This Is Not The Entry I Intended To Enter Here
When I want to move
or to speak,
first I shall examine my state of mind,
and firmly act in a suitable way
Whenever my mind becomes attached
or angry,
I shall not reacvt, nor shall I speak;
I shall remain mum and unmoved like a tree.
-- Shantidevi (8th century Buddhist)
The subject of the proposed entry allowed me to become angry and a little depressed. I would have written about a group of people of whom i know almost nothing. Statements that i would have made would have no assurance of being accurate, the usefulness of the entry and my reasons for posting it would have been highly suspect. It would have been unkind and would have seemed very harsh to families of people who have recently died. It would have been ego boosting, showing off my power to draw connections among seemingly unrelated situations and events. Every possible reason to "remain mum" would have presented itself at the most superficial examination.
I am not a Buddhist. I am ignorant about Buddhism. But i am a great fan of the 8 - fold path. The purpose of Buddhism is to deal expertly with suffering. One best does this by acquiring a sense of what it real and what isn't (wisdom), by living an ethical life, and by having "awareness" (through prayer, meditation, and contemplation.) The steps of the path are not sequential but they do have a logical ordering. An adult will do some work on his or her worldview and intentions before he can do much about ethics. and some cosideration of ethical behavior will preceed going very far with meditation and contemplation. (Yes, i have heard of "the dark side of the Force" but i know nothing about it.)
The third "step" on the 8-fold path, the first "step" in ethics training is "right speech*." Wisdom (Detachment -- step one and compassion--step two) pave the way for ethics. If i am detached and compassionate, a certain ethic will follow, and that ethic will first become apparent to others in the words i speak (and in the silence i keep.) Because i am detached, my speech will not be angry nor propagandistic or used in defense of self or possessions or institutions. Because of compassion, my speech will not be unkind, gossipy, lying, intrusive, nor gratuitous. I will not insult others with my words or their implications nor ridicule their choices or philosophies or religions. If i could follows these directions, two-thirds of my customary speaking would disappear and theire would be plenty of room for delicious, disciplined, contemplative silence.
*Here are the contents of the chapter "Step Three: Right Speech--Speaking the Truth." pp. 171-196, in Awakening the Buddha Within, Eight Steps to Enlightenment, Tibetan Wisdom for the Western Worl, by Surya Das {Jeffrey Miller).
Everything you say can express your Buddha Nature
Speak the truth, tell no lies
Use words to help, not to harm.
Don't gossip or tell tales.
Avoid harsh, abusive language; speak kindly
The kess full of ourselves we are, the more room there is for others
Words from the heart
The treasury of sacred sound
Prayer as sacred speech
Metta prayer, p. 183-4
Using a mantra to find your own voice
Outer, inner, and innate reasons for chanting mantras.
Opening the throat chakra
Chanting the Heart Sutra (189-90)
Silence resounds like thunder
The beautiful sound of silence
The joy of silence, solitude, and voluntary simplicity
or to speak,
first I shall examine my state of mind,
and firmly act in a suitable way
Whenever my mind becomes attached
or angry,
I shall not reacvt, nor shall I speak;
I shall remain mum and unmoved like a tree.
-- Shantidevi (8th century Buddhist)
The subject of the proposed entry allowed me to become angry and a little depressed. I would have written about a group of people of whom i know almost nothing. Statements that i would have made would have no assurance of being accurate, the usefulness of the entry and my reasons for posting it would have been highly suspect. It would have been unkind and would have seemed very harsh to families of people who have recently died. It would have been ego boosting, showing off my power to draw connections among seemingly unrelated situations and events. Every possible reason to "remain mum" would have presented itself at the most superficial examination.
I am not a Buddhist. I am ignorant about Buddhism. But i am a great fan of the 8 - fold path. The purpose of Buddhism is to deal expertly with suffering. One best does this by acquiring a sense of what it real and what isn't (wisdom), by living an ethical life, and by having "awareness" (through prayer, meditation, and contemplation.) The steps of the path are not sequential but they do have a logical ordering. An adult will do some work on his or her worldview and intentions before he can do much about ethics. and some cosideration of ethical behavior will preceed going very far with meditation and contemplation. (Yes, i have heard of "the dark side of the Force" but i know nothing about it.)
The third "step" on the 8-fold path, the first "step" in ethics training is "right speech*." Wisdom (Detachment -- step one and compassion--step two) pave the way for ethics. If i am detached and compassionate, a certain ethic will follow, and that ethic will first become apparent to others in the words i speak (and in the silence i keep.) Because i am detached, my speech will not be angry nor propagandistic or used in defense of self or possessions or institutions. Because of compassion, my speech will not be unkind, gossipy, lying, intrusive, nor gratuitous. I will not insult others with my words or their implications nor ridicule their choices or philosophies or religions. If i could follows these directions, two-thirds of my customary speaking would disappear and theire would be plenty of room for delicious, disciplined, contemplative silence.
*Here are the contents of the chapter "Step Three: Right Speech--Speaking the Truth." pp. 171-196, in Awakening the Buddha Within, Eight Steps to Enlightenment, Tibetan Wisdom for the Western Worl, by Surya Das {Jeffrey Miller).
Everything you say can express your Buddha Nature
Speak the truth, tell no lies
Use words to help, not to harm.
Don't gossip or tell tales.
Avoid harsh, abusive language; speak kindly
The kess full of ourselves we are, the more room there is for others
Words from the heart
The treasury of sacred sound
Prayer as sacred speech
Metta prayer, p. 183-4
Using a mantra to find your own voice
Outer, inner, and innate reasons for chanting mantras.
Opening the throat chakra
Chanting the Heart Sutra (189-90)
Silence resounds like thunder
The beautiful sound of silence
The joy of silence, solitude, and voluntary simplicity