RE: Do you have any interest in the philosophies of introflection pioneered by Buddhism?
January 12, 2024 at 7:12 pm
(This post was last modified: January 12, 2024 at 7:21 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
Well, nirvana is still the endgame of zen, it's just that zen has a more pessimistic view of our chances of getting there. In more optimistic forms of buddhism there's this idea that once you reach an enlightened state you can never go back. A sort of forward spiritual progress that adds up over lifetimes. In zen, those transitory moments of enlightenment, what we in the west would call the sense of the numinous..are just that. You're going to go back, you're going to end up doing all the same old shit, that experience isn't the state itself. The state is figurative, a goal to strive for because of the way it (allegedly) improves us in the here and now, nirvana is not a reality for us.
From a historic perspective, buddhism (or at least this type of buddhism) is a sort of archetype for what we would later derisively term the opiate of the masses. Things are fucked up, things will always be fucked up, you will always be fucked up. The goal is to detach from that fucked-up-edness just long enough to do one thing really goddamned well - to the exclusion of all other...and any, concerns.
From a historic perspective, buddhism (or at least this type of buddhism) is a sort of archetype for what we would later derisively term the opiate of the masses. Things are fucked up, things will always be fucked up, you will always be fucked up. The goal is to detach from that fucked-up-edness just long enough to do one thing really goddamned well - to the exclusion of all other...and any, concerns.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
