Stuffs RedTurtle
What do you think the most important teaching of the Buddha is?
For me, it's the Truth of Suffering
Even in light of all other scriptures, still the most important.
Like · · February 18 at 3:30am
Michael Zaurov, Dannon Flynn and Chad Gullett like this.
Chad Gullett I don't know enough to make much of a comment, but that teaching opened a new way of life.
February 18 at 3:56am · Like · 1
Stuffs RedTurtle This is one of the reasons I love buddhism so much
Although I wasn't raised religious, I know suffering because I've experienced a lot of it.
Even with the anatta, to me, every living thing has the same essence of life, even if we don't have individual souls. Everything living suffers and everything wants happiness
Really understanding what Buddha is saying, in my opinion, is understanding in experience the four noble truths
If we understand that there is no reason to self aggrandize or be arrogant. You can tell the practitioners who know sufferring and those who don't a mile apart by thier attitude towards others
February 18 at 4:01am · Edited · Like · 2
Stuffs RedTurtle Think it's important to revisit the dire meaning behind these even for more realised people
February 18 at 4:04am · Like
Chad Gullett I found the four noble truths while in a used book store, searching for something to keep my mind occupied. As a recovering addict atheist I was working the steps, but realizing there was something more, but what? The steps had given me freedom from the suffering of drug use, but yet I still suffered. How could I go on in my recovery if I continued to suffer so badly on a daily basis. Once I began the reading, I began to understand, and I have not looked back since.
February 18 at 4:12am · Unlike · 4
Stuffs RedTurtle Awesome me too! Before I really took it seriously I picked up a Theravada book and used the methods to kick my addiction.
I should of stayed with it lol
But the fact that it worked blew me away!! So much amazing stuff has happened since. Really awesome
February 18 at 4:14am · Unlike · 2
Chad Gullett Same here, so many amazing things!
February 18 at 4:38am · Like
Soh Speaking of addictions I just read this article recently:
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/.../quitting.../997318.html
Quitting smoking makes you happier
POSTED: 14 Feb 2014 08:08
PARIS: Moderate or heavy smokers who quit tobacco get a boost in mental wellbeing that, for people who are anxious or stressed, is equivalent to taking anti-depressants, a study said on Thursday.
British researchers examined 26 published investigations into the mental health of smokers.
They looked at standardised scorecards for symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress and quality of life, derived from questionnaires completed by volunteers.
The smokers were 44 years old on average and smoked between 10 and 40 cigarettes a day. They were questioned before they tried to give up smoking and again after their attempt -- an average of six months later.
Those who succeeded in quitting reported reduced depression, anxiety and stress and had a more positive outlook on life compared with those who continued smoking.
"The effect sizes are equal or larger than those of anti-depressant treatment for mood and anxiety disorders," said the study, published by the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
Quitters who had been diagnosed with psychiatric disorders enjoyed a similar improvement.
Lead investigator Gemma Taylor of the University of Birmingham's School of Health and Population Sciences said she hoped the findings would dispel a widespread misconception about smoking.
"It's a common myth that smoking actually is good for your mental health -- 'smoking relieves stress,' 'smoking helps you relax,' 'smoking helps you enjoy things' -- and that common myth is really hard to overcome," Taylor told AFP in a phone interview.
But actually, the study showed that "when you stop smoking and you break the nicotine withdrawal cycle, your mental health improves."
Taylor pointed to a mainstream theory in tobacco addiction research: that a smoker's psychological state fluctuates throughout the day as a result of exposure to nicotine.
The sense of calm or wellbeing from a cigarette is followed immediately afterwards by classic withdrawal signs of a depressed mood, anxiety or agitation.
Smokers, though, tend to misattribute these symptoms and blame them on stress or other factors.
And because nicotine has a calming effect, they perceive that cigarettes improve their mental health.
Smoking is already blamed for a wide range of physical diseases and disorders, ranging from cancer, blindness and cardiac problems to diabetes, gum disease and impotence.
The UN's World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated last July that tobacco kills almost six million people each year, a toll that will rise to eight million annually in 2030.
About four out of every five deaths will occur in low- and middle-income nations, it said.
