how do you let go of life's unanswerable questions?

Mateeah

I'm the type of person who is always asking questions, but now my questions are a little more complicated and can't be answered. I find myself frequently pondering things that I know deep down can't be answered and should be left alone, such as what happens after you die (I am agnostic about rebirth) and why this is life. I told me the Buddha divided all question into four categories and one is questions that are better left alone. How do you leave them alone and let them go? To me these questions are so important so I find it difficult letting them go, but I want to because they leave me confused and suffering.

Cinorjer

Keep chewing on them while practicing the Middle Way. Eventually, your mind will get tired of it. Some people have a need to ask the big questions, and some don't.

Dakini

OP, have you read books like: "Life After Life", and other books about Near Death Experiences? I find them to be very thought-provoking.

BhikkhuJayasara

Mateeah said:

I'm the type of person who is always asking questions, but now my questions are a little more complicated and can't be answered. I find myself frequently pondering things that I know deep down can't be answered and should be left alone, such as what happens after you die (I am agnostic about rebirth) and why this is life. I told me the Buddha divided all question into four categories and one is questions that are better left alone. How do you leave them alone and let them go? To me these questions are so important so I find it difficult letting them go, but I want to because they leave me confused and suffering.

Practice.. in my own experience the more I've practiced.. the less important those questions have become. Constantly asking/thinking about these questions is in reality an escape from the present moment, they are flights of fancy that I've taken innumerable times in my life and simply a waste of time. This is what the unconjecturables is all about.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an04/an04.077.than.html

the buddha only lists 4, including the nature of the universe( beginning, end etc)... but in my experience there are many many more lol. When you start going off on these flights of fancy, observe your mind.. observe what it's doing.. and try to see deeper into WHY it's doing it... then you'll have your answer.

lobster

Is there a cod? Without fishing we may never know unless we dive into the ocean of suffering, without wriggling on the end of our own hook. Suffering is not dependent on questions of how deep the ocean is but attaching to ones sinking feeling as drowning, rather than diving . . . :hiding:

Rodrigo

Mateeah said:

I'm the type of person who is always asking questions, but now my questions are a little more complicated and can't be answered. I find myself frequently pondering things that I know deep down can't be answered and should be left alone, such as what happens after you die (I am agnostic about rebirth) and why this is life. I told me the Buddha divided all question into four categories and one is questions that are better left alone. How do you leave them alone and let them go? To me these questions are so important so I find it difficult letting them go, but I want to because they leave me confused and suffering.

When these questions arise, you have a good opportunity to practice living in doubt. They can bring a sense of awe, humility and even amusement when we realize how little we know.

karasti

I think about it sometimes. not the questions themselves so much but why we think they are so important. I think knowing the answers would actually make our life here less sincere and unique and more difficult in some ways. I think they are unanswerable until we experience them because they have to be that way in order for us to have the chance to experience life.

That said, I don't think about the questions themselves nearly as much as I used to. I find much more solace and peace in focusing on what I can do right now. Quite often I'll remind myself "A bus could crash into me right now and kill me" and that reminds me to appreciate all moments, even the mundane and difficult. What happens in the next moment, in part, depends on what I do in this moment. So that is the only one I worry about. How did I let go? There was no magic in it. It just gradually happened through more practice and pondering of my own mind and what was behind the desire to know the answers to such questions.

Sometimes it's still hard. I laid awake many nights after the Newtown shooting trying to figure out how my beliefs applied to such a horrific situation and some of the possible answers that came were mighty uncomfortable. But it passed with time as they always do and I just accept that there is a reason I don't know the answer. It's possible humanity will eventually have some of those answers, just like we've answered questions in the past that seemed unanswerable. But I think humanity as a whole has to evolve or progress to a certain level before we can really benefit from having the answers to those questions.

Jeffrey

I don't think questioning what happens after you die is necessarily bad. You might come to the conclusion that you don't know and have peace from not knowing. Also you might be able to follow some of the scriptural notions of death in your own meditation as you drop out of consciousness. There is a death meditation that is taught in Tibetan Buddhism. I think asking why there be a life also has a positive side in that we find that there is a meaning to life that we can find right here and now. There is a joy at being alive and a fear of death. What is this? You may not be able to answer, but I think reflecting sharpens up our awareness and increases appreciation. Some masters meditated on the question of when the instant of their death would be and upon realizing that it was totally unknown they experienced a great peace. I think it might have been Milarepa who reflected.

