Belief & dukkha/R

[Guest guest]

Nisargadatta , " loewe2009 " <loewe2009

wrote:

>

>

> According to Lacan, and in contrast to Freud, the super-ego's

demand, its implacable

> demand, is: Enjoy! Enjoy everything. Enjoy shit! To see this, to

accept it, to understand and

> tolerate this gives you the freedom to just not try to enjoy every

moment or to do as you

> were enjoying it. A sense of culpability can emerge when the

subject can't comply with

> the super-ego's demand. The super-cop (ego) knows no mercy and will

punish inexorably

> the subject, when not enjoying. It also regurgitates constantly

unpleasant situations and

> tells you to enjoy it, and asks: Oh, why can't you enjoy this?

People, then, develop all

> possible sorts and types of coping-strategies.

>

> Merging in daily life routine, work, responsibilities and duties not

always is accompained

> by pleasurable feelings. Dealing every day with many different

persons, with their

> problems, pain and suffering can't lead to a constant feeling of

spiritual bliss, peace and

> understanding. But, it is possible to cope with it, to fight and

accept that you not always

> will win. People you meet in daily life are not always nice. They

sometimes hurt

> themselves and others. There is so much suffering around us. Nobody,

except the super-

> ego, tells me to enjoy it. Why should I find everything pleasurable?

Why should I try to

> transform, to rationalize things into pleasurable moments or try to

avoid constantly these

> situations?

>

> Yours,

> Ricardo

>

>

 

 

P: Well, I agree with you there, in that the brain

has a mechanism of quality control, which inspects

all sensations and experiences regarding enjoyability,

and rejects any that doesn't come bearing pleasure

as its admission fee. I don't call that mechanism a

super-ego because a super-ego is no thing other than

a psychological straw man. Nevertheless, this demand

for pleasant sensations and experiences is the most

constant sort of dukkha as discontent.

 

Awareness of this demand in all its forms is a huge

leap to attain equanimity. Unpleasantness has its

role in life and must be accommodated. A young child

can't feel unpleasantness or pain without a strong

rejection. As she/h grows old the ability to tolerate

the unpleasant grows. It's a sign of maturity to

accept such. That doesn't mean that the brain cannot

be trained to defuse most of the unpleasantness of

life, specially those concerning social situations

in which our expectations and demands on others

play a role.