On Being Selfless...

Hi Anytime Now!

This is regarding your previous post that I quoted below"

"Each of us is the center of our own universes and we see things from our perspective, from our own point of view. There are things that may seem so selfless. Acts of sacrifice such as letting go of someone you love just to see him happy, sharing to others what you ahve left for yourself, taking others' responsibilities, etc. These things seem so much of a burden. But why do we still do them?

We are created to please ourselves and make us happy. The sacrifices that we make, the hardships that we go through for other people, we just don't realize it but we these things because no matter how difficult it may seem, it is what pleases us most.

Rizal died as a hero and he sacrificed his life for the country. Selfless, NO! No matter how hard it may seem to us, he did that because he feels good, or he would feel good, knowing that he died for the country. It made him happy knowing that he can make a difference.

Life is self-centered. All our actions, all our goals, they go back to what can make us happy. And there is nothing wrong with that. Those people who sacrifice a lot for others, it makes them happy knowing that they make others happy.

So, its actually, we live for ouselves through each other."

That was very insightful. In Buddhism, there is no YOU, I, or ME. There is only others.This basic philosophy is called the doctrine of NO-self or known in Mahayana Buddhism as principle of Non-substantiality or Emptiness-- is that we do not exist entirely on our own. The meaning of our lives and our happines arises through our interconnectedness with those around us, with the community and world in which we live. An analogy used to describe this principle in Buddhism is that of two bundles of reeds that remain standing as long as they are leaning on each other. The implication is that there is no fundamental distinction between our happiness and that of others. To fall under the illusion that we are independent of others is to alienate ourselves from the world around us. This kind of selfishness becomes self-defeating. The concept of non-substantiality teaches that all things, including our lives, exist as they are only in the con-text of their relations with other phenomena. Nothing has an independent substance of its own. .

Isolated, our lives lose meaning. But depending upon how we relate to others and our environment, we can realize the infinite potential we possess and our own value to the world around us. In this sense, the most unfortunate are those who withdraw to the prison of their own self-centeredness and lock the door from the inside by insisting that their lives are fundamentally separate. In an ironic reversal of intent, those who seek absolute value in their own existence while ignoring the happiness of others are, in fact, voiding their lives of meaning and substance. With the absence of such relationships, all that remains is "non-substantiality" or "emptiness."

In the final analysis, the concept of non-substantiality is a teaching through which we awaken compassion and transcend our selfish ego so that we may actively engage with others. When we view the happiness of others as our own and extend them genuine care, our lives transform themselves from "emptiness" to "substance" realizing the interconnectedness of all lives as well as of expressing appreciation and compassion in altruistic action. The concept of non-substantiality suggests that selflessness may be the shortest path to meaningful selfhood.

Thanks!

Bodhi

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Hi Bodhi!

Allow me to start my post by quoting my last sentence in that particular post, "So, its actually, we live for ouselves through each other."

In Buddhism,you said that there is only others. True. But what do you think is the basis in making this claim? Buddhism said that life is full of suffering because of man's self-centeredness. And this selfishness, makes the world full of suffering. To free ourselves fromthe endless chain of life and death that is full of suffering, we need to discard of the concept of "ourselves" and live for others. Only through this can we obtain Nirvana.

Examine that. The idea that you ahve to be selfless in order to achieve a glorious end already supports my statement that whatever we do is self-motivated. And as I've said earlier, it isn't bad.

You mentioned that life is about interconnectedness, I believe you on this. But which reference point do you use in determining these interconnections? Is it not that you start from yourself to see these interconnections? As I've started earlier, life is about living for yourself through others. At the end of the day, not matter what you do, it is what makes you happy, or at least for the moment, that determines your course of action. Used yourself as an example. Do you follow the rules of Buddhism just because it says so. I doubt that. You do that because you know that it is for your own personal good. You believe in their teachings and you find "happiness", or at least contentment, knowing that you follow what you believe in.

You said it yourself, "When we view the happiness of others as our own and extend them genuine care, our lives transform themselves from "emptiness" to "substance" realizing the interconnectedness of all lives as well as of expressing appreciation and compassion in altruistic action. " Your happiness becomes other people's happiness and its not wrong to help others based on your personal motivation that you will be happy knowing that you have made them happy.

I am also a follower of the Buddhist path but I am more of a believer of the contemporary Buddhism that deals about one's personal universe and how this universe is connected to the shared Multiverse or Collective Consciousness.

This is just me. I'm not saying that what I believe is the absolute truth as the main reason why I left the Roman Catholic church is for the same claim that they are the ONLY way.

I would not want to use the word selfishness. I would prefer to call it self-awareness.

Thanks for asking!

Just Ask Anytime Now!