Attachment to the Impermanent

[crossfire]

<...>
The meaning is that the Buddhists and Confucianists now worship images and statues. They are entirely heedless of the Oneness of God and believe in imaginary gods like the ancient Greeks. But in the beginning it was not so; there were different principles and other ordinances.

<...>
Some Answered Questions, pp. 165-166

This Buddhist doesn't worship anything. Your mileage may vary.

 

[ChanaR]

I confess I know very little of Hinduism and Buddhism. I come out of the Abrahamic tradition. But I believe that when it comes to the concept of the meaninglessness of attachment to temporal things, it doesn't matter what religious form you follow. All the sages have a handle on it. Rabbi Yeshua (Jesus) teaches us,

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
​

When I was a child, I wanted toys, sugary foods, and pretty dresses. As a young adult, I realized there was a conflict between my desires and my longing to become a saint (yeah fat chance! LOL) Now that I'm much older, it simply doesn't matter to me either way. I can have a dessert, or I can go without. I'm fine having one pair of shoes. But if I can have more, that's fine too. The only things that matter to me now are the virtues: cultivating compassion, empathy, justice, humbleness, honesty, love, trust, loyalty, responsibility, self control, moderation, purity, courage, self reflection, the joy of living, mercy, pleasantness, courage, frugality, and hopefully if I really really cultivate myself, wisdom. These are the treasures I seek, treasures that no one can steal from me, treasures that I think will be eternal.

Anyhow, I hope you don't mind my Abrahamic self chiming in on your conversation. I myself tend to have a much more open minded attitude towards other religions (with a special affinity for Taoism), and it would be cool to hang out with you a bit if it's okay.

 

[Trailblazer]

I confess I know very little of Hinduism and Buddhism. I come out of the Abrahamic tradition. But I believe that when it comes to the concept of the meaninglessness of attachment to temporal things, it doesn't matter what religious form you follow. All the sages have a handle on it. Rabbi Yeshua (Jesus) teaches us,

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Indeed, I believe that all the religious traditions teach the same spiritual truths and the Founders enloined their followers to acquire the same spiritual virtues.

I am, also out of the Abrahamic tradition and Baha’u’llah wrote something very similar to what you quoted from Jesus.

“For every one of you his paramount duty is to choose for himself that on which no other may infringe and none usurp from him. Such a thing—and to this the Almighty is My witness—is the love of God, could ye but perceive it.

Build ye for yourselves such houses as the rain and floods can never destroy, which shall protect you from the changes and chances of this life. This is the instruction of Him Whom the world hath wronged and forsaken.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 261

 

[ChanaR]

“For every one of you his paramount duty is to choose for himself that on which no other may infringe and none usurp from him. Such a thing—and to this the Almighty is My witness—is the love of God, could ye but perceive it.

Build ye for yourselves such houses as the rain and floods can never destroy, which shall protect you from the changes and chances of this life. This is the instruction of Him Whom the world hath wronged and forsaken.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 261

Thank you for sharing this.

For us aging hippies, we have an expressiion, "Live simply that others may simply live." Do you find that in your life you want to give up things and live a simpler way? Over the years I've found myself peeling off layers of stuff. It's been painful every time, but then afterwards it feels so darn good, like I have a load off my shoulders. Have you had any urges or experiences like this?

 

[Trailblazer]

Thank you for sharing this.

For us aging hippies, we have an expression, "Live simply that others may simply live." Do you find that in your life you want to give up things and live a simpler way? Over the years I've found myself peeling off layers of stuff. It's been painful every time, but then afterwards it feels so darn good, like I have a load off my shoulders. Have you had any urges or experiences like this?

I was indeed a hippie, one of the first, as I am a little older than you are.

Stuff.... I have way too much stuff, but I am not acquiring any more.
I had been away from God and my religion for many decades, a long story, and during that time my husband and I acquired some real estate, so we have three houses we have to deal with, two that are rentals.

I do not acquire anything new anymore, we have two very old cars that do just fine. I never get new clothes or anything new. I have no desire for material goods, but I do love my cats more than anything in the world.

I would like to not have the responsibility of the three houses but as long as I am detached it is not a burden... In one of the rentals a tenant owed me over ten thousand dollars in back rent about six months ago and he finally paid half of it down... I just got an e-mail that he has paid the rest... Everyone told me he would never pay it so I should have evicted him, but I had faith in him. It still amazes me when people come through like that... Unfortunately, some other tenants who left our other rental last December owe us sixty-seven hundred dollars in back rent so we will probably have to go to court to get a judgment since they have been eluding us so far. Not all people are honest and trustworthy.

 

[ChanaR]

@Trailblazer
I'm like you about cars. If it runs and it is paid for it's a blessing. Where I live, you kind of have to have a car to function because everything is so spread out. But why spend more than a couple thousand on a car?

I'm the same about my kitty. My kids are grown so its just me and fluffy in my little studio. She curls up at my feet. I figure she's a "high level" because she is so good at meditating and lives in the now. Maybe if I really cultivate, in my next life I'll come back as a cat, where I'll spend my life with someone else who pets me, feeds me, and changes my litter box. LOL.

 

[Trailblazer]

@Trailblazer
I'm like you about cars. If it runs and it is paid for it's a blessing. Where I live, you kind of have to have a car to function because everything is so spread out. But why spend more than a couple thousand on a car?

We have a lot of money and financial assets but I would never waste money on a car. I never bought a new car in my whole life. I paid for most of them with cash, only financed half of one on a two year loan to improve my credit rating. Our two cars are a 1986 Honda Prelude and a 1999 Honda CRV, the latter of which we hardly ever use. We live in the country so we need a second car in case something happens to the primary.

I'm the same about my kitty. My kids are grown so its just me and fluffy in my little studio. She curls up at my feet. I figure she's a "high level" because she is so good at meditating and lives in the now. Maybe if I really cultivate, in my next life I'll come back as a cat, where I'll spend my life with someone else who pets me, feeds me, and changes my litter box. LOL.

We never had any children but we have 10 Persian cats. We used to have a lot more, but so many have passed away. We had 19 cats when we moved here nine years ago, but we have lost 12 cats, adopted three more. The only reason we have a big house is because of the cats we had when we moved here. I would prefer to live in a small cabin in the woods, but cats rule.

 

[MonkeyFire]

Everything must change until change becomes something else entirely. Nature the whole, is excellently conjoined of nature's, the individual.

 

[wandering peacefully]

How does the fact of impermanence or "emptiness" according to the Buddha relate to the actual NON-IMPERMANENCE of the physical world with its laws of physics, chemistry etc. If a person jumps off a building he will kill himself very permanently. If he doesn't eat he will very permanently die of hunger. If he injects strychnine he will be very permanently poisoned, regardless of the emptiness or impermanence of existence. So how does existence end up with such permanent laws of cause and effect (especially with no mention of a supreme God overseeing everything) in a reality of non-being and (per Vedic philosophy) non-dualism???

I think this is very far away from what Buddha's teachings about suffering due to attachent.is. It is for the living not the dead.

It would make a very bad religion because it is concerned with the ability of self and mind. Not gods or rituals.

If you are really interested you can search his teachings and read some of them.

 

[ChanaR]

We have a lot of money and financial assets but I would never waste money on a car. I never bought a new car in my whole life. I paid for most of them with cash, only financed half of one on a two year loan to improve my credit rating. Our two cars are a 1986 Honda Prelude and a 1999 Honda CRV, the latter of which we hardly ever use. We live in the country so we need a second car in case something happens to the primary.

We never had any children but we have 10 Persian cats. We used to have a lot more, but so many have passed away. We had 19 cats when we moved here nine years ago, but we have lost 12 cats, adopted three more. The only reason we have a big house is because of the cats we had when we moved here. I would prefer to live in a small cabin in the woods, but cats rule.

We are so alike, my new friend.

Is there a way to friend someone or follow their posts here in this forum?

 

[Rival]

We are so alike, my new friend.

Is there a way to friend someone or follow their posts here in this forum?

Click on the username and click follow.

 

[Trailblazer]

We are so alike, my new friend.

Thanks. I am happy to have a new friend.

Is there a way to friend someone or follow their posts here in this forum?

Yes, there is a way to follow someone but I do not know how to do it. I have been too busy to figure it out. I only know that there is a way because I got some Alerts that I have some people following me.

 

[Trailblazer]

Click on the username and click follow.

Thanks Rival. I did not know it was that simple.