“The Buddha would say yes, there are many questions better left unasked. They should not be ignored, but attended to and set aside, to avoid the problem of obsession that Anonymous mentions in his post.

The Buddha suggested that only a very specific set of questions was worth asking. He saw the human condition, while inherently capable of joy and peace, currently full of suffering and confusion. And it takes time and energy to end that suffering and answer the questions that matter, such as:

• What is the nature of suffering?
• What are the origins of suffering?
• Is it possible to bring an end to suffering? (good news: Yes!)
• How do I bring an end to suffering?

and four more questions about how to bring an end to suffering and how to cultivate joy and peace:

• When I see a seed of suffering, what do I do to keep it from growing?
• When suffering has grown up, what do I do to cut it down or root it out (like a weed)?
• When I see a seed of joy or peace, what do I do to help it grow?
• When I see a wonderful, healthy growth of joy and peace, how to I nourish and maintain it?

These are practical, beneficial questions. Answer them, and apply the answers, and we create lives of joy and peace, as free of suffering as we can make them, for ourselves, our loved ones, the larger society, and the world.

The Buddha saw this as urgent work. So time spent on philosophical questions was time taken away from the urgent work of joy and peace, and quite harmful. He compared philosophical speculation to a man, hit by a poisoned arrow, refusing treatment until he knew the nature of the poison, the nature of each part of the arrow, and the archer. He will die before his questions are answered.

So the Buddha held that all questions of philosophical speculation, all notions of existence and questions about existence, all religious questions about the nature of things – Creator and creation, the beginning and end of time, reincarnation – all these topics were questions best not asked and answered and made into matters of contention.

We have more important work to do: Let’s bring an end to suffering and share joy and peace.”