Ethical Hedonism

I thought I would post a little about my own "faith" and spiritual beliefs. Relatively speaking, I am a Buddhist. There are many ideals and concepts that I really do jive with in terms of Buddhist practices. Open mindedness, empty mindedness, peacefulness, and duty towards others are all prefaces of my beliefs.

In essence, open mind and empty mind refer to mindfulness. Awareness and perceptiveness are key. This relates to the physical world but also the mind. Be aware of right action towards others, towards oneself, and towards all life. One of the best examples I can give in regards to right action and right thought is an example towards a janitor. Right action would entail doing the right thing not because it benefits the self but because it benefits the whole (all of society and betters the world). If I walk into a bathroom and see that a paper towel is wet and soggy on the ground than I absolutely take the steps to clean up the mess. This is something that is confounding to many people. Why would I possibly clean up after some stranger when some other stranger can clean it up?

Is this concept really so foreign? If I clean it up than some other stranger does not have to. It reduces the effort and strain of another individual. In the end, isn't this really the ideal that we all should strive for? The task is not important at all whatsoever. Cleaning up a measly towel does not cause a lot of strain or stress on another but doing my part is enough; I feel. Right action also refers to taking measures to make others lives better or to even make the self better. Obvious factors such as stealing, cheating, killing, lying, or perverting sexual interactions can lead to an improper way of life and is not just. In essence, right action can be simplified through what us westerners know as the golden rule: treat others as you want to be treated. However, my beliefs expand upon this ideal in that I treat others as wonderfully as I can; and that is it.

Other than helping others for seemingly selfless reasons, my beliefs are useful in keeping the mind quiet and at peace. Meditative practices allow me to deal with the pain and suffering that I come across. Pain and suffering in a traditional sense can mean tiredness, hunger, emotional stress from the day, stress from the environment, or socio-economical stresses. Clearing the mind by focusing on nothing allows everything to fade, which leads to a feeling of bliss and absolute quietness. I refer to this as an empty mind. The result of achieving an empty mind on a daily basis is that it dulls the suffering that I experience throughout the rest of the day. Please note that suffering can come from other stimuli such as the recent tragedies in Japan. I feel pain for the people that have been displaces; or worse. Focusing on clearing my mind can help me cope and deal with suffering like this.

Helping others in any capacity that I can; even the many faceless others that I will never meet, in addition to helping the self by relieving suffering results in a truly divine or blissful experience and quality of life. I have been asked recently how I can remain so calm in spite of my suffering; and this is why. I do what I can to improve the lives of others and bring smiles to faces or do what I can to eliminate suffering and I take measures to eliminate my own suffering.
My mind is empty, my body is free.

Now, to contradict what I say, psychologists would claim that I am ethically hedonistic. The ethical hedonist helps others because of the pleasure it makes them feel. I suppose I will leave it up to you. Am I simply ethically hedonistic or am I spiritually free?