone — sickness, old age and death. This is the starting point of his journey.
   
    "He sheds all the trappings of royal life for the monk's garb and sets out on his quest to transcend suffering — not to deny or escape it. Along the way, over a number of years, he meets many spiritual masters who transmit their knowledge and meditation techniques to him. Yet none of these experiences take him beyond suffering. He then goes it alone, determined to achieve his goal. After many austerities that bring him near death, he discovers mindfulness and the middle way which bring him to his awakening.
   
    The story of "The Secret" is quite different. Its starting point is the quest for all that the Buddha shed on his path of self-discovery. Not only does "The Secret" promise you the luxuries that the Buddha abandoned, it says they are simple to attain — just think positively (the law of attraction) and the universe (whatever that means) will give them to you. Aside from being too good to be true, the real message of the secret, when placed along side the spiritual journey of the Buddha, is revealed: It's all ego — it's all about "me" and getting what I want and feel that I need and deserve for lasting happiness. It's a conclusion antithetical to the teachings of the Buddha and all spiritual traditions.
   
    So beware! "The Secret," whether or not you buy its seductive promises, is not a spiritual path. Much the contrary.
   
    The philosophy of "The Secret" is starkly offered in a New Yorker cartoon that I have posted on my refrigerator as a reminder of what the Buddha's message isn't — and now what the message of "The Secret" is. In the cartoon a man on his deathbed is giving his last words to someone sitting at his bedside: "I should have bought more crap." Put in the framework of "The Secret": "I should have visualized more stuff for me."
   
    That's not to say that there isn't a grain of truth in "The Secret." Yes, it's important to think positively for positive things to happen. Without positive thinking we could not have reached the moon, mapped the human genome or broken the four-minute mile. But positive thinking is only the first step. Other steps are required — often demanding and difficult ones — for positive thinking to reach fruition. "The Secret" doesn't reveal that part of the secret. All fast-talking super-salespeople know that if you tell the truth, you will very likely lose the customer — just tell them what they want to hear. "The Secret" has mastered the sales pitch."

http://www.religionandspirituality.com/ … 3846-7527r

Strengthen your microcosm. Love. Knowledge. Faith.
http://montalk.net/metaphys/42/principl … ion-part-i
  • Lono
  • Lono
  • Walker of worlds
  • Offline
  • From: Oklahoma, USA
  • Registered: 2006-05-03

Re: 'The Secret' vs. the Buddha

I'm not 100% for The Secret, but I'm definitely not Buddhist, either.  I have no plans to suffer just for the sake of my spirituality.  That's always been the one thing that turns me off of Buddhism, although I do admire many of its tenets.

I think this idea that we're all supposed to wallow in suffering is similar to the puritanical Christian idea that we deserve to suffer, and have to wait until heaven to enjoy ourselves.  I also believe both of these are designed to keep us here in prison.

I'm not knocking your beliefs, but I just wanted to point out that Buddhism isn't the ONLY path, and that one can have a spiritual path without practicing your religion.  Even someone who dallies with concepts from The Secret can be following a spiritual path, even if you don't agree with that.

  • Registered: 2004-10-26

Re: 'The Secret' vs. the Buddha

There was an interesting letter to the editor in Time magazine
recently that said:

"Maybe we should airlift a million paperback copies of
The Secret to Darfur so those people can pretend they're
not getting slaughtered."

  • From: Upland, California
  • Registered: 2007-01-20

Re: 'The Secret' vs. the Buddha

Have you read the Dhamapada Lono? The Dhamapada consists of the sayings of the Buddah. In it it says, "He who goes naked, With matted hair, mud-bespattered, Who fasts and sleeps on the ground And smears his body with ashes And sits in endless meditation- So long as he is not free from doubts, He will not find freedom. But he who lives purely and selfassured, In quietness and virtue, Who is without harm or hurt or blame, Even if he wears fine clothes, So long as he also has faith, He is a true seeker."

I don't think the Buddah advocated that we must suffer to reach enlightenment. I don't tie myself down to any religious doctrine, but I do take what resonates with me. Almost everything in the Dhamapada resonates with me. You can find it online.

Strengthen your microcosm. Love. Knowledge. Faith.
http://montalk.net/metaphys/42/principl … ion-part-i

5 Reply by titmouse_ (edited by titmouse_ 2007-03-20 08:53:44)

  • From: Shores of Lake Titikaka
  • Registered: 2006-05-25

Re: 'The Secret' vs. the Buddha

The secret that I have discovered is this: We are born into a world that teaches us to pursue happiness and freedom, but cannot predict for us which path will achieve this security and comfort. We are sold many visions with illusion, but seldom are we shown that which we would not willingly see. Between the lines, around the bend, under the cover of fears and desires, is the way; by seeking and asking the truth-revealing questions will one find these hidden secrets. The answers will also be a bit deceiving and unclear because man cannot teach the unteachable; yet if one perceives the beauty, goodness, and the true amongst the frills, thrills, and doubts, one may  discover the blissful core of simplicity. This is the "North Face" of the climb; for the fearful take the easy, popular access to life, and thus it all appears so respectably the smart choice.

