Dive into the concept of right view in Buddhism, the correlation between right view and skillful behavior, exploring attachment to roles and the nature of opinions, and examining the impact of our views on our actions, relationships, and society.
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Quick takeaways
Right view encompasses understanding the cause of suffering and recognizing the interconnectedness of reality.
Supermundane right view involves a shift in our emotional relationship with views, cultivating non-clinging and non-identification.
Deep dives
Understanding Right View
Right view encompasses having a conceptual understanding of the first three noble truths: suffering, the cause of suffering, and the possibility of reducing or ending suffering. It also includes recognizing the three aspects of reality: impermanence, suffering, and non-self. While traditional Buddhism includes the belief in rebirth as part of right view, it is not as significant for secular Buddhists. Another aspect of right view is understanding what is skillful and unskillful, recognizing actions that are beneficial and those that cause harm to oneself and others. Right view also involves broadening one's perspective beyond clinging to fixed views and recognizing the interconnectedness and non-dual nature of reality.
The Challenge of Holding Views
Holding to views can lead to suffering and conflicts, as we tend to identify with and cling to our opinions. However, the Buddha's teachings on right view do not suggest completely abandoning all views and opinions. It is more about non-clinging and not taking views personally. The ability to hold the view that all things are non-self does not mean erasing all opinions; rather, it is about recognizing that opinions are impermanent and not identifying with them. The aim is to cultivate a wisdom that goes beyond ego-directed actions and views, where we no longer grasp on to fixed perspectives and can hold a more open and inclusive perspective.
Moving Towards Supermundane Right View
Supermundane right view goes beyond holding views and involves a shift in our emotional relationship with views. It is about not clinging to views, being free from the attachment of views, and not identifying ourselves with any particular view. This non-clinging extends to not being bothered by disagreement or elated by agreement with our views. Supermundane right view recognizes the emotional aspect of holding views and cultivates an attitude of non-clinging, letting go, and non-identification with views. It is more of an experiential attitude rather than a fixed content of a view itself.
The Eightfold Path, the fourth of the Four Noble Truths, lays out a map to become free from suffering. In our last episode, we explore the second fact on the Right Intention. In this episode, we discuss Right View and how we generally hold views. After all, if you don't have the right view, if you don't know where you're headed, you'll likely get lost along the way.