I am teaching Buddhism to freshman this week.
I'll give y'all time to digest that fact.
So there I am, giving them the down low on Siddartha and his revelations, when I find myself writing the 4 Noble Truths of Buddhism on the chalkboard. To whit:
1. Sorrow (or suffering) is part of life.
2. People suffer because they are constantly wanting and trying to get things they cannot have.
3. The way to escape suffering is to overcome these frustrating desires and reach a stage of "not wanting."
4. Finally, the Buddha pointed out the steps on the path to enlightenment, or nirvana.....this is the Eightfold Path.
Okay, that explains why I've hit a rough-patch: wanting and trying to get what I cannot have. The challenge is finding a way toward not wanting............and that ain't so easy.
We take up with the Eightfold Path to Enlightenment later this week. Maybe that will help.
Finding a way not to want is always a challenge, sometimes the most workable alternative is to find a way to want what it is that you have.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I'm not Buddhist!
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