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Buddhism - the ultimate half-way house?
Zero
Veteran
@aheerdt posted an interesting thought on non-attachment by being an anti-hoarder - ironically, I am midway through a general declutter around the home and it made me think – the process I follow is this:
1) I favour the ordered meticulous approach so I start somewhere logical (in that for example best to declutter the loft last as it is a general storage area).
2) My litmus is ‘have I actually used this in the not too distant past / can I see a reasonable use for it in the not too distant future / am I being wasteful / could somebody else use it’?
3) Depending on the answer the item is reconditioned, sorted and either placed away for storage or if it is to find another home.... it makes its way to my shed!
Why my shed you may think…. Surely that is just putting the problem off for another day?
My halfway house shed is a useful measure that allows me to live in the decluttered state however it is not the ultimate decluttered state – the process subsequent is that all the items will find new homes over a period – I find that this focuses my mind on the job and I am able to act more efficiently when decision and action are staggered in this way.
This led me to consider the fundamental nature of the Buddhist teachings – Buddha nature is universal and all encompassing – it is inclusive rather than exclusive – prior to the Buddha’s enlightenment, the prevailing path to God / unity / satisfaction was exclusively through suffering and love and expressed universally as unobtainable in this life - the living example of the Buddha serves as a beacon to the path and a timeless inspiration to all.
If we accept that the world as we sense it is an illusion and that the Buddhist path is one path to Buddha nature, then is the Buddhist path itself not just an illusion albeit the most palatable illusion of all - it is akin to my halfway house shed - the closest illusion to the illumination serving to acclimatise us to the Buddha nature.
As such, can the Buddhist path be described as linear? I have noted various posts on this forum where the expression of form is venerated - the question is do you travel from A to B in a path of step-by-step realisation or are you just acclimatising yourself to the Buddha nature generally so you may dispel all illusion (including Buddha teachings) when the time is right for you?
In which case, are Buddhist teachings to be considered as only a half-way house to the ultimate Buddha nature?
1) I favour the ordered meticulous approach so I start somewhere logical (in that for example best to declutter the loft last as it is a general storage area).
2) My litmus is ‘have I actually used this in the not too distant past / can I see a reasonable use for it in the not too distant future / am I being wasteful / could somebody else use it’?
3) Depending on the answer the item is reconditioned, sorted and either placed away for storage or if it is to find another home.... it makes its way to my shed!
Why my shed you may think…. Surely that is just putting the problem off for another day?
My halfway house shed is a useful measure that allows me to live in the decluttered state however it is not the ultimate decluttered state – the process subsequent is that all the items will find new homes over a period – I find that this focuses my mind on the job and I am able to act more efficiently when decision and action are staggered in this way.
This led me to consider the fundamental nature of the Buddhist teachings – Buddha nature is universal and all encompassing – it is inclusive rather than exclusive – prior to the Buddha’s enlightenment, the prevailing path to God / unity / satisfaction was exclusively through suffering and love and expressed universally as unobtainable in this life - the living example of the Buddha serves as a beacon to the path and a timeless inspiration to all.
If we accept that the world as we sense it is an illusion and that the Buddhist path is one path to Buddha nature, then is the Buddhist path itself not just an illusion albeit the most palatable illusion of all - it is akin to my halfway house shed - the closest illusion to the illumination serving to acclimatise us to the Buddha nature.
As such, can the Buddhist path be described as linear? I have noted various posts on this forum where the expression of form is venerated - the question is do you travel from A to B in a path of step-by-step realisation or are you just acclimatising yourself to the Buddha nature generally so you may dispel all illusion (including Buddha teachings) when the time is right for you?
In which case, are Buddhist teachings to be considered as only a half-way house to the ultimate Buddha nature?
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Comments
This may not be what you are saying, however I think there is a place within Buddhism and psychology to say that some issues, some attachment, some something, is simply not what we are doing today. This attachment or issue will be there and we will not excuse it or be attached to solving it today because today is not its day. It is in our shed, we know it is there, we know we will have to take it to goodwill or the dump, but not today. Once that pile of boxes in the shed grows in importance, it becomes an axiety and an avoidance, then clean out those boxes right away. Today however, maybe this lifetime in fact, is not its time
I feel so deep this morning, LOL
How do you feel about buddhist practice itself being the half-way house....? Perhaps justification to break form and express yourself when the shed is full enough for you??
Maybe a step too far but could that be what the Buddha himself did when he reworked his own learnt form, attained buddha nature and then turned to teach the world?
Ah space