As a kid, I was afraid of the dark. I couldn't see well, and with my vivid imagination, all sorts of things would play in the shadows. When you don't know what is moving by your bed as a kid who is prone to nightmares, something moving freaks you out, completely, especially when you have your own room.
However, when you turn on the light or put on night vision goggles, you find that what was moving was just your curtains, or your cat playing in the dark, and not necessarily anything to be alarmed about.
Categorizing darkness as evil would be extremely funny to most Buddhist monks. This is because, according to Buddhist philosophy, neither exists. Duality is an illusion. There are not light and dark, black and white, good and evil. Those are our perceptions running rampant, and causing us to move further away from remembering our true nature and the interconnectedness of all things.
I first heard about this philosophy in seventh grade. I loved the idea that the Buddha saw suffering outside his palace, and decided to go do something about it. I thought that was absolutely fantastic. However, as a 13 year old, I only saw things as black and white, and very distinctly so. It wasn't that I thought my language arts teacher was lying: I just didn't get it.
At 29, I get it. I also get to see the problems duality causes, every day, on none other than... Facebook!
Yes. Facebook! Facebook is absolutely fantastic at showing how duality makes us suffer. We have groups and classifications for all sorts of people. We want everyone to fit in a box, and show how different we are from everyone else. Then, when we are proven different, we disassociate ourselves from people who disagree, or we argue with them.
Does this prove that our point is better or different? The simple point of the matter is: both sides are arguing.
Why doesn't arguing work, in the most common form present on Facebook? Because both sides are angry. Anger clouds the mind, and causes our perceptions to become even more disillusioned, thus not allowing the argument to create any less suffering, for either party, but to potentially maintain existing, or cause more, suffering. It also widens the gap between each party, because neither is listening to the other, and is simply getting louder (or in this case, using CAPS LOCK), to prove their point.
How can we change this?
Help eradicate ignorance.
How can we do that?
Education.
But you already know that, right? I mean, that's why you have student loans!
An important question: how much did you actually learn acquiring those student loans? Are you a master of your profession, by virtue of your education? Can you say that your degree added equal value to your life of the debt you incurred?
If so, congratulations! I am happy that your education has decreased your suffering! Please share this knowledge so other people can know of an institution that does what it promises: it provides a useful education.
If not, why not work on your own self-education? It's great fun! I'm not kidding, and if it's not in the classroom, you can learn in whatever style you like best, at your own pace, in your own way. It doesn't have to be in a book either, although I find books to be an excellent place to start. You can learn by talking to people, doing things, or simply living... if you are aware of your life.
So, the important question is... Are you aware of what is going on in your life? As the Buddha would say: Are you awake? Can you see things as they are, without your perceptions clouding your view or shading your interpretation into something else entirely? Is a cup simply a cup, or does it have a qualifier? Is a man a man, or do you automatically classify him as good/bad, Black/White/Latino/Mixed race/Asian/etc., rich/poor, intelligent/stupid, ... ?
Or do you need glasses to see clearly? Do you know if you need glasses?
I need glasses! :) That's about how far I have gotten. Some days, I still forget to put them on. Other days, I remember to wear them, but they fog up occasionally, or they end up up on my head, and I forget where I put them.
But there are moments, when the glasses fade away, and being happens. It's delicious, and wonderful, and ecstatic. There is no longer an "I," or an "am," just being. I can play piano better, write more easily, drive effortlessly, and perform physical feats with half the effort they usually require. I can also listen, and hear, and have a giant advantage of not being offended by whom I am speaking with (even if we are covering a delicate topic). It allows me to respond, not react, to any situation in life, in a way that I can nod the next day, and agree that I did the best I could with the information I had, at the time. With that mode of existence, there is happiness.
Can you experience this sort of just being? Of course, you can! I'm no different from you, and that's really the point. If just being was what everyone did, we would live in a much happier world, function at a much higher level, and see clearly what was happening in our lives.
