It's weird, when you've been awake for a long time, past that "auto-pilot" period, everything starts to feel fake. Everything feels synthetic here...well, almost everything. It's almost like just because everything else feels like a lie my thoughts (which I know are the only undeniable truth, thanks Descartes) feel potent, organic, and saturated with knowledge. Maybe that's just me. I walk through life most days without a single audible thought going through my head. When I say audible I don't mean out loud, I mean a thought in my head that I can hear. There's no inner monologue, unless I try to either have an inner monologue or try not to. Generally I have a quiet mind. It's not because I'm dense or slow, actually I'm not really sure why it is...this is all I really know. One thing I like about this is the absence of all the noise that so many people seem to deal with. If I want to have a thought I fucking have it man, no screwing around. It's there, and my attention is on it. I think that's why I love philosophy. I love asking questions with infinite answers; I love asking questions with no answers. (Sometimes those are the same question). It's frustrating and exciting. I've been doing this for as far back as I can remember. I honestly remember sitting in a car seat in the backseat of my mom's car looking out the window deep in thought. I'm talking deep. Just watching the tall light posts float by. They seemed so tall back then. Racing over overpasses, billboards whizzing by, some 90's alternative band (probably Collective Soul or something like that) playing on the radio. The thoughts are obscure and hard to remember, but they were heavy, ya know, those cliche philosophy questions: "Why am I here?" "Where did I come from?" "What am I?". That's why I feel so drawn to philosophy. I get so lost in it, and for a few moments only my thoughts exist. I love it.
This is my last blog entry for my honors philosophy class. I will probably keep up with my blog after this, but honestly, knowing me, I might not. This being my final entry I want to reflect on the class, because it was such a joy. The great thing about the honors program is the fact that the classes are small, personal, and discussion based. This class basically locked a bunch of completely different people up in a room for a few hours per week and let there minds run the with topics given (within the bounded discourse defined by our fearless leader of course). It is seriously like no experience I have ever had. I have lost more sleep over this class than any other class I have taken, spent more time reading, actually did homework for once in my life, why? Because I wanted to dammit!
My professor calls us her "mighty minds". I remember the first few classes I left with my head spinning. My once quiet mind was flowing and flooded with new thoughts, I started buying books, Aristotle's Metaphysics, The Republic of Plato, The Critique of Pure Reason by Kant, Tao Te Ching. And here's the amazing thing: I have actually applied what I learned to my life.
I have intelligent discussions with friends outside class over a cup of coffee or in between jam sessions. Big discussions on God, the universe, fate, ethics, karma, music, reality. Why? Because this class opened up my mind and made me question everything. Literally. Descartes posed the idea that the only thing unquestionable is our actual minds! That was one of our first reading assignments and I'm still hung up on that!
I must admit, at times I feel the discussions in class turned more towards arguments, sometimes heated, sometimes judgmental, and often times I thought these arguments were trivial. I thought people lost sight of the big picture. So many ideas were flowing at once, bouncing off each other in that small room, but eventually making it onto the whiteboard (as long as Professor McKinney could keep up). Honestly though, I realize now that's what it's all about. We're young. We won't really get a chance like this again. How many people get to sit in a room and just discuss things, interesting and constantly relevant things, for a few hours a week? After this we'll just graduate, hopefully get a job, have families, and just sit and reflect while driving through rush hour traffic on the thoughts that are still flowing through our heads from a class discussion that happened years ago.
Aristotle, Plato, Mill, Kant, and Descartes would all be stoked about this class. Not because people are still talking about their crazy ramblings, but because we are making new points, reflecting on our own thoughts. Aristotle and Plato would love this because it's a quest for enlightenment. We're searching for the good in the world. We're striving to broaden our subjective views and get out of the cave. Mill would find joy in this because as an individual we find happiness through this discussion. We're posing new ideas with their roots in helping the whole, giving the greatest amount of good to the greatest amount of people. If this blog entry gets read by 5, 10, 15 people, and they reflect on the ideas, and find joy then we did something right. Kant would just be down with the fact that we're searching for answers, questioning the way things are done, and looking at the big picture many times, for philosophy truly is universal. Descartes would just be excited that all this thought is surging around, that these minds are humming, although he might just question it all and blame it on some malevolent demon.
All I can say now is thank you, sincerely. Thank you for reading. Thank you for thinking. Thank you for being.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Lies
I'm not going to talk about the ethical conundrum that comes from lying, yes it's problematic. That's obvious. What I'm more interested in is the interesting notion that the capacity to lie shows a higher intelligence level.
