The intention behind this article is to remind ourselves how fortunate we are to have this human experience, to experience life on this planet, in this physical body. A physical body which is a temporary biological vehicle that allows us to express and experience ourselves.
When we say that we are extremely fortunate to have this human life, we are by no means looking down on any other forms of life, feeling that we are superior to any other living being, no. We simply want to emphasize how blessed we are.
Of course, some of us may feel otherwise. We may feel that we live in a hell realm, that hell is actually here, life on Earth. It is not uncommon to think this way, especially if we only focus on the suffering that is happening in the world.
Through the experience of a human being, we have the potential to influence our lives, to influence our mental continuums and those around us too! What does this mean?
It means that whatever we are experiencing now, we must have created the causes before, in order to have this experience. As we know, cause and effect is one of the basic 'rules' for this playground. Some call it karma, some say that you reap what you sow. Everything comes from something, and what we put in, we get out.
Thus, we know that the happiness or the suffering that we are experiencing, these causes must have been created at some point within the mental continuum, and as the conditions arise to meet these causes, we experience them accordingly.
Now, if we solely created the causes for our unhappiness and suffering, this means we can also stop creating causes for unhappiness and suffering going forward! Is this not great news?
See, we have the capacity to fully and completely decide how we respond and how we react to any situation. The reaction may come from the mind, but we know that the mind is a creature of habit, and it is simply acting as it has been conditioned. Therefore, if we have been caught in a mindset that creates unhappiness and suffering, we now have the precious opportunity to transform this mindset!
As the mental continuum is bound to change, bound to impermanence, as we see every single day, we can rejoice, knowing that the suffering and unhappiness is also impermanent. We can change it!
Getting back to the fact that we are fortunate to have this human experience, let's consider how we are able to use this as a great medium for transforming the mind. As humans, we are suffering, but not too much, and we have happiness, but not too much happiness either. This means we can have a healthy balance, we can enjoy life and we can learn from our suffering and we can transform our mindsets.
Sounds like a great deal, doesn't it?
Some of us have this misunderstanding that when the physical body stops, that the mind may cease to exist too, while in fact, the mental continuum carries on. It was there before this human birth, it is here during this human experience, and it shall continue after this human experience. When we see this, we clearly see that there is nothing else to do, other than to create a peaceful space of love and happiness for ourselves and those around us. Not only for now, but for the future of this mental continuum too.
Of course, some of us may feel otherwise. We may feel that we live in a hell realm, that hell is actually here, life on Earth. It is not uncommon to think this way, especially if we only focus on the suffering that is happening in the world.
Nothing is a coincidence
Let's consider how, through causes and conditions, the mental continuum managed to manifest as a human being, right here and now as we are reading this article. Out of all the planes or dimensions of existence that go beyond our capacity of understanding, we are now having this experience. How fortunate!Through the experience of a human being, we have the potential to influence our lives, to influence our mental continuums and those around us too! What does this mean?
It means that whatever we are experiencing now, we must have created the causes before, in order to have this experience. As we know, cause and effect is one of the basic 'rules' for this playground. Some call it karma, some say that you reap what you sow. Everything comes from something, and what we put in, we get out.
Thus, we know that the happiness or the suffering that we are experiencing, these causes must have been created at some point within the mental continuum, and as the conditions arise to meet these causes, we experience them accordingly.
Now, if we solely created the causes for our unhappiness and suffering, this means we can also stop creating causes for unhappiness and suffering going forward! Is this not great news?
See, we have the capacity to fully and completely decide how we respond and how we react to any situation. The reaction may come from the mind, but we know that the mind is a creature of habit, and it is simply acting as it has been conditioned. Therefore, if we have been caught in a mindset that creates unhappiness and suffering, we now have the precious opportunity to transform this mindset!
As the mental continuum is bound to change, bound to impermanence, as we see every single day, we can rejoice, knowing that the suffering and unhappiness is also impermanent. We can change it!
Getting back to the fact that we are fortunate to have this human experience, let's consider how we are able to use this as a great medium for transforming the mind. As humans, we are suffering, but not too much, and we have happiness, but not too much happiness either. This means we can have a healthy balance, we can enjoy life and we can learn from our suffering and we can transform our mindsets.
