Questions tagged [buddhism]
a religion of eastern and central Asia that is based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha
111
questions
4
votes
0
answers
81
views
What's wrong with aretaic consequentialism?
What problems does it face, either as a classification of Buddhism or as meta ethical theory in general?
Another approach [to how to classify Buddhist ethics] is aretaic consequentialism, an indirect ...
user64448
1
vote
0
answers
67
views
When enlightenment is tenable?
It seems to me in certain sects of Buddhism enlightenment has become so esoteric that it is an experience so unique that in the entirety of Mankind only one person attained this state and that was the ...
- 1,198
2
votes
0
answers
58
views
What does he mean here when talking about a one-one correspondence?
This is from Ñanavira's Notes on Dhamma:
The notion of sensation, however, as we see from the dictionary's definition, is an abomination from the start—how can one 'perceive the state of one's senses'...
0
votes
0
answers
183
views
Advaita Vedanta and Zen Buddhism - Similarities and Differences
I asked a question about Zen Buddhism a few months ago, which called Mahayana (where Zen comes from) a fusion of Hinduism and Classic Buddhism. This would suggest strong similarities between Zen and ...
- 851
6
votes
2
answers
88
views
Wholesome Actions in Buddhist Philosophy [closed]
I was thinking about whether the goal of a wholesome action in Buddhist philosophy is to reduce suffering (dukkha) or to "shrink" the roots of suffering, namely craving, desire or aversion (...
- 61
3
votes
2
answers
106
views
Philosophy of religion
Buddhism is sometimes compared to solipsism.
Discussions on this topic can be found on the Internet. I do not understand why Buddhism is sometimes compared to solipsism.
As far as I know, in all ...
- 49
2
votes
3
answers
153
views
Critique and criticism and counter to that, of the Karma doctrine of Indian religions?
The three main religions generally considered of Easter origin, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism have a common doctrine of the concept of Karma-theory and subsequent infinite rebirth of the soul (jiva),...
- 29
-1
votes
2
answers
299
views
Can reincarnation be proved using a mixture of scientific reasoning and philosophical belief?
Let's go through the logic first. The following statements are suppositions that must be chronologically accepted.
Matter is neither created nor destroyed.
Matter is made up of atoms.
I am made up of ...
-1
votes
2
answers
87
views
Allegory behind Rebirth of life
Buddha says the ultimate goal of man is Nirvana or to escape the cycle of rebirth.
By this does he really means the physical rebirth of life or there is some allegory?
For me apparently it seems he is ...
- 101
2
votes
2
answers
528
views
Question about the Four Noble Truths
Are there many causes of "suffering" (the first noble truth) or do they all stem from one cause (namely, unsatisfactory impermanence)? Encyclopedia Britannica lists unsatisfactory ...
- 333
-1
votes
2
answers
120
views
Are there resemblances between Daoism and Buddhism?
Buddhism, according to the Pali canon, seems to be ultimately about saying no to life in consideration of ceaseless cravings or will constituting it, whereas Daoism seems to emphasize the 'path' or ...
- 73
0
votes
0
answers
131
views
Is Husserl's transcendental ego God?
We will eventually come up against something that cannot be varied
without destroying that object as an instance of its kind. The
implicit claim here is that if it is inconceivable that an object of
...
user57343
0
votes
2
answers
139
views
Did any doctrine follow Zen Buddhism?
My understanding of Zen Buddhism and it's place in Buddhist history is that it represents a philosophical and experiential end-point, a sort of conclusion to Buddhist thought.
I'm wondering if this ...
- 851
1
vote
4
answers
171
views
Does being able to train your brain mean or logically imply that you are distinct from your brain?
While reading Why I am not a Buddhist by Evan Thompson, I came across this quote:
The category mistake is tied to a fundamentally unstable way of thinking about who you are in relation to your brain. ...
- 113
1
vote
1
answer
56
views
The unanswered questions - logical or illogical?
In the unanswered questions Buddha asks "Is the world eternal? or not? or both? or neither?". Logically it is either eternal or not. What does he mean by the other 2 options? Those 2 sound ...
0
votes
2
answers
261
views
Does Japan and Chinese Buddhism Teach Solipsism or Nihilism?
Do the modern schools of Buddhism Soto, Rinzai, Jodo-shu, Jodo Shinshu, Nichiren, Shingon in Japan teach Buddhists, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas any varieties of solipsism and any varieties of nihilism?
...
