“I listened to a podcast and took some notes.”
The common characteristics of individuals holding 62 views, according to the Buddha’s teachings, are:
<The 62 views arose from feelings and experiences>
1. Beings who do not know and cannot see can only hold views based on what they themselves have felt, and these feelings are merely influenced by their own views and experiences. Even when they elaborate on the past and the future, they are speaking of their limited experiences. They judge based on their experiences in the here and now.
2. All experiences stem from one’s own limited experiences, and they become firmly entrenched as feelings, leading to such judgments; in reality, they are limited. All experiences originate from one’s own limited experiences.
3. Through the six sense bases, we continuously experience the feeling of personal views due to the sensory contact that occurs when encountering various objects.
4. The feelings arising in these six sense bases, their occurrence, disappearance, sweetness, danger, and escape must be thoroughly understood as they are. This is what transcends all these views.
5. While discussing such matters, one should be able to praise the Buddha.
6. Lives asserting various doctrines about the past and future are all caught in the net of the 62 views. They seek to ascend but do so while ensnared in the net, truly becoming completely trapped in it as they try to rise.
7. Thoughts arising from limited experiences only serve as hindrances to achieving true enlightenment.
<Overcoming>
-One must detach from the clinging to experiences. (In reality, it’s not what I actually feel.)
-There should be an enlightenment about the pile of things (accumulations) stacked up like a heap
<Teachings>
- Do not get trapped in your own views.
- Do not cling to feelings that arise from your limited and confined experiences.
- Do not consider views that stem from your limited experiences as everything.
<My opinion>
In fact, it seems likely that many of the religious experiences people claim to have had are also caught in these 62 views that Buddha spoke about.
But how should one explain the following kinds of religious experiences?
Example) “How can one explain situations where things happen as a result of obeying the word? It was neither my will not something I wanted to do, but situations arose when I obeyed… cases of the sick being healed. These situations don’t seem to be views arising from feelings based on my experience.
<The teachings of Buddha, known as ‘The Net of Views,’ organized by an expert>
The Buddha’s teachings include a discourse on the 62 views that human beings can hold, known as the “Brahmajala Sutta” or “The Net of Views.” This discourse, found in the Digha Nikaya of the Pali Canon, categorizes various beliefs and philosophies into 62 types. These views broadly encompass the range of beliefs about self, universe, life, and beyond.
The common characteristics of individuals holding these 62 views, according to the Buddha’s teachings, are:
Attachment to Views: Individuals holding these views are often deeply attached to their beliefs, seeing them as absolute truths. This attachment can lead to a lack of openness to other perspectives.
Ignorance and Delusion: Many of these views arise from ignorance (avidya) about the true nature of reality. This ignorance leads to delusion, causing individuals to misunderstand or misinterpret their experiences and the world around them.
Suffering: The Buddha taught that attachment to views is a source of suffering (dukkha). Clinging to these beliefs, especially those related to the self or ego, can lead to conflict, dissatisfaction, and a continual cycle of suffering.
Impermanence and Non-Self: Many of these views conflict with the Buddhist concepts of impermanence (anicca) and non-self (anatta). Individuals often hold views that assert permanent, unchanging entities or self-identities, which Buddhism considers to be a fundamental misunderstanding of reality.
Hindrance to Enlightenment: Holding rigidly to any of these views can be a hindrance on the path to enlightenment (nibbana). They can bind individuals to samsara, the cycle of rebirth and suffering, and prevent the realization of ultimate truth and liberation.
The Buddha’s teaching in the Brahmajala Sutta is not just a critique of these views but also serves as a guide to understanding how attachment to any fixed view can impede spiritual progress. The Buddha emphasized the importance of direct experience, critical inquiry, and the development of wisdom and compassion over adherence to dogmatic beliefs.