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Buddhism teaches that all human
beings are trying to find happiness and trying to avoid suffering. That
is what unites us. It is however impossible to create our own happiness
by causing suffering for someone else. It is said that the power of the
senses are great. But greater than the senses is the mind.
Many people go through their entire
lives as slaves to their drives or impulses. Genuinely, they believe
that their feelings are more powerful than they are, or that something
within themselves causes them to do what makes them unhappy and prevents
them from doing what could make them happy.
There is however a universal truth
that Buddhism called the law of karma .The rule of the thumb on human
behaviour is simple. Doing what harms others will hurt you also. Doing
what relieves others or offers them happiness will at least bring you
peace.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama teaches:
"We are our own masters. No one can protect us." To become fully human
one must be responsible for all of one's actions.
We live in a greedy, arrogant and
angry society. These emotions are not just outside us, but they live
within us. Each one of us are responsible daily to be consistently
aware, consistently reflecting, and consistently regard for the truth so
that we may reduce these negative power and let the good qualities
flourish in our lives.
About This Mind…
by Ajanh Chah
About this mind…in truth
there is nothing really wrong with it. It is intrinsically pure. Within
itself it’s already peaceful. That the mind is not peaceful these days
is because it follows moods. The real mind doesn’t have anything to it,
it is simply (an aspect of ) nature. It becomes peaceful or agitated
because moods deceive it. The untrained mind is stupid. Sense
impressions come and trick it into happiness, suffering, gladness and
sorrow, but the mind’s true nature is none of those things. That
gladness or sadness is not the mind, but only a mood coming to deceive
us. The untrained mind gets lost and follow these things, it forgets
itself, then we think that it is we who are upset or at ease or
whatever.
But really this mind of
ours is already unmoving and peaceful…really peaceful! Just like a leaf
which is still a long as no wind blows. If a wind comes up the leaf
flutters. The fluttering is due to the wind-the ‘fluttering’ is due to
those sense impressions; the mind follows them. If it doesn’t follow
them, it doesn’t ‘flutter’ if we know the true nature of sense
impressions we are unconcerned.
Our practice is simply to
see the Original Mind. So we must train the mind to know those sense
impressions, and not get lost in them. To make it peaceful. This is the
aim to all this difficult practice we put ourselves through. |
