In what ways does Zen relate to or supersede Systematic Hedonism as a philosophy of liberation, self-cultivation, and enlightenment?

Systematic Hedonism is a philosophy of self-improvement that aims at cultivating the maximum amount and intensity of desirable mental states in its practitioner. It's completely and deliberately non-esoteric, deals in strict tangibles, and is purely empirical. This is a rough breakdown of the philosophy. I am curious to know what y'all think about the relationship this has to Zen.

A healthy adult male will experience expansive, life-altering bliss if he adopts these behaviors with consistency. This is based strictly on the empirical observations of individuals who have adopted the following guidelines and is not based on a belief or faith in the efficacy of these practices.

Body

• 8-10 hours of sleep nightly
• 90% of diet is whole, clean food
• Semen retention - orgasm every 7 days at most, optionally never
• Regular sex à la mostly non-ejaculatory fucking
• No masturbation or pornography use
• Exhaustive cardio 3 times / week for serotonin regulation
• Exhaustive strength training 3 times / week (à la pushups to failure for example) for testosterone regulation
• Daily stretching - yoga asanas for tension release

Mind

• 1 to 3 hours of seated meditation per day, concentration or insight okay

World

• Freedom cultivated via financial independence and relatively small work commitments
• Benevolence generally practiced with regard to others to cultivate healthy personal relationships and a cooperative and harmonious relationship with the world

I'd like to contrast this philosophy, which treats man as an organism that does a thing called "happiness" when certain conditions are met, with Zen, which:

• Is (apparently) highly controversial
• Deals with intangibles up the wazoo
• Is unverifiable with regards to it's ability to help people
• Uses religious terminology like Enlightenment and Buddha--confusingly and unnecessarily--to represent material phenomena

Any thoughts on the matter?

I'm gravitating away from Eastern philosophy and towards Systematic Hedonism. If you're irked by me, of course, you'll tell me that I'm right, that you don't need Zen, and should ride off into the sunset. Hopefully that's not the only sort of response this gets. ;)

Namaste.

Submitted February 28, 2018 at 06:22AM by pohw http://ift.tt/2BUtGsY