The Box

An Eternal Now SG

can someone cut and paste this story here have difficulty with my phone thanks

http://newbuddhist.com/discussion/10009/the-box

Amitayus48 SG

can someone cut and paste this story here have difficulty with my phone thanks

http://newbuddhist.com/discussion/10009/the-box

The Box
A Short Story by Punnadhammo Bhikkhu

Danny lived in a box. Perhaps you would be surprised to learn that he was reasonably happy, most of the time anyway. It may have helped that it was a very pleasant, well-constructed sort of box. Danny's box was roomy, well-lit and ventilated and equipped with all the necessities and many of the superfluities of life.

Or perhaps Danny's acceptance of his situation was due to the fact that he had no sure knowledge or memory of anything or anyone outside his box. When he was a small boy, it is true, he had vivid memories of a short time spent in a cozy room with a big picture window, and of running about an open field. There were also vague memories of certain smiling and helpful figures. Sometimes, as a boy, he would get lonely and blue remembering this. But by and by the memories faded and Danny at last decided the dim remnants were only childish dreams.

There was a computer in Danny's box with some first rate educational software constructed in the form of amusing games. So Danny learnt to read. This was a good thing because there was also a fair-sized library in Danny's box. Several shelves of beautiful hard-cover books lined one whole wall. These books were full of wonderful tales about amazing people and places outside the box. At first, Danny half believed these tales and they made him feel happy and sad at the same time. But as he grew into his teen-age years he began to believe them less and less, although he still enjoyed them.

For our Danny had the gift of a rational and skeptical mind, and he reasoned thus; "I know I exist and I know this box exists. The only evidence I have for a world outside is in these books, and they are fantastic, unbelievable and contradictory. In the lack of any other evidence I refuse to believe in anything so far-fetched as a world outside my box." The reader must admit this was a sound and sensible attitude.

So Danny decided and so he made peace with his captivity. As he grew to manhood, he developed his reasoning further along these lines. He decided by long deliberation that the only logically acceptable hypothesis was that he and the box and grown up together, developing from smaller and simpler forms, via a process he dubbed "bio-cubical complexification." It is true that there were many details that this theory couldn't explain. For example, his daily food arrived by dropping out of a metal chute in his little pantry. But since he had already reasoned irrefutably that it was quite impossible for anything to exist outside his box, then somehow the food had to be created by an unknown mechanism contained within the walls of the box. Since his waste disappeared into another chute in the toilet, he suspected the two processes were related but prudently declined to think too much about it.

As Danny aged into his middle years he began to investigate some of the books he had previously regarded as too difficult. One was a thin volume ominously entitled "How to Escape from your Box." Many times Danny had picked up this book with trembling hands and some unnamable foreboding, only to glance through it hurriedly and to briskly replace it on the shelf loudly exclaiming, "Nonsense!" or "Poppycock!"

But one day after many years, Danny decided that as a rational man he had to at least investigate this foolish and disturbing book, so he forced himself to read it. To his surprise, there were no more of the wonderful tales of a mythical life outside, instead there was only a concise, methodical exposition of how to dismantle the box from the inside, complete with diagrams.

In a spirit of scientific inquiry Danny proceeded to follow these directions. According to instructions, he located a small toolbox hidden in a secret alcove. He took out the special screwdriver as indicated in the directions and began removing screws from a particular wall panel indicated in the book. After removing several screws, the panel shifted inwards a little and a cold wind began to whistle into the box.

Danny jumped back in fright but quickly recovered himself and hastily replaced all the screws. "What a good thing," he thought, "that I came to my senses before doing irreparable damage to the box. What was I thinking of, following the dangerous instructions in that ridiculous book?"

Danny pushed the book into the back of the shelves and after that day, never opened it again. For several years after this he would spend many hours a day sitting at his desk writing long eloquent essays proving again and again in many different ways the impossibility of anything existing outside the box. He tried to imagine counter-arguments and would then soundly and sarcastically refute them. After penning an especially witty retort to his imaginary opponent he would slam his fist on the desk and laugh aloud "Ha! Ha! You fool!"

Many years passed and Danny began to notice that some things in his box were not as perfect as they had been. The faucets dripped and the lights sometimes flickered. He often felt stiff and for some reason he had to hold the books out at arm's length when he wanted to read them. Most disturbing of all, sometimes the wall panels rattled in an alarming way, especially the one he had so foolishly loosened so many years ago.

