Question
I would like your view, as a Buddhist, on the essence of human beings. I have heard different theories explaining what humanity is made of.
Behaviorists say we are like robots.
We are born soulless and empty. Our environment shapes us. Everything we are can be explained by chemical reactions in our brains, and so on.
This way of thinking is also represented in the theory of knowledge. Our only way of acquiring knowledge is through our senses and experiences. The statement “God exists” can be thrown away because it cannot be proven in any way other than logical reasoning.
The other theory is logical thought. Descartes offers proof that God exists: something as imperfect as humanity cannot conceive of a thought as perfect as God.
My question is: what do you think of knowledge, and where does it come from? How do you explain the essence of human beings? Are we born completely empty, or do we bring something with us?
Is satori a state of mind in which the above theories fade away (our senses are disregarded, and our logical thinking recedes into the background)? I hope you have time to answer some of my questions. That would be kind of you!
Thank you very much.
Anonymous
Answer from Master Kosen
Kosen