Best Of
From Seeker to Scholar, and Back Again?
I was reading Stephen Batchelors website when I came across his biography (here) and on reading it I found it interesting that he had started out with the classic seekers questions, such as “what is the meaning of life?” Upon journeying to India and ending up in Dharmsala he found the Tibetans he encountered there to have much knowledge and an integrated spiritual practice. He became a monk and stayed with them for a number of years.
If you look at the kind of things Stephen did during that time (translations for example) you’d say he was no longer a seeker but had turned into a scholar instead. His latest book, Buddha, Socrates and Us (2025), makes a comparison between Buddhist thinking and Ancient Greek thinking, and again seems to be more a scholarly work than an example of being.
Nor is Stephen Batchelor the only one to walk this path, the Danish monk Samhita Thera also did something similar (here). It seems that enveloping the mind in knowledge is a favoured journey for someone to set out to become a monk. You are kind of expected to learn the Dhamma, but it is a seduction into knowledge which leads away from the questions which started it all.
Now it seems to me that the meaning of life has more to do with experiencing than learning from books. There is a famous quote by Alan Watts, “life is not a problem to be solved, but an experience to be lived.” Not just in the sense that one should go out and see the world, but that experiences — like sickness, success at a job and being fired from a job, the death of ones parents, an accident — bring a certain ripeness and appreciation of the meaning of living.
What do you think? Does wisdom and an understanding of meaning come automatically? Does book learning help?
Jeroen
Re: Just for fun: the random, useless announcements thread!
ANNOUNCEMENT
For the past 15 years, I have tried this pain and suffering thing. I hereby declare the results of my experiment: It DOES NOT work!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS IMPORTANT MATTER!!
MRCTKO
marcitko
Re: What do you think of modern movies?
No, that’s true, and there is value in a good story that describes any hero type. But what Hollywood seems to be intent on doing is forcing the girl boss archetype into many stories, and it is proving unpopular with a lot of audiences.
If you look at for example Spirited Away, that has a girl as protagonist, but no battles, yet tells an awesome story involving getting lost in the spirit world and finding a place in a bathhouse of the spirits. Throughout she is shown as a real person in extraordinary circumstances, and overcomes many challenges in a feminine way, no girl boss traits required.
That is also a way of telling a story, without using a toxic and unrealistic archetype.
Jeroen
Re: Just for fun: the random, useless announcements thread!
Just now, a small sparrow visited my air-conditioning external unit. James, to give him a nice and honourable name, lit up my heart with his generous visitation. The moment I took out my phone to take a picture of him for you guys, James flew away. I think I shall put out a bird-house for James and his family and keep some food there in the winter.
marcitko
Re: Some troubles with new sila efforts
@person, my brother from another mother, thank you for your very valuable insight. Consider that I agree with everything you wrote and was helped by someone clearly formulating what I already know but was, for whatever reason, currently shaky about.
marcitko
Re: What music are you listening to?
Was trying to watch some specific Grace Jones.
Still trying...
lobster
Some troubles with new sila efforts
Dear friends,
Practising sila/morality/virtue is very important and uplifting for me. All Buddhist (and most non-Buddhist) teachers agree that sila is the foundation of both deeper insight and a happy, productive, and peaceful life, for both self and others.
My impediment, likely all of my life, but certainly during the past 15 years, has been to be too conflict averse. I see how this impediment arose as a result of some suboptimal parenting, but knowing this does not resolve it yet.
How these two interact is that when I try to practice a new form of sila, I sometimes encounter criticism, and am discouraged, sometimes giving up on the idea. The second situation is that I am averse to enter into a conflict, even a minor one, to pursue my chosen course of sila.
This is not a problem when I am more or well-established in a certain form of sila. Then, I can laugh it off or think "just your opinion, whatever".
An example of being criticised. My dad and I made an "alliance", with which we were both tremendously happy, that we would do less work for my flat renovation, but we will instead pay taxes on the work. In my country, in the domain of apartment renovations, while avoiding it is illegal, paying taxes is in practice sorta kinda optional. Enter mom, with a torrent of insults both on our characters and idea. The idea, previously seen as firm and beneficial and kind and a source of great joy and peace, I suddenly saw in a murky way, and lost my sense of purpose and direction around it. We still continued, but in a hit and miss way, and without the previous energy.
-An example of not wanting conflict. During the past two days, I was "offered" a lower price if we could not issue a receipt twice. It's strange because this rarely happens. These were small bills, in a photocopy shop, and a key maker. The first time, I did ask for a receipt, where I think the guy thought I was not being "collaborative" and was moderately pissed off by me. The second time, remembering the first, I went along with it. But now it was me who was moderately pissed off.
There are many more similar examples. A few weeks ago, I asked Roshi ChatGPT on the Buddhist view on screwing the state in a situation where the other person would be displeased if you don't, and it came with a strong and unambiguous response that the Buddhist view is to not screw the state, since it goes against many of the precepts, and some of them seriously.
Hence, the questions are:
- How do you (and do you have suggestions towards how should I) deal with being criticised for efforts at new sila behaviours? I have taken to not talking about it, until it is well-established, but sometimes this is not an option.
- How do you (and do you have suggestions towards how should I) deal with situations where it is clear to you what the right thing to do is, and you deeply want to do it, but the other person would be somehow displeased or angry or offended, etc. Maybe here being diplomatic is the way.
Answer: In my overcoming-anxiety school we are encouraged to write our suggested answer after raising a question. This primes ourselves away from the problem and towards seeking a solution.
Thus, my answer is, accepting the difficulties (the criticism or the displeasure of the other), go forward and do it anyway.
And stay as quiet as possible about it, except with people that will likely understand.
Thanks for any input.
marcitko
Re: What do you think of modern movies?
Top Gun 2 was a lot of fun, I really liked the sailing sequence where Jennifer Connelly takes Tom Cruise out for a trip to bring a J/125 sailboat to the yard… I know these movies are all about things going fast, but it’s nice for it to be a sailboat for a change and not a jet fighter plane.
But then I think Top Gun 2 is kind of a throwback to an earlier style of movie, it’s got a slightly older cast, but there is still romance. It could have been made in the eighties or nineties. Good to see that it did so well at the box office, too.
Jeroen
