Can personal experience generate buddhistic insight outside of meditation?
score:2
It seems appropriate to turn my comments into an answer.
One of the problems that confounds religious practice in all major traditions is the attachment to words. Words are both the barrier to understanding and the only tools available to teachers (for the most part) to point people towards awakening.
Insight is defined as:
an instance of apprehending the true nature of a thing, especially through intuitive understanding
penetrating mental vision or discernment; faculty of seeing into inner character or underlying truth.
There is no such thing as Buddhistic Insight (how does one know if their insight is Buddhistic?) If insight depended on the teachings of Buddha or anyone else, then Buddha would've been unable to attain insight; Christ would not have come to know what he did; etc.
Buddha, Christ, and any other teacher (no names spring to mind) of their caliber and effectiveness found a way of creating a teaching in the language of their era that resonated with the existing social and religious beliefs of their era. I think this is a critical distinction.
Buddha spoke about reincarnation as he built his teaching in a part of the world where almost all people already had a view of the world that included reincarnation - and many were likely attached to that understanding. As far as I know, Christ never mentions reincarnation - at least not in any form that remotely resembles the Buddhist or Hindu view of reincarnation.
Buddha found a way to use the already existing teaching as a vehicle to point people towards the Self. (see skillful means)
Christ did the same.
As to the original question.
One need not necessarily depend on the words of the ancients, but must only think of what is really true. - Dogen
Think about the paradox of your question. You experienced something you call temporarily release from any jealousy I had. That's awesome!
Unfortunately, the validation you were likely looking for with your question will probably do nothing other than serve as a barrier to your understanding. You will have a new 'idol' to worship:
"I had a genuine Buddhistic insight."
Regarding the above quote from Dogen in relation to this: What is true is, you can and will never know. Why carry the insight along with you? The insight will be valuable to the degree you use it - or let it use you. What is it you got when you felt the jealousy dissipate? Did you suddenly see the vanity and stupidity of human actions in a clearer light? That is what there is to meditate on; to consider. Who cares where it came from?
There is great wisdom in your insight, and there is no bottom to it. The deeper your insight penetrates, the deeper your understanding will be. Genuine mastery is never a place one arrives but a place one comes from.
Enjoy your insights but never cling to them. Yesterday's insight is today's ego trip.
Upvote:0
Yes, people are known to reach enlightenment and even full liberation without any knowledge of Buddhism or use of teachers and guides.
In my opinion, thinking, "What I practice is the only way," is a form of pride and a way for people to hold themselves above others.
Upvote:4
It's similar to going to a funeral, seeing the dead body and realizing that your turn is coming too. Jealousy is a subset of aversion. Aversion is 1 of the 3 evil roots that causes suffering. So if you realized that and got rid of your jealousy, that's inline with Buddhist insight.
More post
- 📝 Does Theravada Buddhism encourages animal release?
- 📝 Do we reincarnate into similar or polar-opposite lives
- 📝 The Animal Plane & Evolution?
- 📝 How to understand a patient's coma status in Buddhism
- 📝 What does Buddhism say about the "self"?
- 📝 Difficulty letting go of attachment
- 📝 How does a Buddhist care for others' suffering?
- 📝 Reborn in heaven and perfect sila/morality
- 📝 Is it never what you think it is?
- 📝 Is it bad karma if you say something that turns out to be false?
- 📝 Importance of Tipitaka in Mahayana Schools
- 📝 Is Maha Brahma a GOD?
- 📝 What are The Four Great Elements?
- 📝 Are Southern Buddhism and Northern Buddhism the same?
- 📝 Wheel turning king runs the country without stick or sword, what does it mean?
- 📝 Suchiloma Sutta translation
- 📝 How could we have so many past lives without reaching some degree of wisdom or enlightenment?
- 📝 How do you develop the right view with lack of information, knowledge and time?
- 📝 Varieties of emptiness
- 📝 Teaching or giving advice without mentioning the Buddha
- 📝 U Ba Khin and his reference to Parajikan Atthakatha
- 📝 Monastics & Hygiene
- 📝 If we have the law of karma, why do we need other laws, or do we?
- 📝 Panic arising in meditation
- 📝 Did the Buddha ever delve on the dangers of one's own spirtual achievements feeding the ego?
- 📝 Is it true that whatever is subject to cessation is subject to origination?
- 📝 How to understand Buddhism original dogma?
- 📝 What do we do when we've broken a precept?
- 📝 How to deal with body pain during meditation?
- 📝 Doubting the quick attainments of the Mahasi Tradition
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Can personal experience generate buddhistic insight outside of meditation?
- 📝 Can one learn meditation on their own?
- 📝 Can one practice meditation to gain knowledge about the universe?
- 📝 Can meditation cause you to sleep less?
- 📝 Can meditation help students in exams?
- 📝 Near death experience and meditation
- 📝 What determines whether a style of meditation can or cannot lead to insight?
- 📝 Can you actually focus on how birth leads to aging, death, suffering, stress as direct experience in dependent co-arising?
- 📝 Can you go through all 7 purifications of insight with walking meditation?
- 📝 How can one apply the skills developed through Vipassana meditation to overcome FMO/PMO (fantasy, p**n, masturbation, o*g**m) addiction?
- 📝 How can I remedy the erratic energy-power that arises from vipassana aka cessation-contemplation meditation so I can feel more in-control?
- 📝 How can the sensations of the meditation object (attention to the breath) be made more noticeable?
- 📝 How can we include meditation in our daily activities or day to day life?
- 📝 Mental illness: can Dhamma, meditation help?
- 📝 Avoiding Triggers that can generate negative karma
- 📝 Direct Experience of Meditation
- 📝 Can insight be gained at any point in insight meditation, or do you have to go through all 7 purifications of insight?
- 📝 How can we know that we experience sensations as a series of discrete sensations?
- 📝 Most efficient (timewise) meditation techniques to experience joy and bliss?
- 📝 Can meditation heal physical diseases?
- 📝 Confusion Over Intense Experience During Meditation
- 📝 Can I save my meditation practice or should I abandon it?
- 📝 Can you skip the 7 purifications and gain straight insight into phenomenon?
- 📝 How can one navigate the experience of Tanha
- 📝 Can meditation change your hormone and neurotransmitter system?
- 📝 Reasons against practicing insight meditation as a main (sitting) practice for medical or other recondite-subject majoring students?
- 📝 How can i use meditation to concentrate!
- 📝 Personal practices of meditation
- 📝 How can I practice mindfulness meditation with sound, not breathing?
- 📝 Validity of Meditation Experience