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A thought experiment

JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
edited February 2015 in Philosophy

If you could:

A) end BOTH world hunger and war

or

B ) turn the world of dharma as the next Buddha

What would you choose?

Personally I find it a flawed question because it would be impossible to do A) I feel. But it is interesting to think about.

Comments

  • HamsakaHamsaka goosewhisperer Polishing the 'just so' Veteran

    Oh heck, "A" in a heartbeat. Then I'd have B in the bag :wink:

    VastmindRowan1980
  • I'll have an 'A' please Bob

    Jeffrey
  • ShoshinShoshin No one in particular Nowhere Special Veteran

    "C" it's a no brainer :D

    Bunks
  • howhow Veteran Veteran

    @Jeffrey

    (A) Could just mean that humanity gets snuffed by....anything.
    (B) Could just be like my daughter said at the age of 5.."Everyone's a Buddha".

    Who's offering?

    Rowan1980BunksJeffrey
  • Rowan1980Rowan1980 Keeper of the Zoo Asheville, NC Veteran
    A, please.
  • EarthninjaEarthninja Wanderer West Australia Veteran
    Hmm I would go B. Reason is there will never be any peace whilst people believe they are egos.
    It will never happen.
    No war or hunger but there will still be immense suffering about something else.

    If all people wake up then this is the end to suffering. Which is the ultimate goal.

    Give a man some food and he will suffer some other projection. Allow a man to wake up and he will never suffer again.
    personJeffrey
  • bookwormbookworm U.S.A. Veteran

    I wouldn't even have to think about it, A.

  • A. I don't think "wanting" to be a Buddha is even a thing.

  • karastikarasti Breathing Minnesota Moderator

    Just sayin' a single year of the US defense budget could single-handedly cover world hunger for 25 years...(per the estimates the WHO has determined it would need to significantly solve or handle the hunger problem).

    Just interesting to me to consider the A option above with one (ideal and obviously unrealistic) solution. Most affluent and influential country on the planet gives up it's arms (war) to solve the problem of hunger.

    EarthninjaRowan1980
  • A is impossible to achieve. With B you just, just might achieve A. OR not.

  • @pegembara said:
    A is impossible to achieve. With B you just, just might achieve A. OR not.

    That's what I was thinking when I wrote the question. But I think it's great to want to achieve A and maybe that is like the bodhisattva motivation if you don't really analyze. But yes I am of the mind that either could be a great answer. You could either have a few total Buddhas surrounded by their assembly or else the suffering reduced from war and famine would also be immeasurable (or would it?).

    In a way like how says the wheel of dharma has already been turned and we are a part of the assembly. Next part is to transform the world. CHARGE!!!

  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited February 2015

    @Amthorn said:
    A. I don't think "wanting" to be a Buddha is even a thing.

    That is a very interesting comment. In teachings I think more a gelug flavor of Tibetan Buddhism (or perhaps pan-TB?) the wanting is called 'aspirational bodhicitta'. I don't seem to recall to much about it. But I think it is something to be talked about even if it is not a thing. Can you say something about what you mean by it not being a thing? Sounds interesting to me!

  • karastikarasti Breathing Minnesota Moderator

    In the world we live in, I'm not sure being a Buddha would have much of an impact despite the wide reach of the internet and other communications. I think anyone making any claim to be someone special would be met with undercover stories by Brian Williams and "Buddha makes his own sandals!" by TMZ. He/she'd just be seen as another religious nut. Even here, people posting declaring they are enlightened get an eye roll from pretty much every member, and we supposedly would recognize a Buddha much faster than the rest of the world.

    I'd take A. I mean if one person can solve the problem of hunger and war, surely they will become a Buddha at least in the next life ;) Maybe the world will be in a better place to receive a Buddha then.

  • @Jeffrey said:
    That is a very interesting comment. In teachings I think more a gelug flavor of Tibetan Buddhism (or perhaps pan-TB?) the wanting is called 'aspirational bodhicitta'. I don't seem to recall to much about it. But I think it is something to be talked about even if it is not a thing. Can you say something about what you mean by it not being a thing? Sounds interesting to me!

    Well, it's really a colluquialism, in my area it's a way of saying that something is not real a bit sarcastically. However, my understanding is that the way to reach enlightenment is to be free of craving . . . that is, want . . . so by craving Buddha-hood, we are sort of guaranteeing that we will never get there. Make sense?

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    There are some wholesome cravings @Amthorn. The secret is not, to NOT have any cravings. The secret is to know when something BECOMES a craving and needs letting go of.

  • VictoriousVictorious Grim Veteran

    A no doubt.

    Never ever B. Heck I just wanna get out as fast as I can.

  • @Amthorn I have read that the last craving that drops away is the craving for enlightenment. But for now craving for enlightenment is very valuable.

    Victorious
  • VictoriousVictorious Grim Veteran

    @Amthorn said:

    There are two categories of Craving. Tanha and Chanda.

    Chanda is basically the craving to do things to reach Unbinding.
    Chanda is acceptable and as pointed out earlier the last craving to be extinguished.

    Tanha is basically everything else and not acceptable craving.

    lobsterdantepw
  • genkakugenkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran

    Associatively, the OP ("thought experiment") put me in mind of "Thought Moments." which I found more provocative.

  • ShoshinShoshin No one in particular Nowhere Special Veteran

    @federica said:
    There are some wholesome cravings Amthorn. The secret is not, to NOT have any cravings. The secret is to know when something BECOMES a craving and needs letting go of.

    This reminds me of Alan Watts "Middle Way"

    "Don't desire to give up more desire than you can. And if you find that a problem then don't desire to be successful in giving up more desire than you can!"

    Earthninja
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