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General Buddhism => General Buddhism => Topic started by: KhedrubGyatso on January 02, 2012, 04:13:40 PM
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Right from the beginning, Buddhism has always been concerned with the double question : why there is suffering and how do we overcome it.
Sakyamuni gave us the 4 noble truths which is more on the philosophical and knowledge side depending on deep contemplation to be realized.
On a more relational level, Buddha also taught about the 5 impurities in the Lotus sutra.
Impurity of :
1. TIME,
2. ENJOYMENTS,
3. LIVING BEINGS,
4. VIEW
5. LIFE SPAN.
It is about the relationship between us and the environment , between a culture and a country, and extending even to the entire eco system in which we are a part of which includes the entire known universe .
Please do not google and just copy from known sources of this. Try to figure out from your own thoughts, observations and experience.
For eg. with regard to the 1st impurity of time, bring it up to date as in NOW -what is so impure about the present generation and era - the age of internet , handphones, technology , social media, supersonic travel , affluence etc
Sharing experiences and different perspectives is the main purpose of forums to open our minds to learn beyond our own limited views and opinions..
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First of all, human beings are stuck in this cyclic existence and it is due to our mind that is deluded mainly from anger, attachment and ignorance. Life is like a web. If one continuously not wanting to learn, contemplate, check and practise to rehabituate oneself. One will still stuck in this web and going through the sufferings from every birth to death. Yet every action has it own consequences be it good or bad...karma. A shadow that will never leave one's body thru life after life till one realised and control own body and mind.
Ignorance is the key word and problem to our suffering. One will always speak, think and act within one's own limited views, knowledge and understanding of circumstances. Sufferings are dependent on our state of mind and it can be eliminated, if we change our mind by having right thoughts, right speech, right actions, right livelihood, right understanding, right effort, right mindfulness at all times and right concentration.
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Why do people suffer? i thank not only people , everything got life got thought they are also suffer ,so that why we are looking for a way to escape,i think only enlightenment only escape suffering.
Human have lot of attachment ,ego,karma, when we face lot of problem that we can not solve, we will just stick on it, we do not have the knowledge to find a way to solve the problem, so they way people is suffering.
Learning dharma is a way to let us understand why we suffering, when we understand what is karma, we will slowly let go, because lot of things , we can not change , but we still can remedy.
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I have never heard of the 5 impurities as discussed here.
So my reply will be strictly voiced from personal thoughts.
1. TIME,
Our time is like an epitome of this delusion: consuming is happiness.
Ironically, we are for a few privileged (which I bet we all are on this forum) in a very rare position (historically) in which we ALL have what trillions of humans had wanted for centuries, "things" that they identified as perfect conditions for happiness: heating when cold, air-conditioning when hot, hot showers, fridges, micro-wave ovens, super-markets, cars, planes, telephones, mobile phones, radios, Ipods, internet, computers, hospital, health care, even plastic surgery, TV's and movies, restaurants, spa's, the list is simply amazing!
The opportunity we have is to realize that even with ALL this available, we are still not happy.
The world we live on wants us to believe that if we are not happy it is because there is always something better to come, and we fall into this trap and take part of a consumerist society.
2. ENJOYMENTS,
Enjoyments are impure in this that they strengthen our attachments to them as valid causes for happiness, when in fact they always deceive us eventually.
3. LIVING BEINGS,
Does "living being" include beings in the formless realm too? If they do, I could not speak about flesh and bones. I pass on this one...
4. VIEW
A view is impure in that it is an obstacle to realizing the true nature of reality, free of "views"?
5. LIFE SPAN.
Impurity of life span? Perhaps that it has a beginning and an end? What is born must die.
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We live in this degenerate world whereby the main pursuit in life is wealth and fame. Due to ignorance and attachments, human beings spend time chasing after worldly desires which we labeled them as “enjoyments and happiness.” During our life span, the time, energy and effort spend on chasing after this material wealth will create stress, discontentment and sufferings. Moreover, these are all temporal as all will be left behind at the time of death.
