More Than Happiness 1-2
1. What is Macaro's aim in this book? ix
2. Who was the ancient Greek skeptic controversially thought by some to have been influenced by Buddhism?
3. Why did the Buddha consider metaphysics irrelevant? 9
4. How did the ancient Stoics say our minds relate to God? 12
5. What does common sense tell us, according to Nabokov? 18
6. What, according to Irvin Yalom, is the mother of all religions? 20
7. What is dukkha? 22
Discussion Questions
- Do you "feel most in tune" with any particular ancient philosopher? Do you have a favorite Stoic or Buddhist?
- Have you tried CBT or "mindfulness"? WIth what result? viii
- Have you ever had any form of an "awakening" or "transformative experience" that led you to a significant change of lifestyle, goals, or way of thinking about things? Are you seeking one? 2
- Is "homeless spiritual life" an oxymoron, so far as most Americans are concerned? 3
- Do you think supernatural abilities can be achieved through meditative states? 10 (How about Sidd Finch?)
- Is it wrong to "select the texts that suit us" to fashion a secular, naturalistic version of Buddhism? (See Stephen Batchelor, Owen Flanagan...)
- Can karma and rebirth be plausibly reconstructed as naturalistic concepts not implying literal past lives?
- Do you agree with Marcus Aurelius about the genesis of "every harmful thing"? 13
- Have you read any of IrvingYalom's philosophical novels featuring Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Freud et al?
- Is it really missing the point to notice that besides suffering life offers pleasure and joy? 22
- In addition to training ourselves to recall the fleeting nature of all that exists, should we also train ourselves to appreciate the beauty and fragility of existence? 23
- COMMENT?: "We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones..."
MEDITATIONS
By Marcus Aurelius
MARCUS AURELIUS ANTONINUS THE ROMAN EMPEROR
THE FIRST BOOK
I. Of my grandfather Verus I have learned to be gentle and meek, and to refrain from all anger and passion. From the fame and memory of him that begot me I have learned both shamefastness and manlike behaviour. Of my mother I have learned to be religious, and bountiful; and to forbear, not only to do, but to intend any evil; to content myself with a spare diet, and to fly all such excess as is incidental to great wealth. Of my great-grandfather, both to frequent public schools and auditories, and to get me good and able teachers at home; and that I ought not to think much, if upon such occasions, I were at excessive charges.
II. Of him that brought me up, not to be fondly addicted to either of the two great factions of the coursers in the circus, called Prasini, and Veneti: nor in the amphitheatre partially to favour any of the gladiators, or fencers, as either the Parmularii, or the Secutores. Moreover, to endure labour; nor to need many things; when I have anything to do, to do it myself rather than by others; not to meddle with many businesses; and not easily to admit of any slander.
III. Of Diognetus, not to busy myself about vain things, and not easily to believe those things, which are commonly spoken, by such as take upon them to work wonders, and by sorcerers, or prestidigitators, and impostors; concerning the power of charms, and their driving out of demons, or evil spirits; and the like. Not to keep quails for the game; nor to be mad after such things. Not to be offended with other men's liberty of speech, and to apply myself unto philosophy. Him also I must thank, that ever I heard first Bacchius, then Tandasis and Marcianus, and that I did write dialogues in my youth; and that I took liking to the philosophers' little couch and skins, and such other things, which by the Grecian discipline are proper to those who profess philosophy... (continues)
1. What is Macaro's aim in this book? ix
ReplyDeleteHe is hoping to take enough from each tradition, Buddhism and Stoicism, to serve in our quest for happiness, without taking so much of these traditions so that we have to tolerate views which clash with common sense reality. He wants to take that which does not conflict "with a naturalistic, questioning point of view, but that is more than just tips on how to be happy, as happiness is not everything." (Macaro, Introduction) In my experience, life is always a mix of suffering and pleasure/happiness. Both of these traditions emphasis the suffering in life and seek to overcome that suffering rather than tempering it with the pleasure/joy/happiness of life. This reminds me of how I observed my blacksmith grandfather hardening and then tempering metal. First he would heat it red hot and plunge it into water to quickly cool and harden the metal. Then he would heat it again and let it cool more gradually to temper the metal. After the first treatment the metal would have been strong but brittle. After tempering the metal is left strong but malleable enough not to shatter when he hammered or bent the metal into the desired shape. Macaro's aim is to take enough from each of these two traditions to shape a strong/happy life that is flexible enough to bend and not shatter in the face of life's disappointments and sufferings.
