The Buddha said:
"If it causes you suffering, it is not you, it is not yours,
it is not your self, for your self would cause you no suffering." This quote appears in the original Pali canon, as translated in The Life of the Buddha, Bhikkhu Nanamoli.
Although psychic suffering is universal, it is the state of mankind because of the way man has developed his culture. Suffering is not inherent in man because man is born with the true Buddha nature, luminous, the divine essence inside him (see my post, "Buddhism and the Divine"), and that nature knows no psychic suffering.
This truth is central to the process of implementing the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. Here's how it works.
The Buddha said that suffering is caused by craving. Realizing that our mind and its emotions, judgments, cravings, and attachments are the cause of our suffering, not the events we experience or aspects of our being, is the key that opens the door to freeing ourselves from the control of our mind and our psychic suffering.
For since our mind causes us suffering, we know from what the Buddha taught that the mind is not our true self, and so we can say to all five skandhas, "Not me!" And so not engage them and return home to our true self, our heart, which is light, love, faith, trust, compassion, humility, gratefulness, joy, contentment, strength, courage, and wisdom.
This in turn enables us to open our hearts and embrace all aspects of our being and experience – past, present, and future – and know that we will be safe, ok, regardless what life throws our way. Because we have returned home to our heart, our true Buddha nature, our divine essence, are sustained by the love of that nature/essence, and so experience abundance and light, happiness and contentment, peace and equanimity, faith and strength.
And so nothing offends, all internal and external struggle cease, we know we have everything we need inside ourselves to be at peace and happy, and allow nothing to disturb that peace and happiness.
This is the core of the spiritual path. They are the truths that lie behind all of my posts, my books, and my videos.
May you experience peace and happiness.
"If it causes you suffering, it is not you, it is not yours,
it is not your self, for your self would cause you no suffering." This quote appears in the original Pali canon, as translated in The Life of the Buddha, Bhikkhu Nanamoli.
Although psychic suffering is universal, it is the state of mankind because of the way man has developed his culture. Suffering is not inherent in man because man is born with the true Buddha nature, luminous, the divine essence inside him (see my post, "Buddhism and the Divine"), and that nature knows no psychic suffering.
This truth is central to the process of implementing the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. Here's how it works.
The Buddha said that suffering is caused by craving. Realizing that our mind and its emotions, judgments, cravings, and attachments are the cause of our suffering, not the events we experience or aspects of our being, is the key that opens the door to freeing ourselves from the control of our mind and our psychic suffering.
For since our mind causes us suffering, we know from what the Buddha taught that the mind is not our true self, and so we can say to all five skandhas, "Not me!" And so not engage them and return home to our true self, our heart, which is light, love, faith, trust, compassion, humility, gratefulness, joy, contentment, strength, courage, and wisdom.
This in turn enables us to open our hearts and embrace all aspects of our being and experience – past, present, and future – and know that we will be safe, ok, regardless what life throws our way. Because we have returned home to our heart, our true Buddha nature, our divine essence, are sustained by the love of that nature/essence, and so experience abundance and light, happiness and contentment, peace and equanimity, faith and strength.
And so nothing offends, all internal and external struggle cease, we know we have everything we need inside ourselves to be at peace and happy, and allow nothing to disturb that peace and happiness.
This is the core of the spiritual path. They are the truths that lie behind all of my posts, my books, and my videos.
May you experience peace and happiness.
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