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/lit/ - Literature

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1585539 No.1585539 [Reply] [Original]

Why do all of the eastern religions rely on vaguely worded platitudes to convey their beliefs, and why do stupid Western teenagers eat this shit up like they're golden words of truth?

Fuck, practically ALL traditional eastern culture is like that. Check this quote by the king of stupid quotes Sun Tzu
>One defends when his strength is inadaquate, he attacks when it is abundant

Herpy fucking derp, that was deep.

Why people read this shit, I'll never know.

>> No.1585543

that's just one quote you god damned sponge

i could do the same thing with any western philosopher or writer

>> No.1585542

2deep4u

>> No.1585548

Why do all western Buddha statues portray him as fat? He was quite thin when he was alive.

>> No.1585547

>>1585543
That's just one quote, but most of his shit is like that. Even the best of what he wrote could be summarized and restated without the bullshit imitation of depth the entire culture likes to employ.

>> No.1585557

>>1585548
Because fat Buddha looks like he has a good time.

You want Buddha to have a good time, right?

>> No.1585558

>>1585548

The Fat Buddha is actually Budai, who is sometimes revered as a Bodhisattva.

>> No.1585560
File: 181 KB, 1206x1400, philosophy.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1585560

D&E says eastern philosophy is better

>> No.1585562

Mfw no one itt knows about buddism

>> No.1585563

Less China, more India. Start with the Upanishads. Once you learn2metaphor, the Bhagavad Gita.

>> No.1585565
File: 44 KB, 700x576, tripfag.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1585565

>>1585560
>>1585560

We don't care about what the trash of the internet thinks.

>> No.1585570
File: 91 KB, 280x413, gautama.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1585570

Your picture isn't even Buddha - it's the Budai, you poorly educated, ill-mannerd boor.

>> No.1585572

I never got the fat buddha statues. Completely contrary to the teachings of avoiding extremes. As for the pseudo-intellectual quotes, every philosophical quote is like that. Have you heard half the shit Francis Bacon spewed? I'm sure if you read a little more of it in context it's better.

>> No.1585573

>>1585562

The only things I remember about Buddhism are from 9th grade Global

I remember this much

Karma
Dharma
Nirvana
Reincarnation
Religion focuses on living without luxury

>> No.1585576

>>1585570
What can I say? I was only reincarnated as a woman.

>> No.1585580

>>1585572

Any philosophical shit quoted out of context makes the speaker sound like a highschooler quoting song lyrics on their facebook wall.

>> No.1585586

When I was 8 years old, I would quote from the Tao Te Ching in my English assignments and pretend to know what the hell I was talking about. All because I wanted to appear sagely.

Now, being an even more pretentious motherfucker who pretends to have read foucault, aristotle, plato, and all the other wizened piles of shit, I'm sagely enough to sage this thread. I lay hot chicks every day with one-line quotes from Aristotle on love, receive A grades from professors in all my philosophy for outright lying, and am a respected political candidate that lost the last local election by a margin of 5% due to my euripides rhetoric .

Pretending to read shit that nobody understands but everybody admires is the path to success,you basement dwelling neckbeards. Itt got me a blowjob yesterday, and today it won me vaginal sex. Problem, anonymous?

>> No.1585588

>>1585572
I'm pretty sure what OP's complaining about is how the majority of eastern philosophy is a collection of common sense explained in vague metaphors, which hipsters like to quote in an attempt to sound intelligent.

Which is true.

>> No.1585594

>>1585572

see

>>1585570

or

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budai

if you're a wikipedophile

tl;dr - "fat buddha" is a god not a prophet or whatever so fuck you he'll be as fat as he wants.

>> No.1585597

>>1585586

Just some advice, you probably shouldn't accept random sexual favors from women if you value your political carer or you will end up like Eliot Spitzer

>> No.1585604

>>1585597
I've got balls of steel

>> No.1585608

>>1585604

Shoulda bet on it.

>> No.1585631

More derpy Tzu quotes.
>What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.
>The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand.
>The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim.

I'm loling like mad, you'd get deeper shit out of a decent RTS strategy manual.

