Maddie

It's been a little quiet here so why not a gratuitous selfie for no reason LOL.

Imagine telling a version of this to children. The mom tells Jack and Jill to do their chores. Jack gets right to work but instead Jill asks for some money to go to the candy store and buy candy. She goes, spends all the money on candy, goofs off all day, and at the end of the day after Jack has done his chores and gotten nothing for it, Jill comes back and then gets to pick what she wants to eat for dinner. Which kid would want to do their chores if that is how it was?

True but it also give no incentive to do well.

Honestly I think this story is messed up because it shows that if you do what you are supposed to do you get nothing for it, but if you goof off it pays.

Wait are you THE cat?! Simultaneously dead and alive?

When he gave a lecture one could say it was very Bohr-ing 🤭

I believe that the technical term from a Buddhist point of view would be to realize that none of the five aggregates are the self.

I think its also important to differentiate theory and practice. While the Buddha did supposedly say that ultimate peace come from transcending the ego, he also said to not just take his word for things on face value but rather to see if the things he said are actually true. I have never seen anyone that I know of that has completely transcended ego. That being the case I can't be completely sure that in reality this is even actually possible. Maybe the Buddha had a "shoot for the stars and maybe at least you'll hit the moon" type of approach, but I don't think it is reasonable to put 100% confidence in something if we are not even sure if it is obtainable. I'd rather have the humble cottage that I do have than chase the mirage of a mansion potentially forever.

Maybe one day I will ascend to your level of comprehension :-)

You're completely missing the point. It's ok don't worry about it.

Never mind lol

Do you not understand how hypothetical thought experiments work?

I initially approached Buddhism as therapy partially because I could not afford therapy, and in retrospect probably because I had come out of a cult that thought spirituality was the only therapy that was needed. This is not a good way to think.

Why are they not seeing reality if we have established they are both mindful?

How do you know this is true? Does it not sound like something a human being would say?

This is a hypothetical. So who's truth is "the truth"?

So if we were to have a conscious and mindful lion cub and a conscious and mindful gazelle. Which one's truth about the lion is "the truth" then?

Is there another context where it is not "the truth" ?

Ok so to be clear you are saying that mindfulness is also "the truth" ?

What you are describing is mindfulness. You said that mindfulness was the means to the end, not the end. You said the end was "the truth". You keep telling me what the means to the truth is, and not what the truth is. I'm asking about the destination (which you claim to know), not the vehicle.

You keep giving me different labels for mindfulness which you already established is the means to the truth. You are repeating yourself and not answering the question as to what truth is.

I don't believe you can even ordain as a monk if you have mental health problems. I think this is one of the questions they ask you to see if you qualify.

You just restated mindfulness with different terminology, and you already established that mindfulness is the path to the truth. My question was what is the truth according to you?

So you have told me what the means to the "truth" is, but not what the "truth" is.

Would this not be the means to the end and not the end in and of itself?