The Moral Sphere

[carlo]

It appears that the tone of morality on this site is that morality is "thou shalt" or "ought" therefore implicitly or explicity stating a course of action which has been prescribed from without the human being.

A man has difficulty breathing and experiences ANXIETY in the process. A wife betrays her loved one(husband) and afterward feels SAD. A Buddhist Monk steps on a grasshopper and experiences Melancholy at the death of a living being. A father experiences JOY at the birth of his first born child.A man runs ECSTATIC at the prurient sight of his love.

Each of the above "feelings" are present in the human soul but by no means are they compelling. Each will run their course such that one is not always in a state of ecstasy, or sadness or joy,etc. save for the case of perceived illness.

DISCUSS: The human soul in his work on earth is continually attempting to better or mollify these "inner feelings" and do this by using the INTELLECT and WILL to find the right course of action either internally(say by meditation) or externally(by right action(say by no betrayal)) in order to obviate these inner experiences which can be debilitating. THIS IS THE SPHERE OF MORALITY.

carlo

Addendum:Yes, one can have these feelings without an apparent inciting cause.

[benkahuna]

If you want to debilitate me by making me feel ecstatic, that's cool.

I find that taking correct action leads to a variety of those feelings and makes life generally worth living, not the prison you seem to describe. Maybe I'm just to Zen to get all hung about how I should feel.

:P

[carlo]

[ QUOTE ]
I find that taking correct action leads to a variety of those feelings and makes life generally worth living, not the prison you seem to describe

[/ QUOTE ]

I didn't mean to relate that this is "prison-like" but I think you hit it "makes life worth living" for in this man does his work. But I would like to relate the moral sphere as something that is very close to each individual and worked upon in freedom.

This in no way makes the 10 Commandements moot but more a great mystery which calls for understanding, not contumely(explicitly or implicitly implied on this forum).

carlo