4 ms·

The Buddhists were right about something. Life is suffering. I gotta stop writing here before I get too nihilistic. The posted article and some of the stories h

The Buddhists were right about something. Life is suffering. I gotta stop writing here before I get too nihilistic. The posted article and some of the stories here are tragic. I wish I had something better to say.

malteof 3y ago
Well, the Buddhists are more optimistic than that! They have lots of techniques and ways of thinking to reduce suffering. I recommend reading up on their life philosophy, they’re far from nihilists.
- stef25 3y ago
  Links ?
  - bowsamic 3y ago
    https://tricycle.org/beginners/ https://tricycle.org/beginners/ https://www.amazon.de/Buddhas-Words-Anthology-Discourses-Teachings/dp/0861714911 https://www.amazon.de/Buddhas-Words-Anthology-Discourses-Tea... https://suttacentral.net/mn https://suttacentral.net/mn https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_Sutra https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_Sutra https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%81ramit%C4%81 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%81ramit%C4%81 https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Charles-B-Jones/dp/1611808901/ https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Charles-B-Jones/dp/1611808901/ https://www.amazon.com/The-Library-of-Wisdom-and-Compassion-9-book-series/dp/B078YG7K5Q https://www.amazon.com/The-Library-of-Wisdom-and-Compassion-... http://shinranworks.com/ http://shinranworks.com/
- wegfawefgawefg 3y ago
  The absense of the need for optimism is not the same as optimism.
  - bowsamic 3y ago
    The main doctrine of Buddhism is that eternal bliss is possible, how is that not optimistic? I'm a Jodo Shinshu Pure Land Buddhist and as far as I can tell all Buddhists believe in this, it's the third noble truth after all. To me it seems more optimistic to think that our current life is somehow limited and flawed and that a mind and experience beyond it is possible (Buddhahood) than to think that it's not possible and we are stuck as limited suffering beings.
    - wegfawefgawefg 3y ago
      Bliss via relinquishing desire and agency is different from optimism.
      - bowsamic 3y ago
        Thankfully in Buddhism there is neither relinquishing desire nor agency. I think those are misconceptions.
devjab 3y ago
I always found it interesting how many western religions and their followers maintain their faith in a “good” God, even in the face of terrible personal tragedy. I’m happy that people do, since it seems to help them and anything that does that is great. I’m personally more beholden to the Warhammer (yes, out of anything…) quote: “it was the moment I began to believe, God was real, and He hated us.”.
- AnimalMuppet 3y ago
  If you accept the Christian view of God, then that God knows what it is to lose a son. He knows firsthand what he's costing you when he allows it to happen to you. You may question his wisdom if you want. You may question his reasons for allowing it. But at least he's taken his own medicine.
  - devjab 3y ago
    There is also the part where human suffering is our problem because someone ate an apple and it gave us free will and the responsibility of our own lives. Still doesn’t change the thousands of children who died in some war zone today, or the ones who died from starvation and so on. If you really watch that sort of thing from the sidelines with the power to stop it, then you probably aren’t too benevolent. Then again, the last time the Christian God wanted to solve “our” moral issues He drowned everyone but Noah. Anyway, I’m happy people find comfort in their faith. I even sort of wish I could, but I just can’t get past the watching of all the evil and doing nothing to stop it. You wouldn’t let your toddlers set fire to each other either, well, I hope you wouldn’t.
    - AnimalMuppet 3y ago
      Again, within the Christian view: We've walked away from God, rebelled against him, and broken everything in the process, but it's his fault that he doesn't fix everything? God doesn't stop evil, but he does limit it, and will eventually end it completely. Why doesn't he do so immediately, when he could? The bible's answer is that God is giving people time to repent. See, we are part of the evil that needs fixed. It's not just diseases. It's not even just other people. It's us. But we want God to address all the evil in the world that harms us (and those we care about), but not address the evil inside us (that also harms those around us). So think carefully before you blame God for not addressing evil immediately with big, sweeping measures. He's still in the "rescue" phase; the court cases will come.

malteof 3y ago

Well, the Buddhists are more optimistic than that! They have lots of techniques and ways of thinking to reduce suffering. I recommend reading up on their life philosophy, they’re far from nihilists.

stef25 3y ago
Links ?
- bowsamic 3y ago
  https://tricycle.org/beginners/ https://tricycle.org/beginners/ https://www.amazon.de/Buddhas-Words-Anthology-Discourses-Teachings/dp/0861714911 https://www.amazon.de/Buddhas-Words-Anthology-Discourses-Tea... https://suttacentral.net/mn https://suttacentral.net/mn https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_Sutra https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_Sutra https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%81ramit%C4%81 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%81ramit%C4%81 https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Charles-B-Jones/dp/1611808901/ https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Charles-B-Jones/dp/1611808901/ https://www.amazon.com/The-Library-of-Wisdom-and-Compassion-9-book-series/dp/B078YG7K5Q https://www.amazon.com/The-Library-of-Wisdom-and-Compassion-... http://shinranworks.com/ http://shinranworks.com/
wegfawefgawefg 3y ago
The absense of the need for optimism is not the same as optimism.
- bowsamic 3y ago
  The main doctrine of Buddhism is that eternal bliss is possible, how is that not optimistic? I'm a Jodo Shinshu Pure Land Buddhist and as far as I can tell all Buddhists believe in this, it's the third noble truth after all. To me it seems more optimistic to think that our current life is somehow limited and flawed and that a mind and experience beyond it is possible (Buddhahood) than to think that it's not possible and we are stuck as limited suffering beings.
  - wegfawefgawefg 3y ago
    Bliss via relinquishing desire and agency is different from optimism.
    - bowsamic 3y ago
      Thankfully in Buddhism there is neither relinquishing desire nor agency. I think those are misconceptions.

devjab 3y ago

I always found it interesting how many western religions and their followers maintain their faith in a “good” God, even in the face of terrible personal tragedy. I’m happy that people do, since it seems to help them and anything that does that is great. I’m personally more beholden to the Warhammer (yes, out of anything…) quote: “it was the moment I began to believe, God was real, and He hated us.”.

AnimalMuppet 3y ago
If you accept the Christian view of God, then that God knows what it is to lose a son. He knows firsthand what he's costing you when he allows it to happen to you. You may question his wisdom if you want. You may question his reasons for allowing it. But at least he's taken his own medicine.
- devjab 3y ago
  There is also the part where human suffering is our problem because someone ate an apple and it gave us free will and the responsibility of our own lives. Still doesn’t change the thousands of children who died in some war zone today, or the ones who died from starvation and so on. If you really watch that sort of thing from the sidelines with the power to stop it, then you probably aren’t too benevolent. Then again, the last time the Christian God wanted to solve “our” moral issues He drowned everyone but Noah. Anyway, I’m happy people find comfort in their faith. I even sort of wish I could, but I just can’t get past the watching of all the evil and doing nothing to stop it. You wouldn’t let your toddlers set fire to each other either, well, I hope you wouldn’t.
  - AnimalMuppet 3y ago
    Again, within the Christian view: We've walked away from God, rebelled against him, and broken everything in the process, but it's his fault that he doesn't fix everything? God doesn't stop evil, but he does limit it, and will eventually end it completely. Why doesn't he do so immediately, when he could? The bible's answer is that God is giving people time to repent. See, we are part of the evil that needs fixed. It's not just diseases. It's not even just other people. It's us. But we want God to address all the evil in the world that harms us (and those we care about), but not address the evil inside us (that also harms those around us). So think carefully before you blame God for not addressing evil immediately with big, sweeping measures. He's still in the "rescue" phase; the court cases will come.