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Showing posts from September, 2024

A Quiet and Flowing Life Like Water

 A Quiet and Flowing Life Like Water When someone asks me, "How do you live?" I reply, "I live like water." This doesn't mean that I do nothing amidst the situations and events given to me. It simply means I continue doing something without much thought or attachment. When Wonhyo described the state of Nirvana as "deep and tranquil like true suchness, far removed from the ten marks," I cannot fathom what that tranquility is or whether it is the same as the tranquility I feel. However, at least when I express my state in words, my mind is neither cluttered nor confused. This quiet and flowing life like water is not stagnant. When facing phenomena, I do not refuse the will and effort to interpret them subjectively. Nevertheless, I do not cling to them. The vitality of the fish, wind, and moss that I encounter as I flow like water is an unavoidable situation given to me. When Merleau-Ponty spoke of "being-toward-the-world," might he not have m...

A short thought on Carl G. Jung and Schopenhauer

Carl Jung may not have been particularly moved by the philosophers within the Western tradition during his study of philosophy. However, he expressed admiration for Schopenhauer, and the reason lies in the latter’s view that the world we live in is one filled with vast suffering. Schopenhauer explained desire and suffering by comparing them to the will of a poet. A poet's poem is created according to their own desire and will, and no one can ask, “Why did you use this expression?” or “Why do you interpret it that way?” expecting a fixed or standardized answer. It is more reasonable to simply acknowledge that the poet's will (or mind) made the creative choice, as it was in accordance with their inner state. In other words, the will forms the basis of creation, and this creative will is constantly tormented. Since there is no eternal satisfaction, it continually craves something more. This makes it dynamic and multifaceted, much like art.