from "the path of the human being"
"Why are we so dissatisfied? Do you ever ask yourself that question? On the surface we may think our unhappiness stems from some need or desire that hasn’t yet been fulfilled. If we look no deeper, we will never stop running, trying t satisfy our endless desires. When we really look at what we think we need in order to be content, we will notice a pattern: we create a very narrow path for ourselves between what we judge as good and acceptable and what we judge as bad and intolerable. We imagine that somewhere between loving and hating the way things are, there is a nice place of satisfaction and contentment. So we aim for that ideal, even though it is a razor-thin line. Every once in a while we can feel satisfied when we manage to touch that ideal, but the experience is rare and it never lasts very long. Most of the time we feel dissatisfied, and we hope and believe that things could be better.
The problem is our perception, the way we look at our discontentment. As long as we think that discontentment exists because something is lacking, then of course, we will keep searching for a way to fill ourselves up. We will keep seeking and acquiring the next thing and the next thing and the next thing that we hope will bring us to that ideal state of contentment. But there is another way to approach this predicament: we don’t need to create such a thin line to begin with. Instead of thinking that in order for things to be OK they have to be this way or that, what if we accepted the way things are? What if we embraced it all?
If we could learn to be at peace with whatever is, then every day would be a good day. Yet doesn’t something inside rebel when we hear that? The rational mind argues, for every day to be a good day, every day would have to be all good and no bad. That’s impossible! It’s natural for life to have ups and downs, and we should expect to have good moments and bad moments. If we could simply accept that, we wouldn’t end up causing more problems for ourselves. Instead, we judge the moments and form preferences. We create a very narrow path, our own razor’s edge of contentment.
Buddha called this insanity. He saw that our basic problem is the way we view life. Somehow we see things inside out. Instead of seeing the big picture, we see things from a self-centered perspective. By putting the ego aside, the Buddha was able to look at life from the perspective of Big Mind, which sees the oneness of all things. Now, that doesn’t mean that the Buddha was some sort of god. He was just someone who was able to quiet his mind enough to perceive the nature of the disease and its cure. To be able to see what Buddha saw is not really that difficult. Discipline is all that is required to put the ego aside - even if only for a moment - so that life can be glimpsed form the perspective of Big Mind." - Genpo Roshi
The problem is our perception, the way we look at our discontentment. As long as we think that discontentment exists because something is lacking, then of course, we will keep searching for a way to fill ourselves up. We will keep seeking and acquiring the next thing and the next thing and the next thing that we hope will bring us to that ideal state of contentment. But there is another way to approach this predicament: we don’t need to create such a thin line to begin with. Instead of thinking that in order for things to be OK they have to be this way or that, what if we accepted the way things are? What if we embraced it all?
If we could learn to be at peace with whatever is, then every day would be a good day. Yet doesn’t something inside rebel when we hear that? The rational mind argues, for every day to be a good day, every day would have to be all good and no bad. That’s impossible! It’s natural for life to have ups and downs, and we should expect to have good moments and bad moments. If we could simply accept that, we wouldn’t end up causing more problems for ourselves. Instead, we judge the moments and form preferences. We create a very narrow path, our own razor’s edge of contentment.
Buddha called this insanity. He saw that our basic problem is the way we view life. Somehow we see things inside out. Instead of seeing the big picture, we see things from a self-centered perspective. By putting the ego aside, the Buddha was able to look at life from the perspective of Big Mind, which sees the oneness of all things. Now, that doesn’t mean that the Buddha was some sort of god. He was just someone who was able to quiet his mind enough to perceive the nature of the disease and its cure. To be able to see what Buddha saw is not really that difficult. Discipline is all that is required to put the ego aside - even if only for a moment - so that life can be glimpsed form the perspective of Big Mind." - Genpo Roshi