Put all of your quotations, questions and responses on this thread. When responding, reply to that individual comment and not the post as a whole. It helps to organize the blog better.
Biochemist
turned Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard talks about happiness
Also, make sure watch this video before Tuesday's presentation by a Buddhist monk. This will help you and make the discussion more meaningful.
"It’s important to realize that happiness is not far away. Humanity and happiness are right in front of you."
ReplyDeleteIs this real guys? Is true happiness really right in front of us and easily accessible? Is this in line with contemporary happiness?
I would like to hope that happiness is right in front of us. It would certainly make life much easier. I think there is truth to this statement, but I also think you need to be open to the possible happiness in front of you or you will never see it. This holds true for cotemporary happiness. We sometimes miss the simple things in life that are right in front of us that have the ability to make us happy while searching for something bigger or better. Sometimes the best is right in front us…
Deanna, while I agree that there are the little things in life that are right in front of us for us to appreciate and benefit from, I don't think that Confucius was saying that it was necessarily easily accessible. He is definitely saying that you can attain it and that it is within your grasp, but from what I understand, he never says that it's easily accessible. Rather, you have to work for it and gain the humanity and be an all around virtuous person, which isn't easy at all.
DeleteI agree with Andrea. While trying to learn more about Confucius, I stumbled upon some of his quotes which had been translated into English.
Delete"The superior man thinks always of virtue; the common man thinks of comfort."
Confucius encourages us to achieve virtue through doing the right thing for the right reason. Even though everybody has happiness within reach, achieving happiness will not be easy and takes work.
"Ability will never catch up with the demand for it. "
I think confucius is saying that since humanity is right in front of us that happiness is right in front of us. Maybe finding happiness through humanity? Regardless of whether or not this is possible, it offers a hope in this world which isnt necessarily found in other philosophies of happiness. I, myself, find it comforting that happiness would be within my grasp.
DeleteAlex, yeah it seems like he is taking Aquinas' teaching of happiness in hope. It seems like that is a gradually shift in the form of philosophers from cant have happiness in this lifetime to its obtainable.
Delete"Rather it is a tool to train the mind not to dwell in the past or future, but to live in the here and now, the realm in which we can experience peace most readily."
ReplyDeleteIs it really impossible or exceedingly difficult to find peace in the past or future?
I agree that the past and future (especially the future)cause most of the worry that plagues people daily, and it is true that there will always be those 'what ifs' and 'what's going to happen' types of questions. That being said, I think that some measure of peace/happiness can be found in both states. When people remember the past often they remember simpler times when things weren't so complicated or worrisome (like people remembering their childhood). With the future comes the hope that everything will work out and turn out well. Both the idea of reminiscing and of hope can create a feeling of peace and happiness. Living or thinking only about the present can bring peace (I don't know how easily), but I think saying that thinking of the past and future makes peace harder to get isn't necessarily true.
I agree with you Jensen. I think it is possible to be at peace with both your past and future. Of course it is much easier to do this with your past since you cannot change it. I dont think he is trying to say finding peace in the past or future is impossible quite the opposite actually. I think it is more of a reminder for us to live now in the present and be at peace with that knowledge.
DeleteI agree with you Deanna, but I think that sometimes the peace we make in the past is easier because we often look back on it and think how great it was, making it even harder for us make peace with the now. The future on the other hand, I always struggle to make peace with. It is extremely hard to genuinely live in the now.
DeleteI believe happiness is combination of happy moments linked together, so living in the here and now resonates with me. Currently, in the here and now, Im hanging out with Katie Hearn and Erin Grace Fitz. at Chick-fil-a and that makes me happy. I think moments like these carry over and lead to a more constant happiness. I think its important to be content with the past and future to live in this sort of happiness though
Delete"I claim that anybody can become a 'Chunzi', a noble person.... It's about who you are. A Chunzi is a person of moral nobility. That sort of virtue is the source of greatest happiness. But its not easy to cultivate, especially nowadays."
ReplyDelete"Isn't it a joy to study and regularly practice?"
Confucius, unlike some philosophers, emphasizes the importance of action, not just thought. Whereas thought is certainly important, you must act on your thoughts and put thoughts into action. Does this make his path to happiness more appealing or less appealing?
