Should One Fall in Love with Human Life or Renonce it like Buddha taught?

[CuriousityIsKey]

As we know Buddha taught after his awakening  that One should strive to exist samsara, in other words, bodily existence, such as the human existence for example. 

 

However, other teachers such as Leo teach that one should do the opposite and marvel and fall in love with the human life.

According to you, what do you think is the closest to truth? 

Should one fully immerses oneself into human life or try to fully detach oneself?

Edited July 27, 2022 by CuriousityIsKey

[Nilsi]

Find a balance that works for you. There really is no definitve answer to that; that's what you're here for to figure out. Sometimes you will lean a bit too far in one or the other direction and then you just correct your course. You will have to explore this, it cannot really be designed a priori.

Also, above all, Buddha taught the "middle way," which I suspect is what I'm pointing to.

Edited July 27, 2022 by Nilsi

[Someone here]

Why do you keep posting about the same issue ?

Why do you want to exit life ?

You were born because your parents had sex one day . It's done ..it's over .there is nothing you can do about it . Except to accept it and make the most out of it.

[Someone here]

We all gonna die in the end . So life is not worth a fart . But why make a big deal out of it ? Just enjoy the ride while it lasts .

[Consilience]

From everything I've learned and experienced, the only thing we take with us at the moment of death, ie the direct encounter with truth, is the quality of our minds. What happens after death will be a function of the mind. 
 

If you feel human life is what is needed to step into such an encounter without regret, with full integrity, human life. If you feel renunciation will prepare you for such an encounter, renunciation.

Be careful operating under the assumption that this one human life is what matters most and that there isn’t something else afterwards. Our actions have consequences, even in this life there are deep consequences to our actions. Regardless of your decsion, I would recommend holding the law of karma in reverence. 
 

Last point, also be careful out of making a false dichotomy out of this. You can renunciate for a period, deeply training and purifying your mind, with the intention of coming back into the world to serve after the period of training. 

[Gabith]

 

[Salvijus]

1 hour ago, CuriousityIsKey said:

Should one fully immerses oneself into human life or try to fully detach oneself?

These are probably both valid ways u can approach spirituality. 

If u practice awareness, it will naturally lead to detachment.

If u practice the presence of love, it will naturally find expression in the world.

The nature of love is to extend itself to others, sometimes dance in joy and celebration.

The nature of awareness is to become detachted and unaffected by anything and still and silent.

That's why buddhists always become monks and christians alaways go into the world and hug people and spread love around (theoreticly). It's just what happens naturally in those states of consciouness.

Edited July 27, 2022 by Salvijus

[peterjames]

Buddha had his perspective. There are other perspectives, for example Buddhist Tantra. Buddhist tantra teaches to affirm and love life in all its shapes and forms. Chogyam Trungpa is a famous popularizer of this perspective, and John Welwood has integrated it with western psychology. In the west, Aristotle's Nikomachean Ethics and later "the American dream" are two key examples of perspectives that value this life and seeks to get the most of it.

 

Which perspective to choose? It's good to understand each perspective and its implications before choosing it. One good book for that is Pigliucci's How to Live a Good Life. You might also want to consider Nietzsche's critique of the Buddha.

Edited July 28, 2022 by peterjames

[Yarco]

Live a hedonistic material life and appreciate what it has to offer, but also be constantly in the present moment and realize that everything around you is miraculous and magical.

Every time you feel the breeze of the wind on your skin, every time you bite into a piece of food, every time you wake up for another day, it's magical.

God made this playground for you, take full advantage of it. But also realize what a profound gift it is, and be so grateful for it that it brings you to tears.

[Razard86]

The answer is both. Its paradoxical but its the truth. The renouncement of all attachments allows you to truly cherish life and all that is. Aim for this and you will be truly free. I'm almost there not quite there but I'm getting there myself.

[Breakingthewall]

attachment leads to suffering. living without attachment would be the answer. the ideal would be to live in the world, enjoying its benefits, but without attachment.

the question would be: without attachment, would you find these benefits attractive?

[RMQualtrough]

Buddha wasted his time. We are wasting our time. Spirituality is a waste of time. There's also no such thing as a waste of time but still...

Even the most egoic, sociopathic person, is inevitably ending up the same way.

Everything does. When you are dead, none of your life's spiritual achievements matter. None of them. And you are then exactly and precisely equal to Hitler. When ego death happens, you are immediately equal to Hitler. Nothing you ever did ever mattered. How could it?

And I wrote immediately after tripping that hard the same thing. That there is no point in these practices whatsoever, because when the ego is gone, everyone and everything is exactly and precisely equal. You and Hitler and every person who spent their lives indulging in materialistic pursuits. There is NO FUCKING REWARD. Even those people are the same as you in ego death. Yes, literally. No, your life's work meditating won't mean you are different or superior to them.

[Ry4n]

On 27/7/2022 at 9:35 PM, Consilience said:

You can renunciate for a period, deeply training and purifying your mind, with the intention of coming back into the world to serve after the period of training. 

