Is Buddhism ultimately Selfish?

In Buddhism, ultimately you desire the best for yourself, to be selfless.
So isn't you desiring the best for yourself Selfish?

 

Considering that one embraces inner Radiance for the benefit of all sentient beings, then no I dont think so, unless universal selfishism is an opinion that exists in someone's mind.

 

Great!

That's the answer that I came up with, I was just making sure I was on point.
May I ask how is it for the benefit of all sentient beings?

 

Sure! I feel that by embracing emptyness along with inner Radiance, we are helping ourselves thereby helping everyone else. Since we are the whole, and embracing inner Radiance is the negation of the ignorance which fragments the whole, then what benefits one benefits all and what harms one harms all.

 

If all were selfless, would the world not be at peace?

 

Self/Others



False dichtomy

 

Selfishness - Internal Harmony
Selflessness - Universal harmony

You live much happier if your world is happy as well.

You decide which form of desire you want to pursue - at the end of the day, you can't do anything but decide for one of the above.

 

Some people suggest that everything is selfish, including charity and other helpful actions. But that's pushing things to a meaningless extreme. Being unselfish can be personally meausred by what it costs you in effort and goods, compared to the value received. Most people who have done charity get over the good feelings pretty quickly as it turns to work, just like any other job.

 

When one person is liberated, the entire universe is liberated.

 

It seems to me that it is a question of heart. A real practioner has abandoned selfish endeavors. If he has not, then he is not a boddhisattva.

 

It is not that one abandons selfishness. It is that selfishness drops off by itself. It is not that one desires selflessness. It is that selflessness flowers by itself. Selfishness and unselfishness are part of Duality.

 

How can there be selfishness when one practices no-self?

 

What becomes of the man who must work to feed his children and wife while staying drunk enough at night not to go crazy in the process? Can he work for them, and still achieve this same bhoditsativa whatnot if he gives up a bunch of stuff while making his family a little bit happy sometimes, but stilll wanting more, just like his employers? My friend wants to know...

 

That would be categorized as desire which leads to ill thoughts, speech and actions. What is good for one is good for all. If it isn't good for all, it isn't good for any.

Atleast that's my understanding ofi t.

 

By getting drunk at night, he is going crazy in the process. Meditation is the only path to true sanity.

 

Selfishness is seen in others when they have what we want ...

HTML:

 

IMO, it's not what one does that is important, but the intent for doing it.

Beings that are truly giving and sharing freely do not measure personal "costs" or even results. It is simply an expression of their own true nature.

The essence of living from the heart is sharing without expectations.

 

Sure, an unselfish person doesn't even consider themself before helping another. How could it be otherwise.

Ultimately in Buddhist Mahayana teachings the practice of the paramitas has the effect of turning inward seeking for cessation into inward experience of cognition and outward display of wisdom.

In other words, the most important thing one has is their mind. The most important guide for the mind is its motivation, and of motivation the most unselfish one is the motivation that all ones actions have the positive result of benefitting others or making them happy.

That might sound difficult or like bs considering things as they are, yet even a bit of training in that wishing for benefit for others has a positive effect on the brain.

One might even try thinking it each day and see what happens.

Then let's talk about selfishness again.

Ultimate point is karma and that one is what they put out so this naturally training in positive motive generation is the root to right karma.

 

I like my hat collection, still does nothing for my thoughts tho. Wait a second... I don't own a single hat

 

karmic benefits are pretty serving of the majority. If you can justify something enough, tends to be that nothing stands in your way. Success of creation (not replication) is something to be praised...only when it doesn't conflict.

Regardless of how well you can avoid an issue, its still passing on the buck...gotta stop somewhere, and while your at it might as well say they chose it cause they felt guilty enough. Wait a second.