samseva wrote: ↑Wed Oct 13, 2021 4:41 pm
If you want to take performance-enhancing drugs, fine, but don't try to rationalize it by using Suttas. The Suttas you quoted say nothing at all about beauty or strength obtained from using drugs.
I don't. It was a response to this:
Why improve something like appearance, which is empty of inherent existence?
I said, why not, and provided some of suttas about it.
How something is acquired is important. Intention in Buddhist teachings is almost everything. If a Sutta says being wealthy is beneficial, that's true—however, it doesn't mean robbing a bank or selling/taking drugs to do so is wholesome.
Exactly, like I said about possible intentions for getting bigger and stronger:
It can be completely utilitarian without too much craving and clinging.
Getting bigger and stronger to do every kind of manual labour better, being in better shape to protect yourself and your family, it can also make you feel better mentally and overall create better conditions for practice.
If you remember there is such a Sutta, why are you asking me to provide it?
Don't remember where it is.
Have you ever seen an elephant trunk in a picture? It's far from "Buddha had huge arms," that you're trying to convey—and use as an excuse for using an illegal or chemical substance.
Not really far when combined with lion-shaped body, arms reaching knees, strength of thousands of men and other descriptions of his body.
And first post was a joking response to the claim that those using these drugs have strayed from the path.
Also, to remind you, doctor can prescribe such things. You should check what all can be included under this term and for what purposes.
No one is talking about the medical condition of having low-testosterone. Completely unrelated to the discussion.
Well, this is what some people take for muscle gains or some other reason, sportsmen getting busted for elevated levels of testosterone, but can also be prescribed by the doctor.
Case in point why blanket statements about such drugs are meaningless.
And you are making it sound like steroid users are injecting heroin. While in reality, people who have a history of using even the worst kinds of steroids are not the group which stands out as the one with unhealthy lifestyle. More often than not, it's quite the opposite.
Even if I don't support doing anything illegal, these things can be illegal in the sense that everybody knows they are being sold and taken in some gym, and nobody cares or ever does anything about it. And people knowing that still think it's great to go there.