Fear, guilt, and loneliness are all associated with lying. But what is lying really? It's pretty damn clever. To be able to deceive someone, whether successfully or not, proves a lot about someones intellectual capacity. This is not to argue that lying is good, right, or fair by any means. I don't want to open that can of worms because some jerk is just going to come along and say "well what if you had to lie to save your friend? What's moral then?". Honestly if I was confronted with such a situation I would probably lie, knowing its immoral, and accept. People get so caught up in the is it moral/ethical question and forget the big picture: what would you actually do, and does it really matter that it's immoral? But I digress...
To lie one must not only have a realization of those around them, but also a realization of the self. Beyond that to feel guilt one must have some concept of other being's feelings, rules/norms, and right and wrong. Without these three concepts guilt would be empty and nonexistent. However guilt is more often the product of lying, rather than the root of the lie, so it therefore may be a test for an even higher level of comprehension, learning, and intelligence.
However, I must recognize the fact that many lies are simply rooted in self preservation and betterment. Even here intelligence must be present because to attempt to manipulate and deceive one must have some understanding of their surroundings and their current state. A child may lie to their babysitter to get an extra cookie. A hopeful job-seeker may "fluff" a resume to get the job.
To cover all of my bases I must also entertain the idea of those who lie just for the hell of it, whether the root is in some psychological condition or they're just an asshole, lying is still a true test of some kind of higher thought.
The concept of lying seems so simple, but in actuality it requires not only the understanding that there are other beings around us, but also that those beings can be deceived for our own gain.
This finding brings me to an important point: humans lie, but we aren't the only beings capable of such higher thinking. Koko the gorilla constantly blows my mind. A friend of mine did a class presentation on her, and it really broke down some barriers I put up as a human, because it's kind of alarming. Gorillas are not only huge and strong, but they're also incredibly intelligent. For those of you reading who aren't familiar with Koko's story, she is a gorilla that was taught sign language, can comprehend the language, and communicate pretty freely. This opens so many doors philosophically, ethically, and scientifically. Not only can Koko communicate with us, but she also lies. That's right, a gorilla, a savage beast in most people's eyes, tried to deceive us. That should knock us down a few pegs, we aren't so high and mighty anymore, because a mere animal has the ability to try and manipulate us after mastering our language.
Koko broke a steel sink, and when confronted by her handlers she signed "cat did it", referring to her pet kitten. Not only did Koko try and take advantage of her human handlers but she also recognized the fact that she did wrong by breaking the sink, for if she hadn't come to this realization why would she have blamed the obviously innocent kitten. Sure this lie may seem childish, but it is shocking to think of an animal having the intelligence of a 5 or 6 year old human blaming the crayon marks on the wall on their dog (That was me, just ask my mom, she loves telling that story).
What does this mean? Koko clearly has the same if not greater mental capacity of a human child, so doesn't she deserve the same respect we give a child? The same protection? The same opportunities? I'm not proposing we enroll gorillas into elementary school (although that would be SO COOL), I'm merely suggesting everything we assume about animals may just be because of a communication gap.
I move now to an animal more domesticated; the dog. Can a dog lie? This would be hard to determine because communication with a dog is difficult if not impossible right now. What about guilt; Can a dog feel guilt? I previously stated that guilt may show intelligence because it shows an understanding of other being's feelings as well as right and wrong, but can a dog feel guilt?
I have a dog. I have come home to shredded toilet paper on the floor, maybe a turd or two on the carpet, and as soon as I see Sookie (my dog) her tail goes between her legs, her head drops to the floor, and she retreats. It seems like she feels guilty because she knows she did something she wasn't supposed to. HERE'S THE PROBLEM HOWEVER: how can we determine the difference between guilt and fear without a reliable form of communication? Sookie knows that if she poops inside she'll get yelled at and tossed outside. She doesn't enjoy this. So maybe her sudden retreat is merely a sign of fear because she has been conditioned to learn that if she goes inside she gets in trouble. This does not show guilt (although it does show an adaptive thought process).
Question what you know about animals. Question your assumption that we are superior, that we deserve any respect from them. I get it; we have thumbs, we have computers, cell phones, tv, school, and so on, but when stripped down to our basic thoughts we may not be that different. It would be interesting to see how gorillas truly communicate with each other, because clearly they are capable of not only language, but understanding other beings well enough to try and manipulate them, and really when you look at it we're just a bunch of gorillas wearing clothes lying to each other through cell phones, the news, and reality tv. I hate reality tv.
Fear, guilt, and loneliness are all associated with lying. But what is lying really? It's pretty damn clever. To be able to deceive someone, whether successfully or not, proves a lot about someones intellectual capacity. This is not to argue that lying is good, right, or fair by any means. I don't want to open that can of worms because some jerk is just going to come along and say "well what if you had to lie to save your friend? What's moral then?". Honestly if I was confronted with such a situation I would probably lie, knowing its immoral, and accept. People get so caught up in the is it moral/ethical question and forget the big picture: what would you actually do, and does it really matter that it's immoral? But I digress...
To lie one must not only have a realization of those around them, but also a realization of the self. Beyond that to feel guilt one must have some concept of other being's feelings, rules/norms, and right and wrong. Without these three concepts guilt would be empty and nonexistent. However guilt is more often the product of lying, rather than the root of the lie, so it therefore may be a test for an even higher level of comprehension, learning, and intelligence.
However, I must recognize the fact that many lies are simply rooted in self preservation and betterment. Even here intelligence must be present because to attempt to manipulate and deceive one must have some understanding of their surroundings and their current state. A child may lie to their babysitter to get an extra cookie. A hopeful job-seeker may "fluff" a resume to get the job.
To cover all of my bases I must also entertain the idea of those who lie just for the hell of it, whether the root is in some psychological condition or they're just an asshole, lying is still a true test of some kind of higher thought.
The concept of lying seems so simple, but in actuality it requires not only the understanding that there are other beings around us, but also that those beings can be deceived for our own gain.
This finding brings me to an important point: humans lie, but we aren't the only beings capable of such higher thinking. Koko the gorilla constantly blows my mind. A friend of mine did a class presentation on her, and it really broke down some barriers I put up as a human, because it's kind of alarming. Gorillas are not only huge and strong, but they're also incredibly intelligent. For those of you reading who aren't familiar with Koko's story, she is a gorilla that was taught sign language, can comprehend the language, and communicate pretty freely. This opens so many doors philosophically, ethically, and scientifically. Not only can Koko communicate with us, but she also lies. That's right, a gorilla, a savage beast in most people's eyes, tried to deceive us. That should knock us down a few pegs, we aren't so high and mighty anymore, because a mere animal has the ability to try and manipulate us after mastering our language.
Koko broke a steel sink, and when confronted by her handlers she signed "cat did it", referring to her pet kitten. Not only did Koko try and take advantage of her human handlers but she also recognized the fact that she did wrong by breaking the sink, for if she hadn't come to this realization why would she have blamed the obviously innocent kitten. Sure this lie may seem childish, but it is shocking to think of an animal having the intelligence of a 5 or 6 year old human blaming the crayon marks on the wall on their dog (That was me, just ask my mom, she loves telling that story).
What does this mean? Koko clearly has the same if not greater mental capacity of a human child, so doesn't she deserve the same respect we give a child? The same protection? The same opportunities? I'm not proposing we enroll gorillas into elementary school (although that would be SO COOL), I'm merely suggesting everything we assume about animals may just be because of a communication gap.
I move now to an animal more domesticated; the dog. Can a dog lie? This would be hard to determine because communication with a dog is difficult if not impossible right now. What about guilt; Can a dog feel guilt? I previously stated that guilt may show intelligence because it shows an understanding of other being's feelings as well as right and wrong, but can a dog feel guilt?
I have a dog. I have come home to shredded toilet paper on the floor, maybe a turd or two on the carpet, and as soon as I see Sookie (my dog) her tail goes between her legs, her head drops to the floor, and she retreats. It seems like she feels guilty because she knows she did something she wasn't supposed to. HERE'S THE PROBLEM HOWEVER: how can we determine the difference between guilt and fear without a reliable form of communication? Sookie knows that if she poops inside she'll get yelled at and tossed outside. She doesn't enjoy this. So maybe her sudden retreat is merely a sign of fear because she has been conditioned to learn that if she goes inside she gets in trouble. This does not show guilt (although it does show an adaptive thought process).
Question what you know about animals. Question your assumption that we are superior, that we deserve any respect from them. I get it; we have thumbs, we have computers, cell phones, tv, school, and so on, but when stripped down to our basic thoughts we may not be that different. It would be interesting to see how gorillas truly communicate with each other, because clearly they are capable of not only language, but understanding other beings well enough to try and manipulate them, and really when you look at it we're just a bunch of gorillas wearing clothes lying to each other through cell phones, the news, and reality tv. I hate reality tv.
Wake up!
I recently did a presentation on the life and teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, a Hindu saint that reached liberation at the young age of 16 and spent the rest of his life reflecting on his self discovery and teaching non-dualism to those who came to him with questions. It's really hard to sum up his life and teachings in a simple sentence like that, and doesn't do him justice, but I want to keep this somewhat concise and focused. In this entry I will strive to define non-dualism better than I did in my in-class presentation.
First of all, I realize not everyone reading this is in my class, so I'll give you some background. When I say he reached liberation I mean as a young boy Ramana Maharshi found self realization, discovering that while there is something beyond the physical body there is no separation between selves. Simply put everyone and everything is one. This is a fundamental belief in the Hindu philosophy. How does a 16 year old boy come to such a profound realization? One day Ramana was overwhelmed with the feeling that he was going to die. Rather than calling out for help he laid down and acted out his death, stopped his breathing, held himself stiff to imitate rigor mortis and mediated. Here are his remarks when asked about what is called his awakening:
"'Well then,' I said to myself, 'this body is dead. It will be carried stiff to the burning ground and there burn and reduced to ashes. But with the death of the body, am I dead? Is the body I? It is silent and inert, but I feel the full force of my personality and even the voice of I within me, apart from it. So I am the Spirit transcending the body. The body dies but the spirit transcending it cannot be touched by death. That means I am the deathless Spirit.' All this was not dull thought; it flashed through me vividly as living truths which I perceived directly almost without thought process. I was something real, the only real thing about my present state, and all the conscious activity connected with the body was centered on that I."
From that moment on he spent his life in temples meditating and teaching those who came to him with questions. That's pretty much a condensed version of my presentation from class, however in this entry I'm going to try and hone in on Non-dualism.
The trouble with understanding non-dualism is we are so used to thinking from the ego. This doesn't necessarily mean we are all self centered and egotistical, but in the society we live in most of what we do is either directly or indirectly driven by self gain or preservation. We think in terms of 'I' and 'Me'. Simply put we are subjective beings. I'm different than you. She's different that him. Non-dualism argues that although we perceive things subjectively we are all the same part of the whole. We are all one. Again, this is really hard to conceptualize in the world we live in. This is America man, we're worried about bringing home the bacon, making a profit, owning the newest fanciest ipod. I have always stood by the idea that in the end the money we make is just green paper, and the stuff we own is just stuff, and that if you let it, it will define you and own you. "The things you own end up owning you". Thanks for that Fight Club. But unfortunately we still live in a society where this is a reality. That's why it's so hard to believe and understand this concept; we live in constant competition with one another.
It's easier to understand Non-dualism if I relate it to something that may be more familiar to us...well...sort of. I remember sitting in my high school English class while my teacher tried to explain what a synecdoche was. Not only is it hard to spell, but it's a weird concept. It boils down to the part representing the whole. For example the phrase "A set of wheels" when referring to a car. This isn't exactly what Non-dualism means, but it's close, and it helps bridge that gap. The main difference is the fact that labeling something as "the part" of the whole, whether it represents the whole or not, creates separation. If something is a part it can't be the same as that other part. Non-dualism tries to teach us that we are more than parts, we are one. The self is eternal because the self is everything. That's why Ramana didn't fear death. Even in the days before the death of his body he showed no fear. He simply told his followers that they shouldn't be sad, for he wasn't going anywhere. Where could he go?
Yes, I realize this realization may seem trivial in our society. I'm not expecting anyone to burn their cash and live in a loin cloth. Ramana Maharshi didn't expect that either. However after learning all of this I couldn't help but have a different mindset in almost everything I did. This doesn't mean I believe all of this, I mean, that's why I'm a philosophy major, I'm constantly searching for the truth. But the mere possibility that we are all one changes things for me. There's a lot more than just the concept of Non-dualism, and if you want more just pick up the Bhagavad Gita. This entry was simply here to better define Non-dualism.
