Chapter 52 Conclusion-5

However, as a follower of Siddhartha, it is not necessary to imitate his every behavior - you don't need to leave when your wife is asleep.Many people think that Buddhism is synonymous with abandoning family and children, leaving work, and retiring to the mountains and forests.Part of the reason for this image of ascetic life is that many Buddhists venerate the ascetic (Mendicant) in scriptures and teachings, just as Catholics venerate St. Francis of Assisi (St. Francis of Assisi).We will be shocked and moved by the image of Buddha begging barefoot in the city of Magadha, or Milarepa living on Xunma soup in the cave.The peaceful image of a simple Burmese monk receiving offerings on alms rounds also captures our imagination.

However, Buddha also had followers of a completely different type.Ashoka, for example, stepped out of his pearl-and-gold royal carriage and vowed to spread Buddhist teachings to every corner of the world.He knelt on the ground, grabbed a handful of sand in his hand, and declared that he would build as many pagodas as there are grains of sand in his hand.And in fact he did.So a person, whether he is a king, a businessman, a prostitute, a drug addict or a corporate executive, can still accept the Four Noble Truths, because basically what we value is not the actual act of renunciation of the material world, but The ability to know and accept truth.

To understand these four views, we don't necessarily have to abandon everything; rather, our attitudes toward things begin to change, and their values ​​change accordingly.Just because you have less wealth than someone doesn't mean you're morally higher than him.In fact, humility itself can be a form of hypocrisy.When we understand the impermanence and impermanence of the material world, renunciation ceases to be a form of self-abuse.It does not mean that workers torture themselves, and the word "sacrifice" takes on a different meaning.With this realization, everything becomes as important as spit on the ground.We don't get sentimental about drool.To lose this sadness is the path of great bliss, known as Suagta.Knowing that renunciation is bliss, it is not surprising that there are many other stories of princes, princesses and generals who have renounced from court life in India in the past.

In a country like India, it is an ancient tradition to love the truth and respect those who pursue it.Even today, instead of belittling renegade practitioners, Indian society honors them in the same way we honor professors at Harvard or Yale.Although, today, when corporate culture is in charge, this tradition has been somewhat weakened, but you can still see naked ascetic monks (Sadhus) covered in white ash, who gave up their successful lawyer careers and became wandering wanderers.I get goosebumps all over my body when I see how Indian society respects these people instead of driving them away as disgraceful beggars or a plague.I couldn't help but wonder how the upstart Chinese, desperate to imitate the West, would feel about these white-ashed ascetics if they showed up at the Marriott Hotel in Hong Kong?Will the porter open the door for them?Or how would the customer service staff at the Bel Air hotel in Los Angeles react?In this era, instead of worshiping truth and ascetic monks, people worship advertising billboards and liposuction to lose weight.

When you read this, you may think, I am generous and generous, and I am not too greedy and attached to my own things.You may not really be the purse type, but if someone takes away your favorite pencil while you are giving, you may be so angry that you want to bite off his ear.Or if someone says at this time, is that all you can give?You may be very discouraged and depressed.When we give, we often get stuck with this idea of ​​"giving".We cling to the result - to be praised in this life, if not a good life after, or maybe just a medal on the wall.You donate a bracelet, and there's a lot of fanfare -- there's a ceremony -- praise and thanks; but if someone snatches your bracelet, that's another story.You are good at giving, just because they have donated money to a museum, or even just to their children, and hope to gain their lifelong loyalty.

Morality can likewise be distorted if it is not accompanied by these four views.Morality feeds the ego, turning us into a puritanical mindset, critical of those who have different moral values ​​from ours.We cling to our own moral values, look down on others, and try to impose our views on others, even at the expense of their freedom.The great Hindu scholar and sage Shantideva, a renegade prince, taught us that it is impossible to avoid encountering anything that is unwholesome, however.As long as we can apply any one of these four views, we can avoid all unwholesome things.If you think that the whole Western world is possessed by the devil or immoral, it is impossible to conquer it and rebuild it, but if you have tolerance in you, it is equal to conquering.You can't level the ground, but with your shoes on, you can avoid rough and uncomfortable surfaces.

If we can understand these four views experientially, not just intellectually, we can begin to unravel our attachment to illusory things.This liberation is what we call wisdom, and Buddhists venerate wisdom above all else.Wisdom is beyond morality, compassion, common sense, tolerance, and vegetarianism. It is not a deified spirituality that one needs to seek outside.If we want to develop wisdom, we must first listen to the teachings of the four views, and not only accept its superficial meaning, but also analyze and think about it.If you are convinced that this path will remove some confusion and bring you some relief, then you can actually put wisdom into practice.

There is a very old Buddhist method in which the master gives his disciples a bone and instructs them to contemplate its origin.Through this kind of thinking, the disciple will eventually understand that this white bone is the result of birth, and birth is the result of karma, and karma is the result of attachment, etc.Having fully believed in the logic of karma and karma, they can begin to operate awareness moment by moment and in every situation.This is what we call meditation.And those who can bring us this kind of information and understanding, we respect them as teachers, because although they have deep understanding and can live happily in the mountains and forests, they are willing to stay here to serve those who are still in darkness. people explain insight.Because this kind of information helps us escape all sorts of unnecessary hiccups, we feel an automatic appreciation for the explainer.So we Buddhists pay homage to our teachers.

Once you have accepted the view on an intellectual level, you can apply any method that will deepen your understanding and understanding, in other words, any technique or practice you can use to help you transform the habit of thinking of things as solid into seeing them as Habits of harmony, interdependence and impermanence.This is true Buddhist meditation and practice, not just sitting there like a paperweight. Even though we all know intellectually that we are bound to die, a casual compliment from Xiao Ruo can cover up this knowledge.If someone says our knuckles look elegant, immediately we find ourselves trying to find ways to maintain them.Suddenly we think there is something to protect or it will be lost.These days, we're constantly bombarded with so many new things we have to get rid of and new things we have to have.More than ever, we need ways to remind ourselves and help us get used to these views, if not shaving our heads or living in caves, perhaps to the point of hanging a human bone in our car's rearview mirror.Ethical and moral approaches can be very helpful when combined.Ethics and morality may be of secondary importance in Buddhism, but they are important in bringing us closer to the truth.But Siddhartha himself admonishes us to turn away from this materialistic spirituality if it leads us away from the Four Noble Truths, even when some actions seem kind and positive.