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3bob

"May all beings be happy" ?

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The Buddhsit prayer that says, "May all beings be happy" sounds nice but considering how some beings are only happy when others are suffering seems to make for an impossible, oxymoronic prayer....  and if we include the animal kingdom as an example (since the prayer says "all" beings)  then most of the time predator's are "happy" when they devouring other beings like deer which do not display happiness during such occasions...

 

is there a work around in meaning for such a prayer....?

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I'd say 'content' would be a good word to use in this case, and i'd guess that is what is meant. 

 

Cheers

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do you mean context Edward?  If so then the  prayer could read, "may all predator's be happy" - but not simultaneously read, "may all predator's and their prey be happy while devouring and being devoured".

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My first thought was it is simply pointing to the essence of life; like 'praise to life itself'... if you only hold that thought, I'd think one will find an emotion like even 'happy' to arise.

 

As soon as you add more, like 'predators', you lose that core essence.

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No, i meant content, as in be content with right here right now.  Content to be as we are, not needing anything else to make us happy.  

 

cheers

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May all beings use their analytic intelligence in a balanced way, allowing room for the sometimes paradoxical and not-always-strictly-logical wisdom of the heart.

Edited by liminal_luke
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Of course it's unrealistic for all beings to be happy... but that's missing the point. The point is to cultivate metta and have that show in our words and actions as far as possible. If you treat all you come across kindly because you have genuine metta, you're living to the spirit of the words, trying to be a beacon of benevolence to the beings you come across. 

 

Try meditating with the slogan 'may all beings be happy', then try meditating with the slogan 'may all beings be happy, except when this causes logical inconsistencies'.

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if the prayer means we can interpret it as we wish then the sky is the limit....

 

but considering the exacting "reasoning" that many Buddhists seem to proclaim and from that position the prayer (for all particular beings) really makes no sense being that it is impossible to take place in manifest realms , thus would have to be conditional per such realms.

Edited by 3bob

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I agree Seeker of Wisdom, and hope that my post above doesn´t come across as snide. It´s an interesting philosophical question whether all beings really could be happy simultaneously, or even whether that would be a good thing.

 

But this kind of thinking can get in the way of simply practicing and allowing the practice to influence us. I think the point of the phrase is what happens to us when we say it, feel it, make this generous impulse a part of our lives.

Edited by liminal_luke
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Wishing beings to be happy is the formal expression of the first of the four immeasurables - love. In a Buddhist context love has certain qualifications and preconditions which negates using others suffering as a limb for your own happiness.

 

The four immeasurables are usually stated in some form or another at the start of each practice and it goes something like this:

 

'May all sentient beings enjoy happiness and the causes of happiness. [Love]

Be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. [Compassion]

May they never be separated from the great happiness devoid of suffering. [Joy]

And may they dwell in the great equanimity that is free from passion, aggression and prejudice. [Equanimity]

Edited by rex
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Chuang Tzu spoke to the concept of "happy" numerous times but never arrived at a conclusion.  "Happy" is, in most cases, only a temporary thing.  A moment of joyful inspiration.

 

I doubt the deer is happy when it is being eaten by the tiger.  Sure, the tiger is happy.  Until it gets hungry again.

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When one begins to put the words into practice, then the actualisation and meaning of this supremely altruistic wish gradually becomes clearer. 

 

Just because there exist predators whose nature cannot be but what they are should not in any way impinge on this particular class of beings endowed with favourable birth to cultivate altruistic thoughts. 

 

When one is feeling good its easy to make others happy. 

 

Spiritual maturity, in many ways, usually occur only when one has the guts and capacity to be considerate and kind (to self and others) despite personal limitations. 

 

Wishing happiness for all beings is simply a reminder to put aside our intensity of focus on 'I/Me/Mine' so as to loosen up and let go of selfish fixations of which the outcomes are usually negative and often lead to a continuity of unhappiness and other destructive emotional pangs, creating cycles within cycles of samsaric existences.  

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Happiness.

 

True unconditional Happiness is impossible without Freedom.

 

True unconditional Freedom is impossible without Health.

 

 

 

 


-VonKrankenhaus

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Us humans are the top predators on this planet so it makes sense that we'd like every living thing be be happy with this arrangement. Buddhists seek to liberate themselves from delusion, yet seem content to weave their own web of delusion. 

 

It is estimated we kill around 56 billion farm animals annually and 90 billion marine animals.

Edited by Yueya
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It is estimated we kill around 56 billion farm animals annually and 90 billion marine animals.

But we will have eaten well.  That should make us happy.

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Us humans are the top predators on this planet so it makes sense that we'd like every living thing be be happy with this arrangement. Buddhists seek to liberate themselves from delusion, yet seem content to weave their own web of delusion. 

 

It is estimated we kill around 56 billion farm animals annually and 90 billion marine animals.

