Food for thoughts
Recently, a group of my undergrade friends have got a serious debate about the solution for current society's problem in Thailand such as university girls who have a sideline job as prostitutions, our social value, power of media, problems of capitalism, pitfalls from feminism, misleading educational system, etc.
I don't want to present the discussion stuffs here (because people have different opinions). However, there are several food for thoughts that I've learnt. Especially, I've found that this one is very useful for us (e.g. highly educated students in a believe of our social value) to think about:
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One thing that always annoys me is that people (like us, who try to
think of themselves as intellectuals) usually look down on general
people and feel that they have no judgement and they are so naive to
believe in these lies, e.g., these polls, these advertisements, these
political campainges, etc.
...
It is very amazing to know that this prejudice lies at the heart of a lot
of people who want to make changes.
-- Jittat @ Berkeley
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By the way, I believe that it is good for everyone to concern about society a bit more, though it can simply create conflict during a discussion, but it should be alright if we accept the differences. Thus, I decided to create this topic in our board for you guys to share some 'food for thoughts' in addition to all CUTS activities or a number of fun topics here ^_^
Below is the first one in regard to all different believes and opinions
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Convention and liberation.
(Brief from the book "A taste of freedom" by Ajarn Chah)
The things of of this world are merely conventions of our own making. Having estrablished them we get lost in them, and refused to let go, giving rise to clinging to personal views and opinions. This clinging has no completion, flowing endlessly on.
There are a characteristic of our world. People follow the conventions in order to avoid giving rise to resentment. It's useful to understand convention, living in the world is just about this. Knowing the right time and place, know the person. However, it becomes wrong to go against conventions! It's wrong because of people... People all have defilements. In one situation, we behave one way, in another situation we must behave another way. If we suppose something to be, then it is. It's there because we suppose it to be there. But, if you looks closely, in the absolute sense these things don't really exist.
If we know conventional reality then we'll know liberation... The word 'liberation' is itself just a convention, but it refers to that beyond conventions. Conventions have a use, but in reality there really isn't anything there. Even people are non-existent. They are merely groups of elements, born of casual conditions, growing dependent on conditions, existing for a while, then disappearing in the natural way. No-one can oppose or control it.
Money is simply a convention that we have set up, it has its use within that convention. Having decreed it to have value, it becomes valuable. In reality, what is money? Nobody can say. When there is a popular agreement about something, then a convention comes to fulfill the need, comes to be the invented answer. If we establish that it doesn't have value, then it doesn't have value.
Even though we use convention, don't place your trust in it as being the truth. If you cling to it, suffering will arise. People see right and wrong differently. Different people estrablish different (certain) believes, in the end who really know what is right or wrong? There is no way that one can guarantee that anything is definitely like this or like that, so the Buddha said to just leave it be... Leave it be as uncertain. However much you like or dislike it, you should understand it as uncertain.
The pride in personal opinions, they have no end. In order to put our minds at rest, we shall investigate (contemplate) the things which are in store for us. What can we do to avoid being plagued by these things? As long as you live & must depend on conventions, you should understand them... and master them by not clinging to them (liberation).
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For worldly people, if they get blamed or criticized they get really upset. If they get praised it cheers them up. If we know the truth of our various moods, if we know the consequences of clinging to praise and blame, the danger of clinging to anything at all, we will become sensitive to our moods. We will know that clinging to them really causes suffering.
Our discontent is due to wrong view. If we don't exercise sense restraint we blame our suffering on externals. We are not yet our own masters. Our moods lie to us constantly. We shouldn't take this mind and its opinions as our guide, because it doesn't know the truth. Some people don't want to listen to others at all. This is not the way of a man of wisdom. A wise man listens to everything, whether he likes it or not, and not blindly believe and disbelieve. Not be heedless, he just listens and then contemplates to see the cause and effect.
So even though you may be unhappy it doesn't matter, that unhappiness is uncertain. Unhappiness is merely a flash of feeling which appears and then is gone. Happiness is the same. It's simply a feeling that flashes suddenly and is gone. In truth there is no substantial entity there, they are merely impressions which flare up in the mind and then die. They deceive us constantly, we find no certainty anywhere. But we who are ignorant run and grab it constantly.
The peace arises from truly knowing the nature of all things.