The Middle Way (Sensible Living, Sensible Goals)

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Chris

I’ve been wanting to return to the topic and write in-depth about how Stoicism and Buddhism essentially convey the same message, but in different ways. I touched upon it previously, here. An imperfect description is that Buddhism is more right-brained (creative/intuitive) and Stoicism is left-brained (logical/analytical)…it’s not a perfect description of these different approaches, and it doesn’t matter how we approach it, the message is basically the same. As I begin this quest, I know that it will require several installments, so stay tuned. I will dive deeper and deeper as we go.

I’ve been putting this one off for awhile. There are some things, that when you discover them to be true, you sense they are right even though they are difficult to put into words. So, now I will try to begin…

Both Buddhism and Stoicism stress living a sensible and peaceful life. They de-emphasize passions and desire, and emphasize being content with your position in life while doing as much good and as little harm as possible. Both philosophies focus on detached contemplation of your actions, instead of absolutes of “this is right” or “this is wrong.” Both philosophies invite you to search for yourself, rather than preach at you. For these reasons, I was attracted to both philosophies. As I continue to study and practice both concurrently, I realize I have internalized my outlook on how to live a virtuous life. In short, this outlook is best described as living The Middle Way (term borrowed from Buddhism).

Monks Practicing the Middle Way

The Middle Way. Maybe I could replace the words a little: The Sensible Way. Possibly, The Pragmatic Way. For sure, the extremes are a place to avoid.

“The body should be treated more rigorously, that it may not be disobedient to the mind. Eat merely to relieve your hunger; drink merely to quench your thirst; dress merely to keep out the cold; house yourself merely as a protection against personal discomfort.”–Seneca Letter 8

A bust of Seneca…a Stoic.

The Buddha…seek what he sought.

“There are these two extremes that are not to be indulged in by one who has gone forth. Which two? That which is devoted to sensual pleasure with reference to sensual objects: base, vulgar, common, ignoble, unprofitable; and that which is devoted to self-affliction: painful, ignoble, unprofitable. Avoiding both of these extremes, the middle way realized by the Tathagata — producing vision, producing knowledge — leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding.”–Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta: Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion” (SN 56.11), translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight, 12 February 2012, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.than.html . Retrieved on 17 January 2013.

How You Can be Happy Forever!

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Chris

“I search myself first, and then the world about me.”–Seneca

Seneca captures so much with these words. Happiness is indeed a state of mind. We expect our happiness to be affected by external factors, and it certainly can. There is no denying that our environment affects our happiness. Meeting someone new, being proposed to for marriage, getting a pay raise, getting together with friends and relatives can all make us very happy, at least for a while. How about these: a successful business venture, getting a new job, completing a project, even winning the lottery? All of these things can affect our view on life and our happiness, too. However, I repeat, none of them bring permanent contentment. That kind of happiness requires introspection, continuous mindfulness and effort.

If only you could meet her, you would be happy.(Photo by Belovodchenko Anton)

Certainly we can enjoy the external joys in life, but just like saving for a rainy day we should realize that all of these external things are ephemeral. Their happiness effect will fade eventually. It is during these times of joy that we should build our happiness capital. The perspective that the reflective, philosophical life gives us can help us build this capital. In the end, happiness is an internal function. We choose to be happy or not.

This is very important because not only do those external happiness drivers not always exist, but in fact there will also be many external things that make us unhappy. Do I need to list them? Take all of the things I mentioned above and reverse them. Here we go: losing an old friend, getting a divorce, taking a pay cut, missing your friends and relatives, a failed business venture, being fired, failing to complete a project. Finally, you may have your heart set on winning the lottery, and never win a dime. You could even win and then be poisoned! (click for full story)

Poison!

Your philosophy is your happiness shock absorber. Your perspective, your equanimity is yours to control. Look within for change, and look within for answers. Seneca is right!

Duality: Either/Or vs. The Spectrum

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Chris

WARNING: This post will take you down a very deep rabbit hole if you let it…good luck.

The duality of everything is going to drive me insane, I think. I yearn for independence and yet need thousands around me to survive. I want eternal happiness, yet feel down or depressed for no reason. I strive to be a man of virtue, yet notice some of my actions are inconsistent with right versus wrong.

