Eps 36: The middle way
— The too lazy to register an account podcast
Sensing the futility of this path he began meditating with the profound determination to realize the truth of human existence, which had eluded him as much in a life of asceticism as it had in a life of luxury.
The truth of temporary existence indicates the physical or material aspects of life including appearance, form and activities.
The truth of non-substantiality refers to the invisible aspects of life, such as our mental and spiritual functions, which lay dormant in our lives until they are manifested.
| Seed data: | Link 1, Link 2 |
|---|---|
| Host image: | StyleGAN neural net |
| Content creation: | GPT-3.5, |
Host
Katie Morris
Podcast Content
In Mahayana Buddhism, the Middle Way refers to overcoming the Sunyata (emptiness) and leading to insight into it. However, Buddhism believes in the unity of mind, mind and body, so this term describes reality in relation to the two dimensions of Mushotoku or the inner and outer dimensions.
In Chan Buddhism, the Middle Way describes one side of perspective, which is seen as extreme polarity in objective reality. This is due to the fact that extreme polarities between objective realities are needed.
In the tenth chapter of the Platform Sutra, Huineng gives instructions on the teachings of Dharma. Section 5, the Middle Way of Buddha corresponds to the Eightfold and Triple Path, and in Section 5.
Ellis argues that the Buddhist tradition has not interpreted the Eightfold Path in stages, but has absolutized it and divided it into mundane, supermundane, secular, and monastic aspects. Starting from the right perspective, Ellis proposes meditation as a way out of the eightfold path by practicing Brahma vihara, expanding the possibilities for greater integration, and increasing the number of different aspects of meditation, such as the practice of Dharma, meditation practice, and meditation meditation.
What might worry a traditionalist Buddhist, however, is that Ellis sees the early life, awakening and work of the Buddha as the beginning of his journey to the discovery of the Self in the Universal Middle Way. Ellis questions the significance of the historical Buddha because his life was a complete hoax and because he apparently lives in a world of "universal insight" contained in the Pali canon. To interpret the teachings of Buddhism, Ellis argues in Section 6 that conditionality is limited to judgment, not a theory of the universe.
In the second section, he warns against absolutizing Buddha's awakening, but rather regarding it as a highly integrated and transformative experience.
In his first discourse, Buddha equates the Middle Way with avoiding the Old Way, the Way to Enlightenment, or the "middle way" between enlightenment and death. Nevertheless, some monks see it as an ancient road crossed by the rightfully enlightened of earlier times, "he says. Hundreds of monks sit in open-air meditation pavilions, surrounded by tall trees and dense green forests, reciting what is the most important part of their daily practice.
The middle ground has been confused with passivity, a kind of compromise of the middle - the road. The middle way is described as a combination of the old and the new way or as a "middle way" between enlightenment and death.
In the broadest sense, the Middle Way refers to the correct view of life taught by Buddha, in which all actions and attitudes create happiness for oneself and others. It is also called the "middle ground" of the Enlightenment and denotes transcendence or reconciliation between the extremes of opposing views.
This idea is illustrated by Shakyamuni's own life as depicted in the legend of Siddhartha, the son of Buddha and grandson of the Buddha. With the insight into the meaning of life, he succeeded in reaching nirvana (liberation from the cycle of reincarnation) by extinguishing the flames of existence.
The concept of the Middle Way has been interpreted several times in the 2,500-year history of Buddhism. It simply describes a path or path that overcomes and reconciles the duality that characterizes most ways of thinking. In particular, however, the middle way, which is praised as the source of wisdom, peace and nirvana, has been identified as the practical path (the Eightfold Path). The philosopher Nagarjuna made it clear that the teachings of this "middle way" are now understood metaphysically.
In this sense, it can be considered a search for a way of life that gives a higher value to human existence and contributes to alleviating the suffering of the world.
The house, the context of the palace, is dominated by conventional views that shun the path of more objective morality. The pursuit of fleeting pleasures makes us dissatisfied and we set out towards a lasting truth.
In this case, it is this particular kind of view, which is absolute, that restricts the practice of people like Buddha. Once we get out of this context, however, we try to go beyond the group's loyalties and find the middle ground. We are prepared to use our own experience to find a balanced perspective that better suits our conditions.