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Where to draw the line?
So sort of another opinion thread, however most elaborate, but I'm just trying to think this out. If someone thinks eggs are good, while another person thinks eggs are bad, why is believing in either necessary? By judging the taste of the egg you're having a preference. For instance if I were to be given an egg for breakfast that was made for me, but i didn't like eggs... why not just eat it? An egg is an egg is an egg. Like monks are often given meat, even if they don't like it, but they eat it anyway because it was a gift, and it is food. What is the point of judging something.
This even transcends the expected opinion nature that arises from people. For instance, if I were invited to a friends house, and someone shows up and appears to not like me, and I think "Man, why do they hate me?" I have formed an opinion that they most likely dislike me, and thus I will look into their actions toward me to prove myself right. Isn't this mostly what opinions serve as? To prove ourselves right? However, you can still be open minded and decide "Well maybe they are just having a bad day." But we don't know, being positive is still forming a belief that we cannot back. Which is silly and illogical, because:
1) We are still running in circles to justify what we perceive and
2) We have no backing or justification to think such.
BUT then... what if people were just to act on a moment to moment basis. Leave it as it is. By doing so, wouldn't you avoid discriminating against anything as well as expecting outcomes, or formulating reasons and situations?
If you were to judge a situation or a sensation wouldn't this also be creating duality? Why even subject ourselves to this?
(And please, I know I am trying to form an opinion in the matter, but bear with me the intentions of the question).
Thank you for reading this,
Ashley
This even transcends the expected opinion nature that arises from people. For instance, if I were invited to a friends house, and someone shows up and appears to not like me, and I think "Man, why do they hate me?" I have formed an opinion that they most likely dislike me, and thus I will look into their actions toward me to prove myself right. Isn't this mostly what opinions serve as? To prove ourselves right? However, you can still be open minded and decide "Well maybe they are just having a bad day." But we don't know, being positive is still forming a belief that we cannot back. Which is silly and illogical, because:
1) We are still running in circles to justify what we perceive and
2) We have no backing or justification to think such.
BUT then... what if people were just to act on a moment to moment basis. Leave it as it is. By doing so, wouldn't you avoid discriminating against anything as well as expecting outcomes, or formulating reasons and situations?
If you were to judge a situation or a sensation wouldn't this also be creating duality? Why even subject ourselves to this?
(And please, I know I am trying to form an opinion in the matter, but bear with me the intentions of the question).
Thank you for reading this,
Ashley
0
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you said
This even transcends the expected opinion nature that arises from people. For instance, if I were invited to a friends house, and someone shows up and appears to not like me, and I think "Man, why do they hate me?" I have formed an opinion that they most likely dislike me, and thus I will look into their actions toward me to prove myself right. Isn't this mostly what opinions serve as? To prove ourselves right? However, you can still be open minded and decide "Well maybe they are just having a bad day." But we don't know, being positive is still forming a belief that we cannot back. Which is silly and illogical, because:
your right we need to be open minded about it but if they have dose this to you before then it maybe safe to say that they dont like you but that dose not me you need to be anything but nice to them.
this is just my opinion
The problem arises when we hold onto such views as mine or rather we want our views to be right and your view to be wrong. That is the problem and the solutions is there. STOP holding onto views.
Then you can say the sky is blue or you can say anything or nothing. They are all the same truth. It all depends on where the person stands in relation to what is said. A normal person might say the sky is blue and that person might really hold onto that view. Then the buddha might say the sky is blue and thats that.
I suppose its a weak argument...but it all comes down to clinging. The buddha doesn't cling to words, whereas the average person really clings to their words.
The same applies to dealing with your friends and enemies, your job, your opinions, everything in life.
I think that "having no opinion" as a goal, is unrealistic. After all... isn't that riding on the opinion that having "no opinions" is a good and enlightened way to live life? It might be better to just be aware of our new/old or currently forming perspectives, and be willing to challenge our "brain's models". There is a danger in holding onto a perspective, even when it is wrong or harmful. But it would be "all or nothing thinking" to suddenly decide that this must mean "opinions are always terrible and should never be allowed to form".
Ashley,
We don't need to renounce views, but as jinzang noted, we become flexible in our thinking.
Trying to transcend a view is just trying to supress our preferences. People who do that are like a bottle of soda all shaken up. One little poke and they explode all over the place.
As we continue our mindful practices, we become more flexible... but its an eroding, not a denial or supression. It is a naturally cultivating spaciousness in our minds that grows as we let go of our clinging to views.
First, we are convinced we are right and fight to uphold our views. Then, we relax and remain receptive to what other people see... even when it differs from what we see. For instance, when you notice the people who 'don't like' you, rather than it becoming a conflict with your self image (they don't like me), you might notice what problems they are actually having, what their view is (they are seeing me in such a way).
With warmth,
Matt
When does ignorance appear, and why?
as soon as you open your mouth, ignorance appears. if you ask why does ignorance appear, it appears.
if you have no question then it never appears and never disappears.
2. People have different outlooks on life. We just have to feel lucky to be who we are. Knowing who we are and feeling good about ourselves is key to understanding others.
3. You can if you choose to live that way. But there will be times when we can't even do that. You can never really know for sure what will happen each and every day. Things will go our way when our good karma has fully ripened.
The "Advanced Ideas" forum is a location for more experienced Buddhists to discuss more complex aspects of Buddhism, the suttas, (inflection, inference and insinuation) and the Dhamma/Dharma.
Not a place to chat about whether you should eat an egg or not!
For goodness' sake!
Moved to general banter.
was very simple, uneducated man who only worked hard to support his mother. Every
day, he went to the mountains to gather firewood to sell in the markets and town near
his home. One day, before he entered the monastery, he was finishing the delivery of
some firewood to a customer. As he walked through the bustling marketplace, he
passed a monk who was chanting a sutra. Layman No heard the line, “Do not
become attached to any thoughts that in the mind.” Hearing this, he was suddenly
enlightened. He realized something about the nature of his mind. Before that
moment, he never knew anything about Buddhism. He never studied sutras. He didn’t
know Dharma. He didn’t even know how to write Chinese characters! He never
understood anything. Layman No was complete stupid. He heard only this line, “Don’t
become attached to any thoughts which arise in the mind” and ---BOOM! --- he got
enlightenment! When you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch, and think, everything ---
just received --- is the truth. So thinking is also truth if you do not let yourself become
attached to thinking as it comes and goes in your mind. But very few people can do
this. They believe that their thinking is real, and follow it everywhere. This is desire,
and all desire is suffering. If you simply let your thinking go, then that same thinking is
the truth. When you see a red light, stop; when you see a green light, go.
This line in the Diamond Sutra makes a very simple point, but it is very deep
teaching. It shows us a very clear way to experience nonattached thinking. Just think.
“Just think” means there is no “I” “Just think” mean there is no subject and no object.
Inside and outside always become one. It means just do it. When you see the sky,
there is only blue. That is “just think.” When you see the tree, there is only green. Just
think. The wall is white. Just think. It is now seven fifty-six PM. Right now we hear the
wind blowing outside. Just think. It means just perceive. This is nonattachment
thinking: thoughts come and go in your mind with no hindrance. This is very, very
important teaching.
-The Compass of Zen by Zen Master Seung Sahn Sunim