War, hunger, disease, loneliness, failure, death and many other problems, non matters for an intellectual since he lives in his mind. On the other hand there is of course the reality of the body and physical appearances, though the permanent experience is only through ideal level.
Why do priests, gurus, dervishes, monks and activists of our age spend their life with helping people? Why do they sacrifice all their time? It’s not a sacrifice from their perspective, it just doesn’t matter what belongings they have or where they are, physically. Humans live in their minds rather than outside. Our intellectual categories give completely different meanings to what happens outside. For example sound of a child may be annoying when it’s somebody else’s child, however it’s refreshing when it’s yours’ When it’s a relaxed time you interpret the same stimuli as a positive, when it’s a stressed moment you’re disgusted even by your own The same event can have different reactions from people, the same stimuli causes different responses from people. The same word can have different connotations for people. The physical world is just a tool for us, the subjects reside in the intellectual level.
“Experience without theory is blind, but theory without experience is mere intellectual play.”
Immanuel Kant
A counter claim for this one sided approach would be Kant’s. Kant claim there are two substances, experience and the mind; yet both are in need of each other. He is considered as an idealist because he also leans over the ideal side that gives meaning to the reality. We’re real after all, we’re physical as well; yet philosophy – in other words what we do in this wesite is theoretical speculation which consists of contrast to whatever being said. Wit that being said, the idea that we’re intellectuals that live in the mind is a contrast to modern sensualist understanding of humanity.
A Zen master was given a beautifully crafted crystal cup. It was a gift from a former student.
He was very grateful. Every day, he enjoyed drinking out of his glass. He would show it to visitors and tell them about the kindness of his student.
But every morning, he held the cup in his hand for a few seconds and reminded himself: “This glass is already broken.”
One day, a clumsy visitor toppled the glass on its shelf. The cup fell down. When it hit the floor, it was smashed into thousands of tiny pieces.
The other visitors gasped in shock, but the Zen master remained calm. Looking at the mess in front of his feet, he said: “Ah. Yes. Let’s begin.”
He picked up a broom and started sweeping.
The intellectuals are the one that focuses in the ideal, mindful side of life. In contrast to the sensualists who are heavily invested in bodily pleasures and physical attachments, they live in their heads. As a result, they don’t care about the context of life; as long as they are free in their minds. Any stimuli is a tool for their intellectual perception. Sensation is just a toy, a tool for perception in the mind. Hence, they can play with any event or reality; provided that you have the perceptional devices that give meaning to the reality.
The intellectual can use sorrows as a gateway to ultimate reality in the ideal plane. Pain is perhaps more instrumental than pleasure in the way of enlightenment. Failure is more enlightening than success in this sense, due to their contrast with the perception of the masses.
Two men visit a Zen master.
The first man says: “I’m thinking of moving to this town. What’s it like?”
The Zen master asks: “What was your old town like?”
The first man responds: “It was dreadful. Everyone was hateful. I hated it.”
The Zen master says: “This town is very much the same. I don’t think you should move here.”
The first man leaves and the second man comes in.
The second man says: “I’m thinking of moving to this town. What’s it like?”
The Zen master asks: “What was your old town like?”
The second man responds: “It was wonderful. Everyone was friendly and I was happy. Just interested in a change now.”
The Zen master says: “This town is very much the same. I think you will like it here.”
A student once asked his teacher, “Master, what is enlightenment?“
The master replied, “When hungry, eat. When tired, sleep.“
