• henfredemars
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    7 months ago

    I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. It’s rather absurd that I get to live at all.

    I feel like I understand the Buddha better as years go by. I want to enjoy this strange and mysterious opportunity to be without becoming too attached to all these temporary things, myself included. Indeed, my life today looks nothing like it did 10 years ago. I’m not sure I am the same person. In many ways, it’s like every day we die and become something new.

      • henfredemars
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        7 months ago

        I don’t claim that it’s universally worthwhile. It just is what it is until it isn’t.

          • henfredemars
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            7 months ago

            I believe you’re missing the forest for the trees. Words are signposts, tools. It doesn’t mean literal vacuous truth. The phrase is illustrative, of course.

            In this case, “is what it is” means forgoing judgement because it doesn’t change what already is the case. This seems fundamental to Buddhist teaching that was mentioned in the root comment. This attachment and resistance is, to some interpretations, the source of suffering. At least that’s how it was taught to me during my short time living at my local temple.

            “Until it isn’t” refers to death.

            • TreadOnMe [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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              7 months ago

              I’m not missing the forest for the trees, I’m telling you that you are looking at a desert with a scrub brush, insistent it’s a forest.

              It is vacancy masquerading as truth. I am perfectly aware of Buddhist dualisms and detachment theory. However, per Wittgenstein, there is no real wisdom or metaphysical truth to be gained in phraseology and word games. Particularly if they are readily interchangable with their contradictions. It can be fun, but not nessecerily wise or meaningful.

              'Isn’t what it isn’t" means foregoing judgement because it doesn’t change what already isn’t the case. This attachment and resistance is, to some interpretation, the source of suffering.

              ‘Until it is’ refers to death.

              • zed_proclaimer [he/him]@hexbear.net
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                7 months ago

                However, per Wittgenstein, there is no real wisdom or metaphysical truth to be gained in phraseology and word games.

                They aren’t playing word games, you are merely interpreting that way. They are conveying a message via the words to you, one you reject without reason

    • EelBolshevikism [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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      7 months ago

      Actually I’m fine being attached to temporary things, experiencing loss and negative emotions is something I consider healthy for me. I don’t understand why we have these expectations for ourselves that we have to all become beings separate from the reality around us, and deny our emotions and feelings. Feeling remorse and sadness that something is gone does not demand that you cause harm because of it, and the fact we fear that remorse and sadness, not in the normal sense of trying to avoid it, but outright opting out of caring about what we lose or gain, means we haven’t learned to be a living being at all. I think maybe teaching people to feel pain and remorse in healthy ways may even lead to more happiness overall than trying to prevent it at all costs.

      Edit: It makes me sad that I will die someday, but accepting that it makes me sad and yet I cannot change it makes much more sense to me than trying to change the fact I am fundamentally sad or attached to this life in the first place. I can accept my emotions and the reality around me at the same time, and in places I cannot, I think it is important to remember that we often experience emotions for a reason, because we are beings capable of changing things for ourselves and others. The important part is to ensure it does not let us hurt people (when not hurting people is a practical option)

      Of course others might not feel the same way as me. But everyone is different