Deepankar

You are asking those including yourself have not experienced death yet. Simply from buddha is that your present life and materialism was from your past deeds, and the future after you die is determined by your present deeds. Basically the desire life of living beings.

lamaramadingdong

I dunno...
There, that was easy.

charirama

I believe those questions are worth asking. In fact, we probably would not be participating in the forum if we had not, at one time or another, asked ourselves these questions.

After pondering such things that we begin to realize what is really important is not speculation about the afterlife but the life we are living now so just go out there and "be nice."

In other words, pondering such things is probably a good thing but dwelling on them may end up being a distraction.

federica

Simple:
Ask yourself;

"Why do I ponder the Imponderable?"

That should keep you busy.....

There is much peace to be gained from simply answering - or even hearing, from another - "I don't know."

And that's OK.

genkaku

Practice with determination. Practice will tell you how to live life. And when you live life, death is not a problem.

Sabre

There is no need to let these questions go forever. Rebirth is not an imponderable, neither is why you are alive. Answering those is a big part of Buddhism as I see it.

But if you can train yourself to be in the moment and be contented with what is, all questions will fall away, at least temporarily. And with a clearer mind, perhaps someday you will get an answer. Just know that it won't be an intellectual one, so no need to think it through until your brain hurts!

pegembara

how do you let go of life's unanswerable questions?

@Mateeath

By looking within.

"Is it possible, lord, by traveling, to know or see or reach a far end of the cosmos where one does not take birth, age, die, pass away or reappear?"

[When this was said, the Blessed One responded:] "I tell you, friend, that it is not possible by traveling to know or see or reach a far end of the cosmos where one does not take birth, age, die, pass away, or reappear. But at the same time, I tell you that there is no making an end of suffering & stress without reaching the end of the cosmos. Yet it is just within this fathom-long body, with its perception & intellect, that I declare that there is the cosmos, the origination of the cosmos, the cessation of the cosmos, and the path of practice leading to the cessation of the cosmos."

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an04/an04.045.than.html

Bunks

I have heard of research completed in the USA attempting to gauge what causes unhappiness with people.

Apparently one of the main causes is thinking too much.

Let it be...

Patr

Think of life as one big test, do well and you progress, screw up, then regress.
If there's no rebirth, then who cares,... heaven, hell, rebirth all cant be proven. Also GOD for that matter.




Bah!

seeker242

Then don't let it go. Turn it into a Hwadu and use it to practice and gain insight. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hua_Tou

footiam

Mateeah said:

I'm the type of person who is always asking questions, but now my questions are a little more complicated and can't be answered. I find myself frequently pondering things that I know deep down can't be answered and should be left alone, such as what happens after you die (I am agnostic about rebirth) and why this is life. I told me the Buddha divided all question into four categories and one is questions that are better left alone. How do you leave them alone and let them go? To me these questions are so important so I find it difficult letting them go, but I want to because they leave me confused and suffering.

I suppose it won't help then if I share with you something I heard about the great Chinese philosopher, Kung Fu Tze, better known in the West as Confucius. It is said that when people asked him about life after death, he would just ask them not to worry too much. Life's problems at hand need to be solved first. I would add, why worry about the problem after death which may not exist.

David

To me it's more of being unattached to any particular outcome rather than dropping the asking altogether... I love to theorise but because the answers are unknowable for now I don't let myself have faith in any answers I come up with.

jonny44

just remember if its something u must know, youll know it... if its not dont worry:) i think people are hardwired to find an answer to all things, because if we know everything thats in the dark room we will b a little less scared.

Straight_Man

The imponderable questions of life....

Pondering is dwelling upon-- sounds/looks/reads like what is being taught here is not to DWELL on these things. Wonder is a different thing than pondering to me, but saying "I don't know" to wonder and getting on with dealing mentally and practically with the present is reasonable to me also.

