Andrew Furst's Blog, page 19
March 8, 2018
What is the Reason for Human Suffering? – Dialectic Two Step
What is the reason for human suffering?
Response:
To me, your question seems to make some very large assumptions. These include:
That there need to be reasons for things.
Further if there are reasons, that there is a “reasoner”.
One step further, your question assumes that the “reasoner” created suffering with a reason in mind.
If you would like to know the “reason” for human suffering, you would have to appeal to this reasoner. Find them, and you will know.
If you do not find them, then perhaps you might look inward to find the reasons.
It is my belief that whichever path you choose, you will arrive at the same place.
If you enjoyed this post, please like and share.
Dialectic Two-Step is an ongoing series of my thoughts on questions that come my way.
Wisdom lies neither in fixity nor in change, but in the dialectic between the two. - Octavio
Dialectic Two Step, Modern Koans, Verse Us, Say What?, and Minute Meditations all copyright Andrew Furst
Subscribe to My Newsletter
Join me for a little peace through reflection, art, video, sound, and poetry
The post What is the Reason for Human Suffering? – Dialectic Two Step written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.
March 4, 2018
On Shinran – Collections
Here is a collection of my favorite quotes from Shinran.
Shinran on Entrusting
Buddha, Writings
Shinran on the Name
Buddha, Writings
Shinran on Religious Practice
Buddha, Writings
Shinran on Primal Vow
Buddha, Writings
Can You Buddha Size That?
Buddha, Quotes
Shinran on Mind and the Primal Vow
Buddha, Writings
Shinran on True Entrusting
Buddha, Writings
Shinran on Self Power
Buddha, Writings
The post On Shinran – Collections written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.
February 28, 2018
The Best Articles of February 2018
Here’s a selected list of what people were reading here on andrewfurst.net in February 2018:
Downtown – Verse Us (Poems by Me)
If God Existed, Could He Create a More Powerful God? – Modern Koans
Singapore by Mary Oliver – Compass Songs
People are Strange – Quotes
Happy – Found Art
Tiny Drops – A Collection of My Most Popular Photographs
Poems – A Collection of My Most Popular Poems
At What Point are We No Longer Human? – Modern Koans
The North Adams Cascades – A Two Minute Meditation
Faces – Tiny Drops (Photography)
At Patreon you can make small monthly micro-contributions that help support my work. 
If Patreon doesn't work for you, then drop me a one time contribution at PayPal.me
The post The Best Articles of February 2018 written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.
February 21, 2018
The North Adams Cascades – A Two Minute Meditation
.
June’s drought tempers the cascades
into a gentile parlor
hosting picnics
for young summering couples
Its pools float sandal boats and leaves
the walls echo the musical conversations of courtship
and a father remembers
The Cascades in North Adams, MA
If you enjoyed this post, please like and share.
Minute Meditations is an ongoing series of short videos, poems, and commentary intended as a meditation. Offered as an opportunity to step back from your cyber routine and settle into a more natural rhythm, if only for a minute.
Dialectic Two Step, Modern Koans, Verse Us, Say What?, and Minute Meditations all copyright Andrew Furst
Subscribe to My NewsletterJoin me for a little peace through reflection, art, video, sound, and poetry
These videos are produced for those of us who spend an inordinately large amount of time in the cyber-world. They are not a substitute for unplugging from your devices and taking a stroll near trees, water, or a patch of unkempt grass. Getting out into the world - touching, smelling, hearing, and seeing nature is the best way to reconnect with our prime purpose.
What is our prime purpose? We are feeling and sensing machines. We are the universe looking back on itself. We are witness to the wonders and dangers of living in this corner of the cosmos. We are the seekers looking for connection a little further beyond yesterday's borders and boundaries.
But sitting and staring at the screen robs us of the sustenance that we rely upon for wonder and sanity. These videos are an opportunity to bring the sensations of nature to you, while you're in the cyber-world. Its an opportunity to relax your gaze, resettle your posture, and regain some depth in your breath. Listen and watch the video and allow your self to open up and recharge.
The post The North Adams Cascades – A Two Minute Meditation written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.
February 19, 2018
We Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks – Compass Songs
Gwendolyn Brooks
THE POOL PLAYERS.
SEVEN AT THE GOLDEN SHOVEL.
We real cool. We
Left school. We
Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We
Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We
Jazz June. We
Die soon.
If you enjoyed this post, please like and share.
Compass Songs is an ongoing series of works by poets that I enjoy. Poetry, as the Zen Masters have said, is like a finger pointing to the moon. It speaks the
Subscribe to My NewsletterJoin me for a little peace through reflection, art, video, sound, and poetry
The post We Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks – Compass Songs written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.
February 15, 2018
Change Happens? – Say What?
[image error]
If you enjoyed this post, please like and share.
Say What? is an ongoing series of laconic exchanges on Buddhism in the format of a comic strip.
