The World TurnsPosted by simon on April 3rd, 2008
Recently I have been reading a good amount of Buddhist philosophy. I find the readings very appealing because rather then force you to accept some major tenants right off the bat like “There is a God” or “God can send you to some form of heaven or hell” they start off talking about the basic human experience. The reason I started reading these type of philosophies is because I felt a general unrest and wanted to begin to grow myself.
The flow of the readings is almost like Chinese Confucian lessons but they are explained in a detail that really forces you to not only understand what the author is saying but look deeply into yourself and see how you do or do not act in these situations. The book I am reading is called “The Buddha Said…” by Osho. I almost didn’t pick this book up because I really don’t want to be sold a religion I want to understand a perspective of life. I’ve found that a religion is only as good as the perspective it presents the world in.
A bit of back story, I was raised a devout Catholic. I was an alter boy from the age of 10-18. I did Missionary work in Mexico for a few months, I served in various forms throughout my church. During my confirmation to the Catholic faith I naturally began questioning many of the dogmas that are set forth by the faith and I was given rather unsatisfactory responses. So rather then sit around confused I stepped away from the Church, my faith and the community service. This just happened to work out as I was going of to college and needed to invest every bit of energy I had into school and work.
Flash forward: I’m 25 and beginning to realize that happiness really isn’t the job I have, the car I drive, the newest cellphone or the biggest TV. I start reflecting on what it is that made me so happy all those years as I was growing up. It was the service. The service to others in whatever way I could. The attempt to better not only myself but those who seemed to be stagnant in life. I go on vacation to Florida, have some spare time and flip through, “Open Heart, Clear Mind” and “Buddhism for Beginners” by Thubten Chodron. I also find http://www.emahofoundation.org/ and attend a few meditations to see what the practice of this “religion” is like.
What did I learn during this period of time that has changed me over the last month? I wouldn’t say I have learned anything. I would say that I am now practicing that which I already knew. Common Sense tells you many of the things that you read about in Buddhist philosophy. What the readings do is show you how to practice what I will label “Common Sense”. (I’ll have to do a post on Common Sense because it is one of those things that means a million and one things to a million and one people)
The basics of these readings are, and I am going to succinctly summarize them and do them little justice but it should be enough to hopefully get you to read more on your own; Impermanence, the understanding that not only is everything always changing but you are as well. When everything is constantly changing it requires a great deal of mindfulness to make sure you are understanding life in the context of the now. (Like I said I am being unfortunately short on purpose, #1. I am still reflecting on these lessons #2. You should read about them and gain your own understanding.) Life is Suffering, until you choose to end it. (See The Four Noble Truths)
On a more personal note, I have drastically changed my view of what is important and what is not allowing me more liberties to aid any and all beings looking for help. One thing I have learned over the years is that you cannot help people who do not want your help. So it is essential to be very mindful of anyone who is just looking for help. Heck they might not even be looking they might just be open to it. All too often we are much too caught up in our own life to notice others who need help. I’ve found that the more you can be mindful and open the more you will get out of your days and the better you will feel. The things that used to be so utterly important and would cause needless stress and suffering fall to the wayside as you begin to find aspects of life that are so much more important.
Recently I had a conversation with someone who is very proud of the work they do, and they do very good work. It is one of the aspects that this person would use to define himself. When I spoke about the concept of being selfless and not being prideful but humble, this person was immediately offended and wanted to change the topic of conversation. This got me to thinking about the people in history who have thought along these lines. The main one being Jesus and his disciples. Were persecuted and even killed because of these ideas. People were so scared and angry at those who wanted to help others and looked at the world in what seemed like a fundamentally different way that they were prepared to kill for this. It seems like such a wild concept to kill a person who only wants to help others, but it has happened time and time through history and we still see it today. I want to make something clearer, people become afraid of things they don’t understand and when someone believes in a philosophy that is fundamentally different then theirs they will either question it or be afraid of it. When more and more people begin to share this philosophy people will band together with other like minded people to protect their beliefs. Jesus and his followers were a challenge to Jewish philosophies, this is why Jesus and his followers were hunted. Ideas, even simple ones can have devastating consequences when you seek control of people.
With that said I want to thank you for reading this and I sincerely hope you take a look at a few readings. You don’t have to believe in any of it, but at least look at some of the lessons that have survived some 2500 years and see if they apply to you. They might just change your life in a way you could never possibly expect.