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DeleteI love the blacksmithing analogy, better than "cherrypicking"-but that's good too.
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ReplyDeleteWhen I audited the class on the Psychology of Happiness we practiced and learned about mindfulness meditation. What I learned from this was that my experience as a competitive swimmer and diver led to a lifetime of swimming laps for exercise, which turned out to be a perfect context for mindfulness meditation. I have also used my learning as a diver in life. I learned to first meditate on the dive and picture it in my mind before letting my body execute the dive without further thought (muscle memory takes over). There are many occasions in life where these learnings about mindful living can benefit us. Consider driving a car. Most of the time we need to be engaged and focused and thoughtful about our driving, but in a panic situation we may not have time to think about what to do. If we have taken driving lessons and thought through what to do in an emergency this "mindful" training may take over and save our life or the life of another person. In another example, I trained those who trained lifeguards for many years. We practiced many methods of lifesaving including CPR. The one time I used my CPR skills it was not in the pool, but a situation where an 80 year old had passed out. Without thinking I knelt beside her, opened the airway, cleared her dentures from the airway, and breathed air into her lungs. She began breathing again. Thinking too much before I acted on my training might have been fatal for this lady. Mindfulness meditation helps us to internalize knowledge that may change or save our life or save the life of another person.
ReplyDeleteTo be properly mindful you've got to know (though not always explicitly and consciously) when to stop thinking and start doing. Too many philosophers (especially the Rationalists) think too much. Milan Kundera: "I think therefore I am" is the statement of an intellectual who underrates toothaches."
Delete"When you think too much you only hurt the team." Johnny Damon
DeleteIn addition to training ourselves to recall the fleeting nature of all that exists, should we also train ourselves to appreciate the beauty and fragility of existence? 23
ReplyDeleteFor the Buddhist, life is about dukkha, life is unpredictable and unpleasant and without soul. The goal is to overcome this suffering during our finite lifetime. For the Stoic, life is likewise short, beyond our control, and inevitably will end with death. Both offer ways for coping with "this fleeting, unsatisfactory world" (Macaro, End of Chapter 2). Both say to us, deal with it, get real, face the facts, and "respond appropriately" (Macaro, End of Chapter 2). However, being appropriate in responding to doom does not sound like the cynical kind of life I want to lead. In fact, I do believe there is a soul and that it is important to achieve a balance in body, mind, and soul/spirit. I also experience life as a mixture of Dukkha and happiness, fragility and beauty, which I also prefer to keep in balance. I just don't experience my life as all Dukkha. Actually, I don't experience suffering as all bad or happiness as all good. This may just be my experience as one of the last of the generalist's on earth, but I find it a most satisfying way to live.
Those of us who do not believe in an immaterial or immortal soul can agree that achieving the right balance in body, mind, and spirit is crucial to happiness. We just don't think those are two or three things, they're one. I'm not a soul with a body or vice versa, I'm a body (which includes a brain and the spirit arising therefrom). And we can agree with your generalism" too.
DeleteI think about this quesition a lot. I try and view live as if i am watching it on my deathbed. i wonder what I would rather remember from my life. I suppose that is why I am not in French lol.
DeleteIt seems that although one can certainly make the case for reincarnation in purely materialist and naturalistic terms doing so would cost the idea of any of its meaning or usefulness. From my, very imperfect, understanding the practical implications of such a doctrine is to ground our actions in a transcendent reality that makes it possible to transcend suffering and desire by following the eight fold path. By a purely materialistic understanding of it one can only see it as an analogy to be reminded that our actions have ripple effects and that they affect others and ourselves, which can be accomplished much easier without accepting a principle of karma or reincarnation.
ReplyDeleteMaterialist reincarnation is an intriguing concept, captured in part perhaps by the analogy of a candle flame persisting in different successive lightings. The candles change, the flame remains the same in different instantiations. And thus it is reincarnated. (But does it know so?)
DeleteI find Buddism really interesting becasue they seem the least like a religion out of most of the religions I have researched. In the sense that they are less dogmatic in nature.
