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if there is no soul why are we should be enlightened one?

Hello everyone I am new member of this site. i am little bit confused about it please explain to me

Comments

  • absolute said:

    Hello everyone I am new member of this site. i am little bit confused about it please explain to me

    Hey and welcome absolute. You may be asked to post in the 'introduce yourself' thread if you haven't already.

    If you are really new to Buddhism, understanding the teaching of non-self is probably not going to 'click' with you instantly over night. It is advised that we do a lot of searching and answer finding ourselves in Buddhism but of course we do need guidance from time to time.

    To be an enlightened being is the ultimate goal yes, this is because you are then free of suffering, delusion and ignorance that binds us in the world of samsara. There is no soul as such in Buddhism, but there is a you, you do of course exist, but you are always changing from moment to moment physically and mentally. As ignorant beings (that is not a nasty term if it comes across that way), we bump and stumble through life clinging to this notion of self that is static and solid, ours, our own things we own. This causes a lot of suffering and can be the root of many evil things in the world. So to be enlightened helps us understand the world as it is, it helps us have compassion for our well being and those around us, and it gives us wisdom. Of course you can have a lot of wisdom, compassion and understanding without being enlightened, the path to the goal is often seen as the goal itself, from moment to moment.

    It is hard to explain such things to somebody who is new to something like this, so I would advise you to do some reading on quality books or webpages and start to meditate if you are interested in seeking further insight into your question.
    DeepankarTheEccentric
  • i can't see any difference between normal person and to be enlightened one because actually we are not exist itself then to be enlightened one don't exist too. sorry for my comment for it i am not anti buddhist or any other religions . i think i am buddhist but i have lot of doubtful thinkings in my mind
  • absolute said:

    i can't see any difference between normal person and to be enlightened one because actually we are not exist itself then to be enlightened one don't exist too. sorry for my comment for it i am not anti buddhist or any other religions . i think i am buddhist but i have lot of doubtful thinkings in my mind

    Visually there would be very little different between an enlightened person and one that is not yet at that state of consciousness. It is not like in a computer game where you 'level up' and there is a huge fanfare. I found this on the net about doubt, doubt itself is a hindrance to the path and the goal and should be confronted.


    "To deal with doubt a skilful meditator pursues a silent gathering of evidence, reviewing it only at the end to uncover its meaning. It is helpful to talk to someone who has great confidence in the Buddha and his teachings. Doubt can only be truly overcome, however, by our own practice of the Buddha’s teaching and by discovering the truth for ourselves. The Buddha said many times, “Come and see for yourself.” Similarly,

    The end of doubt, in meditation, is described by a mind which has full trust in the silence, and so doesn't interfere with any inner speech. Like having a good chauffeur, one sits silently on the journey out of trust in the driver. Number two of the Ten Fetters of Buddhism.


    There are many different presentations on the internet regarding The Five Hindrances, some good, some not so good. Mine above is a modification of one the best, edited and reformated for our purposes here. However, the best most comprehensive one is not truly a website at all, but a chapter titled "Working With The Five Hindrances" in two books by Matthew Flickstein of which portions are accessible through Google Books"

    The 5 hindrances are -
    Sense Desire
    Ill-will or Aversion
    Sloth and Torpor
    Restlessness and Anxiety
    Doubt

    After a few years of practicing myself I have noticed a change in my consciousness, the way I act and view situations or people. It is a slow and steady change for me at least, but it is a positive change nonetheless. At the beginning I was almost drowning in material, all these teachings and concepts, what the hell do they mean? I just don't get it etc.. You just need to take it slowly and if you don't understand something then don't put yourself down, it will come in time if you give it the time and effort.
    Deepankarlobster
  • misecmisc1misecmisc1 I am a Hindu India Veteran
    edited January 2013
    whether there is soul or no-soul? - don't think about it, don't ask anybody else about it, rather try to find it inside you - after all, if there is a soul in you, it will be inside you, if there is no-soul in you, this you can find inside you only and nobody else will be able to tell you that. so meditate and try to find the answer to this question for yourself by yourself in yourself.
    ThailandTomlobsteroctinomos
  • One is phenomenonically non exist, the other is phenomenonically space-like "non exist" of exist :p
  • No soul thus enlightened activity.
    lobster
  • lobsterlobster Crusty Veteran
    I have a soul because I read about it, or was told about it or I may have seen it sneaking about in my mind . . .

    What are you? I demanded in my best 'Buddha voice'.
    It dissolved. Nothing was said.
  • We have something better than a soul, we have citta (mind). To be enlightened means to be pure in mind regardless of whether or not a soul exists.
    lobsterVastmind
  • absolute said:

    i can't see any difference between normal person and to be enlightened one because actually we are not exist itself then to be enlightened one don't exist too. sorry for my comment for it i am not anti buddhist or any other religions . i think i am buddhist but i have lot of doubtful thinkings in my mind

    Oh no!

