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Buddhists/Kill hope?
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Question
Is it a teaching of Buddhism that hope may well be a state which is to be avoided, and it may be well to "kill hope"?
That is a drastic way to put it. And I don't think it would be very useful to make a big effort to stop hoping – it's a very natural emotion, after all. What *is* perhaps true that at a very advanced stage (not one that I am at!!!) hope and fear dissolve because the practitioner is completely in tune with the true nature of his or her mind.
Does that make sense?
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Answers by Expert:
Alex Wilding
Expertise
I have practiced and studied Tibetan Buddhism in the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions since the early 1970s, and have a good knowledge of theory, history and of the struggles of trying to practice the teachings, including meditation, while leading a normal, modern life. I am also available to provide background information for journalists.
Experience
I have been a practitioner since the early 1970s; have run a small Buddhist centre in the English Midlands and was vice-president of Kagyu Benchen Ling e.V. in Germany, for whom I managed three large Buddhist summer-camps. More importantly, I maintain a habit of personal practice.
I am the "owner" of the Kagyu list at Yahoo.
Education/Credentials
My first degree was an M.A. from Oxford. I later obtained a Master of Philosophy degree for a research thesis in "Initiation in Tibetan Buddhism" from Leicester University. I also have engineering and educational qualifications.
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