# Dumbing-down so as to be Smarter



## RubyTuesday (Aug 3, 2007)

This guy hung out with me today when I was jobsearching. I think that he was chatting me up, as he kept coming out with me when I had to move my car and asked if I wanted to go for a walk.

In any case, he was friendly and easy going, and actually really good with people -comfortable. He's not as educated or as intellectual as me. But then he isn't as neurotic or anxiety ridden as me either.

I tried to explain Buddhism to him and my reasons for following it -he felt that it was blasphemous, being that Christianity was the way etc etc and didn't seem to agree that a person could believe in more than one.
So I tried -I mean I _trrried_ ops - to explain how it works, and even though I get it enough my self to have faith in it, I still only have so good a grasp over it. The problem is though that I seem to naturally try, I think, perhaps too hard to think. The strain may even be visible. And it occurs to me that it shouldn't be a strain.

More than this even, my explanation wasn't simple enough, and I also got the feeling (perhaps partly inspired by his presence) that I was getting tangled in knots a little. His answer was: "Sounds like a nervous breakdown."

........ :rofl

Don't you love it when people "less intelligent" are more intelligent?
-In any case, it just occurs to me that I get too complicated for my own good. That I need to develop a better ability to quit when I've reached my limits and to not overdo things.

And, of course the moral to the story is that in explaining my "higher reasoning" for being into Buddhism, this guy, originally a bit simple-minded in his outlook, actually came up with a response that is more in-line with the actual Buddhist way in the first place. -He was able to bring things down to earth a bit and not get carried away with thinking too much or for that matter straining and striving whilst forgetting that the simple stuff get ignored, the big picture forgotten amongst all the details.

So, I've decided to learn from this acquaintance of mine. And I've picked up on that he perceives me as 'too thinky' and probably neurotic ("nervous breakdown"!) etc and I'm going to dumb-my self down a bit. Pull my self in line when I notice that I'm straining with my thoughts (which has become a real habit with me!!) or getting too complicated. (My cousin and her husband once dubbed me "Anelyza", my name being Elisa) 
And yeah, I'm going to dumb my self down in order to actually be smarter.
I figure that I am clever enough to have an interest and talent when it comes to complexities, but not clever enough to bring it home and simplify such things again. -That I get lost in between the two, all too often.

I'm not giving up thinking. But I am acknowledging that I think too much. ..hell, even Buddhism is based on using perception and dropping thinking in order to see the real picture.

....that anti-other religions guy doesn't know it but he's more of a Buddhist already. ...it's just neurotics like me who need to study in order to learn how to give up thinking. :doh ... :get


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## Gerard (Feb 3, 2004)

Hi Elisa, 

I think esoteric Christianity is just as the same as Buddhism. Jesus had Buddha nature and Buddha had Christ consciousness. Both were profound enlightened mystics during their historical time and space. Both were teaching others how to gain access to ever present Divine Form. Jesus had his disciples and aposcles (sp?) teaching them "the word of God" and Buddha had his Sangha (community) teaching them the Dharma. I think you help him or others like him next time to interpret the Bible as something symbolically. Pick verses and interpret it to him esoterically. He might have a peak experience like a mini satori. I can give you an example but I'm too lazy to research a verse online. Anyway hope this stuff helps it you encounter it again.

Best wishes,
Gerard


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## CoconutHolder (Oct 13, 2007)

Great post Gerard. I completely agree with what you said.

Ruby - It isn't an easy task to try to enlighten people who aren't ready for it.


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## embers (Dec 19, 2006)

I think with Buddhist philosophy its better to lead by example gently rather than explaining it. Ruby I think its great you want to share what you've found with others. I've tried to describe how its changed my life but words escape me, actually words don't even do it justice. The Buddhist concept itself is basically, you don't have to explain it anyway because there's no self to justify here, if that makes sense. Also you can be a Buddhist and also embrace any other faith you want, Buddhist-Christian, Buddhist-whatever. Maybe as you get to know your friend, he'll discover things by default, just being around your energy. 

What led me to it was observing someone. I was searching and I didn't even know it, but this person impressed me. She could be in any environment comfortably. Me and my anxiety ridden self took notice of that. 

Also, when it comes to debate, i'm awful at it. A real good friend of mine of the mormon faith ever so casually mentioned "religions like Buddhism and Wicca are for the socially inept." Now i've known this guy for many years, we are extremely close and respectful of one another and yes I flew off the handle. (Its going to take awhile before I can wear the anger robe). I think its because he knows about my SA and knows how much the Buddhist philosophy means to me having been through a lot in life, and for him to be so callus about it hurt me. (He was going through a breakup and I think he wanted to lash out a little bit). But if I had been true to my nonself, I would have written this off as ignorance on his part, and also a cheap shot because he was in pain and I was the closet thing to him. He's of a different faith and i'm not sure but I think one of the core beliefs of the Mormon faith is that everyone elses faith doesn't measure up to theirs? I don't know.


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## RubyTuesday (Aug 3, 2007)

....um, I think most people have misunderstood what I was talking about. 

It wasn't a concern for me, to convince this guy of anything, in fact. And I am largely uninterested in changing anyone's mind. I don't like interfering.

At the same time, I see no problem with stating why I follow something, and he criticised me when I told him that I was into Buddhism. -So it was more just me giving my reasons for following 
something like Buddhism and explaining why I was still a Christian (in my eyes).

Other than that, I was actually illustrating how a simple minded outlook, one that gets stuck less in complexities, actually can be more intelligent.

Since, in the process of trying to explain the logic behind Buddhism, which I am only so good at, I ended up actually messing-up the whole point of Buddhism in the first place.

....Now, seeing as 'faith' and 'converting people' has been brought up, it is interesting that this is relevant to what I was saying anyway -eventhough I was talking about my own inability to really grasp Buddhism and then explain it well, and not my frustration at others not being able to grasp it or at least my explanantion of it. 

anyhow: trust me, I am not in the slightest bit interested in changing or converting anybody. I'm still way too busy working on my own ignorance. -And it is how much I grasp the Buddhist approach my self that is the concern to me. I fumbled when I tried to explain it simply, and this was pointed out to me. 
Buddhism is just common sense, and I am noticing more how I lose basic common sense by analysing details too much and not stepping back (at the same time) to see the bigger perspective.


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