If I achieve enlightenment, who will feed my cat?

sndymorn

If there was ever a candidate for the 'middle way,' it is I. I say this as a person who has bumped around this site for some months now, read some other stuff, thought, , stopped thinking... you know.
One notion I would not mind being disabused of is quite simple: aging (as I am) brings many of us closer to Buddhist' wisdom naturally. In other words, a life lived presents problems and how we deal with these problems can help mold, so to speak, a Buddha mind.
For example, you face a serious (for you) problem when you are 25 years old. Your boss tells you to complete a task in ten days that might normally take twenty.
You lie awake at night trying to figure out a solution, and work like a dog during the day to accomplish the task. You suffer at both work and rest.
At forty, that same assignment , for one who has faced it before and learned its "rhythm" , lived it so to speak, proves just another day at the office.
It is my opinion that life is like this: if you pay attention to what is inside , your emotions, you can live and work productively and calmly. You can shut off many of the voices / negative feelings and knee jerk reactions, and learn how little of it matters in the larger picture. Not only can you do it, you must so that your life gains equanimity. This , in my opinion, is a common life skill one learns as one ages, and it translates well to many Buddhist teachings. Further, (as in Hesse' Siddhartha) Buddha's life story may be as simple as aging while gaining ( with super- human attainment) mindfulness.

I say this understanding that in modern American Buddhism, the largest segment of population growth is the 45 to 60 age group. I wonder what these folks say about this?

zidangus

Nice title,

By the way cats are very good at feeding themself


With Metta

compassionate_warrior

Say about what, sndymorn? That age brings wisdom/mindfulness? What are we discussing here, can you clarify? And why wouldn't you continue to feed your cat after Enlightenment? "After Enlightenment, the laundry", said Jack Kornfield. Chores continue, life goes on.

genkaku

I wonder if age, which provides a selection of experiences that may or may not be decorated with "Buddhist" wallpaper, doesn't likewise make room for new and improved versions of foolishness... a kind of "any conclusion you think you have reached is premature" recognition.

Epicurus

^lol definitely.

It's a sweet thought, but no, aging doesn't make you automatically wiser per se. You can have had all kinds of experiences and still haven't learned anything if you don't have and CONSCIOUSLY develop a certain level of self-awareness and awareness in general.

Most kids aged 5 know more about life than a lot of detestable old people aged 60+.

Jeffrey

Most teens know that their parents are lame

genkaku

Most teens know that their parents are lame

I can't do the quote correctly, but Mark Twain once said something along the lines of, "When I was 14, I was flabbergasted by how dumb my father was. By the time I was 21, it was amazing how smart he had become."

aMatt

“When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished by how much he'd learned in seven years.” -Mark Twain

fivebells

There is something to your speculation @sndymorn, in that the defeats and losses one inevitably experiences can provide very fertile ground for practice. As Uchiyama Roshi said, "Gain and victory are illusion, defeat and loss are enlightenment." Age can force a looser grip on notions of conventional success, as in your work example. It won't suffice, though.

sndymorn

There is something to your speculation @sndymorn, in that the defeats and losses one inevitably experiences can provide very fertile ground for practice. As Uchiyama Roshi said, "Gain and victory are illusion, defeat and loss are enlightenment." Age can force a looser grip on notions of conventional success, as in your work example. It won't suffice, though.

I would posit, as a numbers game, that there are more Catholics closer to a Buddhist layman's view of enlightenment than there are Buddhists close to their own goal ( if it be enlightenment).
I am saying that deep clear thinking , peaceful awakening and purpose are not the purview of the Buddhist, especially among the nascent US Buddhist population. I am further starting that many people, unaware of Buddhist practice, could conceivably be more enlightened that most US practicers.

genkaku

“When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished by how much he'd learned in seven years.” -Mark Twain

Thanks aMatt.

Dakini

Most kids aged 5 know more about life than a lot of detestable old people aged 60+.

Kids do have a natural wisdom. It's because they see life clearly, without prejudices, illusions, or the baggage that can accumulate with age.

Teens know their parents are lame because, unfortunately, too many parents are themselves troubled, or self-absorbed. Sometimes teens end up in the parental role. ...is this off-topic? What is the topic? I guess this is it. You're right, Epicurus--age doesn't necessarily bring wisdom.

IronRabbit

Achieving, aging, problems, tasks, solutions, accomplishing, negative feelings, emotions, learning, gaining, losing, thinking, attainment - so much suffering....

First noble truth confirmed.

Closer and further from enlightenment, more or less aware of Buddhist or Catholic practice seem to have little to no bearing on an awakened state. Faith in Catholicism is surrender to a creative force separate from self and the expectation of reward in an afterlife in return for that surrender. There are many contingencies in Catholicism intended to guide Catholics in a moral life. Shared by Buddhist practice is the notion of surrender - to life - and therefore to death - without fear or doubt. Buddhism relies on "enlightenment", if you will, to inspire adherents to lead a compassionate, loving, ethical life - for its own sake - and to prepare for the very, very important hour of death. Which is the simplest explanation for either practice - conquering the fear of death.

Second, Third and Fourth noble truth confirmed.

Even HHDL says Buddhism is not for everyone - that people should adhere to the religion in which they were raised and taught. So, Catholics with strong faith can be seen to have conquered the ultimate fear - very enlightening. Buddhists faith is in ultimate reality - emptiness - not reliant on a separate god or creator consciousness - not dependent upon right or wrong - completely opposite of Catholicism - yet very, very similar in the end.