In order to free our self from suffering, we must understand the dharma, learn to cut off our attachments, to understand and have a right view.
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From personal experience,... I've been so conditioned to continuously "keep my level of happiness" from the diverse, external stimulus that's available the moment I open my eyes each day.
The constant search for such stimulus never ends.. but the irony is that ones the object of happiness is found, it loses its "happiness power" over time, then boredom sets in, then the search for new object of happiness begins again.
Ah, perhaps I have Attention Deficit Disorder...a mild case perhaps.
Well, after learning a little bit more about dharma, the illness I'm plagued with is the three poisons! Getting rid of the three poisons has not been an easy battle but, what choice is there? Can't possibly leave the poisons inside!
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We suffer because we are in samsara and attachments plague our minds and emotions.
Time ... is too short
Enjoyments ... for self-indulgence brings us no where
Living Beings ... to live our lives for
View ... the correct view
Life Span ... increase for happiness to live with purpose
The 5 impurities, I have just read here, I have no prior knowledge. Thank you for sharing. If you gave me those words I would see it as above.
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Personally, I think people suffer because they place expectations on how things and people should be and when it does not happen the way that they expect it to be, they suffer. I have noticed that friends who do not do so tend to suffer a lot less and take things easier in their stride. I dont think we need to over analyze this point, just observe ourselves and people around us and how they react to things.
So I try to remove as many expectations as possible and I do find myself to be more free and happier...
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Time ... is too short
Enjoyments ... for self-indulgence brings us no where
Living Beings ... to live our lives for
View ... the correct view
Life Span ... increase for happiness to live with purpose
DG, I like your answers!
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The karma we collect through negative actions of body, speech and mind will come back to us in the form of suffering. I've not read the Lotus Sutra but I'll try to relate the 5 impurities to suffering. We live in degenerate times when enjoyments are insatiable. The more you have, the more you want. The times have changed but our afflictions have not. The gadgets for enjoyment and leisure are more and more sophisticated, invented to satisfy our craving for pleasure and distraction. Our desire for enjoyments will keep us in samsara. Human beings are selfish and lack compassion for others. They are attached to the body and to the wrong concept of life. In this degenerate age, the life span of human beings become shorter due to demerits.
We are connected to other living beings and our survival depends on them, on their happiness and safety. If we do not care for others, the eco-system will die. If we look at life as an eco-system, then we are all interconnected. Our self-centredness and lack of compassion will destroy the universe. The only solution for the eco-system to survive is to apply the antidote to self-cherishing which is cherishing of others.
It has been reported in a documentary that the universe is expanding. The planets and stars are moving apart, further and further away from each other. This means they will be not be influencing each other in a positive way. If this is happening, there is no chance of survival as a human race. Other living beings will also be similarly affected.
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1. TIME,
People value time less these days because they have so much more distractions and precious little time to contemplate anything higher than their careers, bank account, relationships and material acquisitions, food and travels. Advancement in technology doesn't help because people just use it for the above reasons and get more self-absorbed along the way.
2. ENJOYMENTS
Due to technological and economic advancement, everything is much more convenient, comfortable and pleasing to our senses. We are constantly looking for the next pleasant sensation and have little or zero tolerance for the unpleasant. The constant craving drives us deeper and deeper into our attachments and aversions while leaving many sacrifices in personal development, relationships and ultimately, our spiritual pursuits if there was any.
3. LIVING BEINGS
We live in the information era where communication is at the finger tips but real human-to-human relationships are breaking down. People are too caught up with the distractions of mobile phones to even communicate verbally and the younger generation have higher IQs but much lower EQs than ever. Even in the realm of spirituality, people are too caught up with different Buddhist traditions, Lamas and their own ideas of a mixture of existing beliefs to really explore true spirituality - to develop a kind heart.
