Home > Blogs > Post Content
|
|
Pandora's Box Pandora's Box - origins What type of myth is this? Pandora’s box is an origin myth – the attempt to explain the beginning of something. People have always wanted to know why things happen in the world the way they do. Before there was much science, they did not have much understanding of how the world works, but they still wanted to know, just as much as we do. Human curiosity always asks why .. and then human creativity finds ways of giving an answer. There are many myths, across all cultures, which attempt to explain the beginnings of human beings and why there are evil things like disease, hate and war in the world. In many stories, these evils are released because humans disobey gods. You may like to compare the story of Pandora with the story of Adam and Eve. Do you know any other similar stories from other cultures? Are there other versions of the story? The story of Pandora and her box comes from Ancient Greece and is very old. Because of this, there are several versions of the myth. In Greek mythology, Pandora (meaning ‘all-giving’) was the first woman on earth. Before humans there were the immortals (the Gods and Titans). The brothers, Prometheus and Epimetheus were Titans (Giant people) who had fought on the Gods’ side in a war. Some say they were cousins of Zeus, king of the gods; he asked Prometheus to create man out of clay and water (in many versions Hephaestus helps in this). Epimetheus had to create the animals and give them their gifts of courage, swiftness etc. He gave out all the gifts and had none left for Man. So Prometheus decides to make man stand upright, like the gods, and give them fire (which Zeus did not want them to have – some say he had removed it as a punishment). So Prometheus stole fire – some say from Zeus’ lightning, others from the sun and yet others from Hephaestus’ forge. Most agree that Zeus asked Hephaestus to make Pandora (the first woman) also out of earth and water, and he intended her to be a punishment. Each god and goddess gave Pandora a gift (talent), of beauty, charm, music etc but also others, like curiosity and persuasion – gifts that could be used for good or ill. Then Pandora was given a container – in the original Greek stories it was a jar and did not become a box until the Sixteenth century AD. A scholar called Erasmus, who lived in Rotterdam in Holland, translated a story of Pandora from Hesiod’s work. Hesiod was a Greek poet who lived about 700BC. Erasmus was translating the Greek into Latin (which scholars did all their writing in, in those days) and translated the Greek word ‘pithos’ meaning jar into the Latin word ‘pyxis’ meaning box. And a box it has stayed to this day! How did the myth arise? It arose as a way of explaining why dreadful things happened, such as people getting sick and dying. As in many origin myths, man had lived in a world without worry – until this jar / box was opened, which contained ills for mankind. Zeus knew that Pandora’s curiosity would mean that she could not stop herself from opening it, especially when he had told her that she must not do so! Many other myths also explain the ills of the world by saying they are caused by human disobedience of a god’s instructions. (Though some versions of this story say that the box was a real gift and the box held good things for mankind, which Pandora let escape from the box, and fly away forever, only catching Hope.) Even Hope itself has been argued about by scholars – not everyone agreeing that it is a great good – that maybe Zeus meant it as an evil also – otherwise it would not have been in a jar of evil. Others believe that Zeus may have relented a little, and put Hope in to help mankind through the hard times that the other ‘gifts’ would bring. What does it mean to us today? Today, Pandora’s box means a source of troubles. When we talk about opening Pandora’s box, we use it as a metaphor to mean that we may not know what we are getting ourselves into! Sometimes, that we do not always know how something we have started may end, that we do not know the consequences of our actions.
Posted By: Cynthia Merrill Artis
Friday, February 1st 2013 at 2:43PM
You can also
click
here to view all posts by this author...
|
|
|
I remember reading a book along time ago about Merlin the Magician and his Pandora's Box. He infact instructed this maiden... never to open the box.... if she did... she would unleash all of the evils gathered from all around the world into this world.....
Friday, February 1st 2013 at 2:45PM
Cynthia Merrill Artis
|
 |
Here's an interesting subject. The origin of evil. I've been reading about this in the Lotus Sutra.
Friday, February 1st 2013 at 3:16PM
Steve Williams
|
 |
DID YOU SEE THE MOVIES ??
Friday, February 1st 2013 at 3:20PM
DAVID JOHNSON
|
|
|
No... I didn't know there was a movie...
Yes Steve, that's the myth ....
Friday, February 1st 2013 at 3:24PM
Cynthia Merrill Artis
|
|
|
His [Tathagata Universal Surpassing Wisdom] discourse was: 'This is suffering; this the accumulation of suffering; this the extinction of suffering; this the way to extinction of suffering'
The Lotus Sutra
Chapter 7, The Parable of the Magic City
Friday, February 1st 2013 at 3:28PM
Steve Williams
|
|
|
Steve what else do you know about Pandora's Box... Im curious to read.... a box of evils.... WOW!!
