Accepting Life

For all things philosophical.

Moderators: AMod, iMod

User avatar
Immanuel Can
Posts: 22140
Joined: Wed Sep 25, 2013 4:42 pm

Re: Accepting Life

Post by Immanuel Can »

Gary Childress wrote: Sat Jul 31, 2021 7:22 pm They are reasons I can't change.
Ah. Well, I'm sorry that's so, but it's far from hopeless.

I think the best strategy is to work with what you have. You can spend a lot of time wishing things were other than they are, but that gets you nowhere but resentful and sad. Instead, I'd encourage you to look at the hand of cards you've been dealt...even if they're not cards you like...and ask yourself what's the strategy to get the most out of that hand. Then play that strategy.

That's the only winning move, if you can't swap out your hand.
gaffo
Posts: 4259
Joined: Mon Nov 27, 2017 3:15 am

Re: Accepting Life

Post by gaffo »

Immanuel Can wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 4:45 pm
Gary Childress wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 12:21 am Life and the way things are are difficult to accept sometimes. If I had one wish I think it would be to be happy with the way things are. Discontentment doesn't seem to be helping me any.
Maybe things aren't supposed to be this way.

Maybe that's what the discontenment is telling you: that there's not something so much wrong with Gary as there is with the world. Maybe Gary's right to feel that way, and it supposed to keep Gary from becoming content with things that are just not good enough.

And maybe discontentment only "helps" if you don't entirely despair of solutions.
counter Buddhism huh?
User avatar
Immanuel Can
Posts: 22140
Joined: Wed Sep 25, 2013 4:42 pm

Re: Accepting Life

Post by Immanuel Can »

gaffo wrote: Sun Aug 01, 2021 3:02 am counter Buddhism huh?
What sentence did you mean to say?

Buddhism, so far as I know, does not have a "counter." Nor a cash register, nor a bag boy. :wink: So what did you mean?
gaffo
Posts: 4259
Joined: Mon Nov 27, 2017 3:15 am

Re: Accepting Life

Post by gaffo »

Immanuel Can wrote: Sun Aug 01, 2021 3:48 am
gaffo wrote: Sun Aug 01, 2021 3:02 am counter Buddhism huh?
What sentence did you mean to say?

Buddhism, so far as I know, does not have a "counter." Nor a cash register, nor a bag boy. :wink: So what did you mean?
i meant your reply to whats his name was not to just accept "live" but to strive to make the world better. which is an outward view - make the world better, rather than accept it sucks and look inward for contentment - which is the Buddist mindset.
User avatar
Immanuel Can
Posts: 22140
Joined: Wed Sep 25, 2013 4:42 pm

Re: Accepting Life

Post by Immanuel Can »

gaffo wrote: Sun Aug 01, 2021 4:08 am i meant your reply to whats his name was not to just accept "live" but to strive to make the world better.
That was nothing I said, actually. Rather, I encouraged him to assess his own situation, and see what was possible from it.

Helping the world is a very nice idea. But it wasn't what Gary was concerned about, and was no part of my response, therefore.
User avatar
Lacewing
Posts: 6604
Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2015 2:25 am

Re: Accepting Life

Post by Lacewing »

Immanuel Can wrote: Sun Aug 01, 2021 1:03 am
Gary Childress wrote: Sat Jul 31, 2021 7:22 pm They are reasons I can't change.
Ah. Well, I'm sorry that's so, but it's far from hopeless.

I think the best strategy is to work with what you have. You can spend a lot of time wishing things were other than they are, but that gets you nowhere but resentful and sad. Instead, I'd encourage you to look at the hand of cards you've been dealt...even if they're not cards you like...and ask yourself what's the strategy to get the most out of that hand. Then play that strategy.

That's the only winning move, if you can't swap out your hand.
Agreed. Seems the most logical way to go about it.
Walker
Posts: 14245
Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2015 12:00 am

Re: Accepting Life

Post by Walker »

gaffo wrote: Sun Aug 01, 2021 4:08 am
Immanuel Can wrote: Sun Aug 01, 2021 3:48 am
gaffo wrote: Sun Aug 01, 2021 3:02 am counter Buddhism huh?
What sentence did you mean to say?

Buddhism, so far as I know, does not have a "counter." Nor a cash register, nor a bag boy. :wink: So what did you mean?
i meant your reply to whats his name was not to just accept "live" but to strive to make the world better. which is an outward view - make the world better, rather than accept it sucks and look inward for contentment - which is the Buddist mindset.
Not quite, gaffo. I commend your interest and critical thinking and I think you state a popular misconception. Within the context of spiritual growth surrender means to surrender to reality, however you perceive it, which may not be the reality of surrendering to a set of rules from the headmaster, and I suspect in your case it is not.

When it exists in you, a desire to make the world a good place is the reality to which one surrenders. Then one will work mightly and put their heart and soul into good works. One will buck the reality of the world as a perceived bad place, to do that, to create a new reality of the world as a good place, with you as the reality bucker. :wink:

There are even those who say that to conquer powerful urges such as the desire to smoke, lots of sex, wild and irresponsible spending, all of these desires that exist in you, if they exist, must be explored to establish the nature of your relationship with these things, and desire, and to see how desire causes ignorance, and suffering.

However, that’s a bit far for Buddhism which deals in the reality of moral precepts to keep order in the sangha in case there may be some misunderstandings about appropriateness, but Buddhism speaks to all capacities, and in differing ways. I have it on good authority that all of Buddha's teachings, including teachings about suffering, point to the nature of mind, and I know this to be true, and so I tell you this while there is still another breath, for the day when you feel you may need a direction to proceed.

Moral precepts, right behavior and right speech and so on, these are vehicles, the limitations imposed and followed to realize no limitations, combined with appropriateness of situation to produce right action. And one may ask, where is the moral guidance in this?

For the of path no limitations, the need for limitations is taken away by the preparation for the path, which infuses a natural humbleness into the rest of one’s days and nights, which can be sacrificed to appropriateness when necessary, such as in the case of the CO referenced by J. Krishnamurti when even one’s life is sacrificed to appropriateness before the firing squad.

You must have great desire to carry through the preparations to be worthy in this man’s army … and also to prepare for the realization of no limitations.

Forgive any apparent contradictions, for if they exist they are not caused by those I reference, but by my own incoherence, which may possibly be clarified if a question is clear.
Walker
Posts: 14245
Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2015 12:00 am

Re: Accepting Life

Post by Walker »

Gary Childress wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 1:35 am
When I'm content it seems very easy to do something like that but when things aren't going so well it's much more difficult.
That's the very meat of philosophy.
Walker
Posts: 14245
Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2015 12:00 am

Re: Accepting Life

Post by Walker »

Lacewing wrote: Sun Aug 01, 2021 5:13 pm
Immanuel Can wrote: Sun Aug 01, 2021 1:03 am
Gary Childress wrote: Sat Jul 31, 2021 7:22 pm They are reasons I can't change.
Ah. Well, I'm sorry that's so, but it's far from hopeless.

I think the best strategy is to work with what you have. You can spend a lot of time wishing things were other than they are, but that gets you nowhere but resentful and sad. Instead, I'd encourage you to look at the hand of cards you've been dealt...even if they're not cards you like...and ask yourself what's the strategy to get the most out of that hand. Then play that strategy.

That's the only winning move, if you can't swap out your hand.
Agreed. Seems the most logical way to go about it.
Speaking of that, I once heard a story about a fellow with one arm. He was dealt two hands but lost one somewhere along the line. He was a salesman, very extroverted, and thus knew how to turn every situation to his advantage. After work in a new town he would stand at a bar with a new buddy shielding the empty sleeve to his jacket. Then he would ask a girl to dance and if she said no, which they sometimes did when they had a mind of their own, he would turn his empty sleeve towards the woman and say why, because of this? This would be enough to break her continuity of appropriateness and soon they were dancing, her* from guilt which he quickly turned into a joke about life about himself, how it all related to her in a good way, and that would invariable charm the woman. He knew lots of people, lots of women, made lots of money. True story, I kid you not, although obviously it's one-sided and not directly from the horse's mouth, so to speak. But it does ring true and I trusted the teller, even though I knew that any embellishments were likely for my benefit.


* edit: she from guilt

Introspective comment: Re-reading caused the error leap off the page, as they say. The question is, why write it wrong in the first place?

Should the PC police object to the proper grammatical pronoun by insisting on another it will tamper with the historical record, which is why PC is fascism.
gaffo
Posts: 4259
Joined: Mon Nov 27, 2017 3:15 am

Re: Accepting Life

Post by gaffo »

Walker wrote: Sun Aug 01, 2021 8:02 pm
gaffo wrote: Sun Aug 01, 2021 4:08 am
Immanuel Can wrote: Sun Aug 01, 2021 3:48 am
What sentence did you mean to say?