A worry people have is that if they tread this path, they will lose who they are. This is an oversimplification of what occurs: you will lose that which is too heavy to carry anymore. I still have my past and my experiences. I just no longer carry them with me. They were heavy, and they hurt me. Why would I carry with me things that hurt?
In conclusion, the only darkness you know, you carry with you, or place before you, or choose to cloud your vision. There is no darkness, or light. There just is.
With anything related to Zen, this is my path. I am not Enlightened. I am not a Zen Teacher. I have no idea what I'm doing. However, if any of this resonates with you, find your nearest Zen Center, and go to a sit. It's how I found out I needed glasses. :)
Yes. Facebook! Facebook is absolutely fantastic at showing how duality makes us suffer. We have groups and classifications for all sorts of people. We want everyone to fit in a box, and show how different we are from everyone else. Then, when we are proven different, we disassociate ourselves from people who disagree, or we argue with them.
Does this prove that our point is better or different? The simple point of the matter is: both sides are arguing.
Why doesn't arguing work, in the most common form present on Facebook? Because both sides are angry. Anger clouds the mind, and causes our perceptions to become even more disillusioned, thus not allowing the argument to create any less suffering, for either party, but to potentially maintain existing, or cause more, suffering. It also widens the gap between each party, because neither is listening to the other, and is simply getting louder (or in this case, using CAPS LOCK), to prove their point.
How can we change this?
Help eradicate ignorance.
How can we do that?
Education.
But you already know that, right? I mean, that's why you have student loans!
An important question: how much did you actually learn acquiring those student loans? Are you a master of your profession, by virtue of your education? Can you say that your degree added equal value to your life of the debt you incurred?
If so, congratulations! I am happy that your education has decreased your suffering! Please share this knowledge so other people can know of an institution that does what it promises: it provides a useful education.
If not, why not work on your own self-education? It's great fun! I'm not kidding, and if it's not in the classroom, you can learn in whatever style you like best, at your own pace, in your own way. It doesn't have to be in a book either, although I find books to be an excellent place to start. You can learn by talking to people, doing things, or simply living... if you are aware of your life.
So, the important question is... Are you aware of what is going on in your life? As the Buddha would say: Are you awake? Can you see things as they are, without your perceptions clouding your view or shading your interpretation into something else entirely? Is a cup simply a cup, or does it have a qualifier? Is a man a man, or do you automatically classify him as good/bad, Black/White/Latino/Mixed race/Asian/etc., rich/poor, intelligent/stupid, ... ?
Or do you need glasses to see clearly? Do you know if you need glasses?
I need glasses! :) That's about how far I have gotten. Some days, I still forget to put them on. Other days, I remember to wear them, but they fog up occasionally, or they end up up on my head, and I forget where I put them.
But there are moments, when the glasses fade away, and being happens. It's delicious, and wonderful, and ecstatic. There is no longer an "I," or an "am," just being. I can play piano better, write more easily, drive effortlessly, and perform physical feats with half the effort they usually require. I can also listen, and hear, and have a giant advantage of not being offended by whom I am speaking with (even if we are covering a delicate topic). It allows me to respond, not react, to any situation in life, in a way that I can nod the next day, and agree that I did the best I could with the information I had, at the time. With that mode of existence, there is happiness.
Can you experience this sort of just being? Of course, you can! I'm no different from you, and that's really the point. If just being was what everyone did, we would live in a much happier world, function at a much higher level, and see clearly what was happening in our lives.
A worry people have is that if they tread this path, they will lose who they are. This is an oversimplification of what occurs: you will lose that which is too heavy to carry anymore. I still have my past and my experiences. I just no longer carry them with me. They were heavy, and they hurt me. Why would I carry with me things that hurt?
In conclusion, the only darkness you know, you carry with you, or place before you, or choose to cloud your vision. There is no darkness, or light. There just is.
With anything related to Zen, this is my path. I am not Enlightened. I am not a Zen Teacher. I have no idea what I'm doing. However, if any of this resonates with you, find your nearest Zen Center, and go to a sit. It's how I found out I needed glasses. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment