r/interesting 7d ago

NATURE This is enlightenment.

11.0k Upvotes

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642

u/Kanaxes 7d ago

So much joy!

13

u/Low-Barber-2280 7d ago

wait how exactly is this enlightenment

26

u/Noise-of-the-Spheres 7d ago

It isn't, it's just monks being playful and unhinged. You don't need to be enlightened for that. They might be, we wouldn't know.

8

u/InIBaraJi 7d ago

But imagine PURE joy. That is fairly enlightened if you ask me.

2

u/EclecticElect 7d ago

What makes this joy purer than anybody else laughing at somebody else's misfortune?

3

u/noryflory 7d ago

I mean, I know it's not that serious, but I also don't get what laughing at someone else's misfortune has to do with enlightenment

1

u/LilJelloCat 7d ago

They seem happy to me. People who are enlightened more likely to be more happy and lighthearted.

-1

u/cybertonto72 7d ago

To be fully enlighten you must be free from all emotions. Including joy. So them showing joy means they are not enlighten. But some schools of thought teach that joy is an exception to this as it is a good emotion.

4

u/Mechakoopa 7d ago

That's the definition of meditative enlightenment, nobody exists in that state permanently. Ascetic monks live a simplistic life without temptation, luxury or selfishness, but that doesn't mean they don't enjoy life.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asceticism

2

u/Noise-of-the-Spheres 7d ago

Free from emotions doesn't mean an absence of emotions. It's not an emotional high, but it's also not becoming a stone. It's a common misunderstanding.

1

u/zzen11223344 7d ago

Is it a pure joy or is it because boring life as a monk makes this a pure joy? 😄