>> No.1585644

It makes perfect sense. Sun Tzu was a military strategist and that quote makes sense in that context. He is not being metaphorical or any shit like that, he's simply saying that when your forces are weak, it is wise to take a defensive position.

>> No.1585645

from the Tao Te Ching
>When a fool hears about Tao, he just laughs and laughs.
>If he didn't laugh, it wouldn't be Tao.

>> No.1585660

>>1585645
That's cute. "If you don't agree with our philosophy, you're a fool".

Sounds like my freshman metaphysics professor.

>> No.1585665

>>1585631
english translations completely lose the poetic elegance of the original aphorisms

>> No.1585666

Remember that the Art of War was written for officials in the province of Wu who knew jack-shit about warfare. As someone who intends on doing OCS, I find his quotes insightful. Often times, translation is everything. a shitty overly-flowery translation really messes up the meaning.
The art of war isn't about the military so much as it was about crisis management, leadership, and responsibility.
My favorite quote:
> A government should not mobilize an army out of anger; military leaders should not provoke war out of wrath. Act when it is beneficial, desist if it is not. Anger can revert to joy, wrath can revert to delight, but a nation destroyed cannot be restored to existence, and the dead cannot be restored to life

>> No.1585669

>>1585666

@ >>1585631

>> No.1585672

Eastern 'philosophy' (or, religion) is a crock of shit.
'Buddhists' piss me off to no end.

>> No.1585683

>>1585666
You really believe they were so terrible they needed someone to say "The guy that doesn't plan loses while the guy that plans wins"?

I've never studied military strategy but that's just common sense.

>> No.1585700

>>1585660

That's not what it means. It means that the Tao seems simple to the simple man, so he will laugh at it because it seems obvious. If it weren't simple to the simple and wise to the wise, it wouldn't be the Tao.

>> No.1585707

>>1585683
No, see, there you're just retarded. He's saying to always fight in cold blood.

>> No.1585710

>>1585683

Well a big part of the book is how civillian leadership is need because "Those who cheer for victory after a battle are cruel, and the cruel must not be allowed to inherit the Earth." However, A huge point of the book is how the civilian leadership must understand how the military operates (ie Gen. McChrystal getting fired for Obama's bullshit). And yes, most people in the government who are in charge of the military yet have never been in it are completely retarded. Also, the quote isn't simply 'winning is the best strategy.' the quote means that rather than duke-ing it out and winning a supper huge epic battle of carnage, a good leader nips the problems in the butt before things escalate and the shit hits the fan

>> No.1585711

>>1585683
Probably common because of the implementation of his ideas.

>> No.1585721

>>1585707
Maybe in context.

>> No.1585730

>>1585560
>>1585560
Do you have the the unmarked version of this pic?

>> No.1585731

>>1585711
Well yeah, that's actually part of what he says makes a good general, refusing to get butthurt

>> No.1585733
File: 6 KB, 258x87, laozi.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1585733

it's really very hard to translate stuff like the tao te ching, because of its aphoristic style. you are better off studying it with someone who understands old school chinese.

>> No.1585744

Eastern philosophy will never make sense to anyone who is not willing to let it make sense. Same for Western philosophy. Everyone can believe what they want, it doesn't matter either way. I dig Eastern stuff, if you don't that's okay.

Live hypotheses, William James, etc.

>> No.1585746

>>1585539

I believed this for a long time about Zen koans. And, in fact, they are vaguely worded platitudes. But this is out of necessity. Zen is about seeing the essence of things rather than our interpretation of them. And obviously, when you write about something, you're creating an interpretation of it.

So you throw out these koans and hope that people will see the essence of what you're talking about and not give too much weight to the words you used to describe it. "The finger that points at the moon is not the moon."

>> No.1585751

>>1585746
This is true

>> No.1585754

>>1585746
this, and Zen koans also were never intended to make you think at all. Meditation is all about NOT thinking, and that's what koans help you do: quiet your mind.

>> No.1585769

I think OP is approaching it wrong. Eastern philosophy was never about finding answers, like Western philosophy has been. It's about enlightenment, not wisdom. And yeah, their stuff seems whacky. But you can't deny that Eastern masters are incredibly content and happy; they must be doing something right.

