These paradoxes form a large part of why i've shied away from religion. But perhaps calling it a "third way" would be a better way of putting it, as i attempt to incorporate Buddhist thought into my life as much as possible. This is neither here nor there
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1.1) I haven't toyed with the idea of God for a long time. It's too draining, and the alternative (embracing a lack of a deity or afterlife) sends me into panicky existential fits if i dwell on it too much. So i don't think about it, remain a weak agnostic, and live my life.
The Buddhism i grew up with was Zen, so it was always frustrating for me to have conversations about eternity and enlightenment, etc. What my understanding is--of Zen, at least--is that the process of selflessness is not necessarily correlative with 'generosity,' that it's more a trick of semantics than anything. I personally think mindlessness would be a better term, although that has its own connotations to overcome, as well. In any case, attempts to achieve mindlessness, through charity, art, martial arts, meditation, mantra, etc, are not attempts at self-improvement per se in that the ultimate goal is utter dissociation from the self. If anything, it's self-removal, or perhaps self-destruction, if 'self' is taken to be consciousness. In any case, selflessness
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The Buddhism i grew up with was Zen, so it was always frustrating for me to have conversations about eternity and enlightenment, etc. What my understanding is--of Zen, at least--is that the process of selflessness is not necessarily correlative with 'generosity,' that it's more a trick of semantics than anything. I personally think mindlessness would be a better term, although that has its own connotations to overcome, as well. In any case, attempts to achieve mindlessness, through charity, art, martial arts, meditation, mantra, etc, are not attempts at self-improvement per se in that the ultimate goal is utter dissociation from the self. If anything, it's self-removal, or perhaps self-destruction, if 'self' is taken to be consciousness. In any case, selflessness ( ... )
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