Thoughts on Buddhism

[Bgood]

Excerpt from "Overview of Dependent Origination"

Those who have studied the life of the Buddha may recall his reflections shortly after the Enlightenment, when he had not yet begun to expound the teaching. At that time, the Buddha was reluctant to teach, as is related in the Scriptures:

"Monks, the thought arose in me thus: 'This truth which I have realized is profound, difficult to see, abstruse, calming, subtle, not attainable through mere sophisticated logic.

"'But beings revel in attachment, take pleasure in attachment and delight in attachment. For beings who thus revel, take pleasure and delight in attachment, this is an extremely difficult thing to see: that is, the law of conditionality, the principle of Dependent Origination. Moreover, this also is an extremely difficult thing to see: the calming of all conditioning, the casting off of all clinging, the abandoning of desire, dispassion, cessation, Nibbana. If I were to give this teaching and my words were not understood, that would simply make for weariness and difficulty.'" [Vin.I.4; M.I.167]

This passage mentions two teachings, the principle of Dependent Origination and Nibbana, stressing both their profundity and also their importance within the Buddha's enlightenment and teaching.

To believe we are separate entities is a conditioned belief. We continually feed the craving attachment of the false self, the ego, the individual personality which is inherently an illusory creation. Everyone on this green, watery planet exists WITHIN the gravitational grasp of our solar system. Just think of ourselves as tiny particles within that huge planetary system. What is in a human mind is dependent upon this entire cosmic mechanism to function properly. Therefore we are all just internal, interdependent parts of one BIG universe. To realize this is to see Buddha mind. The capacity of his wisdom is infinite and evolves higher every minute of every day.