If there was a blanket advice you could give for most people interested in this stuff, this would be it. 
Currently reintegrating to human life to make the most of it whilst maintaining this awareness. 
I heard Teal Swan say “Find your alignment before you act”, as literally every endeavour in life will be so much more meaningful, profound and you will have way more strength to deal with the stress of it all because of that temporary renunciation. This has certainly been true for me at least. 

[puporing]

Everything is consciousness, you can fall in love with consciousness. Ta-da! You have all the freedom to choose.. to immerse yourself totally in anything.

[kag101]

Buddha didn't say you should renounce human life. Quite the contrary. After seeing first-hand that neither having all the luxury in life nor renouncing everything produce true happines; he came up with the concept of the Middle Way.

[Razard86]

8 hours ago, RMQualtrough said:

Spirituality is a waste of time. The

There is NO FUCKING REWARD. Even those people are the same as you in ego death. Yes, literally. No, your life's work meditating won't mean you are different or superior to them.

1. Spirituality is about enhancing life. If you master meditation you no longer will suffer mentally as suffering is caused by attachment to thoughts. Shut off the mind, no longer have to deal with suffering your perspective. This post you just made...is an example of the character you think you are complaining that they don't like Spirituality. 

The character wants a reward now, it also wants to be different and superior. 

2. Another thing about Spirituality. If you master meditation and purify your body, then you will release your kundalini, and will be in a blissful state. So you will walk around in Bliss that you can control whenever you want too. What you thought those monks were just meditating for no reason? Hah!! They did all that meditation so they can control their mind and become unlimited, and so they can feel good walking around in life because they can feel bliss at a whim.

But again...if you don't want to do Spirituality don't!!! Go enjoy materialism, go suffer mentally, when you are ready for Spirituality you'll do it. Maybe in some other life time or something.

P.S. Your current life sets up your next life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-43EJSiNECg&ab_channel=MasculineFrame

Edited July 29, 2022 by Razard86

[ZenAlex]

On 7/27/2022 at 0:17 PM, Someone here said:

Why do you keep posting about the same issue ?

Why do you want to exit life ?

You were born because your parents had sex one day . It's done ..it's over .there is nothing you can do about it . Except to accept it and make the most out of it.

100% this.

Life is life, choose an option, try it. If the end result is that you are satisfied, then that's all that matters. 

[RMQualtrough]

1 hour ago, Razard86 said:

1. Spirituality is about enhancing life. If you master meditation you no longer will suffer mentally as suffering is caused by attachment to thoughts. Shut off the mind, no longer have to deal with suffering your perspective. This post you just made...is an example of the character you think you are complaining that they don't like Spirituality. 

The character wants a reward now, it also wants to be different and superior. 

2. Another thing about Spirituality. If you master meditation and purify your body, then you will release your kundalini, and will be in a blissful state. So you will walk around in Bliss that you can control whenever you want too. What you thought those monks were just meditating for no reason? Hah!! They did all that meditation so they can control their mind and become unlimited, and so they can feel good walking around in life because they can feel bliss at a whim.

But again...if you don't want to do Spirituality don't!!! Go enjoy materialism, go suffer mentally, when you are ready for Spirituality you'll do it. Maybe in some other life time or something.

P.S. Your current life sets up your next life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-43EJSiNECg&ab_channel=MasculineFrame

There is no element of your lifelong spiritual practices remaining in strong ego death. All of it is gone. Srs. You can't get there if elements of your self remain.

I recall that aspect. I wrote it in very full detail just after the fact: A monk can't get "there" if any element of the monk remains. The monkness of the monk has to fall away. And when these shells crack and fall off, nothing you ever did mattered because all of it has fallen away. You don't get to keep your progress or life achievements.

When appearances are seen through, everything is identical. Such that there is absolutely no difference between Hitler and Jesus and Buddha, because Hitler Jesus and Buddha have gone away. Every element of them is gone.

[Breakingthewall]

51 minutes ago, RMQualtrough said:

There is no element of your lifelong spiritual practices remaining in strong ego death. All of it is gone. Srs. You can't get there if elements of your self remain.

I recall that aspect. I wrote it in very full detail just after the fact: A monk can't get "there" if any element of the monk remains. The monkness of the monk has to fall away. And when these shells crack and fall off, nothing you ever did mattered because all of it has fallen away. You don't get to keep your progress or life achievements.

When appearances are seen through, everything is identical. Such that there is absolutely no difference between Hitler and Jesus and Buddha, because Hitler Jesus and Buddha have gone away. Every element of them is gone.

good points. but later the monk, or whoever it is, returns, although the limits have been blurred, the absolute and the relative merge, and a background joy arises inexhaustible. the ego loosens its grip realizing that it does not need to control, and life takes on beauty and depth.

[Ulax]

Hi,

The following two videos came to mind for me as things that may be helpful for you:

1. Role of balance in personal development

2. Paradoxes of Personal Development