Good ol' Buddhism...

Page 2 of 4 [ 56 posts ] Go to page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4 Next

Previous topic | Next topic

TallyMan
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 30 Mar 2008
Gender: Male
Posts: 40,061

09 Dec 2012, 10:09 am

Tequila wrote:

TallyMan wrote:

I'm a "sorta" Zen Buddhist / Atheist / Advaita Vedantist.

Are you just an atheist that feels like you want to believe in something spiritual and esoteric, that there is something a little more refined and greater than just bog-standard "no God"ism?

No, it is more complicated than that. It would take a very long reply to try to explain. I have no desire to "believe" in anything, I simply seek to understand existence on more than one level. Science provides objective tools to that end and meditation provides "subjective" tools. My personal "philosophy" closely resembles that of Zen Buddhism & Advaita Vedanta in as much that my own approach coincides with Zen Buddhism and Jnana yoga of Hindus.

As a very crude analogy, science can tell me what an apple looks like, what it weighs, its biology and biochemistry, its DNA and various other facts such as its hardness, percentage water composition and so on. What science cannot tell me is what an apple tastes like. "Taste" is an emergent property of the relationship between the apple and my taste buds and brain and is purely experiential. Zen/ meditation is a tool that allows me to delve into the nature of subjective reality and consciousness.

_________________
I've left WP indefinitely.

Tequila
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 25 Feb 2006
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Posts: 28,897
Location: Lancashire, UK

09 Dec 2012, 11:03 am

Ah, OK.

TheBicyclingGuitarist
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 27 May 2007
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,332

09 Dec 2012, 11:15 am

TallyMan wrote:

Tequila wrote:

TallyMan wrote:

I'm a "sorta" Zen Buddhist / Atheist / Advaita Vedantist.

Are you just an atheist that feels like you want to believe in something spiritual and esoteric, that there is something a little more refined and greater than just bog-standard "no God"ism?

Me too! What he said.

As with any spiritual teaching, the lessons of the Buddha have been interpreted and reinterpreted where some people quibble or worse over differing interpretations, but the bottom line is direct experience. All the teachings are but hints, like a finger pointing at the moon (famous Zen example).

When I was young, I tried to learn everything about everything. I read many thousands of books on every subject but mainly focusing on history and science my first thirty years. But I found the limitations to these fields, and in my thirties I studied much comparative mythology and Native American cultures, and in my forties I dove deep into eastern philosophies (Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism). One of my favorite philosophers and teachers is Alan Watts (1915-1973), but I don't agree with everything he or anyone else says.

_________________
"When you ride over sharps, you get flats!"--The Bicycling Guitarist, May 13, 2008

VIDEODROME
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Age: 50
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,691

09 Dec 2012, 11:27 am

I feel similar to TallyMan but I'm going in a different direction with Taoism.

I suppose Taoism fills the "Gaps" that science doesn't quite cover. The way an Apple tastes might just be described as the Tao of the Apple.

XFilesGeek
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 24 Jul 2010
Age: 43
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 6,031
Location: The Oort Cloud

09 Dec 2012, 1:27 pm

TheBicyclingGuitarist wrote:

TallyMan wrote:

Tequila wrote:

TallyMan wrote:

I'm a "sorta" Zen Buddhist / Atheist / Advaita Vedantist.

Are you just an atheist that feels like you want to believe in something spiritual and esoteric, that there is something a little more refined and greater than just bog-standard "no God"ism?

Add me to this Zen dog pile.

I just see "Zen" as a way to look at the universe. It's a helpful framework in which to interpret my subjective experience of being human.

I've tried other philosophies, but, so far, Zen's the only point-of-view that seems to withstand my most thorough nitpicking and criticism. It's also perfectly in line with my, "Whatever will be will be," mindset.

_________________
"If we fail to anticipate the unforeseen or expect the unexpected in a universe of infinite possibilities, we may find ourselves at the mercy of anyone or anything that cannot be programmed, categorized or easily referenced."

