Do we need stimulating?
Jeroen
Luminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlands Veteran
I had an interesting discussion this morning with a psychologist acquaintance of mine, and it was about the extent to which stimulation is necessary in our lives. I was telling about my experiences with acceptance, and in return he told a story about how he had beaten his daughter to the jampot the other day at lunch, and how she had been determined on subsequent days to not let this happen again. He was holding the view that playful teasing and competition could stimulate behaviour, and that this was healthy.
Now, i don’t really agree with that. It seems to me cruel and unusual to ‘stimulate’ someone by withholding from them something that they want. I don’t think I would particularly enjoy this myself. But the wider point that people need stimulating seems more interesting, when you start letting go of desires a whole lot of motivation disappears from your life. So do buddhists need stimulating?
What do you think?
Comments
Brushing your hair can make it healthier. It engages the follicles, organizes the strands, lays the weight of the hair in a unified direction, and clears away dead hair and skin.
I visualize using no brush for long periods of time, or the wrong brush, or the right brush but too much, or the right brush and the right amount for my own hair. I think about all the different types of hairs and how they may all work a little different; different brushes or brush styles. All the different perspectives that arise from these simple differences. All the different beliefs about which brush or style is best from the unique perspectives. All the unique creations and discussions that come out of each.
Is all of this needed?
Whether it needs to be struck or not I'm not sure, but striking a sounding bowl skillfully creates a pleasant tone.
I may have woke up too early this morning.
There is the notion of anti-fragility as opposed to resilience. That some complex systems, living ones in particular, need some level of stress and activity or they become weaker. Think of bones if absent gravity in space or the immune system if living in a sterilized environment, in the case above perhaps the human psychological system?
I'm not 100% sure it fits here, but it is possible to remove and protect from enough strain and stress that it actually becomes harmful.
The intent and motivation is also important. Your example was playful rather than cruel.
Coffee is your friend ☕️
I think every living thing needs stimulation, and that the problem lies more in how we choose to respond to that stimulation. In my experience, absence of stimulation induces the hindrance of torpor and is lousy for your health, both mental and physical.
The more comfortable we are, the easier it is to be less mindful and aware. Awareness comes out of need. If all our needs are met, there is no need to be aware. We don't stimulate our awareness and it languishes like any muscle. We have to build it back up.
The more we are stimulated, the more naturally keen and aware we are. Look at Wim Hof at the peak of his game because he understands this. Flexibility must be maintained, use it or lose it. Mind, Body, and Spirit nothing is to be left out unless it is to languish. Some reach the most aware states through sheer force of will like him.
Tis Different strokes (or pokes) for different folks
Wim Hof is a good marker in this, he does reach a special state. But I think his kind of stimulation gets you active, it doesn’t necessarily get you to those meditative states when you are calm.
I guess then it depends on what you mean by stimulating. The mind? Body? Spirit? prefer? I like what @fosdick mentioned.
We have preference. What kind of stimulation does one prefer? What activates them most readily? Ever have a bad teacher? A good one? The difference for me was in whether they made me interested in learning, and that was highly based on how I liked to learn and what I liked to learn.
Before we can really discuss the need for stimulation, we need a definition of what stimulation means. From there, proceed if/as you so choose.
Just an observation
WIll we follow this definition?
Do we need this?