The Introduction of Buddhist Wisdom

 

 

When introduced to the teachings of Buddhist wisdom, one may mistake the identity of the information to be a belief system. This is why I begin my scroll of wisdom which is on my website with the quote from the Buddha “Do not listen to what anybody says, including me, if it does not agree with your own common sense.” Upon learning the teachings of Buddhist wisdom such as “If we just abandon hate, then we can enjoy being hate free.” one may wonder how they might accomplish becoming hate free with their mind or misunderstand the meaning of the application of this teaching. In order to apply this teaching, one must begin practicing the removal of hatred whenever they become aware that they are experiencing hatred. The removal of hatred itself can be performed by a conscious decision to not adopt it or by other methods such as practices of meditation to feel the emotion until it passes. After doing this enough times it becomes easy. It also becomes your instinct. Practicing the teachings of Buddhist wisdom is like learning how to drive. They become second nature. There are many mental health benefits as well as beneficial character development qualities that can be gained through the practice of Buddhist knowledge.

 

I would also like to point out that the reason that the Buddha is depicted as laughing can be understood through this quote of “If we just abandon hate, then we can enjoy being hate free.” Certain explanations of Buddhist teachings explain it in the words that people are foolish and that they need to realize it and that is all that they need to do in order to become “enlightened”, which is being aware of oneself and acquiring the knowledge and practice of the teachings of Buddhist wisdom. Hatred is an unhealthy emotion that, through practice, can be expelled. The laughter of the Buddha stems from the idiocy one may have if they are simply not aware of the fact that the mind can be altered and transformed to our liking.

Share:

Read More

A Model For Trusting People as Sources of Information

 

In order to evaluate a person as a source of information with full rationality we must always begin with the question of:

"Did this person give us a reason to think that they are being dishonest?"

If this person has not provided a reason to believe that they are being dishonest then you can continue listening to the person with open ears, otherwise, you can take note of their past dishonesty and continue listening. Dishonesty in the past does not directly lead to the conclusion that the next statement will be dishonest. Likewise, consistent honesty does not directly lead to the conclusion that the next statement will be an honest statement.
Some people may be tricked into believing others based on their appearance alone, but the evaluation of the truth takes time. In order to obtain the most rational perspective, the question that we must ask ourselves when we encounter a new person is "Who are you?"

We may not have the answer to this question or we can learn about this person. If we learn about this person, then we may have this person's record of providing valid information. We cannot, however, accept any information to be the truth until we have given the provided information careful consideration ourselves.

Things to consider when judging a person as a source of valid information: 

 1) How does your perception of the individual change the more that you learn about them?

2)  If the individual makes many consecutive statements that are true, will you believe the next thing that they say?

What do we believe in?
We only believe in things that can be understood with common sense as according to what can possibly exist or be done in the physical realm using our body and the resources that are available to us or by what we observe with our own eyesight.

You can always listen with open ears if you can entertain a thought without accepting it at first.

To evaluate the truth we can ask questions. If you practice this teaching by Socrates, you can obtain the truth.

To practice this, we can always ask the questions "What is this?" and "And what is that?"
When we hear people make statements we can ask them for the meaning of their statements in order to obtain a deeper understanding of the meaning. We must also listen to others with the perception of the knowledge of metaphors and the ability to say things for the effect that they will have on the other person.

We must always ask the question "why?" about everything. For example, if someone makes an action we can ask ourselves the question of "why?" in order to obtain a greater understanding. Asking the question of "why?" enhances our overall understanding.
We need to figure out the answer to "why?" by looking into the minds of others and by contemplating their perspective. We can do so by considering their lives, as in where they are coming from, combined with the knowledge that people can have different ideas about the same things, different interpretations, and can also say things that convey a different meaning.

We must always listen to the emotional sound of the voice of the speaker in order to interpret the feeling of the meaning that they convey.

For example, someone could be sarcastic by saying "I love you" and convey the opposite meaning.

If we put all of the above into practice, we can gain a better understanding of the world based on all of the information that we have been exposed to from news sources combined with information that we receive from other people as our sources.

Share:

Read More

DNA Mutations in Microbes Are Not Evidence of Evolution

 

Scientists believe that the ability of a microbe to acquire DNA mutations that are useful for surviving it's external environment is an example of natural selection. Scientists consider this to be the best example of evolution and "evolution that we can see in the lab."

