*DISCUSSION THREAD*
As many people are aware, the Buddha taught his followers that to obtain personal peace, or freedom from suffering, they need to free themselves from all forms of attachment. People commonly identify their attachments as being to physical or sensory things, e.g. food, sex, money, praise, and so on.
However, one of the early texts of the Buddha's teachings, The Book of Eights, contains an additional warning: a warning against attachment to views, ie opinions, beliefs, or doctrines. Becoming too entrenched in one's views, especially religious views, is a fast track to either become self-righteous in attempting to prove one's beliefs to others (or oneself), or to become despondent or angry when a view that is so deeply held becomes upturned by someone else in a debate.
Now, surely none of the sage members of RF have such an attachment any longer.
In seriousness, I think we all have some measure of experience here.
What has your experience been with attachment to views? Have you found yourself too attached to a view in the past? What happened? Do you recognize a view you're too attached to now? What has been the result? How has your approach to views changed over time, if at all?
Try to keep examples personal rather than pointing the finger at others you think this might apply to, please.
As many people are aware, the Buddha taught his followers that to obtain personal peace, or freedom from suffering, they need to free themselves from all forms of attachment. People commonly identify their attachments as being to physical or sensory things, e.g. food, sex, money, praise, and so on.
However, one of the early texts of the Buddha's teachings, The Book of Eights, contains an additional warning: a warning against attachment to views, ie opinions, beliefs, or doctrines. Becoming too entrenched in one's views, especially religious views, is a fast track to either become self-righteous in attempting to prove one's beliefs to others (or oneself), or to become despondent or angry when a view that is so deeply held becomes upturned by someone else in a debate.
Now, surely none of the sage members of RF have such an attachment any longer.
In seriousness, I think we all have some measure of experience here.
What has your experience been with attachment to views? Have you found yourself too attached to a view in the past? What happened? Do you recognize a view you're too attached to now? What has been the result? How has your approach to views changed over time, if at all?
Try to keep examples personal rather than pointing the finger at others you think this might apply to, please.