Pluto
Meowing to go out
- Dec 27, 2020
- 4,170
Trigger warning: may contain references to archery.
The Second Arrow
The Buddhist parable of The Arrow (Sallattha Sutta) describes life as shooting two arrows. The first represents challenging events, such as physical pain, mental illness, financial problems and so forth. The second is the additional burden that we place on ourselves through our narratives and interpretations, such as self-pity, anticipating worst-case-scenarios or harboring resentment.
If an arrow hits you, you will feel pain in that part of your body where the arrow hit; and then if a second arrow comes and strikes exactly at the same spot, the pain will not be only double, it will become at least ten times more intense. The unwelcome things that sometimes happen in life—being rejected, losing a valuable object, failing a test, getting injured in an accident—are analogous to the first arrow. They cause some pain. The second arrow, fired by our own selves, is our reaction, our storyline, and our anxiety. All these things magnify the suffering.
― Thich Nhat Hanh, No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering
In researching this story, I noticed that this parable is very popular in the West. This is already a red flag, which I will explain momentarily.
Firstly, this teaching can be misinterpreted in ways that discourage problem-solving or enable mistreatment. For example, it could lead to tolerating an abusive home or workplace since the bulk of the suffering is self-generated in the form of the second arrow. The teaching must be rooted in proper Buddhist understanding to avoid a shallow interpretation. In short, Buddhism says that suffering is prevalent in all life forms, but there is a way to end it.
In this context, this parable is not merely suggesting a trick to reduce suffering (though it is very much a potent and practical self-help method), but describing an advanced spiritual state in which suffering has been eliminated. The importance of this distinction — a more livable mind vs. ego death — cannot be overstated.
The Poisoned Arrow
More direct is another arrow story. This time, the Buddha describes a man shot with a poisoned arrow. He is rushed to a doctor but refuses treatment until he knows who shot him, his motivation, the type of crossbow and so forth. By waiting for these questions to be answered, he might die first. The British teacher Sangharakshita comments, "The important thing is to get rid of the arrow, not to enquire where it came from."
This parable came about in response to people asking the Buddha metaphysical questions, which he usually responded to with silence. This included questions about what happens to enlightened beings after death, or whether the world (universe) is infinite in space or time; these became known as the acinteyya; the unanswerable questions.
The Buddha said, "Whether the world is finite or infinite, limited or unlimited, the problem of your liberation remains the same." Anything less than enlightenment, or the practical pursuit of it is a complete waste of time.
The Buddhist parable of The Arrow (Sallattha Sutta) describes life as shooting two arrows. The first represents challenging events, such as physical pain, mental illness, financial problems and so forth. The second is the additional burden that we place on ourselves through our narratives and interpretations, such as self-pity, anticipating worst-case-scenarios or harboring resentment.
If an arrow hits you, you will feel pain in that part of your body where the arrow hit; and then if a second arrow comes and strikes exactly at the same spot, the pain will not be only double, it will become at least ten times more intense. The unwelcome things that sometimes happen in life—being rejected, losing a valuable object, failing a test, getting injured in an accident—are analogous to the first arrow. They cause some pain. The second arrow, fired by our own selves, is our reaction, our storyline, and our anxiety. All these things magnify the suffering.
― Thich Nhat Hanh, No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering
In researching this story, I noticed that this parable is very popular in the West. This is already a red flag, which I will explain momentarily.
Firstly, this teaching can be misinterpreted in ways that discourage problem-solving or enable mistreatment. For example, it could lead to tolerating an abusive home or workplace since the bulk of the suffering is self-generated in the form of the second arrow. The teaching must be rooted in proper Buddhist understanding to avoid a shallow interpretation. In short, Buddhism says that suffering is prevalent in all life forms, but there is a way to end it.
In this context, this parable is not merely suggesting a trick to reduce suffering (though it is very much a potent and practical self-help method), but describing an advanced spiritual state in which suffering has been eliminated. The importance of this distinction — a more livable mind vs. ego death — cannot be overstated.
The Poisoned Arrow
More direct is another arrow story. This time, the Buddha describes a man shot with a poisoned arrow. He is rushed to a doctor but refuses treatment until he knows who shot him, his motivation, the type of crossbow and so forth. By waiting for these questions to be answered, he might die first. The British teacher Sangharakshita comments, "The important thing is to get rid of the arrow, not to enquire where it came from."
This parable came about in response to people asking the Buddha metaphysical questions, which he usually responded to with silence. This included questions about what happens to enlightened beings after death, or whether the world (universe) is infinite in space or time; these became known as the acinteyya; the unanswerable questions.
The Buddha said, "Whether the world is finite or infinite, limited or unlimited, the problem of your liberation remains the same." Anything less than enlightenment, or the practical pursuit of it is a complete waste of time.
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