The remarkable feature of Buddha teaching is it’s presented as a system of education, not supplication. Dhamma, not dogma. Stripped of its metaphysical elements it’s quite simple to understand. Of course, losing one’s grip on “self” is a step toward greater contentment.
Mr Pollard’s comment and your reply reminds me of points made by Yuva…
The remarkable feature of Buddha teaching is it’s presented as a system of education, not supplication. Dhamma, not dogma. Stripped of its metaphysical elements it’s quite simple to understand. Of course, losing one’s grip on “self” is a step toward greater contentment.
Mr Pollard’s comment and your reply reminds me of points made by Yuval Noah Harari in “Sapiens”. He argued that for hunter gatherer societies, though life was certainly tenuous, it was likely also more satisfying, and required depth of practical knowledge about the world to survive. This is confirmed by my experiences traveling where life is truly not “easy”, i.e. outside of the western world. People learn there are many more things, and types to eat than can be found at a supermarket. They’ll harvest stuff walking down an alleyway, know that a termite mound is a fine snack, and bee larvae is as tasty as honey. Almost anything that crawls in or under a tree is food. Many “weeds” are tonics; others not to eat. Such folks become expert naturalists.
As a Chef, I had to learn, and keep an open mind about what constitutes gastronomical indulgence, the opportunities available, but my western incubation was and still is nvrtheless limiting. I had to travel off the beaten paths to learn. This helps explain how Anthony Bourdain became so popular. He was traveling places tourists don’t go, and describing stuff that was revelatory to the western audience.
One of my rules for travel is if the U.S. Dept of State says don’t go, then go, And keeping in mind the words of Murakami, “if you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking”, this applies to travel quite the same.
The remarkable feature of Buddha teaching is it’s presented as a system of education, not supplication. Dhamma, not dogma. Stripped of its metaphysical elements it’s quite simple to understand. Of course, losing one’s grip on “self” is a step toward greater contentment.
Mr Pollard’s comment and your reply reminds me of points made by Yuval Noah Harari in “Sapiens”. He argued that for hunter gatherer societies, though life was certainly tenuous, it was likely also more satisfying, and required depth of practical knowledge about the world to survive. This is confirmed by my experiences traveling where life is truly not “easy”, i.e. outside of the western world. People learn there are many more things, and types to eat than can be found at a supermarket. They’ll harvest stuff walking down an alleyway, know that a termite mound is a fine snack, and bee larvae is as tasty as honey. Almost anything that crawls in or under a tree is food. Many “weeds” are tonics; others not to eat. Such folks become expert naturalists.
As a Chef, I had to learn, and keep an open mind about what constitutes gastronomical indulgence, the opportunities available, but my western incubation was and still is nvrtheless limiting. I had to travel off the beaten paths to learn. This helps explain how Anthony Bourdain became so popular. He was traveling places tourists don’t go, and describing stuff that was revelatory to the western audience.
One of my rules for travel is if the U.S. Dept of State says don’t go, then go, And keeping in mind the words of Murakami, “if you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking”, this applies to travel quite the same.