Khaled stated Sept 15th:
Ant, Platt
Here is how I see it.
It's like when the oxygen mask drops down in the airplane due to lack of
pressure. First you have to put on that mask, before you attempt to help
others. If you think that you are the capable, and able person, the one
siting by that emergency door, you need to be able to function. Putting
the oxygen mask on your children first (if you are a parent), may causes
you to pass out before you are done rendering you useless when more
emergencies arise.
Having taken care of yourself first, --and here again, you know that you
are in charge of your family and need to take care of them, and no you
were not democratically elected to that position-- now you are able to
take care of the rest.
Ant McWatt comments:
Sounds like a good answer to me, Khaled. BTW, if the self is fundamentally
an illusion so is selfishness. Anyway, I think most people eventually
grow-up and get beyond the "selfishness stage" especially after they have
children.
Platt originally asked Sept 15th:
Can anyone explain the Buddhist idea that you have to take care of
yourself?
Ant McWatt replied Sept 15th:
If it's any help, the phrase The Buddhist idea that you have to take care
of yourself sounds very similar to the Pirsigian idea that:
The real cycle youre working on is a cycle called yourself. The machine
that appears to be out there and the person that appears to be in here
are not two separate things. They grow toward Quality or fall away from
Quality together. (ZMM, Chapter 26)
Zen Buddhists talk about just sitting, a meditative practice in which the
idea of a duality of self and object does not dominate ones consciousness.
What Im talking about here in motorcycle maintenance is just fixing, in
which the idea of a duality of self and object doesnt dominate ones
consciousness. When one isnt dominated by feelings of separateness from
what hes working on, then one can be said to care about what hes doing.
That is what caring really is, a feeling of identification with what ones
doing. When one has this feeling then he also sees the inverse side of
caring, Quality itself. (ZMM, Chapter 25)
.
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