Purpose of the precept against entertainment. ____________________________________ Our new Sutta translation website: suttas.hillsidehermitage.org/ If you wish to support the Hillside Hermitage Sangha and this channel you are very welcome to do so via: www.hillsidehermitage.org/support-us/
Thank you for having the wisdom and skill to tell people what they often don't want to hear. I would have saved myself a lot of pain if I had just trusted my instinct that these things have to go from the beginning.
great one for modern times thanks, I needed to hear it. Also great job on increasing the audio quality/clarity recently. These videos are becoming very shareable.
I think most people are using entertainment to distract themselves from the thought that they are not doing what they should. Everyone nowadays thinks they should be doing something useful with their time, and by useful they mean learning new skills or work or workout or even socialize. Just sitting there and doing nothing mostly brings those thoughts at least to me and I suspect many people are like that.
Seeing people around me swiping TikTok everyday for hours on end is really something. It's a culmination of internal yearning for distractions, external manipulating tactics, and capitalist productivity conditioning from childhood.
It really is so pronounced now, with TikTok, TH-cam, gaming, drugs/alcohol, adult media, so on, almost everything we do with our free time is trying to escape, and compulsive/habitual.
@@genehendrix1847Intention matters. If it is directed action, for example, intentionally looking up a particular subject for the purpose of seeking and acquiring some required information, and then exiting the app, then it is fine.
Doing nothing is the hardest thing to accomplish. It tests all ones impolses, how long can you do nothing for -patience. When are you going to need something -abundance. How comfortable are you with your weight and environment -balance. Will you continue to cycle a loving positive flow -compassion. Will you be able to silence the mind -communication. Can you accept a new state of mind -knowledge. Experience enlightened senses -Freedom.
Hi everyone, i was wondering if someone would be able to help me. I was recently talking to my brother who is curious about why im leaning towards Buddhism. He asked why i no longer watch movies, i said because its a distraction and an escape from reality. And he said "when i watch a movie with my wife and kids, im doing it because its a fun thing to do with the family, I'm not escaping anything by enjoying time with my family whilst we watch a movie together, so what is it you think im escaping from by doing that?" And i didn't really have a response. I wasn't sure what to say. He understands that that feeling wont last, that "fun" family time is only temporary and that doesnt bother him and he doesnt view the movie as an necessity, so whats wrong with enjoying it even for only a moment? Could anybody help me on this? Id really appreciate it, thank you
Dear Bhante, in many videos you talk about the importance of watching intentions properly and not being affected or even moved by them on a mental level. Instead of practicing mindfulness of breathing with being mindful to the sensation of the breath, my daily meditation in correspondence with this now contains of just sitting down and being aware of my intentions, which means trying to not react to all kinds of different thoughts or emotions. While the foundation of this practice in my understanding is a good awareness of the body and the awareness of bodily tensions, my focus is on mental reactivity. I can afford to sit in this mode for about an hour once or twice a day (due to everyday obligations in my household life) and also practice in this manner during mundane activities. Can you say a bit more about the mental quality of the attitude and the progress of this practice? Should it merge into a mode of equanimity (upekkha) and/or is the main task to understand ones (in)tentions better, culminating in right view? Thank you!
Without resistance there can’t be suffering since suffering is just that and if your minds empty there can’t be resistance. Suffering solved at least for me 😂🤚
@@HillsideHermitage How do I do that? I have been through all Majjhima lectures by Bhikkhu Bodhi, but his outlook is not always in line with yours. Also, I've read the Saṃyutta. Thank you, bhante.
Is one not allowed to enjoy oneself? I understand using entertainment, activities, or substances to escape feelings but this isn’t always the case. I am not always escaping something. Surely I am not understanding this talk.
I would say an activity is only a distraction, and thereby unskillful and to be avoided, if it leads to loss of awareness. But if one is performing an action such as dancing or singing with full awareness there is absolutely no problem.
I don’t know telling people to completely eradicate entertainment seems way too extreme. It will lead to most people to give up. I think if you indulgent entertainment mindfully it can be OK.
People are free to choose their degree of commitment, Buddha never expected everyone to be a monk, he knew everyone was at different stages, that's why there are just 5 precepts followers, 8 precepts, 10 precepts and monks, you can benefit here and now and in the future from virtue, generosity and concentration being a layperson, and if you personally decide to go all the way there's more if and when you're ready.
The Buddha was actually hesitant to teach early on, thinking that it would be too unpleasant for normal humans to accept. Until Brahma convinced the Buddha by pointing out that there are still people with "little dust in their eyes". The teaching is by nature not palatable for everyone, but it is for those who are already ripe for it.
Purpose of the precept against entertainment.
____________________________________
Our new Sutta translation website:
suttas.hillsidehermitage.org/
If you wish to support the Hillside Hermitage Sangha and this channel you are very welcome to do so via:
www.hillsidehermitage.org/support-us/
Thank you for having the wisdom and skill to tell people what they often don't want to hear. I would have saved myself a lot of pain if I had just trusted my instinct that these things have to go from the beginning.
great one for modern times thanks, I needed to hear it.
Also great job on increasing the audio quality/clarity recently. These videos are becoming very shareable.
