It’s Buddha Day. Millions are celebrating the birth and enlightenment of the chubby guy with the half smile. Why is he so smug? What does he know that we don’t?
A basic pillar of Buddhism is an awareness of impermanence. Wha? Nothing lasts. You are going to die, and everything you care about is going to disappear. How can this lead to happiness? How can I enjoy my iPod if I know it will be obsolete in a year!? Enjoy the moment. Dig the tunes while you can. “Enlightenment” means freedom from the two things that cause human misery: craving and fear. As the story goes, the Buddha sat under a tree for six years to figure out what life was all about — what to do, what to think, what to be. Then it dawned on him that sitting under the tree was his life.
And at this moment, reading this Web site is yours. Gee, thanks for tuning in!
Stop to think about your imminent death today. Go sit under a tree. Smile.
Some Buddhist links:
Spend ten days in silent meditation training. Emerge smiling.
Abacus Wealth Management – Financial managers who “use Buddhist values to build inner and outer wealth.”
Dharma Shop – Gear up for meditating.
www.dharmalife.com – Buddhist lay-person magazine
