INTRODUCTION
🌌 In this writing, Master Woo Myung examines the idea of hedonism, introduced by Aristippus, who claimed that pleasure is virtue and suffering is evil.
This teaching reveals that pleasure and suffering are not opposites, but arise from the same root, and that seeking fleeting comfort leads people away from nature’s flow rather than into true joy. 🌿
Master Woo Myung clarifies that genuine joy does not come from sensual gratification, but from living according to nature’s flow, like water that moves naturally without resistance. Only then do the greatest pleasures and true happiness emerge. ✨
📖 ORIGINAL WRITING BY Master Woo Myung
What Is the True Meaning of Hedonism?
Aristippus, a pupil of Socrates, became the first hedonist by claiming that pleasure is virtue and suffering is evil. What meaning is there in hedonism and where should we seek joy and pleasure?
This is simply Aristippus’ thought. His view is twisted because he did not understand that joy and suffering are in fact the same. If man lives seeking fleeting pleasures, he is acting against nature’s flow. Such pleasures are momentary and the after effects that follow are much greater than the pleasures themselves.
The proper path is for man to live according to nature’s flow, and not dwell within being a human even as one lives as a human being. It is not true joy to gain pleasure by acting in a way that suits human conceptions. This kind of pleasure is fleeting and it is not true life, thus one must deal with the consequences that follow which end with more suffering. In short, he will reap what he has sown.
Man should find joy and pleasure from within nature’s flow. If one lives according to nature’s flow, he will live like water—going along with the flow of things—so he will not suffer. The biggest joys, pleasures, and happiness all exist within a life of nature’s flow.
Hedonism is the pursuit of comfort and gratification of sensual desires, but no matter how comfortable one is or how good his life is, if it is not in accordance with nature’s flow, it is Truth that he will receive the consequences of such wrongful actions. The biggest joys come from living according to nature’s flow.
– Woo Myung
🌿 REFLECT AT SANTA CLARA MEDITATION
At Santa Clara Meditation, practitioners reflect on the difference between fleeting pleasure and true joy, learning how living in nature’s flow leads to lasting happiness beyond comfort and desire. ðŸŒ
