"HAPPIER" READING 13-27

With which description to most idenitfy? Why? With which do you wish you could closely identify? Why?

The dog in this section is a metaphor for David himself. David is trying to justify his actions by saying that his desires were uncontrollable. He believes that he shouldn't have to be punished for something that he believes is part of his own nature."But desire is another story. No animal ill accept the justice of being punished for following its instincts" (90). I don't think he understands that sometimes our desires are not acceptable. For the most part, I really don't agree with him. When our instincts may be unacceptable and wrong, we should not pursue them because they may go against basic principles and morals. He compares himself to a dog and believes that he should not be punished for going after something he truly desires. Although i believe in the bigger message of what he says, I don't think this idea of fulfilling what we really want should be pushed the extent of fulfilling something that is wrong, if that makes sense. We should follow our instincts with good judgment.

Disgrace Question

After reading Chapter 11, go back and read again, carefully, the story of the neighbor's dog, and David's commentary about it, on page 90. What is he saying here? What is he proposing about the nature of human life and how we should live it? In what he says, with what do you disagree? With what do you agree?

"once we have committed a negative action, unless it is purified we will experience its consequences. We can't shirk the responsibility or try to make the karma disappear by justifying it. It doesn't work that way. Whoever commits an act will infallibly experience its results, whether positive or negative."
I say amen to this portion of the text because I can totally relate to this. It's so true that when I do something terrible, something terrible happens to me. It sucks, but karma gives everything bad some sort of justification. I also think it's true that we try to justify negative consequences but really, we're just suffering from our previous actions. While reading this part of the text, it felt like I was the one writing it because it holds so true to what I experience.Every time I do something bad, I know that it'll come back to me later on so I don't even bother trying to justify my negative consequences. I just know that some bad things happen because I have taken some negative action. I think karma gives us reason to believe that we can have some sort of control over our own lives, and I guess that's a good thing?

I dont really have anything I can argue against, however, I enjoyed the question and response section because those questions were similar to the ones I had about karma especially:
There are so many human beings and so much karma, how is it all arranged? How is it all kept track of? How does it all happen just right?
The more broad idea of karma is a little bit shaky, I think. How does all of this work? Basically, I feel that some things just have to happen, regardless of our own prior actions. Some things happen out of our control, and that's basically it.

KARMA:

After actively reading the KARMA chapter in "Gates to Buddhist Practice" (pages 62-77)Respond to both questions:
(1) Give a quote from the reading that you can argue against or offer critical questions for. Do so.
(2) Give a quote from the reading that you can shout "Amen"/"AHA"/"INDEED" to. Why does it ring true to you?

Meditation & The Brain

From each reading (so two paragraph), what fact/study did you read about that struck you as most promising in terms of greater wellness/happiness for individuals and society?

HARD CORE ZEN 4 NOBLE TRUTHS

What line from this texts makes the most sense to you? What line brings up a new/familiar question you have been considering?

"To put it plainly, to say that "ultimate reality is a unity of opposites' is actually to say that in ultimate reality there are no boundaries. anywhere.

I think this line sums up the reading becuase the point is that the lines we create unite eveything together and unite opposites. This idea gives us a different perspective regarding boundaries and helps us realize that there is no such thing.


I think the boundary line that is most self destruct in our day to day lives is the boundary of what we think is right and wrong. This boundary line limits us and our potential accomplishments because society of the powerful impact society has on us. If we do something that is considered “wrong” we feel looked down upon and makes us feel this sense of guilt and embarassment.

"you are a human and not a chair and you know that because you consciously or unconsciously draw a boundary line between humans and chairs, and are able to recognize your identity with the former." (4)

This line makes a lot of sense to me, now, in comparison to when Sam talked about it when I was a freshmen. It's amazing because it's so true. i do create boundary lines between how i want see myself and the person that i really am. this line reminds me about "i think, therefore i am." its saying that because i create a boundary line between myself and the chair, i am human and the cahir is not. i strikes me because we can create boundary lines between anything and everything. when asked the question , "who are you" we can be anything and we can describe ourselves as everything because we control the boundary lines that we create.

"this boundary line between the mind and the body is certainly a strange one, not at all present at birth" (6)

the distinction between the physical and the mind is constructed by humans. we are not born with boundary lines and it's facsinating how much control our minds have over the way that our physical bodies react. this also talks about how much room there is to change. we can adjust and alter our own boudaries line because there really is no such thing. we have a lot of control over our own lives and how we are percieved and or want to be.

"Half of It" No Boundary Chapter 2 question

First, what line of text most potently conveyed Wilber's main idea in this chapter?
Second, what human contructed boundary line do you see as most destructive in our day to day lives, OR, when you have transcended a boundary line, and what were the effects?

No Boundaries

What are two lines from this reading that express ideas you understand clealry and that strike you? Why?

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