Westerners listen to this and their immediate reaction is "what can I get, what can I do, what can I attain'". They see it as another thing in the future that will make them happy. They want a fix and they want it now. I've been practising meditation and doing retreats for the last ten years and what I've learnt is that its an endless process of letting go. Noticing and letting go over and over and over of everything. It's all desire and aversion. It has become my whole life. It took some very enlightening experiences sitting with myself on retreat to push me on to beginning the work. However, the work has become a labour of love.
How to deal with psychopaths and sociopaths? I understand that the Buddha helped several serial killers. I have been surrounded by them most of my life, and I believe the only thing I can do is try to stop them from causing suffering. My sense is that sociopaths have the ability to regain their humanness. They have to really want it though, and road will be long and difficult. I view psychopaths, as always predatory, as there seems no way to redemption and self redemption.
If people wish to understand All Buddhas of the three periods of time They should contemplate the nature of the Dharma Realm Everything is made from the mind alone
No hindu text say anything about meditation or mind, text like Ramayan, Gita, or 4veds, but rather talks about cast system, worship of higher cast etc..
30:06 Ven. Robina says " I was a catholic first and blamed all the non-catholic. Then I became a hippy and blamed all the straight people. Then I became a communist, radical left and blamed rich people. Then I became a black ...in the time of Black Panther in the 60s and 70s. Then I heard about feminism. I heard the word feminist. Then I heard a word radical and I became a radical feminist. Then I was to take philosophy seriously whatever I did, so I first chucked out men, then I chucked out God, but I preferred boys then after I became a radical lesbian feminist and then radical lesbian separatist feminist. Then I realized that I could not hate most of the human race. I had no one left to blame. Then I bumped into Buddhist. They asked me to look at my Self, which was a brand new idea... I am trying to be a radical Buddhist, which means radically working on mind, giving up blaming others, giving up anger, giving up neurosis, giving up jealousy..learning to have compassion, forgiveness. Radical is a great word..."
I love this talk, wow, very clear, so helpful. My only issue is the very end. I think for westerners her answer to the last question is not totally clear and easily misunderstood. The question of "how do you know that you made it." There are a few teachings in Buddhism like 7 points of mind training where it says if you are having less delusions and non-virtuous emotions you are progressing, but I think there is a way her answer of you need to refer back to Buddhist teaching to know and to have a strong reference point can sounds to some like some type of dogma or possible cult thinking, especially for westerners who tend to have people always using the bible as reference point for truth. Also within the 7 point of mind training there is the instruction, "of the two witnesses, trust the principle witness". That means your the closest witness to your own mind so only you can know yourself. What others think and say can be helpful but when there is a conflict between what you see and know and what others say, trust your own witness more. So in some sense one cannot know an external reference to really see if one is progressing. John Lennon once said, no guru can see the world through your eyes" and this is a lot like "trust the principle witness". Anyway the relationship of teachings and gurus as a reference point and the person practicing teachings is an interesting question. And one westerners really are trying to figure out because in some very advance type forms of Tibetan Buddhism (and also in shamanism) often one works with teachers very deeply to help one stay on track. But actually I think their role is not exactly meant to be that they are the final reference point because in Buddhism they role is to help one go beyond reference point or ego and it is a non conceptual experience not a reference to "I" experience. But in most of her presentation she is just talking Hinayana Buddhism and in the end there was a little Mahayana Buddhism. Hinayana Buddhism is most appropriate for the audience and the topic of fear anxiety and being your own therapist. Therefore it makes sense that is her main focus in this discussion. In Hinayana and all Buddhism one is using the Buddha as a refreence point and the dharma and sangha and having the 3 things as a basis and therefore one is not just creating or making up ones own path out of the blue. I see her stress that in her answers. At the same time when one studies and contemplates one only does so because one sees and understands what one is doing and finds it to be true from ones own analysis and work in doing the study and meditation, one does not adopt dogma blindly. Buddha said to test it like gold and not believe even himself without investigating from ones own side. So it is not a blind faith. But when asked how do you know if your are finally enlightened, I head that Venerable Chogyam Trungpa rinpoche once said, "the ego cannot watch its own enlightenment", so therefore I think if one does make it, one is no longer asking the question "did I make it" or "how do I know if I had made it". I think it is a very ego driven question and also a cery future self oriented question. I do think one reference point is ones own suffering and inner knowing of why one is on the spiritual path or path trying to rid one of suffering. Siddhartha in his life story once can see demonstrated that he had a clear goal and clear question of investigation before he set out working with teachers. It is also poetic that in the story the last think Mara asked the Buddha is "who is your witness" as if to bring up I and duality as a question to the Buddha, like how to do you really know you made it. Buddha did not say any answer to mara, or refer to any religion or teachings, he simply touched the earth. To me that represents he was in his present experience and Mara just dissipated. Mara is just thoughts of reference so the last thought to go was the thought of reference? maybe this is my interpretation of the earth touching mudra but it is interesting how smart the questioners of the video are at analyzing Dana's talk and asking her the hard questions.
71 years old and this is the best description of Buddhism and how to apply it to your life that I’ve ever ever heard thank you thank you so much would love to follow this woman but did not catch her name?
How can gender be a delusion? Sure mind is neither male nor female but a man can not give birth to a child and that is the difference. There is less that separates us these days but there is a difference.
I find Robina's speaking style WAY too fast for me (she sounds stressed to me1). I do appreciate the content. Her choice of words -- her clarity -- wonderful. I'm truly sorry I can't 'hang' with this because her energy is actually upsetting me! Maybe because she is a visual accessor and I'm an auditory. Someone's sense of music in the voice is really important to me. Her gentleness. Her use of silence. Ironically -- Robina speaks continually!
As a practicing Buddhist I've just come across venerable Robina and I find her quite hilarious in the most respectful way it took me awhile to warm to her as as in my view she is not like any Buddhist I've come across before. She says it herself she is rude and she also appears to be quite aggressive and hard to interact with. But after watching this video I absolutely adore her and think her teaching is incredibly knowledgeable and easy to understand and even writing this now she makes me laugh I will in the future the listening to her views a life in the Dharma and spread the word over a great person she appears to be with metta thank you Venerable Robina
