A Buddhist - Christian Path to Satisfaction
abracad, · Categories: buddhism, purpose, religion, self helpLike most religions Buddhism and Christianity both consist of philosophical and “supernatural†aspects. This post draws on the key philosophical teachings of Buddhist pragmatism and Christian kindness to identify guidance for satisfaction and fulfilment in the 21st Century.
Life is Short, Fragile and Uncertain
A human lifespan is but the tiniest drop in the cosmic ocean. Life is fragile; it can be cut short in so many ways - illness, accident, at the hands of another. It is subject to countless unpredictable external influences, many with the power to drastically affect life’s course, or mercilessly terminate it.
Life is like being given $100 and knowing it will vanish at some random unknown future time. Rationally, you’d spend and enjoy it now. That is living primarily in the moment, ie mindfully.
Optimizing Uncertainty
We do not and cannot know if there is meaning to our/universal existence, or if we have agency (free will) to influence our experience or if we’re mere passive (captive) observers of blind chance.
That said, we may reason that it is optimal to assume that there is meaning and that we do have agency. If there is no meaning we are inevitably powerless and the question of strategy is irrelevant. But if there is meaning, to deny it would be to waste the opportunity to maximize satisfaction, whereas to embrace it would be to grasp the opportunity and embrace the adventure.
Even in the case there is meaning, the vast bulk of reality is given as is, ie we have no influence over it whatsoever, we can only accept what is. Though I may have some degree of discretion over which aspects of reality I engage with (and to what extent) or otherwise.
I may have the capacity to influence to a lesser/greater extent some tiny subset of reality. This is where I may be able to exercise choice in order to optimize my life experience.
Life is Complex
The brain/mind is home to numerous and often conflicting drives, desires and aversions. Trying to unify these gives rise to complexity, particularly where seeking to harmonise competing interests such as self pleasure and duty to others, or short term hedonism v long term satisfaction. Just as we are complex, so is every other human, all 7.8 billion. So too is the “material†world we inhabit, as revealed by any science textbook.
The Four Noble Truths
Life is inevitably unsatisfactory (dukkha). The cause of this unsatisfactoriness is attachment (to what we have but will inevitably lose; including people, ideas and life itself) and craving (eg for future or past, for what we do not / may never have, for what we had and lost, or for what we had and messed up and would like to re-do).
This unsatisfactoriness may be cured by the elimination of attachment and craving. The Buddha prescribed a pathway, the Noble Eightfold Path, towards this elimination (right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration).
Default Mode Network
When we’re not focused on anything in particular, perhaps carrying out a well-practiced activity that’s become automatised or just daydreaming, our mind tends to actively produce all manner of thoughts.
This is known as the default mode network and typically takes the form of planning / preparing / weighing / rehearsing some upcoming activity, or reflecting on some past activity. This can - in appropriate measure - be useful, planning and preparation are key to success, and considered experience a great teacher.
The problem is that default mode never stops. Reflection on the past for learning easily becomes pointless rumination and self-reproach over past failings that cannot be changed, which all too easily gives rise to or sustains depression. Unchecked preparation can transition into obsession and detrimental anxiety.
Through the default mode we cling to what once was but is no longer, or crave what could have been, or what might be. But all the while our focus is anywhere but the only point where we can actually exert influence, ie now.
Impermanence
Everything is impermanent, everything is in a constant state of change. We are born, we learn and grow strong, but inevitably we succumb to sickness and old age, and die.
We buy some new object, maybe a shiny new car, it brings initial joy, but eventually the car becomes rusty and wears, eventually being only fit for scrap. And the initial joy with our latest possession fades very much faster.
The planet earth will eventually run down and die, maybe with the death of its star – the sun, or maybe much sooner as a result of human misuse.
We enjoy a pleasant time with someone we care for deeply. But even in the perfect happiness of this moment lies the awareness that it will end. Maybe our companion must leave, or, maybe we get to spend our life with them – until parted by death. Either way the fact of impermanence casts a shadow on the joy. Maybe animals don’t know about impermanence. Give a dog its dinner and it’s truly happy in the moment. Maybe we can learn from the ignorant dog, by putting aside the constant mental addiction of being anywhere but here and now.
Dependent Arising
All that exists, including the conditions of mind / “selfâ€, does so as a result of numerous preceding causes, potentially all the way back to the big bang. Within this causal chain there may be an element of uncaused variance which may or may not be meaningful, eg the random mutations that give rise to evolution, or creatively insightful free will.
Similarly, the events of the present moment, including individual agency, give rise to future reality.
The corollary is to be mindful of i) the impossibility of understanding why things are currently as they are, and ii) the potential significance, reach and longevity of every present action.
Not-Self
According to Britannica, anatta or non-self is “the doctrine that there is in humans no permanent, underlying substance that can be called the soul.â€Â
The concept of self is fundamental to our sense of being. Descartes proclaimed “I think, therefore I am†as the foundation upon which all other knowledge is built. How can there be no self? Who or what is reading this post, living my life etc?
