From: lyeh@alleg.edu (Hun Lye)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern
Subject: The joy of "letting go" according to Buddhism....3
Date: 15 Oct 92 00:09:59 GMT
Article-I.D.: ogicse.44202
Distribution: world
Organization: Allegheny College


	To try to run away from the world like a prey would from its  
predator cannot be a healthy or skillful way of relating with the world.  
Many people think the Buddhism is a form of "escapism."  No doubt if you  
are a scholar in religious studies or a historian you can find traces of  
"escapism" in the Buddhist tradition.  But is it justified to call  
Buddhism "escapism"?  The Buddha did teach us how to "escape."  It is  
escape NOT from the world, not from our responsibilities and parts in the  
world.  Rather it is escape from duhkha (loosely translated as "suffering"  
or "unsatisfactoriness"; refer to my first posting).  No one in their  
right mind wants to remain in duhkha.  If the Buddha is considered a  
"pessimist" or "escapist" because he taught a way to end duhkha, then  
perhaps all other great teachers are pessimists and escapists.
	To try to run away from the world denotes fear and disgust on our  
part.  It shows that we do not recognise the true nature of phenomena.   
Like I've mentioned many times, the world is the way it is.  It is not  
evil or good.  These are just judgements and mental fabrication we put on  
to our experience of the world.  In reality, the world is just as it is.   
We do not run away from the world.  Instead, we learn how to experience it  
and establish some kind of healthy relationship with it.  In order to know  
how heavy something is, we need to pick it up.  After picking it up, we  
will not know how light it can be unless we are able to put it down again.   
Likewise, when we are faced with a negative situation where there is no  
way for us to avoid - don't run away!  Face it and learn from it.   
Recognise it for what it is - impermanence and non-self- that's what all  
things are.  Understanding their true nature of impermanence and non-self,  
we will cease to cling on to them.  When we are sick, go to the doctor by  
all means.  But the doctor only takes care of the body.  It is pointless  
if she heals your body while you let your mind get sicker and sicker.   
Recognise the discomfort.  Note how it arises, abides and ceases.  It is  
not there for good.  Nothing is!  This is how we learn from the world.
	From the Buddha's teachings we know that he discouraged  
self-mortification.  Some people think that the body is bad.  It is evil.   
It traps the pure spirit or soul that inhabits the body.  To release the  
soul from this corrupting body and world, one must torture the body so  
that we become "detached" from the body.  This is not the Buddha's way.   
Have you heard of the phrase "pleasures of the flesh"?  This seems to  
imply that the flesh or the body is capable of experiencing pleasures.   
Think about this then "can a dead body (still a body) experience pain or  
pleasure?"  "Can you arouse a dead body?"  When we contemplate this we  
realize that it is not the body!  It is our conceptualizing minds that are  
working.  It is the deluded mind that craves for this and hates that.  
	On the other hand, to chase after the world like a dog chasing its  
own tail is just as absurd.  Deludedly we imagine that we can have things  
we like for ever.  We want this, we want that.  When we finally get this  
or that, we find that now that we have them we begin to lose interest in  
them after sometime.  Ultimately we still can't keep it.  When something  
nice happens, enjoy it!  But don't get trapped.  Don't get caught!  To  
make things more complicated we fail to recognise that we ourselves are  
the origins of the traps.  If there is intrinsically a "trapping" value in  
something, then everyone no matter who it might be will be trapped when  
encountering it.  But this is not the case.  Some people fall in the trap  
of power while it's wealth for others.  For some it's relationships while  
for others it's chocolate!  Hence, the things themselves don't trap.  It  
is us the do the trapping.  
	Pleasurable experiences are no doubt more problematic than  
unpleasant ones.  It is true that it is easier to establish an unhealthy  
relationship with pleasurable things than those that are not.  One gets  
easily attached to good things.  So, there should be more awareness and  
mindfulness when we experience fun times.  Don't let yourself cling on to  
them.  Anything that has the nature of arising also has the nature of  
ceasing.  When you can have this kind of awareness with regards to the  
nature of all things, then fun things are okay.  Infact, not-so-fun things  
are okay too.  
	The enlightened mind is lucid, empty and calm.  It is lucid  
because it is able to shine and recognise all things as the are (not as  
what we *think* they are or what we *want* them to be).  It is empty  
because it does not contain loadfuls of junk like hatred, jealousy, worry,  
doubt, uncertainness or insecurity.  It is empty of all defiling entities  
that are in their respective nature impermanence and non-self.  It is calm  
because, the winds that stir up the waves are no more.  The fire that  
keeps consuming our energies have been extinguished.  
	The enlightened mind is expansive, humorous and compassionate.  It  
is expansive because it has been freed from the cages of prejudice,  
conceptualizing, and greediness.  It is able to open itself up to truly  
experience existence as it is.  The expansive quality of the enlightened  
mind allows one to open oneself up to the world, to those around us and to  
gather everyone in.  It is humorous because it knows that in reality we  
are free and peaceful.  It is able to laugh at itself and laugh with  
others.  It is compassionate because it recognises that all sentient  
beings share a common "problem" - the "problem" of duhkha.  Recognizing  
the way to end duhkha, it aspires and works towards the removing of duhkha  
from all beings.  
	BUT why are we still carrying some much rubbish around?  It's  
heavy, it's smelly - let go of it!  Drop it!  Drop it and you'll know how  
light it can be.  



To be continued.....




This is the third posting I am doing.  I welcome questions, comments and  
suggestions.  As I noted in my second posting, what is written here is not  
meant to be an definitive explanation of Buddhism in particular or life in  
general.  It's written based on personal experience and teachings received  
from other kind and insightful teachers.  Please give me feedback on the  
usefulness of the  posting so far and what particular aspects of this  
approach to Buddhism that you want to know more - I will also try my best  
to answer to you personally thru the e-mail.  If you find the stuff here  
useful and meaningful, I am glad I can share them with you.  If you find  
them meaningless, I hope you will be able to find something that makes  
more sense to you and apologize for my inability to help.  The next  
posting will probably be on the topic of "Becoming Enlightened?"  It is  
about how we constantly try to "become" something or someone when the  
Buddha taught that the desire to "become" only leads to duhkha.   And  
also, if anyone is interested in getting into the actual practice, feel  
free to contact me.  I hope I can give you some suggestions.  Finally,
let go and be happy!

"When our mind is open and in the state of wonder...that's the state of  
love - truly being with something as it is, whether it is horrible or  
pleasant"                   - Ajahn Kittisaro     

--
lyeh@alleg.edu (Hun Lye)