How does the simplicity if the BUDDHIST FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS help me start anew, in dealing with the negativity of the socio-political melee of the past 12 years (or more)?
Simple outline.
We suffer because we crave. We crave to be right. We crave to keep our health and lives together. They devolve and destroy and evaporate, and we are miserable, because we cannot control it,more accept it. We desire that good times remain unchanged. We are miserable because we know change happens and we don't control it.
Life is full of suffering. Dukkha usually is translated as suffering. In life, we have illness, poverty, disease, old age and death. We cannot keep what we like and can not avoid what we do not like. If this is all we know we suffer.
Life is full of suffering. Dukkha usually is translated as suffering. In life, we have illness, poverty, disease, old age and death. We cannot keep what we like and can not avoid what we do not like. If this is all we know we suffer.
I like informed people. I like good ideas. I like wholistic thinking, progress in medicine and science and transportation. I like reading, analytical thinking and critical analysis. I don't like crazy shit that ignores facts and makes nonsense. I crave that others want this too, and we can move ahead. Instead, we are overrun with 43%of Republicans deny evolution. 12% believe Obama is trying to nuke the country and take over, foreign born and plotting against them. 60% are just, speaking generally, incredibly unread, uninformed and stupid. Democrats too, millions who vote on race and suck welfare and public assistance. For decades it had infuriated me, because I crave what cannot be. That they would begin to gather and analyze information and become positive elements. Stop being lazy and stupid. Craving and desire create misery, and misery can only be eliminated by giving up craving and desire.
http://m.wikihow.com/Understand-the-Four-Noble-Truths
It's been right in front of me. Misery. One large element of my unhappiness has been the huge percentage of ignorant, violent, simpleminded people in this country. Sort of a gravitation of admiration toward being like those redneck duck people. Obvious lies from the Tea Party, born of selfishness, stupidity or lack of understanding. We cannot keep what we like and can not avoid what we do not like. If this is all we know we suffer. I get angry and combative and unhappy and in despair. Angry and craving something else.
The First Noble Truth
The prime, most basic premiss of Buddhist truth. Misery is inevitable. We cannot keep what we like and can not avoid what we do not like. If this is all we know we suffer. We cannot have things stay "nice". All is in constant change. Change brings misery. Change toward death and illness are easy to understand, as bringing us distress. But it is the same with the other negatives we experience. Plenty turns to lack. Body's deteriorate and we become sick and die. People form groups that are despicable, selfish and wish ill upon others. There is constant fluctuation and change...none of which can we do a thing about. We cannot keep what we like and can not avoid what we do not like. If this is all we know we suffer. The first Noble Truth. The things I perceive are there, but my despair and anger are the First Normal Truth. Dissatisfaction, fear, deteriorating are part I'd who
The Second Noble Truth:
There is a cause for suffering. The cause of suffering is desire and illusions that are based on ignorance. Because of ignorance wanting something leads clumsy actions, which in turn lead to suffering. Wanting life, wanting death, wanting things, wanting pleasure - all lead to suffering. We WANT things to be the way we think they should be, and we are unhappy when they are not. Angry. And even if we are "right"- we cannot expect these things to be changeable by our hand. They are out of our control. People who are ignorant. People who intentionally ignore facts or make things up. People and groups, consumed by mindless, ill-considered nonsense, wanting them it change is misery. Anger at them is folly. We WANT things to be the way we think they should be, and we are unhappy when they are not. Angry.
The Third Noble Truth:
There is a state of mind free from suffering. By stopping the cravings, the suffering is stopped. If you STOP the desire to change the views of these people, about the things they do and say that are out of your power, you eliminate that craving. THE CRAVING TO BE RIGHT AND TO PREVAIL AND TO DOMINATE. You can't really do it, and beating and flailing against it is
The Fourth Noble Truth:
There is a way to end suffering. To end suffering we must end our cravings. The way to ending cravings is the Eightfold Path
If you want to look at this fine. But that's the next step. The 8 fold path is a blueprint of life guides. But what I have written here is the essence.... We are unhappy because we want things to change or not change, so we get and keep what we want. That cannot and does not happen, so it makes us unhappy, if we continue to crave what simply cannot be. We must end our cravings.
http://m.wikihow.com/Understand-the-Four-Noble-Truths
It's been right in front of me. Misery. One large element of my unhappiness has been the huge percentage of ignorant, violent, simpleminded people in this country. Sort of a gravitation of admiration toward being like those redneck duck people. Obvious lies from the Tea Party, born of selfishness, stupidity or lack of understanding. We cannot keep what we like and can not avoid what we do not like. If this is all we know we suffer. I get angry and combative and unhappy and in despair. Angry and craving something else.
The First Noble Truth
The prime, most basic premiss of Buddhist truth. Misery is inevitable. We cannot keep what we like and can not avoid what we do not like. If this is all we know we suffer. We cannot have things stay "nice". All is in constant change. Change brings misery. Change toward death and illness are easy to understand, as bringing us distress. But it is the same with the other negatives we experience. Plenty turns to lack. Body's deteriorate and we become sick and die. People form groups that are despicable, selfish and wish ill upon others. There is constant fluctuation and change...none of which can we do a thing about. We cannot keep what we like and can not avoid what we do not like. If this is all we know we suffer. The first Noble Truth. The things I perceive are there, but my despair and anger are the First Normal Truth. Dissatisfaction, fear, deteriorating are part I'd who
The Second Noble Truth:
There is a cause for suffering. The cause of suffering is desire and illusions that are based on ignorance. Because of ignorance wanting something leads clumsy actions, which in turn lead to suffering. Wanting life, wanting death, wanting things, wanting pleasure - all lead to suffering. We WANT things to be the way we think they should be, and we are unhappy when they are not. Angry. And even if we are "right"- we cannot expect these things to be changeable by our hand. They are out of our control. People who are ignorant. People who intentionally ignore facts or make things up. People and groups, consumed by mindless, ill-considered nonsense, wanting them it change is misery. Anger at them is folly. We WANT things to be the way we think they should be, and we are unhappy when they are not. Angry.
The Third Noble Truth:
There is a state of mind free from suffering. By stopping the cravings, the suffering is stopped. If you STOP the desire to change the views of these people, about the things they do and say that are out of your power, you eliminate that craving. THE CRAVING TO BE RIGHT AND TO PREVAIL AND TO DOMINATE. You can't really do it, and beating and flailing against it is
The Fourth Noble Truth:
There is a way to end suffering. To end suffering we must end our cravings. The way to ending cravings is the Eightfold Path
If you want to look at this fine. But that's the next step. The 8 fold path is a blueprint of life guides. But what I have written here is the essence.... We are unhappy because we want things to change or not change, so we get and keep what we want. That cannot and does not happen, so it makes us unhappy, if we continue to crave what simply cannot be. We must end our cravings.
1 comment:
Very good, Bill. It sounds like it distills down to that wonderful serenity prayer, which goes like this: "Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."
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