Disclaimer:
This post is about what I gained from studying Buddhist Philosophy (from Tibet
House) for a year. The topic is vast, deep, simple yet complex. If anyone wants
to understand more on the subject, s/he would need to either enroll for the
same or longer course or read original books written by ancient Buddhist scholars
and masters.
Be kind to yourself. Be wisely kind to
yourself.
This was the main ground or precept which
formed the basis of Geshe La’s teachings - how to be kind, and then wisely kind
to yourself. Buddhist philosophy and practices are meant to unravel part by
part, thread by thread, the working of our psyche. Here psyche means the mind
which is different from soul or consciousness. The mind, which creates layers
and layers of illusions that we cling to so desperately, sometimes for lifetimes,
in order to seek the elusive ‘happiness’. The step by step practices,
therefore, help remove these layers of illusions and perceptions, by which we
live, think, believe, and act, till the time we find the pure essence or the Buddha
in ourselves.
Difficult, you would say. Actually its not.
 |
| Reality Vs Perception |
Take for example these mundane conversations:
A: Is the pancake stiff?
B: I liked it.
_______
A1: Have
you been to Ladakh?
B1: Three times. Last time I stayed there
for two months. It was awesome.
_______
A2: Yaar, I don’t want to continue with
this corporate work anymore. I want to do something for the society, create an
impact.
_______
In the first two, the answers are not in
sync with the questions at all. Yet, most of our routine conversations are exactly
like these. We don’t realize that the way we answer or have conversations can
lead to different perceptions, which again add layers of further misconceptions
as you go along in life. The third, though well meaning, is steeped in the ‘self’
– ‘I’ want to change the society. All three are rooted in the ‘Self’.
Buddhist philosophy has taught me how to recognize
these ‘self-grasping’ and ‘self-centred’ attitudes which are based on ego and
fear largely, understand why they are there in me and how they underline all
aspects and relationships in my life, how to break these illusions that I have
created around me, and seek true freedom.
All the answers that you seek lie in
understanding the ‘Self’. The more you are rid of these self-aggrandizing
illusions, the more your reality changes. Like Shamanic traditions, Buddhist
philosophy reiterates that we pause; listen and listen well; notice our
reactions and actions; seek wisdom rather than just knowledge, from the right
sources and our own lived experiences; practice and more practice and then some
more; live mindfully and act rightly with love and compassion for all sentient
and non-sentient beings; and live from your heart.
By focusing on understanding that our
current reality is merely made up of layers and layers of perceptions created
by us, we can break out of the cycles of “I will be happy if I can build a
house in the mountains; I will be happy if I am commissioned by Nat Geo to do a
story for them; I will be happy if I can get her to say yes; I will be happy if I
can travel to 44 countries before I turn 44 etc.”