As time passed, Danny spent more and more time in bed. On the worst days he left his bed only to shuffle painfully to the pantry or the toilet. The computer hadn't worked in years and the once beloved books were gathering dust. Occasionally he thought he could feel the cold wind again and he would wrap himself in a blanket and close his eyes.

One day something truly awful happened. The panels had been rattling persistently all morning and Danny had remained hiding in his bed until he could no longer ignore the calls of nature. On his way back from the toilet chute, just as he shuffled past that panel there was a loud thumping noise and with a whoosh the whole thing flew inward, painfully banging his shin. Danny stood there dumbstruck. There was an open square a meter wide in the side of his box. Outside he could see green fields, blue sky and hear the singing of birds.

Danny stood still for just a moment, blinking back tears and then he began to tremble all over. Quickly, he went for the long neglected toolbox and with palsied hands he worked painfully to replace the errant panel, being very careful not to look outside. His heart beating wildly, he returned to bed and curled up in a tight ball under the sheets.

Danny's health collapsed altogether after that and his trips to the toilet and pantry were more and more difficult. At last he couldn't move at all and lay in his own mess. Towards the end, the top of the box blew off and Danny was exposed to sunlight. He pulled the filthy ragged sheet up over his face, closed his eyes and died.

In a little while some people came and moved Danny into another box. Much smaller this time.

Weychin SG

Such is a cruel life !

So, do you feel sorry for people like him or are you mocking those who would still not try to leave the box, even after reading the manual ?

Where are you people?! Who are you?!!

An Eternal Now SG

Such is a cruel life !

So, do you feel sorry for people like him or are you mocking those who would still not try to leave the box, even after reading the manual ?

Both

Synasta SG

Danny jumped back in fright but quickly recovered himself and hastily replaced all the screws. "What a good thing," he thought, "that I came to my senses before doing irreparable damage to the box. What was I thinking of, following the dangerous instructions in that ridiculous book?"

Why would Danny be scared?

In my experience when i was starting out following Buddhist practices it was quite peaceful and calming, not destabilizing as the above extract suggests.

An Eternal Now SG

people are afraid to step out of their comfort zone into the unknown

people under the delusion that samsara is satisfactory prefer to stay with the way they live thinking that is satisfactory

SoulDivine SG

1. "people are afraid to step out of their comfort zone into the unknown"

2. "people under the delusion that samsara is satisfactory prefer to stay with the way they live thinking that is satisfactory"

For the first sentence, I agree.

But we need to understand why people are afraid to leave their comfort zone into the unknown before we can move large percentage of human population towards the path to enlightenment.

There are four barriers that stops people from moving into the path of enlightenment.

1. The Ego - ones identification with an Earthly self and forgets his/her spiritual purpose and mission.

2. The Fear of Change - Everyone can see that humanity is certain to perish if it does not change its course. Yet, it is also this fear of change(resistance to change) that ensures vast majority humanity will not survive the upcoming Earth changes.

3. Emotional Issues - Negative emotions such as fear, anger and sadness need to be brought to light and released. Do not "bury" your emotions.

4. Addictions - In Singapore, we have all kinds of addicts. Smoking addicts, alcoholics, gambling addicts, gaming addicts, TV addicts... e.t.c. Addictions are distractions. Instead looking squarely into a problem and looking for a solution, people chose to occupied themselves with all kinds of sensual activites.

All the barriers above need to be resolved individually. Help/guidance are given by teachers/masters all the time, but ultimately, "Purity and impurity depend on oneself, no one can purify another".

For the second sentence, I disagree.

There is the Law of free will. Whether souls choose to stay within the wheel of reincarnation or not is their own choice, we have to respect their decisions. It is not our way to judge their decisions or actions as "satisfactory" or "delusional".

Weychin SG

Why would Danny be scared?

In my experience when i was starting out following Buddhist practices it was quite peaceful and calming, not destabilizing as the above extract suggests.

Some religions and thoughts systems are partly energized by fear, and usually have a bogeyman.

They are discouraged to enquire, thus thought, conduct and even behaviour are contained within mental confines of a limited world view.

. These people may confused feelings of doubt and guilt mixed together when

contemplating other possibilites.

An Eternal Now SG

For the first sentence, I agree.

But we need to understand why people are afraid to leave their comfort zone into the unknown before we can move large percentage of human population towards the path to enlightenment.

There are four barriers that stops people from moving into the path of enlightenment.

1. The Ego - ones identification with an Earthly self and forgets his/her spiritual purpose and mission.

3. Emotional Issues - Negative emotions such as fear, anger and sadness need to be brought to light and released. Do not "bury" your emotions.

