Whoa!
Vastmind
Memphis, TN Veteran
What was a teaching/lesson/principle from Buddhism that really stuck to you? ….When you came upon it….it was a Whoa! It Just changed the way you interacted with the world around you…. A lot of the other teachings fell into place….it became a foundation, perhaps.
Mine was impermanence. 🤯
For Buddhists, the reality of continuous change is one of the characteristics of our human existence and is often translated from the Pali term anicca as “impermanence” (Nyanaponika Thera, 2006).
Called the first seal of the dharma, the law of impermanence indicates that all conditioned things have a beginning, middle, and end (Nyanaponika Thera, 2006). They arise, evolve in a state of continuous change, and cease to exist. While most of us can appreciate this at an intellectual level, the Buddha taught that a profound insight into the law of impermanence dissolves all attachments that are the cause of suffering (SN 22.102).
Therefore, the law of impermanence is both good and bad news. The bad news is that nothing we enjoy stays the same. It changes and ends. The good news is that the suffering caused by our clinging to conditioned things can also be transformed through study and meditation.
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For me it was Atisha’s death contemplation, which became part of Tibetan Buddhism as a reason to contemplate the spiritual path. I use this short text as a reminder to myself.
“You know death is coming. That is certain. You don’t know when. Every day makes the time that remains shorter. And there is nothing you can do to help. Your body won’t help you. Your possessions won’t help you. Your friends and family won’t help you. Only the spiritual path remains, it is the only thing that makes sense.”
Over the years, when considering this, it has made many things fall away from me. Possessions, fiction, drama, all the things that a human society tells you you should need. It has encouraged me to live a kind of hermits life, with all the unnecessary stripped away.
Nothing
Everything!
The Middle Way
A couple things come to mind that hit me early and have stuck with me as regular refrains in my head.
The first is the stanza by Shantideva.
“Where would I find enough leather
To cover the entire surface of the earth?
But with leather soles beneath my feet,
It’s as if the whole world has been covered.”
And a brief phrase I heard from the Dalai Lama which I apply to getting angry as well.
“If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it's not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.”
Kisa Gotami and the mustard seed gathering.
My problems are not unique, not unprecedented. Death is universal.
While it was Atisha’s death contemplation that made me commit to a spiritual path, I have to say there were some others that really influenced me.
Ajahn Chah on letting go:
“If you let go a little you will have a little happiness. If you let go a lot you will have a lot of happiness. If you let go completely you will be free.”
Thich Nhat Hanh on the breath:
“Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment.”
For me, what stands out most, is the language and teachings on virtue in the sutras.
Do. Or do not. There is no try. ....oops that was yoda 😀. Interbeing , impermanence and Indra's net. 💚
For me, I think it currently would be: