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Buddhism and violent death
Let´s see here a extreme example, it´s better to exhibit the theme. Let´s see you, a normal man, for any reason, in the next future some people will rape him, hurt him corporeal, humilhate him and then kill him. In wars and some places in Africa these things happen.
Would a buddist guy be worried about this, or would only view the present? Would ignore theses terrible situations because theses situations couldn´t be avoided? Would be possible in these situations don´t feel pain, even thought the pain is corporeal?
I know it´s a extreme example, but it´s good to understand what buddhism says, because it´s to complicated to me. I´m a beginner, and live in South America.
Cheers guys.
Would a buddist guy be worried about this, or would only view the present? Would ignore theses terrible situations because theses situations couldn´t be avoided? Would be possible in these situations don´t feel pain, even thought the pain is corporeal?
I know it´s a extreme example, but it´s good to understand what buddhism says, because it´s to complicated to me. I´m a beginner, and live in South America.
Cheers guys.
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Comments
Welcome on board and what a question to launch your membership with. Are you currently involved with any school of Buddhism? Do you have any practice or are you just having a casual look around?
Namaste
The body, by its very nature, experiences pain. There's no way around that barring something like serious nerve damage.
As for the rest, I don't think it's even worth answering.
Jason
I´m christian, start to read about buddhism one month ago. I´m still doing a casual look, but I have a open mind.
So Jason, the psysical pain is the only duhka that man can´t avoid right? Is it the only exception to Buda lessons?
A friend askes that question to me just by curiosity, and I didn´t know how to answer, because yes, the psysical pain it´s the only duhka you can´t avoid. So you have fear of this, I think it´s a impossible a guy don´t feel fear in front of so much danger, in that situation I had mentioned.
How buddist would interpret this stuff.?
Thanks guys.
While the Buddha did include both mental and physical pain in his description of dukkha, sickness and physical pain are not necessarily experienced as dukkha, especially by an arahant, i.e., a person whose mind is free of defilement.
According to the Buddha, with the presence of clinging in regard to the five aggregates, bodily phenomena such as sickness and physical pain are experienced as suffering; however, without the presence of clinging, the experience of bodily phenomena such as sickness and physical pain are not experienced as suffering.
In other words, although nibbana — the summum bonum of Buddhism — is said to be the cessation of suffering, that doesn't mean that a person will not feel physical pain or discomfort, but it does mean that such feelings will no longer cause mental suffering, emotional distress, etc. I think this is made clear in the simile of the dart found in SN 36.6:
"When an untaught worldling is touched by a painful (bodily) feeling, he worries and grieves, he laments, beats his breast, weeps and is distraught. He thus experiences two kinds of feelings, a bodily and a mental feeling. It is as if a man were pierced by a dart and, following the first piercing, he is hit by a second dart. So that person will experience feelings caused by two darts. It is similar with an untaught worldling: when touched by a painful (bodily) feeling, he worries and grieves, he laments, beats his breast, weeps and is distraught. So he experiences two kinds of feeling: a bodily and a mental feeling.
"Having been touched by that painful feeling, he resists (and resents) it. Then in him who so resists (and resents) that painful feeling, an underlying tendency of resistance against that painful feeling comes to underlie (his mind). Under the impact of that painful feeling he then proceeds to enjoy sensual happiness. And why does he do so? An untaught worldling, O monks, does not know of any other escape from painful feelings except the enjoyment of sensual happiness. Then in him who enjoys sensual happiness, an underlying tendency to lust for pleasant feelings comes to underlie (his mind). He does not know, according to facts, the arising and ending of these feelings, nor the gratification, the danger and the escape, connected with these feelings. In him who lacks that knowledge, an underlying tendency to ignorance as to neutral feelings comes to underlie (his mind). When he experiences a pleasant feeling, a painful feeling or a neutral feeling, he feels it as one fettered by it. Such a one, O monks, is called an untaught worldling who is fettered by birth, by old age, by death, by sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair. He is fettered by suffering, this I declare.
"But in the case of a well-taught noble disciple, O monks, when he is touched by a painful feeling, he will not worry nor grieve and lament, he will not beat his breast and weep, nor will he be distraught. It is one kind of feeling he experiences, a bodily one, but not a mental feeling. It is as if a man were pierced by a dart, but was not hit by a second dart following the first one. So this person experiences feelings caused by a single dart only. It is similar with a well-taught noble disciple: when touched by a painful feeling, he will no worry nor grieve and lament, he will not beat his breast and weep, nor will he be distraught. He experiences one single feeling, a bodily one.
"Having been touched by that painful feeling, he does not resist (and resent) it. Hence, in him no underlying tendency of resistance against that painful feeling comes to underlie (his mind). Under the impact of that painful feeling he does not proceed to enjoy sensual happiness. And why not? As a well-taught noble disciple he knows of an escape from painful feelings other than by enjoying sensual happiness. Then in him who does not proceed to enjoy sensual happiness, no underlying tendency to lust for pleasant feelings comes to underlie (his mind). He knows, according to facts, the arising and ending of those feelings, and the gratification, the danger and the escape connected with these feelings. In him who knows thus, no underlying tendency to ignorance as to neutral feelings comes to underlie (his mind). When he experiences a pleasant feeling, a painful feeling or a neutral feeling, he feels it as one who is not fettered by it. Such a one, O monks, is called a well-taught noble disciple who is not fettered by birth, by old age, by death, by sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair. He is not fettered to suffering, this I declare.
"This, O monks, is the distinction, the diversity, the difference that exists between a well-taught noble disciple and an untaught worldling."
Jason