What Is Philosophy and Why Do We Learn It?
Life is about learning life, so if we have no wisdom then we have no life.
“Life is about learning life. If you don’t understand life then you are only living, as a living ghost. Buddhism calls that blind action.
No wisdom no life.”
The sound of the gently flowing river runs past my head. The warm minerals bubble up from deep within the Earth’s core. Each one bursts through the clay they cascade up my back and roll around me. Their destiny is to find the fresh mountain air above.
What a place to have a philosophy class.
The birds fly overhead, they too smell a new campfire with locals cooking fresh river fish. Bond Bong Hot Springs in Yilan Country, Taiwan was a magical place to spend a day.
So what did we discuss?
What is philosophy?
Why would we read and digest abstract philosophy?
Do we want to sound cool? Drop some mystical and ancient words of wisdom over lattes and treadmills? Or do we hope we can find a small piece of the puzzle to fit into our own lives to make it even better?
I ponder that if you want to ponder anything, it is better to ponder in a hot spring.
Sifu continues:
“We are all philosophy.
Philosophy is there for us to become it. It is a story. A story of learning life. It is my story. It is your story. And it is our story together.
And there are unlimited stories past, present and future.”
Why do we learn philosophy?
Well, it ain’t to end up here looking like those guys. Their bodies look pretty stiff.
And they could all use a tan.
Sifu explains:
“There are only 2 reasons to learn philosophy. One is to get rid of pain and suffering in our life. The other one is to find the potential for unlimited joy in our life. Without these 2 reasons in fact there is no motivation in life.”
We are not one or the other, but through philosophy, we are trying to develop both.
All the ups and downs in our lives to finally see life as it is. Then later we realise that wasn't it! Again and again, we refresh and renew how we see life. Until one day we will see it all, but not yet.
A humble character, a will to observe, a brightness for now and the future — that somehow keeps us in the game.
I know I personally choose a philosophy that keeps my view of life bright. Sometimes it is an alive, electrical feeling like I’m a battery that just got recharged.
Storytellers in Buddhist Philosophy
The Bodhisattvas and Buddhas were great storytellers.
But It is not a fair comparison because they cheated.
How?
I considered the many flavours of philosophy I have read since university. This was fun to do because I had dropped my feet over the side of the tiny rock pool into the icy river water. Now the warmth on my chest mixed with the coolness on my feet.
Socrates often created parables and invented stories to teach.
For example in Phaedrus, there is the Egyptian myth of Thamus and Theuth. Socrates is arguing that the invention of writing may make us lazy to remember. Now we can read it later. By the way, I didn’t need to remember this quote!
The Bodhisattvas changed space and time directly.
‘Philosophy class’ was less about sitting and listening and instead of being reborn into a world. A new body to live and experience and learn. Finally, finish back in class where only seconds had passed in this world to discuss the topic.
Now, who would not want to learn that way!
Better than the matrix because you can’t die in the “real” world — more alive than a video game than we can ever imagine. Of course, everyone wanted to learn when they were here.
Just imagine if you could sit and learn from the Buddhas stories and today he is showing:
- how to change space,
- how to can change your human form into a dragon,
- how to see distant universes we could never see with our human eyes,
- how to hear music or a philosophy class from a Dragon Buddha teaching in a distant galaxy,
- how to smell pure nature, sweet and calm but fresh and holy which makes you go into meditation instantly,
- how to float in energy water that massages your body to release all your tension and make you leave your body for a holiday to create a new form;
It would make a blockbuster movie seem like a finger painting.
So why did they go?
For the same reason we need to leave kindergarten — we must continue to develop.
If we always rely on those more skilled thus we can be lazy to learn.
Life is not to only rely on others only but to also become independent. When we are independent we are free — free to choose to help or not help.
One with no skills can only dream to help but there is no reality for them.
At some point, we have to learn to develop these ourselves. Unfortunately, t is rare to find anyone that can do these on Earth now.
That is one reason why we are so lucky we have video games now to help us understand what the direction of true meditation can be.
I guess that is why the wisdom from philosophy is so special because it is so rare.
So what is the goal of all philosophy?
Life is funny.
When I left school my first ‘independent’ decision was to choose what I studied. So I chose a major in philosophy.
I didn’t realise there wasn’t a job for someone who loves philosophy.
So I went into finance. 20 years later, 4 degrees later, CA, CFO, COO, CEO, consulting to over 5000 clients in more than 40 industries in over 20 countries and I’m back here.
1000's of board meetings, 100's of flights, more whiteboards, strategy workshops and PowerPoint than you could ever imagine. Or want to.
“We think there is a goal we need to reach, but all we get is the path.”
Ah, life is funny and the Daoists are even funnier.
That is why I think they wrote the path is the goal. To enjoy the path is already the goal.
A happy person doesn’t need anything else. The unhappy person needs to constantly search. But they are not searching for something outside. They are searching for something inside. You reach somewhere you want to reach somewhere else.
Unless.
Unless you don’t need to reach anywhere. Back to essence, back to pure, back to joy.
Finally, I’m back to what I love.
I don’t think I could have arrived here without that journey.
Conclusion
I consider what Sifu is talking about is that the final goal of all philosophy is to become it. You and I are both philosophy.
“Life is about learning life. If you don’t understand life then you are only living, as a living ghost. Buddhism calls that blind action.
No wisdom no life.”
Thank you for reading!
I would love to hear your definition of philosophy yourself.
- Why do you read philosophy?
- What have you learned now that you couldn’t understand before?
