How sane are you?

[lobster]

I am always amazed how the crazier and more deluded we are, the more everyone else is deluded and crazy . . .

As far as I know Buddhism leads us to greater mental stability, no matter the starting point.
Most of us are a mix of attributes and also can manifest genuine Buddha Emptiness (of attributes) to a varying degree.

So Buddhist involvement and progress should be quite noticeable and self revealing after we gain a little interior discrimination.

For me to answer the question is simple.
Not sane enough. How much is enough . . . oh I don't think you can have too much sanity . . . with sufficient sanity we might even tread the way of the 'crazy wisdom' adepts . . .

[catmoon]

Just sane enough to know I'm pretty damn crazy.

And that it doesn't matter much.

[Seishin]

Depends on your perspective.

[gregkavarnos]

Mental illness is a condition that causes incredible amounts of suffering to countless numbers of people across the globe. It is not an issue for humorous comment. I sincerely hope that no one ever suffers from insanity or mental illness EVER in all their lifetimes and that all those currently suffering from mental illness are freed from their condition permanently.

oṃ bhaiṣajye bhaiṣajye mahābhaiṣajya-samudgate svāhā

Medicine Buddha.jpg (17.25 KiB) Viewed 1342 times

[catmoon]

You think I was kidding, maybe?

[Seishin]

To clarify, I was replying to the question "how sane are you?" not refering to mental illnesses. My reply was not in anyway meant to be funny. Many people think I am a few screws loose but from my perspective I'm not.

Gassho

[gregkavarnos]

I know you both meant no harm, but this does not in any way alter anything that I have said. Let us say a mentally-ill (insane) person stumbled across this thread, would they not feel that you were making "light" of their condition? If you have had any contact with people that suffer from mental illness you will inderstand how little humor is involved in their condition. All I am asking is that you consider this fact. All I a saying is that I hope mental illness never strikes you or your loved ones.

[Seishin]

All I a saying is that I hope mental illness never strikes you or your loved ones.

It is way too late for that Greg. If anything, our humour helps us get through it.

Gassho.

[catmoon]

I know you both meant no harm, but this does not in any way alter anything that I have said. Let us say a mentally-ill (insane) person stumbled across this thread, would they not feel that you were making "light" of their condition? If you have had any contact with people that suffer from mental illness you will inderstand how little humor is involved in their condition. All I am asking is that you consider this fact. All I a saying is that I hope mental illness never strikes you or your loved ones.

Too late. Dude what you don't know....

[Quiet Heart]

I am always amazed how the crazier and more deluded we are, the more everyone else is deluded and crazy . . .

As far as I know Buddhism leads us to greater mental stability, no matter the starting point.
Most of us are a mix of attributes and also can manifest genuine Buddha Emptiness (of attributes) to a varying degree.

So Buddhist involvement and progress should be quite noticeable and self revealing after we gain a little interior discrimination.

For me to answer the question is simple.
Not sane enough. How much is enough . . . oh I don't think you can have too much sanity . . . with sufficient sanity we might even tread the way of the 'crazy wisdom' adepts . . .

--------------------------------
Well, whether I'm sane or not depends on your perspective on just what IS sanity.

But I like the saying:

In a sick and insane society, adaption to the "norm" is not a virtrue, but indeed a form of insanity itself.

Don't know who that quote originally came from....but i like it.

[Ayu]

On my way i became more and more stable in my mind. It took years.
But i would not call it "sane", if the meaning here is "normal". (?)
Some kind of insanity or crazyness is useful to break through narrow-mindedness.

But to become calm and stable is a very important goal.

[plwk]

Recently, I was reading this...

[lobster]

Humour is a good quality as far as I know and one of the ways of dealing with dukkha.
The norm based on the crazed kali yuga we inhabit is an indication of frenzy and manipulation, not much value there . . . none the less it is the world we are in . . . even if not sharing its values of attachment, greed, exploitation and celebration of inanity . . .

So perhaps the ability to reside in a variety of realms is an indication of well being?

[catmoon]

But I like the saying:

In a sick and insane society, adaption to the "norm" is not a virtrue, but indeed a form of insanity itself.

Don't know who that quote originally came from....but i like it.

George Carlin maybe?

[tomamundsen]

People have told me that I make very awkward pauses when I'm thinking during conversation. To the point where they think something is wrong with me. It started after I took a linguistics class and we had an exercise to listen to how often people say "uh" and "um." I try to avoid using those disfluencies now that I know how ridiculous it can sound, but apparently disfluencies are what make us seem like normal human beings!

Also, I'm a white guy practicing Buddhism, so I've got that going for me on the craziness scale.

[catmoon]

Just say "Om" instead of "Um".

[Ayu]

...

Also, I'm a white guy practicing Buddhism, so I've got that going for me on the craziness scale.

What i like about the buddhist practice: the feet come firmly to the ground (sanity). But the mind reaches undiscovered realms (craziness).

[tomamundsen]

Just say "Om" instead of "Um".

[undefineable]

I am always amazed how the crazier and more deluded we are, the more everyone else is deluded and crazy . . .

As far as I know Buddhism leads us to greater mental stability, no matter the starting point.
Most of us are a mix of attributes and also can manifest genuine Buddha Emptiness (of attributes) to a varying degree.

We notice our own qualities in others
Manifesting emptiness of attributes _ _ Tricky. As a rule of thumb, the more we experience our own emptiness of attributes, the more others see us as being defined by one or two attributes, typically negative ones, cos we're not taking care to 'manifest' the fixed range that was pre-packaged as Self

[undefineable]

In a sick and insane society, adaption to the "norm" is not a virtrue, but indeed a form of insanity itself.

On the contrary, if you can't even adapt to the norm in a sick society, how much less can you adapt to the norm in a healthy one - Hence:

So perhaps the ability to reside in a variety of realms is an indication of well being?

In practice, of course, the simpler the society, not only the less chance it has to 'get sick', but the easier it is to adapt to it, there being less subtlety to adapt to.

But with a towering edifice like this to adapt to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-bmxgxH_WU (from 6:00 on) /

The norm based on the crazed kali yuga we inhabit is an indication of frenzy and manipulation

It must take a cool head not to experience this 'frenzy' as the ultimate source of value, and adaptation to it as eternal salvation - lack of adaptation appearing as eternal damnation. I could just go and get my dunce's cap now, but who honestly doesn't get what I'm talking about?

Also, isn't it tempting fate to assume we're nearing the climax of kali yaga, rather than the beginning?