Right view, or cynicism?

I was going to post this in my journal, however I felt it would be nice to stimulate discourse and get feedback, as my view may yet still be clouded. Make of it what you will...

In my research and contemplation of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, I begin with "Right View". According to the Complete Idiot's Guide to Buddhism:

"Viewing rightly, having a proper outlook on life, means seeing things as they are. Not as we might wish, imposing our conditioning and projections, our grasping, but rather with no preconceptions, unconditionally [...] The Four Noble Truths cleanse our minds and perceptions of ignorance, conditioned to grasp at straws rather than accept what's in front of our nose. They enable us to experience things as they are. Just being, in the moment, attentive to what is."

With this in mind, I will attempt to begin the process of accepting what is, by listing what I see as facts of modern life:

• Slavery: Every unenlightened being is enslaved, either by their own habits, vices or misconceptions, or by the society in which they exist. Unscrupulous beings not only prey on the vulnerable, but have created systems of control and exploitation so ingeniously woven into the fabric of societal structures that most of us never realize that we are even being exploited through the engineering of civilization by those with temporal power.

• Cages within cages: Even those of us with the eyes to see this fact most-often break free of their entrapment merely to find a larger cage, as the systems of societal control are multi-layered. It seems there are built-in safeguards against true awakening; the illusion of freedom, the illusion of dissent, the illusion of rebellion. as I see it these illusions are marketed to us - as entertainment - for the specific purpose of making us believe that once we've broken free of one controlling factor in our lives, we have escaped them all; one has struggled, and won... so the system lets us believe.

• Slave-masters are Master-Slaves: Whomever one believes to be in control of a system of illusions, are ironically no less the slaves themselves. They are enslaved by their own fears, greed, and hatred; they are enslaved by an overwhelming urge to control, because they fear losing their temporal power and wealth. They have cut themselves off from their own spirit, because if they acknowledge spirituality then they must acknowledge that there is a path toward liberation for the masses which they cannot police. The body can be enslaved, the mind can be enslaved, but the awakened soul is unchainable by temporal means. Therefore "Master-Slaves" do everything in their power to prevent true awakening.

• All Slaves Suffer: Even the greedy, cruel, and hateful suffer, and are therefore deserving of compassion and guidance. Show the Master-Slave love and forgiveness and he will lash out at you in confusion. Continue to show more and he escalates force. Master-Slaves punish compassion and love for it is foreign to them and they fear it, but only by facing their fear and accepting their reality can they ever hope to discover the path to awakening and overcome their own slavery. Therefore, the awakened show compassion and love to even the cruelest of humanity, so that we might all be freed.


That's all I've got for now. Peace.

Space is getting bounded, time is getting late!

That is 'a' view, but what makes you define it as a 'right' view? That ain't a criticism mind you... just how I try to understand. The use of 'slavery' I guess means your measuring things in terms of freedom, if yes, how do you measure freedom and is that then used consistently?

I think I get what you're saying. I suppose I put it in terms of freedom and slavery because that's really what American culture seems to have been about since its inception: how free we're supposed to be, and how much oppression we perpetuate and experience. The American historical and sociological (along with probably a bit of pseudo-Marxist sprinkled here and there) narratives that have influenced my thinking seem to be very adversarial in that regard. In order to ensure I keep refining my view, I need to continually question what factors influence it. You've given me a good deal to meditate on, thanks.

EDIT: How does one quantify freedom or lack thereof... food for thought.

hi Sarissa, its good to see you again

i primarily would like to comment on this part:

Sarissah Sojourner wrote:

"Viewing rightly, having a proper outlook on life, means seeing things as they are. Not as we might wish, imposing our conditioning and projections, our grasping, but rather with no preconceptions, unconditionally [...] The Four Noble Truths cleanse our minds and perceptions of ignorance, conditioned to grasp at straws rather than accept what's in front of our nose. They enable us to experience things as they are. Just being, in the moment, attentive to what is."

sounds just like the sales pitch for scientology
or every other religion/cult out there

https://www.vipassana.com/resources/8fp2.php

also please have a look at this

https://static.squarespace.com/static/5037f52d84ae1e87f694cfda/t/5055915f84aedaeee9181119/1347785055665/

id encourage you not to stop there either; if you really want to understand buddhism, spend a lot of time on each of the concepts with multiple sources

as for the rest, honestly it just sounds like SJW /marxist style over simplification to me

civilization is way more than the oppression of the proletariat by the ruling class, but you can certainly choose to view it that way if youd like

thats my opinion
thanks for reading, good luck

OB1Shinobi wrote: hi Sarissa, its good to see you again

[/i]i dont think this is a very good explanation of right view - actually it sounds just like the sales pitch for scientology

heres a link with info that in my opinion is a little better

https://www.vipassana.com/resources/8fp2.php

also please have a look at this

https://static.squarespace.com/static/5037f52d84ae1e87f694cfda/t/5055915f84aedaeee9181119/1347785055665/

id encourage you not to stop there either; if you really want to understand buddhism, spend a lot of time on each of the concepts with multiple sources

Thanks for the links, I appreciate it.

OB1Shinobi wrote: as for the rest, honestly it just sounds like SJW /marxist style over simplification to me

civilization is way more than the oppression of the proletariat by the ruling class, but you can certainly choose to view it that way if youd like

No, I choose to view it as it really is, and it's going to be a long process of evolution for me because I admit, I'm not well educated on much of anything.