How should one be true to oneself? Unfortunately, many of us here today do not even understand ourselves. When times were worse a century ago, we had so few choices. Now that we have everything materialistic, we begin to want more. And then we see that there are so many choices we could have, and we let loose our greed. Alas, the weakness of the mind!
I should write this down before I forget. Points from the talk by Ajahn Brahm on Monday. Speaking of faith, the teachings of Buddhism are to me what I should embrace for life. Because it will help me understand myself and then others and then this world. It is not that I choose to be faithful to this religion, but rather I choose to believe in its teachings. When the time is ripe, they will lead me to believe in the religion.
- We tend to remember only the bad experiences from the past.
- What is the most important thing?
- Who is the most important person?
- When is the most important time?
- Fear exaggerates a situation.
- Handling stress (letting go)
I liked Ajahn Brahm's story of two women baking a cake as well.
Just looking at the blog of someone I knew from the past made me realise how far I have gone since almost half a year ago. It is now time for me to put into practise the first point I listed - to remember not only the bad experiences. I never realised the extent to which my thoughts on relationships were so twisted. Even after this, I should not stifle my emotions. Let them flow.
So who, what and when is most important? The answers told to me are enough for my reflecting on them for some time. And when one puts these three questions in a larger context, they mean more than just who, what and when is most important - they serve as guidelines to how I should live my life. Back to this blog that I've just read - the writer has a long way to go in understanding himself. And even then when he finally understands himself and his actions can he move on to better himself. Only when he betters himself and his mind will he be able to love, the word he has harped on for so long and so many times but never understood - and perhaps never will.