- 9
2
votes
5
answers
200
views
Liberation in Buddhism
Since Buddhism denies the existence of the soul, in the theory of no-self, what is liberation or nirvana in Buddhism? Who attains nirvana? Who experiences cessation of suffering?
- 127
-2
votes
2
answers
187
views
How do Chinese and Japanese Buddhists perceive people?
I have seen many answers to similar questions, but they do not answer my question.
The fact is that the Mahayana doctrine (which is popular in China and Japan) leads to Nihilism or Solipsism.
I asked ...
- 7
0
votes
1
answer
70
views
Are modern Chinese, Japanese and Korean schools of Buddhism viewed as egocentric presentism?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egocentric_presentism
Are modern Chinese, Japanese and Korean schools of Buddhism viewed as egocentric presentism? Are there any teachings in modern Chinese and ...
- 9
1
vote
1
answer
72
views
What is a good book on the topic of evil in Buddhism?
What is a good philosophical book on the topic of evil in Buddhism?
- 511
1
vote
1
answer
115
views
Does Buddhist anatta present additional problems with the "no harm" thesis about death?
Does Buddhist anatta present additional problems with the "no harm" thesis about death?
I think Buddhists would agree that death can be good (an escape from some hellish existence) or bad (...
user62233
1
vote
2
answers
204
views
Is a Yogacara any form of solipsism?
Is yogacara some form of solipsism? every Buddhist who believes in Yogacara should believe that only he has consciousness, while other people and living beings around him do not have consciousness and ...
- 11
0
votes
2
answers
368
views
Different between Buddhism and Solipsism
What is the difference between Buddhism, Hinduism and Solipsism? Do all these religion say that other people have no mind's? If all these religions are like solipsism, then are all Chinese and Hindus ...
- 9
2
votes
2
answers
176
views
Does Buddhism espouse reincarnation?
If Buddhism asserts "anatta" (no-self), then must it also assert that there is no re-incarnation for lack of a soul to persist over time?
I don't know how to square this doctrine of no-self &...
- 129
5
votes
4
answers
324
views
Understanding "Emptiness"
One of the many sincere efforts by mankind has been to try to understand "Emptiness" sometimes by scientific methods, sometimes by religious doctrines. Recently, we are trying to investigate ...
- 153
2
votes
2
answers
207
views
Is 'illusion' as viewed in indian philosophy founded on more fundamental concepts or experiences?
Concerning the concept of illusion of the world of common experience, as found in many systems of Indian philosophy, I am under the impression that it always comes as a "made-up" solution to ...
- 311
0
votes
1
answer
191
views
Is Nietzsche's goal -- for the "overman" and "higher type" -- just 'forgetfulness'?
Is Nietzsche's goal -- for the overman and higher type of human being -- just the Buddhist concept of "forgetfulness" or dukkha?
I am asking because it makes sense in my -- somewhat -- ...
user46524
0
votes
2
answers
266
views
The Simultaneity of Cause and Effect in Buddhism?
Background
So I received pictures of a wonderful book (Unlocking Mysteries of Birth and Death) and wanted to know about my interpretation of the passages. However first a detour (1):
In a ...
- 1,198
2
votes
2
answers
239
views
What's wrong with this reconstruction of Nagarjuna?
I was trying to add clarity to my concept of "rebirth" on the Buddhist stack exchange. Nagarjuna's karika, 1.3 (Batchelor) reads:
The essence of things does not exist in conditions and so on. If ...
user38026
2
votes
0
answers
69
views
Why does an explanation involving a "person" appeal?
If the common source of the natural order and the karmic order is
impersonal, we are still in need of some account of how and why it
would be such as to produce these two quite different sorts of ...
user38026
0
votes
0
answers
122
views
How does Buddhist soteriology link to the first cause argument?
Aquinas argued that the observable order of causation is not
self-explanatory. It can only be accounted for by the existence of a
first cause; this first cause, however, must not be considered ...
user38026
1
vote
1
answer
195
views
Are there historical connections between the concepts of apatheia/ataraxia and nirvana?
These concepts seem very similar to me: loosely speaking, it's all about how limiting our desires is good. Knowing that there was contact between ancient Greece and ancient India, could it be that one ...
- 113
6
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Wanted references to the Phillip K Dick Total Recall (1990) paradox
The movie Total Recall 1990 was inspired by the book "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" written by Philip K. Dick whose leading role was played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. The storyline is about a ...
user22051
6
votes
9
answers
2k
views
Does enlightenment mean loss of all emotions?
