Ugh. Carob.
Hell even Buddha was against asetic living:
The historical Siddhartha Gautama adopted an extreme ascetic life
after leaving his father’s palace, where he once lived in extreme
luxury.[22] But later the Shakyamuni rejected extreme asceticism
because it is an impediment to ultimate freedom (nirvana) from
suffering (samsara), choosing instead a path that met the needs of the
body without crossing over into luxury and indulgence. After
abandoning extreme asceticism he was able to achieve enlightenment.
This position became known as the Madhyamaka or Middle Way and became
one of the central organizing principles of Theravadin philosophy.“The middle way which enlightens the eyes, enlightens the mind, which
leads to rest, to knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nirvana”[23]The degree of moderation suggested by this middle path varies
depending on the interpretation of Theravadism at hand. Some
traditions emphasize ascetic life more than others.
Sure but I think what the Buddha considered the “Middle Path” would probably seem fairly ascetic by modern standards. The Buddhist practices you see these days in the West follow more of an Upper Middle Path.
To be honest, I think that an “Internet detox” may come in handy, sometimes. I carried my laptop with me for holidays - what a shitty thing to do, I wanted to disconnect - but someone decided to take care of that for me by stealing my laptop.
I have slept soundly, I have enjoyed my holidays all day long, and I haven’t missed my laptop (apart from the whole having to buy a new one and not being able to afford it).
Seems relevant to this: http://grist.org/article/goodbye-for-now/
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