Friday, February 1st 2013 at 4:20PM
Cynthia Merrill Artis
|
|
|
Pandora's Box
Once up a time, a long time ago, Zeus ordered Hephaestus (Aphrodite's husband) to make him a daughter. It was the first woman made out of clay. Hephaestus made a beautiful woman and named her Pandora.
Zeus sent his new daughter, Pandora, down to earth so that she could marry Epimetheus, who was a gentle but lonely man.
Zeus was not being kind. He was getting even. Epimetheus and Prometheus were brothers. Zeus was mad at one of the brothers, Prometheus, for giving people fire without asking Zeus first.
Zeus gave Pandora a little box with a big heavy lock on it. He made her promise never to open the box. He gave the key to Pandora’s husband and told him to never open the box. Zeus was sure that Epimetheus' curiosity would get the better of him, and that either Epimetheus or his brother would open the box.
Pandora was very curious. She wanted to see what was inside the box, but Epimetheus said no. Better not. "You know your father," Epimetheus sighed, referring to Zeus. "He’s a tricky one."
One day, when Epimetheus lay sleeping, Pandora stole the key and opened the box.
Out flew every kind of disease and sickness, hate and envy, and all the bad things that people had never experienced before. Pandora slammed the lid closed, but it was too late. All the bad things were already out of the box. They flew away, out into the world.
Epimetheus woke up at the sound of her sobbing. “I opened the box and all these ugly things flew out,” she cried. “I tried to catch them, but they all got out.” Pandora opened the box to show him how empty it was. But the box was not quite empty. One tiny bug flew quickly out before Pandora could slam the lid shut again.
“Hello, Pandora,” said the bug, hovering just out of reach. “My name is Hope.” With a nod of thanks for being set free, Hope flew out into the world, a world that now held Envy, Crime, Hate, and Disease – and Hope.
Friday, February 1st 2013 at 6:00PM
DAVID JOHNSON
|
|
|
Variations:
There are many variations on this popular story. Some versions say that Prometheus captured all the bad things and put them in a box. He then gave the box to his brother for safekeeping. Pandora found it and opened it, thus releasing all the bad things. Other versions say it was Epimetheus who opened the box, not Pandora. Some variations say all the good things of the world were inside the box, just as they were inside humans. When Pandora released the good, it left humans as well. The only thing that stays forever is hope, because Pandora managed to capture hope before it flew from the box as well.
Friday, February 1st 2013 at 6:02PM
DAVID JOHNSON
|
|
|
The Lotus Sutra – Chapter Three – Parable
The scene and action of Chapter 3, ‘Parable’, continues from the conclusion of the previous chapter. Shakyamuni Buddha has just presented the teaching on Skillful Means and made a general prediction that all would become Buddhas in the future. At the opening of this new chapter, Shariputra, the Buddha’s foremost disciple, expresses his great joy at this news, recounting how he had previously grieved over his belief that he was to be denied the complete teachings that he saw being offered to the bodhisattvas—the followers of the Buddha Vehicle as described in the last chapter, whose culmination was complete Buddhahood. As a shravaka, a follower of the first vehicle, Shariputra believed the culmination of his own spiritual journey was limited to nirvana, which Shakyamuni has just said was incomplete. But now Shakyamuni reveals that he has led and inspired Shariputra, and by extension all the shravakas, for countless eons in previous lives using the method of skillful means to enable him to rid himself of desire and suffering. In fact, Shakyamuni reminds Shariputra that in the past he had already predicted Buddhahood for him, but that he had simply ‘forgotten it.’ When Shakyamuni says that he teaches only bodhisattvas and not shravakas, it is not because shravakas are to be denied because of their shravaka-status, but that the shravakas are bodhisattvas-in-fact who are merely unaware of their bodhisattva-status. Even as shravakas they have taught the Dharma and led others, so by definition they are bodhisattvas—one who practices not simply for one’s own well-being, but also for the well-being of others.
