Do you believe, as I, that man's core essence is based on Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Sloth, Anger and Gluttony?

Question

It is what is. They are impermanent, but have to be constantly scrutinized to be dispelled. They are neither right nor wrong, they are just what we are. To be effective in the Realm of the Spirit or in the Realm of Brotherhood, they have to be faced. There is much wisdom and knowledge in self awareness, don't you think?


Namaste

Peace and Love

The world is apprehended by way of the mind
The world is acted upon by way of the mind
And all good things and bad
Exist in the world by way of the mind.

-Samyutta Nikaya
From "The Buddha Speaks,"

Answer 1

Regarding your first question = No I do not believe as you

I believe that man's core essence is based on goodness, and it is what we are as infants, pure goodness with real needs to survive.

everything else is learned upon the road to life, some are capable of realizing the negative for what it is and dispelling it before it consumes them

The rest succumb to there desires.

Most things are good in Moderation, it only takes self control to draw a line and moderate ones self

Regarding your second question = Yes I do believe like you that there is much wisdom in self awareness and it begins with being true to yourself, not your desires or temptations, but true to your infant self which was born in goodness and love.

As for the knowledge, I believe that it continues to grow throughout life but is able to flow more freely my those whom are true to themselves.

Peace and Love to you also, and I do not say that in a homosexual way, but in a pure way.

Answer 2

I think our inner selves are ALSO comprised of Humility, Generosity, Chastity, Feeling Happy for Others, Perserverence, Kindness, and Self-Control. The interaction between these "two" sides of us can be intense.

Notice that your list all revolves around the self, i.e. the id/ego. In contrast, the list I gave involves not only the self, but the capacity to take others into consideration. The opposites of the qualities you listed are activated by our Higher Self.

So, yes, we are all at times tempted by the "Seven Deadly Sins"; we may even fall into their traps at times in our lives. But the important thing is that we overcome those sins; repress our ego, and let our Higher Self guide our actions. Our response to these temptations, or our ability to identify more with List B vs. List A, indicates much about the state of our Souls, about how much Spiritual Evolution we have undergone. When people in general finally begin to relate more to List B than List A, we will have gained serious ground in trying to achieve our fuller potential as Humans.

Peace.

Answer 3

Yeah.Definitely.The essence of Man should consist of that.After all,if we did not have those....how do we live?Anger generates Love.Gluttony generates Thriftiness.Pride generates Humbleness.Imagine for a moment if there was no such thing as Lust.If you looked at your partner,all you probably would do was jsut make polite converation.Bye bye relationship.At least if you lust a bit for your partnet,you have the energy to make your relationship happy.If you were always not greedy,you would end up giving,and giving without caring about yourself.You have to take care of youself before you can take care of others,after all.If you were dead or something you can't help others.

Answer 4

Can I chop the legs off those beliefs so they don't have a leg to stand on? ~ : ) They come from the false sense of not having *enough*. To live the abundant life one must live in truth. Is the Universe one song or many? Or maybe it's a chorus. Out of abundance you came, into abundance you shall go. Forget your worries and "be as you are" or be false to *yourself* and live in poverty. Are the legs cut through? Good! Now, *be* happy* as all is enlightenment! ~ : ) Tell me how do I know these things? Only by living in poverty and knowing the pain was I able to pluck out what offended. ~ : ) Mans core essence is perfect awareness. The Divine in me knows the Divine in you .

Answer 5

Interesting take on things, DL.

I agree it's tendency is toward defilement ('entropy'), but The Buddha seems to've been of the opinion that the mind is 'intrinsically' pure, and defiled adventitiously, only.

Hence only, is keeping the mind pure, possible & beneficial.

One must become like the lotus, which comes up through the mud, to stand untouched by it.

In the world, but not 'of' it.

"Luminous, monks, is the mind.1 And it is defiled by incoming defilements." {A I,v,9}

"Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is freed from incoming defilements." {A I,v,10}

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an01/an01.049.than.html

Answer 6

You could say all those fancy words or, just say we exist to sustain our life and by whatever means of survival brotherhood is also taken into account. Really they are all double standards if it's not a sin than it's justifiable.

Answer 7

I believe each person has his/her own selfish motives at the root of everything they do, and will exhibit more virtuous and/or charitable behaviours in order to fulfill their own wants & needs. The core of a human is the ability to apply reason and thought in what they do.

Answer 8

Yes and thank God for Jesus, because of him I don't have to worry about that stuff anymore because my core essence is now Praise, Giving, Love, Thankfulness, Work for the up-building of Gods kingdom, Happiness, and Satisfied. Praise God.

Answer 9

I disagree, pride, greed, lust, envy, sloth, anger, and gluttony are a result of the mind not the very foundation of it.

Answer 10

No I disagree. All of these are just the extreme form of good things. They are not the core of anything unless the person has mental health problems.