Sounds like a great deal, doesn't it?
A deeper understanding
When we get to a deeper understanding, getting a broader view on reality, we come to realize that it is not only important to create the causes for immediate happiness, or only for this life, but to think ahead and to create as many peaceful and beneficial imprints as possible, in order to experience them going forward.Some of us have this misunderstanding that when the physical body stops, that the mind may cease to exist too, while in fact, the mental continuum carries on. It was there before this human birth, it is here during this human experience, and it shall continue after this human experience. When we see this, we clearly see that there is nothing else to do, other than to create a peaceful space of love and happiness for ourselves and those around us. Not only for now, but for the future of this mental continuum too.
How exactly do we transform the mind and plant seeds of peace and happiness?
We invest time in nurturing the mind, we garden the mind, as we have discussed in a previous article. We meditate, we check up, we study the Dharma and we renounce the ego. Of course, we do not have to do this. We are solely in control of the happiness and suffering we create, and when we enjoy the thrills and the suffering, we are most welcome to live in such a way, as most of us are doing anyway.
However, at some point, the suffering gets too much, it gets unbearable, and we start to seek happiness, lasting peace, and happiness. See, the suffering and unhappiness is not all bad - it is part of what leads us to freedom. It is part of the Path.
As we start to transform the mind and create positive causes, it is important to understand that we may not experience the result immediately. Our minds may have been caught in a cycle of creating suffering for so long, that it feels like we can never escape the unhappiness. Even if this may be the case, we can rejoice, knowing that everything is bound to impermanence and that the suffering shall pass too.
Instead of creating more suffering, we can stay disciplined and create beneficial causes for the future. At some point, we shall see that there is a transformation and we can peacefully use all the suffering of the past to bring us to lasting peace and happiness.
Considering all of the above, what else is there for us to do, other than to simply create and experience lasting happiness for ourselves and others?
In respect to all of this, it is important that we remember one thing - the intention of this article is merely to remind us how fortunate we are to have this human experience, to be grateful for this life, and cherish it. We can change our mentality, we can transform our unhappy state of mind into a happy state of mind,
In the end, true peace and happiness, lasting fulfillment, does not lie in the future or in the past. It is nothing separate from us, from who and what's are right now.
We invest time in nurturing the mind, we garden the mind, as we have discussed in a previous article. We meditate, we check up, we study the Dharma and we renounce the ego. Of course, we do not have to do this. We are solely in control of the happiness and suffering we create, and when we enjoy the thrills and the suffering, we are most welcome to live in such a way, as most of us are doing anyway.
However, at some point, the suffering gets too much, it gets unbearable, and we start to seek happiness, lasting peace, and happiness. See, the suffering and unhappiness is not all bad - it is part of what leads us to freedom. It is part of the Path.
As we start to transform the mind and create positive causes, it is important to understand that we may not experience the result immediately. Our minds may have been caught in a cycle of creating suffering for so long, that it feels like we can never escape the unhappiness. Even if this may be the case, we can rejoice, knowing that everything is bound to impermanence and that the suffering shall pass too.
Instead of creating more suffering, we can stay disciplined and create beneficial causes for the future. At some point, we shall see that there is a transformation and we can peacefully use all the suffering of the past to bring us to lasting peace and happiness.
Considering all of the above, what else is there for us to do, other than to simply create and experience lasting happiness for ourselves and others?
In respect to all of this, it is important that we remember one thing - the intention of this article is merely to remind us how fortunate we are to have this human experience, to be grateful for this life, and cherish it. We can change our mentality, we can transform our unhappy state of mind into a happy state of mind,
In the end, true peace and happiness, lasting fulfillment, does not lie in the future or in the past. It is nothing separate from us, from who and what's are right now.
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| As nature transforms all the time, the mind has the capacity to transform too. |
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Growing out of suffering - 18 October, 2020
Gardening the mind - 02 September, 2020
Growing out of suffering - 18 October, 2020
Gardening the mind - 02 September, 2020
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