Enlightened individuals don’t disgorge enough these days.
Okay, I understand I might seem like a broken record, as I sustain my pointing out of flaws for one more week. I’m sure many, many people do well under the Buddhist banner. I’m sure that Buddhist meditation does fantastic things for some people. I’m even sure that were I to try Buddhist meditation, I would most likely enjoy some of it.
But really, did I read the passage incorrectly? The entire concept seems so… tragic. I must admit, serenity sounds like a good deal. I’m not going to lie; I’ve heard nothing but good things about serenity. But the serenity described in the passage is entirely contrary to what I believe is key to, well, living.
Hui-hai stated that “a mind that dwells on nothing is the Buddha mind, enlightenment mind, uncreated mind.” This scares me. We are alive. As humans, we have been gifted with an evolved intelligence that outstrips everything else on the planet by far. We have advanced in the fields of medicine and science and hit a point where we can keep ourselves alive when involved in accidents or when suffering from horrific diseases. We are masters of change and evolution: In the early 1900’s, the Wright brothers had a controlled glide. Roughly fifty years later, we landed on the moon. That’s ridiculous when you actually take the time to consider that. Our minds are our greatest asset: without it, we’d be nothing but ill-equipped apes. And in light of this, this wonderful genetic talent of ours to think and to act, there is a large group of people that devotes their time to reaching a state of uncreation? This scares me.
I realize that many people use this technique to escape from life in order approach it with a fresh, open mind, and I respect that, to an extent. I have qualms, however, about calling it enlightenment. I will be honest in saying that I don’t know enough about how and why existence exists, but I believe that certain meditation techniques, like the ones used in modern Buddhism, are steps backward.
Cameron Betts
- Cameron Betts
- I go to college (obviously). I play the bass in a garage rock band called The Captains Of Spaceship Earth, perform stand up comedy, and I also plan on majoring in English with an emphasis on poetry. I at least know that while it's unsure where I'll be in a decade, I'll definitely be poor.
1 comment:
Cam, I envy your youth. I thought as you do at your age, and as much as I thought I would NEVER become an older guy telling a younger guy to "wait until you get older," wait until you get older.
Put it off as long as you can. Seriously. Play in your band, drink, smoke everything you can get your hands on, sleep with as many women as you possibly can, but be sure you save money while you are doing it.
What inevitably comes with progressing age is a weariness toward visceral excitement coupled with the realization that a little serenity goes a long way. I believe this is the gateway to the enlightenment you describe.
Eventually, the seeker asks the question, "Why bother with this whole 'living' thing?" The answer is as elusive as all answers are, yet when one feels a true bond with his fellow humans under the banner of faith, the process of realization begins.
As much as those earthly delights I mentioned previously can bring euphoria and visceral exuberance, there will most likely come a time in your life when excitement no longer excites you the way it used to--you will need a new drug. Adrenaline and dopamine give way to serotonin re-uptake inhibitors...
What I am trying to say is, live for the excitement now. There will come a time when you will seek peace. When you are ready, you may find it is elusive. Your observation that, "I believe that certain meditation techniques, like the ones used in modern Buddhism, are steps backward," may seem valid in the now but revisiting that statement in the future might make you chuckle.
Post a Comment