Subjective and Objective Contemplation | The Six Paramitas

Most of the time we have a subjective view of the world. The interesting thing is that most of the time we actually think ourselves to be objective. In fact, there is no such thing as being absolutely objective. Objectivity really is just several people’s subjectivity When a group of people agree on something, it becomes objective.

Once, I was in a meeting when it was time to make a decision, and there were two sides that could not agree. I was the chair, so I abstained. The two sides tried different ways of voting and each time came up with a tie. Finally, they said, “Shifu, you have to cast a vote to solve this problem.” So, I cast a vote. After that, some asked me, “Shifu, were you objective?” I said, “If I was really objective, I would have abstained and just watched you fight. That’s more fun.” There is no absolute objectivity in this world. What is regarded as objective is sometimes just the subjective view of a few influential people. Everybody will then follow and regard it as objective.

Hence, we should be aware in daily life of our habit of contemplating things from a supposedly ‘objective’ point of view, and regarding others as holding ‘subjective’ views. For instance, people often offer me food that they think is good for me. Sometimes I will decline to eat it, and they will say “Shifu, this food is good for you. If you don’t eat it, you’re not being objective.” Are these people being objective or subjective? What they have done is objectively deny me my personal preference.

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