Dialectic Two Step, Modern Koans, Verse Us, Say What?, and Minute Meditations all copyright Andrew Furst
Subscribe to My NewsletterJoin me for a little peace through reflection, art, video, sound, and poetry
The post Change Happens? – Say What? written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.
February 9, 2018
Buddhism and the Law of Attraction – Dialectic Two Step
How do I apply the Law of Attraction while practicing Buddhism when they are both the opposite of each other?
Buddhism is about seeing the impermanence and suffering of everything. The Law of Attraction suggests we focus on the good.
Response:
I wouldn’t call the “Law of Attraction” the opposite of Buddhism. They don’t really overlap cleanly. Buddhism is about decreasing suffering by addressing the poisons of greed, hatred, and delusion. The Law of Attraction is about your dreams coming true. These are two very different pursuits.
If the Law of Attraction suggests that you focus on the good or brighter side only, then it is promoting a kind of intentional blindness. A blindness that might prevent you from responding to the dark side if you needed to.
For example, if you were to start having symptoms of depression, would it be wise to ignore those symptoms and focus on the positive? No, certainly not.
I imagine the tenets of the Laws of Attraction are a little more sophisticated than this characterization, but the simple view does allow for a clean criticism of a potential flaw.
If you enjoyed this post, please like and share.
Dialectic Two-Step is an ongoing series of my thoughts on questions that come my way.
Wisdom lies neither in fixity nor in change, but in the dialectic between the two. - Octavio
Dialectic Two Step, Modern Koans, Verse Us, Say What?, and Minute Meditations all copyright Andrew Furst
Subscribe to My NewsletterJoin me for a little peace through reflection, art, video, sound, and poetry
The post Buddhism and the Law of Attraction – Dialectic Two Step written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.
February 6, 2018
Tiny Drops – A Collection of My Most Popular Photographs
Here is a collection of my my most popular photographs.
Looking Skyward – Tiny Drops (Photography)
Art, iPhoneography, Tiny Drops (Photography)
Composition in Grass & Sky – Tiny Drops
Art, iPhoneography, Tiny Drops (Photography)
[image error]
Antsy – Tiny Drops (Ants Learning Chopsticks?)
Art, Buddha, iPhoneography, Tiny Drops (Photography)
Stages – Tiny Drops (Photography)
Art, iPhoneography, Tiny Drops (Photography)
Body Speech and Mind – Tiny Drops
Art, iPhoneography, Tiny Drops (Photography)
Old Timey – Tiny Drops
Art, Buddha, iPhoneography, Tiny Drops (Photography)
Nature- Tiny Drops (Photography)
Art, iPhoneography, Tiny Drops (Photography)
Natural Perspective – Tiny Drops (Photography)
Art, iPhoneography, Tiny Drops (Photography)
The post Tiny Drops – A Collection of My Most Popular Photographs written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.
February 3, 2018
Is Religion Necessary for Modern Society? – Modern Koans
Is religion necessary for modern society?
Response:
The persistence of an idea or an ideology can be found in the advantage it offers its followers. So when we talk about necessity, I think we should be focused at a higher level than religion.
I would suggest what is necessary, is that we have a world view. Some of us hold a world view that is religious. Others – e.g. atheists – have a worldview that is not.
There are more religious people than there are non-religious people. So, I suspect that there may be more advantages to being religious than non-religious, but they’re only marginal differences, otherwise you’d see an extinction of non-religious people. It’s likely that there will always be an weighted equilibrium.
I also suspect that the advantages that religion offers can be replicated in a non-theistic ideology. Buddhism is a good example. So I also feel that belief in God is optional in the marketplace of ideologies.
I guess my answer is – a world view is necessary in modern society, whether or not its religious is up to you.
If you enjoyed this post, please like and share.
I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Modern Koans is an ongoing series that recognizes that good questions are often more important than their answers.
The riddles of God are more satisfying than the solutions of man. ― G.K. Chesterton
Dialectic Two Step, Modern Koans, Verse Us, Say What?, and Minute Meditations all copyright Andrew Furst
Subscribe to My NewsletterJoin me for a little peace through reflection, art, video, sound, and poetry
The post Is Religion Necessary for Modern Society? – Modern Koans written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.
February 1, 2018
The Best Articles of January 2018
Here’s a selected list of what people were reading here on andrewfurst.net in January 2018 :
People are Strange – Quotes
Faces – Tiny Drops (Photography)
At What Point are We No Longer Human? – Modern Koans
Briggs Brook Falls – A Minute Meditation
Carl Sagan on Delusions – Quotes
Make A Career of Humanity – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
To Autumn by John Keats – Compass Songs
The Flower by Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin – Compass Songs
Immersed – Verse Us (Poems by Me)
Found – Verse Us (Poems by Me)
At Patreon you can make small monthly micro-contributions that help support my work. If Patreon doesn't work for you, then drop me a one time contribution at PayPal.me
The post The Best Articles of January 2018 written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.
