The sayings and reflections of Buddhism supplement and inspire the reflections of Depth Psychology. From a book of such reflections, Buddha's Little Instruction Book by Jack Kornfield I find such deep reflections: Victory creates hatred, defeat creates suffering. Those who are wise strive for neither victory nor defeat. (p. 45).
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Thanks Lewis. I'm sad that this thread ended so quickly and that I might have been the cause. I will find those titles and respond after I get a chance to read them.
Just a thought from my end on the Jungian/suffering thing: you're absolutely right, Ed. Jungian thought is to actually go more deeply into the suffering rather than repressing or trying rise above it. There is a lot of richness there if one can only make the descent. I think the challenge arises when we become identified with the suffering, taking it on as an identity which then gives rise to the "victim" archetype. That, of course, is the link back to Buddhism for me as well--releasing attachement...
Ed Koffenberger said:
It appears that ending suffering in the human experience was central to Buddhist thought and practice. I was a student of Buddhist thought and practice when I discovered that suffering in human experience has value. I've never read in Jungian thought where suffering was seen as always a negative experience to be transcended. Actually, suffering is often the entry into issues needing to be addressed on the way to individuation. I'd like to hear more about whether you are speaking from a wide-path or narrow-path perspective of Buddhism.
It appears that ending suffering in the human experience was central to Buddhist thought and practice. I was a student of Buddhist thought and practice when I discovered that suffering in human experience has value. I've never read in Jungian thought where suffering was seen as always a negative experience to be transcended. Actually, suffering is often the entry into issues needing to be addressed on the way to individuation. I'd like to hear more about whether you are speaking from a wide-path or narrow-path perspective of Buddhism.
Thanks for articulating this thought, Margaret. It makes me think of Jung's concept of the Transcendent function, in that as much as our egos are conditioned to "win" and to identify with suffering when we don't, maintaining a middle path in daily life can allow us to be more inclusive of the world around us, alleviating a little, perhaps, the labeling of others as "others", of assuming a hierarchy in which we place ourselves above "others" and allowing us to feel unity instead.
I am particularly aware of this in the way we as a species (in western culture, at least) relate to earth. Having "mastered" nature, dominated and controlled it, nature has become a dead object which we can easily take advantage of and abuse. While our general attitude toward nature and earth may not be "hatred", it actually verges on "ambivalence". And, as a common saying goes (attributed in some places to Elie Wiesel, the Romanian Nobel Peace Prize winner), "The opposite of love is not hate: it's indifference".
At the same time, if we consider the earth "defeated" and label her as "suffering", in some ways we create that reality too. It seems like holding the tension between the two--striving to categorize neither victory nor defeat--would allow a reciprocal relationship to emerge in which we and the earth take care of each other--a truly transcendent event.
I'd love to hear what others think of this if anyone wants to jump in.....
Replies
Ed Koffenberger said:
I am particularly aware of this in the way we as a species (in western culture, at least) relate to earth. Having "mastered" nature, dominated and controlled it, nature has become a dead object which we can easily take advantage of and abuse. While our general attitude toward nature and earth may not be "hatred", it actually verges on "ambivalence". And, as a common saying goes (attributed in some places to Elie Wiesel, the Romanian Nobel Peace Prize winner), "The opposite of love is not hate: it's indifference".
At the same time, if we consider the earth "defeated" and label her as "suffering", in some ways we create that reality too. It seems like holding the tension between the two--striving to categorize neither victory nor defeat--would allow a reciprocal relationship to emerge in which we and the earth take care of each other--a truly transcendent event.
I'd love to hear what others think of this if anyone wants to jump in.....