‘Is the glass half empty or half full?’ is a common expression, used rhetorically to indicate that a particular situation could be a cause for optimism (half full) or pessimism (half empty); or as a general litmus test to simply determine if an individual is an optimist or a pessimist. The purpose of the question is to demonstrate that the situation may be seen in different ways depending on one’s point of view and that there may be opportunity in the situation as well as trouble. This idiom is used to explain how people perceive on events and objects. Perception is unique to every individual and is simply one’s interpretation of reality. (Wikipedia)

Half empty or half full?
What a foolish question!
Half empty and half full.

Buddhism is not pessimistic -
unless you are attached to the First and Second Noble Truths
(Suffering and its Cause);

Buddhism is not optimistic -
unless you are attached to the Third and Fourth Noble Truths
(End of Suffering and its Cause);

Buddhism is realistic -
whether you can end suffering or not depends on
how well your realise the Four Noble Truths.

Comments

1 Comment so far

  fanshu on November 5, 2009 13:03

Optimistic and pessimistic…
the reality of this world
neither optimistic..pessimistic…
the reality of reality..
amitabha!

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