Wow I needed this
I think most people are using entertainment to distract themselves from the thought that they are not doing what they should. Everyone nowadays thinks they should be doing something useful with their time, and by useful they mean learning new skills or work or workout or even socialize.
Just sitting there and doing nothing mostly brings those thoughts at least to me and I suspect many people are like that.
Seeing people around me swiping TikTok everyday for hours on end is really something. It's a culmination of internal yearning for distractions, external manipulating tactics, and capitalist productivity conditioning from childhood.
It really is so pronounced now, with TikTok, TH-cam, gaming, drugs/alcohol, adult media, so on, almost everything we do with our free time is trying to escape, and compulsive/habitual.
What about people watching TH-cam? 😁
Deleting my social media apps (including TH-cam) was the best thing I’ve ever done, for my practice and for my life.
@@genehendrix1847Intention matters. If it is directed action, for example, intentionally looking up a particular subject for the purpose of seeking and acquiring some required information, and then exiting the app, then it is fine.
It’s also evolutionary. We just didn’t evolve to contend with all of these super stimuli. Sexual, social, even food. I almost can’t even blame people.
🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
🙏
Doing nothing is the hardest thing to accomplish. It tests all ones impolses, how long can you do nothing for -patience. When are you going to need something -abundance. How comfortable are you with your weight and environment -balance. Will you continue to cycle a loving positive flow -compassion. Will you be able to silence the mind -communication. Can you accept a new state of mind -knowledge. Experience enlightened senses -Freedom.
Hi everyone, i was wondering if someone would be able to help me.
I was recently talking to my brother who is curious about why im leaning towards Buddhism. He asked why i no longer watch movies, i said because its a distraction and an escape from reality. And he said "when i watch a movie with my wife and kids, im doing it because its a fun thing to do with the family, I'm not escaping anything by enjoying time with my family whilst we watch a movie together, so what is it you think im escaping from by doing that?" And i didn't really have a response. I wasn't sure what to say. He understands that that feeling wont last, that "fun" family time is only temporary and that doesnt bother him and he doesnt view the movie as an necessity, so whats wrong with enjoying it even for only a moment?
Could anybody help me on this? Id really appreciate it, thank you
Dear Bhante,
in many videos you talk about the importance of watching intentions properly and not being affected or even moved by them on a mental level. Instead of practicing mindfulness of breathing with being mindful to the sensation of the breath, my daily meditation in correspondence with this now contains of just sitting down and being aware of my intentions, which means trying to not react to all kinds of different thoughts or emotions. While the foundation of this practice in my understanding is a good awareness of the body and the awareness of bodily tensions, my focus is on mental reactivity. I can afford to sit in this mode for about an hour once or twice a day (due to everyday obligations in my household life) and also practice in this manner during mundane activities. Can you say a bit more about the mental quality of the attitude and the progress of this practice? Should it merge into a mode of equanimity (upekkha) and/or is the main task to understand ones (in)tentions better, culminating in right view?
Thank you!
Without resistance there can’t be suffering since suffering is just that and if your minds empty there can’t be resistance. Suffering solved at least for me 😂🤚
What do you recommend a person do who has 7 hours a day alone in a room with nothing that needs to be done? Assume he is a puthujjana.
Study the Suttas and try to learn as close as possible as to what the Buddha actually taught.
@@HillsideHermitage How do I do that? I have been through all Majjhima lectures by Bhikkhu Bodhi, but his outlook is not always in line with yours. Also, I've read the Saṃyutta. Thank you, bhante.
Is one not allowed to enjoy oneself? I understand using entertainment, activities, or substances to escape feelings but this isn’t always the case. I am not always escaping something. Surely I am not understanding this talk.
"...to escape feelings but this isn't always the case."
When you're right, you're right. Are you right?
I would say an activity is only a distraction, and thereby unskillful and to be avoided, if it leads to loss of awareness.
But if one is performing an action such as dancing or singing with full awareness there is absolutely no problem.
Not according to Buddha
Yet noble ones and buddhas avoid those
You can't mindfully do unwholesome things like singing or dancing. Giving into the urge for entertainment is already a loss of awareness.
I don’t know telling people to completely eradicate entertainment seems way too extreme. It will lead to most people to give up. I think if you indulgent entertainment mindfully it can be OK.
That's what it takes. He doesn't make the rules.
Not all have the necessary Kamma to embrace the Dhamma in this life
Ask yourself why. This is about analyzing intention. Why do you want to mindfully indulge in television?
People are free to choose their degree of commitment, Buddha never expected everyone to be a monk, he knew everyone was at different stages, that's why there are just 5 precepts followers, 8 precepts, 10 precepts and monks, you can benefit here and now and in the future from virtue, generosity and concentration being a layperson, and if you personally decide to go all the way there's more if and when you're ready.
The Buddha was actually hesitant to teach early on, thinking that it would be too unpleasant for normal humans to accept.
Until Brahma convinced the Buddha by pointing out that there are still people with "little dust in their eyes".
The teaching is by nature not palatable for everyone, but it is for those who are already ripe for it.
This guy seems like never had a fun time in his life lol 😅