4. VIEW
The correct view these days is that the real spiritual practice is chasing money and the goal in life is to get married and have 2.5 kids with the money earned. Material acquisitions is the secondary goal in life.
5. LIFE SPAN.
People live longer than those that lived a hundred years ago due to advancement in medicine. But people spend their golden years being bitter, angry and lonely due to a lifetime of upholding the view mentioned above whether successfully or not.
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I really like BU’s explanation which anyone should be able to relate instantly and easily. I wish to offer a somewhat more expanded and general version to round up this topic on the 5 impurities.
Time:
War, financial turmoil, oppression to animals and groups of people are manifest examples we can see presently which threats the very fabric of our socio-economic order.
Enjoyments:
We are no longer content with mere sustainence . We want to fulfill our wants and indulgence way beyond what we need. Greed rules. In the pursuit of wanting more and more, there is less and less for others. Virtue is thrown to the wind.When conditions become even more difficult as during impure times, the situation deteriorates even further.
Living Beings:
Ill health and sickness , physically and mentally are due to impure desires. We bring upon ourselves all kinds of stress related/psychosomatic illness, neuroses, malnutrition, depression , manic disorders etc.) . Through our ignorance and greed we also indirectly cause diseases related to poverty , social inequality and mental problems derived from abuse.
View:
The materialistic view is built around selfishness where ‘ I am most important’ and ‘ My happiness is more important than yours ’. This kind of view has its roots in not realizing that ones happiness is dependent on others and the interconnectedness of the whole world we live in. Also that when we experience suffering it is due to one’s negative actions and inconsideration against others. Such a view supported by the preceding impurities, generate a philosophy of living filled with competitiveness, ungratefulness and unforgivingness which leads to suspicion, distrust ,hatred and a hostile world.
Lifespan:
Daily , people die prematurely from war, acts of revenge, starvation, crime and other dangerous situations. This impurity of life span can also be taken as the lack of quality of living . A life that has little meaning and purpose other than self gratification. This can occur at any age. A life of thinking and doing things only for oneself equates to a spiritually dead life even though one has a lot materially or even a long life.
Referring to this vicious 5 impurity cycle, Shakyamuni says, "Shariputra, when the age is impure and the times are chaotic, then the defilements of living beings are grave, they are greedy and jealous and put down roots that are not good"
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1. Impure Time - we think it will never end and waste it on meaningless pursuits. Like the saying "youth is wasted on the young".
2. Impure Enjoyments - we pay too much attention to external / physical enjoyments and forget to nurture what is on the inside.
3. Impure Living Beings - we are getting more and more self centred and do not think we are part of the problem (e.g. wars, global warming, poor education system, corruption, social inequality, crime), hence do not take responsibility or action to remedy it because we think it is not our fault (e.g. just complain and criticize and blame).
4. Impure View - we believe we only live this one life and do everything to make this life comfortable for ourselves and loved ones. As such we cannot see how we are interconnected with people who are not our family members or friends in this life and care less for them.
5. Impure Lifespan - with the advancement of medicine, a lot of people are able to prolong their lives when people in their condition would have otherwise died 30 years ago. However there are also a lot of people who die due to causes related to the environment and living habits, which is basically self inflicted (pollution, drinking, smoking, over eating, lack of exercise, karma) when people in the same place 100 years ago would not have experienced. Those who die relatively earlier have less years to live meaningfully, while many of those who live beyond 60, 70 degenerate and stop living meaningfully because they think they are "old and useless" or because they have too many physical ailments of old age.
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We are suffer from our actions which created from the three poisons (desire/greed, hatred/anger and ignorant) in our delusion mind. And ignorance is the root cause of desire and hatred. Because we see ourselves as small, limited and needy, we chase things that we like and think will make us happy and hate things that we don’t like as it cause us feel discomfort.
We experience the suffering because of this, it is not come from the things, but from how we think and feel about them and how are our "desire" towards them. Basically, we want it to be different from how they are, or to provide something they cannot provide ie we want people to live forever which they won't, we want to have a same relationships forever, which they won't, we want our bodies to stay the way they were which they won't. Our ignorant mind, unenlightened desire drags us into these false cravings/desires that can never be satisfied, so we suffer.
