Is Buddhism A Viable Solution To Happiness?

[The Don]

Hello guys.

I want to know your perspectives on Buddhism.

How do you explain Buddhism? There are a lot of theories online and I don't know what to believe anymore.

I just don't wanna suffer. If we're honest about life we have to admit that LIFE IS SUFFERING.

A short description of Buddhism will be fine for me.

Thanks.

Edited September 24, 2018 by The Don
Correcting a grammatical mistake.

[Faceless]

Perhaps looking for a solution is part of the problem. 

Or, what does Buddhism have to do wth it? 

Why not understand what’s going on..why not understand the problem? 

 

 

Edited September 24, 2018 by Faceless

[Emanyalpsid]

@The Don I understand that you can't make out what it exactly is about through reading about it online. That is because the people who wrote it, probably didn't understand what it is about themselves. Even books are not going to help you. The writers are not able to explain it clearly, also because they lack insight.

Buddhism is about letting go of suffering through the understanding that the universe, reality, consciousness, is of dependent origin. Therefore it (universe, reality, consciousness) does not exist on itself. Because it does not exist on itself, there can also be no self. The self is a creation of the mind, through desires, which wants to give meaning to it. The self does so because one is ignorant and does not see that the meaning is only in the mind, trying to give meaning to it, by believing it exists on itself. The self hereby creates the illusion of grip, identity and security by creating a worldview. The self, your I, will try to defend this worldview as your self is your worldview, created by your desires. If your worldview dissolves, your self will also dissolve. You, as the self, don't want this because then the I, from which you think, will cease to exist. The I, or self, is just a mental construct, a way of thinking, which you have to see through. This is an intense individual process. It is a change from 'thinking in the why' to 'what happens because of what.' A shift from intellectual exercise to experiential knowledge 

If you have a desire you are unsatisfied, making way for egoistic emotions. So to enlighten all suffering, one has to let go of all his desires. But of course one needs desires to live, therefore through living one suffers. But by understanding this suffering, the suffering is not really suffering anymore. Therefore it is not about losing all negative emotions, it is about understanding them.

You might now think that when your desires dissolve, positive emotions also disappear, but this is not correct. Without desires, you are not unsatisfied and, consequently, perceive the world from a satisfied state of mind. Unsatisfaction is the cause of negative emotions. As a result, you are able to experience positive emotions more often and more intensively if you have fewer desires. Therefore you are more happy.

You will also have a more direct and intensive experience of reality, meaning you are more in the now, as you will experience less thoughts and experience more directly through your five senses. This is because you don't want to give meaning to what you experience anymore.  

If you want to know more about it, you can read about it on http://www.foundationsofhumanlife.com

Although it is also online, so reflect and go into your direct experience.

Edited September 24, 2018 by Emanyalpsid

[Shin]

Only if you practice for real the techniques.

But Leo explain all of them without any dogma, so you better watch his videos instead.

Will save you a lot of time.

[Emanyalpsid]

2 hours ago, Shin said:

Only if you practice for real the techniques.

Don't make it complex. You only have to focus on what you experience and how this comes to be. Don't look for meaning in the why, but focus on what happens because of what. You can practice this anytime anywhere.

Although I must admit, there are a lot of useful techniques you can you use to focus on this.

Edited September 24, 2018 by Emanyalpsid

[Shin]

1 hour ago, Emanyalpsid said:

Don't make it complex. You onll'y have to focus on what you experience and how this comes to be. Don't look for meaning in the why, but focus on what happens because of what. You can practice this anytime anywhere.

Although I must admit, there are a lot of useful techniques you can you use to focus on this.

I know, but to an inconscious person, that looks like a technique ☺

[abrakamowse]

We have to accept happiness and sadness to be really free. If we look to scape from reality we will never be able to be free.

[Torkys]

The very desire that you don't want to suffer makes you suffer because that desire is an attachment to not suffering. No religion or philosophy will bring you happiness because your attachment to beliefs will make you suffer. The only thing that is gonna set you free is dissolving the ego in the light of Love and Consciousness. 

