"But why not just learn to do good as opposed to bad?
"Because no solid, unchanging "good" or "bad" can be established. Good and
bad aren't absolutes. They are beliefs, judgements, ideas based on limited
knowledge as well as on the inclinations of our minds.
"The situation we always live in is like that of the wise Chinese farmer
whose horse ran off. When his neighbor came to console him the farmer said,
"Who knows what's good or bad?"
"When his horse returned the next day with a herd of horses following her,
the foolish neighbor came to congratulate him on his good fortune.
"Who knows what's good or bad?" said the farmer.
"Then, when the farmer's son broke his leg trying to ride one of the new
horses, the foolish neighbor came to console him again.
"Who knows what's good or bad?" said the farmer
"When the army passed through, conscripting men for war, they passed over
the farmer's son because of his broken leg. When the foolish man came to
congratulate the farmer that his son would be spared, again the farmer said,
"Who knows what's good or bad?"
"When do we expect the sort to end?
---
"Socrates pointed out that we carry on as though death were the greatest of
all calamities --- yet, for all we know, it might be the greatest of blessings.
What are we going to call good? What are we going to call bad? Good or bad
is never our choice, or even the issue.
"During the Civil War, both sides claimed the support of God. It was clear
to each side that they were doing the righteous thing. Such sentiments were
voiced often enough for President Lincoln to observe, "God cannot be for and
against the same thing at the same time."
"We'll only make ourselves ever more deluded the longer we play this game.
Good versus bad is clearly not the issue. There's something more fundamental
at stake.
"But what do we look for?
"If your idea of good opposes something else, you can be sure what you call
"good" is not absolute or certain. It's only in _seeing_ that we can hope to
find what lies beyond our shaky, relative ideas of good and bad. If we would
live in a way that is somehow beyond the uncertain dualities of the relative
world, we must learn to observe our inclination of mind --- our intention, our
will, our thirsting desire.
"Don't squelch your desire, or try to stop it. You'll only feed and
intensify it. The point is not to kill desire. The point is to _see_."
> (Hagen, Steve, 'Buddhism: Plain and Simple', Tuttle Co., Inc.,
> pp.42-43)
_____________
Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars...
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