This is a blog to discuss philosophy, chess, politics,
C. S. Lewis, or whatever it is that I'm in the mood to discuss.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thanksgiving and the Buddha
On this Thanksgiving Day, I thought it appropriate to remind all of the teachings of the Buddha: Suffering is caused by craving, but if you stop craving, you stop suffering.
Didn't ol' Buddha *really* say that suffering is a function of entertaining the illusion that you actually exist? And, thus, that cessation of suffering follows from ceasing to crave existence?
To be honest, I think hunger and tiredness are just withdrawal symptoms of our addictions to food and sleep. Get past those addictions, and then you're free to live.
Moreover, if there does not exist actual truth, then Brian's question is incapable of conveying meaning.
Oddly enough, Brian's question both: 1) cannot be asked without denying that there exists actual truth; or, at minimum, cannot be asked without denying that we can *know* actual truth 2) cannot convey any meaning unless there exists actual truth, and we can know actual truth.
5 comments:
But to summarize our dear friend, John Piper. Our cravings will never cease until we rest solely in God.
Didn't ol' Buddha *really* say that suffering is a function of entertaining the illusion that you actually exist? And, thus, that cessation of suffering follows from ceasing to crave existence?
To be honest, I think hunger and tiredness are just withdrawal symptoms of our addictions to food and sleep. Get past those addictions, and then you're free to live.
Hope you had a happy thanksgiving, Victor!
Maybe 'Existence' itself is an arbitrary concept. Maybe 'Existence' is a convenient, conventional truth.
"conventional truth" = "not actual truth"
Moreover, if there does not exist actual truth, then Brian's question is incapable of conveying meaning.
Oddly enough, Brian's question both:
1) cannot be asked without denying that there exists actual truth; or, at minimum, cannot be asked without denying that we can *know* actual truth
2) cannot convey any meaning unless there exists actual truth, and we can know actual truth.
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