That being said, don't throw out the baby with the bath water. Buddhism - and any philosophy for that matter - hold(s) powerful truths and Buddhism may be more useful for you than other religion. Seek put multiple perspectives

[Emanyalpsid]

3 hours ago, Shin said:

But Leo explain all of them without any dogma, so you better watch his videos instead.

Leo is trying to create an only happy place in his mind, through being very convinced of his believes and trying to form reality to his mind, which he will never achieve if one wants to live actively in reality. So I doubt if his techniques will help you with Buddhism. 

[ajasatya]

@The Don if you face buddhism as a means to become an intellectual, then no.

if you put it into actual practice, then yes.

it happened to me and it's still happening. it works.

take the 4 noble truths and implement them in your life.

[The Don]

2 hours ago, Torkys said:

The very desire that you don't want to suffer makes you suffer because that desire is an attachment to not suffering. No religion or philosophy will bring you happiness because your attachment to beliefs will make you suffer. The only thing that is gonna set you free is dissolving the ego in the light of Love and Consciousness. 

That being said, don't throw out the baby with the bath water. Buddhism - and any philosophy for that matter - hold(s) powerful truths and Buddhism may be more useful for you than other religion. Seek put multiple perspectives

Thanks.

What can I do to dissolve the EGO?

[Torkys]

@The Don A hammer can't break itself

[abrakamowse]

7 minutes ago, The Don said:

Thanks.

What can I do to dissolve the EGO?

That's the problem, you can't do nothing. The only thing you can do is to prepare your mind for the moment when you are ready to have a "revelation" or an "epiphany". But is not something you "do". Check Alan Watts videos on youtube. He explains that very well.

 

 

[Vipassana]

Suffering, impermanence & no self are fundamental teachings of the buddha. Vipassana meditation gave me insight on the fundamental truths of the universe & the buddhas teaching. Once you experience & accept all 3 truths of suffering, impermanence & no self, your reaction to life will be embedded in truth nd you can call it "buddhism" if you want to. 

[Emanyalpsid]

1 hour ago, abrakamowse said:

That's the problem, you can't do nothing. The only thing you can do is to prepare your mind for the moment when you are ready to have a "revelation" or an "epiphany". But is not something you "do". Check Alan Watts videos on youtube. He explains that very well.

 

 

Unfortunately Alan Watts does not have full understanding of Buddhism. He also believes there is only it. He says that in a lot of videos. I try to explain the difference between it and itself in this topic from page 2;

There is a lot you can do; investigate your experiences, reflect, investigate, reflect, investigate, reflect.

Something went wrong in my chrome browser on Android, so that is why the three double quote is there. Don't know how to remove them.

 

[Leo Gura]

There is a lot of wisdom within Buddhism. The problem though is turning it into a dogma or believing it without direct experience.

No teacher, no teaching can be trusted in this work. Because you do not know what is true or who is true.

You must independently verify every teaching and cross-reference it against other sources.

There are also many different kinds of Buddhism, so how do you know which one to follow, which one is true? You don't and can't without independent verification

[Barry J]

45 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

There is a lot of wisdom within Buddhism. The problem though is turning it into a dogma or believing it without direct experience.

No teacher, no teaching can be trusted in this work. Because you do not know what is true or who is true.

You must independently verify every teaching and cross-reference it against other sources.

There are also many different kinds of Buddhism, so how do you know which one to follow, which one is true? You don't and can't without independent verification

@Leo Gura  the same applies to every teaching. They are paths and Buddhism is a proven one. 

[Leo Gura]

@Barry J Not all teachings are a religion or dogmatic.

Some teachings are integral. Buddhism tends to be exclusionary.

[The Don]

@Leo Gura - is it possible to dissolve the EGO?

I mean complete EGO death.

If you know how please let me know.

[Leo Gura]

@The Don Of course

You've been told how many times. You are just not serious about doing the work.