For the second sentence, I disagree.

the four barriers are very true. As for unsatisfactoriness, this is not a judgement on them, but a statement of fact: the key insight of an awakened being in buddhism is on the three characteristic of all phenomenal existence, which is that they are impermanent (anicca), unsatisfactory (dukkha) and non self (anatta) All phenomenal existence without exceptions bear these characteristics.

Impermanence has a gross and subtle level... Usually people are able to understand that things are born, stays a bit, decays and then passes away. What is specific to insight meditation is the direct realisation and experience of their subtle impermanence which is that every single moment the experiential universe is passing away, fading out of existence, and reborn again... Every moment our experiential universe is just like a wind, bubble-like, dream-like, ungraspable, disjoint, unsupported, self-realising without a trace. Having such an insight throws away our old perception of a solid grasping universe.

Having such insight we also understand that all phenomenal existence is fundamentally dissatisfactory, for what could be satisfactory in a universe that is constantly fading out of existence? What could truly be satisfactory if everything is just as ungraspable and insubstantial as the wind? The only true satisfaction lies in the end of craving, lies with true contentment and delight of the present moment. For any craved object also has the characteristic of arising and passing away.

Lastly, phenomenal existence are without self. This refers to the direct experiential insight that in the seeing is just the seen, there is no seer. In the hearing is just the heard, there is no hearer. No agent, perceiver, controller, centerpoint is found to truly exist... There is simply an undivided existence of hearing/sound, seeing/sight, without a me at the center, without anything being 'mine'. the absence of a self and agent reveals a luminous, delightful, intimate, magical fairy-tale like wonderland, which is actually our ordinary experiential reality but somehow the filtering of the delusion of a self prevents us from truly seeing its wonder, from having an apperception of the universe in its purity unsullied by the sense of self. for example, ordinary shapes and sounds and taste and touch reveals a lustre and intensity never appreciated before. The realisation of anatta is enlightenment. These are the three key insights into reality.

SoulDivine SG

Hi AEN,

Since you have realisation of this enlightenment, impermanent (anicca), unsatisfactory (dukkha) and non self (anatta),

you will have no sense of "unsatisfactoriness" isn't it?

Or do you still find your Earthly experience as always "unsatisfactory"?

An Eternal Now SG

there is a quote from garab dorje, and i am reciting it from memory so it might not be accurate by the word, but it goes like this: "even the buddha, vested with the five wisdoms, is unable to find happiness in samsara."

yet the buddha also said this: "nirvana is the highest bliss"

people reading this may have the misconception thus that true happiness can only be found in an afterlife, or in an otherworldly state of altered consciousness. this is not the case.

samsara, literally meaning the world of suffering, consists of craving and grasping after phenomenal existence, consists of delusion and holding on to an identity or sense of self nirvana on the other hand is the cessation of craving, anger and ignorance, including the delusion of self. The cessation of suffering and clinging. even in the midst of this earthly existence, nirvana can be directly experienced, and this earthly existence reveals itself to be a delightful, magical fairy-tale like wonderland. Therefore, like my master says, pure land is right in front of your eyes

after the initial realisation, while i cannot at this point claim complete enlightenment (of which there are many subtle levels where layers of emotional and knowledge obscurations are progressively removed), i can report a gradual transformation such that situations that once called for fear, nervousness, irritation, anger, etc now only manifest as some bodily sensations that self liberates upon inception. for example if a loud explosion is heard there can be a surge of adrenaline just for a moment but no psychological fear surfaces.

An Eternal Now SG

It is useful to understand “the box” as the delusion we trap ourselves in, the delusion of a self or agent at the center of our lives.

The deconstruction of this box reveals a magical fairy-tale like paradise

An Eternal Now SG

Impermanent phenomena cannot satisfy

The end of craving is happiness

though phenomena are still unsatisfactory

in the absence of craving, there is no dissatisfaction

sinweiy SG

remind me of

The Matrix (1999) and

The Trumen Show (1998)

(my poly teacher inspired me, i wasn't buddhist yet)

An Eternal Now SG

those two are great movies highly recommended

2009novice SG

those two are great movies highly recommended

Inception~~

nice

sinweiy SG

stumbled on this website when i search the two movies..

http://www.iamthespoon.org/recommended/

i looking to watch I Heart Huckabees(2004) which is abt existence and oneness? hmm...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0356721/

A husband-and-wife team play detective, but not in the traditional sense. Instead, the happy duo helps others solve their existential issues, the kind that keep you up at night, wondering what it all means.