The DNA mutations that allow microbes to adapt to their environment within their own separate entity of species is not evidence of evolution from one species of microbes to another.

The useful traits acquired through DNA mutations, such as the trait of antibiotic resistance, can also be lost and forgotten over time.

Can bacteria lose their antibiotic resistance?
"Yes, antibiotic resistance traits can be lost, but this reverse process occurs more slowly. If the selective pressure that is applied by the presence of an antibiotic is removed, the bacterial population can potentially revert to a population of bacteria that responds to antibiotics."

If what is being considered as evidence of natural selection and evolution does not show a change from one species of microbes to another, and it's acquired trait through what we consider to be natural selection can be lost and forgotten over time, then DNA mutations in microbes are not evidence of evolution.

© 2021 Hazon, Nir

Share:

Read More

How Did Scientists Discover the Functions of the Anatomy of the Human Brain?

When inspecting scientific knowledge, one must consider the experiment that was used to obtain the knowledge. In the pool of scientific education we frequently encounter many teachings for which the experiment that was performed in order to obtain that knowledge is not mentioned or discussed. For example, we may learn the teaching of neurology of the functional areas of the human brain without considering the experiment that was used to obtain this knowledge.

What experiment could have been performed in order to obtain this information? This knowledge may have been obtained through unethical surgical practice on living specimens.

The National Library of Medicine states that the modern diagram of the functional areas of the human brain was published in the year 1909 by the German neuroanatomist Korbinian Brodmann. Various sources claim that this information was obtained through studying patients who suffered brain injuries and survived.

Our modern technological advancement of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) which is capable of leading the acquisition of this knowledge was introduced at a much later date in the year 1991.

This diagram that details the functional areas of the human brain was published prior to the advent of modern medicine. This means that the knowledge that was used to develop this diagram was obtained through the cumulative studies of living patients who sustained brain injuries that were caused by accidents or violent attacks. It is also possible that unethical surgical practice took place in order to obtain this knowledge as well. It is documented in medical history that the unethical practice of psychosurgery which involved cutting into living people's brains was performed for decades during the 20th century.

For another example, what experiment did doctors use in order to obtain the knowledge of how long humans can survive without food and water? Many sources claim that this knowledge was acquired by observation of famine and not through experimentation. It is also entirely possible that this information was obtained by experimentation.

The cases of unethical and deadly medical experimentation that are listed include the Nazi Medical Experiments and Japan's Unit 731. It is said that “Unit 731 was able to prove scientifically that the best treatment for frostbite was to immerse it in water a bit warmer than 100 degrees but never more than 122 degrees.”

Much of the knowledge of scientific teachings are professed and learned without discussing the acquisition of the knowledge itself. In order to attain a greater understanding of scientific education we must always ask the question: “What experiment was used to obtain this information?” 

© 2021 Hazon, Nir 

Share:

Read More

A Model for the Acceptance of Knowledge in Politics

 

In today's world, most voters get their information from media sources without giving the information they are receiving serious consideration before they accept it as knowledge. I therefore developed this model for the educated mind to apply in the acceptance of knowledge in politics. 

In order to form more educated political opinions, we must seek a perspective that encompasses all the viewpoints. Consider the following teaching from Nir Hazon's Scroll of Wisdom:

8. "Bias is ignorance in the lightest sense. We can alleviate our ignorance by considering a viewpoint that encompasses all possibilities."

The lightest sense of bias is ignorance. If we have a predetermined rejection of an opposing viewpoint, it will only serve to hinder a greater understanding and prevent us from seeing the larger picture. If we want to form more educated opinions, we should approach a topic with objectivity. The more knowledge that we attain, the greater the number of new ideas that we can form. Sometimes, we will be able to find new solutions to a problem if we consider different sides of an argument. Our view of the larger picture should encompass all the possibilities.

After we realize the benefits of leaving our biases behind, we must also remember to never already have our minds made up and refuse to listen to any additional information that might change our minds as all of the information deserves serious consideration. If our goal is to form more educated opinions, we must always consider all of the options.

I would also highly recommend memorizing the following teaching from Nir Hazon's Scroll of Wisdom:

18. "The moment we believe that we are smart, we are giving away our power to continuously analyze with scrutiny."

The moment we believe that we are smart and know something with absolute certainty, we invite possible foolishness. While there are some things that we can know with absolute certainty, many things that are not facts are foolishly believed due to overlooking. We must always invite other perspectives to our consideration, search for questions that could be asked, and continuously analyze knowledge with scrutiny; otherwise, we might become just as dumb as our predecessors.