We need to step back for a moment and place the Lotus Sutra in its historical context to help to understand what is happening here. Without going into a complicated history of the development of the various Buddhist schools, which would be (and has been) the subject of volumes of work, let us say in a very simplified way, that the early versions of the teachings are focused upon the nature of the human condition, of sorrow and suffering and how one may liberate oneself from this sorrow and suffering and attain nirvana. By followers of these teachings it was considered that the only way to achieve liberation was by leaving everyday life of work and family to become a homeless monk. Laypeople and women, whether monastic or not, were not considered as candidates for liberation. The practice of these people was one of acquiring merit through living a good life by obeying the ethical precepts and by supporting the monastic community. By so doing, they would achieve a better rebirth in a future life, i.e. become a man who would then have the opportunity of becoming a monastic. Eventually there were eighteen different schools of Buddhism with varying interpretations of the teachings and practices, only one of which, Theravada, remains today, primarily in the countries of southern Asia.
Over the course of several hundred years after the death of Shakyamuni, there arose out of these earlier teachings, more expansive understandings that led to further developments in doctrine and practice, but most importantly, the understanding that awakening and liberation is not limited by one’s worldly status in any way. Anyone, whether man or woman, layperson or ordained monk, learned or illiterate, rich or poor, of any ethnic background with no qualification whatsoever all equally shared this opportunity.
Like all divisions between various groups of people who hold different understandings, labels and discord arises over who is ‘right’ and Buddhism has certainly not escaped this very human tendency. The followers of these later interpretations styled themselves ‘Mahayana’ meaning ‘great vehicle’ because their way left no one out of liberation from sorrow and suffering. And they styled the earlier teachings as ‘Hinayana’ meaning ‘lesser (or small) vehicle’ because in the view of the Mahayanists these people were only concerned in their own liberation and the early teachings were considered, by the followers of the Mahayana, as incomplete. They did not reject the early teachings, indeed they are incorporated fully into the Mahayana, but they were expanded upon and ideas that were implicit in them are more fully fleshed out. Of course, the followers of the early teachings considered the Mahayanists as heretics. This is a gross oversimplification, but this controversy appears frequently in Mahayana sutras such as the Lotus, and in later writings as well, where the followers of the Mahayana extolled their own views as ‘complete’ and belittled those of the followers of the early teachings.
There are two lessons here we can take advantage of. First, Buddhism is not a fundamentalist religion. Although the story holds that these are the discourses of Shakyamuni Buddha, it is quite obvious that they are not ‘historically true’ documents (which is so of all the world’s religious scriptures of all faiths). This is given away by the opening scene of the first chapter when the assembly on Vulture Peak is described as including incomprehensible numbers of all sorts of beings human and non-human in attendance. The sutra is written in the mythical poetic language of early India, which is not to say that it is therefore ‘untrue’. Twenty-first century man often disparages something as ‘only a myth’ which has become synonymous in our mind with ‘fiction’. Yet, the language of mythic poetry presents truths that are not fully comprehensible through ordinary thought. Part of practice is to tease out these truths and to come to some understanding, and more importantly, experience of them, a process that will lead to different insights by different people according to their history, culture and personal interests and capacities—which is, of course, what the teaching on ‘skillful means’ is all about. These later sutra arose in just this way: as people profoundly engaged the teachings they came to put down in writing their understandings.
The second lesson is that even though they are couched as the words of Shakyamuni the prejudices of those who put them down crept in. So even those of great spiritual insight and enlightenment were, and continue to be, capable of unenlightened thoughts, attitudes and actions. Since the Dharma transcends any of these words the truth is originally unsullied, and unskillful words can be acknowledged as unskillful without disparaging Shakyamuni, the Dharma or earlier commentators. It also means that we, too, need to remember that we are swimming in the ocean of our own place and time, its culture with all its beliefs and prejudices and can never really be free of them, just as a fish cannot be free from the water that surrounds it. We, too, hold incomplete or mistaken understandings of the nature of things and ourselves, so it is best to be mindful of that and to maintain some humility in regards to our own views and opinions. As a final thought, it should be remembered that words that appear such as ‘Hinayana’ and ‘lesser vehicle’ were created as pejorative terms based upon an oversimplification of their teachings, an oversimplification that served the purpose of the followers of the Mahayana at this time, to draw a line between their own beliefs and the beliefs of those who preceded them. As followers of the Mahayana ourselves, we no longer use these terms in our speech and writings or disparage them in any way, referring to these schools as ‘early Buddhism’ or ‘Theravada’, the last remaining school of that strand.
Now back to the sutra once again. Shakyamuni specifically predicts that Shariputra will be a fully enlightened Buddha in the distant future and goes on to tell what his name will be and to describe his land and its attributes. After this, Shariputra understanding that some in the assembly remain confused, asks Shakyamuni to further explain ‘skillful means’ so Shakyamuni goes on to relate the parable of the burning house from which the title of this chapter takes its name.
