Awakening the Buddha Within _ Eight Steps to Enlightenment - Lama Surya Das [61]
“If a king or householder shall die,
His wealth, family, friends, and retinue cannot follow him.
Wherever we go, wherever we remain,
The results of our actions follow us.”
4. The Defects and Shortcomings of Samsara
Samsara and all its contents, pleasure as well as pain, are like a public feast we are passing through on our way to the grave.
Birth is difficult, growing up is difficult, illness is difficult, aging and death are painful.
Losing what we care for hurts; not getting what we want is frustrating.
We feel lost and powerless, anxious and insecure by a sense of being out of control, blown about by circumstances and conditions we don’t understand.
Being unaware and half-asleep in our own lives is wasteful and meaningless.
We are continually tormented by our fears of the unknown and ignorance and doubt about where we will go and why.
These are just a few of the myriad waves in the ocean of suffering called samsara or cyclic existence. Cross beyond this raging tide of confusion and misery to the other shore, and you’ll find the joyous waters of nirvana—peace, freedom, and the everlasting happiness of perfect enlightenment.
STEP TWO
RIGHT INTENTIONS
Plumbing Your Wise Buddha-Nature
The thought manifests as the word;
The word manifests as the deed;
The deed develops into habit;
And habit hardens into character;
So watch the thought and its ways with care,
And let it spring from love
Born out of concern for all beings….
As the shadow follows the body, as we think, so we become.
—FROM THE DHAMMAPADA
(SAYINGS OF THE BUDDHA)
When you look at the people you love, what do you wish for them? Do you wish them all the happiness, goodness, abundance, blessings, and well-being that they would wish for themselves? How about strangers? What do you wish for them? How about people who aren’t kind to you, or those you consider downright hateful? What do you wish for them? Do you feel a natural sense of kinship with everyone you meet? Or are you so caught up with your own life that you don’t have the time to think about others except when they directly impinge on you or are part of your plans?
The second step on the Noble Eight-Fold Path is traditionally known as Right Thought or Right Intentions. This step speaks about the possibility, and necessity, of using our minds and firm determination, or resolve, to free ourselves from ignorance, delusion, negativity, and selfishness. This step asks us, as seekers, to purify our attitudes and thoughts—to become totally straightforward and honest with ourselves—and, in so doing, to develop a working loving-kindness, empathy, and compassion toward all creatures. We cannot find deeper spiritual understanding without developing the faculties and qualities of the heart and mind.
THE STORIES WE TELL OURSELVES
It’s much easier to talk about universal compassion and love than it is to practice it. When personally involved with a situation that provokes insecurity, anger, resistance, or conflict, don’t we all tend to focus first on our own immediate concerns? Don’t we all sometimes have self-involved and absurdly wild thoughts bumping into each other—mental static ad infinitum? For example:
The scene: A large party somewhere in a resort area.
Ted (a forty-two-year-old writer) says: “It was really nice meeting you here; maybe we can get together for coffee back in the city.” Ted thinks: She seems to like me. I wonder if she would like me so much if she knew that after this vacation, it’s questionable whether I’m even going to be able to afford coffee.
Naomi (a thirty-six-year-old social worker) says: “That would really be nice; I would like that.” Naomi thinks: He seemed to like me better before he saw me in a bathing suit. I probably should have spent more time at the gym. I wonder if he likes cats. I don’t want to go out with one more man who is allergic to cats. Not after James, and all that sneezing