Despite a decline in smoking prevalence in some nations, in overall terms the number of people smoking today is greater than in 1980, due to population growth, according to a paper published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
- AFP/rw
Quitting smoking makes you happier - Channel NewsAsia
www.channelnewsasia.com
Moderate or heavy smokers who quit tobacco get a boost in mental wellbeing that,...See More
February 18 at 4:40am · Like · 3 · Remove Preview
Stuffs RedTurtle Wow!! Thanks Soh!!! That's good inspiration!!! I've been hanging on to it for exactly the reasons that are myth!! Wow ! Cool
February 18 at 4:42am · Unlike · 1
Dannon Flynn I recently quit smoking and I feel great! We are conditioned to think that it is hard to quit and that the withdrawal symptoms are uncomfortable. But in fact, we can also condition ourselves to enjoy the withdrawal symptoms. Whenever the desire to smoke would geet strong, or stress, anxiety, irritability, restlessness would get too strong, I would do some very deep strong breathing and really enjoy the feeling of breathing deeply, it would actually make me high. My life has improved so much from not smoking.
February 18 at 5:45am · Unlike · 4
Stuffs RedTurtle Cool!!!
February 18 at 5:47am · Like · 1
Stuffs RedTurtle They say the relaxing high you get from smoking is actually the breathing! The cigs are a stimulant. Makes total sense!!
February 18 at 5:51am · Like · 1
Dannon Flynn I find that the 'relaxation' is actually getting your vital energy robbed from you. the relaxation is actually a 'depression'. The feeling of anxious restlessness when not having a cigarette is actually the nervous system not being comfortable with normal level of energy that non smokers are comfortable with. This lower level of vitality energy leads depression and premature health problems.
February 18 at 5:56am · Like · 2
Dannon Flynn The Buddha's teaching to not clinging to pleasure and not avoid pain is what helped me to quit. I think that is one of my favorite teachings.
February 18 at 5:57am · Like · 2
Goose Saver Suffering, not clinging, etc. doesn't give me goosebumps. The best Dharma practice, the most perfect, most substantial, is without doubt the practice of bodhicitta!
February 18 at 8:40am · Like · 3
Viorica Doina Neacsu @OP - For me the most important teaching of the Buddha is emptiness teaching.
February 18 at 4:40pm · Like · 3
Dannon Flynn I agree with all of you! Haha... The whole enchilada.
February 18 at 5:59pm · Like · 3
What do you think the most important teaching of the Buddha is?
For me, it's the Truth of Suffering
Even in light of all other scriptures, still the most important.
Like · · February 18 at 3:30am
Michael Zaurov, Dannon Flynn and Chad Gullett like this.
Chad Gullett I don't know enough to make much of a comment, but that teaching opened a new way of life.
February 18 at 3:56am · Like · 1
Stuffs RedTurtle This is one of the reasons I love buddhism so much
Although I wasn't raised religious, I know suffering because I've experienced a lot of it.
Even with the anatta, to me, every living thing has the same essence of life, even if we don't have individual souls. Everything living suffers and everything wants happiness
Really understanding what Buddha is saying, in my opinion, is understanding in experience the four noble truths
If we understand that there is no reason to self aggrandize or be arrogant. You can tell the practitioners who know sufferring and those who don't a mile apart by thier attitude towards others
February 18 at 4:01am · Edited · Like · 2
Stuffs RedTurtle Think it's important to revisit the dire meaning behind these even for more realised people
February 18 at 4:04am · Like
Chad Gullett I found the four noble truths while in a used book store, searching for something to keep my mind occupied. As a recovering addict atheist I was working the steps, but realizing there was something more, but what? The steps had given me freedom from the suffering of drug use, but yet I still suffered. How could I go on in my recovery if I continued to suffer so badly on a daily basis. Once I began the reading, I began to understand, and I have not looked back since.
February 18 at 4:12am · Unlike · 4
Stuffs RedTurtle Awesome me too! Before I really took it seriously I picked up a Theravada book and used the methods to kick my addiction.
I should of stayed with it lol
But the fact that it worked blew me away!! So much amazing stuff has happened since. Really awesome
February 18 at 4:14am · Unlike · 2
Chad Gullett Same here, so many amazing things!
February 18 at 4:38am · Like
Soh Speaking of addictions I just read this article recently:
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/.../quitting.../997318.html
Quitting smoking makes you happier
POSTED: 14 Feb 2014 08:08
PARIS: Moderate or heavy smokers who quit tobacco get a boost in mental wellbeing that, for people who are anxious or stressed, is equivalent to taking anti-depressants, a study said on Thursday.
British researchers examined 26 published investigations into the mental health of smokers.
They looked at standardised scorecards for symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress and quality of life, derived from questionnaires completed by volunteers.
