Buddhist Belief – An Experiment in Living
“When we learn to deal directly with our complaints and difficulties, romanticized ideas about the spiritual path are no longer meaningful. We see that what is important is to take responsibility for ourselves, and to always be aware of our thoughts, feelings, and actions. ”~~~ Tarthang Tulku
The last article was a bit more difficult to understand as we began our study of the Eightfold Path and the aspects of the discipline and the doctrine. I hope you will keep in mind the fact of the basics of this study which is the Noble Truths of Buddhist Belief.
(The picture in today’s article is a replica of Kwan Yin, The Goddess of Compassion)
Perhaps a small experiment will help us to gain a more clear understanding of where these teachings will take us as we go more deeply into the Eightfold Path. Can we try this?
When you finish with your daily routine today, or when you are about to leave your house or place of business and step out into the public where you’ll encounter others, see if you can do the following with the first being you meet. It doesn’t have to be a human being, just whatever sort of being crosses your path. It might be a human or it might be a pussycat, it doesn’t matter. See if you can radiate awakening light rays, love, equanimity, and deep caring for that being, whatever it is. Take notice of how you are during this encounter. What happens to your self-image? How do you see yourself when you do this? Are you open and loving, or do you find yourself reacting or making judgments about the being?
Think about what we discussed last time. Think about how wisdom and compassion are interrelated. Think about the reality of how we are all one — how we are all interrelated — see if you can realize the inseparability of yourself and the other being you’ve encountered. See if you can do this for at least this one encounter. Don’t worry about doing this for more than the first being you meet today. It would be wonderful to carry it out through the rest of the evening or day. For now, though, do this for this one being only. Try to notice any difference between how you usually hold yourself with others, and how you are when doing this experiment. This could be quite illuminating. Beam some love to the first being you meet and notice if you are different in some way and whether you could see yourself being this way in your everyday life.
Why this experiment, you ask? As we delve into the Eightfold Path, (the eight principles of enlightened living) we’re going to learn some ways of living which might be different from what we’re used to. Will it be possible for us to live a life of compassion and love? Or will we learn these principles and still go about our lives in a contradictory fashion? It’s to show how we can blossom even out of our normal existence. It’s a sort of metaphor for our own spiritual (lotus-like) blossoming right out of the mud of our normal nature. As one Buddhist teacher, Trungpa Rinpoche used to say with a certain humor, “Even shit can be used as the manure to help flowers grow”. The “manure” of our own experience can help us to grow. Sounds awful, doesn’t it? Even a little gross. The interesting thing is — it’s metaphorically true.
Hmmm, I seem to be straying away from following the planned path for this blog — or am I? This blog is about Buddhism from the ground up studied from the point of view of a person from America. My readers from Europe and other countries will see this is a western point of view as opposed to just an American one. It’s about the original enlightenment of Buddha — the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
You’ll see as we progress — we’re on track. We’ve looked into the First Noble Truth, dukkha, the all-pervading, constant gnawing of dissatisfaction inside us driving us to seek something beyond this. We looked at the Second Noble Truth, which is the cause of our dissatisfaction — our craving, clinging and attachments. And then, the Third Noble Truth, the end of suffering, the relinquishment of craving, clinging and attachment. The end of our addictive habits — the realization of Nirvana.
This experiment is an important next step to understanding the Fourth Noble Truth, the Eightfold Path. We’re going to be learning how to relinquish, how to let go, how to break our addictive patterns, how to give up on our old habits which cause us to suffer. We’re going to be learning how to experience the deathless peace and fulfillment of Nirvana. This experiment is the beginning of our “How-To” manual — our operating manual for enlightened living. It’s a manual with super-clear instructions that anybody can do.
Even you and me.
See you in the next articles.
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Can Buddhism Save You From a Financial Crisis? Here’s one opinion.
Buddhism and Crisis!
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For those who wanted me to repeat the links for the books I’ve mentioned in the last few articles, here they are again:
Eckhart Tolle’s amazing best seller, “A New Earth”
Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor’s wonderful book, “My Stroke of Insight” — “Nirvana is just a breath away!”
An this one by Sharon Salzberg and is entitled: “A Heart as Wide as the World: Living with Mindfulness, Wisdom and Compassion“.
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Buddhist from Britain Spreads the Word
His name is Lokamitra, but the person who answers to that name is not the traditional Indian hermit. He is a blue-eyed, fair-skinned foreigner.
Like most youngsters in the 1960s, Jeremy Goody, then a 23-year-old history teacher in Britain, was desperate to know how he could channel his unruly emotions. He decided to take up Buddhist meditation after meeting Sangharakshita, an English Buddhist who had spent 20 years in India teaching Buddha Dharma.
Lokamitra, the name given to Goody by his teacher, literally translates to “friend of the people”. And nearly three decades later, Goody has truly lived up to his name. He has spent 34 years in an unknown land, and traveled to remote villages to spread the message of Buddhism.
His extensive work with the Buddhists of Pune and Nagpur has also been recognized at the international level. He was awarded the prestigious Manhae Grand Prize for Peace this year.
However, despite the country’s progress, Lokamitra, feels that casteism is still prevalent in modern day India. “I was in Gujarat after the Bhuj earthquake. The dalits there were denied relief if they didn’t chant ‘Ram Ram’ and beg.”
He added that he had also seen minorities being fooled in the name of Buddhism by greedy politicians who look at them as sheer vote banks.
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Always remember this wonderful quote from Buddha ….
“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”~~~ Buddha
Shanti everyone, … (A sanscrit word meaning, “Let there be Peace. Peace, beautiful Peace. Peace within, Peace without. Peace in this world. Peace for all beings.”)
“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”~~~ Buddha
Have a peaceful day!! —
Ron Rink
http://www.theleaderinside.com
http://www.wecould2.com
http://www.buddhistbelief.com
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Tags: attachment, Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist, Buddhist Belief, detachment, Eightfold Path, First Noble Truth, Four Noble Truths, Fourth Noble Truth, inner peace, Nirvana, Peace, Second Noble Truth, Third Noble Truth