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if there is no soul why are we should be enlightened one?
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Hello everyone I am new member of this site. i am little bit confused about it please explain to me
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If you are really new to Buddhism, understanding the teaching of non-self is probably not going to 'click' with you instantly over night. It is advised that we do a lot of searching and answer finding ourselves in Buddhism but of course we do need guidance from time to time.
To be an enlightened being is the ultimate goal yes, this is because you are then free of suffering, delusion and ignorance that binds us in the world of samsara. There is no soul as such in Buddhism, but there is a you, you do of course exist, but you are always changing from moment to moment physically and mentally. As ignorant beings (that is not a nasty term if it comes across that way), we bump and stumble through life clinging to this notion of self that is static and solid, ours, our own things we own. This causes a lot of suffering and can be the root of many evil things in the world. So to be enlightened helps us understand the world as it is, it helps us have compassion for our well being and those around us, and it gives us wisdom. Of course you can have a lot of wisdom, compassion and understanding without being enlightened, the path to the goal is often seen as the goal itself, from moment to moment.
It is hard to explain such things to somebody who is new to something like this, so I would advise you to do some reading on quality books or webpages and start to meditate if you are interested in seeking further insight into your question.
"To deal with doubt a skilful meditator pursues a silent gathering of evidence, reviewing it only at the end to uncover its meaning. It is helpful to talk to someone who has great confidence in the Buddha and his teachings. Doubt can only be truly overcome, however, by our own practice of the Buddha’s teaching and by discovering the truth for ourselves. The Buddha said many times, “Come and see for yourself.” Similarly,
The end of doubt, in meditation, is described by a mind which has full trust in the silence, and so doesn't interfere with any inner speech. Like having a good chauffeur, one sits silently on the journey out of trust in the driver. Number two of the Ten Fetters of Buddhism.
There are many different presentations on the internet regarding The Five Hindrances, some good, some not so good. Mine above is a modification of one the best, edited and reformated for our purposes here. However, the best most comprehensive one is not truly a website at all, but a chapter titled "Working With The Five Hindrances" in two books by Matthew Flickstein of which portions are accessible through Google Books"
The 5 hindrances are -
Sense Desire
Ill-will or Aversion
Sloth and Torpor
Restlessness and Anxiety
Doubt
After a few years of practicing myself I have noticed a change in my consciousness, the way I act and view situations or people. It is a slow and steady change for me at least, but it is a positive change nonetheless. At the beginning I was almost drowning in material, all these teachings and concepts, what the hell do they mean? I just don't get it etc.. You just need to take it slowly and if you don't understand something then don't put yourself down, it will come in time if you give it the time and effort.
What are you? I demanded in my best 'Buddha voice'.
It dissolved. Nothing was said.
This is what i mean when i say philosophy/religions can either make or break you!
'Ideally' , the man without questions 'is' the enlightened man, absolute!
Im guessing you are now at a point where you are asking, seeking, and doubting , and ill be honest , it isnt a nice feeling! You will start to suffer more and more. Unless of course, either 2 things can happen;
1. Buddhism (or whatever you're studying) CLICKS with you!
And you fully 'get it' - you 'understand' and the path 'becomes' you . (In other words - you had ab enlightened moment and all the confusion will fade! Then you can go back 'chopping wood and carrying water......
Or
2. Or this can happen;; you just wont 'get' any religion or philosophy , because maybe its just not for you! Dont forget , every philosophy is just someones 'elses' ideas/opinions.. And you may not be 'satisfied' until you 'find' your own idea (your own mind)
So you will suffer and suffer and , Until you have had 'enough' of the suffering!
Then that allows us to finally give up the search , and instead, we just 'become' the path - we stop suffering and seeking because we have simply had enough of the suffering and seeking!
Hense, you become enlightened and can then go back to 'chopping wood, and carrying water...
( good luck ) hope your 'seeking/suffering' mind doesnt last too long !
I did not become a seeker to be a saught thought.
Oh no!
I seek to find. The soul is a nice idea, a bit like the theory of negative pholigisten
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phlogiston_theory
No longer required.
The aspects of Buddhism that I find true, become self evident gnosis.
If I ever find a soul I can sell it for a ton of negative pholigisten . . .
:thumbsup:
Now, may I ask you a question in return? If you did have a soul, why would you seek to be enlightened? If to be enlightened means to stop the birth-death-rebirth cycle, then why would you want to end your existence? It's not like only enlightened souls go to a Buddhist Heaven to sit around for eternity singing Buddha's praises, you know.
It's not a rhetorical question. What do you think enlightenment is? And if you turn out not to have a soul, then what is it sitting there reading this? Those are two important questions you need to chew on.
The difficulty, IMO, is in knowing whether you see things as they really are or not.
In Buddhism, the continuity of being in Hinduism and eternal residency in Heaven bound fantastically constructed 'theologies'/lies, only exists in degenerate dharma.
After careful introspection, the enlightened Buddhists have found no self and no soul. If you find different, we will be pleased to evaluate the evidence for a few hundred years or more . . .
What is Buddhism all about? It's about working to discover what it's all about.
:om: