The discourses that are literary works, the work of outsiders,

MIchael, I\m so sorry, but the electronic wat you described is a forum I would never ever visit again as a user :grinning:

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I like the idea of more moderation to make the place friendlier but warnings, suspensions and bans are a better approach than editing, hiding and deleting posts. I think thereā€™s a fear among some to bring down the hammer, even when itā€™s clear needed.

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Okay folks, Iā€™m done. Sorry Mkoll, this comment is not directed against you or anyone specifically, you just happened to be the last one.

About a week or two ago there was a pretty big scandal in the small Russian Theravada community. I donā€™t want to go into detail here, suffice it to say, it was about moderation issues on one of the Russian Theravada forums. In the last couple of weeks I read so many comments on D&D that look as if they came directly from Orwellā€™s books, mod team on that forum that is probaby even more Orwellian than Orwell, or Soviet newspapers (for those of you who donā€™t know it, the Soviet Union was ā€˜the most peaceful country on the planetā€™ and ā€˜did everything to guarantee peace and prosperity for the entire worldā€™). My impression is that this community will drift into the territories I am personally very uncomfortable with, so yeah, I think I will stop commenting here. I will check the forums for fresh exciting essays, and I think I am going to finally have more time to finally look into this Tocharian stuff, but otherwise I am done, I am just far too tired and want to remember these forums as a nice place to visit. There are no bad feelings, no anger or hatred in me towards anyone here (at least not that I notice them), so please donā€™t take that way. If this comment is way offtopic, you can move it into a separate thread :slight_smile:

May you all attain Nibbana! :pray:

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The only way to see true teaching is to see it with the eyes of the Buddha. The buddha was illiterate, was not a translator technician of Pāli according to the medieval Sinhala grammars and translated to English following the Oxford English Dictionary.
What differentiates the Buddha from a famous translator is practice.

But, of course, what good is an illiterate Buddha for us if we have better interpretations ā€¦?

Iā€™ll miss you @Vstakan.

Take care. Do well. Find Peace.
:anjal:

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Ilya, ŠœŠ¾Š¹ Š”Ń€ŃƒŠ³, I suppose my post was describing one end of the possible spectrum of moderation at D&D. Even while writing it, I had you in the back of my mind, knowing that you rightfully are averse to this kind of sense of ā€œbig brother/sisterā€ oversight and censorship. I have mentioned before that I have some experience living in Russia/east Ukraine, and am keenly aware of the strong and rightful views many educated Russians have about these issues. I suppose from my own background and even my vocation I may have more trust in the idea that rational people can make rational rules in order to secure ā€œlaw and orderā€ in a given place or situation.

Most importantly, just as I enjoyed taking long walks on Deribovskaya Street some years ago discussing and debating these kinds of issues, I have treasured and valued your posts, comments and conversations here. In the end, I am fairly sure that our moderators are going to find a ā€œsweetspotā€ in terms of how to balance careful moderation with an open and free forum. To me, youā€™re one of those intellects that contributes to the " reservoir of kindness and knowledge" here.

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MIchael, I\m so sorry, but the electronic wat you described is a forum I would never ever visit again as a user

I totally agree.

A tribute to you and Linex, good that you understand romanian: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eiQ4sLsC00
Or, english lyrics: Private Site
The name ā€œhymn of the punksā€ comes because of the neo-communist (who highjacked the 89ā€™ revolution and took control untill 96ā€™) labeling of protesters as simple punks, witch is similar to how those who protest are labeled trolls on forums to diminish their arguments.

Iā€™ll miss you too and will joint you soon, after Iā€™ll make a topic and inform people here about the goenka center with 70 slaves (and sexual orgies, child abuse and all the good stuff) from romania that is also hosting international retreats, a story that was never covered on international buddhist forums. Gl there.

I referenced above the lovely forested wat in ChiangMai located at the far end of the Suthep area,with some photos of the place. The city wats in Chiang Mai are compelling and historic, but Wat Umong is kind of a pastoral treasure just outside the cityā€™s noise and traffic. The photos below (taken just yesterday) depict an Ashokan Pillar and the text that is engraved on one of the pillars, along with one of Wat Umongā€™s admonition signs on the trees:

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Not sure if youā€™re still around, but anyway, just let me echo the kind words of others: weā€™ll miss you. And if you ever feel like coming back, weā€™ll be here.

May the triple Gem be your steadfast companion wherever your journey takes you! :pray:

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This post reminds me of SN 11.5, which could be an interesting discussion topic. :hatched_chick: :hatching_chick:

Vepacitti, lord of the asuras, said to Sakka, lord of the devas:

'Fools would vent their anger even more
f no one would keep them in check.
Hence with drastic punishment
The wise man should restrain the fool.
Thus an enlightened one
should restrain the fool
with a heavy stick.ā€™

When, bhikkhus, Vepacitti, lord of the asuras, spoke this verse, the asuras applauded but the devas were silent.

When this was said, Sakka, lord of the devas, recited this verse:

ā€˜I myself think this alone
Is the way to check the fool:
When one knows oneā€™s foe is angry
One mindfully maintains oneā€™s peace.ā€™
When, knowing the otherā€™s provoked,
you mindfully grow calm.ā€™

When, bhikkhus, Sakka, lord of the devas, spoke this verse, the devas applauded but the asuras were silent.

:baby_chick:

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I think weā€™ve got an non-returner here, his conceit is still very strong though.

Moderators, let me ask you all a question. If thereā€™s a person claiming to be a highly accomplished master. But instead of being calm and wise, he goes around telling people that they are wasting their time in the temple, he then spits on Buddha statue. Do you think you can calm him down or would you chase him out?

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@Vstakan

I will miss you, hope at some point you might consider participating againā€¦