What are your feelings on dugs and alcohol?

I like pints

 

Amazing clean livers (livers in both senses)!

I've done every drug under the sun and others from further afield Stopped all of them many years ago. About the same time, I stopped using caffeine.

I also enjoy drinking but only after breakfast - never before. When I drink, I also chain smoke because the tastes go together nicely. Each by itself tastes unpleasant.

Training under the influence? Worth doing a sometimes so you get some martial experience under those conditions in preparation for real life. No teacher would let you come like that unless it was prearranged though!

I used to go for a pint after training but one tme I didn't and discovered that my aches disappeared faster. Now I don't go for a drink after training.

Rgds,
David

 

If I'm going to be training I never use any type of drugs or alcohol. It's just too dangerous. I drink 4-5 times a year and that is normally limited to a few glasses of mixed drinks and maybe a beer or two. I never use any illegal drugs-ever! I don't smoke either.

 

I am a coke addict....thats coke as in coca cola by the way, it heightens my senses!"!£"$£%"^%&*(

 

In following with the tenets established in the eightfold path of buddhism it would be hypocritcal of me to indulge in drugs and alcochol. Straight Edge all the way, everyday. XXX.

 

Just because you enjoy the ocassional beer doesn't mean your not straight edge. Now if you drink the pilfer that is a diffrent story . . Hey don't judge me, future shop didn't need that sign anyway

 

I was never judging anyone, I was merely stating my personal preference when it comes to indulging. And actually professor, if you have the occassional beer that does mean you are not straight edge. Straight Edge is the complete and total abstinence from alcohol, nicotine, drugs (non-medical), and promiscuity.
...these people...

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(My personal opinion
Before training (24 hours at least) and during training I would NEVER use drugs or alcohol (aside from pain killers, cold remedies and over the counter stuff). I would worry about the quality of my learning, instruction and my impression to other students.... plus it would affect my performance.

When not training, I drink alcohol sometimes... usually beer. I don't get "drunk" when I'm out (mainly because of fear of loss of control) but do occassionally get drunk at home (usually with friends). Illegal drugs I do not touch (no desire to use them and no desire to lose my job) and I quit smoking quite a while ago... it was interfereing with my cardio-vascular (at least I thought it was).

 

EDightfold how about the impure thoughts and hurting living things ?

 

Pure thought is attained with deep self observation moment to moment. I won't lie and say I never have impure thoughts or have never hurt a living thing. But then again, I am only a buddhist, not the Buddha.

Striving,
8

 

lol tell me about it
hows this the best and simplest advise i was given was "just be" so simple yet so hard to follow

 

I thought that the eightfold path meant that you were meant to live a life of balance, which includes balance in balance, which means spells a complete abstenance and bouts of complete indulgance?

Col

 

I'm amazed at how many of you guys don't drink!!!!! I have to admit, I get bladdered, once a week only, but when I do, I go for it. Beer, vodka redbull, smirnoff ice blah blah blah. Great fun, gotta be done, it's my form of relaxation, plus it's social. Oh, but I only smoke (cigs) when I drink, they go together like bangers and mash!!!

As for drugs, used to, not during training but I've tried most around. Some were good, most were "bad". Just young and dum, had some very fun times though.

Would not drink during training, or before. But i like the idea of pre-arranged drinking so you can get used to a self defence situation when drunk. It's my biggest fear, falling over doing a kick in a self defence situation because I'm drunk!

 

Its the Yank mentality alcapone!

They think all us Brits are a bunch of alcoholics!

Col

 

LOL

We are!

Did you know out of all cities in Britain, Oxford consumes the most alcohol bar Newcastle (big suprise!!) and Manchester! But it's about a third of the size, probably smaller! I'm glad to say that's all down to me, takes me at least 15 pints and 10 double vodka redbulls to start the night, then I'll start drinkin properly!!! ;o)

Drunken AL *hic* *burp*

P.S. Love the spinning Calvin by the way Freeform, possibly the best cartoon character ever created!!! Where's Hobbs????

 

No, you got it all wrong. It doesn't mean sometimes you abstain and sometimes you indulge. It breaks down to releasing yourself from desire by practicing right though, right effort, right minfulness, right concentration, right speech, right thought, right livelihood, and right understanding. When the person centers themselves around these eight corner stones slowly their desires fade away and more compassionate and wise being will emerge.

Understand,
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what do you get if you only do 4 of the 8 ?

 

What you need to understand about the eightfold path is that it is not like the ten commandments where each commandment is independent of itself. Each tenet of the eightfold path fits into the "folds" of an "eightfolded" fan. Would you be able to cool yourself if one of the folds was missing? No, the whole fan would fall apart. For example, by practicing right thought it being concious of "what am I thinking, why am I thinking this?" the aspirant to the path will notice many unpleasant and unfavorable thoughts occuring in their psyche. By eliminating those bad thoughts the person then purifies their psyche and it leads to right speech, right action, and right livelihood. It is difficult and highly unlikely that you could practice just four out of the eight. Though right concentration, right mindfulness, and right meditation do pertain to the practice of meditation but they are also applicable in daily life.
The reward, according to buddhist theology is a favorable incarnation in which the psyche is more liberated and comes that much closer to escaping the wheel of samsara, the inexorable cycle of death and rebirth, pleasure and pain, suffering and happiness. This may occur in the this life, or the next, or hundreds into the future. That is long term- the goal being enlightenment.
Short term rewards include a more focused mind, meditation puts the arrow of the mind on the target, or the task at hand. It means doing something full-hearted rather than half-hearted. It also promotes a more friendly environment among friends and family. A way to deal with anger, stress, envy, all the clouds of the mind the emotions bring up. It brings clarity, compassion, and wisdome to the aspirant's life.

Ding (hitting the gong)
8

 

Eightfold Path, just curious (not trying to be a pest), two posts ago you mentioned the eight tenets, but your list looked like it had two the same -- typo? (just trying to figure out the eighth).

 

No offense taken. The eightfold path consists of
Right Understanding
Right Intention/Orientation
Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration

Sorry for the confusion,
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