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1/Quick summary of some of the ideas from "Why Buddhism is True" by @robertwrighter — go read the book for the real thing!
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Evolution did not design us to see the world clearly, it designed us to do whatever we needed to do to get our genes into the next generation.
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Evolution did not design us to see the world clearly, it designed us to do whatever we needed to do to get our genes into the next generation.
2/ Feelings were designed to get genes in the next generation, but doesn’t that mean they were designed to make us see the world clearly or bring us happiness.
We don’t see the world clearly— this is why we suffer, and why we make others suffer.
We don’t see the world clearly— this is why we suffer, and why we make others suffer.
3/ Evolutionary psychology is a diagnosis, buddhism diagnosed it along time ago— it also also offers prescription.
Meditation and in particular buddhism meditation is very well equipped to address that problem.
Meditation and in particular buddhism meditation is very well equipped to address that problem.
4/ Pleasure is fleeting, so you can’t be attached to seeking pleasure.
We want things, gratitude tends not to last--we find ourselves in perennial dissatisfaction.
We always want things to be a *little* different, always want a *little* more.
We want things, gratitude tends not to last--we find ourselves in perennial dissatisfaction.
We always want things to be a *little* different, always want a *little* more.
5/ And when you look from an evolutionary lens it makes sense that it would be like this.
Natural selection built people to do some things that help us get genes to next generation including:
- eating food to stay alive
- having sex to propagate genes
Natural selection built people to do some things that help us get genes to next generation including:
- eating food to stay alive
- having sex to propagate genes
6/ If these brought permanent gratification, we’d stop doing them.
Eat--you feel bliss; you never eat again, have sex--you feel full; never have sex again....that’s not a prescription for getting genes into the next generation!
Eat--you feel bliss; you never eat again, have sex--you feel full; never have sex again....that’s not a prescription for getting genes into the next generation!
7/ So—natural selection needed to make the anticipation of pleasure very strong but the pleasure itself not that lasting!
Buddhism tried to counter this wiring — to free us as hostages to our natural fundamental incentives structure.
Buddhism tried to counter this wiring — to free us as hostages to our natural fundamental incentives structure.
8/ Mindfulness meditation in context of buddhist philosophy is an act of rebellion against natural selection, by attacking the levers natural selection uses to control us.
The natural selection process sets our agenda--buddhism says we don’t have to play that game anymore.
The natural selection process sets our agenda--buddhism says we don’t have to play that game anymore.
9/ Bridge cognitive therapy+buddhism:
A lot of feelings we have are not worth following—we live in environment so different than our predecessors.
If someone shames us on twitter we act as if we would have 1000 yrs ago when if someone shamed us it meant we wouldn’t have mated.
A lot of feelings we have are not worth following—we live in environment so different than our predecessors.
If someone shames us on twitter we act as if we would have 1000 yrs ago when if someone shamed us it meant we wouldn’t have mated.
10/ We can take a look at how machinery works, pick what feelings we want to follow + which we don’t, see the world more clearly, and make us less clouded by the illusion that natural selection planted in our brains to get us to do its bidding.
Read here: amazon.com/dp/B01MPZNG63/…
Read here: amazon.com/dp/B01MPZNG63/…