-XFG (no longer a moderator)

TallyMan
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 30 Mar 2008
Gender: Male
Posts: 40,061

09 Dec 2012, 1:35 pm

XFilesGeek wrote:

I've tried other philosophies, but, so far, Zen's the only point-of-view that seems to withstand my most thorough nitpicking and criticism. It's also perfectly in line with my, "Whatever will be will be," mindset.

Agreed, though I'd express it more as "Whatever is, IS"; or less cryptically reality is whatever it is, it is for us to uncover that reality rather than create (or absorb) belief systems as to what we may fancifully want reality to be.

The teachings of Jiddu Krishnamurti also sync pretty well with this philosophy too.

_________________
I've left WP indefinitely.

XFilesGeek
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 24 Jul 2010
Age: 43
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 6,031
Location: The Oort Cloud

09 Dec 2012, 2:35 pm

TallyMan wrote:

XFilesGeek wrote:

I'll have to look him up.

Thanks.

MrXxx
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 11 May 2010
Age: 65
Gender: Male
Posts: 5,760
Location: New England

09 Dec 2012, 2:40 pm

Wait a minute?

I thought it sucked? :chin:

_________________
I'm not likely to be around much longer. As before when I first signed up here years ago, I'm finding that after a long hiatus, and after only a few days back on here, I'm spending way too much time here again already. So I'm requesting my account be locked, banned or whatever. It's just time. Until then, well, I dunno...

TallyMan
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 30 Mar 2008
Gender: Male
Posts: 40,061

09 Dec 2012, 2:49 pm

MrXxx wrote:

Wait a minute?

I thought it sucked? :chin:

No, that is Hoovers or is it Dysons?

_________________
I've left WP indefinitely.

MrXxx
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 11 May 2010
Age: 65
Gender: Male
Posts: 5,760
Location: New England

09 Dec 2012, 2:56 pm

TallyMan wrote:

MrXxx wrote:

Wait a minute?

I thought it sucked? :chin:

No, that is Hoovers or is it Dysons?

Eureka!!

Tequila
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 25 Feb 2006
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Posts: 28,897
Location: Lancashire, UK

09 Dec 2012, 3:02 pm

Buddhist monks have those lovely orange sash type things and wear lovely orange clothes. I wouldn't mind something like that myself if I was in better physique.

puddingmouse
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 24 Apr 2010
Age: 40
Gender: Female
Posts: 8,777
Location: Cottonopolis

09 Dec 2012, 5:26 pm

Misslizard wrote:

I am so embarrassed by my typo,Bubbhists????????Ye gads. :oops:

It's an awesome typo.

puddingmouse
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 24 Apr 2010
Age: 40
Gender: Female
Posts: 8,777
Location: Cottonopolis

09 Dec 2012, 5:34 pm

VIDEODROME wrote:

The taste of the apple is reality at the moment you have it in your mouth, I think.

If an apple is not being eaten, does it still have a taste?

Evinceo
Deinonychus

Joined: 13 Apr 2012
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Posts: 392

09 Dec 2012, 6:56 pm

puddingmouse wrote:

The taste of the apple is reality at the moment you have it in your mouth, I think.

If an apple is not being eaten, does it still have a taste?

That boils down to the semantics of "taste"; people usually mean that if you where to eat it, it will have that taste.

MCalavera
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 15 Dec 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 5,442

09 Dec 2012, 9:43 pm

puddingmouse wrote:

VIDEODROME wrote:

The taste of the apple is reality at the moment you have it in your mouth, I think.

If an apple is not being eaten, does it still have a taste?

In my opinion, no. Because what it tastes like depends on your brain, not on the apple itself.

ooOoOoOAnaOoOoOoo
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 18 Jun 2008
Gender: Female
Posts: 12,265

09 Dec 2012, 9:49 pm

MCalavera wrote:

puddingmouse wrote:

VIDEODROME wrote:

The taste of the apple is reality at the moment you have it in your mouth, I think.

If an apple is not being eaten, does it still have a taste?

In my opinion, no. Because what it tastes like depends on your brain, not on the apple itself.

True. It's perception so how can anyone possibly know? We are so limited by our senses.

Page 2 of 4 [ 56 posts ] Go to page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4 Next

Jump to:

Good ol' Buddhism... Post Reply New Topic

Good ol' Buddhism...