Awakening the Buddha Within _ Eight Steps to Enlightenment - Lama Surya Das [24]
DAILY NECESSITIES
Tips and Pointers for Building
a Spiritual Life from Scratch
Pray
Meditate
Be aware / Stay awake
Bow
Practice yoga
Feel
Chant and sing
Breathe and smile
Relax / Enjoy / Laugh / Play
Create / Envision
Let go / Forgive / Accept
Walk / Exercise / Move
Work / Serve / Contribute
Listen / Learn / Inquire
Consider / Reflect
Cultivate oneself / Enhance competencies
Cultivate contentment
Cultivate flexibility
Cultivate friendship and collaboration
Open up / Expand / Include
Lighten up
Dream
Celebrate and appreciate
Give thanks
Evolve
Love
Share / Give / Receive
Walk softly / Live gently
Expand / Radiate / Dissolve
Simplify
Surrender / Trust
Be born anew
DECONSTRUCTING THE
HOUSE THAT EGO BUILT
A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder; fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: The hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.
—JOSEPH CAMPBELL
It’s 6:30 on a Friday evening in the early spring, and Scott, who recently celebrated his thirty-third birthday, is about to leave work. Scott had a difficult week filled with long hours and hair-raising stress. Scott, who is single, is now preparing to go out with some male friends to unwind and share war stories about the week that was. They plan to go to a Japanese restaurant for sushi and sake. As always, Scott and his friends will spend much of their time talking about career goals. All of them will complain about not making enough money; at least one will brag about a recent business coup. They will also compare notes on personal relationships. Afterward, the men will stop by a club in the hope of meeting some women.
Scott and his friends do the same thing almost every week. On one level, they think of it as networking; on another it’s male camaraderie. Tonight at about 2:00 A.M., Scott follows his typical pattern, and starts to head home, alone, a little bit drunk, worrying about whether he is going to have a headache in the morning and if he has spent too much money. He will probably also feel a little bit depressed, a little bit lonely, and he’ll have an overriding sense that the night was a waste of time—in fact, that much of what he does is a waste of time. Scott would like to change. But how? And in what direction?
It’s as it always is, week in and week out. But this night, although he is thinking his usual thoughts, something amazing happens: As Scott walks down the dimly lit street searching for his car, he taps the sensor button on his key chain and waits for the flashing lights to lead him to his vehicle. But instead of seeing car lights, he hears the sound of low chanting and immediately becomes aware of an unusual sight. A yellow-robed man is sitting, in the lotus position, under the one visible streetlight, meditating and chanting. It’s the Buddha. What is the Enlightened One doing here, and what is the wisdom that he can impart to Scott? What might the Buddha say to help Scott start to change and transform?
We actually have a fairly good idea about what the Buddha would say to Scott because once, during the Buddha’s lifetime, he was called upon to address a very similar situation. In this case, the Buddha was in the forest, sitting in meditation, when a band of villagers came upon him. The distraught group consisted of some married couples and one wealthy bachelor.
It seems that the night before, the bachelor had invited his favorite courtesan to spend the night, and while he was sleeping, this woman had found money hidden under his bed, and she took it and fled. When the man woke and discovered what had happened, he rounded up some friends and neighbors, and they all set off in pursuit. That’s how this group stumbled upon the Buddha. Excited by meeting the Enlightened