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Hatred for this world
Is it true that one cannot progress on the spiritual path without hatred for this world? The book of John is clear about this. And I am sure there is something similar in the dhammapada.,
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Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Hating something binds a part of you with hate. It only ties you to that thing.
Freedom lies in a different effort in another direction.
"5. Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased. This is a law eternal.
6. There are those who do not realize that one day we all must die. But those who do realize this settle their quarrels."
Source: The Dhammapada, translated by Acharya Buddharakkhita
Seems like a legit question, and , properly categorized.
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Buddhism is certainly a path of renunciation and, as such, involves a certain degree of "dropping out" of the rat race most people are engaged in. This means there must be a certain degree of disillusionment or disenchantment with this world, but not hatred. Hatred itself is perpetuating suffering. "Holding onto ill-will is like grasping onto a burning coal, intending to throw it at someone. You're the one who gets burned." (I don't know where in the Buddhist canon this quote appears, but I've always loved it.) Hatred does not serve to help one progress in liberation from suffering.
Relinquishing occurs when insight penetrates.
The result of wisdom is always letting go, kindness and love.
One sees the world for what it is. A construction, thus hallow, void, empty. This mirage from this lack of reference point can be seen to be beautiful or ugly and simultaneously both.
But the voidness is what is freeing and ultimately the release of the heart to love with no boundaries is the sweet spot. Instead an aversion for this world, deep letting go brings a profound love and true embrace of this world.
But when you are angry you can only see the situation as 'my way or the highway'.
Yes, there is suffering - I understand the Truth of Suffering - and it's this that helps me down the spiritual path (though at times my suffering has beaten me down it); so I personally disagree. There is joy in life, but there is also suffering - and it's the suffering that helps our progression - not hatred for this world.
In an alcoholics anonymous literature it says, "Pain is the touchstone for all spiritual growth", and I agree with it because my experience has shown this to be true.
I don't think it's wise to hate anything especially the world. That is nhilism and goes counter to compassion.
Wishing things to be different than they are is one of the things Buddha taught us to overcome.
If you befriend the world of maya, it will swallow you. Progress comes from our focus.
It's true. I have experienced the really clingy kind of love. It was horrible when it went away.
I really hope I am not feeling like that on my deathbed.
That's not to say people don't use the word love incorrectly. To use Robots example, "clingy love" is a total misnomer.
Love is just love. :shrug:
I get that people say things like romantic love and sibling love, but the love is still the same, underneath it all. It's so much bigger than relationships.
So the context for "love of the world" is the above, which you call a misinterpretation, which obviously is not the same love that Jesus taught to people when he said "love thy neighbor" etc, etc. No apostles of Jesus ever preached that you should not love your neighbor. At least, not that I know of, ha! So when he said "don't love the world" I think it's clear the he isn't talking about not loving thy neighbor. He's talking about all that other stuff that people cling to (AKA the world), which in turn, produces suffering.
Sitting in meditation is the immediate manifestation of Enlightenment in precisely the unique form of this, here and now; the way it is before we can even give it the names of “this” or “here” or “now”; before the thought can come up that it should be found or realized.
The world is an endless opportunity for awakening. Hatred is not the way to use that opportunity.