The smokers were 44 years old on average and smoked between 10 and 40 cigarettes a day. They were questioned before they tried to give up smoking and again after their attempt -- an average of six months later.
Those who succeeded in quitting reported reduced depression, anxiety and stress and had a more positive outlook on life compared with those who continued smoking.
"The effect sizes are equal or larger than those of anti-depressant treatment for mood and anxiety disorders," said the study, published by the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
Quitters who had been diagnosed with psychiatric disorders enjoyed a similar improvement.
Lead investigator Gemma Taylor of the University of Birmingham's School of Health and Population Sciences said she hoped the findings would dispel a widespread misconception about smoking.
"It's a common myth that smoking actually is good for your mental health -- 'smoking relieves stress,' 'smoking helps you relax,' 'smoking helps you enjoy things' -- and that common myth is really hard to overcome," Taylor told AFP in a phone interview.
But actually, the study showed that "when you stop smoking and you break the nicotine withdrawal cycle, your mental health improves."
Taylor pointed to a mainstream theory in tobacco addiction research: that a smoker's psychological state fluctuates throughout the day as a result of exposure to nicotine.
The sense of calm or wellbeing from a cigarette is followed immediately afterwards by classic withdrawal signs of a depressed mood, anxiety or agitation.
Smokers, though, tend to misattribute these symptoms and blame them on stress or other factors.
And because nicotine has a calming effect, they perceive that cigarettes improve their mental health.
Smoking is already blamed for a wide range of physical diseases and disorders, ranging from cancer, blindness and cardiac problems to diabetes, gum disease and impotence.
The UN's World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated last July that tobacco kills almost six million people each year, a toll that will rise to eight million annually in 2030.
About four out of every five deaths will occur in low- and middle-income nations, it said.
Despite a decline in smoking prevalence in some nations, in overall terms the number of people smoking today is greater than in 1980, due to population growth, according to a paper published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
- AFP/rw
Quitting smoking makes you happier - Channel NewsAsia
www.channelnewsasia.com
Moderate or heavy smokers who quit tobacco get a boost in mental wellbeing that,...See More
February 18 at 4:40am · Like · 3 · Remove Preview
Stuffs RedTurtle Wow!! Thanks Soh!!! That's good inspiration!!! I've been hanging on to it for exactly the reasons that are myth!! Wow ! Cool
February 18 at 4:42am · Unlike · 1
Dannon Flynn I recently quit smoking and I feel great! We are conditioned to think that it is hard to quit and that the withdrawal symptoms are uncomfortable. But in fact, we can also condition ourselves to enjoy the withdrawal symptoms. Whenever the desire to smoke would geet strong, or stress, anxiety, irritability, restlessness would get too strong, I would do some very deep strong breathing and really enjoy the feeling of breathing deeply, it would actually make me high. My life has improved so much from not smoking.
February 18 at 5:45am · Unlike · 4
Stuffs RedTurtle Cool!!!
February 18 at 5:47am · Like · 1
Stuffs RedTurtle They say the relaxing high you get from smoking is actually the breathing! The cigs are a stimulant. Makes total sense!!
February 18 at 5:51am · Like · 1
Dannon Flynn I find that the 'relaxation' is actually getting your vital energy robbed from you. the relaxation is actually a 'depression'. The feeling of anxious restlessness when not having a cigarette is actually the nervous system not being comfortable with normal level of energy that non smokers are comfortable with. This lower level of vitality energy leads depression and premature health problems.
February 18 at 5:56am · Like · 2
Dannon Flynn The Buddha's teaching to not clinging to pleasure and not avoid pain is what helped me to quit. I think that is one of my favorite teachings.
February 18 at 5:57am · Like · 2
Goose Saver Suffering, not clinging, etc. doesn't give me goosebumps. The best Dharma practice, the most perfect, most substantial, is without doubt the practice of bodhicitta!
February 18 at 8:40am · Like · 3
Viorica Doina Neacsu @OP - For me the most important teaching of the Buddha is emptiness teaching.
February 18 at 4:40pm · Like · 3
Dannon Flynn I agree with all of you! Haha... The whole enchilada.
February 18 at 5:59pm · Like · 3
Have you wondered what is the source of suffering? The self-grasping mind. I learned from Henry Vyner that the healthy and happy human mind is an egoless mind. I now understand why doing things to make myself happy or satisfy my desires actually does not bring true happiness. On the contrary, it is a source of suffering because it is reinforcing the ego-centric mind.
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