can someone cut and paste this story here have difficulty with my phone thanks
http://newbuddhist.com/discussion/10009/the-box
Originally posted by An Eternal Now:can someone cut and paste this story here have difficulty with my phone thanks
http://newbuddhist.com/discussion/10009/the-box
The Box
A Short Story by Punnadhammo Bhikkhu
Danny lived in a box. Perhaps you would be surprised to learn that
he was reasonably happy, most of the time anyway. It may have helped
that it was a very pleasant, well-constructed sort of box. Danny's box
was roomy, well-lit and ventilated and equipped with all the necessities
and many of the superfluities of life.
Or perhaps Danny's acceptance of his situation was due to the fact
that he had no sure knowledge or memory of anything or anyone outside
his box. When he was a small boy, it is true, he had vivid memories of a
short time spent in a cozy room with a big picture window, and of
running about an open field. There were also vague memories of certain
smiling and helpful figures. Sometimes, as a boy, he would get lonely
and blue remembering this. But by and by the memories faded and Danny at
last decided the dim remnants were only childish dreams.
There was a computer in Danny's box with some first rate educational
software constructed in the form of amusing games. So Danny learnt to
read. This was a good thing because there was also a fair-sized library
in Danny's box. Several shelves of beautiful hard-cover books lined one
whole wall. These books were full of wonderful tales about amazing
people and places outside the box. At first, Danny half believed these
tales and they made him feel happy and sad at the same time. But as he
grew into his teen-age years he began to believe them less and less,
although he still enjoyed them.
For our Danny had the gift of a rational and skeptical mind, and he
reasoned thus; "I know I exist and I know this box exists. The only
evidence I have for a world outside is in these books, and they are
fantastic, unbelievable and contradictory. In the lack of any other
evidence I refuse to believe in anything so far-fetched as a world
outside my box." The reader must admit this was a sound and sensible
attitude.
So Danny decided and so he made peace with his captivity. As he grew
to manhood, he developed his reasoning further along these lines. He
decided by long deliberation that the only logically acceptable
hypothesis was that he and the box and grown up together, developing
from smaller and simpler forms, via a process he dubbed "bio-cubical
complexification." It is true that there were many details that this
theory couldn't explain. For example, his daily food arrived by dropping
out of a metal chute in his little pantry. But since he had already
reasoned irrefutably that it was quite impossible for anything to exist
outside his box, then somehow the food had to be created by an unknown
mechanism contained within the walls of the box. Since his waste
disappeared into another chute in the toilet, he suspected the two
processes were related but prudently declined to think too much about
it.
As Danny aged into his middle years he began to investigate some of
the books he had previously regarded as too difficult. One was a thin
volume ominously entitled "How to Escape from your Box." Many times
Danny had picked up this book with trembling hands and some unnamable
foreboding, only to glance through it hurriedly and to briskly replace
it on the shelf loudly exclaiming, "Nonsense!" or "Poppycock!"
But one day after many years, Danny decided that as a rational man
he had to at least investigate this foolish and disturbing book, so he
forced himself to read it. To his surprise, there were no more of the
wonderful tales of a mythical life outside, instead there was only a
concise, methodical exposition of how to dismantle the box from the
inside, complete with diagrams.
In a spirit of scientific inquiry Danny proceeded to follow these
directions. According to instructions, he located a small toolbox hidden
in a secret alcove. He took out the special screwdriver as indicated in
the directions and began removing screws from a particular wall panel
indicated in the book. After removing several screws, the panel shifted
inwards a little and a cold wind began to whistle into the box.
Danny jumped back in fright but quickly recovered himself and
hastily replaced all the screws. "What a good thing," he thought, "that I
came to my senses before doing irreparable damage to the box. What was I
thinking of, following the dangerous instructions in that ridiculous
book?"
Danny pushed the book into the back of the shelves and after that
day, never opened it again. For several years after this he would spend
many hours a day sitting at his desk writing long eloquent essays
proving again and again in many different ways the impossibility of
anything existing outside the box. He tried to imagine counter-arguments
and would then soundly and sarcastically refute them. After penning an
especially witty retort to his imaginary opponent he would slam his fist
on the desk and laugh aloud "Ha! Ha! You fool!"
Many years passed and Danny began to notice that some things in his
box were not as perfect as they had been. The faucets dripped and the
lights sometimes flickered. He often felt stiff and for some reason he
had to hold the books out at arm's length when he wanted to read them.
Most disturbing of all, sometimes the wall panels rattled in an alarming
way, especially the one he had so foolishly loosened so many years ago.
As time passed, Danny spent more and more time in bed. On the worst
days he left his bed only to shuffle painfully to the pantry or the
toilet. The computer hadn't worked in years and the once beloved books
were gathering dust. Occasionally he thought he could feel the cold wind
again and he would wrap himself in a blanket and close his eyes.
