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The Middle Path
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Veteran
I have known about Buddhism for probably thirty years. That it was the middle path, whatever that meant to me.
I doubt I am rare in this sense, the Middle Path is now a common and almost "pop" summation of what Dharma is.
And then (two decades later) I got all into the path in the details, broken up into its Noble eight Strands. Again, like I guess most of us here did.
Do you think we overlook the simplicity of middle path once we understand its depth and complexity?
namaste
I doubt I am rare in this sense, the Middle Path is now a common and almost "pop" summation of what Dharma is.
And then (two decades later) I got all into the path in the details, broken up into its Noble eight Strands. Again, like I guess most of us here did.
Do you think we overlook the simplicity of middle path once we understand its depth and complexity?
namaste
0
Comments
Did you just take the middle path there?
It can be used to describe avoidance of attachment to any form of extreme, be it eternalism or nihilism, finite or infinite, existence or non-esistence, etc. By recognizing the empty nature of all phenomena, one realizes that these polarities are illusions created by the ignorant mind, and lead to suffering.
It is to me:)
I believe in its prime teaching it was the path between the certain belief in the uncertain and the belief in nothing.
It was the path between these extremes.
But it was not composed of the mid point between these extremes.
It is composed of the steps that are the Noble eightfold path.
And it travels in just one direction, from the extreme of suffeing to the extreme of nonattachment.
I think that is the spirit of the First Sermon, I may well be wrong.
Actually, I agree with you on all of the above except existence and nonexistance. These are not positions, extreams, like eternalism and nihilism, there is no distance between them to contain a middle. They are binary. If it exists it exists. If not, then not.
Agree, apart from about the polarity of existence/nonexistance, as said above. (I guess in some senses there may be things that can be said to partially exist, but that is not the same kind of existance as that which does exist, like this full stop exists.)
namaste
I like the way you say that.
The middle path between before and after, the not me or there but this. Clarity not certainty or ignorance.
namaste
It might not matter, but it is surely the same path? How many paths does buddhism have? is there more than one? if there is then how do we get the middle path between the two paths?
What's the problem with the middle path and the eightfold path being the same path, the path of dharma practice?
Imagine being able to realize this is all an illusion. Really realize it. That even time is an illusion.
Now, most people are going to go through rebirth. Assume rebirth is quasi-random. Now assume that people must be rebirthed at future time.
But that makeee no sensee to mee. At which point you are meant to stroak your chin and nod wisely, I guess;)
But seriously, what do you mean?