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So, after years of reading countless works of eastern philosophy​, I've come to the following conclusion​s: 1. Suffering sucks, so I should use science to find ways to reduce it in myself & other sentient beings; 2. If you're looking for the meaning of life, repeat step 1. That is all.

Nunya 6 Mar 3
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0

Perhaps you missed the Noble Eightfold Path?

No, I read that.

0

Works for me. The only thing I might add is... while science is the right method for discerning fact from fiction, knowledge alone isn’t sufficient. Also required, IMO, are understanding and practice. And science can’t supply those for us.

skado Level 9 Mar 3, 2020

Sure it can. Just bother to study human psychology & Darwinian evolution.

@Nunya
Those are probably the two most important areas to study, but knowledge of them, unfortunately, does not necessarily always translate to deep understanding, and certainly not to practice. Richard Dawkins comes to mind, though I don’t know how much he knows about psychology.

1

I tend to coalesce my philosophy in to
Thou shalt not be an arsehole

But I genuinely enjoy being an asshole! 😟

2

I'm impressed that you are able to take the complexity of what you've read and summarise it into a simple easily communicable philosophy for yourself rather than just adopt someone else's philosophy and regurgitate it to make yourself appear clever. My congratulations.

That's just how I roll! 😛 lol But, thank you. I deeply value independent thought.

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I think you've missed the message. Suffering is inevitable as the flipside of good so it is your expectations and method that must be altered. People assume and long for permanence when the only physical constant is change. You have to embrace change and find your joy within vice without. atmaneva atmana tustah.

No, I got that message loud & clear. I simply disagree with it.

I guess I should clarify here. Yes, I value Buddhist & Hindu (or Vedantic) philosophies, & I practice many of the tenets, but I do not agree with some sects that advocate retreating rather than actively participating in efforts to actually reduce suffering for sentient beings. Yes, it is helpful to be detached while one persues such goals, but the action is still needed.

I mean, sure, I could spend my life teaching people how to chill out, meditate, become detached, count their blessings, etc - and for the record, I do teach people these things - but I still believe that concrete actions are necessary to increase access to the essential elements of satisfaction; namely a general safety from harm, general economic security, & things likes education, healthcare, & of course, clean food & water & adequate shelter & clothing. The majority of people in the world still lack at least some of these very basic things. Then take into account the displacement & destruction of all non-human animals & the increased level of suffering that they endure due to our designs & manipulations of our shared environments. Do they not deserve kindness & protection on some basic level as well? We can recognize that our fight is futile in the grand scheme as eventually our sun will become too dim to support any life & all striving will cease, while simultaneously recognizing that taking concrete actions to diminish suffering can make all the difference for the one enduring it while alive today.

@Nunya we create all these problems of which you speak. what we create we can also fail to create. sure, it's more complicated than that ... but one must always bear in mind the true direction. simplifying ones' life is just so much easier. but we each find our own path. seek truth (satyam bhaja), create order (kalpitam kuru), and avoid discord (adharmam tyaja) = this is the funnel I try to use to guide my direction. namo-stute

@Nunya we're at different stages of life you and I. I am a sannyasin, thus a renunciant. You're still likely a homeowner. So you still have other goals aside from mosha. Everything I do and think and study deals with moksha. The other things are of little concern to me anymore.

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