Let us think of a bald Buddhist monk dressed in orange witnessing evil acts. He was sitting meditating and witnesses someone killing his mother and father. He opens his eyes to see the acts from a distance and finishes his meditation. What do you think the first thought in his mind will be? Mercy.
Taco Bell
Thats his second thought dude. Yo quiero Taco Bell.
STL brings up an important point here. Thinking about our basic needs and declining them for the sake of others leads us to a greater purpose in life.
Not sure you can forego “basic” needs. Food, clothing, shelter, sex, alcohol, video games, the Internet (read: porn), a good bidet, Netflix and HBO, and excessive amounts of money are all things you have to have to survive. Giving all that up would be pointless as I wouldn’t be alive to pursue and enjoy my “greater purpose.”
yea i don’t think asceticism is the way. the buddha tried that before becoming the buddha.
Gandhi slept with young girls in his bed to strengthen his resolve and crush temptations.
Wonder what really went down?
ACE has me cracking up but as I reflect I’m not sure if he’s joking?
I listened to two podcasts interviewing the philosopher William MacASkill and found his approach interesting. It’s not full out Peter Singer, because he acknowledges that psychological realities that may prevent a perfectly defensible existence not lasting as long as a partial one the person can maintain over time.
I’m a minimalist, but watching the recent Netflix documentary made me throw out some stuff. I think on balance people would benefit moving towards ascetic life but don’t think being an ascetic is sustainable
I am not very familiar with the practice of ‘being an ascetic’. To give up all indulgences permanently does seem a bit much. Balance is the key as you said. Do what you can and little steps give light to truth, peace, and harmony.
If you have time check out the iTunes U course - Death by Shelly Kagan. Pretty good discussion on death and dying.
yikes. thats a lot of videos https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEA18FAF1AD9047B0 What stood out to you - what did you like about his talks? What is your perspective and did he support it?
I liked how he broke down arguments. A lot of times people debate things but oversimplify or take for granted certain assumptions. He doesn’t believe that humans have souls, in the afterlife, and thinks that suicide is okay in some situations. I personally believe in medically assisted suicide in certain situations, but I like the idea that we have souls and there’s more to being human than a physical structure. As to the afterlife - (I suppose your soul can die with your physical body?) I don’t think so.