Chapter 45 Chapter 4 Nirvana Beyond the Concept-8

In addition to the general concepts of time and space, the Buddha also abandoned all dualistic distinctions of subtle emotions.He does not regard reputation as better than ruin, success as loss, pleasure as suffering, and fame as inferior.He is not affected by optimism or pessimism.No one thing is more attractive or requires more effort than another.Imagine that we are no longer bound by unnecessary praise or criticism, but hear like a Buddha - just a sound, like an echo.Or as we hear at the dying hour.It might make us a little bit happier when loved ones tell us how wonderful we are, but at the same time we're out of our care and unaffected.We will no longer be obsessed with words.As lettuce salad is to tigers, you can imagine what it would be like if all the temptations of the world were unattractive and you could rise above every bribe or inducement.If we can not be bought by praise and not hit by criticism, we will have incomparable strength.We will be utterly free from unnecessary expectations and fears, sweat and blood, and emotional reactions.We will finally be able to put "I don't give a damn" into practice.Only by not chasing the acceptance of others, nor avoiding the rejection of others, can we cherish everything we have at this moment.Most of the time, we are thinking about continuing the good thing, or replacing it with a better one in the future; or we are addicted to the past, remembering the happy time.Ironically, we don't actually cherish the experience we're nostalgic for, because we were so busy clinging to our expectations and fears

We are like children on the beach building sand castles, and the saints are like adults watching us from under parasols.Children are fascinated by what they have created, argue over shells and shovels, and are frightened by the crashing waves.They experience a wide range of emotions.But the adults lay nearby, sipping coconut cocktails, and just watched, not judging, not proud that the sandcastle was well built, nor angry or sad that someone accidentally stepped on the beacon tower.They are not entangled in drama like children.What better enlightenment can we ask for? ** * * In the secular world, the closest metaphor to an enlightened being is freedom; in fact, the concept of freedom is what drives us, both in our personal life and in society.We dream of a time and place where we can do whatever we want, like the American Dream.In our speeches and our constitution we chant liberty and individual rights like a mantra; but deep down we don't really want it.If given complete freedom, we might not know what to do.We do not have the courage and ability to make good use of true freedom because we are not free from our arrogance, greed, expectations and fears.If all the people in the world suddenly disappeared and there was only one man left, we can imagine him having complete freedom - he could shout, wander around without clothes, break the law - although such The world has no more laws and no witnesses.But sooner or later he will start to feel bored and lonely.Hope to have companions.The most fundamental aspect of interpersonal relationships is the need to give up some of your own freedom for others.Therefore, if the wish of the lonely man is granted and he is given a companion, that companion is likely to go his own way, and thereby diminish his freedom, consciously or unconsciously.Who is to blame?Of course it was the lonely man.Because his boredom caused his detraction.If it is not boring and lonely, he can still be free.

We are good at limiting our freedom.Even if we could, we would walk around naked, or wear a dead fish as a tie to a job application, because we want to win favor and make friends.Even if alternative or folk culture has a lot to offer, we may be reluctant to accept it because we don't want to be labeled hippies. We live in a prison of responsibility and regulation.We talk about individual rights, privacy, gun rights, freedom of speech, etc. as big issues, but we don't want to be neighbors with terrorists.When it comes to other people, we have to limit.If others are completely free, you may not get everything you want.Their freedom limits your freedom.When trains in Madrid and buildings in New York were bombed, we blamed the CIA for allowing terrorists to run free.We believe that the government's job is to protect us from harm.But the aggressors see themselves as freedom fighters.At the same time, we want to be politically correct and impartial, so when our foreign-looking neighbors get troubled by government agents, we may protest for him.It is especially easy to be politically correct about irrelevant issues.Either way, we may well be victims of our own political correctness.