First of all, I realize not everyone reading this is in my class, so I'll give you some background. When I say he reached liberation I mean as a young boy Ramana Maharshi found self realization, discovering that while there is something beyond the physical body there is no separation between selves. Simply put everyone and everything is one. This is a fundamental belief in the Hindu philosophy. How does a 16 year old boy come to such a profound realization? One day Ramana was overwhelmed with the feeling that he was going to die. Rather than calling out for help he laid down and acted out his death, stopped his breathing, held himself stiff to imitate rigor mortis and mediated. Here are his remarks when asked about what is called his awakening:
"'Well then,' I said to myself, 'this body is dead. It will be carried stiff to the burning ground and there burn and reduced to ashes. But with the death of the body, am I dead? Is the body I? It is silent and inert, but I feel the full force of my personality and even the voice of I within me, apart from it. So I am the Spirit transcending the body. The body dies but the spirit transcending it cannot be touched by death. That means I am the deathless Spirit.' All this was not dull thought; it flashed through me vividly as living truths which I perceived directly almost without thought process. I was something real, the only real thing about my present state, and all the conscious activity connected with the body was centered on that I."
From that moment on he spent his life in temples meditating and teaching those who came to him with questions. That's pretty much a condensed version of my presentation from class, however in this entry I'm going to try and hone in on Non-dualism.
The trouble with understanding non-dualism is we are so used to thinking from the ego. This doesn't necessarily mean we are all self centered and egotistical, but in the society we live in most of what we do is either directly or indirectly driven by self gain or preservation. We think in terms of 'I' and 'Me'. Simply put we are subjective beings. I'm different than you. She's different that him. Non-dualism argues that although we perceive things subjectively we are all the same part of the whole. We are all one. Again, this is really hard to conceptualize in the world we live in. This is America man, we're worried about bringing home the bacon, making a profit, owning the newest fanciest ipod. I have always stood by the idea that in the end the money we make is just green paper, and the stuff we own is just stuff, and that if you let it, it will define you and own you. "The things you own end up owning you". Thanks for that Fight Club. But unfortunately we still live in a society where this is a reality. That's why it's so hard to believe and understand this concept; we live in constant competition with one another.
It's easier to understand Non-dualism if I relate it to something that may be more familiar to us...well...sort of. I remember sitting in my high school English class while my teacher tried to explain what a synecdoche was. Not only is it hard to spell, but it's a weird concept. It boils down to the part representing the whole. For example the phrase "A set of wheels" when referring to a car. This isn't exactly what Non-dualism means, but it's close, and it helps bridge that gap. The main difference is the fact that labeling something as "the part" of the whole, whether it represents the whole or not, creates separation. If something is a part it can't be the same as that other part. Non-dualism tries to teach us that we are more than parts, we are one. The self is eternal because the self is everything. That's why Ramana didn't fear death. Even in the days before the death of his body he showed no fear. He simply told his followers that they shouldn't be sad, for he wasn't going anywhere. Where could he go?
Yes, I realize this realization may seem trivial in our society. I'm not expecting anyone to burn their cash and live in a loin cloth. Ramana Maharshi didn't expect that either. However after learning all of this I couldn't help but have a different mindset in almost everything I did. This doesn't mean I believe all of this, I mean, that's why I'm a philosophy major, I'm constantly searching for the truth. But the mere possibility that we are all one changes things for me. There's a lot more than just the concept of Non-dualism, and if you want more just pick up the Bhagavad Gita. This entry was simply here to better define Non-dualism.
Transhumanism
My philosophy professor told us all to go research Transhumanism, figure out what it is, and define 3 main themes in this philosophy. This is going to be a short entry (mostly because I have 3 more to do tonight) for the main themes can be found simply by looking at the definition.
According to Max More, author of The Modern Philosophy of Transhumanism, Transhumanism can be defined as a class of philosophies of life that seek the continuation and acceleration of the evolution of intelligent life beyond its currently human form and human limitations by means of science and technology, guided by life- promoting principles and values.
To define this in my own words I would have to say it's the idea that we must develop science and technology and use them towards our betterment.
Here are the 3 main themes in my eyes:
1. Humans have limitations in their current state.
2. The development of science and technology are our main tools in overcoming human limitations.
3. The acceleration and growth of intelligent life will take us beyond merely being human as we know it today.
According to Max More, author of The Modern Philosophy of Transhumanism, Transhumanism can be defined as a class of philosophies of life that seek the continuation and acceleration of the evolution of intelligent life beyond its currently human form and human limitations by means of science and technology, guided by life- promoting principles and values.
To define this in my own words I would have to say it's the idea that we must develop science and technology and use them towards our betterment.
