KathyLauren wrote: ↑Sun Jun 26, 2022 11:22 pm
santa100 wrote: ↑Sun Jun 26, 2022 11:03 pm
Where exactly did you see I said it's acceptable to ignore the suffering of the vast majority? Please provide the exact excerpt or else your claim is pure bull crap. Since at least we agree on the transition as last resort part, are you or are you not ok with the idea of using religion/spirituality as a gentle first approach to the issue? yes or no?
Same place you thought I was advocating ignoring the suffering of 8% or 4%.
You have failed to indicate what treatment the Buddha would have advocated for gender dysphoria. Still, I am all for a Buddhist approach. In fact all transitioners start their transitions by renouncing attachments to the cause of their suffering, whether they are Buddhists or not. It is the hardest part of transition, and no one escapes it.
Kathy
He’d probably advise you that “gender” is a “Self View”. All views of “Self” are incorrect fabrications.
Altering your body in terms of look and function isn’t going to resolve the underlying problem that whoever it may be identifies as male or female.
The Buddha was asked if he was a human. He said, “I am not a human. You may refer to me as “awakened”.” How’s that for “species dysphoria”. The Buddha’s solution to his conundrum? Abandon all feeling and perception. Abandon all attachments to rebirth. No satisfaction is to be found in any realm of being. Regardless of gender, sex, preference, etc.
I grew up with bodily dysmorphia surrounding my nose. If I had the means I would have gone for rhinoplasty in a heartbeat at the age of 14.
I grew out of it. I’m happy I didn’t get any plastic surgery. And never in my life have I identified as a man or a woman. I find the notion that anyone feels internally that they are in the wrong body hard to fathom.
Admittedly, I don’t know the first thing about gender dysmorphia. I’m willing to listen and learn, but my inner instinct tells me that drastically altering the body is treating the symptoms, not the underlying condition.
As I said, one of the Buddha’s teachings is that our idea of “self” is mistaken. Dropping that wrong view is a step along the path to happiness.
In other words, dropping the idea that “i’d be happier in a different body” is a means towards coming to terms with the one your currently in. Ultimately, the body is just a part of the skhandas. The skhandas are to be let go of in the process of enlightenment.
But if certain people think it will make them happy, by all means, I’m not going to stop them. I would’ve butchered my nose at the age of 14 if i’d had the means. The psychologists I saw about the problem told me to smile more. It’s only at the age of 40 that I realize the underlying problem was a personal issue with the sense of smell.
For trans people it seems the underlying problem is an issue with identity and genitalia. Both of those “objects” are covered by “feeling” and “mind-objects” (the body and the mind - faculties of perception). I lived half my life not feeling comfortable in my own body. I can relate. But I’ve accepted that my nose will never “look perfect”. My wife is the same. Beautiful, beautiful woman. Everyone tells her. Does she believe it? Of course not. Every once in a while she’ll realize how lucky she is to be pretty. But most of the time she has a completely opposite view of her self.
My point is that we come to terms with our bodies at a certain age. And we realize that all of the time our insecurities have been a product of sense perception and self views.
