Awakening the Buddha Within _ Eight Steps to Enlightenment - Lama Surya Das [112]
The Wisdom Sutras teach us to hear all sounds as echos. All the words we hear from the outside world, including the praise and blame, are empty and hollow. Genuine Buddhist training helps each of us develop our own autonomy and inner self-mastery. Rather than being overly influenced by and dependent on the opinions and reactions of others, we learn to recognize everything as impermanent, ephemeral, intangible, dreamlike, and unreal. We can grow away from dependence and codependence into healthy individuation; we can finally understand independence and interdependence.
If you are unduly attracted to pleasure, gain, fame, or praise, reflect on the hollow, fickle nature of the world’s applause and the insubstantial nature of the flickering movielike projection of all that we see, feel, and think. Consider that in the end, everything you want to achieve will be washed away like sandcastles on the shore. Tomorrow, you may not even want the same things you want today. Everyone can remember at least one passionate emotional response that in retrospect seems humorous at best. As my teacher Nyoshul Khenpo always says, “The mind is fickle, don’t rely on it.”
Several of Atisha’s mind-training slogans that further reinforce these teachings on the insubstantial nature of worldly success are:
“Don’t Be Best Friends with Pride and Vanity”
This slogan has everything to do with how you look at the world and can be a very helpful reminder to transcend ego. We tend to filter all our thoughts through our own complicated ego investment plans. Reflecting on this slogan reminds us not to tell ourselves stories about our own accomplishments and remarkable specialness. Instead appreciate the virtues of others, and the wonderful joy of loving-kindness and genuine friendliness.
“Abandon All Hope for Rewards.
Don’t Expect Applause”
These two slogans address a certain unpleasant reality. A friend of mine says that her grandmother always told her, “Always do the right thing, but don’t expect anyone to notice or thank you for it.” In short, if you expect people to pat you on the back for walking a spiritual path, in all probability you will be disappointed. Regardless, it is in your own higher self-interest to do so, with or without accolades.
“If We Let Go of Worldly Values,
Will We Seem Foolish or ‘Nuts’?”
When I talk about bodhicitta values, I recognize that as a Dharma teacher I’m doing so in a framework in which they are valued and appreciated. In a bottom-line business world, it’s reasonable to be concerned that these values may seem out of place and even “foolish.” This reminds me of a wonderful story about a Moravian Rabbi named Schmelke, who was well known for his generous spirit. Beggars for miles around knew that they would never go away from Schmelke’s door empty-handed. One day, when a beggar knocked, Schmelke, who had no money in the house, gave the beggar a ring. “What are you doing?” his wife exclaimed. “That ring cost hundreds of ducats!” “Wait,” Schmelke yelled out to the beggar. “That ring is worth hundreds of ducats. When you sell it, make sure you get what it’s worth.”
I like this story because it shows that Schmelke wasn’t a simple fool who didn’t understand the value of money. He recognized the values of this world. Yet, knowing this, he chose to put his trust in transcendental virtues. He wanted to give; he even gave business advice to a beggar. Schmelke had clearly made a decision to live by what he believed and accept the consequences of his actions, no matter what others thought.
There have always been those who laughed or made fun of men and women with genuine spiritual passion. Even in Tibet, some great spiritual masters have been known as “crazy yogis” or “divine madmen.” For each of us, in every situation, it’s always our own decision: Do we act on what we believe and know to be true, or do we go along with what others consider “normal”? In these situations, there is a mind-training slogan that can be helpful:
“Of the Two Witnesses,