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A Light From The East ...
About two and a half thousand years ago there arose one who found a Way we could walk through this life with less suffering. Living in an age of religions with complex hierarchies of gods and goddesses, secret systems of magic and the advocacy of extreme asceticism as the pathway to salvation, he kept things simple. He focused on how we deal with the here and now, not on what came before our birth or what will happen after our death. As is often the case in the history of ideas, his views in many cases were the antithesis of those of the society in which he lived.
Many legends later grew about his life and now it is hard to find were fact gives way to fiction. It is said he was a young prince who had a sheltered and privileged childhood. Upon reaching maturity he surveyed the world around him and found most suffered from delusion and distress. Moved by compassion for the suffering of others, he gave up his royal heritage and sought an answer to these problems by becoming a monk. He mastered the teachings of the day without finding the answer. Finally he resolved to sit under a tree until he found the answer. In time it came to him. A simple plan that all could follow to make their life better. It consists of the Four Noble Truths:
I. LIFE CONTAINS DISTRESS.
II. THE CAUSE OF OUR DISTRESS IS OUR DELUDED DESIRES.
III. WE CAN TRANSCEND OUR DELUSIONS, DESIRES, AND DISTRESS BY LIVING A LIFE OF MODERATION.
IV. THE WAY IS TO FOLLOW THE EIGHTFOLD PATH OF THE MIDDLE WAY:
1. Right Views.
His path is called the Middle Way. It rejected the extremes of indulgence, of asceticism and of intellectualism. Keep it simple. We desire fame, fortune, power, pleasure, romance ..... That is the way of delusion. The quest for these may bring about temporary satisfaction on occasion, but they do not bring about lasting fulfillment. While we can enjoy them in moderation when they come our way, they are more likely to lead to frustration and distress when they become our goal.
These, and everything else in this world are transitory. They come and go eventually. Thus we suffer when we become too attached to them. To avoid this we need to be able to enjoy them without such attachment and be content with what we have at the moment.
Even our sense of self is transitory. It does not have a fixed, independent, permanent existence. Our sense of self grows out of our awareness and interaction with what is around us. It is constantly changing as we react to stimuli, learn, grow, grow old and die.
Change is constant. Therefore, we need to be flexible to adapt to it. Attachment to what we think we want or think we have as the means of fulfillment is a delusion that leads to distress because everything is changing. Everything in this world is transitory. So relax. Let go. Smile. And enjoy the show.
He refused to appoint a successor. He never wrote down his teachings. Nor did those close to him. They were passed on by orally for a long time before they were finally written. After his death his followers started moving in different directions and disputes arose over the teachings. A great council was called to resolve the differences. One side wanted to strictly follow the teachings to the letter and add nothing more. The other said following the words rigidly by rote would kill their Spirit, the answer is beyond the words. Difference continued and grew.
As is often the case in the history of ideas, as the teachings spread ideas in the world around them became incorporated into them, including some of the things he rejected, such as extreme asceticism and intellectualism. Some called him a god. A religion arose that seemed to have little resemblance to his teachings. But within it there were the seeds of his ideas that those who looked could find. Eventually a great conqueror converted to this faith, made it the state religion and built great temples in his name. This increased the gap between the original vision and the later religion.
This is a reoccurring cycle in history. A radical new idea is presented. It gains a small following. Then it spreads. As it does it becomes transformed and less radical. Once it becomes widely accepted it has been corrupted. It absorbs some of the ideas it once rejected. Yet some of the original remains. Those who want to find it can. Those who do not want to accept it can say they have. Things will probably continue in this way until we stop making imperfect people. "DO WHAT YOU CAN WITH WHAT YOU HAVE WHERE YOU ARE." T. Roosevelt |
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