Tem

October 20, 2010

Hall, Chapters 7 & 8: Compassion & Humility

Compassion

"By compassion is meant not only the willingness to share another person's pain and suffering; in a larger sense, it refers to a transcendent ability to step outside the moat of one's own self-interest to understand the point of view of another; in a still larger sense, it may take this "feeling for" to the level of mind reading, for the theory of mind—one of the most powerfiil implements that evolution placed in the human cognitive tool kit—requires us to understand the way another person's feelings inform his or her intentions and actions." 116

Matthieu Ricard and Richard Davidson studies. (no overarching theory here, but note Davidson on p. 121) Davidson believes in poss of "training" toward increased well being.

Ricard makes the case, on 122, that direct cultivation of compassion could aid in promoting wisdom. follow his view.

general point: importance in this research of thinking of compassion as having a neural substrate.

126: mirror neurons and empathy.

Humility

puzzle about humility. can't be a major mark of wisdom, since you could be humble about the fact that you're not wise. [Still, if you can be wise, perhaps you must be humble? or not?]

in religion -- piety and obedience to God. 137

narcissism among CEOs. correlates with white collar crime. inverse of humility. best CEOs blend humility with strong will.

Introduction to Buddhism

• The Four Noble Truths

1 There is suffering.

2 There is the origination of suffering: suffering comes into existence in dependence on causes.

3 There is the cessation of suffering: all future suffering can be prevented by becoming aware of our ignorance and undoing the effects of it.

4 There is a path to the cessation of suffering.

8 fold path. (see above and in Feuerstein.)

Holder, The Greater Discourse on the Destruction of Craving

The Greater Discourse on the Destruction of Craving starts with the "bad" monk, Sati, who thinks that reincarnation might involve the same consciousness (and so the survival of the self after death). The other bhikkhus rat him out to the Buddha, who calls him out over the issue (in a gentle Buddha way) and goes on to describe both the process of "devolution" by which ignorance leads us to craving (65) and the process of purification that brings about a reversal (66) of the process. Prior to following the eightfold path, our experience (seeing, hearing, etc.) entails an unhealthy attachment. After, we presumably have the same kinds of experiences, but without unhealthy attachment.

Matthieu Ricard, "Alchemy of Suffering" and "The Veils of the Ego"

Just a few points:

• follow his dicussion of suffering. including the story of woman who begged the Buddha to restore her dead son. the possibility of learning from suffering (so, buddhists are not saying that all suffering is "pointless;" just something we can in fact overcome. 72)

• Notice the "exercises" in this kinds of writing. Again, endorsing idea of direct training of emotional response. Challenging to some views of the emotions.

• From "Veils of the Ego" -- the concern in this chapter is with the status of the ego in buddhism. Seems like "annihilation" is the protocol, but Ricard makes some important distinctions here.

• "The ego, writes Buddhist philosopher Han de Wit, "is also an affective reaction to our field of experience, a mental withdrawl based on fear." Out of fear of the world and of others, out of dread of suffering, out of anxiety about living and dying, we imagine that by hiding inside a bubble — the ego — we will be protected. We create the illusion of being separate from the world, hoping thereby to avert suffering. In fact, what happens is just the opposite, since ego-grasping and self-importance are the best magnets to attract suffering." 82

• example of how perspective dependent the possessive ego is: Notice in different reactions to breaking of the vase. 84.

• 86: Ricard reconstructs a challenge to Buddhist line of thought. Aren't egos great? Ricard claims, in response, that a higher level of self-confidence is possible through egoless involvement in the world.

• "The notion of the per-son is valid and healthy so long as we consider it simply as con-noting the overall relationship between the consciousness, thebody, and the environment. It becomes inappropriate and un-healthy when we consider it to be an autonomous entity." 91