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What do you think this quote means? "Permanent is not; impermanent is not; a self is not; not a self [is not]; clean is not; not clean is not; happy is not; suffering is not."

Created: 09/24/12

Replies: 9

Posted Sep. 24, 2012 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert

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What do you think this quote means? "Permanent is not; impermanent is not; a self is not; not a self [is not]; clean is not; not clean is not; happy is not; suffering is not."

Mary Anne underlined a passage in Seventy Verses on Emptiness, which resonated with Will: "Permanent is not; impermanent is not; a self is not; not a self [is not]; clean is not; not clean is not; happy is not; suffering is not." Why did this strike both of them as significant? What do you think it means?


Posted Sep. 26, 2012 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
jacquelynh

Join Date: 06/14/11

Posts: 34

RE: What do you think this quote means? "Permanent is not; impermanent is not; a self is not; not a self [is not]; clean is not; not clean is not; happy is not; suffering is not."

I think this is a Buddhist quote about the doctrine of non-self. The self is insubstantial and impermanent and an evolving process. Buddhists believe in a middle way between all extremes of dogmatism and skepticism - a pragmatic attitude toward all knowledge. And - - that's ALL I know about that!


Posted Sep. 26, 2012 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
rebeccar

Join Date: 03/13/12

Posts: 548

RE: What do you think this quote means? "Permanent is not; impermanent is not; a self is not; not a self [is not]; clean is not; not clean is not; happy is not; suffering is not."

To me, this quote made me think about spiritual life. When I looked at my father's body and many years late my mother's body, it was an empty shell. In many ways, that physical body didn't even look much like them any mroe - the spirit was gone. Where it is, who knows. As a kid I thought of death as taking someone to heaven - up there in the clouds, looking down on us. When I worked for the airlines, there were a couple of times that I'd think, "O.K., here I am at 39,000 feet out over the South Pacific and the clouds aren't heaven." As for a self is not: here on Earth, our clothes, hair, jewelry, education, homes, all of the material possessions seem to make up our self. But for anyone who has ever traveled to a new place and had that eerie feeling that he or she has been there before, then who is the self? Clean and happy can vary widely depending on where one is on the planet. They are human standards.


Posted Sep. 29, 2012 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
lisag

Join Date: 01/12/12

Posts: 298

RE: What do you think this quote means? "Permanent is not; impermanent is not; a self is not; not a self [is not]; clean is not; not clean is not; happy is not; suffering is not."

I'm with jacquelynh. In Buddhism everything is subjective and no thought should ever be judged. Any perception that we have any control at all over life or the world is false. It's sort of a "whatever will be will be" perception; it's so far beyond our control, why worry about any of it?


Posted Oct. 02, 2012 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
LReads

Join Date: 06/23/12

Posts: 27

RE: What do you think this quote means? "Permanent is not; impermanent is not; a self is not; not a self [is not]; clean is not; not clean is not; happy is not; suffering is not."

I totally agree with the comments about this thought being related to Buddhist philosophy. Mary Anne is an excellent example of the fact that we can choose how we respond to any given situation and are not bound by the physical world.


Posted Oct. 02, 2012 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
bettyt

Join Date: 05/12/11

Posts: 228

RE: What do you think this quote means? "Permanent is not; impermanent is not; a self is not; not a self [is not]; clean is not; not clean is not; happy is not; suffering is not."

I think it means that states of being are transient, fluid, subjective, immaterial.


Posted Oct. 08, 2012 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
MarieA

Join Date: 10/12/11

Posts: 256

RE: What do you think this quote means? "Permanent is not; impermanent is not; a self is not; not a self [is not]; clean is not; not clean is not; happy is not; suffering is not."

Could it be in reference to the Power of Now? The relevance of Now?


Posted Oct. 17, 2012 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Dolena

Join Date: 06/13/11

Posts: 8

RE: What do you think this quote means? "Permanent is not; impermanent is not; a self is not; not a self [is not]; clean is not; not clean is not; happy is not; suffering is not."

I only know a little bit about Buddhist philosophy, but it seems that this quotation summarizes a big chunk of that philosophy (not withstanding that concepts of compassion and suffering). I think that MarieA is correct that this quotations is the foundation of Eckhart Tolle's Power of Now. Nothing is but this moment and this moment is nothing.

I think my answer is like the Presidential debates: on topic, but not really responsive to the question. Oh well, maybe I should run for office.


Posted Oct. 18, 2012 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
sandral

Join Date: 04/09/11

Posts: 13

RE: What do you think this quote means? "Permanent is not; impermanent is not; a self is not; not a self [is not]; clean is not; not clean is not; happy is not; suffering is not."

I agree with Lisag...Wish I could not worry so much...My mom has dementia and lives with us...She is a tranquil person (most of the time) and I take solace in the fact that she truly lives in the moment. I think she is trying to teach me that!!


Posted Oct. 18, 2012 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
sandral

Join Date: 04/09/11

Posts: 13

RE: What do you think this quote means? "Permanent is not; impermanent is not; a self is not; not a self [is not]; clean is not; not clean is not; happy is not; suffering is not."

I agree with Lisag...Wish I could not worry so much...My mom has dementia and lives with us...She is a tranquil person (most of the time) and I take solace in the fact that she truly lives in the moment. I think she is trying to teach me that!!


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