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Hello dear Dhamma friends
1.) Plato’s Allegory of the Cave analyzed with the Buddha Dhamma.
Socrates describes an underground, cave-like dwelling from which a rough and steep passage, similar to a shaft, leads up to the surface of the earth. People live in the cave who have spent their entire lives there as prisoners. While sitting, they are tied by their thighs and neck in such a way that they can only look at the cave wall in front of them and cannot turn their heads. Therefore, they can never see the exit that is behind their backs and are unaware of its existence. They also cannot see themselves or the other prisoners; the only thing they ever see is the wall they have been fixated on looking at. A distant fire burns far up behind them, but the prisoners only see the wall illuminated by its light, not its source. They see shadows on the wall.
A wall was built between the prisoners and the fire blazing behind them, but it was not so high that it could completely block the light of the fire. A variety of objects move back and forth slightly above this wall; they can take the forms of people, other living things, and anything made of stone or wood. These objects protrude beyond the wall; Who is behind them or whether they even move on their own remains hidden from the prisoners. They can neither turn their heads nor go to the wall to look behind it, so all they see on the cave wall are the shadows cast by the objects backlit by the fire. Some of them talk to each other, and others remain silent.
When people speak, the echo echoes off the cave wall in such a way that the prisoners have the impression that it was the shadows themselves speaking to each other or to them. They consider these seemingly speaking shadows to be real people and interpret everything that happens as their actions. For them, what is happening on the wall represents all of reality and is considered absolutely true. They develop a science of shadows and try to determine regularities in their appearance and movements in order to derive predictions from them. They give praise and honor to the person who makes the best predictions.
Socrates now asks Glaucon to imagine what would happen if one of the prisoners were untied and forced to stand up, turn around, look towards the exit of the cave and turn towards the objects themselves, whose shadows he has previously observed. That person would be painfully blinded by the light and confused. She would consider the things that now came into her field of vision to be less real than the shadows she was familiar with. Therefore, she felt the need to return to her usual position, because she was convinced that reality could only be found on the cave wall. She would not believe any contrary instructions from a well-intentioned liberator.
2.) The cave allegory primarily explains Plato’s ideas about the two worlds. The people in the cave don’t see things as they really are; you see images. According to Plato, this is what happens to all of us in this world. The cave parable describes the process “Saññā,” the Nama + rupa, and the Arahant stage…
3.) This cave canvas[1] would be called the Outer Rupa. They are all Sankata in the outside world who were or are still connected to “Pancakkhandha.” They are living things and inanimate matter, such as the Earth and solar systems, galaxies, i.e., the entire universe, down to the smallest building blocks of matter, such as the elementary particles and their structure.
We ourselves[2], i.e. the human entity, consist of the Hadaya Vatthu, the accumulated Gandhabba and the grown interpreter body.
The chains[3] represent the desire “Tanha” that binds man to this world and the world we see. The entire universe is the inside of the cave.
The people[4] with the shapes on the staff behind the wall represent the Nama God, with their Pancakkhandha. The fire[5] represents dhammā, kamma bija, kamma vinnana, kamma patisandhi, i.e. kamma energy, in the form of dhammā, which connect everything together. The sun[6] is the energy of enlightenment, the pure light, the Nibbana that illuminates everything. Enlightened people of Arahnt[7] who see the true nature of the world.4.) If a person[2] now stares at this wall[1], this is equivalent to the “Saññā”. This “Saññā” is seen by people on the basis of the Kāma Dhatu stage and this “Saññā” is associated with Pancakkhanda[4] in the Nama Loka. Everything on the wall[1] is given a telelogical purpose by the pancakkhandha, which represents a potential that can be realized with ideas at a higher structural level. So everything behind the wall in the cave is equated with the Nama and the front of the wall with the Kāmaloka. The fire[7] now provides the energy for consciousness, the Kamma Bija and for rebirth, which represents a potential for the future. Kamma bija[5] is an “energy” or “potential” to produce an effect in the future. Like changing the Bhava to another level. If we consider these aforementioned factors, we can see that “Saññā” does not represent the true nature of things. So when we think about the outside world (cave wall) with the distorted “Saññā”, and attach with a IPS, they desire tanha[3], then we generate kamma energy which further feeds the fire. Our thoughts in an IPS cycle create Javana Citta, which raises sankhaha to abhisankhara and the flame[5] i.e. dhammā[5] is further nourished. These thoughts(citta) and the desire(tanha), in the sensual pleasures on the cave wall[1] which can be equated with our outside world, are the fuel for the fire[5]. The view outside the cave is the true world and the sun[6] is to be equated with enlightenment/Arahant, i.e. with the Nibbana Dhatu stage. The living Arahant[7] sees the world without pancakkhandha[4]. An Arahant[7] who has achieved Parinibbana through the physical death of the interpreter body would no longer be found in the picture.
I would be interested to know what you think of this parable of hell.????
How do you see it?
Please correct/add/improve
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I asked Grok (Elon Musk’s AI) to explain the “Plato’s Allegory of the Cave.” The following is its explanation:
“Plato’s Allegory of the Cave is a story about a group of people who are chained inside a cave, facing a wall. They have been there since birth and can only see shadows of objects passing by behind them, which they believe to be real. One day, one of the prisoners is freed and is able to turn around and see the actual objects. He realizes that the shadows were just a poor representation of reality.
The freed prisoner then leaves the cave and discovers the real world outside, full of sunlight and colors. He realizes that the world he knew inside the cave was just a limited and distorted version of reality. Excited about his discovery, he returns to the cave to tell the others, but they don’t believe him and even threaten to kill him if he tries to set them free.In this allegory, the cave represents the world of appearances and the limited knowledge we have through our senses. The prisoners represent people who are trapped in their limited understanding of the world, and the shadows represent the distorted view of reality that they have. The journey out of the cave and into the real world represents the pursuit of true knowledge and understanding, which can be difficult and uncomfortable, but ultimately leads to enlightenment.”I think Grok explains the “Plato’s Allegory of the Cave” well.- From the early days of philosophy, people have wondered whether we experience the “true nature of the world.”
- “Plato’s Allegory of the Cave” is one such attempt. Of course, all philosophers can do is try to make guesses. Only a Buddha can figure out the “true nature of the world.”
Tobi is correct to point out the connection to “distorted saññā.”
- We are trapped in the endless rebirth process due to the “distorted saññā,” i.e., what we experience is not a true representation of the external stimuli that come in through our senses.
- The Buddha also explained how that “distorted saññā” arises and how to overcome the tendency to attach to it.
- See “Mūlapariyāya Sutta – The Root of All Things” and “Fooled by Distorted Saññā (Sañjānāti) – Origin of Attachment (Taṇhā)” among other posts in “Sotapanna Stage via Understanding Perception (Saññā).”
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Tobi asked: “I would be interested to know what you think of this parable of hell”
The hell is real. No parable is needed to explain it.
- Rebirths in hell (niraya) result due to immoral deeds done by attachment to “made-up” sensory pleasures or “distorted saññā.”
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