Oh this is wonderful! His Holiness the Karmapa featured in Kotaku! As one of His students, I know that he used to play NES as a kid, and that he owns PS2, PS3 and a Wii. I will find out if he has a DS or PSP. Not sure about Xbox 360 though. He's also an gifted video editor and Mac enthusiast. As far as religions leaders go, HHK is very tech-oriented. I doubt he would play any FPS though... I think He's really talking about Mario and and similar Nintendo titles.
Oh yeah I'm definitely forwarding this blog to His Holiness and a host of other Kagyu (name of the sect He is the head of) folks. Karmapa Kyenno!
I miss the days when Buddhist monks used to do kung fu to release there aggressions. Made for some pretty entertaining movies too. It would be less cool to see Jackie Chan playing video games to save the girl.
While it's pretty cool that monks play video games, it's worth noting that the idea of releasing your aggression through video games, and the idea of catharsis in general has been pretty conclusively debunked by modern psychology. So the next time someone tells you to hit a pillow to get out your aggression... don't.
@VorpalMonkey: I personally feel better after mowing down tons of zombies if my day was shitty. It calms me. If a psych wants to tell me otherwise, that's fine, but I will still do it, because it calms me.
@VorpalMonkey: Not quite. In truth they're referring to more physical and aggressive tendencies manifesting, such as hitting a pillow. What that does is it makes it actually easier to release aggression, and people tend to do it more often. On the other hand, channeling it through a creative or skill outlet changes the nature of the aggression where it is more suitable for society.
In other words, productive aggression is much better than unproductive aggression.
It's worth mentioning that there are two claimants to the title of 17th Karmapa - and Trinley Dorje's case sounds more convincing than this guy's to me.
Although they are probably both nice guys, I only recognise Trinley Dorje as 17th Karmapa Lama. Karmapa Chenno.
@Pessimippopotamus: As a buddhist, I can surely say that your conception of Buddhism seems slightly skewed.
Buddhism is not an ascetic religion, meaning it's not about denying anything. Nor is it about completely indulging into anything. It's about taking the Middle Path, which is to fully engage in the activities your doing, while at the same time remaining detached (as in, don't get too caught up with the outcome.) That way a practitioner can play a video game, per se, to the best of thier ability, and yet not get pissed because they didn't win.
Siddhārtha Gautama, upon exploring India tried various forms of self-cultivation he found being practiced while discovering himself. Amongst the people he found were some ascetics, who were starving themselves and exposing themselves to the elements while living in the wilderness.
Following their example, Siddhārtha Gautama also stripped to a loincloth and starved himself in a cave. He was dedicated, to the point the other ascetics and various people around the area thought he was a saint or a great teacher.
But Siddhārtha Gautama realized he was dying, his body was too weak and he had learned nothing. He realized this EXTREME, was the wrong way to find enlightenment, and provided no benefit or meaning whatsoever.
He ate some proper food, and re-clothed himself, and informed the other ascetics that there was no wisdom in denying the world or your bodies their sustenance, if it would essentially just kill you and prevent you from accomplishing anything.
"asks if his mediation should be" - Guessing you meant meditation?
Also, I see this more of a natural extension to how some Tibetan monasteries also allow the monks to participate in sports like soccer, to burn off excess energy. Shaolin Kung Fu came about because the Shaolin monks wanted their students to burn energy and also to learn something that could be used for defense.
The only thing that has come up is, in the case of something like soccer, when competitiveness sets in, that's when the elders get a little worried.
You know, after finishing Osamu Tezuka's Buddha (manga), I have realized something.
Everything in life is always in "beta." Even our lives are always in beta. Our lives are never set in stone, with something coming along to always change the bugs in our lives, making us having to repair them. Nor are our lives truly finished until we have reached the RTM Gold Master and finally reached the completed product: our life, complete.
Truly everything can be explained as a method for satiation, even sinful ways satiate our desires. Video games can be said to enact our sins without any physical harm or mental harm to anyone in the real world. But then this reaches a ethical crosspoint for me: should virtual characters be treated as equals to their real-life counterparts? Even if they are created to be abused and mistreated, should they even be given the same set of morals and laws that we have? I know that they are created specifically for enjoyment, but does that not make them our equals?
In the end, our lives are like a cloud, always changing, but "forces in nature (elements in our lives)" force this change [upon us].
You guys forget that he also gave up sex, meat, and pretty much most luxury. Pretty much get oppressed by Chinese government, but as a monk he cannot have any negative feeling toward them. Pretty much he need something to release his emotion on.
@Shinta: I dont care how its made or what happens to the cow. I dont want to see it because its gross. Just give me my steak and shut the hell up I say.