One day something truly awful happened. The panels had been rattling
persistently all morning and Danny had remained hiding in his bed until
he could no longer ignore the calls of nature. On his way back from the
toilet chute, just as he shuffled past that panel there was a loud
thumping noise and with a whoosh the whole thing flew inward, painfully
banging his shin. Danny stood there dumbstruck. There was an open square
a meter wide in the side of his box. Outside he could see green fields,
blue sky and hear the singing of birds.
Danny stood still for just a moment, blinking back tears and then he
began to tremble all over. Quickly, he went for the long neglected
toolbox and with palsied hands he worked painfully to replace the errant
panel, being very careful not to look outside. His heart beating
wildly, he returned to bed and curled up in a tight ball under the
sheets.
Danny's health collapsed altogether after that and his trips to the
toilet and pantry were more and more difficult. At last he couldn't move
at all and lay in his own mess. Towards the end, the top of the box
blew off and Danny was exposed to sunlight. He pulled the filthy ragged
sheet up over his face, closed his eyes and died.
In a little while some people came and moved Danny into another box. Much smaller this time.
Such is a cruel life !
So, do you feel sorry for people like him or are you mocking those who would still not try to leave the box, even after reading the manual ?
Where are you people?! Who are you?!!
Originally posted by Weychin:Such is a cruel life !
So, do you feel sorry for people like him or are you mocking those who would still not try to leave the box, even after reading the manual ?
Danny jumped back in fright but quickly recovered himself and hastily replaced all the screws. "What a good thing," he thought, "that I came to my senses before doing irreparable damage to the box. What was I thinking of, following the dangerous instructions in that ridiculous book?"
Why would Danny be scared?
In my experience when i was starting out following Buddhist practices it was quite peaceful and calming, not destabilizing as the above extract suggests.
people are afraid to step out of their comfort zone into the unknown
people under the delusion that samsara is satisfactory prefer to stay with the way they live thinking that is satisfactory
1. "people are afraid to step out of their comfort zone into the unknown"
2. "people under the delusion that samsara is satisfactory prefer to stay with the way they live thinking that is satisfactory"
For the first sentence, I agree.
But we need to understand why people are afraid to leave their comfort zone into the unknown before we can move large percentage of human population towards the path to enlightenment.
There are four barriers that stops people from moving into the path of enlightenment.
1. The Ego - ones identification with an Earthly self and forgets his/her spiritual purpose and mission.
2. The Fear of Change - Everyone can see that humanity is certain to perish if it does not change its course. Yet, it is also this fear of change(resistance to change) that ensures vast majority humanity will not survive the upcoming Earth changes.
3. Emotional Issues - Negative emotions such as fear, anger and sadness need to be brought to light and released. Do not "bury" your emotions.
4. Addictions - In Singapore, we have all kinds of addicts. Smoking addicts, alcoholics, gambling addicts, gaming addicts, TV addicts... e.t.c. Addictions are distractions. Instead looking squarely into a problem and looking for a solution, people chose to occupied themselves with all kinds of sensual activites.
All the barriers above need to be resolved individually. Help/guidance are given by teachers/masters all the time, but ultimately, "Purity and impurity depend on oneself, no one can purify another".
For the second sentence, I disagree.
There is the Law of free will. Whether souls choose to stay within the wheel of reincarnation or not is their own choice, we have to respect their decisions. It is not our way to judge their decisions or actions as "satisfactory" or "delusional".
Originally posted by Synasta:Danny jumped back in fright but quickly recovered himself and hastily replaced all the screws. "What a good thing," he thought, "that I came to my senses before doing irreparable damage to the box. What was I thinking of, following the dangerous instructions in that ridiculous book?"
Why would Danny be scared?
In my experience when i was starting out following Buddhist practices it was quite peaceful and calming, not destabilizing as the above extract suggests.
Some religions and thoughts systems are partly energized by fear, and usually have a bogeyman.
They are discouraged to enquire, thus thought, conduct and even behaviour are contained within mental confines of a limited world view.
. These people may confused feelings of doubt and guilt mixed together when
contemplating other possibilites.
Originally posted by SoulDivine:For the first sentence, I agree.
But we need to understand why people are afraid to leave their comfort zone into the unknown before we can move large percentage of human population towards the path to enlightenment.
There are four barriers that stops people from moving into the path of enlightenment.
1. The Ego - ones identification with an Earthly self and forgets his/her spiritual purpose and mission.
2. The Fear of Change - Everyone can see that humanity is certain to perish if it does not change its course. Yet, it is also this fear of change(resistance to change) that ensures vast majority humanity will not survive the upcoming Earth changes.
3. Emotional Issues - Negative emotions such as fear, anger and sadness need to be brought to light and released. Do not "bury" your emotions.
4. Addictions - In Singapore, we have all kinds of addicts. Smoking addicts, alcoholics, gambling addicts, gaming addicts, TV addicts... e.t.c. Addictions are distractions. Instead looking squarely into a problem and looking for a solution, people chose to occupied themselves with all kinds of sensual activites.
All the barriers above need to be resolved individually. Help/guidance are given by teachers/masters all the time, but ultimately, "Purity and impurity depend on oneself, no one can purify another".
For the second sentence, I disagree.
There is the Law of free will. Whether souls choose to stay within the wheel of reincarnation or not is their own choice, we have to respect their decisions. It is not our way to judge their decisions or actions as "satisfactory" or "delusional".
the four barriers are very true. As for unsatisfactoriness, this is not a judgement on them, but a statement of fact: the key insight of an awakened being in buddhism is on the three characteristic of all phenomenal existence, which is that they are impermanent (anicca), unsatisfactory (dukkha) and non self (anatta)
All phenomenal existence without exceptions bear these characteristics.
Impermanence has a gross and subtle level... Usually people are able to understand that things are born, stays a bit, decays and then passes away. What is specific to insight meditation is the direct realisation and experience of their subtle impermanence which is that every single moment the experiential universe is passing away, fading out of existence, and reborn again... Every moment our experiential universe is just like a wind, bubble-like, dream-like, ungraspable, disjoint, unsupported, self-realising without a trace. Having such an insight throws away our old perception of a solid grasping universe.
Having such insight we also understand that all phenomenal existence is fundamentally dissatisfactory, for what could be satisfactory in a universe that is constantly fading out of existence? What could truly be satisfactory if everything is just as ungraspable and insubstantial as the wind? The only true satisfaction lies in the end of craving, lies with true contentment and delight of the present moment. For any craved object also has the characteristic of arising and passing away.
Lastly, phenomenal existence are without self. This refers to the direct experiential insight that in the seeing is just the seen, there is no seer. In the hearing is just the heard, there is no hearer. No agent, perceiver, controller, centerpoint is found to truly exist... There is simply an undivided existence of hearing/sound, seeing/sight, without a me at the center, without anything being 'mine'. the absence of a self and agent reveals a luminous, delightful, intimate, magical fairy-tale like wonderland, which is actually our ordinary experiential reality but somehow the filtering of the delusion of a self prevents us from truly seeing its wonder, from having an apperception of the universe in its purity unsullied by the sense of self. for example, ordinary shapes and sounds and taste and touch reveals a lustre and intensity never appreciated before. The realisation of anatta is enlightenment. These are the three key insights into reality.
Hi AEN,
Since you have realisation of this enlightenment, impermanent (anicca), unsatisfactory (dukkha) and non self (anatta),
you will have no sense of "unsatisfactoriness" isn't it?
Or do you still find your Earthly experience as always "unsatisfactory"?
there is a quote from garab dorje, and i am reciting it from memory so it might not be accurate by the word, but it goes like this: "even the buddha, vested with the five wisdoms, is unable to find happiness in samsara."
yet the buddha also said this: "nirvana is the highest bliss"
people reading this may have the misconception thus that true happiness can only be found in an afterlife, or in an otherworldly state of altered consciousness. this is not the case.
samsara, literally meaning the world of suffering, consists of craving and grasping after phenomenal existence, consists of delusion and holding on to an identity or sense of self nirvana on the other hand is the cessation of craving, anger and ignorance, including the delusion of self. The cessation of suffering and clinging. even in the midst of this earthly existence, nirvana can be directly experienced, and this earthly existence reveals itself to be a delightful, magical fairy-tale like wonderland. Therefore, like my master says, pure land is right in front of your eyes
after the initial realisation, while i cannot at this point claim complete enlightenment (of which there are many subtle levels where layers of emotional and knowledge obscurations are progressively removed), i can report a gradual transformation such that situations that once called for fear, nervousness, irritation, anger, etc now only manifest as some bodily sensations that self liberates upon inception. for example if a loud explosion is heard there can be a surge of adrenaline just for a moment but no psychological fear surfaces.
Impermanent phenomena cannot satisfy
The end of craving is happiness
though phenomena are still unsatisfactory
in the absence of craving, there is no dissatisfaction
remind me of
The Matrix (1999) and
The Trumen Show (1998)
(my poly teacher inspired me, i wasn't buddhist yet)
those two are great movies highly recommended
Originally posted by An Eternal Now:those two are great movies highly recommended
Inception~~
nice
stumbled on this website when i search the two movies..
http://www.iamthespoon.org/recommended/
i looking to watch I Heart Huckabees(2004) which is abt existence and oneness? hmm...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0356721/
A husband-and-wife team play detective, but not in the traditional sense. Instead, the happy duo helps others solve their existential issues, the kind that keep you up at night, wondering what it all means.