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Is it possible to be Buddhist and still enjoy everyday things in life?
Hi i am new here and quite confused.
Ever since I have been contemplating Buddhism I have seemed to lose interest in the arts that I strived so hard to be good at in the past. They seem to have lost meaning and I have developed a sort of apathy and along with it a sense of confusion too.
I was a musician and very greatly appreciated the beauty of music, art, everything...
Now I don't know what to think but I feel that if I continue with everyday life the way I used to and engage in the arts and life that I will lose sight of the ultimate goal.
But I don't want to be apathetic either...
Any advice and help is appreciated. I hope I have come to the right place.
Ever since I have been contemplating Buddhism I have seemed to lose interest in the arts that I strived so hard to be good at in the past. They seem to have lost meaning and I have developed a sort of apathy and along with it a sense of confusion too.
I was a musician and very greatly appreciated the beauty of music, art, everything...
Now I don't know what to think but I feel that if I continue with everyday life the way I used to and engage in the arts and life that I will lose sight of the ultimate goal.
But I don't want to be apathetic either...
Any advice and help is appreciated. I hope I have come to the right place.
0
Comments
There certainly is no prohibition on enjoying the arts in Buddhism.
Maybe your interests are just sort of rearranging themselves. There are a lot of beautiful things in Buddhism that we all enjoy.
It is possible you have a similar personality to me. I used to be a drummer, I was obsessed with music. The more I learnt about and pracitced Buddhism, the more my desire for music faded away. I have a tendency to focus on one thing at a time and forget everything else. This has both positive and negative effects. The positive is that I tend to learn things faster than most people, then negative is that if I am not careful I can become unbalanced and neglectful of other areas of life.
If you are going to be obsessed about anything, there is no object more wholesome than the Dhamma. Just try to make sure that you don't become so unbalanced that you fall over. Slow and steady wins the race. (Dhamma practice isn't a race, but you know what I mean
With Metta,
Guy
I actually find that I become much more expressive musically (though I can only read tab, and can't improvise worth a peanut) after a couple meditation sessions.
Guy - Thanks for pointing that out. It is probably the case that I have become so amazed and focused on these teachings that all else has fallen to the side -- in a similar way to when I started up with the guitar and piano years ago (I wouldn't do anything else).
and Gecko - that helps to clarify a little. Gives me some hope to continue learning along this path and maybe I will see what you mean...
.
I remain passionate about music (good thing since it is how I earn a living)
I remain passionate about playing Goal in hockey.
I think there is a danger for those new to Buddhism to think non-attachment = indifference to life, which just isn't the case.
That said, a few years ago I spoke with Ajahn Sona, the head monk at a near by Theravada monastery (Thai forest) who used to be a professional classical guitarist before renouncing all to become a monk. He hasn't even picked up a guitar since.
Well said.
This reminds me of a Dharma Joke. Why is the Dharma Path like the Blues Brothers movie?
At first you think your "On a mission from GOD" then you realize your" 106 miles from chicago, got a half a tank of gas, it's dark, and your wearing Sunglasses" Then your Dharma path begins. "Hit it" (The Pillow)
I think I appreciate my musical ability more than ever now. But I don't stress if I can't pickup a bass guitar all the time. Lucky for me, I can sing anywhere
I don't think you have to renounce everything. I think the growth comes from letting go of the attachments that go with enjoyment.
And right now, that means not worrying about the hail striking my car :rolleyes:
In metta,
Raven
I don't think it is possible to make blanket statements like 'After practicing for awhile you will lose interest in (fill in the blank with something specific)<fill in="" the="" blank="" with="" something="" specific="">. In the example of music, one person may have been using it for distraction and another may not have. The person who was using it to keep busy or distract the mind will likely lose interest in it over time, the other probably won't.
Many Buddhists have also been very accomplished in other areas such as the arts so I don't think blanket statements can be made other than one will lose their taste for distractions and things to busy themselves with over time.</fill>
As I've explored the meaning and value of that search, it became meaningless to me. I haven't picked up a guitar in 5 years. Now that I have some perspective, I may start playing again (after re-building callouses). However, it will be with a different motivation. My motivation for wanting to play again NOW is to bring people happiness and enjoyment. It isn't to "leave something behind" (which, when I examined it, isn't possible anyway, whatever out lives my body will eventually itself die, so my initial motivation for the arts was wrong).
I suppose that Bhuddist disciple can work that way in any stream of endeavor. In another post I said the same thinking that Bhuddism can work in politics, economy and administration and benefit the society in unsurpassed ways. I do not look upon it as getting involved in wordly matters. It is another dimension of compassion; a peaceful and orderly society will help people to be on buddhist path more easily.
Theory 1>
He felt that the monks were getting ill, unfit and fat, spending all their time in meditation. So he devised a method to train their body as well.
