The "Buddha" depicted with a big round belly is not the Buddha, but rather a Chinese demi-god similar to Santa Claus. Actual portrayals of the Buddha show him of medium build or outright skinny. As for Sharon Salzberg and her morbid obesity:: a teacher should represent what she teaches.
Wikipedia: "Budai (Chinese monk)...is venerated as Maitreya Buddha in Chan Buddhism...as a representation of both contentment and abundance...he is traditionally depicted as fat, he is also referred to as the 'Fat Buddha'...[He] was inducted into the Zen tradition." indiatvnews.com "The Laughing Buddha's big belly is a mark of tolerance...a profound lesson of life." 😊
@@KamaMarga320 Her beingness is perceived as ' morbid obesity' by you...what if there are many reasons for her being the way she is. Firstly she is being herself...and then what if it is genetic, and what if is also contractual that she be born in this body so someday a person may notice just that part of her and find it 'morbid' too. There are many layers to be peeled during this judgement.
Concerning Ms. Salzberg "having a disorder" that causes her to gain weight uncontrollably: 1. Why do people who overeat automatically have a disorder? What ever happened to accountability? 2. What exactly is this disorder? 3. If it is a disorder, why doesn't Ms. Salzberg tell everyone so? 4. If it is a disorder, why doesn't she get help for it? I do for mine. 5. Why on Earth do people keep worshiping these "gurus", despite their egregious and untreated flaws? 6. As I mentioned above (4), I am receiving therapy for certain disorder(s), and with that management, I can and will teach yoga this April (2017).
Smithsonian magazine -- (May 2013, Page 44) Article: "The Body Eclectic" "The public has also embraced the microbiome...researchers at Washington University noticed a curious fact about obesity: FAT mice have MORE of a bacterial group called FIRMICUTES in their guts and, THIN mice have MORE BACTEROIDETES. Feed the mice THE SAME DIET, and the ones with more FIRMICUTES extract more calories and lay on more fat...the SAME DIFFERENCE SHOWED UP IN HUMANS."
If this woman is so into healthy ness and being calm why is she like really gross and horribly overweight? Like, shouldn't someone committed to being healthy and in touch with themselves not have three chins? Literally count them, there are three, dude
Callan Hutchison Because she has chosen to focus on meditation which if practiced regularly creates a healthy mind and produces inner peace and calmness, and to NOT have a healthy enough approach to eating and exercise which creates a healthy weight. In other words, she's made a great choice for her mind, but perhaps made a bad choice for her body. What is best for most people is to combine all the aspects of healthy living into one. So it is probably best to take what is beneficial here, which is the meditation teaching, and practice regularly, and if you choose to, you can do what you know is correct and eat and exercise in a healthy way in addition to the meditation practice.
+Callan Hutchison Sharon Salzberg is one of the greatest Western Buddhist teachers alive and the power of her practice is evident if you ever get a chance to meet her in person. She's radiant and lovely.
+Callan Hutchison I don't know this as fact, but I believe she might have a health condition that is giving her that appearance. It is my intuition- she was quite slim for most of her life then change, my sense is its a chronic condition she is dealing with. Her teachings are of course valuable-try it!
It amazes me how gullible people can be. Why would anyone listen to a teacher who clearly has not mastered her physical appetites? Ms. Salzberg is "playing shakuhachi at a fork in the road"; she is showing herself publicly for criticism. Anyone who pretends there is no problem with Ms. Salzberg's morbid obesity, or who finds my critique harsh, should ask themselves: What if she were smoking?
That was my gut reaction the first time I saw Sharon. After thinking about it for a while, I wondered if Einstein were obese would that make his knowledge any less important? Sharon isn't offering weight loss advice, just like Einstein wasn't as well, therefore I don't see a connection between either person's appearance and what they offer.
