There are three great truths to life. - And here they are.

[totallyrandomusername]

We start as a collection of various molecules from stuff that our mother ate, following a blueprint that was put together with one piece from dad and one from mom. We get assembled, and as a result of following said blueprint various structures (if synthesized correctly) are created for cognitive function which allow for self-awareness. We experience life, we make good and bad decisions, which shape our history and those around us. Eventually, as occurs with all ordered systems, they deteriorate and breakdown, as a result of the fundamental nature of our universe towards disorder. We once again become molecules that re-enter the great chain of recycling that is the nature of our planet Earth.

That's it. We start out as an variety of molecules, we experience life as an assemblage of these molecules into a temporary structure that is self-aware, and we return to being a variety of molecules. It's just shuffling molecules around.

I find the thought that I was just a bunch of molecules, said molecules are synthesized into structures that allowed for my self-aware mind to exist temporarily, and once again become a bunch of molecules that will be used for other purposes to be very peaceful. I have no fear of the inevitable, nor the thought of non-existence. Before my self-aware structures were created I was non-existent, I see no problem with returning to that state.

 

[The Great Chandler]

You write in the manner of someone that's never lost someone precious to terminal cancer.
In the end, we are all collections of experience; the only truly precious things we can have are the moments we share with others.
They cannot be manufactured. They cannot be artificially flavored, colored or preserved.
They cannot be sponsored, or bought, or simulated.

Wisdom is a walking-stick upon which grief rests its burden.
I walk the long walk and watch those beside me fall. Disease, misadventure, suicide.
But I cannot stop to lift them; they will remain where they fall, but I have no choice but to keep walking.

All I can do is hope that I see them again, at the end of all things.


Fear.
Fear of the unknown. Fear of making a terrible choice that can never be reversed. Fear that others for whom I care will be forced to walk past me, weeping at my fall.
Fear that I will inflict upon them unnecessary suffering by both my absence and the manner of its attainment.
There is enough pain and horror as we age, why add to others' burden?

Well at least you're staying true to your profile description. Why are you Frederick Nietzsche all of a sudden, my dude?

 

[RMQualtrough]

You write in the manner of someone that's never lost someone precious to terminal cancer.
In the end, we are all collections of experience; the only truly precious things we can have are the moments we share with others.
They cannot be manufactured. They cannot be artificially flavored, colored or preserved.
They cannot be sponsored, or bought, or simulated.

Wisdom is a walking-stick upon which grief rests its burden.
I walk the long walk and watch those beside me fall. Disease, misadventure, suicide.
But I cannot stop to lift them; they will remain where they fall, but I have no choice but to keep walking.

All I can do is hope that I see them again, at the end of all things.


Fear.
Fear of the unknown. Fear of making a terrible choice that can never be reversed. Fear that others for whom I care will be forced to walk past me, weeping at my fall.
Fear that I will inflict upon them unnecessary suffering by both my absence and the manner of its attainment.
There is enough pain and horror as we age, why add to others' burden?

I've lost someone very close to cancer so I'm interested in your perspective. As I see it, that person is now everywhere and everything. Dispersed back into the only thing there is, the same thing that I am and you are.

 

[SITHRAK!]

I've lost someone very close to cancer so I'm interested in your perspective. As I see it, that person is now everywhere and everything. Dispersed back into the only thing there is, the same thing that I am and you are.

My theory is that death is a transmutation from physical forms and that our consciousness, after death, becomes part of the background energy of the universe. At its heat-death, we form a gestalt, our knowledge and experience combined to form a godhead consisting of all consciousness. Then, at the ‘big bang’ that follows, this godhead is shattered and it’s individual components are separated from omniscience in preparation for their next rebirth into physical forms.
At least I hope it works that way. There are old friends long gone that I hope to see again one day.

 

[Solid Snek]

Cope. He said "these are 3 great truths about life," and I responded that it was interesting how it resembled the "3 great truths of life" of ancient Buddhist philosophy. You said that my list of three was EXACTLY the same as his, and when I said no, it's not EXACTLY the same, you just started rambling. This is where I stop replying to you on this topic, but either look up the 3 marks of existence (tilakkhaṇa) -- specifically "non-self" (anatta), which is actually the central metaphysical position in Buddhism -- or look up the dictionary definition of "exactly". Cheers!

Cheers dude, I'm not gonna do that. These are equivocal statements. I'm not motivated to look deeper because when you look deeper into spiritual traditions you find deepidies. It's not "EXACTLY" the same as what he said but it's close enough that I don't see the relevance of the difference and no, you can't give me homework.

I would agree with toledo on this. I would say that they are NOT equivocal statements, and it's not hard to see why.

Even if we establish, a priori, that the Self is "your greatest joy" (why? how? in what sense?), the assertion that it also serves as a door to "your greatest sorrow" is a statement about self-contained opposites and paradoxes, not about non-existence - and hence, is not equivalent to anatta.

 

[Mnutu]

I do not understand why the Buddha made this claim. Complete ego-lessness is peace but I wouldn't say anything else is inherently "suffering". It is also the case that in nondual religion, there is no such thing as death, in the sense that your finite mind dies but consciousness continues to experience other finite minds like the mourners at your funeral. This is absolute total Oneness.

Escape from Samsara does not seem possible to me. What would the mechanism be? It just does not make any sense at all. Even under Advaita Vedanta where there is a sort of localized self (Atman), when all things that are you are removed and you become pure mind, what exactly is there to differentiate? There is no separate self anymore.

I wonder if the Buddha meant escape from rebirth in a metaphorical way, that you see through the illusion? I don't really know. I don't get it. I the finite self am not presently suffering.

Suffering is a shitty term to use, because people often misconstrue or misunderstand the point. Suffering is neither good nor bad, and neither is happiness. Buddhism, at least to my knowledge, ultimately states that existence in this world is bad, and happiness and suffering are merely fundament forces of this world that keep you attached via karma.

Buddhism is really Hindu Nihilism, where instead of falling into Western Rationalism or Christianity, it accepts as fundamental truth Hindu thought. The conclusion of Nihilism is that all life is meaningless and nothing, Buddhism is just using Hindu metaphysics to more quickly embrace nothingness. Sitting around trying to envision what Nirvana is like is delusional. It’s nothingness, beyond current comprehension.

Worth mentioning that I find Hinduism and Buddhism retarded, so I might not be the best source of enlightenment.