The concept of self is neither static nor bounded in space or time. No neurosurgeon can remove a patient’s self. We are undoubtedly conscious, and consciousness is inextricably tied to our sense of self, ie it is that which is conscious! What happens to consciousness/self at death? Is it simply extinguished? Does it continue in some spiritual realm? Or is it absorbed back into a more universal ocean of being?
The sense of self makes life easier to negotiate, but it’s likely just a construct developed for this purpose while masking a deeper and more complex reality.
The concept of anatta is one of the most enigmatic of Buddha's teachings. Maybe it highlights the impossibility of the self to pin down, that the things we instinctively recognise as self are not. Maybe it highlights the fluidity of the self concept, or that it's not as discrete and self-contained as we may imagine, but rather a drop in a vast ocean.
See Hane Htut Maung’s Buddhism and the Self
Emptiness
According to the Heart Sutra "Form is Emptiness and Emptiness is Form."
Our perception of reality is evolutionarily optimal, but things are not necessarily as we perceive them. Eg what appears solid consists of countless elementary particles with mostly empty space in-between. Quantum physics suggests reality is neither particles nor waves but exists only as a probability function until 'observed'.
Again to evolutionary advantage, we imbue what we perceive with emotion. Eg a dog is a dog, but our interpretation makes it fierce, friendly, scary, lazy...
The apparent separateness of things is less distinct than it seems. The qualities (meaning) we ascribe to the components of reality are less intrinsic to them and more characteristic of us.
Being Present
All that really exists is here and now.
Sure, we ought to learn from experience, and to set future goals and strategies for their fulfilment. But that learning and planning is and can only be done now. The choices and actions that will, hopefully, deliver our goals are taken now. And, so long as we use every precious moment to the full, regardless of whether those goals are actually reached or not, we can be satisfied in having done our best, in the most appropriate direction. And that is fulfilment.
Oneness
The key teachings of Jesus deal with how we behave towards one another. In extreme summary they tell us not to judge, to forgive, and to “love one anotherâ€. All well and good, though surveying the world it’s a philosophy that's been lost in translation as modern humanity obviously falls woefully short of its fulfillment.
But why should we be nice to each other? There’s finite resource, and I want as much of it as I can get for myself and my in-groups. And the more for me, the less for you. If you’re not fast / strong / clever enough, that’s life. And that’s the principle by which evolution is said to have taken life to its current state.
But, civilization and the enormity of human achievement to date and yet to be is possible only through co-operation and altruism; the individual choice to contribute to some purpose greater than one’s own needs and desires. Together we can achieve what would be impossible alone.
Further, the logical implication of Jesus’ message is that we are, ultimately, all one. Separateness and difference are illusion, albeit persistent illusion.
Lessons from Buddhism and Christianity
Acceptance
Reality is as it is. Not as we want it to be. We might have a tiny degree of agency. But most of what’s out there, and within our self, is given. Accept this, totally, unquestioningly. Don’t crave the impossible. Don’t try to be what you are not.
Seek to understand reality, so far as possible, both the external universe and the inner self. Eg read, or watch YouTube content, beyond your usual scope of interests. Check in with yourself regularly. Are you being authentic? Being you?
With this understanding, make the choices available to make your journey as satisfying as possible. What can I do now, in this moment, in this circumstance, to take me closer to my goal(s), the thing(s) that matter to me?
Be Here Now
Impermanence, or change, is an inevitable part of reality. The universe is different than it was a moment ago. As are you, and everything and everyone around you. Accept the impermanence of the universe, of all you have and love, of your self. Appreciate the here and now, there’s nowhere else, no other time that you can be. Cultivate mindfulness, maybe through meditative practice, or simply by making conscious effort to be aware of the moment.
Do No Harm
Be kind, where you can. But be realistic. Humanity consists of 7 billion unique individuals. You’re not going to get along with, like, or agree with all of them; and you simply don’t have the resource to be kind to everyone. Many people do ‘bad’ things, at least in your eyes. Where you cannot be kind, at least, wherever possible, try to do no harm.
Control Emotion
Emotion originated as a quick signal to alert us to potentially beneficial or deleterious situations and behaviors. That which is good for us 'feels' good and encourages us to seek more, that which is dangerous feels scary - preparing us to fight or flee.
But humans, maybe alone among all animals, developed the ability to reason (seated in the prefrontal cortex), ie the capacity to analyse, weigh-up pros, cons and likelihoods, visualise potential scenarios and ultimately reach an optimal decision based upon external and personal situation. In short to use wisely the space between stimulus and response highlighted by Frankl.
That's not to say we should be devoid of emotion. Emotion can serve as a valuable alarm that prompts rational investigation, or as the overt outcome of unconscious processing. But to see things clearly you need to switch emotion off. To paraphrase Robin Sharma, emotion can be a wonderful servant but a terrible master.
Non-judgement
“Never judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes.†We are each the product of a long and complex causal chain going right back to the big bang. If you don’t know the circumstances that brings X or Y to be as they are at this moment you can make no absolute judgement. Sure, you can and must decide whether and how you respond to or interact with them now, but be mindful it is a judgement of circumstance based upon incomplete knowledge.
Leave a Reply