A new (ancient?), different outlook

Five important truths:

1.         impermanence: There is no entity, conceptual or real, that has any permanent attributes. In other words, everything changes—everything is undergoing change in each and every moment.

2.         interdependence: Each entity is related in some way to each and every other entity.

3.         lack of independent existence: No entity exists alone, independent of other entities.

4.         dependent co-arising: All phenomenon arise simultaneously and co-existent with every other phenomenon.

5.         cause and effect: Each entity or phenomenon is the result of, is caused by, all other phenomena co-existing with it. Similarly, the existence of any phenomenon effects or serves as a cause of everything it co-exists with.      

Some consequences of this outlook on life, both individual and collective:

1.         There are no absolutes. Everything really is relative.

2.         Thus everything is sacred.

3.         There is no reality but the present moment and this present moment has no beginning and no end.

4.         There is no real distinction between means and ends.

5.         Our sense of ‘self’ as a fixed entity is an illusion. This sense of a “self’ is created by our consciousness being conscious of, or looking upon, itself. Consciousness seeing itself, concludes, there is something of real substance there and it must be ’me.’ Memory and conditioning does the rest—creating and filling out what each of us ‘perceive’ as ‘me.’

6.         Our sense of ‘self’ as a separate entity is an illusion. In truth, there is no ‘other’ distinct from us.

7.         All our actions influence, simultaneously, the rest of existence, including ourselves. At no time are we not connected and able to act as independent agents. At no time are we able to carry out tasks that do not have instant and infinite consequences to others as well as ourselves.

8.         Realizing that we are connected, co-existent and dependent on everything we (mistakenly) perceive as ‘other,’ we naturally develop a sense of caring and compassion towards all.

9.         The cultivation of this compassion is an ethics of ‘non-harming.’

10.       Creating ‘your life’ with this ethic requires constant vigilance and skill.

Try an experiment:

•          Create a list of your self-qualities, those aspects or attributes of you or your personality that make you you

•          Now list all those aspects or attributes, both good or bad, physical or mental, that you possessed a yesterday, a year ago, ten years ago, at your birth.

•          List all those aspects or attributes, both good or bad, physical or mental, that you will be certain to possess tomorrow, next year, ten years from now, at your death.

Answer the questions below, making sure you explain your answers. Bring your responses to class Wednesday.

Questions:

1.         Under this outlook, can there be God? If so, what form does the Deity take? What role does the Deity play in things? What is your relationship to the Deity?

2.         Can this outlook be a religion? If so, what form would worship take? How would you practice this religion?

3.         Would there ever be a ‘problem’ situation in which you find yourself that would have a universally applicable solution? For instance, if you lived according to this philosophy, can you adopt a moral such as “I will never kill.” and be sure you will be able to ethically carry it out?

4.         Where would this philosophy place humankind, you and I, with respect to nature, i.e. all ‘other’ existence?

5.         What happens to notions of good and bad in this philosophy?

6.         Do we have ‘souls’ in this philosophy?