Posted by habbyshabit on July 1, 2003, at 4:02:36
In reply to Re: The Four Noble Truths, posted by lil' jimi on June 12, 2003, at 15:53:59
Hi Jim,
Your revision of the Four Noble Truths for the CNS challenged was interesting and brought up a number of thoughts.
First let me say that while I am not a Buddhist, I have studied a lot of the Tibetan variety and am a fan of the Dalai Lama, Chogyam Trungpa, and the Karmapa, what an amazing story his is.
I also read your post with the article recounting the studies that showed Buddhists as more serene in general. The theory being stated that it must be the meditation giving this group of people such an easy going mindset.
So...what comes first? The neurotransmitter deficiency or the psychological suffering. If I meditate, do I change my neurology and so my psychology - or do I need a drug first to get my chemistry on target so meditation will work better?
What the author of that study didn't mention is that Buddhist tenets are larger then just a meditation practice. Buddhism, especially Tibetan Buddhism, is a psychology in it's own right, and much more successful, it would seem, then our western psychology.
The web site nalandabodhi.org calls Tibetan Buddhism a science of mind. There is much more to finding that inner peace then sitting on a pillow and saying mantras all day. It's a taming of the 'wild horse' that is our thought processes.
Also, regarding your first revised Truth - "Psychological suffering exists". To that I just wanted to add, ALL suffering is psychological. Suffering is only in the mind, including physical pain. We increase of diminish that suffering with the thoughts we have about it.
While psychological suffering always has a cause, it is not always about dysfunctional neurotransmitters. Sometimes those transmitters are doing just what they are supposed to be doing, reminding us of our environment.
Just some thoughts. This isn't meant to be a rebuttal.
May peace of mind find you where you sit,
Habby
poster:habbyshabit
thread:227349
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20030530/msgs/238383.html