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Boredom and ....... Buddhahood?

betaboybetaboy Veteran
in Buddhism Basics
An enlightened master once said: Boredom is a sign that you're on the way to becoming a Buddha. If everything bores you, then your mind is ready to drop all ideas and craving, stimulation and clinging - in short, the mind is so bored by everything that it doesn't seek escape (from that boredom) in any specific activity, be it worldly or spiritual. It realizes the futility of escapes (since even escapes become boring in due time). Boredom therefore stills the mind. And in that stillness the truth is revealed.

Agree or disagree? Is boredom a hint that you're evolving spiritually?
What are your insights?

Comments

  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited January 2014
    Boredom is a distorted quality of the awakened heart. It is projected on all things. Because boredom pervades experience (like depression) and colors all phenomena it shows the nature of mind to go into thought worlds, in this case boredom. It is the spaciousness of mind that allows boredom to pervade all experience like this. It is distorted, however, from habitual thinking.
    EvenThird
  • fivebellsfivebells Veteran
    @betaboy, can you give a citation, please?
    DharmaMcBum
  • howhow Veteran Veteran
    edited January 2014
    Boredom is actually suffering's teaching saying that it's time to pay more attention to what is really going on.
    JeffreyupekkaEvenThird
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    betaboy said:

    An enlightened master once said: Boredom is a sign that you're on the way to becoming a Buddha. .......Boredom therefore stills the mind. And in that stillness the truth is revealed.

    Agree or disagree? Is boredom a hint that you're evolving spiritually?
    What are your insights?

    fivebells said:

    @betaboy, can you give a citation, please?

    I was going to request the same thing.

    @ betaboy, Which "Enlightened Master" would that be, exactly?

    Would you please supply link/source.

    Thanks.
    DharmaMcBum
  • Nek777Nek777 Explorer
    I googled the italics part but didn't come up with anything. The 11th Trungpa had a whole riff about boredom in The Myth of Freedom - somewhat close to the OP.
  • lobsterlobster Crusty Veteran
    Boredom therefore stills the mind. And in that stillness the truth is revealed.
    Still boring us with platitudes that would make Deepak Chopping blush? Enlightened master indeed. I have read better in fortune cookies from the terminally depressed . . . and from esteemed Buddhists with nothing better in their mind stream . . .

    Same time tomorrow?

    image

    EvenThirdpoptart
  • robotrobot Veteran
    What I'm getting a laugh out of is that betaboy is arguing for mindfulness in one thread and against it in another one at the same time.
    I can see why boredom is on his mind in this one. Wishful thinking.
  • ChazChaz The Remarkable Chaz Anywhere, Everywhere & Nowhere Veteran
    Actually, Chogyam Trungpa spoke eloquently about boredom in at least one of his books. I recall him stating that boredom in one's practice was a Good Thing and not to be shirked or discounted.

    I can't give you chapter/verse, and don't care to, but like the idea of awakening via a sandal to the forehead offending some, you are free to be offended by Trungpa as well. After all, it is still your karma.
    JeffreyDandelion
  • ChazChaz The Remarkable Chaz Anywhere, Everywhere & Nowhere Veteran
    robot said:

    What I'm getting a laugh out of is that betaboy is arguing for mindfulness in one thread and against it in another one at the same time.

    I'm getting a laugh out of how quick some people are to completely discount something simply because a certain somebody posted it.

    Even a liar can tell the truth.



    betaboyKundo
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    You can find Trungpa talking about boredom (or is it depression) in the Lion's Roarhttp://www.shambhala.org/teachers/vctr/lionsroar.html
  • BhikkhuJayasaraBhikkhuJayasara Bhikkhu Veteran
    edited January 2014
    There is a big difference between having bordom with the world and seeing dissatisfaction in it(which is required to move towards awakening)

    And in the vein of the comic masters... "how do you know the master is an enlightened being?"

    "cause he looks like one!"

    "This isnt my halo its a false one! "

    " did you dress him like this?"

    "well we did do the robes... And the halo"

    "he turned me into a newt!.... Well i got better. "
  • MeisterBobMeisterBob Mindful Agnathiest CT , USA Veteran
    edited May 2014

    To me boredom is the mind's dissatisfaction with the present moment and it's desire to get on to "other things"- it's desire for stimulation. If I am bored I'm suffering from diminished awareness of the present moment. Instead "what is going on here?" I'm thinking - Ok, whats next? Occasionally I'll find myself there and either simply find something I enjoy doing or "look deeper " into the boredom ,observe it, be with it. Either way works for me. Move a muscle,change a thought or just observe as in "what is going on here? "... Bob

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