Why Practice and Philosophy Cannot Be Compared to the Buddha's Liberation
Nietzsche's idea of amor fati is often summarized in his famous words.
"My formula for greatness in a human being is amor fati... not merely bear what is necessary, but love it."
The common approach, whether through philosophy or spiritual practice, is to overcome suffering by changing the way you think, by learning something new, or by following someone considered wise.
The assumption is that, although you are not there yet, after many years you will eventually become that kind of person.
In Seon, this is called fabrication.
Instead of trying to change yourself, Seon points directly to the one who is trying to change.
This difference is immeasurable from the very beginning.
Suffering does not disappear simply because one awakens.
As long as you are alive, pain, loss, and hardship still arise.
Unless one is mentally ill, no one truly enjoys suffering.
Seon does not teach you to embrace suffering as part of yourself or to love it as your destiny.
It reveals that while all experiences, including suffering, are fully felt, none of them are what you truly are.
This is awakening from the dream.
Only then can Nietzsche's words be appreciated for whatever insight they may contain.
Yet to those who have awakened, his philosophy ultimately remains the work of a brilliant writer skillfully arranging concepts rather than directly revealing reality.
So the choice is yours.
Will you spend your life captivated by the eloquent language of those who speak about freedom?
Or will you taste freedom directly, here and now?