"There is a pleasure in philosophy, and a lure even in the mirages of metaphysics, which every student feels until the coarse of necessite of physical existence drag him from the hegihts of thought into the mart of economic strife and gain.".."Most of us have known some golden days in the June of life when philosophy was in fact what Plato calls it, "that dear delight"; when the love of a modestly elusive truth seemed more glorious, incomparably, than the lust for the ways of the flesh and the dross to the world, And there is always some wistful remnant in us of that early wooing of wisdom"( taken from the book, "the story of Philosophy" by Will Durant)...

So, Let us disscuss philosophy, let's attack Kant's pratical resoning, Descartes's Existence and Schopenhauer's Genius..let us learn as we discourse, let the pages of philosophy begin in sajha..

Solitude should be cultivated, bodily solitude as well as mental solitude. Bodily solitude means to be alone. I donýt mean to say that we should avoid meeting with people. Rather I mean we should spend time by ourselves. Mental solitude means not thinking about anything but being alert and aware. Some people believe that when we are not thinking about anything, then we must be deeply asleep, or dull and sleepy. People donýt understand the importance of solitude. They want to be with somebody who can give them some fun or stimulate them somehow. Craving for stimulation. When there is nothing to stimulate them they become bored. Even when they are alone bodily, they read or watch TV, listen to the radio or cassette, or they think about things theyýve done or about the things they will do. Being alone, not reading or watching TV, listening to the radio or cassette, and not thinking are things they never thought of as productive.

- Sayadaw U Jyotika

Imagination is very powerful. When you imagine a peaceful situation, your mind becomes peaceful. On the other hand, you can scare yourself to death by imagining terrible situations. Since you have a choice, choose peaceful images, like sitting in meditation near the Buddha in a peaceful setting. Imagine all the details. Imagine that you are deep in the mountains. Cool, quiet. Near the Buddha you feel very calm, tranquil, safe, secure, and free from dirt. Or collect some poems which make your mind calm. Copy them neatly in a small notebook, which you can carry with you.

Opinions that agree offer security. Yes, I can go on being upset about people for not being open-minded, but I donýt want to do that anymore. I cannot change them; I am not responsible for them; I will help them if I can. Most people donýt know what is happening in their mind, in their life. They think they know but they donýt. Most people are very heavily conditioned. You need tremendous awareness and honesty to overcome that conditioning. You are conditioned and I am conditioned too. Do we know that we are conditioned? Most of our thinking and reactions are conditioned reflexes. So let us work first on ourselves. When we ourselves are free from conditions, then I think we can do something to help others become deconditioned. As long as we are upset, we will hurt others in the name of helping. Self-deception. Sometimes it can be so complete that you donýt even know. Defensiveness makes you blind to your own weaknesses (self-deception). We deceive ourselves to be happy. Sometimes it is painful to see our weak points.

Donýt carry all the past memories and all the future cares in your mind. Live each and every moment mindfully. The future will take care of itself.

As we learn we grow out of many of our attachments, desires, dreams, hopes. Disillusionment is painful in the beginning because it is associated with disappointment, but later on it frees the mind. It makes one become more realistic. Life is not a fairytale. There is no ýthey lived happily ever afterý in real life. To be truthful, we must change. Like a snake which sheds its skin because it has become too tight, we must shed our cherished dreams. Instead of complaining that it has become too tight for us to breathe, we must shed our old skin and grow a new one, allowing us to breathe more easily. But we must remember that when the time comes to shed that again, we should not be reluctant. It is always painful to shed old skin. One becomes very vulnerable and over-sensitive because the new skin is not strong enough yet to stand contact with the environment.

Happiness is having a quiet mind, and being completely mindful, so mindful that there is no thought, no sense of I. This happiness comes when all thoughts of the past or future do not occur ý no ýIý, no yesterday, no tomorrow, no plan. In that timeless moment there isnýt an ýIý experiencing that bliss. There is only the happiness. Real happiness has no reason. When you are really happy (with no sense of I) you cannot say ýI am happy becauseýý If you try hard to be happy you are sure to fail. Real happiness comes without being invited.

People get absorbed in entertainment and information, diverting their mind from the real, important things in life. It is much more rewarding to study your own mind and your own life, but most people are afraid to do that. Instead they want to forget themselves. They are running away from themselves; they donýt have enough courage to face themselves. Or they are scared, scared they will go crazy if they think too much about themselves. But Iým not talking about thinking; Iým talking about watching. Yes, if you think too much about yourself, you will go crazy.

People feel empty and useless. To cover that they try to keep themselves busy. People feel important when theyýre busy.

thanks for these useful nuggets of wisdom sadabichar. however, i am not sure if i agree a 100% with your last statemetn "People feel important when they?re busy. "

i think people become busy when they feel important. there's a big difference. some people feel a higher sense of purpose, and that drives them to keep busy. for example, on his deathbed leonardo da vinci regretted not having been able to do more. mother teresa, linus pauling, albert einstein led hectic lives. i doubt if they were trying to feel important by being busy. rather, being busy was a consequence of them needing to do something meaningful.

i just wanted to point out the misleading conclusion that people might infer from your statement. the other things you've said are very profound and so someone might just accept your last statemetn withouth thinking for themselves.

Sarbapratham ta yo bujhnu jaruri cha ki pholosophy bhaneko ke ho.

La philosophy ko paribhasa ko ko lai thaha chaina haat uthau.............

ee, la, tyasobhaye sabai jana pahila gayera philosoohy ko meaning herera aune, tyaspachi ma yas bisaya ma aru gahiro kura garaula hai ta

Sarbapratham ta yo bujhnu jaruri cha ki pholosophy bhaneko ke ho.
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I would venture that science is a branch of philosophy, that is natural philosophy. After all, philosophy is the love of wisdom, and by extension, knowledge.


Here's a more philosophically accurate discourse: :D

Theist: God exists.

Scientist: Prove it.

Theist: I can't, but my experience is enough to convince me. I don't understand it all now, but I'm confident proceeding with the belief that there's something to it. Anyway, you're the one big on proof. Disprove it.

Scientist: I can't. No data. I can however say with great conviction that the sun will rise tomorrow.

Theist: I wasn't exactly in doubt of that. If you can't prove God doesn't exist, why should I have to prove God does exist?

Scientist: Because it's foolish to believe in something you can't prove.

Theist: Why?

Scientist: It just is.

Dear Mitraharu:

Well, let us not forget, as Socrates once said, "Before you speak, words are under your control: after you speak, you are under the control of words...!!!"

Jai-Bhoondi
RSVP

''I would venture that science is a branch of philosophy, that is natural philosophy.''

I think while science is the reality, philosophy is virtual reality.