Risk

[Richard]

Buddhists say that true happisess comes from desiring nothing. It's the same thing as the initial post really - once you are free from any material sense of want or desire, you will no longer become depressed by a lack of material things in your life.

Think about it - so much of the insecurity and trouble in our world is caused by the vanity of desiring what others have. Money, flash cars, a beautiful girlfriend right up to a more prosperous nation. If we were free from this very human of desires I thik we would be happier.

I'm not a buddhist, I'm Catholic, this just struck me as some words of wisdom, that's all!

[cimlog]

I agree with the quote. If you have anything at all I think that you then have restrictions. Reponsibilities. Care-taking. All actions that do not let me feel free todo anything. The less you have the freeer you are.

[Lounge Daddy]

Buddhists say that true happisess comes from desiring nothing. It's the same thing as the initial post really - once you are free from any material sense of want or desire, you will no longer become depressed by a lack of material things in your life.

Think about it - so much of the insecurity and trouble in our world is caused by the vanity of desiring what others have. Money, flash cars, a beautiful girlfriend right up to a more prosperous nation. If we were free from this very human of desires I thik we would be happier.

I'm not a buddhist, I'm Catholic, this just struck me as some words of wisdom, that's all!

Ever read any books by the Catholic author Thomas Merton (Seven Story Mountain, Ascent To Truth, etc.)?

You may like his writings.

He was very influenced (and studied in) eastern thought and philosophy. He was also one of the few existentialists in his time with a positive, Christian view.

[cmotherofpirl]

What about St Edith Stein?

[Lounge Daddy]

:)

[Kilroy the Ninja]

Deliver me from Swedish furniture.

Deliver me from perfect teeth.

You are not the car you drive.

You are not the contents of your wallet.

These are words to live by.

The less we have the more we can devote to Him. Hence the vows of poverty.

With material goods come the responsibilities of having material goods. The worries, the what-to-do-withs and such.

When you have nothing (or not much) to worry about you can truly be effective.

And look what you can do when you are truly being effective.

I think that's what Fight Club is saying.

And don't have the clam chowder.

[Lounge Daddy]

Wow, Kilroy... amen, brother.

esp. on the clam chowder... hehe... ehgh :huh:

[BLAZEr]

Buddhists say that true happisess comes from desiring nothing. It's the same thing as the initial post really - once you are free from any material sense of want or desire, you will no longer become depressed by a lack of material things in your life.

Think about it - so much of the insecurity and trouble in our world is caused by the vanity of desiring what others have. Money, flash cars, a beautiful girlfriend right up to a more prosperous nation. If we were free from this very human of desires I thik we would be happier.

I'm not a buddhist, I'm Catholic, this just struck me as some words of wisdom, that's all!

Woah! To me Richard this is one of the most dangerous and depressing things I've ever read. For freedom to be a lack of desire for anything material is scary. For me its scary in two ways:

The first is that this is so inhuman. My entire experience of existence is material. I have nothing in my life that isn't material. From my favorite movie to my best friends, they are all material. In fact, I love the material, because it is, for me, an encounter with my humanity. My humanity is material. I cry, I laugh, I eat, I drink, I stub my toe . . . all of these things are me. They are all material. And to think that my desire for material things (someone to love, a nice vacation, a chair that is comfortable) has to be suprressed or overcome or denied in order to be free . . . well, that's a freedom I don't want. It sounds like a slavery to an idea rather than an experience of real freedom.

The second reason this idea scares me is becasue it would be necessary to get rid of Christ in order to follow this way. Christ was a very material person. He is still a very material person. He is born of a woman and he lived in a stable and in a town called Nazareth and he ate and drank and cried and stubbed his toe . . . and his life was a material life. In fact this is what was so scandalous to all the Jews, the idea that God would be something material. And so when I desire something material, and especially someone material, I know that I can desire Him. Becasue today he can only be encountered in the most material of ways: other people. Even the Eucharist is a person. It is a material person. It is a thing that must be encountered in its material form.

So, I have to say that Buddha, at least that idea of his, scares me. What do you think?

[cmotherofpirl]

No Blaze.

I think you are missing the point.

A mendicant friar had his habit and his begging bowl.

Therefore the rest of existance is his possession.

THat is freedom.

[BLAZEr]

No CMom i beg to differ.

The Friar does not a buddhist. He does not desire nothing. In fact, a mendicant friar desires EVERYTHING and recognizes that all of his desire is pointing to the One who is EVERYTHING. He gives up everything but his bowl not because Everything is bad or somehow a hinderance to God but because even everything is not enough to quence his desire.

That's why Francis invented the Creche. That's why Francis carried a skull with him. That's why Francis received the stigmata. Becasue to him the material was Christ.

That's a mendicant friar.

[Katt1227]

I have to agree with Blazer on this one.

For me, freedom comes from desiring EVERYTHING, not desiring nothing. For if we desire nothing, then we do not desire Christ, and above all things that is what I desire.

And I also have to ask Cimlog... Why do your responsibilities inhibit your freedom??

[Lounge Daddy]

No CMom i beg to differ.

The Friar does not a buddhist.

Did CMom say that a friar is buddhist?

[Lounge Daddy]

For me, freedom comes from desiring EVERYTHING, not desiring nothing. For if we desire nothing, then we do not desire Christ, and above all things that is what I desire.

I think there is a small difference in definitions with us … I do agree with you; so when some of us say “I desire nothing” we mean to say “nothing material” or nothing of this world.

Why? Because this world can become a distraction to our final destination; therefore St. Francis gave up his material life to seek a better relationship with Christ, thus he “pushed back the curtain” to have a better view of the Eternal Father’s Face.

I believe we are on the same page here – so believe me when I say, we seek to desire nothing more than the deepest understanding of God.

If I am wrong on this, please correct me.

[cmotherofpirl]

Yep.

Kilroy stated it correctly and loung daddy understands it perfectly.

A mendicant friar had his habit and his begging bowl.

Therefore the rest of existance is his possession.

When you own nothing, you own everything.

GOd gives Creation to all of us, but we clutter up our lives fighting over bits and pieces of it.

Francis understood the journey and the amount of luggage required for the trip.

[BLAZEr]

No, I don't think either of you understand St. Francis. There is a reason he could call the Moon his sister and the Tree his brother. It came from desiring everything material. St. Francis did not see the world and the material world as his enemy and a hindrance to encountering God. He saw that even everything that they provided was not enough to satisfy his desire.

St. Francis had material possessions and they weren't enough for him. He desired more. When he realized that this desire for more was Christ, he left everything to be with him. But Francis was materialistic, in the good way. When Christ said "Rebuild My Church" Francis very literally, very MATERIALLY, began to rebuild the church of San Damiano.

In fact, it was through a Material encounter that Francis discovered Christ. Through the material leper, through the material Cross in Our Lady of the Angels, through the Church at San Damiano, through the very material Stigmata. . .

Francis didn't have a problem with the Material . . . St. Francis had a problem with being POSESSED and with POSESSING something as an end . . .

You all seem to be suggesting that Material things are an enemy to a Holy Life. I think you're wrong. I don't think that material things are a problem, but being possessed by your posesions, now that's a problem.

When Christ is talking about the Camel passing through the eye of the needle he doesn't say "The Camel must get rid of everything to pass through the eye of the needle" Rather he says "Nothing is impossible for God." Even a camel, loaded with all its pack can pass through the eye of the needle, through the power of God.