I, who am free, am seldom appreciated in my joy and wisdom, not long noticed except for the irritation my creative nature develops under the skin of the irritable; like a raw blister on the foot of the Queen, my existence is quietly keep from popular view. Blisters create eventual calluses; anyone wise knows-- blisters are a given sign one is on the "Road Less Traveled". Sobeit for me to declare my independence in public and suffer the rejection of the masses. It is a falsity to believe that the best years have passed, or that the best years are to come, for today is the best day to live, and the best day to die. For if I did not live the fullest in each moment, then history would own my dream, and tomorrow would hold my joy--I would fall victim to my own self-imprisonment. I am free because I am not important to the world enough to require slaves, and my mastery is bound to creative expression and careful reflection. No other master can paint my vision. Therefore I paint, and sing, and dance to my own theme; never bothered by the inquiries of those other masters in pursuit of tomorrow.


"Blinded by self-importance....the visionaries of society haven't the vision of a blind musician, nor the perception of a churchmouse_"
~~carefulcarpenter

Fun fact: Great Tits are common in Europe

To know love is to know trust; to know oneself is to know truth
~~carefulcarpenter

1+1=1
  • Lono
  • Lono
  • Walker of worlds
  • Offline
  • From: Oklahoma, USA
  • Registered: 2006-05-03

Re: 'The Secret' vs. the Buddha

Kahnsentrayshun wrote:

Have you read the Dhamapada Lono? The Dhamapada consists of the sayings of the Buddah. In it it says, "He who goes naked, With matted hair, mud-bespattered, Who fasts and sleeps on the ground And smears his body with ashes And sits in endless meditation- So long as he is not free from doubts, He will not find freedom. But he who lives purely and selfassured, In quietness and virtue, Who is without harm or hurt or blame, Even if he wears fine clothes, So long as he also has faith, He is a true seeker."

I don't think the Buddah advocated that we must suffer to reach enlightenment. I don't tie myself down to any religious doctrine, but I do take what resonates with me. Almost everything in the Dhamapada resonates with me. You can find it online.

No, I hadn't read that, but I like that passage!  I do like my little creature comforts and pleasures, but my goals and what I like to "create' are different from what most people want.  I don't want the biggest house-- but I want one that pleases me when I look at it.  I like to surround myself with things and spaces that feel good when my eye falls upon them, not necessarily ones that are popular at the time.  I like the pleasure of riding my scooter much more than I would the ego boost of driving around in a hummer, etc.  But I DO like my pleasure!

Tom, you cracked me up with the letter to the editor quote.

7 Reply by Kahnsentrayshun (edited by Kahnsentrayshun 2007-03-20 11:36:03)

  • From: Upland, California
  • Registered: 2007-01-20

Re: 'The Secret' vs. the Buddha

I agree with you Lono. If having our little creature comforts makes us enjoy life more and puts us in a higher vibration then I see no reason why we shouldn't have them. If what we do brings no suffering on others and doesn't hurt ourselves then I see no reason why we shouldn't do those things that bring us a small amount of pleasure in this seemingly depressing world we live in.

Actually, alot of the our creature comforts do bring suffering on others. For example, the metals in our cell phones and computers have devasted regions in Africa where those metals are mined. Thats just one example. Alot of our creature comforts may provide us some comfort, but they provide someone else far away in 3d distance (non so far away in higher dimensions) a lot of suffering. We are choosing to let our other selves suffer so we can be comfortable. Yet, we wouldn't have the knowledge we have now without the suffering of others. I've learned a great deal online as I am sure many of you have. Maybe this is why suffering is a necessity. In past lifetimes, we may have provided the means for others to ascend while we suffered and now it is other people's turn to suffer so we can ascend. And once we ascend we can trully help others in ways that we cannot possibly now. Its like we are one of those structures made of humans. Where humans are standing on top of each other holding each others arms and legs. The people at the bottom hold up the weight of all those above them. I think this is infinite though. When the people at the top ascend, the people at the very bottom get to move up as people below them become the very bottom. Well, this isn't  something new I guess. This is pretty much explaining the whole circle of life.

We should minimize the suffering of others as much as possible nonetheless if we choose the STO path towards source.

Strengthen your microcosm. Love. Knowledge. Faith.
http://montalk.net/metaphys/42/principl … ion-part-i
  • Registered: 2006-10-26

Re: 'The Secret' vs. the Buddha

Kahnsentrayshun wrote:

I agree with you Lono. If having our little creature comforts makes us enjoy life more and puts us in a higher vibration then I see no reason why we shouldn't have them. If what we do brings no suffering on others and doesn't hurt ourselves then I see no reason why we shouldn't do those things that bring us a small amount of pleasure in this seemingly depressing world we live in.

