Appreciating Nature Aesthetically
score:1
By saying “attachment isn't necessarily all bad,” you are somewhat timidly suggesting that “beauty and love are not (necessarily) forms of suffering.” The truth, of course, is that both Enlightenment and the path to Enlightenment are valuable because they profoundly enhance the experiences of and capacities for love and beauty (and insight). The fact that you are placing this profound truth in question is the result of a popular misunderstanding of Buddhism.
This common misunderstanding concerns the notion of detachment (upekkha) in Buddhism. A person practices detachment only as a preparation for achieving upacara samadhi in mindfulness meditation. Upacara samadhi is an objective, calm, undistracted, and focused state of mind that is conducive to psychological insight (which, in turn, is required to overcome suffering). Hence, the only reason a monk may contemplate the stages of decomposition of a corpse is to temporarily suspend any attachment to the body in order to reach upacara samadhi more easily. To practice detachment as a way of life has no value, because it does not generate insight. People who practice detachment without practicing a lot of meditation are merely increasing their suffering and delaying insight for another lifetime!
QUESTION 1: What is the benefit of aesthetic contemplation, if any? ANSWER TO QUESTION 1: While the contemplation of beauty does not lead directly to insight, it is an indicator of progress for those people who value the experience of beauty.
QUESTION 2: Is feeling (either vedana or 'emotion') necessary for compassion meditation? ANSWER TO QUESTION 2: In the practice of the brahmavihara, the practices of loving-kindness (metta) and joy for others (mudita) can be sources of great joy and happiness. Of course, the contemplation of the suffering of others (which arouses compassion or karuna) is painful. The practice of upekkha (usually translated as equanimity, but better translated as objectivity) is, well, objective. There is no equivalent to “emotion” in the Pali language. In Pali, vedana merely means feeling, which is not always emotional.
Upvote:0
Eggman, are the homework assignments done? The basic works? If not, there is no base to build on.
To get attached to aesthetic, to beauty of nature, is very needed, since one starts to practice that what gives cause to: long life, beauty, happiness and strength: Dana, Sila, Bhavana.
The contemplations for that, after having the items understood, having developed the objects of contemplation, are this six found here:
[Q&A] What should one meditate upon as a beginner? (Bhavana for Laypeople)
As for the nature (plants animals), which is really not a ground for joy to contemplate, but a place to see how poor certain existances can be, to understand the confusion, its worthy to understand The Roots of Buddhist Romanticism. To see beauty in the ugly, good in bad... to even train such is a foolish practice of the fool. That is why real aesthetic objects are chosen. Not such without any generosity, virtue and even wisdom... nature is good to be wise reflected to develope samvega, "fear".
(Seems to be redundant questioning of yours... there is no way aside of simply putting firts generosity and then virtue just into practic, Eggman.)
[Note: This is a gift of Dhamma, not meant for commercial purpose or other kinds of low wordily gains by means of trade and exchange]
More post
- 📝 Tantric self generation as a deity
- 📝 What Buddhist materials describe how to increase the number of people with good Karma in a geographic area?
- 📝 Feeling versus Analysis in Compassion Meditation
- 📝 Looking for a Sutta wherein the Buddha talks about dreams
- 📝 What is Anuloma-nana? How does this insight works?
- 📝 Does "old karma" come from our parents, family, community, surroundings?
- 📝 Was the Buddha Humanist?
- 📝 What type of Buddhist monks are only allowed to eat two meals per day and why?
- 📝 How do we sense the flow of time?
- 📝 Is Karma different for accidental killing than intentional killing?
- 📝 How to deal with body pain during meditation?
- 📝 Why is “nibbana” considered to be “unconditioned”?
- 📝 Is the Sinhalese language very different to Pali?
- 📝 past memory of recall previous life
- 📝 Does anybody knows origin and reference Buddha teaches a bossy & angry the seven kinds of wifes
- 📝 Can anyone explain Sanskara / Sankara indepth?
- 📝 Jhana for rest and relaxation
- 📝 Is it bad karma if you are waiting for someone to die?
- 📝 Is there evidence of a Buddhist influence on Greek Stoicism?
- 📝 On Vipassana: Focus on feeling sensations VS Focus on describing sensations through words
- 📝 Evolution of a Buddha vs. Anatta
- 📝 Vipassana meditation in day to day life
- 📝 Can karma be destroyed by other Niyamas?
- 📝 Breath getting shorter and shorter
- 📝 Understanding Psychosomatic ailments
- 📝 Intensifying sensations in Vipassana
- 📝 Do buddhists fall in love?
- 📝 What do "contradictions" mean in Buddhist philosophy?
- 📝 The object of meditation
- 📝 Why do people pretend or show off?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Appreciating Nature Aesthetically
- 📝 Ignorant mind and Buddha nature
- 📝 Buddhism vs. Nature and Real World
- 📝 What is taught about Buddha nature in Theravada Buddhism?
- 📝 What is the nature of impermanence, desire and anatman?
- 📝 Problematic Nature of Views
- 📝 Why the nature of things is such as it is?
- 📝 If Buddha is able to predict the future of other sentient beings how can freewill be possible as its very nature is that of unpredictability?
- 📝 Nature of spiritual advancement and material advancement
- 📝 Is there a generally agreed upon idea of what Buddha nature is?
- 📝 Nature of Craving in Charm and Impressing Others
- 📝 Nature of Integrity in Buddhism
- 📝 Nature of True Cognition
- 📝 Impermanence is Buddha nature / Buddha nature is impermanence
- 📝 Is buddha nature active?
- 📝 In what ways are the Advaita concept of 'Nirguna Brahman' and the Buddhist concept of Buddha Nature similar and different?
- 📝 In the trisvabhava theory, is the consummate nature inflected by past present and future conditions?
- 📝 Nature of dependent origination, and is Buddhism non-duality?
- 📝 Unconscious Nature of Craving
- 📝 Are Buddha nature and Original enlightenment different, or always identical?
- 📝 Nature of Direct Experience
- 📝 Is Buddha Nature the original state, i.e. Awareness/ Consciousness without Existence?
- 📝 Origin of the "Scorpion Story". (Your nature to sting, My nature is to save)
- 📝 The invariant law of nature which forms the basis of Buddha's Dharma and existence of universe itself
- 📝 What is the difference between a nature and a behaviour?
- 📝 Reference request for "our Buddha nature chooses not to be enlightened"?
- 📝 Is dhammakaya a synonym of 'real nature of things'?
- 📝 Harmlessness to non-sentient nature and can consciousness (pure awareness) exist?
- 📝 *"... not the physical lama, ... but your own nature of mind ... That's the real lama ..."* Is that actually a concept in vajrayana?
- 📝 Nature of Aversion