Expert: Stuart Resnick - 4/17/2009

Question
How can I overcome vanity?  I don't want to but I can't help but notice 'this person is good looking' 'this person is slightly obese or ugly' 'that chick is smoking'

Is part of this simply biological? Anthropologists have shown that we're naturally discriminating for reproductive purposes so that we can find the 'best genes'

The other thing I've never really understood is that if it is indeed correct that reality is nondual and that subject and object; self and other are artificial distinctions (as many physicists would agree)..then how can any conclusions be made about what is considered 'right' or 'wrong'?

How can there be a basis for any kind of moral code?  Of course we would probably all agree that the Holocost was a terrible tragedy but if one were to accept the proposition that there is no distincition between subject and object (as post-modernists do) nothing could be considered right or wrong...

If we grew up in a jungle as in previous era's without any knowledge of language, we may indeed be more in tune with nature and always acting in the moment but these sorts of tribes as some anthropologists have shown do what we would consider 'barbaric' things, clash with other tribes etc.

Answer
> How can I overcome vanity?  I don't want to but I can't help but
> notice 'this person is good looking' 'this person is slightly obese
> or ugly' 'that chick is smoking'

Whatever's going through your mind is like clouds appearing and disappearing in the sky. It's no problem; just don't attach to it. Instead of obsessing about the thoughts in your mind, pay attention to what you're doing right now.

> How can there be a basis for any kind of moral code?

If you try to help other people, you'll get happiness. If you cling to I/my/me, you'll get suffering. This is cause and effect. Just pay attention and see how it works.