I’ve really been noticing the contradiction all around me. It really is everywhere. It is everywhere and unavoidable. AND, like I said, my noticing it lately has been driving me crazy. It is like watching an existential tennis match, when you hate tennis!

happy/sad
life/death
practical/idealistic
sleep/awake
materialistic/spiritual
money is everything/money is nothing
individuality/non-self
meaning/emptiness
purpose/futility
good/evil
knowledge/ignorance

I think the insanity begins when you start thinking of all these “opposites” as distinct either/or poles. Either life has purpose or it is futile, either I am happy or I am sad, etc. As soon as you start noticing these things, they pop up all around you, they come at you from everywhere…like that tennis match, or maybe it’s like two opposing walls closing inward on you with ever greater compression (think of the Star Wars trash compactor scene). My personal frustration begins when I try to figure it out. What does it all mean? Is their purpose in life or is it futile? Are we inherently evil or good? Should I reach out to change my world or recede into myself? Should I be happy with what I have, or should I strive for more?

So, this is where I try to break the paradigm, changing that either/or view to one of seeing suchness, one that sees that there is no either/or. What is the answer to those questions I posed above? When I reflect, meditate and breathe, I see the answer is yes and no, all at once. It might be helpful to combine the answer to “yes&no.” Is life meaningless? yes&no. Does life have purpose? yes&no. Should I strive to attain more wealth, or should I be happy with what I have? yes&no. A “Yes&No” view acknowledges that there is a spectrum of non-answers rather than either/or. It also acknowledges that I may be wrong about my own view, that clinging to an answer I KNOW is true, may not be correct. This view is something you can study about, but it must be experienced to truly attain it.

Are there absolutes or not? We want there to be, don’t we? We are comfortable when we cling to our “answers.” From a practical standpoint, we decide yes or no all the time. Should I steal this candy bar? No. Is that the right thing to do? Yes. However, when it comes to our place in all of existence, these answers are approximations for truth. What if we ask even more questions about our candy bar problem? Who is selling the candy bar? What are they doing with the profits? What is in the candy bar? Is it hurting people? Isn’t that their choice? Is my neighbor starving? Am I starving?

My point here is not to convince myself that stealing a candy bar might be the right thing to do (although, I suppose given the right conditions, it might). My point is to illustrate that even with the simplest of either/or questions, there is a spectrum that goes unnoticed by us. We create the either/or world to try and simplify our existence, but it is not reality. If too much of this reality seeps through into our view without the right context, it can drive us mad.

That may very well be where the Buddhist concept of right view comes in. To see reality and thrive, we must have context; a large sea of understanding that helps us see where we fit. When I have a right view, I can see that there is a Middle Way. I know that there are guides to right and wrong, but I understand that these guides are dependent on context, and that all of existence is very complicated.

If I point to the grain of sand, I would be both right and wrong.

If I try to point to the grain of sand, I would be both right and wrong.

What I think I am trying to emphasize is that our understanding is almost always incomplete. The appearance of opposites is an illusion. We must always (yes, I said always) make our decisions with incomplete information. We do not know everything about anything, and we know very little about most things. So, when we make our life decisions we can take heart in the fact that we are doing the best we can with the given information. It seems that it is best when we avoid the opposite poles and favor the middle way.

…and hopefully avoid insanity.

“…what makes [the noble truths] noble truths is precisely that they are actual, undeviating, invariable (tatha, avitatha, anannatha). It is the failure to face the actuality of these truths that has caused us to wander for so long through the long course of samsara. It is by penetrating these truths exactly as they are that one can reach the true consummation of the spiritual quest: making an end to suffering.”

Taken from “Dhamma and Non-duality”, by Bhikkhu Bodhi. Access to Insight, 4 April 2011, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/bps-essay_27.html . Retrieved on 2 January 2013.

Samsara

Aside

Samsara – Buddhist term for the repeating cycle of birth, life, death. Can also refer to the the various worldly activities and sufferings of existence, and the unsettled mind through which reality is perceived. We are stuck in it until we can transcend it through enlightenment or understanding.

Suchness (Tathata)

Aside

Suchness (Tathata) – The nature of reality at any given moment. True existence. It is impossible to describe, and when it is attempted, we miss the mark. We can notice it in simple ways: e.g. the stillness of a flower, our loved one’s breath upon us when she sleeps, the sun shining on our forehead.