Today’s Hit Sensation

I joined LJ six years ago, on February 16, 2002.

It’s kind of amusing that my fourth and fifth posts, on February 24th 2002, discussed the first steps I took on the long path of philosophical inquiry I’ve been on in the years since. So this journal is all bound up with my review of my previous Existential beliefs, a survey of the overall philosophical landscape, and my adventures in Theravada Buddhism.

Arguably my biggest discovery along the way was the commonalities between Existential and Buddhist thought. Which makes it odd that only now, six years later, I recognized another very basic tenet those two philosophical systems share: sensualism.

A key Buddhist view is to experience the fullness of life in the present moment by maintaining one’s focus on the bodily sensations like touch, sound, and smell, and to rein in discursive thought like fearing and planning about the future, as well as reminiscing about the past. To actually experience your life requires you to live in full sensory perception of each moment of “now”, as it arises and passes away. Anything else is a distraction from what is most vital, in both senses of the word (i.e. both “essential” and “characteristic of living beings”). So Buddhism promotes a certain kind of sensualism.

Existentialism, with its rejection of theism and focus on the individual, also puts a lot of stock in sensualism. The best example that leaps to mind is from albert Camus’ “L’étranger”, which describes the blinding heat of a North African beach and its effect upon the protagonist. Meursault is overcome by the glare of the sun, which drives him to shoot a friend’s rival. He is unmoved by major events in his life, and he is only really present for the more sensory experiences of sex and swimming.

By the way, the irony is not lost on me that this revelation came to me as I sat on a tropical beach this morning.

However, be careful about that word “sensualism”. Americans usually use the word to refer to someone who is a thrill-seeker, searching out ever more extreme sensory input. The sensualism of Buddhism and Existentialism is not so radical. Instead, it’s the simple and easy act of being present to all your sensory input at each moment of “now”, rather than spending those precious moments thinking about the past or the future. We can all recognize and appreciate the silhouette of a tree or the sound of crashing surf or the smell of breakfast in the morning. The essence of life isn’t to be found in manipulating abstract concepts with our minds, but in sensing, noting, and fully experiencing the beauty of the world around us, in every moment of our lives, including even the most mundane.