Deepankar

It is neither complex nor simple yet either simple or complex to explain it. It will be favourable if to attend a complete dharma sharing especially n mandarin as yhe structure is so much elaborative. Otherwise, just visit your thoughts etc by tearing it into a goddamn particle and then further tearing this goddamn particle in goddamn particle.

Wisdom23

Dont force yourself to let go. practise the dharma and in time you will have let go without realising.

genkaku

"How do you leave them alone and let them go?"

Hold on tight!

dwitiya

This was a question, that I often dwelt on, with great fear. After my first Vipassana course, it no longer bothers me. I learnt to accept Change,and Impermanence; it will be what it will be, worrying about it is not going to give me the answer,or change the outcome
However, if you cannot let go, perhaps beating it to Death (LOL!), with Hwadu meditation, as suggested by Seeker242, may help you get rid of the obsession!.

P.S. By the way, if you do find the answer, through Hwadu, please share it, with us!

Gui

Pondering unanswerable questions from time to time can be an absurd but enjoyable passing of time. But if I find myself worrying about this or that, I remember a good story I read years ago about a fellow who wanted to know the answer to this question,"why are we born only to suffer and die?". It so happened that he found an elixer that gave him immortality. So he decided to hang around until viable space travel was invented and then go looking for God around the cosmos so he could ask God that question. After many adventures on various inhabited planets, he came to the end of the universe and found the last creature who knew God personally (God had left town by then, so to speak). So he asked this ancient creature his question, "Why are we born only to suffer and die?" The creature took a sip of beer, belched, and replied, "Why not?".
Then I ask myself my daily question. "Do you worry?" And all is well.

driedleaf

There are no definite answers. We are constantly living out our interpretation of the answer(s) to those questions. Could we be any further from correct if we are enjoying the fruits of our actions? Maybe the answers are always there, but we just need to further ourselves down the path to see it.

Nevermind

federica said:

Simple:
Ask yourself;

"Why do I ponder the Imponderable?"

That should keep you busy.....

There is much peace to be gained from simply answering - or even hearing, from another - "I don't know."

And that's OK.

So how is the "I don't know" approach working out for you? Are you at peace?

Niwalen

I have been having similar problems of late, unfortunately my 'mind wanderings' seem to take me to very dark places that usually end up with me spending hours trying to avoid a panic attack which are the current bane of my life

misecmisc1

try to figure out - 'who' is asking those imponderable questions - after all, the answer to those imponderable questions are to be given back to that 'who', who is asking it.

Florian

I see no point in pondering questions that the intellect cannot answer, but I feel that there are fewer of these questions than most people imagine. Buddhist philosophy answers most questions, it's just that the answers can make little sense and will be of little use if the philosophising is not informed by practice.

misecmisc1

Florian said:

I see no point in pondering questions that the intellect cannot answer, but I feel that there are fewer of these questions than most people imagine. Buddhist philosophy answers most questions, it's just that the answers can make little sense and will be of little use if the philosophising is not informed by practice.

But those few questions which Buddhism does not answer - or in a way Buddha did not answered as per the Sutras - are those questions, whose answer (whatever you imagine) still cannot be figured out through imagination and logical reasoning. But since answering those questions did not help in reducing suffering, so Buddha did not answered those questions.

Florian

Yes. But I would suggest that the teachings answer more questions than they are sometimes given credit for. Buddhism answers all metaphysical questions, yet is often said to have no answers for them and they are sometimes called imponderable. No doubt they are imponderable at the limit, but they can be answered in principle.

Florian

PS. Also, although these answers may not help a Buddhist to reduce suffering or properly understand final truths, they may lead other people to the idea that Buddhism is a method for doing so, and if this leads to the odd new recruit then overall suffering may have been reduced. We live in a sceptical age, and it seems important to say that Buddhism does survive philosophical analysis, in case we want to test it intellectually before taking the plunge into practice. I say this because it was the fact that Buddhism answers philosophical questions and withstands logical analysis that led me to take up the practice. For this reason, I presume, I seem to believe that such analysis is more valuable than is commonly thought.