The world in its variety arises from action. (“Karmajaü lokavaicitrayam”)--Vasubandhu A path is made by walking it. (“Tao hsing chih er cheng”)-- Chuang-tzu All sentient beings are deranged. (“Sabbe sattā ummattakā”)--Gotama Buddha All phenomena in the universe exist within the context of mutually supportive relationships, what Buddhism refers to as dependent origination. In this view, nothing exists without meaning and nothing is wasted. Interweaving these threads of interdependence, the universe has brought forth and nurtured life, including human life, on this planet. It is the idea of symbiosis. Whether in human society or in the realm of nature, nothing exists in isolation; all phenomena are mutually supportive and related, forming a living cosmos. Therefore, the psychological tendency to favor harmony over oppression, unity over division, “we” over “I”; a belief that human beings should live together harmoniously with each other and with nature, support each other and flourish together. Only when it is seen by all to be such a philosophy will the doctrine of causal origination have the power to serve effectively as a basis for global solidarity. In the “Parable of Two Reeds” Shariputra, a disciple of the Buddha, gives us a lesson in interdependence. “Let us suppose that there are two bundles of reeds, Shariputra said. As long as the two are leaning against each other, they can stand up. In the same way, because there is a ‘this’, there can be a ‘that’, and because there is a ‘that’, there can be a ‘this’. But, if we take away one of the bundles of reeds, the other will fall over. In the same way, if we take away ‘this’, ‘that’ cannot continue to exist; and if we take away ‘that’, ‘this’ cannot exist.” “Samsara” is of our own doing like taking the “this” away from “that” and Humpty Dumpty falls down. A fragile, constructed yet functional illusion whose originating conditions remain obscure: this is the stuff of our madness. We can dwell in our “madness” and support it through various defense mechanisms to protect or defend our imaginary self. Defense mechanisms are one way supported by psychodynamic theory of looking at how people distance themselves from a full awareness of unpleasant thoughts, feelings and behaviors. But it is only by breaking the links of our conditioned, habituated behaviors and thought (thinking mind set in dualism), which are manufactured by IGNORANCE, DELUSION, and CONFUSION of our true buddha nature whereby we are able to find liberation through the Eight-Fold Path. gooseSaver
Posted on: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 22:58:31 +0000
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