optimism and non-duality

gracelee

Hello

is there room for optimism in buddhism?.... the concept on non-duality is that there is no such thing as positive and negative without our judgment. so in that case the ideal would be to live between optimism and pessimism?...

optimists generally have a better time than pessimists, they are more likely to survive illness and disaster etc So I feel I would prefer to be an optimist.

how do you find the balance between blind optimism and wallowing in negativity?

thanks

Grace

music

There is no need to decide beforehand. Take things as they come.

lobster

Don't be blind, don't wallow. Take things as they come as @music says.
Be present . . . rather than a presentation (well that is me out)

taiyaki

When it comes to non duality that is only possible when groundlessness is recognized experientially.

Then both negativity and positivity hold no basis yet are fully expressed.

So in that sense infinite suffering and infinite wisdom.

But generally that isn't possible until we are bodhisattvas (first bhumi).

So until then we avoid the negative, cultivate the positive, while cultivating wisdom. Then suffering and even bliss will level out for peace.

So yes stay as optimistic as possible, but never turn your life away from suffering, face it and cut through.

pegembara

how do you find the balance between blind optimism and wallowing in negativity?

When you are always seeing the cup as 1/2 full try to sometimes view it as 1/2 empty and vice versa. In this way you are neither blindly optimistic nor negative but just realistic.

Realist>optimist>pessimist

Florian

Hmm. What about when the cup actually is more than 1/2 empty?

But like @Taiyaki I suspect that the solution is take the 'I' out of the question. Not easily done though.

John_Spencer

gracelee said:

Hello

is there room for optimism in buddhism?....

I can't think of a more optimistic belief than that Enlightenment is already with you.

riverflow

gracelee said:

how do you find the balance between blind optimism and wallowing in negativity?

The problem is not "positive" vs. "negative" because both are simply opposite ends of the same spectrum. The idea that life should be one or the other is the problem, because life can't be tied down so easily.

How about instead seeking "positive" or "negative," learn to cultivate peace and equanimity? That way, whatever comes our way from one moment to the next, it doesn't *have* to be "positive" or "negative" at all.

pegembara

Florian said:

Hmm. What about when the cup actually is more than 1/2 empty?

But like @Taiyaki I suspect that the solution is take the 'I' out of the question. Not easily done though.

That is still better than empty.

footiam

gracelee said:

Hello

is there room for optimism in buddhism?.... the concept on non-duality is that there is no such thing as positive and negative without our judgment. so in that case the ideal would be to live between optimism and pessimism?...

optimists generally have a better time than pessimists, they are more likely to survive illness and disaster etc So I feel I would prefer to be an optimist.

how do you find the balance between blind optimism and wallowing in negativity?

thanks

Grace

Buddha says life is suffering but there is a way out of suffering. Buddhists sit and get numb in the hope of obtaining Nirvana. Optimistic, no? Or say, if you don't believe God and live in sin, you'll be burned in Hell. Optimistic? No?

karmablues

gracelee said:

So I feel I would prefer to be an optimist.

If being an optimist means that when you encounter a stressful situation, you nonetheless would like to keep a feeling of hope that things will change for the better then there are many aspects of Buddhism that is supportive for those who want to be such an optimist.

For example, through confidence in the law of impermanence, we can have hope that a stressful situation will eventually change for the better. Under the law of karma, we can be confident that as long as we are virtuous in the present, then we will receive positive and beneficial results in the future. And as "person" mentioned in a topic he started, the Four Noble Truths are actually a very optimistic way of looking at life, because we can always be hopeful that no matter how much suffering we are experiencing, we can eventually be free from all suffering through practice of the Noble Eightfold Path.

In the words of Thich Nhat Hanh,

Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.

At the same time, I think we should also define optimism as the ability to see the positive aspects of any given situation. Therefore, it is quite possible that although we hope for things to improve, sometimes things may not turn out in the way we hope them to and thus we become disappointed. In this situation, an optimist should have the ability to see the positive aspect of such an outcome. What is positive in any given situation will depend, but in general I think we can always try to see stressful situations as an opportunity to learn, perhaps learning skills for coping with difficult situations, or learning about the harsh realities of life which can be a source for our emotional growth and make us become more wise. I think if we look back into the past, it is often the case that the many important life lessons we've learned come out of difficult/stressful situations.