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Yes, I agree with what you say, with the technology nowadays, it makes the communication very effective and up to date. But because of these technologies, it creates enjoyments to the people, and enjoyment makes one become more attached to their belongings.
The Impurities of Time
People have the wrong perception of time, they thought they have plenty of time to spend, and hence, the procrastination of getting things done, whereas due to the impermanence of life, we should be living our life as the last day we are living, because we don’t know when we will die. The time repeated disruptions of the social or natural environment.
The Impurities of Enjoyment
Yes, enjoyment enhances our attachment, we get more attach because of my luxury life, because of the things I own, I want them, I want to keep all them and never want to lose them, and this is because we want an enjoyment life.
Enjoyment also the tendency to be ruled by the five delusive inclinations, i.e., greed, anger, foolishness, arrogance, and doubt.
The impurities of Living Beings
I would look at this as others living being like animal, due to the attachment of taste enjoyment, because of wanted to satisfy our taste bud, we start killing other living being to feed ourselves, and this eventually lead to the physical and spiritual decline of human beings.
The Impurities of View
As time passes and more negative Karma a person collected, they will be creating wrong views of our precious human life. Wrong views eventually leads to making wrong actions that bring us to the 3 lower realms.
Impurities of Life Span
The shortening of the life spans of living beings. According to The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra, the most fundamental of these five are the impurities of thought and enjoyment, which result in the impurity of living beings and the impurity of life span. These in turn give rise to the impurity of time.
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Nagarjuna said in his Letter to a Friend:
Actions born from ignorance, anger and attachment are non-virtue,
From that all the sufferings of the all the evil transmigratory beings arise.
Actions born from non-ignorance, non-anger and non-attachment are virtue,
From that all the happy transmigrators beings arise.
If we study the causes of samsara and the causes of liberation and learn to abandon ignorance, anger and attachment, then we can actualise the path to liberation, which is done through the higher training of morality, the higher training of concentration and the higher training of wisdom. From this one can achieve liberation, the total cessation of all the oceans of samsaric suffering and the causes – karma and delusion.
I feel there is nothing more profound than the teachings of Lamrim. For example, suffering is explained in relations to the different scopes.
The path shared with persons of the lower scope motivation (striving for a rebirth in the upper realms), it was taught:
- the reality that this life will end and that you will die
- the suffering in a rebirth in the lower realms (a rebirth as hell being, hungry ghost or animal, which you want to avoid)
Hence the methods for them is to take refuge in the three Jewels: Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, and adjust their behaviour of body, speech and mind according to the law of cause and effect/ karma. That will lead them to a favourable rebirth within cyclic existence in the human-, demigod-, or god realm.
The path shared with persons who have of the middling scope motivation (striving for liberation of cyclic existence)
- The truth of suffering (in cyclic existence in general, including the favourable rebirths)
- The truth of the causes of suffering (the afflictive emotions, especially ignorance)
- The truth of cessation (there is a state that is free of suffering and its origins)
- The truth of paths (the way to attain this state free of suffering and its causes by practising ethics, concentration and wisdom)
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1. Time.
Time is short. It seemed more so now than before. Each day, month and year passes by so quickly. Before we know it we have reached the end of our life. We are fully aware of how fast time is passing us by and yet we are not doing much about it. There are so much distractions to take us away from doing things that more meaningful and useful services to benefit others. Everything is centered around self.
2. Enjoyments.
Too much time is spent in the pursuit of enjoyment at the expense of all else. Due to technological advancement, we are able to do things that are not possible in the past. We do things that are beyond what we are ready for and sometimes too much of such numbs our senses are we no longer live in the real world.