When this world is ever ablaze, why this laughter, why this jubilation? Shrouded in darkness, will you not see the light?
Behold this body -- a painted image, a mass of heaped up sores, infirm, full of hankering -- of which nothing is lasting or stable!
Fully worn out is this body, a nest of disease, and fragile. This foul mass breaks up, for death is the end of life.
These dove-colored bones are like gourds that lie scattered about in autumn. Having seen them, how can one seek delight?
- Dhammapada

  • Registered: 2005-10-15

Re: 'The Secret' vs. the Buddha

The issue I have with The Secret is that it is opening up a pandora's box for the materialistic centric creed of the population.  The self entitlement that already exists deeply within the Western world (not trying to bash the west, I was born and bred in it) will only magnify to immense proportions.  It would be amazing if there were a movement to a new paradigm of envisioning a peaceful world, utilizing The Secret and related properties, to evolve to a mindful society.  That is not the case presently but who knows if these rough white waters that we ride through the world with now may lead to a calm lake where we may collectively move on to bigger and better things.  The Secret is like any mainstream thing; it has a gem of valuable info within a mound of disinfo dirt.

  • From: Upland, California
  • Registered: 2007-01-20

Re: 'The Secret' vs. the Buddha

andyw wrote:

When this world is ever ablaze, why this laughter, why this jubilation? Shrouded in darkness, will you not see the light?
Behold this body -- a painted image, a mass of heaped up sores, infirm, full of hankering -- of which nothing is lasting or stable!
Fully worn out is this body, a nest of disease, and fragile. This foul mass breaks up, for death is the end of life.
These dove-colored bones are like gourds that lie scattered about in autumn. Having seen them, how can one seek delight?
- Dhammapada

Does having things that help us ascend count as seeking delight?

Perhaps we need to define what "creature comforts" are.

I see nothing wrong with having a bed. Heck, even animals make their own little beds. My bed is aiding my ascension, because it is helping be get deeper sleep. Deeper sleep helps me recharge better for the next day to come. When I have more energy, I have more energy to raise my vibration.

Strengthen your microcosm. Love. Knowledge. Faith.
http://montalk.net/metaphys/42/principl … ion-part-i
  • From: West Coast, BC, Canada
  • Registered: 2007-02-11

Re: 'The Secret' vs. the Buddha

Kahnsentrayshun,

"The story of the Buddha begins over 2,500 years ago in the lap of luxury......."

-----------------I just read about the Bon of Tibet.  They are not 'Buddhist' religion, just Tibetans.  Buddha, according to them
Was Born 17,000 years ago.-------------------------

-M

MonAmie-Zylo's Website

  • From: Upland, California
  • Registered: 2007-01-20

Re: 'The Secret' vs. the Buddha

Well, who knows who is right and who is wrong concerning when the Buddha existed. Lots of information turns into disinformation over the years. I'm sure we've all played that game where you whisper something into someone's ear and then that person whispers that into someone else's ear etc... In the end, the original message has been replaced by something else. It'd take some investigation and research to find out if the Buddha existed 2,500 years ago or 17,000 years ago and in the end it wouldn't matter much to me, because I only care about what's being said in the dhamapada. A lot of it correlates with my understanding. I also realize, many don't consider Buddhism a religion and some do.

Strengthen your microcosm. Love. Knowledge. Faith.
http://montalk.net/metaphys/42/principl … ion-part-i

13 Reply by lala (edited by lala 2007-03-22 18:33:32)

  • lala
  • lala
  • Member
  • Offline
  • From: Colorado
  • Registered: 2007-01-29

Re: 'The Secret' vs. the Buddha

Kahnsentrayshun wrote:

Maybe this is why suffering is a necessity. In past lifetimes, we may have provided the means for others to ascend while we suffered and now it is other people's turn to suffer so we can ascend. And once we ascend we can trully help others in ways that we cannot possibly now. Its like we are one of those structures made of humans. Where humans are standing on top of each other holding each others arms and legs. The people at the bottom hold up the weight of all those above them. I think this is infinite though. When the people at the top ascend, the people at the very bottom get to move up as people below them become the very bottom. Well, this isn't  something new I guess. This is pretty much explaining the whole circle of life.

No, I believe that this is more explaining why pyramid schemes work! The whole ruling-class, oligarchy, etc. rests on the foundation that it is spiritual to keep the poor believing that suffering is natural and that you can eventually move up the ladder through reincarnation, meanwhile the ruling class holy people figure out more and better ways to keep incarnating into their same families that have built up wealth and so forth. The Buddha was born in India (Lumbini) where institutionalized poverty (caste system) is part of Hinduism. This is just another matrix, you could say it is the Eastern stream of the matrix as opposed to the Western stream of the matrix; they both have their own forms of hypnosis-one mystical hypnosis, the other materialistic hypnosis; IMO they are flip sides of the same spider web.

