RAF, Yes, I think we agree on this...
Edgar On Nov 27, 2012, at 11:15 PM, R A Fonda wrote: > On 11/27/2012 7:04 PM, Edgar Owen wrote: > >> It's mostly mental suffering that Buddhism addresses in saying that >> suffering is due to attachments, desires, and ignorance. Mental suffering >> can thus largely be released and avoided by proper understanding or >> realization in the Buddhist sense. > Point well taken. > >> But it is incorrect that life IS suffering. Life includes a very complex mix >> of experience including suffering, pain, joy, happiness and a lot of other >> experiences which are clearly NOT suffering. I'm certainly NOT suffering >> right now and I'm most certainly alive. > Well, it is certainly true that life is not ONLY suffering. I merely contend > that it is an inescapable aspect of physical existence. So we seem to be in > complete agreement here: > >> But physical pain is an intrinsic part of being a flesh based being. Even >> the most enlightened being is still subject to more or less physical pain. >> ... from an EP perspective suffering responses are rooted in evolutionary >> adaptations which is why we naturally have them >> > > RAF > > > >