3. Living beings.
Sometimes we wonder if living beings are really living or not. Take the family as an example. Dinner with the family round the dinner table is unlike in the past where there is lively conversation, exchanging ideas, father teaching children about moral values etc. Nowadays, dinner is so quiet, no conversation, every one is busy tapping away at their cell phone check for messages or logging on to the face book to check what the friends are doing. Exchanging sms has taken the place of face to face conversation. Even the telephone is seldom used.
4. View.
The view these days is very much centered around the word “ I “ and is always up and not down. View is always on material things and what my neighbor has. Spiritual views are fading.
5. Life span.
Modern sciences and medical advancement has helped to combat diseases and prolong human life span. It is an irony that despite all these advancement to prolong life span there are groups of people, in the name of their religion would kill and maimed human beings, cutting short their life span prematurely. Because our lives are so centered on material things, our mind and the thinking process is so clouded that it often is difficult to see what is right or wrong. People take their own life by committing suicide once certain expectation is not met. This has become a normal occurrence and a worrying trend.
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This is my point of view, i am not saying all the qualities that you all have put in is wrong, how can i make such comments to say what Buddha said was wrong?
The very reason why people suffer is because i believe is that rising from the deluded and ignorant mind. Of living in a pleasure which leads to no where but eventual sufferings. The most suffering for me does not come from the pain of our body harm, but the pain generated from one person do not even know he is suffering when he is living in the world of suffering. that is the main suffering for me.
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We suffer in many ways in different degrees of intensity, duration and frequency :
- physical : being hurt due to a fall, accident
- mental : depression
- financial : business failure
We suffer because of our own self. We created the causes before and now we are suffering. So suffering is the effect of our actions.
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First of all, when the mind is bound by the three poisonous minds,(anger, attachment & ignorance) it is not a healthy mind, it is a sick mind. Then, with these three poisonous minds, we produce unrighteous actions, unrighteousness. Another way of saying this, is that we create negative actions with our speech, body and mind. By creating the wrong actions, with the wrong method, the result or the effect that we receive is always suffering. There is always a problem and we don’t receive happiness, even if we have the expectation that we will gain happiness from that action. For instance, a person who eats honey mixed with poison. This ignorant person does not know it is poisonous honey, he just believes that it is pure honey because it tastes sweet, and he keeps on taking it. What is the result? The result the person receives is that his body becomes more and more uncomfortable, and more and more pain arises.
It is just like this with any of the poisonous minds of anger, attachment or ignorance. Whatever action we create with speech, body and mind is a mistake or a wrong action, just like a person who eats poisonous honey. The person thinks he is enjoying it, that it really is pure honey, not poisonous. He thinks that nothing will happen by eating it, that he will only enjoy it. So, our normal minds are like this example.
Just as the actions of body, speech and mind produced by the three poisonous minds are wrong, are negative action, so, the result is always in the nature of suffering. These actions don’t make us happy. The physical and mental sufferings and unhappiness that we have been experiencing in this life, since we were born until now, all these life problems are the result of the wrong actions done with the three poisonous minds. So, these three poisonous minds are the cause of all our suffering and unhappiness.
Therefore, without depending on the method, without depending on Dharma, and instead depending on external things, we can’t destroy the cause of our suffering, the three poisonous minds. Nothing can destroy this, without depending on Dharma.
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Suffering is the most hardest issue to face for many people,particularly those who generally believe in a kind and loving God. We will suffer at the end whether rich or poor.
Reincarnation explains why good people suffer.It explains the inequalities of life but also provides hope.The ability to harm others or ourselves has been ingrained in us all.People suffer for a variety of reasons but I believe we are all self destructive in nature and tend to choose something that we know will cause to our long term suffering and perhaps the longterm suffering of another,usually to the ones we love the most and sometimes to our fellow human beings.
Because we are human,we choose the negative road or that journey into thoughtlessness.Whatever choices we made in our lives will in the end provide for us a negative future or positive one.We can choose to teach our children to take responsibility for their actions
We suffer not for anything but ourselves,and karma is the main force that determined one's circumstances.