DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - Non-attachment and "good"?

**2CNWXAqN** · 12-11-2010, 09:09 AM

If there is 'no-self' (or anatta), then do our actions really matter? Does anything we do really matter? "who" cares if I be mean to someone or go around killing tons of people? In the grand scheme of the universe, these actions, and their effects, wont 'mean' anything, and no 'one' personally is effected, since nothing has a 'self' anyway....

A personal understanding of "being good/doing good deeds"etc. is that these actions are only stepping stones on a Spiritual Path.
The first verse of the Dhammapada tells us that everything is mind-made. So before l can harm another l must first think about it,that is harm myself. As harming myself is not on the Buddhist Path l will not do this.
So by all means do good,but don't think of it as such,or even worse think of it as 'l'm on my way to Liberation'

12-11-2010, 09:09 AM	#9
2CNWXAqN Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 467 Senior Member	If there is 'no-self' (or anatta), then do our actions really matter? Does anything we do really matter? "who" cares if I be mean to someone or go around killing tons of people? In the grand scheme of the universe, these actions, and their effects, wont 'mean' anything, and no 'one' personally is effected, since nothing has a 'self' anyway.... A personal understanding of "being good/doing good deeds"etc. is that these actions are only stepping stones on a Spiritual Path. The first verse of the Dhammapada tells us that everything is mind-made. So before l can harm another l must first think about it,that is harm myself. As harming myself is not on the Buddhist Path l will not do this. So by all means do good,but don't think of it as such,or even worse think of it as 'l'm on my way to Liberation'
	Quote