Buddha's smile & Cognitive Science

Morality Is Happiness

Nurturance typically requires sacrifice. And so it might seem strange that a concomitant of moral nurturance would be a view of morality as the cultivation of one's own happiness. Yet such a moral scheme is a consequence of Morality As Nurturance. The reasoning goes like this:

Unhappy people are less likely to be compassionate (empathetic and nurturant) than happy people, since they are not likely to want others to be happier than they are. Therefore, to promote one's own capacity to compassion (empathy and nurturance), one should make oneself as happy as possible -- provided one doesn't hurt anyone in the process

This view of the morality of happiness is intuitively understood and widespread among a great many whose moral system is Nurturant Parent morality. Incidentally, it is a long-standing part of the Buddhist tradition. There is a reason, after all, why the Buddha is smiling. ~ Page 121

According to many traditions this false sense of self is precisely the root of all suffering. This idea is probably clearest in Buddhism with the doctrine of ‘anatta’ or no self. This does not mean that there is no body, nor that there is literally no self at all, but that the self is a temporary construction, an idea or story about a self. In a famous speech, the Buddha told the monks ‘action do exis5t, and also their consequences, but the person that acts does not’ (Parfit 1987). He taught that because we have the wrong idea about our self, we think that we will be happy if we gain more material things, or status of power. In fact it is wanting some things and being averse to others that makes us unhappy. If only we could realise our true nature than we would be free of suffering because we would know there is no ‘me’ to suffer. ~ Page 230 Excerpt: "The Meme Machine" Author ~ Susan Blackmore

Fairytale-like !!
hFF

HFF, enjoy the WE

HFF Dinesh and best wishes for the weekend.

Some interesting items there Thanks Dinesh,.. // A ''HFF'' to you and Cheers'' from > Dj.

HFF Dinesh, peace on Earth...

HFF, Dinesh!

Very interesting items. HFF, wish you a fine weekend, Dinesh !

A beautiful image. HFF and have a peaceful weekend, Dinesh.

All the best for the weekend, Dinesh ! HFF !

Excellent capture from your archives Dinesh
HFF and a good weekend

Serenely beautiful. Well captured Dinesh

HFF and have a good weekend

So friedlich!
HFF und ein schönes Wochenende, Dinesh!

Danke, das du dein inspirierendes Foto mit diesen Sentenzen verbunden hast.
Je mehr ich über den Zusammenhang des Selbst, der Person und ihren Spuren in der Welt nachdenke, kommt mir die Frage:
War es wirklich richtig, das Bildnis Buddhas, des Trägers dieser Ideen, mit einem massiven quadratischen Zaun von uns abzuteilen wie bei diesem Monument?
Oder siehst du da keinen Wiederspruch?
HFF und ein gutes Wochenende.