SUMMARY
Attachment is a consequence of repetitions

Buddhism and Wheels
The First Truth tells us what Dukkha is. These days Dukkha is commonly understood as 'suffering'.

In Buddha's time the word Dukkha was used to describe when a wheel was not turning smoothly on its axle. In those days the wheels squeaked and wobbled, and the hub needed constant maintenance in order to run smoothly.

Dukkha describes how our existence is not running smoothly. The hub of the ancient wooden spoked wheel symbolises almost perfectly, how life wobbles, and sometimes starts grinding or gets twisted and blocked.

Modern suggestions for the interpretation of Dukkha are : suffering, anxiety, distress, unsatisfactory, frustration, unease, or stress, - but none of these have the sense of repetition and self perpetuating motion as witnessed in the wheel: - not running smoothly, not turning well.

The First Truth tells us: The Five Aggregates are not running smoothly, they are not working efficiently.

(For this summary it is irrelevant what the Five Aggregates are, call them the ingredients of life.)

Buddhism and Repetitions
The Second Truth discusses the cause of Dukkha. Our life is influenced by pleasure and wanting. This is the prime cause of Suffering or 'things not running smoothly'.

My understanding of Buddhism then differs from the normal view.

The normal view is that pleasure and wanting lead to attachment, and due to impermanence and change, attatchment leads to suffering.

I believe Buddha's new central idea (or one of them), was that pleasure and wanting lead primarily to repetitions. Simply: if something is pleasurable, we want to repeat it. Repetitions involve us in a timeline, they are not conducive to being now. And, once the repetitions start, once the wheels start turning; then they turn with their own karmic momentum.

The traditional view that attachment is the central problem, is supported by the fact that the Five Aggregates are almost always and only defined in terms of "the Five Aggregates of Clinging". 'Clinging' severly limits their interpretation and their potential as a universal principle.

I believe the Aggregates primary attribute is once set in motion, once the wheels start turning, they keep repeating. Attachments, especially extreme attachments like clinging, are just one of the consequences of the repetitions.

The Middle Way
The Middle Way is a way between the two extremes of sensual indulgence and sensory withdrawal.

Broadband sensing fulfills these criteria perfectly.

I believe that broadband sensing is the practical teaching of the middle way. There are many psychological and philosophical attitudes which this could be combined with.

Next Page