I think that in a way, Confucius' method of thinking AND acting can seem rather unappealing to some people. Why put in any more effort than you absolutely have to? However, I think for many people who think it's important to control your own happiness, Confucius' method is a welcome one. However, Confucius warns about acting with the wrong motives, so is it possible that acting in a virtuous way in order to be happy is bad because you're doing it for the wrong motives? I think that in order to be a virtuous person you can't act for the sake of yourself. You must act for the sake of others. So, for me, happiness is like a byproduct. It is a result of you acting virtuously for the sake of someone else. However, if you act virtuously 'for another' while knowing that you're only doing this to be happy, you will never actually be happy.
Also, in the bliss blog post, Confucius 'says' that virtue isn't easy to cultivate. Does this mean that we will have to suffer for it? I know that in class some people have said that you don't really have to suffer for happiness (ie. that it's not applicable to our world), but yet again, here's another person saying that you will not have an easy go of it. I think he's right, and I see no issues with my having to suffer in order to attain happiness; however, I would think that most people don't want to suffer which could result in their avoiding suffering and henceforth reaching an unreal happiness.
Wow Andrea that is quite a puzzle. While it is true that Confucius puts a lot of meaning into intentions and action, I think he understands that in the end everyone just wants to be happy. I think it is okay to do selfless acts with the expectation that they will make you happy; because that is a given in Confucius' case. And is it not easier to be happy when you have the expectation and desire that the particular acts will give it to you?
DeleteAfter listening to the Buddhist monk today I have to disagree with you Deedee. And in answer to your question Andrea, I think that your right. The action shouldn't be done for any selfish reasons. To be a truly good altruistic action it has to be done completely for others even if it means nothing good is done for yourself.
DeleteYes! The Buddhist monk definitely made what I was trying to say make even more sense. Thanks for the backup Jensen! :D
Delete"The practice of wuwei... refers to the skill of 'going along with things,' or as we say nowadays,'going with the flow.'"
ReplyDeleteHow can we "do nothing against the 'Way'" when with every action we make, we impose our will on it? Are we supposed to just avoid making our own decisions and just do what other people tell us to do?
When we discussed this in class, I immediately thought of Jim Carrey's movie, Yes Man. (I know I seem to make alot of references to movies and books, but it helps me understand the reading better). In the movie the main character, Jim Carrey, tries to say "yes" to every question or opportunity. By saying yes to everything, I believe he is mastering the skill of wuwei. He goes with the flow, and he seems to become much happier. Is this what someone has to do master the skill of wuwei, or would this just be an extreme example?
I personally don't see how 'going with the flow' can make you happy. Sure, it can probably calm you since you probably wouldn't feel stressed, but can you really be happy just doing what other people dictate for your life? You are no longer trying to alter or affect your own destiny-- you're losing control.
DeleteI think that going with the flow can make you happy, because once you open your mind to everything, anything is impossible. I don't think there is a flow when you have a choice unless there is an obvious push for a certain direction. For example your going for a walk and run into a dead end, there is no flow telling you which way to go at that point, so you must choose to turn right or left. I might not be understanding wuwei but I think your still in control of your life because if you have to make a decision there isn't a flow. Where as when your finished with college apps or waiting for something, going with the flow (very hard at the time) might be the best and make you the happiest.
DeleteAndrea, I see your point, but i can also see with Maddie's view. I think that the hardest part of this concept of going with the flow is just letting go of making decisions. Andrea, you asked if we can be happy with other people dictating our lives and I just wanted to emotion that throughout our lifetime there will never really be a time where we care acting on our own control. As the monk said, we are all connected. At work there will be bosses, at school there will be teachers, at home there will be parents. We will always have our lives dictated by others. IF we can learn to accept that and not fight the people who dictate our lives I think we can find happiness. For example, If i didn't fight with my parents trying to assert myself (my independence that doesn't really exist) I would probably be happier because there would be less fighting.
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ReplyDelete"The great virtues of humanity and propriety lead to a state of joy and personal fulfillment that is much more effective in promoting social harmony than teachings that are simply forced on people"
ReplyDeleteHave our ideas of happiness been forced on us by religion or upbringing? How are our ideas of happiness a choice rather than a lifestyle?
This quote of Menicus's philosophy of happiness made me think of why i believe what i believe. Even though i have been raised in a christian home, i have never really thought of my choice of religion as something that was forced on me. However, thinking about it... it kind of was. As a child i was brought to church and as i grew older, i never really had the opportunity or drive to explore other religions for my own understanding. While Christianity does speak about the joys of humanity and prosperity, is the fact that it was taught to me at an early age qualify it as a forced idea?