Theory 2>
He taught the monks Martial arts that he learn't in his home country after the monastery started to get attacked by bandits.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhidharma
Interestingly enough, Shaolin Kung Fu does resemble Ancient Tibetan Martial Arts, as well as some Indian Martial Arts, not to mention Japanese Ninjutsu.
Shaolin Kung Fu has also influenced many other martial arts over the years.
All interesting stuff in my opinion.
I don't expect or want to use martial arts for self-defense, but the system I am learning has been effective for others when they needed it, which is good to know should the need arise. If running away from a potentially violent situation is the best thing for myself and others, then that will be my first choice.
I would bring awareness to the situation. Just try to see it clearly. I think that the fading of enthusiasm is the barrier to engaging in art. Even if you gave up buddhism you might still have a faded deadened enthusiasm for art. That is sad. Do you think that is how it is? Or do you think that if you gave up buddhism your joy for art would come back?
Some of this sounds like discursive thoughts you are having but it might be delusion. The only way to test it out would be to try to go back to arts. And see how buddhism interacts with that. Only you can know your own experience.
Whatever you choose don't be divided. Don't knock yourself for choosing the one or the other otherwise whichever you choose you lose. Give yourself space to be an artist if that is what you wish.
There is no reason why you couldn't be an 'awake' artist. But it might mean you spend more time practicing and creating than meditating. I feel that when you are too draconic about meditating that would be a shame anyway. An artist can be an awake being too. Its just a different 'form'. Reading sutras or reading poetry its all still awareness.
Whichever you choose there you will be. You can't avoid that.
Hi Binn,
I think what you are going to find here is not advice on how not to be apathetic (not that i would call it 'apathetic') but rather sharing of similar experiences...
After my entry to Buddhism, (not the ceremonial entry, but the actual mental entry whereby thinking and habits were shifted to a different perspective) certain things no longer applied, for instance, i love singing, writing, things on the aesthetic side, but they suddenly dipped for me in terms of attractiveness. My circle of friends who could no longer sync with my thinking slowly changed...
When one has a deeper understanding of truth or dharma, then it becomes necessary for some change to occur. We can't keep things constant while changing... let yourself be natural. If you find that the interests drop away, let it be... it is a phase.
Later on, when your practice and understanding has matured, it may be that one can regain a little more interest in these things... but generally, i think most of our self-centred and meaningless pursuits may just drop away completely for good. And i think this gives us the time to do the meaningful thing, ie practice dharma.
I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who posted in response to my question. Your words have been beneficial to me. Very helpful and insightful. I don't know if any of you who responded will see this post, but I wanted to let you know everything that was said here has been well received.
Binn
But then I remember once reading in a book, meditation and the spiriutal life, that some people actually react negatively to meditation by withdrawing into themselves. I once asked a Buddhist monk about this, and he said that it happened at their sangha, and whenever it did they would try to get the monk (s) to go shopping.
"Rather than resulting in permanent devastation, the dark night is regarded by mystics and others as a blessing in disguise, whereby the individual is stripped (in the dark night of the senses) of the spiritual ecstasy associated with acts of virtue. Although the individual may for a time seem to outwardly decline in his or her practices of virtue, in reality he becomes more virtuous, as she is being virtuous less for the spiritual rewards (ecstasies in the cases of the first night) obtained and more out of a true love for God. It is this purgatory, a purgation of the soul, that brings purity and union with God.
URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dark_Night_of_the_Soul&action=edit§ion=3"]edit[/URL Buddhist parallels
In Buddhist vipassana meditation, the practitioner passes through the "Sixteen Stages of Insight" (nanas)<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-3>[4]</SUP><SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-4>[5]</SUP> towards Awakening. Steps five to ten are the "Knowledges of Suffering" (dukkha nanas):
- Knowledge of Dissolution (bhanga nana)
- Knowledge of Fearfulness (bhaya nana)
- Knowledge of Misery (adinava nana)
- Knowledge of Disgust (nibbida nana)
- Knowledge of Desire for Deliverance (muncitukamayata nana)
- Knowledge of Re-observation (patisankha nana)
Western Buddhist meditators and teachers regularly compare this experience to the Dark Night, for example Jack Engler<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-5>[6]</SUP>:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Night_of_the_Soul
May you be blessed on your journey. Sorry for the wikipedia reference, I am no Sutra master, that's for another life:p
All my best to you,
Todd
It's the author I quoted above. Good back, half-way through it. It dovetails western psychology and Buddhist thought.
All my best to you,
Todd
That is the way it should be. Anyone suffereing from depression should know that it is one's thoughts that causes one to become depressed. I know because I spent years in depression trying to get relief from therapists that never connected this fact until I read it myself. The Dalai Lama touches upon it in a book that he wrote with Goldman: Destructive Emotions. Then Dr. Burns wrote about it in his book: Feeling Good, The New Mood Therapy. I didn't have these books. I just used my mind to change my thoughts, not allowing negative ones in and using positive affirmations silently all day long to change my views. Very few therapists practice Cognitive Therapy but give drugs instead. What a shame.