Rationality is interesting. Although rationality appears to contradict spirituality, it can sometimes reveal the effectiveness of religions. One example is the concept of ‘giving up’ in Buddhism. I finally understand its meaning. Let’s talk about it.
How to relax and decide rationally
Sometimes, we want to relax and decide rationally.
Rationality is tightly connected to relaxation, curiosity, change, and steady improvement. It is useful, especially if we want to change our situation.
However, we sometimes don’t know where to start. Although we can start with any of them, we want an easy trigger to act.
One solution is to give up on various things. This is a traditional method in Buddhism. It gives us relaxation and rational thinking. Today, I will explain why.
Two approaches to judging
The reason is simple. Giving up brings relaxation. That allows us to think logically.
To understand it easier, let’s look at how we decide things.
There are two approaches to judging, as follows:
- Empathic judgment: We decide based on expectation. It is deeply connected to attachment, imagination, and emotions. They motivate us with excitement and hope.
- Logical judgment: We decide based on probability. It is deeply connected to unpredictable outcomes, causality, hypotheses, and trial and error. They motivate us with calmness.
Rationality belongs to the latter—the logical side.
Give up attachments to relax
Giving up brings us disappointment—a form of relaxation. That provides us with rationality.
Traditional Buddhism teaches us that we should let go of any attachments. It means we should give up all hope. I used to think that it made us lose the will to live, but I was wrong.
It means that it is a way to live based on logical energy while eliminating empathic suffering. In other words, hope is a part of empathy: a future vision. We can live happily even without it.
Let’s imagine a life with no hope. Logically speaking, it is neither despair nor unhappiness. If we are curious, we can live joyfully even without such a vision.
Giving up in Buddhism means we let go of such hope. Because there are no expectations, we can judge based on rationality. It means that we can judge things, improve our lives, and fulfill ourselves even without hope.
If we are attached now, it will bring us temporary lamentation. Giving up hope is stressful at first. Of course, holding on to it also stresses us. We have to release these stresses if we want to be peaceful.
After we accept the state of no expectation, we hit rock bottom. It is a calm and safe mental state because we know we cannot get any worse.
In this state, we don’t know what the future holds, but we understand we are safe. Many things stimulate our curiosity. We can try various things. It is the state in which rationality works best.
Conclusion
That is why giving up on various things allows us to relax and decide rationally.
Giving up brings us disappointment—a form of relaxation.
This is a traditional method in Buddhism.
This logic might give you a trigger to live well.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope to see you in the next one.
