From Piya Tan
The Buddha
Smile
If popular religion is anything to go by regarding human behavior,
we can rightly surmise that people mostly do not want to think for
themselves, and they want quick easy solutions to their problems.
They are not even interested in knowing the conditions from which
their problems have arisen. If a religion can “solve” their problem
(be it a personal issue, an illness, or what have you), it IS the
right and true religion. And if it is right and true for me, they
think, it must be so for you, too!
If we are a Buddhist keeping to the Buddha’s Teaching, we would
highly value understanding how the mind works. For, the mind is the
source of all religions, indeed, all our knowledge and everything
else. Most importantly, understanding the mind, we can free it from
ignorance and sufferingand from all religions. The free mind does
not need religion; for, it is truly peaceful and wise.
To free the mind, we need to KNOW it first. But how do we know our
minds? Surely, not by looking into any holy books, or even
scientific tomes. We are not looking in the right place. The best
way to know the mind is to look into it! And the best way to know
our minds is to first learn to keep it still and clear.
A still and clear mind is one that is fully and wholesomely aware
of the present moment. This is called mindfulness. The first and
easiest thing we can be mindful of is our sufferings,
shortcomings, even failures. To be mindful is to accept things as
they are, especially to accept our pains and failures, just as we
are.
For, if we pretend that these negative things do not exist, they
will continue to insidiously haunt us. Being mindful of our
sufferings will tell us that we can be better persons, that we have
not yet realized our true potential, or at least we should not to
fall back into the fire. For this reason, Buddhists love dealing
with suffering head on.
We often think we do not deserve our sufferings (Why me?). For, if
we do, we would not be so much bothered by it. The point is that we
should accept our sufferings even though we do not deserve them.
This is to show compassion to ourselves. Compassion is to be kind
to a person even though he does not deserve it. It is easiest and
most important to begin with ourselves. For, if we do not accept
ourselves, or worse, hate ourselves, we will end up being either
very negatively religious people or violently unreligious
people.
Buddhists also know that the
Buddha and the great saints have feelings: they feel pain at our
greed, hate, pride, stupidity and ignorance. They feel sadness, the
ancient texts say,[1] at our unwillingness to learn, at our
self-righteous over-confidence, at our self-propelled arrogance.
But the Buddha and the saints are not affected by such sadness.
This is what allows them to go on teaching and helping others
despite everything. This is like a good doctor who is saddened by
the pains and loss of his patients, but he keeps on going with a
mission.
What have we done that we really deserve any teachings from such
wise teachers like the Buddha? But they are compassionate saints.
They teach us the Dharma even though we do not deserve it.
One of the unfair demands we often make is: what can Buddhism do
for me? Question wrongly put, the Buddha would reply. Rather, we
should ask: What can I do for myself? Am I willing to look into my
own mind and deal with what is there? Am I able to do this without
any external props and promises of power and pleasure? Even if I
say that I would like to try, I have taken the first step on the
Buddhist path.
Despite dealing with suffering head on, the Buddha is naturally
happy. As such, Buddhists, too, are naturally happy. The point is
that we need to be naturally happy to be able to deal with
suffering, whether our own or those of others. That is why we
always see a gentle smile on a Buddha image. This is a reminder to
smile gently within ourselves no matter what happens outside of
us.
This “Buddha smile” keeps our hearts clear of negative states. Try
this for yourself. Do the Buddha smile: gently smile inside
yourself. Then examine the issue that is troubling you or confront
the negative person. You will be surprised at how resourceful and
healing your Buddha smile is.
Then we direct our Buddha smile at others, at home, in a class, at
work, in a hospital, in religious place, in public, to anyone we
meet. We are beginning to change the world as we know it.
[1] See “the 3 satipatthanas,”
Salayatana Vibhanga Sutta (M
137.21-24/3:221) = SD 29.5.
Piya Tan ©2010
14th Apr 2010 rev
THIS WEEK'S STUDY:
Sutta study from SUTTA DISCOVERY VOL 29: Elements
THE BODY IN BUDDHISM (SD 29.6a)
[The matter of the mind: a psychological investigation]
Sutta download from: http://dharmafarer.org/wordpress/?page_id=530
Date: 14 Apr 2010 (Wed)
Free Guided Sitting Meditation: 7.20 -7.40 pm
Sutta study: 7.40 - 9.00 pm
Venue: The Minding Centre (how to get there: http://themindingcentre.org/wp/contact-us/
Please forward this email for the benefit of others.
With metta & mudita,
Ratna Lim
The Minding
Centre
Blk 644 #01-68
Bukit Batok Central
Singapore 650 644
hp +65 8211 0879
Sutta
translations: http://dharmafarer.org
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