MonAmie Zylo wrote:

I just read about the Bon of Tibet.  They are not 'Buddhist' religion, just Tibetans.

Yes, Bon was the previous so-called pagan religion of Tibet. It is famous for its history of black magic and sorcery. Milarepa (Buddhist saint) began as a black magician that destoyed many people through sorcery, then he converted to Buddhism and became a saint. Sound familiar? I don't understand why people think that Buddhism and Hinduism are more spiritual and less-materialistic than Western belief system. Tibetan Rinpoches were priest-kings in Tibet. They had all kinds of internal monastery political wars where they assasinated and imprisoned each other, which Martin Scorsese's Kundun movie shows to a certain degree. They also have a state sanctioned "oracle" who channels information for the lamas and rinpoches. They seem to have just as much spiritual materialism as any other place. I practiced Tibetan Buddhist meditation and took the teachings for years, I have to say that I think that it is just another form of mind control, especially to direct people where to go when they die and start ascending the realms, I consider it a theocratic fourth-dimensional band like they talk about on other threads on this forum. To go into the new earth, new energy, new way, I don't feel like I can use the tools of the old earth, old energy, old way.-lala

don't judge a book by its name

14 Reply by Kahnsentrayshun (edited by Kahnsentrayshun 2007-03-22 19:46:22)

  • From: Upland, California
  • Registered: 2007-01-20

Re: 'The Secret' vs. the Buddha

lala wrote:

No, I believe that this is more explaining why pyramid schemes work! The whole ruling-class, oligarchy, etc. rests on the foundation that it is spiritual to keep the poor believing that suffering is natural and that you can eventually move up the ladder through reincarnation, meanwhile the ruling class holy people figure out more and better ways to keep incarnating into their same families that have built up wealth and so forth. The Buddha was born in India (Lumbini) where institutionalized poverty (caste system) is part of Hinduism. This is just another matrix, you could say it is the Eastern stream of the matrix as opposed to the Western stream of the matrix; they both have their own forms of hypnosis-one mystical hypnosis, the other materialistic hypnosis; IMO they are flip sides of the same spider web.

I don't believe in the Caste system. I believe that we incarnate with certain karma that we have to transmute and get out of of. I also believe we can share each others karma. The fact of the matter is, we (including you,) would be a hell of a lot more ignorant without the devices around us that have let us tap into sources of information. Without our computers and the internet (which cause suffering to the 3rd world and devastate natural ecosystems,) we most likely wouldn't know about ascension (we wouldn't know about Bringers of the Dawn, Ra Material, Cassiopaean's, Karla Turner's work, etc...) or about the largest pyramid scheme in history (the illuminati, NWO, Repitilians, etc.) So, suffering of others was necessary to bring light into us. The suffering of others allowed for information to be more accessible to us. We have been given a great privilege. The third world mines materials that are necessary for computers to function. The 3rd world villages that mine these materials are breeding grounds for stds, mal-nutrition, and male dominating energies. If the third world didn't mine these, then we wouldn't have computers or the internet. We would be more ignorant. The internet has acted like the neural network of the human race. We are becoming more and more connected. This has come at a cost though.

Strengthen your microcosm. Love. Knowledge. Faith.
http://montalk.net/metaphys/42/principl … ion-part-i

15 Reply by lala (edited by lala 2007-03-23 15:39:01)

  • lala
  • lala
  • Member
  • Offline
  • From: Colorado
  • Registered: 2007-01-29

Re: 'The Secret' vs. the Buddha

Kahnsentrayshun wrote:

The fact of the matter is, we (including you,) would be a hell of a lot more ignorant without the devices around us that have let us tap into sources of information. Without our computers and the internet (which cause suffering to the 3rd world and devastate natural ecosystems,) we most likely wouldn't know about ascension (we wouldn't know about Bringers of the Dawn, Ra Material, Cassiopaean's, Karla Turner's work, etc...) or about the largest pyramid scheme in history (the illuminati, NWO, Repitilians, etc.) So, suffering of others was necessary to bring light into us. The suffering of others allowed for information to be more accessible to us. We have been given a great privilege.

Yes, I see your point and I agree with the basic premise. I would not know about any of these things were it not for the net; I also can hardly stand being on the computer anymore, I think my nervous system changes either because of the ascension or maybe just natural changes, I can't tell. I am trying to grasp the "privilege" part on an indiviudal basis, because now that I am mildly awake, it is almost impossible to keep living in the old world ways-lala

don't judge a book by its name