Theli

But that doesn't mean that the food cannot taste good, and that you don't derive pleasure from the taste.

sweep

So, it is the getting rid of part, that we can agree? creates the sensation of fulfillment. The part when our appetite has been satiated, possibly belongs to a cessation of feeling need, and an adaptation to pleasure. Even then we experience contentment, yet there's always the choice to have some pudding or even to smoke a joint after a meal.

There must be some kind of stimulation following the satisfaction of a need, or we fall to sleep-

exercise > food > sex > joint = aaah! zzZZzzzz!

> = cessation of need, and the quest to create further needs, or the pursuit of duty in order to meet future needs and/or wants. Bear in mind that necessity can be a matter of preference. This depends on availability and possibly other contingencies, that I can't think of right now.

Vibr8gKiwi

Sure you can derive pleasure from the taste, as well as from getting cool when you were hot, etc. That's a side issue I think. I was just noticing the drive to reduce our drives; to eliminate need and feeling. The end result of which would look a lot like death to me, then so therefore death could be seen as not a bad thing.

But whatever, I don't know really what I'm talking about--it was just a thought

sweep

life cannot exist without death- death is very important, death is necessary. If you think in terms of movement then everything changes and dies. If we capture a moment, that moment is dead. When we talk of death it is a perception of absence, a permanent reminder of being without.

Everything is lost, but only to that which exists. Lost in this sense only means that something has moved. We can perceive the destruction of everything we hold dear- especially if one of our own has alzheimers desease. Although we perceive the body of the person we think we know, everything that was shared has been lost, yet the life remains intact. The *I* stays where it was the body is eventually destroyed. Here the perceived absence is of life we once knew, and ironically, the death of that time is the thing that binds us. Have you ever lost someone for a time, and found them again, or at least the body of someone you once knew. you expect the ghost but fail to appreciate the reality of change. That person you once knew has gone.

Immortality is impractical, life depends upon death. It is the last freedom we have- if not, imagine being trapped in a mountain for eternity- you wouldn't want that, would you?

Mark_Chid

Er - yes. Isn't this rather trivially true? You are stating that desire is something we seek to satiate well, excuse me but Duh, isn't that the definition of the word?

This is very close to the '4 noble Truths' of Buddhism which are, not to put to fine a point on it, bollocks. There is a good reason why no Buddhist has ever created anything of lasting worth to mankind - Buddhism is slacking, turned into a religion!

Infinity Lover

I think we strive to get rid of feelings we experience as negative, rather than the elimination of feelings all together. If I'm enjoying something, I'm not thinking "gee I wish life would suck for me a bit more, than it currently does."

I you think you might enjoy death... I think it at least won't disapoint you, because you won't be there to be disapointed about anything.
If that means you don't enjoy life...

...oh dear.



[ September 04, 2002: Message edited by: Infinity Lover ]</p>

Vibr8gKiwi

It's not that I don't enjoy life, I'm discussing a perspective for not fearing death.

Vibr8gKiwi

It's not that it's trivially true or not, it's the noticing it. There are many things that are true but aren't noticed or appreciated. If it means death shouldn't be feared, then it's probably worth noticing (trivial or not).

As an aside, I can't say I agree with you on Buddhism, but then I'm no expert. My wife is a Buddhist though, and as I recall at least two of the Noble Eight-fold Path are related to NOT slacking: Right Livelihood, and Right Effort.

sweep

and lets not forget about the three jewels:

the buddha (being the last refuge of the lost), the dharma (the way of life) and the sangha (the spiritual community)

I have read a lot of books on the subject and definitely wouldn't say that it was bollocks. Patience, cherishing kindness, and non-attachment are but a few core issues that I hold in esteem

Mark_Chid

The underlying philosophy that desire is something to be overcome and avoided is pure slacking. Buddhism is a very self-centred philosophy - teaching that the universe is illusory is not a good way to encourage empathy. i prefer to assume my felloe human beings are real and the desire to achieve a betetr world is worth encouraging. Living on a mountain, chanting is a waste of life. Of course a lot of Western 'buddhists' don't act lkike this, but thats because they are cafeteria Buddhists - lieke cafeteria Christians, they take the bits they like and ignore the rest.