I tend to agree with you Caroline. In a way the ideas of happiness we hold to be true were never our own to begin with. They were our parent's our priests' and our teachers' ideas that they forced onto us at a very early age. For instance when I was little if I got hurt it was considered something to be unhappy about. It could have been explained in a way that told me getting hurt was a natural part of life and nothing to get upset about and to just move forward. Instead, then and now, getting hurt is something to be unhappy about. That's just my take on it though.
DeleteFrom Evan - I agree; I believe that religious beliefs are not entirely forced upon us, but many of us have strong biases based on our upbringing. For those of us who are Catholic, we are raised believing that our religion is the only one, or the right one. As we grow older, we understand that there may be other ways to gaining salvation and happiness, but we are sometimes not very open to these other religions because of our bias.
DeleteI agree that religion isn't completely forced upon us literally but it's very close. From the very beginning we are taught these ideas that form how we think and see things. This doesn't have to do with everything though because as you grow up some people start to see the other sides to things. I don't agree with the getting hurt thing though because you were not conditioned to feel unhappy when getting hurt. You feel bad because it hurts and it gives you a bad feeling so you won't do something like that again.
Delete"Learning about humanity fills us with a sense of joy. Confucius detests the 'proper villager' who unfailingly does the right thing. The problem is that the proper villager does it for the sake of social approbation and not self-cultivation."
ReplyDeleteWhy would Confucius detest the proper villager who does the right thing?
I believe Confucius means that people should do the right things for the right reasons, and not only for praise. Confucius tells us that self-cultivation is very important, and we should strive for it in the company of others striving for the same thing. We should be socially-active animals striving to better ourselves. Confucius wants those he addresses to have virtue for the right reason - to gain joy through social relationships.
If political leaders Would only focus on setting themselves straight Before setting their nations Straight (I.e., Rule through the power of moral example, Instead of trying to force their ideas And policies on people), World peace would be easier to achieve.
ReplyDeleteDo we see this today? Doesn't everyone try to tell you the way before they even know it for themselves?
When I read this I felt like we could relate to this so well in our country, state, school, and even family. I totally agree with self reflection, because to know yourself, you need to find yourself! I think that a lot of people today try to tell us how to achieve happiness or other ways to be successful, without knowing how to themselves! And you can't fix something without fixing yourself first.
I'm not so sure about this. I think a lot of thinkers over our time have tried to answer the question of how to achieve happiness and maybe even thought of a way to achieve that. This does not mean that they themselves found happiness in their lifetimes but does that really mean their idea is wrong?
Delete"Mencius was convinced that the mind played a meditating role between the 'lesser self' (the physiological self) and the 'greater self' (the moral self) and that getting priorities right between these two would lead to sagehood and personal fulfillment."
ReplyDelete"when one thing acts on another thing (ie things acting upon the senses), they can be led astray. It is the function of the mind to think."
Can sins be avoided through this way of thinking?
The seven deadly sins, wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony, all seem to be results of the senses leading someone astray. Coming from a Catholic background, my mind first jumped to how this way of thinking could be helpful in becoming a better Catholic and growing into a better person.
I often have thought this question over. I feel that the mind is the root of all sins and if one could control their thoughts and think purely they would be without sin. I remember learning in World Religions about Muslims religions(I think it was Muslim religion) that prayed constantly. The various prayers were mainly used as a way of reminding man to keep thoughts holy and pure. This also goes with the guest speaker who taught the Buddhist values of self-restraint and harmlessness.
DeleteThrough thoughts we come to actions. For every thought there is a conscious or unconscious decision that caused one to make that action. Controlling the mind is the first step towards eliminating sin whether it be physical or mental. By cultivating our minds to get on the pattern of thinking virtuously, we can eliminate the unconscious decisions to sin.
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ReplyDelete"Ultimate happiness is nothing but wuwei, the skill of doing nothing aginst the "Way" (Dao)."
ReplyDeleteWuwei seems unreasonable and difficult to comprehend.
How does one know if he is going with the flow? Is there one flow that everyone should go along with are is wuwei unique to everyperson?
Reading about Wuwei I immediately thought of others approach to different events in life. How one reacts before a big game, test or any other event. Everyone has unique responses to things but one things I have learned throughout my life is that you cannot use anyone elses approach. This unique manner that everyone has is a small example of Wuwei. Before a football game my body tells me to take a nap and try and remain relaxed. When I have to write an essay I often reach for my headphones and attack my assignment. I feel that this is my flow and when I go against this and try to become something I am not I am going agaisnt wuwei and I usually receive negative feedback.
Yeah that tends to be my biggest problem with the wewei concept: essentially, how do you know what the "flow" is? As you said, there are a million potential "flows," and it is difficult to put it mildly, to figure out which is the correct "flow."
