What was Buddha's teaching about suffering of others?
Let us say when Buddha was teaching in Mahajanapada X a war broke out between Mahajanapada Y and Mahajanapada Z (had to have really happened .. at some point during his four decades of teaching)
Would he have asked his students to stop meditating and get all agitated? No. That was not his teaching. His teaching was to do metta for them but walk your own path, achieve your own liberation from birth and death .. is it not?
There will always be suffering in this world. There will be drought, famine, flood, pestilence, gender inequality, racial divide, war, civil war, rape and other similar atrocities and injustices.
We as average humans can do a little bit (if a refugee wants food and water to provide it, if there is famine donate as much as one can, if we run a business pay every employee fair amount irrespective of gender)
Beyond that should we be agitated? Does not a Theravadan Buddhist stop at doing metta instead of getting all worked up about suffering of others?
Am I wrong in this understanding?
Suffering of others
Suffering of others
"The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”― Albert Camus
Re: Suffering of others
Compassion.
chownah
chownah
Re: Suffering of others
Of course compassion. All our compassion.
But should we get worked up? Weep ourselves to sleep?
"The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”― Albert Camus
Re: Suffering of others
It is best to aim for the benefit of oneself and others, if one can.
If we can substantially help (by whatever reasonable means) doing metta is not the only thing we should do. That’s practicing indifference, not compassion/metta. Things we truly can’t change, that’s where we practice equanimity (so no agitation or weeping).MN61 wrote:Whenever you want to do a bodily [verbal, mental] action, you should reflect on it: 'This bodily action I want to do — would it lead to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both? Would it be an unskillful bodily action, with painful consequences, painful results?' If, on reflection, you know that it would lead to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both; it would be an unskillful bodily action with painful consequences, painful results, then any bodily action of that sort is absolutely unfit for you to do. But if on reflection you know that it would not cause affliction... it would be a skillful bodily action with pleasant consequences, pleasant results, then any bodily action of that sort is fit for you to do.
Dry up what pertains to the past,
do not take up anything to come later.
If you will not grasp in the middle,
you will live at peace.—Snp.5.11,v.1099 (tr. Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi)
Whatever is will be was. —Ven. Ñānamoli, A Thinkers Notebook, §221
do not take up anything to come later.
If you will not grasp in the middle,
you will live at peace.—Snp.5.11,v.1099 (tr. Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi)
Whatever is will be was. —Ven. Ñānamoli, A Thinkers Notebook, §221
Re: Suffering of others
Right .. we agree completely
"The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”― Albert Camus
Re: Suffering of others
As I said on the other topic:
Mike
I would add that "retreating to the forest" does not work (i.e. lead to awakening) unless the retreatant is very well prepared. This is spelled out in a number of suttas. Retreating to the forest to avoid the development needed on the Path (right speech, action, livelihood, in particular) is simply not going to be successful.mikenz66 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 14, 2018 8:33 pmWell, I consider myself a Theravadin Buddhist, and I don't agree wth this statement. It reads to me as an example of what in Mayahana circles is called "emptiness sickness" (apologies for mentioning "the enemy", but I have tremendous of respect for the Mayahana Buddhists that I know personally), and in more general terms "spiritual bypassing". Furthermore, in purely practical terms, if all Theravadin Buddhists had retreated to the forest in the past there would be none left by now...No_Mind wrote: ↑Sat Apr 14, 2018 10:55 am All that an average individual can do is help to some extent (a refugee needs shelter and food for few days .. to help with that) .. beyond that one can do nothing. If you want to become inflamed with emotions .. that is your prerogative. A Theravadan Buddhist will not choose to be involved in this world's suffering. He will retreat to the forest.
Mike
Re: Suffering of others
Buddha's main advise is to eliminate the suffering of oneself.What was Buddha's teaching about suffering of others?
The mean to achieve this is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path.
Noble Eightfold Path is practiced in many levels as it applies from a layperson up to an Arahant.
Depend on your status in the society you have the responsibility to concern about the suffering of others.
In this case, the responsibility of a monk is different to a responsibility of a combat soldier.
The way I understand even a combat soldier can practice the Noble Eightfold Path.
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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Re: Suffering of others
it's impossible to purify the mind of others
therefore Buddhism is about purifying your own mind
therefore Buddhism is about purifying your own mind
Re: Suffering of others
On the Buddhist path, there is no 'other'.No_Mind wrote: ↑Sat Apr 14, 2018 11:07 am What was Buddha's teaching about suffering of others?
Let us say when Buddha was teaching in Mahajanapada X a war broke out between Mahajanapada Y and Mahajanapada Z (had to have really happened .. at some point during his four decades of teaching)
Would he have asked his students to stop meditating and get all agitated? No. That was not his teaching. His teaching was to do metta for them but walk your own path, achieve your own liberation from birth and death .. is it not?
There will always be suffering in this world. There will be drought, famine, flood, pestilence, gender inequality, racial divide, war, civil war, rape and other similar atrocities and injustices.
We as average humans can do a little bit (if a refugee wants food and water to provide it, if there is famine donate as much as one can, if we run a business pay every employee fair amount irrespective of gender)
Beyond that should we be agitated? Does not a Theravadan Buddhist stop at doing metta instead of getting all worked up about suffering of others?
Am I wrong in this understanding?
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Re: Suffering of others
what do you mean alfa
"Just as the ocean has a single taste — that of salt — in the same way, this Dhamma-Vinaya has a single taste: that of release."
— Ud 5.5
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— Ud 5.5
https://www.facebook.com/noblebuddhadha ... 34/?type=3
http://seeingthroughthenet.net/
https://sites.google.com/site/santipada ... allytaught
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Re: Suffering of others
"Wishing: In gladness and in safety,
May all beings be at ease.
Whatever living beings there may be;
Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,
The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,
The seen and the unseen,
Those living near and far away,
Those born and to-be-born —
May all beings be at ease!"
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .amar.html
May all beings be at ease.
Whatever living beings there may be;
Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,
The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,
The seen and the unseen,
Those living near and far away,
Those born and to-be-born —
May all beings be at ease!"
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .amar.html
Buddha save me from new-agers!
Re: Suffering of others
The self is a convention. Because we have a body, we say 'I', 'you' etc. to distinguish between various objects. Space is space. There is no division.