Posted: Mar 17, 2014 12:01 pm
This gets touchy; there is a distinction between experiencing something and allowing it to cause you to suffer. The common-sense approach to something that causes you to suffer is to stop doing it or to find a remedy, but if this is not possible it is still possible to not suffer by ignoring the negativity of the experience. I don't know how realistic that is. I have tried it during times of grief and of serious pain and I guess it helped a little and if I had been a more practiced Buddhist it might have helped more.hackenslash wrote:More about 4 please. What is it, in your understanding, and how does it bring about an end of suffering?
The point above about grasping is part of this too. We realize that all is change; nothing is permanent; whatever we have no matter how careful we are we will someday lose (if it is only at the time of our death). Therefore be prepared for this certainty. To my mind this opens Buddhism up to an accusation of detachment -- of people not being able to, say, fall in love, because of course sooner or later one will lose the loved one so it is best not to be too attached.
The ultimate point is that by following the program, one accumulates karma. Karma is by the superstitious seen as causing good luck. I see it more simply as what goes around comes around; be kind to people and they probably will be kind back, etc. Criminals may "get away" with it for awhile but society eventually catches them -- that sort of thing.