to share or not to share?
 

if someone has an experience in life, glimpsing something rarely seen by others. for eg;( someone who is surrounded by beautiful flowers their whole life, but never sees them. then one day just for an instant they see the flower, they really witness the flower, the purity of the flower, the silence of the flower, the strength of the flower, the enlightenment of the flower.) and this glimpse of the flower changes the way this person sees the world, and it helps this person to glimpse the universe in the same way.

this person naturally wishes to share this glimpse, so they paint a picture of the flower, the best way they can. but this person is not an artist and the beauty of their painting is not shared by the masses; in fact this artists painting causes great suffering to most who look at it. but every now and again this person sees that their painting has reached that rare individual, and their painting brings joy to this rare individual. should the painter continue to share their art knowing that it is only appreciated by a small audience, or should this painter keep their painting hidden? http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...s/dontknow.gif

jason

Hi Jason
All should be shared in respect to its quality and quantity in my opinion. Like fruit on a tree, a passer by can choose to take or leave as she or he feels is right for them at that moment. The Buddha says the Dhamma should be shared :)

I think one needs to be mindful of how receptive the audience will be to what you want to share, there are different modes of communicating that different audiences would be receptive to, and if what one has is real and goes deep it generally shares itself anyway without effort on your part.

I haven't noticed good Buddhist teachers needing to share/force in this way, rather they promote an open and safe environment that enables their students to come to realisation in their own way at their own pace.

sounds like this person is very alone & under a strong weight of burden/pressure because others have seen these rare things but the painter does not know that. it can be difficult to teach such a person because they believe they are more special than others. even if Buddha came to them, they would not listen

so they paint a picture of the flower, the best way they can. but this person is not an artist yes, this is a very clear metaphor. this person is not an artist, just as this person is not enlightened. they are not grounded. they are like a lost sheep that believes they are a shephard, ready to lead a flock. athough there may be a glimpse of a liberated state, the inability to reconcile & accommodate the experience within the greater reality is a salient characteristic of an immature state.

for such lost sheep, the Zen masters teach: "If you meet the Buddha on the road [i.e., believe 'you' are Buddha], then kill him".

in fact this artists painting causes great suffering to most who look at it. my impression is the painting is causing great suffering to the artist. the artist feels they have secret knowledge, that their accomplishment is rare, that they have an important message for mankind & are an important messenger. they feel they have any "inner need" to share this experience. this "need" is simply lust & confusion. they only see the beauty of their own reflection in a mirror but do not see the other to wish they wish to share their own beauty. this need is 'idiot compassion'. having a surge of compassion, like a mother has a surge to feed children from her breast. often only hearing the cry of any baby will cause the breasts of the mother to spurt spontaneously. they do not see the other; only themselves

but every now and again this person sees that their painting has reached that rare individual, and their painting brings joy to this rare individual. such a painting can only bring joy to fools. the wise have gone beyond such intoxication.

should this painter keep their ainting hidden? http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...s/dontknow.gif the painter should go to art school; to learning the art of how to truely paint. the painter needs to realise there are painters far more experienced than them, especially the painter par excellence, namely, the Buddha

however, the painter has not realised what Dhamma Painting is, namely, all experiences are mere ordinariness; mere suchness. the painter has not yet learned to paint with dispassion. the painter claims to have painted a "blackhole of nothing" but also believes their painting to be something of rare beauty.

the painter needs to recognise they are with friends, who have far more experience in painting than them, who offer them painting lessons, as follows:

I could not be more agree then i am with the answer you gave Element. Wise words

The thinker

I could not be more agree then i am with the answer you gave Goofaholix. Wise words

The element

I could not be more agree with the both of you... group hug?

:hug::hug::hug::hug:

here you get the hug from me :hug:

I could not be more agree then i am with the answer you gave Element.

If myself felt exactly like this once but eventually saw through it. I realised I could not really guide anyone to what I found for myself. I realised each person must follow their own path & we can only assist others in small ways rather than in any significant way.

When I got over my delusion of being the next world saviour, I returned to my meditation with far greater dedication. In hindsight, this compelling need to share with others was seen as merely a hindrance.

Kind regards,

Element (talking into a mirror)

:hug:

for someone who got over their need to share their insight you certainly have a lot to say. and you don't say it in a particularily pleasant way. you are a bully.

maybe the three of you should get a room and have your group hug (if thats what you want to call it) http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/shock.gif

jason

hey goof,

could you give an example of a different mode of communication? i think force is a strong word, no one mentioned force. is the treatment i'm recieving here in the above postings what you would define as an open and safe enviroment?

puzzled,
jason

On an internet forum modes of communication are limited, in real life one's manner one's attitude and response to different situations can communicate a lot, in my experience being with a teacher you pick up just as much from these things as what he says.

Yes force is a strong word, but if you apply principles of child raising and gardening for example trying to make things happen that aren't ready to happen meets resistance and could be damaging.

I trust my daughter learns just by being with daddy and playing with him, if I can't communicate Dhamma like that in a natural way I trust in the process that she'll learn what's important in life as she develops.

hey goof,
are you saying that this chatroom is you the "daddy" and the members are your "daughter" and were just playing and learning in a natural environment?
if so,i'm cool with that. i'm also trying to establish a set of boundaries in your playground. i was kicked out of another playground for sharing my snacks with the other kids, and i'm trying to avoid this from happening again, even though some of the kids are throwing sand in my face. could you explain the rules? do the older kids get special treatment?
confused,
jason

Hardly, I was giving a real life example as real life is much more important than this microsm called the internet, don't you think. I've barely been on the board longer than you and there isn't any need to read into the example more than is there.

That's why I'm trying to give you real life examples I think we should be behaving the same as we do with the people we live and work with and see every day.

If you think about the problem that got you kicked out (I don't know whether you deserved it or not and even if you did I don't think anyone here would make an issue out of it) I think it would be worth reflecting if that situation has also arisen with the people you live and work with and see every day. If not why not, if so why.

On a discussion board not everone is going to agree with everyone all the time, it's normal, and if this wasn't the case we would have less opportunity to learn from each other. It's not personal and it only becomes problematic when we take it as such.

Hi Jason

A post has been removed.

1.Our Code of Conduct is very clear about not making complaints publicly on the forums at BWB and outlines a complaints procedure.

2.You have also been asked in private communication with Woodscooter not to use the forums here to publicly discuss being 'kicked out of another playground ' at another website, or to try to involve the management here, because it is definately not our business and this is a different internet website altogether.

I'm sharing again what you have already been advised but if there is something about these 2 points that you're still not understanding, please feel free to continue your communication with Woodscooter by e-mail or PM.


Kind regards

Aloka