Dear Buddhists, I have a question

[Krenx]

On 10/12/2024 at 10:40 AM, Sir Darius the Clairvoyent said:

First of all, let me say that I know way to little about your philosophy/tradition/religion/system. I hope you'll forgive any potential misunderstanding of your faith. I find a lot of beauty and wisdom in your system. One thing I am a little uncertain about tho, is the focus on suffering, and all the energy that goes into avoiding it. That suffering is part of life is absolutely undeniable. However, I wonder, if this perspective possibly hinders your from experiencing all the beauty of life?

 

Buddhism teaches the 4 noble truths. The first truth that suffering exist in samsara, and the cause of it being craving, and the release from craving to end suffering, and the path of this entire process of abandoning craving to release from suffering, enter nibbana. Apart from the details of the path, you probably are familiar with the first 3 truths stated. 

 

So is the goal of buddhism to "experience" all that life has to offer? No. That is not the goal. The goal of buddhism is very specific to nibbana, release from craving. Gradual Dispassion of the world. 

 

Because of the phenomena of reincarnation, we have actually experienced existence many times. Countless times. All the pain and sense pleasures existence has to offer, we have covered it abundantly through the different realms in our countless past lives. Hell, animal, ghost, human, heavenly realms.  The Buddha said the amount of blood we bled in our past  incarnations could easily fill up all the oceans in the sea. World cycles, expansions and contractions of the universes. But most of us presently cannot recall such past lives. But we do carry the kamma of our past actions, and experience the fruits of it, bear unripe good and bad kamma within us, waiting for conditions to unfold. 

 

So after all these experiences, why does our mind still remain confused? In doubt? And tend to fall into that whole cycle again and again through birth aging sickness and death? It is because we have not understood samsara, we do not understand existence. We did not come across the noble dhamma, the truth of existence. With ignorance as condition, we continue this cycle of samsara and suffering.  

 

The Buddha said this: 

“And what things should be completely understood? Form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness. These are called the things that should be completely understood.

And what is complete understanding? The ending of greed, hate, and delusion. This is called complete understanding. Sutta (SN 23.4). 

 

Key term there is "complete understanding". And come clues on what leads to the complete understanding of existence? It is a big claim, and big clues to do with greed, hate, delusion. 

 

Experiencing life, does not automatically lead to understanding. It Requires very specific insights, knowledge, a path to practice and used as a vehicle to reveal the truth of existence, understand existence. 

 

You mentioned avoiding suffering seems like what Buddhist practice. This is a misunderstanding. Aversion is NOT skillful in this path. Aversion is fundamentally craving, craving for a certain set of worldly conditions and sense pleasure comforts that are not in your control, and impermenant. The goal is to abandon craving, not partake in it, or indulge in more of it.

 

There are precepts, the virtue. Things we practice to abandon, and in that practice reveal the pressures of craving within us, and work with to tame the mind and actions. The 5 precepts for lay people is not Lying, stealing, intoxicants, adultery, killing. 

 

We develop conditions and insight that allow us to see things as they are, develop right view, see and understand the root of suffering, and abandon craving, ending suffering. The terms used is abandon, lay down the burden. It is a totally different flavour from "avoidance". Because when something is abandoned properly, nothing can sway the heart of the noble one. Not even the threat of death. The arrow of pain may land in a noble one, but the second arrow of suffering in the mind does not land.

 

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn36/sn36.006.nypo.html

 

Because the noble ones know for themselves where suffering is, and its roots. It has seen it clearly, and that which has been seen cannot be unseen. 

 

 

https://accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.031.than.html

 

This sutta clearly explains all the knowledge the Buddha knows, and what he actually chooses to teach. Because he is only teaching the 4 noble truths, the goal to liberation. Any other knowledge and distractions, he does not teach, there is no need to. His life is limited on earth, and he is has perfect precision in what he shares, and only for the goal of liberation from suffering for all beings. 

 

Hope that helps 🙏

Edited June 3 by Krenx