Here are the 3 main themes in my eyes:
1. Humans have limitations in their current state.
2. The development of science and technology are our main tools in overcoming human limitations.
3. The acceleration and growth of intelligent life will take us beyond merely being human as we know it today.
Highlights of Thich Nhat Hanh's 14 precepts
I read the 14 Precepts of Engaged Buddhism for a class assignment and my professor asked the class to identify two aspects of the reading: The precept most personally valuable and the precept that would be the most difficult to follow.
For those of you who haven't read them and might be interested here they are:
For those of you who haven't read them and might be interested here they are:
1
Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. Buddhist systems of thought are guiding means; they are not absolute truth.
2
Do not think the knowledge you presently possess is changeless, absolute truth. Avoid being narrow minded and bound to present views. Learn and practice nonattachment from views in order to be open to receive others' viewpoints. Truth is found in life and not merely in conceptual knowledge. Be ready to learn throughout your entire life and to observe reality in yourself and in the world at all times.
3
Do not force others, including children, by any means whatsoever, to adopt your views, whether by authority, threat, money, propaganda, or even education. However, through compassionate dialogue, help others renounce fanaticism and narrow-mindedness.
4
Do not avoid suffering or close your eyes before suffering. Do not lose awareness of the existence of suffering in the life of the world. Find ways to be with those who are suffering, including personal contact, visits, images and sounds. By such means, awaken yourself and others to the reality of suffering in the world.
5
Do not accumulate wealth while millions are hungry. Do not take as the aim of your life fame, profit, wealth, or sensual pleasure. Live simply and share time, energy, and material resources with those who are in need.
6
Do not maintain anger or hatred. Learn to penetrate and transform them when they are still seeds in your consciousness. As soon as they arise, turn your attention to your breath in order to see and understand the nature of your hatred.
7
Do not lose yourself in dispersion and in your surroundings. Practice mindful breathing to come back to what is happening in the present moment. Be in touch with what is wondrous, refreshing, and healing both inside and around you. Plant seeds of joy, peace, and understanding in yourself in order to facilitate the work of transformation in the depths of your consciousness.
8
Do not utter words that can create discord and cause the community to break. Make every effort to reconcile and resolve all conflicts, however small.
9
Do not say untruthful things for the sake of personal interest or to impress people. Do not utter words that cause division and hatred. Do not spread news that you do not know to be certain. Do not criticize or condemn things of which you are not sure. Always speak truthfully and constructively. Have the courage to speak out about situations of injustice, even when doing so may threaten your own safety.
10
Do not use the Buddhist community for personal gain or profit, or transform your community into a political party. A religious community, however, should take a clear stand against oppression and injustice and should strive to change the situation without engaging in partisan conflicts.
11
Do not live with a vocation that is harmful to humans and nature. Do not invest in companies that deprive others of their chance to live. Select a vocation that helps realise your ideal of compassion.
12
Do not kill. Do not let others kill. Find whatever means possible to protect life and prevent war.
13
Possess nothing that should belong to others. Respect the property of others, but prevent others from profiting from human suffering or the suffering of other species on Earth.
14
Do not mistreat your body. Learn to handle it with respect. Do not look on your body as only an instrument. Preserve vital energies (sexual, breath, spirit) for the realisation of the Way. (For brothers and sisters who are not monks and nuns:) Sexual expression should not take place without love and commitment. In sexual relations, be aware of future suffering that may be caused. To preserve the happiness of others, respect the rights and commitments of others. Be fully aware of the responsibility of bringing new lives into the world. Meditate on the world into which you are bringing new beings.
Personally the most valuable precept is the second one, the one that has to do with gaining new knowledge and realizing that the knowledge we already posses may not be concrete. Without truly accepting this precept it would be difficult to really live by any of the 14 precepts. It helps us learn new things, helps us accept that the things we already know may change, and allows us to grow and adapt. It involves the search for knowledge with the mindset that knowledge is infinite and ever-changing.
As far as the most difficult to follow I would have to say precept 12. Just kidding, that would be kind of ridiculous. Honestly though, precept 10 the one that involves personal gain seems to be the most difficult. On the surface it seems straight forward; don't exploit Buddhism for personal profit. Sounds easy, but in the world we live in, and with the way we think, it's hard to find an action that doesn't have some roots in personal gain. It's not necessarily selfish, it seems to be rooted in self preservation. I do realize that the tenth precept takes a stand against oppression and political exploitation, but the very first part concerning personal gain is more complex that it seems on the surface.
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