Briefly the story is that of a wealthy merchant who lives in a vast but decrepit house in which reside perhaps 500 people including as many as thirty of his own children. The decaying house, with only one door, is also filled with all sorts of horrors, filth, vermin, dangerous animals and demons, yet the inhabitants are unaware of these awful conditions and the children go on playing their games with no recognition of the seriousness of their plight. One day the merchant is outside and sees that the house has caught fire and the flames are rapidly spreading. Seeing the danger, he calls to his children to run out, but they are engaged in their games, indeed see the fire as yet another game, and continue to be unconcerned that they may be in danger, so ignore their father’s warnings. The father first thinks that since he has great strength he can gather them all up and carry them out, but he fears that some may be left behind or unable to fit through the one narrow door while in his arms, so he devises the ‘skillful means’ of enticing his children from the burning house by relying upon their own desires for games and toys. He calls into them,
The toys of which you are fond are rare and hard to obtain. If you do not take them you will certainly regret it later, Right now, outside the entrance, there are three kinds of carts. One is yoked with a sheep, one with a deer and one with an ox. Go play with them. Children! Run out of this burning house immediately and I will give you whatever you want!
Children being children, they were delighted to hear that their father was offering them these rare and magnificent toys and all made a mad dash to the door and safety. When all were outside, he presented them not with three different sorts of carts as he had promised, but gave each an identical magnificent jeweled cart hung with bells and luxurious fabrics drawn by a great white ox, more lavish than any of the children ever expected. They, of course, were thrilled and enjoyed playing in their great carts and driving them around the courtyard.
The symbolism here is pretty transparent. The wealthy merchant is of course the Buddha, the burning house with all its attendant dangers is the world of our everyday life, the children playing in the fire in danger of being burnt due to their attachment to their games are all ourselves, and the three different carts represents the three vehicles as taught in the last chapter. The house has one small door, not because there is ‘one way’ out (indeed ‘skillful means’ demonstrates there are infinite ways), but because each must leave through their own effort. That each child received an identical supremely magnificent ox cart tells that the three vehicles are in fact all a single vehicle and that all the children will attain the same great reward no matter what their aspirations had been. Shakyamuni goes on to draw out further the symbols of the burning house and the ease and pleasure to be experienced by those who escape saying,
Do not take pleasure in living in this burning house of the triple world. And do not thirst after inferior objects, sounds, smells, flavors and tangibles. If you are attached to these objects and have desires, then you will be burnt. Leave the triple world in haste, and you will obtain the three vehicles—the vehicles for the shravakas, pratyekabuddhas and Buddhas.
Shakyamuni goes on to relate the nature and causes of suffering and sorrow, drawing directly from the ‘Four Noble Truths’ which appears in the early teachings as his very first discourse after his own awakening.
Because people have little knowledge
And are deeply attached to pleasures,
I teach them the truth of suffering.
And those sentient beings rejoice,
Having attained
Such an unprecedented experience.
The truth of suffering taught by the Buddha
Is nothing but the truth.
To those who do not know the origin of suffering,
Who are deeply attached to its causes
And unable to abandon them even for a while
I teach the truth about the path to its cessation
Using skillful means.
All the causes of suffering
Originate from excessive craving.
When this craving is extinguished,
The source is removed.
The cessation of suffering
Is called the third truth.
One practices the path leading to its cessation
In order to attain the truth of cessation.
This though is not the complete path, but only the entry as will be more fully explained in later chapters.
Shakyamuni then goes on to give a long warning to Shariputra that he should only teach this sutra to those who are prepared to accept it and have faith in it. Should it be presented to those who do not have faith and will disparage the sutra, its teachings and its followers, their hateful words and actions will bring upon them many lifetimes of troubles such as
They will be reborn as animals.
If born as dogs or vermin,
Their bodies will be emaciated, dark-spotted,
Devoid of hair, with scabies and leprosy….
If they are born as camels or mules,
They will always have heavy burdens to carry.
They will be whipped repeatedly
And think of nothing else but water and grass…
They will be reborn as giant snakes
With great bodies as long as five hundred yojanas [one yojana is a bit over a mile]
deaf, dumb, legless, slithering on their bellies
Eaten at by small insects…
and so on. Once again, it is important to keep in mind, as said earlier, that Buddhism is not a fundamentalist religion and the sutra are not to be taken as literally true, but spiritually true. What this passage means in that context is only that to turn away from the opportunity to study and practice the Dharma (in a Buddhist guise or any other) is to lose the opportunity to free oneself from sorrow and suffering but to instead continue to create more and more of the same.
