[Buddha-l] neuroscience: neural plasticity

[Joy Vriens]

Hi Michael,

>--- Joy Vriens wrote: 
 
>[snip] 
 
>> Spiritual materialism doesn't necessarily have to be applied to 
>> others, one can apply it to oneself too. 
 
>I thought the term could be applied to anyone, but most often to 
>oneself. Wasn't that the thrust of Trungpa's book? 

Exactly my point. It was all in the [snip].

>> "A man was sitting under a tree in the perfect meditation posture. 
>> Another man wandered by and asked, "What are you doing?" The seated 
>> man replied, "I am meditating on patience." The man who happened by 
>> said, "Well! If you are really practicing patience, then you should 
>> eat shit." The seated man then retorted angrily, "You should eat 
>> shit."" (stolen from http://www.namgyal.org/articles/peace.cfm) 
 
>Sorry, I don't see the point of this. In the first place, what's the 
>use of meditating on patience? To learn patience one must practice in 
>trying circumstances. How can one learn any virtue by "meditation?" 

:-)
 
>And what does consumption of feces have to do with patience? 

It's a Tibetan expression "skyag pa za/zos". I guess Americans would have said go fuck yourself or something. But it doesn't have anything to do with autofornication either. 

>> "Being patient" (and all it implies) is a spiritual exercice, 
>> meditation on patience is a religious exercice, or spiritual 
>> materialism if you like. 
 
>Patience is indeed a virtue, but I see nothing spiritual about it. 
>Again, the word "spiritual" is just too vague to pin down. Virtues are 
>qualities exercised in relationship, no? 

Anything is too vague to pin down if you don't mind me saying something spiritual. What does one need to foster to be patient, what resources does one use? Resources are a very individual matter. It has a lot to do with motivation. And the stuff one's motivation is made up with is so individual and heterogeneous that it is hard to pin it down. There isn't much point in doing so either.
 
>I think you're saying that the religious exercise was wrong, or 
>foolish, or a waste of time, or egoistic? 

If I had to chose one of those, I'd pick egoistic, because what isn't?

Here is another story that says approximately the same thing as the one about patience IMO.

"One day an old man was circumambulating Reting Monastery. Geshe Drom said to him: "Sir, I am happy to see you circumambulating, but wouldn't 
you prefer to be practicing the dharma?" Thinking this over, the old man felt he'd better cover himself by reading some Buddhist scriptures. While he was reading in the temple courtyard, Geshe Drom said: ` I am happy to see you reading the dharma, but wouldn't you prefer to be practicing it?" At this, the old man thought that the best way to cover himself would be to meditate single pointedly. He put aside his reading and sat on a cushion, his eyes half-closed. Drom said: "Good to see you meditating, but wouldn't you rather be practicing the dharma?" 
With nothing else left to do, the old man asked: "Geshe-la, please, how should I practice the dharma?" 
"When you practice," Drom replied, "there is no distinction between the dharma and your own mind. " 

-Tsun ba je gom, Miscellaneous Advice of the Kadampa Masters, transl.  Batchelor. From Buddhism without Beliefs