Buddhism, so far as I know, does not have a "counter." Nor a cash register, nor a bag boy. :wink: So what did you mean?
i meant your reply to whats his name was not to just accept "live" but to strive to make the world better. which is an outward view - make the world better, rather than accept it sucks and look inward for contentment - which is the Buddist mindset.
Not quite, gaffo. I commend your interest and critical thinking and I think you state a popular misconception. Within the context of spiritual growth surrender means to surrender to reality, however you perceive it, which may not be the reality of surrendering to a set of rules from the headmaster, and I suspect in your case it is not.

When it exists in you, a desire to make the world a good place is the reality to which one surrenders. Then one will work mightly and put their heart and soul into good works. One will buck the reality of the world as a perceived bad place, to do that, to create a new reality of the world as a good place, with you as the reality bucker. :wink:

There are even those who say that to conquer powerful urges such as the desire to smoke, lots of sex, wild and irresponsible spending, all of these desires that exist in you, if they exist, must be explored to establish the nature of your relationship with these things, and desire, and to see how desire causes ignorance, and suffering.

However, that’s a bit far for Buddhism which deals in the reality of moral precepts to keep order in the sangha in case there may be some misunderstandings about appropriateness, but Buddhism speaks to all capacities, and in differing ways. I have it on good authority that all of Buddha's teachings, including teachings about suffering, point to the nature of mind, and I know this to be true, and so I tell you this while there is still another breath, for the day when you feel you may need a direction to proceed.

Moral precepts, right behavior and right speech and so on, these are vehicles, the limitations imposed and followed to realize no limitations, combined with appropriateness of situation to produce right action. And one may ask, where is the moral guidance in this?
yes agree with the above - BTW thank Walker for reply.

Walker wrote: Sun Aug 01, 2021 8:02 pm For the of path no limitations, the need for limitations is taken away by the preparation for the path, which infuses a natural humbleness into the rest of one’s days and nights, which can be sacrificed to appropriateness when necessary, such as in the case of the CO referenced by J. Krishnamurti when even one’s life is sacrificed to appropriateness before the firing squad.

You must have great desire to carry through the preparations to be worthy in this man’s army … and also to prepare for the realization of no limitations.

Forgive any apparent contradictions, for if they exist they are not caused by those I reference, but by my own incoherence, which may possibly be clarified if a question is clear.
??????????? i'I'm not a Buddist, though find its mindset as alingd to me - as i affirm other religions moral compas - i'm just an Athiest, not an antigod type of - the lloadmouths. (tehy are the minority - we are a silent majority BTW).

per your abov ????????? i view man and me as limited - an ant - so with limitations pr my nature.

so not able to rise above my nature.

welcome your view of man being without limit - though i would disagree with such a notion.
gaffo
Posts: 4259
Joined: Mon Nov 27, 2017 3:15 am

Re: Accepting Life

Post by gaffo »

Walker wrote: Sun Aug 01, 2021 8:20 pm
Gary Childress wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 1:35 am
When I'm content it seems very easy to do something like that but when things aren't going so well it's much more difficult.
That's the very meat of philosophy.
with respect - morality - not philosophy above.

just read Job.

lol.
Walker
Posts: 14245
Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2015 12:00 am

Re: Accepting Life

Post by Walker »

gaffo wrote: Mon Aug 09, 2021 12:37 am ???????????
“To be, you must be nobody. To think yourself to be something, or somebody, is death and hell.”
- Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj


Commentary: Of most relevance to the occasion, when you express perceptions of the world without the verb “to be,” the telling forces upon awareness a change in perspective and significance, away from present-time death and hell realms which only exist as mental fabrications, and towards sems nyid.

Such e-prime writing dovetails nicely with objectivity.
gaffo
Posts: 4259
Joined: Mon Nov 27, 2017 3:15 am

Re: Accepting Life

Post by gaffo »

Walker wrote: Mon Aug 09, 2021 7:06 am
gaffo wrote: Mon Aug 09, 2021 12:37 am ???????????
“To be, you must be nobody. To think yourself to be something, or somebody, is death and hell.”
- Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj


Commentary: Of most relevance to the occasion, when you express perceptions of the world without the verb “to be,” the telling forces upon awareness a change in perspective and significance, away from present-time death and hell realms which only exist as mental fabrications, and towards sems nyid.

Such e-prime writing dovetails nicely with objectivity.
I'm too dumb to understand the above.

if you are willing I'd welcome you dumbing it down for dumb smuck like me to be able to understand.

as always, thanks for reply and taking the time for me.
Post Reply