Shakyamuni closes by extolling the qualities of those sorts of people who will readily accept and benefit from the teachings in the sutra and these present a catalog of the virtues that are both a manifestation of the Buddhist ideal and those same virtues that are cultivated by one endeavoring to follow the Buddhist path:
Teach it to those who strive,
Always practice compassion
And give unsparingly of their bodies and lives.
You should teach it to those who are respectful
And devoid of hypocrisy…
You should teach it
To those who are free of anger,
Honest, flexible, always sympathetic to everyone
And who honor all the Buddhas…
Friday, February 1st 2013 at 6:06PM
DAVID JOHNSON
|
|
|
so is The Lotus Sutra on line? I'm gonna check out the trailer and come back to read your last comment.... call me goofy... but I love this kinda stuff
Friday, February 1st 2013 at 6:54PM
Cynthia Merrill Artis
|
|
|
Looks like the link in my post doesn't work anymore. That is the translation Irma uses. But the link David posted is the translation I have. Thanks David.
Friday, February 1st 2013 at 9:38PM
Steve Williams
|
|
|
The quote I posted above is on page 99 at David's link. They are the Four Noble Truths.
Friday, February 1st 2013 at 9:47PM
Steve Williams
|
|
|
You also need a dictionary like The Dictionary of Buddhism published by Soka Gakkai. There are lots of unfamiliar word and concepts in the Sutra.
Saturday, February 2nd 2013 at 10:37AM
Steve Williams
|
|
|
o yeah... I have it to read just haven't started.
Saturday, February 2nd 2013 at 10:44PM
Cynthia Merrill Artis
|
|
|
I had a natural attraction to Buddhism from the time I started studying it (which hasn't been too long). If I were to try to explain it, in terms of Pandora's Box, it is that we all hold Pandora's Box in our hands.
Saturday, February 2nd 2013 at 11:05PM
Steve Williams
|
|
|
I SEEN A s*x movie called PANDORA'S BOX a black play or something ,,let me ck
Saturday, February 2nd 2013 at 11:36PM
DAVID JOHNSON
|
|
|
STEVE YOU SHOULD TALK TO JAKES A BOUT A PEACE TREATY WHERE WE CAN MEET UP AND HAVE A FEW HAVANAS ,,,,SO I CAN SMACK THE LIVING **** OF HIM ,,,BUT YOU DONT HAVE THE TELL HIM THAT !END PART.. YOU KNOW ......
Sunday, February 3rd 2013 at 12:35AM
DAVID JOHNSON
|
|
|
All night and day trolling Yaiqab.
Have you both emailed Elynor & William Moss and ask them about why you were set-up?????
Sunday, February 3rd 2013 at 11:33AM
Yaiqab Saint
see Yakkie that's what baffles me about you....
First you said Elynor doesn't like you and she's the person whom deleted your account
when I told you it wasn't .... then you come up with this ponzie scheme that "WE" are being set up...
Yakkie/Jake YOU WERE DELETED BY Reggie... Your Blogs with my Profile Information was a problem for me... Your googling folks personal information... and when I believe you tried to hack my email account... I became more concerned!!!!
So No Yakkie I haven't emailed anyone... You are infact "Touched" and it aint by an Angel!
Sunday, February 3rd 2013 at 11:51AM
Cynthia Merrill Artis | delete
Sunday, February 3rd 2013 at 11:57AM
Cynthia Merrill Artis
|
|
|
One of the lies Jake told was that he was accessing federal census data. It's an easy thing to find out that census data by law may not be used to to track personal data and is a punishable offense if committed by any government official who violates this provision.
Sunday, February 3rd 2013 at 12:17PM
Steve Williams
|
|
|
Jake is just a liar! And he tries to bully and carry out his childish schemes...
I can't stand foolishness...
Sunday, February 3rd 2013 at 12:24PM
Cynthia Merrill Artis
|
Blogs Home
|
|
|
Advanced Professional Counselor - Apply by 2/2/2026
with State of Connecticut, Executive Branch in Norwich, CT.
|
|
|
Analyst, Service Desk
with Front Range Community College in Longmont, CO.
|
|
|
Director of Health Services
with Lawrence Academy in Groton, MA.
|
|
|
Professional Counselor- Apply by 2/2/2026
with State of Connecticut, Executive Branch in Montville, CT.
|
|
|
Environmental Trainee - 260115-0196ES-001 - Apply by 2/4/26
with State of Connecticut, Executive Branch in Hartford, CT, CT.
|
|
| >> more | add |
|