DeleteFrom Evan - I believe that wuwei simply means that we should not worry so much about finding happiness. If we just live a simple, normal life, then happiness will come to us instead of the other way around. I agree that it is a little confusing, but I believe it means that good things will come to us if we are not actively searching for them.
Delete"Deep down, we are endowed with the sprouts of humanity and righteousness, and we simply need to steadily cultivate those sprouts to become virtuous people". Mencius
ReplyDeleteAre we naturally good people like Mencius suggests, or do we have to overcome our natural inclination towards sin like the Catholic Church says?
While Mencius taught that man was naturally good and only needed a little self-cultivation, the Catholic Church teaches that man is naturally bad because of original sin. They say that man can only be a good person through the grace of God. The Catechism of the church says that human nature, “is wounded in the natural powers proper to it, subject to ignorance, suffering, and the dominion of death; and inclined to sin – an inclination to evil that is called concupiscence”.
I agree with Mencius that man is naturally good. He says that if any man saw a child fall down a well, they would feel sorrow without exception. Man has a mind that cannot stand to see others suffer.
I agree with you completely Joey. Even thought the Catholic Church says we have original sin and so aren't born completely good, I disagree. Like you I believe that man is naturally good. When he see horrible things happen in the news or right in front of us we don't just walk away and never think of it again. We care and we dislike it.
DeleteI agree with both of you. I like Mencius idea of men being naturally good. I think of elementary school when relationships with one another were at its core values and at this core people almost always got along. Mankind is naturally good and we masks this natural compassion for one another with greed and stereotyping. This topic reminded me so much of the quote by Anne Frank, "Despite everything, I believe people are really good at heart."
DeleteLike Jensen and Joey, I disagree with the idea that we are born with original sin. Through our life experiences, upbringing, conscience, and/or religion the sprouts of goodness can be cultivated. The catholic idea of original sin is scary, depressing, and a little disheartening. Rather than starting from a base of sin and working to become a better person, the idea that we are endowed with sprouts of goodness and much cultivate and nourish it to grow is a much more inspiring picture
Delete"So the practice of self-reflection, which is highly valued by Confucius, is the foundation of Mencius' concept of self-cultivation. Once again early Greek philosophy comes to mind, and specifically Socrates' statement that 'the unexamined life is not worth living.'"
ReplyDeleteIs a type of self-reflection really good for the person themselves? If this self-reflection does work how exactly does this lead us to help others and therefore be "happy"?
I've never really thought that thinking about ones self a lot is a good thing. Over-thinking has always been something that leads to anxiety, doubt, and regret. So I don't really understand how examining your own life would really be a good thing, and what if this lead to seeing the bad nature in people. That's why I also don't really understand how this could lead to helping others. When learning about ourselves we might find what we like and need but I guess this is suppose to lead to use wanting to help others achieve these things as well.
I feel like if you never reflect on your actions, you can never realize if something you did was wrong, and therefore never learn/grow from it. Following a Buddhist philosophy, it can also help you realize that you are not really all that special, and that other people are similar to you and therefore deserving of your help. Like many things in life, I feel like there is a balance: don't waste away your life Plato-style, solely pondering your own actions, but do spend SOME time reflecting. Sure if you only look back on the past and think "why did I do that??" it will only lead to anxiety. But if you look at the past and use it to decide how you will behave better in the future, then I would say such reflection is a good and useful thing.
Delete"This linkage between virtue and happiness provides a thought provoking contrast with the categorical imperative of kant, who insisted that we try to do good only for its own sake, without consideration for personal benefit, spiritual or otherwise. According to Mencius, the more joy we find in the process, the more motivated we are..."
ReplyDeleteI've long felt that almost all human action is primarily motivated in some way or another by personal interest. Whether that interest be something as shallow as "I could get something in return for this favor" or something as common in the Catholic Church as "this will make me look so virtuous" or even simply "it will make ME feel satisfied to do this." I just don't see a lot of selflessness there (Yes, I know there a few exceptions, like the cliche of the soldier who jumps on the grenade for his platoon, but they are rare). So I guess my question is, do you think human nature, as is, motivates people to do something if they expect they will get NO personal gain from it? Secondly, and more importantly, do you think if someone's sole reason for an action is personal satisfaction, is that action still "good?"
I feel like if your motivations were SOLELY self interest, then you don't deserve to get to relish any sense of satisfaction, and you shouldn't get to feel virtuous. You have no right. YOU shouldn't get to be described as "good," even if your action did good things, and can therefore be described as "good."