34748YunohaHoDeABHOT'48 This Buddhist View of Hap-
Q&@
PINESS HAS
A LOT IN COMMON WITH THE BIOCHEMICAL VIEW?
Both agree that Pleasant Sensations disappear as fast as they arise,
& that as long as people crave pleasant sensations without actually experiencing them,
they remain dissatisfied! However, this problem has two very different solutions......
The biochemical solution is to develop products and treatments that will provide humans
with an unending stream of pleasant sensations, so we will never be without them. The Buddha's
suggestion was to reduce our craving for pleasant sensations, and not allow them to control our lives.
According to Buddha, we can train our minds to observe carefully how all sensations constantly arise & pass.
When the mind learns to see our sensations for what they are - ephemeral & meaningless vibrations - we lose
interest in pursuing them! For what is the point of running after something that disappears as fast as it arises?
At present, humankind has far greater interest in the biochemical solution! No matter what monks in their Hi-
malayan caves or philosophers in their ivory towers say, for the capitalist juggernaut, happiness is pleasure...
Period. With each passing year our tolerance for ùnpleasant sensations decreases, and our craving for pleasant
sensations increases! Both scientific research & economic activity are geared to thàt ènd, each year producing
better painkillers, new ice-cream flavours, more comfortable mattresses, and more addictive games for our
smartphones, so that we will not suffer a single boring moment while waiting for the bus. And àll thìs is hardly
enough, of course. Since Homo sapiens was not adapted by evolution to experience constant pleasure,
if that is what humankind nevertheless 'really' wànts, ice cream & smartphone games will not dó.........
It will be necessary to chance our biochemistry & re-engineer our bodies & minds. So we are working on that.
You may debate whether it is good or bad, but it seems that the second great project of the twenty-first
century - to ensure global happiness - will involve re-engineering Homo sapiens so that it can enjoy
everlasting pleasure.
A LOT IN COMMON WITH THE BIOCHEMICAL VIEW?
Both agree that Pleasant Sensations disappear as fast as they arise,
& that as long as people crave pleasant sensations without actually experiencing them,
they remain dissatisfied! However, this problem has two very different solutions......
The biochemical solution is to develop products and treatments that will provide humans
with an unending stream of pleasant sensations, so we will never be without them. The Buddha's
suggestion was to reduce our craving for pleasant sensations, and not allow them to control our lives.
According to Buddha, we can train our minds to observe carefully how all sensations constantly arise & pass.
When the mind learns to see our sensations for what they are - ephemeral & meaningless vibrations - we lose
interest in pursuing them! For what is the point of running after something that disappears as fast as it arises?
At present, humankind has far greater interest in the biochemical solution! No matter what monks in their Hi-
malayan caves or philosophers in their ivory towers say, for the capitalist juggernaut, happiness is pleasure...
Period. With each passing year our tolerance for ùnpleasant sensations decreases, and our craving for pleasant
sensations increases! Both scientific research & economic activity are geared to thàt ènd, each year producing
better painkillers, new ice-cream flavours, more comfortable mattresses, and more addictive games for our
smartphones, so that we will not suffer a single boring moment while waiting for the bus. And àll thìs is hardly
enough, of course. Since Homo sapiens was not adapted by evolution to experience constant pleasure,
if that is what humankind nevertheless 'really' wànts, ice cream & smartphone games will not dó.........
It will be necessary to chance our biochemistry & re-engineer our bodies & minds. So we are working on that.
You may debate whether it is good or bad, but it seems that the second great project of the twenty-first
century - to ensure global happiness - will involve re-engineering Homo sapiens so that it can enjoy
everlasting pleasure.
03 jun 2019 - bewerkt op 05 jun 2019
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