Is this your reasoning for negating Buddhist altruism? 

 

Seems a bit disjointed, more so when reading the entirety of whats written above, especially about Buddhists being content to weave 'their own' web of delusion. 

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CT I respect the great Buddhist tradition. I just like to highlight some of its delusions. I have no illusions about the true extent of human altruism. On this topic I find these lines from the Daodejing to be more realistic...

 

Heaven and Earth are not kind:

Ten thousand things are like straw dogs to them.

 

Sages are not kind:

People are straw dogs to them.

 

On some level, we, and all life, are simply sacrificial offerings in the unending decomposition and recomposition ritual of the universe. We all simply participate in the unending transformative process of the Dao.

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Happiness comes from ones heart. You can ask yourself whether you are happy or not always.

Edited by Junko

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I had typed up a lengthy (and utterly brilliant!) post on how this concept is reflected in common philosophical underpinnings of the so-called Native American people (American Indian, Amerind, pre-Columbian residents, whatever) but it went *poof*

 

Instead, I'll post this quote attributed to the Oglala Lakota chief, Low Dog:

 

"This is a good day to die."

 

LowDog1.jpg

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 I think the point of the phrase is what happens to us when we say it, feel it, make this generous impulse a part of our lives.

 

This is the key.

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This is the key.

 

yup i think so. the whole point being to gladden the heart as we genuinely wish all beings to be happy and find peace. not to be overthought, methinks.

 

even if you're an ant who has no idea of any of this stuff, maybe one day somewhere down the line :D

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if the prayer means we can interpret it as we wish then the sky is the limit....

 

but considering the exacting "reasoning" that many Buddhists seem to proclaim and from that position the prayer (for all particular beings) really makes no sense [...]

 

The point of the phrase is to immerse oneself in the spirit of it, and for that to spill over into action. To become a more benevolent person to all the beings one comes across. This is not a topic where there's any point being intellectual about things. There is no need to do any interpretation. There is no need to be clever or sophisticated here.

 

Of course a deer isn't happy to be eaten by wolves. But how does this have any bearing on whether or not it's a good thing for a human to cultivate altruistic intentions? How is someone who regularly drums into their mind 'may all beings be happy' likely to act? I'm going to take a wild guess here and say 'better'.

Edited by Seeker of Wisdom
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Us humans are the top predators on this planet so it makes sense that we'd like every living thing be be happy with this arrangement. Buddhists seek to liberate themselves from delusion, yet seem content to weave their own web of delusion. 

 

It is estimated we kill around 56 billion farm animals annually and 90 billion marine animals.

I find two flaws in this argument -

1. Buddhists don't necessarily expect or intend for "every living thing to be happy with this arrangement." 

2. Most Buddhists are vegetarian. Even the Tibetans living in diaspora tend towards vegetarianism once there is the opportunity to do so, which doesn't exist at altitude.

 

I'd be interested in fleshing out the Buddhist web of delusion further

 

 

CT I respect the great Buddhist tradition. I just like to highlight some of its delusions. I have no illusions about the true extent of human altruism. On this topic I find these lines from the Daodejing to be more realistic...

 

Heaven and Earth are not kind:

Ten thousand things are like straw dogs to them.

 

Sages are not kind:

People are straw dogs to them.

 

On some level, we, and all life, are simply sacrificial offerings in the unending decomposition and recomposition ritual of the universe. We all simply participate in the unending transformative process of the Dao.

There is no question about the wisdom inherent in those lines from the Daodejing.

While there is much truth to these lines, we are humans, not earthquakes, tornadoes, or floods. It is our nature to feel emotion and we can choose to act with compassion towards others or to take advantage of the weakness of others.

When we live a life of caring and compassion, we experience tangible benefits from that as do those around us.

When we live otherwise, we experience negative consequences.

That is the truth of karma and the foundation of compassionate action on the relative level in Buddhism.

 

The sage has transcended the wheel of karma and sees the world from both the absolute and relative perspectives.

The sage sees the futility that you point to and yet still has the choice to be kind and compassionate or mean and predatory.

Rather than this undermining the value of compassionate action, this awareness can also reinforce the principles of compassion and equanimity. The sage sees the world from the absolute perspective where the unity of Dao means that life and death have little meaning. At the same time, that very unity means that if I hurt someone else, I am equally hurting myself. If I help someone else, I am equally helping myself. If this is experienced directly, beyond intellect, it is enormously powerful. This can be a wellspring of unconditional love and compassion. That is the foundation of compassion in Buddhism on a more absolute level.

 

Simultaneously, the sage can see the absolute truth where all living beings are "straw dogs" as well as the relative truth where humans and animals actually experience happiness and suffering in a very real way. It's my experience that sagely folks are more likely to be kind and compassionate than predatory or selfish.

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