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**MegaJIT** · 04-24-2011, 01:57 PM

Buddhism doesn't attach a lot of importance to such things.

You'd be surprised! It depends on the tradition or "school" of Buddhism, lumieres. In Tibetan Buddhism people like yourself are highly valued, and the most gifted are consulted even by the government and the highest lamas as "oracles". The Dalai Lama consults the Tibetan State Oracle from time to time. It was after consulting the Oracle that he fled Lhasa and escaped to India. Do not by any means, give up your gift. Rather, cultivate it. It's a precious gift. You're blessed.

No, Mystic1, I wouldn't be surprised. I was an offline practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism for a long time.

This is the Beginners forum and so it is necessary to establish the importance of developing an understanding of the core teachings of the Buddha for people who are new to Buddhism.

These practices of consulting oracles etc are cultural and have nothing to do with the Buddha's teachings or the goal of Buddhism.

The Buddha considered them to be 'lowly arts' and said:

"Whereas some priests and contemplatives, living off food given in faith, maintain themselves by wrong livelihood, by such lowly arts as:

reading marks on the limbs [e.g., palmistry];
reading omens and signs;

interpreting celestial events [falling stars, comets];
interpreting dreams;

reading marks on the body [e.g., phrenology];
reading marks on cloth gnawed by mice;

offering fire oblations, oblations from a ladle, oblations of husks, rice powder, rice grains, ghee, and oil;

offering oblations from the mouth;
offering blood-sacrifices;

making predictions based on the fingertips;
geomancy;

laying demons in a cemetery;
placing spells on spirits;

reciting house-protection charms;
snake charming, poison-lore, scorpion-lore, rat-lore, bird-lore, crow-lore;

fortune-telling based on visions;
giving protective charms;

interpreting the calls of birds and animals —

he abstains from wrong livelihood, from lowly arts such as these."

(DN 11 Kevatta (Kevaddha) Sutta: To Kevatta)

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipit...11.0.than.html

04-24-2011, 01:57 PM	#6
MegaJIT Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 591 Senior Member	Buddhism doesn't attach a lot of importance to such things. You'd be surprised! It depends on the tradition or "school" of Buddhism, lumieres. In Tibetan Buddhism people like yourself are highly valued, and the most gifted are consulted even by the government and the highest lamas as "oracles". The Dalai Lama consults the Tibetan State Oracle from time to time. It was after consulting the Oracle that he fled Lhasa and escaped to India. Do not by any means, give up your gift. Rather, cultivate it. It's a precious gift. You're blessed. No, Mystic1, I wouldn't be surprised. I was an offline practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism for a long time. This is the Beginners forum and so it is necessary to establish the importance of developing an understanding of the core teachings of the Buddha for people who are new to Buddhism. These practices of consulting oracles etc are cultural and have nothing to do with the Buddha's teachings or the goal of Buddhism. The Buddha considered them to be 'lowly arts' and said: "Whereas some priests and contemplatives, living off food given in faith, maintain themselves by wrong livelihood, by such lowly arts as: reading marks on the limbs [e.g., palmistry]; reading omens and signs; interpreting celestial events [falling stars, comets]; interpreting dreams; reading marks on the body [e.g., phrenology]; reading marks on cloth gnawed by mice; offering fire oblations, oblations from a ladle, oblations of husks, rice powder, rice grains, ghee, and oil; offering oblations from the mouth; offering blood-sacrifices; making predictions based on the fingertips; geomancy; laying demons in a cemetery; placing spells on spirits; reciting house-protection charms; snake charming, poison-lore, scorpion-lore, rat-lore, bird-lore, crow-lore; fortune-telling based on visions; giving protective charms; interpreting the calls of birds and animals — he abstains from wrong livelihood, from lowly arts such as these." (DN 11 Kevatta (Kevaddha) Sutta: To Kevatta) http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipit...11.0.than.html
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