201123 — What I learned in my studies this morning
From Huang Po: <<If you wish to experience Enlightenment... you must avoid all concepts of existence and non-existance.>> There is nothing except Enlightenment. Thinking about it only makes it recede from you. (The Chun Chou Record, 13)
[He said, unironically.]From Eric Hoffer: <<Where freedom is real, equality is the passion of the masses. Where equality is real, freedom is the the passion of a small minority.>>.
Fanatics, zealots often come from disgruntled creatives who could not realize their dreams of creation. Those whose talent did not measure up to their desire. These are ripe for wholeheartedly engaging in mass movements. The movement offers them the purpose denied them by their lack of talent.
Truly creative people have an outlet for their passions and become disenamoured with the movement. They are forced out as heretic, shunned or executed. (The True Believer, V-29, 30; XVI 111)
From Aristo of Chios: Not all early Stoics agreed. Aristo, a challenger from within the school, and a powerful advocate who was prone to speaking more than he listened, was a contentious student of Zeno who advocated a focus on using virtue as the sole rule of how to live. If you know virtue, you know what to do in any situation. There is no need for multiplying rules to cover so many situations. Focus on The Big One and you'll be fine.
He thought a perfect philosopher could simply "act rightly" based on direct intuition of what to do in any given circumstance.
Zeno, Cleanthes, and others saw indeterminate areas where preferences might exist and certain rules (e.g. logic and physics [in the ancient philosophical sense of the word]) would help make sure we chose the right path.
Aristo may have been right if one had perfect understanding of philosophy, but, as mere mortals, we most often find rules of living helpful to work through tough questions. (Lives of the Stoics, pp. 27-36)
Fanatics, zealots often come from disgruntled creatives who could not realize their dreams of creation. Those whose talent did not measure up to their desire. These are ripe for wholeheartedly engaging in mass movements. The movement offers them the purpose denied them by their lack of talent.
Truly creative people have an outlet for their passions and become disenamoured with the movement. They are forced out as heretic, shunned or executed. (The True Believer, V-29, 30; XVI 111)
From Aristo of Chios: Not all early Stoics agreed. Aristo, a challenger from within the school, and a powerful advocate who was prone to speaking more than he listened, was a contentious student of Zeno who advocated a focus on using virtue as the sole rule of how to live. If you know virtue, you know what to do in any situation. There is no need for multiplying rules to cover so many situations. Focus on The Big One and you'll be fine.
He thought a perfect philosopher could simply "act rightly" based on direct intuition of what to do in any given circumstance.
Zeno, Cleanthes, and others saw indeterminate areas where preferences might exist and certain rules (e.g. logic and physics [in the ancient philosophical sense of the word]) would help make sure we chose the right path.
Aristo may have been right if one had perfect understanding of philosophy, but, as mere mortals, we most often find rules of living helpful to work through tough questions. (Lives of the Stoics, pp. 27-36)
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Please note that I am not saying I agree or disagree with what is posted above. It is merely a recording of what I read this morning.