To love is to let go. Freedom is the biggest kindness we can give each other. Freedom from control. Freedom to be safe within ourselves and even when we die.
Death comes to us all. It is not the worst thing that can happen to a human being. Today if I had to choose what would hurt me the most out of death, and betrayal by a dear friend, I would say the betrayal would hurt the most.
To love is not to control or stifle each other’s right to be wrong.
To love is to love everything about this life and that means bringing love into the fact that we must die. What can there be to fear if we have cultivated love?
If there’s another life, we’re probably setting ourselves up well. If there isn’t, we bring that love into the process of dying and just enjoy/experience the ride to the final end.
But perhaps we view love differently? View does condition everything and two people can be using the same words, the same language, and still be talking about different things…and sometimes they don’t even realise this!
But it’s okay to have different views. To make mistakes and learn. I’ll make mine and you make yours and I suggest we let everyone else be in charge of theirs. Another beautiful thing about Buddhism is that we take personal responsibility for our growth and peace.
Wishing you well, and space and freedom and many good vibes to explore within, in safety.
I would hope that somebody is able to present them with an alternative view and argues persuasively in support of this alternative. But I would also hope that nobody forces them to take it up and that they will have the right to choose for themselves.
If our being wrong only impacted our own lives, then everyone would have a right to be wrong, I suppose. But our views impact the way we treat others, too. And I don’t think we have any kind of right to treat them however we are simply inclined to treat them, acting on whatever views we have, no matter how irresponsibly formed they are.
Since we share this world with others, and the well-being of others depends on how we think and act, it seems to me we have a responsibility to make our view of the world as accurate as it can be made, at least if we choose to live in society, share our attitudes with others, and act in ways that impact others. An exception can be made, I suppose, for those who live their lives in hermetic seclusion to such an extent that their attitudes don’t impact others.
Simply standing by as parents kills their children out of ignorance, no matter how well-intentioned their actions might be, is not loving them it seems to me.
Yes, well that’s why I have come to think it is important to challenge, and argue persuasively against, anti-scientific or pseudo-scientific fundamentalism, and not simply sit back in silence as people spread such ways of thinking.
Forum topics generally seem about the same as when I initially joined about a year ago. World seems about the same too. Overall, some people are really nasty, some are really good, and most of us are somewhere in between. Appearances change but humanity stays the same.
Now more than ever we need to remove our own delusions and ego so that what we actually have it right view. Getting into arguments and views and opinions only adds to the suffering. From right view we can cultivate right intention; peace, kindness, non violence.
From right intention right action, right speech and tight livelihood can influence the world and lead to right endeavour…
I think you can see where this is going.
The fear, anxiety and delusion in the world right now are a huge motivation for me to practice well. People who have practiced well are the beacons of hope and change in this world.
Since humanity pretty much stays the same, apparently there’re good news and bad news. Bad news is that there’ll always be some exceedingly evil people who will try to wipe out many good people. Good news is there’ll always be some good people who will do their best to prevent that from happening. The world is one gigantic body, there’ll always be bacterias and viruses that cause painful horrible diseases, one should be nice and peaceful, but he should also be respectful to those antibodies who silently do all the dirty works day and night so that he can be free from much pain and suffering.
Are you sure? You seemed to think that they should have a choice about this:
Now, as I read this passage I thought about child abuse, genital mutilation, torture, and other such human rights violations. I became rather repulsed by such a cavalier acceptance of an immoral “hands off” approach; would you say that, with respect to human rights, you hope that no one is forced to adhere to them if they have religious objections?
I’ll answer your question in the hopes that you will help me with one of mine. A sort of informal poll if you will.
To your question. No I don’t think it is odd. Or even necessarily a escapist diversion.
Why? Most of have more agency over our own resiliency and stability than we do over potential trends of violence, or thugs, or the weather, etc . For one to contribute to society I suggest job one is to attend to the ways in which I might be part of a constructive solution and avoid becoming, or contributing to, the problem.
An unspoken assumption in your question can be posed as a tactical question. Are these ideas that you described as “rambling pseudo-science” helpful for some person’s personal path & thus might better prepare at least some of us to be more constructive members of society?
My Inquiry
My inquiry regards the ways in which Buddhists, especially socially engaged Buddhism, perceive of current events, the state of their society and social justice.
You wrote of a:
When you say “seems poised for” do you mean that conditions seems ripe for accelerating violence or that violence has been / is now accelerating?
By accelerating violence you mean a change in a trend line in some measure of violence?
Is the same true for a thickening parade of militarist bosses and thugs?
Does the word “thickening” refers to a current trend or the potential for the trend to worsen?
For Climate disasters - more frequent mostly refers to a concern for more frequent disasters in the future?
Similar question for resource struggles?
Similar question for Growing ethic strife and hatred?
@Feynman, I would prefer not to get into my own assessments of the political situation, either here in my own country of the Unites States, or globally. I don’t want to be responsible for turning this place into yet another internet political blog, with people shouting at each other about their favorite conspiracy theories, partisan passions and political pet peeves.
I only mentioned those political phenomena in passing because I was interested in what causes people to become interested in the other, Buddhism-related topics I alluded to. I suppose one could think of all of Buddhism as escapism, insofar as it is concerned with liberation from the sufferings of worldly life, socio-political or otherwise. But it seemed to me that some of these topics are only obscurely connected with liberation, and are more esoteric doctrinal matters.
I don’t think it is odd. Renunciation of the entire world is hard. Wandering ascetics who fit the image portrayed in the muni sutta won’t be found here, IMHO.
‘The thickening parade of militarist bosses and thugs’ is sadly true - like the recent Indo-Chinese fracas, which involved a nauseating level of chest-thumping jingoism on both sides. People were whipped up into a frenzy by sly puppet-masters and the raw hatred and misplaced arrogance on display were apparently the finest expressions of patriotism.
Sometimes I do it too, wondering if my circumstances would be better in some way. I know that my thoughts during such times are fanciful and silly, but again, renunciation is not easy…
THE INQUISITION !!
