Should humanity end?

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Jokingfish
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Should humanity end?

Post by Jokingfish »

Should everyone be celibate and let the humanity end? (since celibacy is useful)

Ty
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Aemilius
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Re: Should humanity end?

Post by Aemilius »

Foolish question, people can't be forced into celibacy. And anyway in the course of evolution "More than 99% of all species that ever lived on Earth, amounting to over five billion species, are estimated to have died out."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinction
svaha
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Sarvē mānavāḥ svatantrāḥ samutpannāḥ vartantē api ca, gauravadr̥śā adhikāradr̥śā ca samānāḥ ēva vartantē. Ētē sarvē cētanā-tarka-śaktibhyāṁ susampannāḥ santi. Api ca, sarvē’pi bandhutva-bhāvanayā parasparaṁ vyavaharantu."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1. (in english and sanskrit)
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Jokingfish
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Re: Should humanity end?

Post by Jokingfish »

Aemilius wrote: Fri Nov 11, 2022 9:51 am Foolish question, people can't be forced into celibacy. And anyway in the course of evolution "More than 99% of all species that ever lived on Earth, amounting to over five billion species, are estimated to have died out."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinction
What if all decided to be so (in the future)? Should humanity go this road?
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PadmaVonSamba
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Re: Should humanity end?

Post by PadmaVonSamba »

Jokingfish wrote: Thu Nov 10, 2022 7:20 pm Should everyone be celibate and let the humanity end? (since celibacy is useful)
It is really a good idea, if one seriously wants to benefit from Buddhist teachings and practice, not to spend too much time chasing after impossible hypotheticals and theoreticals. They are fine topics for college philosophy students to debate over a few beers. But what often happens to the Buddhist practitioner (and literally, this happens often) is like walking around the edge of a swimming pool, focusing on and debating all the possibilities of water, water temperature, floating vs. submerged, etc, but never actually jumping in: they never get anywhere.

This isn’t just an issue for Buddhists. I know a few people who seem to be forever stuck in a kind of limbo, unable to move ahead in life, always reaching out for answers and help but never taking it because they immediately begin to ponder all of the “what-if” scenarios instead of just going ahead and not being afraid to see what turns up. I think this also describes a type of hungry ghost.

Humans as a species will probably never become totally extinct, but it is possible, with or without celibacy. But since there is no way to know, this is what the Buddha referred to basically as ‘mindless chatter’ which for monks is regarded as the opposite of right speech.

It’s not that Buddhism prohibits any discussion of ‘what if’ questions at all. Intellectual curiosity is a great thing. The point is, don’t let them become distractions, or else distractions become part of your path. And being on a path full of distractions is like taking a road trip and getting off at every exit, rest area, and truck stop. If one is not really focused on Buddhist practice, or if one is merely studying Buddhism out of curiosity or for entertainment, then of course this doesn’t matter at all.

But from a Buddhist point of view, it might be better, instead of looking at the questions, to look at the mind itself which is asking the questions. That’s where things get really interesting. That’s where it goes way beyond hypotheticals, because your mind is what is happening right now, right this second.
EMPTIFUL.
An inward outlook produces outward insight.
Knotty Veneer
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Re: Should humanity end?

Post by Knotty Veneer »

Jokingfish wrote: Thu Nov 10, 2022 7:20 pm Should everyone be celibate and let the humanity end? (since celibacy is useful)

Ty
A couple of points:
  • Sex is still pretty popular with the youth so I doubt everyone going celibate is likely any time soon if ever.
  • The human race will die out eventually anyway. I think this century will see the start of that process.
This is not the wrong life.
DharmaJunior
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Re: Should humanity end?

Post by DharmaJunior »

We're due for a population implosion with fewer babies and a large elderly population, with redundancy on a mass scale taking place and replacement by a.i.

so there's that.
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Aemilius
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Re: Should humanity end?

Post by Aemilius »

According to Buddhism, as explained in the Sutras and Abhidharma, humanity comes to an end, at the termination of a kalpa. There is also a teaching in the sutras/suttas that before the end of a kalpa a teacher appears who encourages people to attain certain state of meditation so that they will be reborn into a higher plane of existence.

Buddhaghosha explains thus in the Path of Purification:

"Ayu-Kalpa - a variable time span representing the life expectancy of a typical human being in a particular era or yuga. This can be as high as one asankheya or as small as 10 years. This number is directly proportional to the level of virtue of people in that era. Currently this value hovers around 100 years and is continually decreasing.

Antah-Kalpa - the time it takes for one ayu-kalpa to grow from 10 years up to one asankheya and back to 10 years. The ending of one antah-kalpa (or mass-extinction) can happen in one of three ways, all involving the majority of the human population going extinct:

Sashthrantha-Kalpa - Mass extinction by wars.
Durbhikshantha-Kalpa - Mass extinction by hunger.
Rogantha-Kalpa - Mass extinction by plague."
svaha
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Sarvē mānavāḥ svatantrāḥ samutpannāḥ vartantē api ca, gauravadr̥śā adhikāradr̥śā ca samānāḥ ēva vartantē. Ētē sarvē cētanā-tarka-śaktibhyāṁ susampannāḥ santi. Api ca, sarvē’pi bandhutva-bhāvanayā parasparaṁ vyavaharantu."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1. (in english and sanskrit)
master of puppets
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Re: Should humanity end?

Post by master of puppets »

I don't think everyone should stay celibate. since a girl is in need.

once ı was wondering where all the shit go after we go to toilet, seriously. think million and billion people. where do all; &not only shit but all the dirt/mess/trash that one human does go?
mostly turn into soil?? is soil dirt??

ı will not be surprised if the world will become full of shit and dirt in the next future. :shrug:

sorry,
Last edited by master of puppets on Fri Nov 11, 2022 4:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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DNS
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Re: Should humanity end?

Post by DNS »

Jokingfish wrote: Thu Nov 10, 2022 7:20 pm Should everyone be celibate and let the humanity end? (since celibacy is useful)

Ty
There are some movements which call for zero population growth, voluntarily not having children. They argue that humans consume too much, are bad for the environment, etc and that the animals would be better off without humans. Probably true, but from a religion-spiritual perspective, the animals wouldn't advance until some new intelligent species evolved again. Those movements are not necessarily celibate though, they just advocate using birth control.
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Johnny Dangerous
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Re: Should humanity end?

Post by Johnny Dangerous »

Jokingfish wrote: Fri Nov 11, 2022 10:16 am
Aemilius wrote: Fri Nov 11, 2022 9:51 am Foolish question, people can't be forced into celibacy. And anyway in the course of evolution "More than 99% of all species that ever lived on Earth, amounting to over five billion species, are estimated to have died out."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinction
What if all decided to be so (in the future)? Should humanity go this road?
Not having kids may make some peoples lives more conducive to practice, but beings will still be reborn in some form as long as they are propelled by karma. Anti natalism affects nothing and is a trite, neurotic point of view.
Meditate upon Bodhicitta when afflicted by disease

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when sad

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when suffering occurs

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when you are scared

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Kai lord
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Re: Should humanity end?

Post by Kai lord »

Jokingfish wrote: Fri Nov 11, 2022 10:16 am What if all decided to be so (in the future)? Should humanity go this road?
If even Sun and Earth can't last forever, why should humans be any different?
Life is like a game, either you win or lose!
Life is like a fight, either you live or die!
Life is like a show, either you laugh or cry!
Life is like a dream, either you know or not!!!
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