Religion & Business: Buddhism, Success, Happiness

Why People have Addictions?

2008-03-01T23:16:00.000-08:00

So I've mentioned the tendency for all people to have a need for permamence in life, but where does this need come from? Why can't our brains function without one form of attachment or another? The answer lies in how we do work: we are good at executing something when our attention is devoted entirely to that task. Whether the job involves specialized blue collar workforce or top-management executive, all of us have to specialize within a certain framework.

Generally our minds are scattered with random thoughts the majority of which have no relation to the task at hand. However, when we develop concentration for a certain function (which can also be broadly defined), our mind's focus helps bring only those thoughts that are relevant to the task. And since all of us want to be functional/successful in life (in some way, which can be as little as to get up in the morning), we all have this desire for concentration and permament focus. And there always is one - even if we don't see it at the time of childhood education, work, or post-retirement activities.

Yet, when the clear focus toward some progress/success disappears (career/work/school), we crave for an object that we can control and keep permament. This most often results in marriages, drugs, children, smoking, eating disorders, game addiction and so forth.

Then, how do we solve this problem? How can we develop a focus that will be permament but will not lead to forbearance of such modern desires as monetary gains and social acceptance? The key here is to develop one single broadly (but well) defined focus that closely matches with your principles, purpose and overall laws of individual's social function. And because you can develop that focus in such a way that as a subconsequence you will achieve all other longings, you are not dependant on any instability within the outside world.

After all, that focus comes from within!

Present Consciousness & Mindfullness Meditation

2008-02-03T02:03:00.000-08:00

Thinking to the concept of meditation a common thought often arises: why not take immediate shortcut to the "ultimate self" (no addictions, complete abstinence from sensational pleasure, etc.) and leave the past behaviour behind?

The answer actually lies in a simple idea that life is a process. Whether it is business, sport or academic education, there is a common knowledge in our society that assumes that people go through a certain experience first in order to later reach height in their chosen path. Buddhism is no different! Cutting all strings behind only helps to change the outside environment and not the inner self. However, buddhism aims to develop self that can withstands the changes in the outside environment--exactly what you would be running away from by immediate abstinence.

Instead, it makes sense to develop a critical consciousness of the mind in a present time - thus steadily training yourself until the time when change in environment happens not as a prerequisite but as a consequence of complete mindfullness. Of course, critical consciousness (unlike critical thinking) requires a person to be skilled at controlling his attention towards the present behaviour - hence the need for meditation; meditation helps us develop our concentration towards the present self-awareness--not something that can be trained through academic practice.

Human Addiction: Career, Drugs, Food - the Obsession with Happiness...

2008-01-30T03:39:00.000-08:00

Fact: everyone has an addiction of some form. Of course, it might be easy to see that in a teenager through his abuse of alcohol/drugs/whatever else, but not as obvious in a case of a moderate career-minded adult or a small school child. But in truth, by the time we start going to school we are already becoming increasingly addicted to the outside environment; and the biggest of these addictions is school. Take the kids out of school and they suddenly lose the purpose--the constant fulfillment of a dream end-result that will bring everlasting happiness.

The one difference about kids, however, is that they have a vast amount of easily accessible outside world around them, which, in turn, serves as a constant supply of varrying sensational pleasure and information - an addiction in itself.

However, for adults the vast presence of information/objects/tastes soon tends to become dull and hence the need to find something (or someone) particular and permament. And since not even that "particular something" is permament in its original form (or experience), we substitute the sensation with our own internal projections of the original experience. All could be well, but since outside influence can affect the physical presence of that something (we take a trip to another country, our partner leaves us, etc...), the internal projection is only as permament as one's surrounding environment.

Does it mean that there is no addiction for an overly enlighten Buddhist? No, people must have an addiction to exist! People depend on permamence; But in Buddhism the person finds an addiction through a belief in internal feelings; this belief, in turn, leads him to greater understanding of self and buddhism as a religion--hence "religion" is not the addiction in itself (unlike with some other religions, where the religion is the primary base). As a consequence, Buddhism only serves to shine light on our personal observation of internal self (not inspite of our primary goals/beliefs).

Buddhism and Time

2008-01-30T01:56:00.001-08:00

It is well aknowledged throughout literature that in order for a person to experience complete happiness he has to be in absolute present - meaning: without the thought of past or future; without a past defined own image; without life-taught cynism, critical thinking and ability to compare. This simply results from complete "momentary" fascination with sensational pleasure ("complete" because there are no other thoughts interferring with the pleasure).

On the other hand, if we crave something of the past or future (experience, goal, etc..), we strive for something we once had or aim to have--but are not in the possession at the moment (hence lack of clear happiness). The benefit of this, of course, is ambition and attitude toward constantly evolving progress. This is exactly why in the western world we are so addicted to work and "self-realization." We are trapped in our ambition to become happy through realization of a certain goal, and are thus dependent on the steady partial fulfilment of the end image--the one that is supposed to bring all the happiness.

But once we reach that something new, we are again bound to lose interest in our temporary sensational pleasure and hence in need of a new stumuli (object/experience/title/loved one) for that "ultimate" happiness. No one is unique in this; and nothing physical (i.e. circumstantial) in the world is permament.

Yet, even if lifelong, constant, presence with sensational pleasure was possible, it is quite clear that it wouldn't lead to career achievement, knowledge fullfilment or any other goal our society values most dear. After all, there is no imagination, ambition or comparison from the past that one can make use of at such a moment.

So what is Buddhist's understanding of time? In buddhism there is also an idea that you must be mindfull of present in order to feel happy. However, instead of finding the ultimate pleasure through sensational/physical/circumstantial occurences, the happiness must come from within: from belief and own feelings/reactions to the outside world. And since there is no limit to feelings coming from within, there is no loss of interest or happiness. What's more: the fascination with expanding such an ability in itself serves as a motivation for a constant progress
in life, career or any other physical ambition. However, the internal fascination with a physical ambition must come as a consequence of an overall belief - only then can happiness remain permament, regardless of an outside world, environment, or time.