DeleteI think selecting only the texts that are useful to us is a practical necessity given our finite amount of reading and learning we can accomplish in our lifetime. However, I do think we run the risk of creating milquetoast versions of philosophies when we select ancient texts only that we can comport with our modern understanding of the world and fail to appreciate the radically different views those texts may be founded upon. If we ignore that context and the fundamental assumptions they're based on as invalid and not worthy of consideration we're left with an image of our own beliefs as the inevitable result of all human thought which may blind us to the problems that arise from the way we view the world or alternative ways of viewing the same data.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, context is necessary to avoid milquetoasty egocentrism.
DeleteIt turns out getting your five a day and exercising regularly really does make you happier according to a new study
ReplyDeletehttps://www.myimperfectlife.com/news/fruit-vegetables-exercise
BY NAOMI JAMIESON 2 DAYS AGO
Keeping fit and eating healthy is a no-brainer when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, especially with things like burnout and seasonal affective disorder hitting many of us right now but it's not always it’s easy. For many of us, vegetables are a necessity but by no means a pleasure to eat, and a workout routine can feel impossible to stick to—but according to this study, fruit, veg, and exercise don’t just keep us healthy, they actually keep us happy too.
For the exercise adverse, it’s hard to believe that eating a plate full of steamed broccoli and going on a two-mile run could ever bring joy or any kind of happiness—but believe it, because this new study has found a direct correlation between eating your greens and exercising with happiness.
The research, conducted by The University of Kent, found that improving your lifestyle can lead to life satisfaction. It found that eating a diet full of fruit and vegetables and having an active lifestyle makes us happy, because of delayed gratification.
Researchers for Lifestyle and Life Satisfaction: The Role of Delayed Gratification said: "Findings demonstrate that the ability of individuals to delay gratification and apply self-control plays a major role in influencing lifestyle decisions, which in turn has a positive impact on wellbeing."
“The consumption of fruits and vegetables and sports activities are often undertaken as investments in a healthier future rather than because they bring immediate pleasure.”
They explain that when we make that conscious choice to eat veg and workout we’re delaying our gratification, and as a result changing our neural pathways in the brain. This means our healthy choices actually have a huge impact. So eating the fruit and veg makes us healthy—but making the choices to do so, and for the future makes us happy.
So, if you feel like you’re in a rut, or finding it hard to motivate yourself—making these healthy swaps and exercising regularly, will make you feel better and likely more able to continue your healthy routine—we understand now why celebs always say how great they feel after drinking a green smoothie.
Dr. Gschwandtner, the head researcher said: "Behavioural nudges that help the planning self to reinforce long-term objectives are likely to be especially helpful in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. If a better lifestyle not only makes us healthier but also happier, then it is a clear win-win situation."
I've been confirming that study for decades. Walk the dogs, they'll be happier & healthier too.
ReplyDeleteAnd walk a bit in class. I don't think it's gonna be too hot today. (I didn't think it was last time either.) I'll bring my stool.
I have never mindfully practiced CBT, only because I did not know about it previously. However, the tenets of the therapy are pretty much ones that I’ve started to practice more and more. It’s important to note to yourself that some of if not most of your problems arise from a poor mindset. Maybe you think people are always out to get you or you have to hope in achieving your goals. Most of the time, as long as you’re hanging out with good people and don’t have extreme goals, this isn’t true. There’s usually some altered belief you hold on reality, and your issues can be solved by changing that belief.
ReplyDeleteNow, that’s easier said than done, but most of things are. Doesn’t mean we can’t give it the ole college try.
I have been practicing mindfulness meditation on-and-off for over a year now and I would posit that it is perhaps one of the greatest, free of charge tools that we have available for improving the quality of our own lives, and on occasion, subsequently the lives and relationships we have with those we care about (and even some we don't).
ReplyDeleteHave you tried CBT or "mindfulness"? WIth what result? viii
ReplyDeleteI have tried mindfulness with the result not going very well. I think it is because I have a lot to think about most of the time. Most of the time I am barely aware of the world around me. At work I can barely recall customers I had just served. I suppose that is becasue, for the majority of the time, life isn't very pleasent while at work and I would rather be somewhere else. I might plan on trying it when I am in a better situation. I suppose what I am saying is that the willingness to be mindful is a luxury that many of us probably don't think about often.