@gifurocks: Actually the rule is you do not eat meat by choice, i.e. you do not specifically ask for meat. If you are given meat, however, you are allowed to eat it as it has already been killed and you have not requested it (meaning you have not caused another animal to be killed in its place).
Of course that doesn't mean you can't be a Vegi Monk. If you want to stop eating meat completely, then that's your choice.
09/22/09
Oh yeah I'm definitely forwarding this blog to His Holiness and a host of other Kagyu (name of the sect He is the head of) folks. Karmapa Kyenno!
09/21/09
"I will meditate and then destroy you!"
09/20/09
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09/20/09
In other words, productive aggression is much better than unproductive aggression.
09/20/09
09/20/09
Ooooooooooh.
09/20/09
Although they are probably both nice guys, I only recognise Trinley Dorje as 17th Karmapa Lama. Karmapa Chenno.
09/20/09
09/20/09
@Shell_Krackerश्रमण: Could not find a decent SFII font quick enough. :/
09/20/09
Thaye Dorje would yoga tower over Ogyen's ultra and pwn him, IMO ;-)
Trinley Thaye Dorje is also a geek lol.
09/20/09
09/20/09
Buddhism is not an ascetic religion, meaning it's not about denying anything. Nor is it about completely indulging into anything. It's about taking the Middle Path, which is to fully engage in the activities your doing, while at the same time remaining detached (as in, don't get too caught up with the outcome.) That way a practitioner can play a video game, per se, to the best of thier ability, and yet not get pissed because they didn't win.
Just my two cents.
09/21/09
Siddhārtha Gautama, upon exploring India tried various forms of self-cultivation he found being practiced while discovering himself. Amongst the people he found were some ascetics, who were starving themselves and exposing themselves to the elements while living in the wilderness.
Following their example, Siddhārtha Gautama also stripped to a loincloth and starved himself in a cave. He was dedicated, to the point the other ascetics and various people around the area thought he was a saint or a great teacher.
But Siddhārtha Gautama realized he was dying, his body was too weak and he had learned nothing. He realized this EXTREME, was the wrong way to find enlightenment, and provided no benefit or meaning whatsoever.
He ate some proper food, and re-clothed himself, and informed the other ascetics that there was no wisdom in denying the world or your bodies their sustenance, if it would essentially just kill you and prevent you from accomplishing anything.
09/20/09
Also, I see this more of a natural extension to how some Tibetan monasteries also allow the monks to participate in sports like soccer, to burn off excess energy. Shaolin Kung Fu came about because the Shaolin monks wanted their students to burn energy and also to learn something that could be used for defense.
The only thing that has come up is, in the case of something like soccer, when competitiveness sets in, that's when the elders get a little worried.
09/20/09
09/20/09
Everything in life is always in "beta." Even our lives are always in beta. Our lives are never set in stone, with something coming along to always change the bugs in our lives, making us having to repair them. Nor are our lives truly finished until we have reached the RTM Gold Master and finally reached the completed product: our life, complete.
Truly everything can be explained as a method for satiation, even sinful ways satiate our desires. Video games can be said to enact our sins without any physical harm or mental harm to anyone in the real world. But then this reaches a ethical crosspoint for me: should virtual characters be treated as equals to their real-life counterparts? Even if they are created to be abused and mistreated, should they even be given the same set of morals and laws that we have? I know that they are created specifically for enjoyment, but does that not make them our equals?
In the end, our lives are like a cloud, always changing, but "forces in nature (elements in our lives)" force this change [upon us].
09/20/09
No, until they have enough AI to become self concious, then morals kick in.
Before that happens they are just objects to be abused. So enjoy videogames and don't overanalize things before the time is right.
09/20/09
09/20/09
09/20/09
09/20/09
Does Fleshbot.com have a companion article where it excerpts the part about his justifying his thrice daily usage of tentacle porn?
;)
/just kidding, I'm sure a Lama is more into bestiality and furries
09/20/09
09/20/09
09/20/09
09/20/09
09/20/09
They gave up on meat!?!?!?
*tears apart her application*
09/20/09
09/20/09
09/20/09
Pass me my steak, I'm hungry.
09/20/09
09/20/09
09/20/09
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09/20/09
09/20/09
09/20/09
Of course that doesn't mean you can't be a Vegi Monk. If you want to stop eating meat completely, then that's your choice.
09/20/09
Sex is a luxury? By extension the human race is just superfluous :P
09/20/09
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09/20/09
Seeing as how I completely made up everything I wrote for my basic psych class in college, and still managed an A, I would have to agree.