When we
study Buddhism we are studying ourselveslearning about the nature of our
own minds. The emphasis is not on something supreme; it is on practical things
like how to Live the daily life and how to integrate it with the mind so that
the mind remains peaceful and healthy. In other words, the emphasis is on experiential
knowledge-wisdom, not dogmatic views. Actually, in Western terminology we would
not say that Buddhism is religion, but rather philosophy, science or psychology.
An instinctive tendency; of the human mind is to search for happiness; in
this respect Eastern and Western people are no different. But if your life-style
overemphasizes the sense world and you grasp at it emotionally, it is very dangerousyou
have no control. Now control is not an Eastern custom or a Buddhist trip; we all
need control. Especially those who live a materialistic life and psychologically
are too attached to objects. From the point of view of Buddhist philosophy such
a mind is not healthy, is mentally sick. You already know that external scientific
technological advances alone cannot satisfy the desires of your attachment or
stop your emotional problems.
Thus the method of Lord Buddha's teachings
is to show you the nature of the human mind, your human potential and how you
can develop further. Moreover, this method does not emphasize blind belief in,
rather than understanding of, metaphysical processes. However, whether you are
religious or non- religious, or a believer or a non-believer, the important thing
is to know the nature of your own mind. If you don't, it is so easy to think that
you are healthy and functioning well in your daily life while in fact the root
of disturbing emotions is growing firmer and deeper within your mind. With this
fundamental cause of psychological disease within you, a tiny change of conditions
can precipitate mental illness. As long as you are totally immersed in blind attachment
to the sense world, not knowing the nature of your mind, this can happen. You
can't reject this: "I don't believe it." You can't reject your nose:
"I don't believe I have a nose." Whether you believe you have a nose
or not, it's there!
Many Western people say, "I don't believe in anything";
they are so proud of being non-believers. But check thisit's very important
to know. In the West there are so many contradictions: scientists think they are
non-believers; religious people think they are believers. However, whether you
think you are a believer or a non-believer, you have to know the nature of your
own mind.
You always talk about attachment, but you don't know how to control
it. To say the word is easy, but to know the nature of attachment is very difficult.
A simple example: cars and aeroplanes were invented to allow people to do things
more quickly, leaving them more time for leisure; but the result is that people's
minds are more restless than ever. I'm not complaining, but you examine your daily
life. What I'm saying is that when the whole country is involved in the sense
world under the control of attachment, you don't have the chance or time to see
the reality of your mind. I call that kind of life-style difficult. There is no
way you can really enjoy yourself and experience satisfaction, because true enjoyment
comes from the mind, not from external phenomena.
Modern, intelligently skeptical
young people do have some understanding of what is worthwhile in life, and know
that enjoyment does not come from temporalor, in Buddhist terminology, "samsaric"objects
alone. Thus they are searching for that which truly satisfies. When Lord Buddha
talked so much about suffering he was not referring primarily to physical illness
and pain but to dissatisfaction. Dissatisfaction is the real suffering. No matter
how much you get, your desires do not abate; you always want more. That is suffering;
that is deluded frustration.
Buddhist psychology enumerates six fundamental
delusions, which frustrate and disturb the peace of the human mind and cause it
to become restless: attachment, anger, ignorance, pride, deluded doubt and holding
distorted views. These are mental, not external phenomena. So, when Lord Buddha
taught people how to overcome these delusions, he emphasized the necessity of
understanding their nature, not simply belief and faith. Without investigating
your mind and developing introspective knowledge-wisdom it is not possible to
develop such understanding. Even though we talk a lot about delusions, we don't
really know anything. Those fundamental delusions come from the ego, they make
the mind restless. To be free you don't have to give up your possessions. You
can keep your possessions, but if you do so with attachment you will make yourself
restless and your life difficult; you will keep your mind foggy and polluted.
The unclear mind is by nature ignorant and agitated; the light of wisdom cannot
grow in such a mind. The solution to this problem is meditation.
