GENIUS FORUMS

Carl G wrote:No, egos are not in the business of killing negative habits, such as those which would cause suffering. Egos thrive on suffering.

Carl;

Who is it or what is it that seeks enlightenment?

clyde

maestro; You did not address my question: What is the "permanent self"? If it is created (as you wrote), than its existence is dependent on causes and conditions, and if those causes and conditions cease, then the "permanent self" will cease to exist. If its existence is not depe...

maestro; Peter has answered your question (& Leyla has laughted): Yes, it is a construct. I read your first post on "enlightenment finally" and congratulate you for having "acquired the end of suffering." clyde p.s: Buddha taught the Three Marks of Existence: dukkha (sufferin...

Diebert; Causes and conditions arise within and without the newborn infant, and over time an ego arises. It is not the result of an “intellectualizing brain” though it may be one of many causes. You state: “the emotion is born out of a build-in desire for self-sufficiency”. But all living organisms ...

maestro wrote:Create a permanent I which kills all these useless patterns and assumes control of the mind/body for real. In effect create a soul where none existed in the first place.

maestro;

How does one create something, anything, and it NOT be a construct?

clyde

maestro; Yes, it is an "interesting idea" and reminds me of the traditional saying of "using a thorn to remove a thorn". Still, one is creating a construct to eliminate a construct, and then you will need to create another construct to eliminate that construct, and . . . Better t...

I have raised a child. It was (and remains) my observation and opinion that newborn infants do not have egos (are unable to form constructs), but do exhibit emotions. I'm not aware of any definition in psychology or spiritual tradition that describes the ego as ability to 'form constructs' or anyth...

If anyone still wants to insist a baby doesn't have an ego: raise a kid, or two! Diebert; I have raised a child. It was (and remains) my observation and opinion that newborn infants do not have egos (are unable to form constructs), but do exhibit emotions. We may disagree on this point. My other po...

Trevor; I’ve only read Chapter 2, Expedient Means, but here may be a response: "Shariputra, I, now, too am also like this. Knowing that living beings have various desires to which their hearts are deeply attached, according to their basic dispositions, and by means of various causes and conditi...

Dan; A quick search (See Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotion .) lists 6 basic emotions: anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise. An infant, which cannot form a psychological or mental construct (that is, they cannot yet form an ego which I defined as a psychological or men...

Dan; It seems, at least to me, that there are some emotions that arise which are not ego-based, where ego is some psychological or mental construct. If there are such emotions (not ego-based), then such emotions might arise even with an enlightened person. And even if one accepts that all emotions a...

Dan;

Why do you believe that

Dan Rowden wrote:Emotions don't/can't arise in a perfectly enlightened person

It seems to me to be an unhelpful belief.

clyde

Hi, folks. The phrases "focusing on the present' and "living in the moment" imply that there may be something other than the present. There is not. Time is just a chemical imbalance. Chemical reactions, including the ones in our bodies, go forwards and next backwards - instantaneousl...

David Quinn wrote:How could I possibly begin attending to wisdom until everyone, everywhere, has been alleviated of their suffering?

Alleviating suffering is attending to wisdom.

mikiel; While we wait for David's reply, I thought I'd share something I posted elsewhere regarding enlightenment and perfection: It seems to me that we sometimes hold an unrealistic expectation of perfection. It may be perfection of feelings/emotions; which may be expressed as non-feeling/emotions ...

In dream you love some and not others. On waking up you find you are love itself, embracing all. Personal love, however intense and genuine, invariably binds; love in freedom is love of all. When you are love itself, you are beyond time and numbers. In loving one you love all, in loving all, you lo...

This is meant to add, not to disagree with what has been written here. Compassion is not limited to facilitating the awakening of ourselves and others; it also includes alleviating the actual pain and suffering we and others experience (e.g. - to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to tend the si...

This is meant to add, not to disagree with what has been written here. Compassion is not limited to facilitating the awakening of ourselves and others; it also includes alleviating the actual pain and suffering we and others experience (e.g. - to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to tend the sic...

David; This question may have been overlooked in another thread, so here is a new thread for you: What is compassion, exactly? Are you certain that you studied the teachings of Buddha and consider him a "spiritual brother"? It is one of those words that can interpreted in a wide variety of...

Sapius; We agree on the primary issue, but we may see the details somewhat differently. For example, I think we understand pain and suffering similarly (that which we seek to avoid), while we may have greater differences on what causes us, as a unique human being, pain and suffering. But maybe that ...

What is compassion, exactly? Are you certain that you studied the teachings of Buddha and consider him a "spiritual brother"? It is one of those words that can interpreted in a wide variety of ways, just like "God". I have my own understanding of compassion, which I believe acco...

David Quinn wrote:What is compassion, exactly?

Are you certain that you studied the teachings of Buddha and consider him a "spiritual brother"?

"Why aren’t we all Good Samaritans?", a short talk by Daniel Goleman
==> http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/200

Sapius;

I understand the impossibility of perfect harmlessness. That said, we know what pain and suffering are, we can imagine the pain and suffering of others, and we can avoid acts that cause unnecessary pain and suffering.

Sapius; No, you did not state that ‘do no harm’ was doing nothing. I was responding to this which you did write, Patting the back of a repeated rapist and telling him to do no harm Acting in an ineffective way to lessen the suffering in the world is not doing no harm. And since you do not believ...