“Is it too radical to ask if perhaps we should expect absolutely nothing and if, in doing so, we are inevitably not going to strive as hard, but perhaps that is taking it too far.”

Great question. I have always felt that a problem with Buddhism was that when you learn to accept life as it is, (accepting that nothing is either good or bad and that all labeling is unskillful…) that there was a loss of energy to work toward outer change.  That is of course not the intention but a trap many who practice fall into.

How do you say Yes to Life as it is, even Yes to what you may not like, and still continue to stand and act for what you feel/think is the good? Act out your truth

You continue to act with the expectation of nothing because how things turn out is not a concern for those that act on what they feel/think is the good, open to learning better to do better. It is enough being authentic to the Self without having to measure the outcome.  We do not create meaning, we become meaning.

There is a Hermetic Riddle As above so below as below so above. We are influenced and we influence. Though we may not be in control of change we are co-creators. Who we are does play a role in the world we experience and create, for ourselves and others, its just not in ways easily measurable. (Especially if we demand the outcome of change to be only that which we desire it to be. It is said that ‘Man is the measure of all things’. That may or may not be so however, what is true is that we really suck at measuring our experiences.)

“The Riddle” – Five For Fighting Lyrics
There was a man back in ’95
Whose heart ran out of summers
But before he died, I asked him
Wait, what’s the sense in life
Come over me, Come over me
He said,
Son why you got to sing that tune
Catch a Dylan song or some eclipse of the moon
Let an angel swing and make you swoon
Then you will see… You will see
Then he said,
Here’s a riddle for you
Find the Answer
There’s a reason for the world
You and I…
Picked up my kid from school today
Did you learn anything cause in the world today
You can’t live in a castle far away
Now talk to me, come talk to me
He said,
Dad I’m big but we’re smaller than small
In the scheme of things, well we’re nothing at all
Still every mother’s child sings a lonely song
So play with me, come play with me
And Hey Dad
Here’s a riddle for you
Find the Answer
There’s a reason for the world
You and I…
I said,
Son for all I’ve told you
When you get right down to the
Reason for the world…
Who am I?
There are secrets that we still have left to find
There have been mysteries from the beginning of time
There are answers we’re not wise enough to see
He said… You looking for a clue I Love You free…
The batter swings and the summer flies
As I look into my angel’s eyes
A song plays on while the moon is high over me
Something comes over me
I guess we’re big and I guess we’re small
If you think about it man you know we got it all
Cause we’re all we got on this bouncing ball
And I love you free
I love you freely
Here’s a riddle for you
Find the Answer
There’s a reason for the world
You and I…

• This reply was modified 7 years ago by Peter.