Meditation
does not imply sitting in a corner doing nothing, trying to develop single-pointed
concentration. It is a type of wisdom free from sluggishness whose function is
awareness of the state of mind. In your daily life you should be aware of everything
you do and why and how you do it. Usually we do everything unconsciously: we eat
unconsciously, drink unconsciously, talk unconsciously. We have no idea of what
is happening in our minds, even though we say we are conscious. I'm not judging
you, putting you down, but you look for yourself. The way of Buddhism is to put
forward ideas for you to examine and experience. I'm not talking about something
way up in the sky. This is very simple.
If you do not know the nature of
attachment and its object it's impossible for you to have loving kindness for
your friends, parents and country. Since your mind is unconscious you hurt those
close to you. Similarly, someone who is angry completely forgets himself; he has
no idea what's going on in his mind. You know how it is; these are just examples
of what we do. Many times we hurt others through being unconscious: we are not
aware of our own behaviour or mental attitude and have no respect for others.
In the West there are people who have specialist education in psychology.
But Lord Buddha wants us all to become psychologists; you should know your own
mind. Lord Buddha feels that it is definitely possible, that every human being
has the potential ability to understand, and thereby to control, his own mind.
When you understand your mind, control comes naturally. Don't think that investigating
the mind is just a Himalayan trip, something only for those who have no material
possessions. Just check; whenever you are emotionally involved with something,
instead of acting, relax; try to be aware of what you are doing. Ask yourself,
"What am I doing? How? What is making me do this?" It is really wonderful
if you can analyze yourself like this. With understanding you can stop your problems
so easily. Our problem is that we lack intensive knowledge-wisdom, or awareness,
or consciousness...it doesn't matter what you call. it.
Therefore, to show
others loving kindness you have to know the nature of the object. If you don't
you will get caught up in yet another arrogant ego trip. "I love him,"
"I love her." Make sure you know how and why it is so important
that you become your own psychologist. Then you can treat yourself with your own
wisdom, and enjoy your material possessions with a relaxed mind instead of a restless
and berserk one, which ruins your life.
To become a psychologist you don't
have to learn some big philosophy; all you have to do is examine your own mind
every day. You examine material things every daythe food in your kitchen,
for example-so why can't you check your mind? This is far more important. Life
in the West is based on an "I can always buy the solution to my problems
down at the supermarket" mentality. You think that you can always go to the
pharmacy and pick up some pills, that whenever you are emotionally frustrated
you can get some drug from your doctor. Do you think remedies like those are really
helpful? Of course they are not. Although they seem to help, they are so transitory.
They don't even destroy the symptoms of deluded emotions; they only make you sluggish
and more ignorant.
Your materialistic mind thinks that pleasure and happiness
can be bought, but they can't. In its depths lies the idea that you can buy a
peaceful mind in the supermarket. That's a total misconception. Religious people
should also try to understand their own minds instead of just trying to believe
in something. That is far more practical. Belief alone cannot solve your problems;
only understanding knowledge-wisdom can do that. Lord Buddha even said that it
is dangerous to believe in Buddha and exhorted us to understand our own nature
instead. When you have discovered something with your own mind, then it is all
right to believe in it. Belief based on realizations or clear intellectual understanding
is perfectly acceptable. But if you are not clear why you believe what you do,
your faith can easily be destroyed by others. Many spiritually inclined people
are weak because they don't understand the true nature of their spirit, or mind.
Understanding is a form of mental energy: it supports your mind and keeps it healthy.
When you understand your mind's view, or perception of things, you realize
that all along you have been grasping at the sense worldand at an imaginary,
idealistic future that is simply a projection of your mind and has not the slightest
physical realityyou have been completely unconscious of the present. You
must agree that this is an unhealthy state of mind.
It is very important
to maintain awareness throughout your day. The nature of wisdom and awareness
is peace and joy. You don't have to grasp for the experience of joy or at anything
that might bring ityou simply have to act correctly with right understanding.
Thus the result of joy arises spontaneously. You don't have to think, "If
I spend my life acting in this way, next life I'll experience the good result."
You don't have to be obsessed with attaining some realization or other. As long
as you act with as much understanding as you can, you will quickly attain the
realization of everlasting peace.