In Hinduism, it is believed that any being which is free from pain and suffering and happiness attains enlightenment.
A mechanical robot created in the image of man is capable of doing everything a ...
- 169
2
votes
0
answers
121
views
Are Wittgenstein's propositions about death incompatible with momentariness?
Are Wittgenstein's propositions about death incompatible with momentariness?
I think mean that death, which is a cessation that is not lived through, cannot change life, and we are immortal outside ...
user38026
4
votes
5
answers
378
views
How are 'voluntary' actions possible in the scope of Sam Harris's framework of free will (its absence actually)?
Disclamer: I am striving to understand the point of view, not to examine if it is right or wrong (makes sense or not, etc.).
I have listened to two audio excerpts by Sam Harris, discussing his views ...
user37719
3
votes
2
answers
207
views
What are the relationships between Foucault's medical gaze, scientific investigation, and Buddhist detachment?
From this note from a clinical psychologist, the Foucault's gaze is described as:
... with this powerful gaze the physician could penetrate illusion and see through to the underlying reality, that ...
- 625
3
votes
3
answers
424
views
What is Buddhism: and have any Western philosophers got anything ineffable across? [closed]
I understood almost all the philosophical texts of the Western countries I read, because the West separates philosophical issues from religious and nationalist issues. But when I read about Buddhism, ...
- 343
3
votes
1
answer
127
views
Does a material cause either depend on its effect or appear to be somehow self-sufficient?
Does a material cause either depend on its effect or appear to be somehow self suffiient?
Aristotle considers the material "cause" (hyle) of an object as
equivalent to the nature of the raw ...
- 311
2
votes
1
answer
65
views
Buddhist canon database
Is there an online database that either contains the Buddhist canon in either English or Chinese?
I've had a difficult time tracking down first hand sources other than the usual suspects (Heart ...
- 43
2
votes
5
answers
523
views
Buddhism and soul
My understanding is Buddhism does not agree with an immutable soul and yet it talks about Karma and rebirth. I do not quite see how they are reconciled. I have an idea but am not sure if this is what ...
- 121
2
votes
1
answer
144
views
How to reconcile the understanding of pain in Buddhism with that of Kabbalah?
A Kabbalistic interpretation of pain says, "Everything that we talk about and experience is never our soul experiencing pain; it's the body consciousness, the Desire to Receive for the Self Alone. And ...
- 221
3
votes
4
answers
747
views
Are there specifically Buddhist arguments against the eternal return of the same?
Are there specifically Buddhist arguments against the eternal return of the same?
There seems like there should be. However, I'm highly confused by what a "final nirvana", complete extinction, could ...
user34654
4
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Is Buddhism antinatalist?
I was listening to a discussion with David Benatar, and the point that Buddhism seems to be antinatalist was raised. It seems that people argue this both ways. Can Buddhism be said to be antinatalist? ...
- 14.4k
3
votes
2
answers
111
views
Does the question further?
Sometimes, a lay person would approach the Buddha and ask a question, such as, "If I earn all of the money in the world, will she like me?" to which the Buddha would reply, "It does not further". As ...
- 141
8
votes
2
answers
4k
views
How might studying philosophy impact your mental health?
According to wikipedia on Pessimism and Pragmatic Criticism
...Al-Ghazali and William James rejected their pessimism after suffering
psychological, or even psychosomatic illness...
Other authors ...
user22051
0
votes
1
answer
138
views
How similar were Epicureans and Stoics to Buddhism on suffering?
One of the main goals of the Buddhist philosophy/religion is to be free of suffering.
Buddhism identifies ego, desire, non acceptance of impermanence, ignorance and all negative emotions(because the ...
user22051
3
votes
2
answers
263
views
What if Brentano was wrong?
Brentano held that every mental phenomenon has content, has a mental object, is about a mental object, or words to that effect.
However, skillful Buddhist phenomenologists, over millenia, have found ...
user33399
7
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Buddhism in Phaedo
At the end of Phaedo, Socrates proves, in his own manner, that the soul is immortal and goes through an endless cycle of metempsychosis and, "if deemed to have lived an extremely pious life are freed ...
- 93
5
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Descartes vs Buddha - Was Descartes wrong?
Descartes imagined an Evil Demon to suggest that the external world could be a complete illusion. This Evil Demon would have the power to trick all your senses. This idea is similar to the Buddhist ...
user22051