I must reiterate again that we should never already have our minds made up or think that we know something with absolute certainty and the previous quote explains the reason very clearly. In order to form more educated opinions, we must leave open the ability to listen to new information and to continuously analyze knowledge in politics with great detail.

Accepting Knowledge From Media Sources

When it comes to accepting knowledge in politics, many people just think "What source?" and soak in the information. In order to form more educated political opinions, we must think about the information that is being presented to us:

1. We must consider the intentions of the news sources.
2. We must separate the events that took place from what the news sources want us to think about the events that took place.
3. We must make an effort to seek the truth by reading multiple sources including the sources of the opposing arguments. We must then compare and contrast the information in an evaluation of the truth.
4. We must become aware of the ability of the media to use manipulation techniques in the spread of information, and we can try to recognize manipulation when we can.
5. We must never blindly accept knowledge from our authority, friends, or family members. We must reach our own conclusions based on the evidence presented and we must form our own educated opinions.

I highly encourage Americans to turn off the televisions and start reading the news.

We have politicians running based on gender and race, with no written arguments, and with no biography on themselves. We don't even know who these people are that we vote for.

For a complete theory on what knowledge we can easily accept and what knowledge is questionable and therefore up for consideration, check out the following theory:

"If we measure truth by it's existence, then we will know the truth."

Click the following link to view:

The Measurement of Existence in the Theory of Acceptance of Knowledge 

 

© 2021 Hazon, Nir 

Share:

Read More

The Levels of Reading

 

There is illiteracy, which is lacking the ability to read, there is reading and not understanding what you are reading, there is reading and understanding the face value of the material, and there is reading with inference and insight into the mind of the writer.

Having the ability to read and not understanding what you are reading can also be considered to be illiteracy. There are many cases where people may be illiterate. Illiteracy is frequent even among those who consider themselves to be experts of their subject, as can be seen with several examples of knowledge that are professed but are not valid. Some of these examples are noted in the articles of this website.

Another level of reading is reading and understanding the face value of the material. This can be done by plain reading, cramming, or memorizing information.

A deeper inspection into the writing leads us to expand our scope of understanding into looking through the lens of the writer. Reading with insight and inference into the mind of the writer can help us see the writing strategy of the writer as well as to comprehend the author's understanding of the subject at hand. The power of inference can be used to obtain additional information by seeking to understand the author's intentions, goals, persuasion techniques, preferences, etc...

For example: We can infer that the doctor used long-term interview processes to extract the information that is given to us about the patients if we read that the details of the patient's life history were recorded.

 

In school, there is cramming to pass the test, and there is studying the material by giving it serious consideration.

 

© 2021 Hazon, Nir

Share:

Read More

The Book of Enoch Was Rediscovered in 1773

The Book of Enoch, which is claimed to have been written by Noah's great-grandfather Enoch from the bible, was written as an attempt to save Enoch and his family from the flood. This, of course, never happened according to biblical scripture. It is for this reason that the Book of Enoch is not considered as part of the canon of inspired scriptures in most major sects of Christianity and in Judaism.

The Book of Enoch was rediscovered by an explorer from England named James Bruce after he searched Ethiopia for the book and found it with the Ethiopian Jews. James Bruce returned to Europe in the year 1773 with three copies of the Book of Enoch and successfully recovered it.

The story of the Book of Enoch is it was written during the flood and didn't result in the sparing of Enoch and his family, then it was rediscovered again by Moses where he saw his prophecy fulfilled on Mount Sinai. Then the book disappeared again for millenniums until European Christian knowledge of the book influenced James Bruce on a search of the world to find it and return with copies of it to Europe in 1773, 3 years before the independence day for the United States of America.

The Book of Enoch states the following prophecy in the beginning:

The Holy Great One will come forth from His dwelling, And the eternal God will tread upon the earth, (even) on Mount Sinai,  [And appear from His camp]  And appear in the strength of His might from the heaven of heavens.

It is said that Moses saw his prophecy fulfilled on Mount Sinai.

It is interesting to consider the implications of the history of the Book of Enoch and how it was rediscovered, disappeared, and rediscovered again. It brings to question the actual truth of the bible as well as the truth of rumors that are spread by word of mouth, as it was successfully rediscovered in 1773.

© 2021 Hazon, Nir

Share:

Read More