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funny.

zombiegirlzombiegirl beating the drum of the lifelessin a dry wasteland Veteran
edited October 2011 in General Banter
So my girlfriend says to me the other day, "I've realized that I'm always looking forward into the future. I feel like I live my life always waiting for something to happen, waiting for the next thing, even now... I'm just waiting for [our friend's] Halloween party. I think I need to focus more on what's going on right NOW. I think I'll be happier that way."

I pause for a moment and then say, "You know, that's like one of the major tenants of Buddhism, right? Living in the present moment..."

And she says, "Yeah, but you don't do that."

To which I respond, "Well, it's a lot harder than it sounds!"

Hehe, my girlfriend cracks me up. She has absolutely no interest in Buddhism, but she always realizes the truths on her own. I wish I had such a mind...

Comments

  • MountainsMountains Veteran
    That's pretty funny :)
  • genkakugenkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
    I wish I had such a mind...

    @zombiegirl -- You already do.
  • zombiegirlzombiegirl beating the drum of the lifeless in a dry wasteland Veteran
    @genkaku that's very kind of you to say so, but i really feel extremely ignorant most of the time, lol. there have been times when i've told her my understanding of one buddhist concept or another and she just looks at me like, "duh. so?" but i feel as though they are revolutionary concepts to me. i don't really feel bad about it though, i feel fortunate to have encountered the dharma either way, but she astounds me sometimes. it makes me happy that we can see eye to eye on things even without her practicing/studying buddhism because it affirms the fact that what i am learning is a universal truth and not just dogma.
  • genkakugenkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
    @genkaku that's very kind of you to say so, but i really feel extremely ignorant most of the time, lol. there have been times when i've told her my understanding of one buddhist concept or another and she just looks at me like, "duh. so?" but i feel as though they are revolutionary concepts to me. i don't really feel bad about it though, i feel fortunate to have encountered the dharma either way, but she astounds me sometimes. it makes me happy that we can see eye to eye on things even without her practicing/studying buddhism because it affirms the fact that what i am learning is a universal truth and not just dogma.
    @zombiegirl -- You have learned a very important lesson -- one that long-time Buddhists frequently overlook in their serious approaches to the Dharma: You don't have to be Buddhist to suffer and you don't have to be Buddhist to know what it means to be free from suffering.

    In Buddhist lore, it is said that there are "84,000 (meaning numberless) Dharma gates." In the mad scramble to become a 'good' Buddhist, to learn what needs to be learned and apply what needs to be applied, Buddhists frequently pass by this observation without a second glance. 84,000 Dharma gates does not mean 84,000 Buddhist gates. It means 84,000 Dharma gates.

    You are one of those gates, just like everyone else. What wows you and draws you forward in Buddhist practice is never precisely the same as what wows others and draws them forward. And this is fine. Everyone suffers. Everyone wants to be happy. Everyone connects the dots in his or her own ways.

    Buddhists may or may not be luckier than others in the format they have chosen to practice. Buddhism is pretty sensible, but that doesn't deny anyone the right to come around in whatever way they choose. Will it be as effective as Buddhism's suggestions? No one knows. And since no one knows, the best any of us can do is to gather our courage and determination and follow the course we have set for ourselves ... Buddhist or mugwump, no different.

    Just be your own perfect Dharma gate.

  • zombiegirlzombiegirl beating the drum of the lifeless in a dry wasteland Veteran
    @genkaku thank you for this. i had never heard that before but the idea is very interesting. i must admit, i do wish at times that my girlfriend practiced as well (especially since she seems to agree so much with buddhism. lol), but she has her reasons, part of which is that religion just isn't important to her at the present moment. but you are right... it really doesn't matter what she or i call ourselves. :)
  • ThailandTomThailandTom Veteran
    I remember when I was around 16ish speaking with my mum and saying that I find somthing to look forward to in the not too distant future, and that keeps me happy and 'going'. At the time I thought I had come up with some amazing way to life my life, turns out that, well you all know the answer :dunce:
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