One of the strangest phenomena in the world as I see it is that so many of the people who believe in what seems insane and bizarre are themselves actually undoubtedly sane and wise. I’m mostly talking about certain Christians.
Conversation
For many years I’ve had a habit of seeking podcasts and videos not for information but just to hear voices of sanity and intelligence. Sometimes I don’t know where to look. I remember looking at Noam Chomsky for this reason. Nowadays, I go to pastors and theologians.
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I know Chesterton has some good quotes about this irony.
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This makes me think that part of why I’ve fallen out of interest with Buddhism is the way it’s now always explained as rational, scientific, neural. It feels narrow and, yes, somehow morbid. I should devote my life to... optimizing my nervous system?
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Buddhism as I encounter it is also completely oriented around “practice.” Everything else is just to support “the practice,” this never-ending treadmill of perfection, just go back to the cushion, keep striving, don’t give up. Like, there’s never just a feast of celebration.
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Replying to
we had celebrations at the monastery! this thing you're talking about feels specific to a particular kind of atomized western buddhist practice
Replying to
Yes, that's true, and I'm pretty sure there are similar tendencies within Christianity. Although I suspect it's not entirely a Western invention. I've been curious about Shin Buddhism as a kind of opposite.
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