RE: Infinite regress and debunking karma
September 6, 2023 at 3:35 pm
(This post was last modified: September 6, 2023 at 3:36 pm by Aegon.)
I'll be operating from a Buddhist POV for this post because I know next to nothing about Hinduism.
Okay, I have two fundamental issues here.
1) I assume by "suffering" you're referring to "duhkha"? I don't agree with the translation of duḥkha you're using. It's the most common one, but I think "unease" and "unsatisfactoriness" are more accurate translations. IMO, "suffering" is a bit too harsh of a word. Duhkha refers to the everyday unease that comes with being human, of our consciousness/higher awareness compared to other animals. It's "the void" that most people fill with alcohol, work, sex, kids, video games, junk food, etc. Suffering sounds much more intense to me, like mourning a loved one or getting stabbed.
2) Duhkha is not caused by your misdeeds or misdeeds in past lives. I mean, don't get me wrong, there is some relation because ultimately everything is interdependent. But one of the main tenants of Buddhism is that duhkha is inherent to life regardless of one's karma. Buddhism claims to offer a path that decreases this duhkha.
I was going to respond to the rest of your post but I realize that I don't have to, the rest is predicated on the first assumption, which I take fundamental issue with.
(September 6, 2023 at 11:23 am)Sicnoo0 Wrote: According to the theory of Karma, all suffering is caused by your own misdeeds (any acts causing suffering to others) in a past life or this life.
Okay, I have two fundamental issues here.
1) I assume by "suffering" you're referring to "duhkha"? I don't agree with the translation of duḥkha you're using. It's the most common one, but I think "unease" and "unsatisfactoriness" are more accurate translations. IMO, "suffering" is a bit too harsh of a word. Duhkha refers to the everyday unease that comes with being human, of our consciousness/higher awareness compared to other animals. It's "the void" that most people fill with alcohol, work, sex, kids, video games, junk food, etc. Suffering sounds much more intense to me, like mourning a loved one or getting stabbed.
2) Duhkha is not caused by your misdeeds or misdeeds in past lives. I mean, don't get me wrong, there is some relation because ultimately everything is interdependent. But one of the main tenants of Buddhism is that duhkha is inherent to life regardless of one's karma. Buddhism claims to offer a path that decreases this duhkha.
I was going to respond to the rest of your post but I realize that I don't have to, the rest is predicated on the first assumption, which I take fundamental issue with.
![[Image: nL4L1haz_Qo04rZMFtdpyd1OZgZf9NSnR9-7hAWT...dc2a24480e]](https://external-preview.redd.it/nL4L1haz_Qo04rZMFtdpyd1OZgZf9NSnR9-7hAWTNVY.jpg?width=216&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=7b11e8b38bea0eacc8797fc971574ddc2a24480e)