    This is what i mean when i say philosophy/religions can either make or break you!

    'Ideally' , the man without questions 'is' the enlightened man, absolute!

    Im guessing you are now at a point where you are asking, seeking, and doubting , and ill be honest , it isnt a nice feeling! You will start to suffer more and more. Unless of course, either 2 things can happen;

    1. Buddhism (or whatever you're studying) CLICKS with you!
    And you fully 'get it' - you 'understand' and the path 'becomes' you . (In other words - you had ab enlightened moment and all the confusion will fade! Then you can go back 'chopping wood and carrying water......

    Or

    2. Or this can happen;; you just wont 'get' any religion or philosophy , because maybe its just not for you! Dont forget , every philosophy is just someones 'elses' ideas/opinions.. And you may not be 'satisfied' until you 'find' your own idea (your own mind)
    So you will suffer and suffer and , Until you have had 'enough' of the suffering!

    Then that allows us to finally give up the search , and instead, we just 'become' the path - we stop suffering and seeking because we have simply had enough of the suffering and seeking!
    Hense, you become enlightened and can then go back to 'chopping wood, and carrying water...

    ( good luck ) hope your 'seeking/suffering' mind doesnt last too long !
  • lobsterlobster Crusty Veteran
    Oh no!
    Oh yes!
    I did not become a seeker to be a saught thought.
    Oh no!
    I seek to find. The soul is a nice idea, a bit like the theory of negative pholigisten
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phlogiston_theory
    No longer required.

    The aspects of Buddhism that I find true, become self evident gnosis.
    If I ever find a soul I can sell it for a ton of negative pholigisten . . .
    :thumbsup:
  • I'm pretty sure we always have something new to learn from life however far along the path we are. It may not be something directly to do with Buddha-ntaure, but we all can still learn a thing or two I am sure along with questions to ask.
    lobster
  • CinorjerCinorjer Veteran
    edited January 2013
    absolute said:

    Hello everyone I am new member of this site. i am little bit confused about it please explain to me

    First, welcome. I hope you find your stay here informative and enlightening.

    Now, may I ask you a question in return? If you did have a soul, why would you seek to be enlightened? If to be enlightened means to stop the birth-death-rebirth cycle, then why would you want to end your existence? It's not like only enlightened souls go to a Buddhist Heaven to sit around for eternity singing Buddha's praises, you know.

    It's not a rhetorical question. What do you think enlightenment is? And if you turn out not to have a soul, then what is it sitting there reading this? Those are two important questions you need to chew on.
    lobster
  • To me, being enlightened would be the same as being free from all delusion and I don't think that requires a "soul," it is simply being able to see things as they really are.

    The difficulty, IMO, is in knowing whether you see things as they really are or not.
  • lobsterlobster Crusty Veteran
    First, welcome. I hope you find your stay here informative and enlightening.
    Well said. Welcome indeed. Welcome to you, with your doubts, with or without your soul.

    In Buddhism, the continuity of being in Hinduism and eternal residency in Heaven bound fantastically constructed 'theologies'/lies, only exists in degenerate dharma.

    After careful introspection, the enlightened Buddhists have found no self and no soul. If you find different, we will be pleased to evaluate the evidence for a few hundred years or more . . .
  • The concept of soul implies a connection to a perceived divine source of reality. Basically a person unites back up with that source and obtains eternity since now he’s one with it. It’s just a philosophical statement and cannot be proven scientifically, so it would not qualify as Buddhist since Buddhist implies scientific discovery and application of principles. Once you engage in spiritual pursuits and you discover yourself that you have obtained a perspective of being above normal phenomena, and that no matter what happens you know that the same divine source is in control of all of it, then you can call it having a connection and experiencing whatever it is the concept of being one with divinity is talking about. But it would be something better kept to oneself, since others would have to experience it themselves in order to even begin to have a grasp of the seemingly absurd information and ideas.
    ThailandTomlobster
  • absolute said:

    Hello everyone I am new member of this site. i am little bit confused about it please explain to me

    A little confused? In that case you're doing very well :)

    What is Buddhism all about? It's about working to discover what it's all about.
  • It's not necessarily about reaching Enlightenment over lifetimes, it's about increasing our effectiveness in the world and resolving our hang-ups in this lifetime. Who doesn't want to achieve that? :)
    lobster
  • NevermindNevermind Bitter & Hateful Veteran
    Florian said:


    absolute said:

    Hello everyone I am new member of this site. i am little bit confused about it please explain to me

    A little confused? In that case you're doing very well :)

    What is Buddhism all about? It's about working to discover what it's all about.
    It's all about suffer'n. Some will go so far as to say life itself is suffer'n.
    :om:
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