As I entered work this morning and drove past one of the practice fields, an odd thing caught my eye - a laughing Buddha lawn ornament.... sitting there on school property.It gave me a much-needed laugh to start the day, and strangly felt like a message of sorts. Had it not been there in the afternoon, I may have forgotten about it, as I was quickly consumed again by the troubles of the day. But there it was on my way out of work, laughing his little Buddha laugh.
I spent most of the drive home reflecting on that. There are some teachings of Buddhism that I dearly love - most importantly, being truly present in the moment. I've been obsessing a lot about things that are not in the moment and that I have very little control over. That which I do have control over - the moment is actually in decent shape.
Also of interest to me is that my teaching has been in many ways at the top of its game this week. My brain has been everywhere else, but I submerge myself into my teaching because it is there that I can be present in the moment and not allow that which has been upsetting to take over. It's kind of odd... but I've taught the shit out of those kids this week.
As I looked at the laughing Buddha on the way out of the parking lot today, I thought about the four noble truths of Buddhism and the first one: All Life is Suffering. The Buddha smiles because he has removed himself from Samsara and has detached completely from himself.
And this is where I really got stuck with Buddhism and my reflection today is really that I'm not willing to give up on life with all of its suffering - and its joys. I won't give up my friends and my love, I won't detach myself from family. All three of these things will inevitably cause some suffering, but they also provide me with my greatest joys.
So for now, I will laugh with the Buddha in the moment. I will try not to spend my time worried about that which I can not change and that which I can not control. I can live in the moment and experience joy with those around me. And I will experience pain and sadness. Joy and suffering go hand in hand in our life... see earlier post about balance. Hopefully in our lives there is enough Joy to make it a good journey. So I'm sure one of the kids stole that Buddha from some person's lawn and placed it there as part of a prank. I'm sure he didn't intend it to be a thought provoking statement, but he sure made me think. And it was appreciated.
Peace.
(and - on a lighter note, check out The Tallest Man on Earth I haven't read the review I linked to, but there are some tracks on the right - the first and third tracks are just stunning. But I like it all. It's on solid repeat right now.
2 comments:
I've struggled with some Buddhist thought, but I think you've taken what you can use and used (are using) it wisely. You really nailed my thoughts when you said, you don't WANT to remove yourself from your loved ones, because you do receive so much joy and sometimes sorrow from them. How is one suppose to have a family and then remove themselves from them? It seems selfish to do that while you're here on earth...yeah, I know...you come to this life alone and you leave alone, but it doesn't mean to have to be alone when you're here.
I've struggled with some Buddhist thought, but I think you've taken what you can use and used (are using) it wisely. You really nailed my thoughts when you said, you don't WANT to remove yourself from your loved ones, because you do receive so much joy and sometimes sorrow from them. How is one suppose to have a family and then remove themselves from them? It seems selfish to do that while you're here on earth...yeah, I know...you come to this life alone and you leave alone, but it doesn't mean to have to be alone when you're here.
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