If kamma rules why do we seek freedom?

We seem to be encouraged to chase freedom to do what we want but when the reality is that the results of kamma manifest anyway what’s the point? If someone kills someone else in our society there is usually the results of imprisonment, guilt, mistrust and oestrosization. Why are we encouraged to do what we want even if it leads to our own distruction. It seems cruel. Do people see it the same way?

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But at least the Buddha doesn’t encourage us to chase the freedom to do what we want. Instead he encourages us towards freedom from that wanting.

And I meant to say - welcome to the forum Oli. Good to have you here.

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So a lot of people chase the wrong freedom. Why do think people in the public sphere chase the tainted version of freedom? Maybe because it’s been corrupted by bad influences? Do you think there is a way to explain light into these traps? I guess wisdom does that. (As you can see I’m thinking as I type haha). I guess state a truth you agree with that the buddha says and then ask a question afterwards that is blown apart by the truth stated at the start. Short snappy answers because long answers are ignored. Like a Cohon. Blowing itself apart. Boom. :partying_face: :boom:

Nice to talk with you Stu

I blame Sigmund Freud and Capitalism. :rofl:

There’s also the naturalistic fallacy

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I tried to read about freud and found his writing was so twisted and perverted I had to stop reading it. I eat takeaways but Sigmund Freuds produce made me feel more sick haha. I tried doing what i didn’t want to do but that too wasn’t freedom either. Capitalism I can’t see through that easily. Maybe it keeps us on the treadmill away from truth serving others who only care about what we produce. At least it has space for what we perceive at truth if we have a fortune place in the system.

Whats the naturalistic fallacy? :pray:

Just googled it. Yeah, shit is natural but we don’t put it on the mantel piece. lol

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Exactly. And spending billions on marketing to ensure you try to plug the gaping hole with more products. A system built on fulfilling and generating desires and “creature comforts”. It’s very profitable, so why stop the cycle?

Which is another way of saying: dopamine. haha

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If you’re curious, here’s a great paper on how the bliss of meditation is different from worldly pleasures. Instead of causing a dopamine spike (and subsequent crash), meditation creates a dopamine concentration the other way: by shutting down large parts of the brain. Brilliant!

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Thats interesting. I heard that people hallucinate on LSD not because their brain over works but because it shut off and gets out of the way. It gives an insight into drugs and pharmaceuticals for psychological issues. Drug dealers and doctors are on the side of balancing the dopamine by increasing the supply or decreasing the supply of the brains natural regulators to create desired for effects. Doctors boost out of depression and shut down highs so you can get on making money for society, they’re not interested in you if you’re functional. Drug dealer do it for sight seeing. Like you say though, there is a subsequent opposite high or crash to bring you back to your norm. You need more and more of the drugs or phamasuticals as time goes on constituting a dependence or addiction to the stimulus.

The other way to balance a misfiring brain is to meditate in the direction that balances out the problem. By letting go. By thinking of good things you’ve done first, depression can desolve in meditation and mania can resolve by just resisting your impulses and meditating. I guess its like restarting a computer where a part is being over or under used and restoring balance.

Its interesting how science can see how it works from an objective view point and it docent contradict the subjective.

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I just want to say, @stu that I simply :heart: this line!

In fact, IMO this is worth…

:heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart:

(That a 100 :heart: … whoops 101 right there!)

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