>> No.1585770

>>1585672
>'Buddhists' piss me off to no end.

You prefer the peaceful Buddhists to the Christians who preach peace, equality, and love of thy neighbor during all of their Holy Wars, persecutions, and overall being some of the most fanatical, self-righteous, and even down right vicious people I've met?

I'm not saying their religion is right or their philosophy is right, but I'm saying I'd much rather spend the day with a devoted Buddhist to a Christian.

>> No.1585775

>>1585770

That's not fair.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_at_War

>> No.1585779

>>1585770
Read Orwell's 'Shooting an elephant. Buddhists can be just as much assholes as the rest of us.

>> No.1585797
File: 419 KB, 384x400, amusei.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1585797

>>1585775
>That's not fair
I read that in Amusei's voice and lol'd.

>> No.1585819

>>1585775
No, I guess it isn't really fair. But as far as I know, Buddhism allows for war, and isn't particularly extreme in any way.

Still, though, look at Christianity. Thou shalt not kill. Love thy neighbor as you love yourself. Huh. Look at all those crusades against the other religions, in the name of God, who forbid human sacrifice, murder, killing, and demanded peace.

Not saying there aren't Buddhists who fight in wars, but I don't think they fight in the name of Buddha.

>> No.1585837

>>1585819

>Look at all those crusades against the other religions
They tried to take back some Christian lands from Muslims, and killed some heretics in Southern France.

That's about it. Nothing particularly evil about it.

>who forbid killing, and demanded peace.
Christianity only forbids certain kinds of killing. Killing in war is perfectly fine.

Also,
>“I came not to bring peace but a sword” (Matthew 10:34).

>> No.1585847

I recently read a book by The Dalai Lama

while I don't agree with the sophmoric way OP puts it, there are some aspects from Buddhism that can be annoying

A lot of it seems to rely on cop outs, there is some strange (to me as a Westerner) beliefs where nothing physical matters yet the "soul" can remain in physical bodies after death for weeks. It is probably because I wasn't raised in it, but Buddhists seem lazy.

>> No.1585860
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1585860

>>1585700

The tao that can be spoken of is not the tao.

or altenatively - everybody STFU and GTFO

>> No.1585898

wittgenstein said something similar ya know

>> No.1585916

>>1585898
Who said it first?

>> No.1585931

it's more of a stylistic similarity than an overlap in philosophy.

>> No.1585933
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1585933

>>1585819

Buddhism doesn't allow for war. Unless its one of those fucked up Mahayana sects, which are about as far removed from the original as protestants are to catholics.

Though, in ALL cases... this is the most true:

"There are some upon this earth of yours," returned the Spirit, "who lay claim to know us, and who do their deeds of passion, pride, ill-will, hatred, envy, bigotry, and selfishness in our name, who are as strange to us and all out kith and kin, as if they had never lived. Remember that, and charge their doings on themselves, not us."

>> No.1585935

>>1585931
So it's moar liek "Wittgenstein said something in a similar way you know" amirite?

>> No.1585995

well, it also means that you should read deeper into it.

>> No.1586025

>>1585933

and catholics to jesus

>> No.1586040

As in all religions... there is a lot of noise in Taoism and Buddhism and some stupid things. But to begin a journey into the essence of being. they are the best. Then you return to western thinking.

>> No.1586043

taoism isn't a religion religion

>> No.1586046
File: 21 KB, 475x357, tao-lin-webjpg.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1586046

>>1586043
He has his own religion, now???

>> No.1586047

Certain Buddhist practices are cool, but the metaphysics is full of fuck.

So is most Western metaphysics though, let's not feel special.

>> No.1586053

what do you mean by religion religion? beyond the dao de jing, taoism does get pretty religious...

>> No.1586069

it's more like superstitious/spiritual philosophy that's deeply attached to the world and practical living.
in the western conception of religion, exemplified by christianity, religion is able to be separated from secular life, and "spiritual matters" has, on a common understanding of it, a sharp separation from ordinary life. this position of religion is what i meant with religion religion.

>> No.1586074

anyway i am learning more about buddhism and stuff now, so maybe i'll have smarter things to say later.